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JOUKNAL OF HOETICULTUEB AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



[ February 2, 1871. 



with a loose shutter without hinges, having two handles to lift 

 it by, and is paintetd with gas tar. — J. R. F. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Books (C. S. B.).— We tnow of no work upon Game and Game Bantams 

 exclusively. More relative information will be found by reference to the 

 indexes of our back volames than in any book hitherto published. (A 

 Constant Subscriber). — Brent's "Canary." You can have it free by post 

 if you enclose twenty postage stamps with your address. 



Bkistol and Clifton Show.— Highly commended, William Perrin, 

 Bristol, should have been Nantwich. 



Malay Prizes at Northampton.—" The Committee of the North- 

 ampton Poultry Show are deserviog of the thanks of breeders and ad- 

 mirers of Malays, for considerately Riving them a separate class in the 

 prize list. I shall be happy to subscribe with others towards a cup or 

 sweepstakes, as a special prize for the best Malay cock, hatched in 1870, 

 but my time is too much occupied to admit of correspondence in its 

 behalf. I shall hopefully look forward to the prize lists of the principal 

 shows of this year, trusting to find separate clasees at most of them, for 

 Polands, Black Hamburghs, and Malays.— A. G. Brooke, Shrawardine, 

 Salop." 



Pullets Eating the Cock's Feathers [A Su:fferef).~-Fowls, like many 

 other bipeds, are apt scholars when the lesson is an evil one. One of the 

 hens, being out of condition, has befiun to pick, and the others, seeing 

 blood, have followed her example. It is curious, bat cocks of any breed 

 will stand while the hens eat them, especially Spanish, and Dorking cocks 

 wiU stand with hens pecking their combs on each side till the hens 

 make a hole. You must immediately remove the cocks. Let all the 

 peccant hens be well purged with castor oil, a table-spoonful every other 

 day for three days. Then give turves of grass cut with plenty of mould, 

 and, if you have any, some lettuce. We advise for birds that, being in 

 confinement, have no access to grass. We have never known birds do it 

 that were at full liberty. The cocks may be turned with the hens occa- 

 sionally, and that is all that is really necessary. 



Food for Swans (C. W. D.).— Much experience has taught us the best 

 food is the cheapest ; we therefore advise either oats or barley, the first 

 for choice. Cygnets should always be fed in severe weather. The proper 

 way to feed them is to put a small tub where they will see it directly, to 

 cover the bottom with a sod of grass, this with oats, and then to cover 

 the whole with water. Much waste is prevented, and it saves the food 

 from the depredations of small birds. It is of course useless to put it 

 anywhere but near the birds, as if uninterrupted it would soon be frozen. 

 If refuse green food can be mixed with the oats so much the better. 



Hen's Legs Spassted (M. B. Z).).— The spring-halt you mention is a 

 bad symptom in a fowl, but it may exist for a long time without serious 

 danger to health. We think constant meat-feeding injurions, and we 

 believe if you do not discontinue it we shall often have you for a querist. 

 We should do nothing beyond giving castor oil, a table-spoonful every 

 alternate day for three days. 



Turkeys (31. G.). — As the Peacock, One visit in the proper season to 

 the cock is sufficient. 



White Dorkings {F. TT.).— We consider the deaf ear almost unim- 

 portant, but if we had to choose we would have it red. The white one 

 will probably be transmitted to many ol his offspring. The accident of 

 having one claw shorter than the other is of no consequence. It is an 

 accident, as you say he has lost it. It is singular one of his descendants 

 has the same. There is no fear of its being continued. We believe Mr. 

 Martin's address is Claines, near Worcester. 



Breeding Black Hamburghs (TF. Z7.).— We advise the Spanish hen, 

 if you have but one pen. If yon are wise, you will have two and reverse 

 the sexes. We say if you are wise, because you cannot breed perfect 

 cocks and hens from the same parents. 



PoLANDs' Crests Dirty U^'gitis).— There is little cause to fear dirt in 

 fine weather. The best breeder we ever knew used in damp, dirty, and 

 wet weather to keep the top-knots up and clean by putting indiaurubber 

 bands round them. The crests should never be washed unless the birds 

 are going to a show. It should then be carefully done with a sponge, 

 wetting only the outside of the feathers, wiping them dry, and putting 

 the bii-d in soft straw. Top-knots ehould never be washed, if it can be 

 avoided. The most ornamental Ducks are Carolinas and Mandarins. 

 They may be had of Messrs. Baily, Mount Street, Grosvenor Square. We 

 do not know their prices. 



Cochin-Chinas {Recent Suhscriber). — Vulture hocks are long feathers 

 growing from the thighs and projecting from the legs in a downward 

 direction. Plucked hocks are those from which these feathers have been 

 pulled. The vulture hock is a great disadvantage, and you are fortunate 

 that your birds have it not. They are a good weight, but might weigh 

 more. Where they are carefully attended to they should make a pound 

 in every month up to 9 or 10 lbs. Get rid of every bird that has any 

 feathers protruding from the knee. 



White Feathers is Coloured Dorkings (An Amateur).~li your 

 Dorkings belong to the general Grey class, the white flights are not even 

 a disadvantage. Your description is that of very good birds. Yon may 

 pxbibit and safely breed from your pullets. They are not Silver-Greya. 

 These latter must not have a white feather. Silver-Greys are birds of 

 colour, and mo*t difficult to get perfect. Grey may be of any colour 

 except black and white. Dr. Campbell's are Grey birds. A Silver-Grey 

 cock must have a perfectly black breast and tail, without the suspicion 

 of white, very ligbt hackle and saddle, and steeled bar wing. Baily's 

 book on fo * is devotes a chapter to Dorkings. It is the best time in the 

 year to set Doi-tungs, and it would be no advantage to have the house 

 artificially warmed. You may leave the cock with ten hens. 



Bhahmas Lu'ing Double-yolked Eggs (C. H. S.). — A dose or two of 

 castor oil to each of the Brahmas, say a table-spoonful every other night 

 for a week, will put their secretions to rights, and cause two yolks to 

 inhabit two eggs. If they continue dropping them from the perches, 

 remove Ihem ; they must then lay on the ground. Is the rubbish to 

 which they have access bricklayers' rubbish ? if not, give them some. 

 We can give you no cure for feather-en tiug. Try to find which is tho 

 culprit and remove her. If you can, let them out ; they never do it when I 



at liberty. No preparation ia necessary to impart the brilliant tint to a 

 Spanish comb. It is natural, and we have now cocks with combs of 

 startling brilhancy. We should never use egg as an outward application 

 to fowls. 



Unicomb HrvE (An Amateur Bee-Jceeper). — We have forwarded your 

 query to Mr. S. E. Fox, who hopes to reply in our next. 



Dysentery in Bees (J. T. S.).— Shutting- up your bees and placingtho 

 skep with the board underneath, " on the mild part of a greenhouse 

 fiue,'' though it may dry the board and warm the combe which are sop- 

 posed to be frozen, will, it is to be feared, only aggravate the malady 

 with which the bees are afflicted. Whether they are sufi'ering from 

 dysentery, or the complaint whieh Mr. Woodbury hypothetically named 

 "dropsy," cannot be determined from the description given; but in 

 either case it is to be remembered, that the diseased bees are surcharged 

 with fluid or fieces, and consequestly no cure can avail which does not 

 make them part with their contents. It is very undesirable that they 

 should do so within their hive, and whilst inclement weather lasts they 

 cannot effect it outside in the open air. The cure for dysentery in winter, 

 recommended by Dzierzon, will be found at page 475, of the ninth vol. 

 of the Jom*nal, and is as follows :— " The bees should be brought into a 

 warm room with but one window, and that facing the south. The hive 

 being placed in the sun a few feet from the window, its inhabitants are 

 set in motion by a little food, either inserted within the hive or injected 

 into it. As the bees take wing and fly towards the window many empty 

 themselves, and the rest will do so when they reach and rest on the 

 window-sill. Here the brown faces must be sponged off as rapidly as 

 they are ejected, lest bees soil themselves with them, and when all have 

 had the required opportunity they will joyfully re-enter their hive, if the 

 entrance be brought close to them." Bat one more convenient to put in 

 practice, and which has been tried with benefit, is to wait for a mild 

 sunny day when bees can with safety leave their homes. As soon as any 

 are seen going abroad and returning, lift the skep from its resling-board 

 (which will do no harm), and place it upon another that has been well 

 warmed before the fire, and stimulate the bees to flight by administering 

 a small quantity of food. When the board grows cold it may be replaced 

 by the old one which has been cleaned and warmed, and if the process be 

 continued for an hour or so, the lives of the best bees will be saved, and 

 a large majority of worthless ones got rid of. Those bees that cannot fly 

 should be destroyed, their presence amongst healthy ones can do no 

 good and may do much harm. I have sometimes thought if the skep 

 were placed upon a thin board resting on heated sand, that the heat 

 woula be retained a long time, and render repeated changing of the floor- 

 board unnecessary ; but as the board is liable to get soiled, the frequent 

 changing of it is advantageous, and if this is attended to on the few fine 

 days that occur at intervals during winter and spring, the hive, whether 

 suffering from "dropsy" or dysentery, may ultimately master the 

 complaint. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Camden, Square, London. 

 Lat. 5r 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0° 8' 0" W. ; Altitude 111 feet. 



Date. 



9 A.M. 



In the Day. 















Shade Tem- 



Kadiation 



.9 



1871. 



Hygrome- 



Direc- 



Temp. 



perature. 



Temperature 







ter. 



tion of 



of Soil 







a 







Wind. 















Dry. 1 Wet. 





Max. 



TVTiT) 



Sun. ^Grass. 







Inches. 



deg. 



deg. 





deff. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



l^f 



In. 



We. 25 



30.054 



30.!i 



29.6 



N.E. 



85.5 



83.0 



30.2 



84.9 



— 



Th. 2S 



S0.03S 



m.H 



28.4 



N.E. 



35.0 



83.6 



26.0 



71.1 



24.9 



— 



Fi-i. 27 



80.251 



305 



29.8 



N. 



S4.8 



84.4 



25.4 



60.8 



24.8 



— 



Sat. 28 



80.217 



31.0 



29.2 



N. 



84.2 



83.8 



27.2 



45.0 



26.3 



— 



Sim. 20 



S0.I97 



32 S 



80.6 



N. 



84.0 



86.3 



30.2 



45.8 



29.8 



-~ 



Mo. 30 



30.134 



80.8 



80.5 



N.E. 



84.5 



32.9 



30.4 



83.9 



30.2 



0.013 



Tu. 81 



80.260 



80.4 



29.4 



E. 



34.2 



33.5 



28.8 



S6.7 



25.4 



— 



Means 



30.164 



36.1 



29.G 



•• 



84.6 



83.8 



28.3 



47.7 



26.9 



0.012 



REMARKS. 

 25th.— Fine morning ; slight snow about noon ; clear in evening about 7» 



cloudy afterwards. 

 26th.— Very fine bright frosty day ; brilliant night. 

 27th.— Fair ; cloudless at night. 

 28th.— Dull and overcast throughout. 

 29th,— Dull and overcast throughout. 

 30th.— Overcast in morning ; snow began about 11 A.ii., and fell to a total 



depth of one-tenth of an inch. 

 Slst. — Dull morning; brighter in afternoon; broken clouds in evening 



snow still lying. 

 A regular winter week, high barometer, northerly wind, and the mean 

 temperature below freezing point. The 9 a.m. temperatures almost as 

 uniform as last week, but 4 4^ lower; the range in the week actually 

 less, or only 10.9-— viz., 25.4' to 36.3'-.— G. J. Symons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— FEBErAET 1. 

 Trade is somewhat brisker. Good dessert Pears are becoming more 

 scarce. There have been heavy arrivals in the Potato market. 



Apples i sieve 1 t 



Apricots doz. 



Cherriea lb. 



Chestnuts bnahel 10 



GmTants \ sieve 



Black do. 



FiRS doz. 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 3 



Gooseberries Qunrt 



Orapee, Hothouse.... lb. 4 



Lemons %^100 6 



Melons each 1 



s. d. B. 

 OtoO 

 











Mulberries lb. 



Nectarines doz. 



Orangea ^100 6 



Peaches doz. 



Cearg, kitchen doz. 1 



dessert doz. 1 



Pine Apples lb. 4 



PlnmB h Biove 



Quinces doz. 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries lb. 



Walnats bushel 10 



do ^100 1 



