February 16, 1871. ] 



JOUBNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



131 



coek or hen), they will have good birds, and in such numbers 

 es will pay them. — L. Ween, Lowestoft. 



IS THE RABBIT FANCY ON THE DECLINE ? 



Me. Goodixg'3 able reply goes to strengthen my remarks as to 

 tlie great scarcity of Lop-ears owing to their being so difficult to 

 breed, and on account of their greater value they ought to occupy the 

 front rank in a Rabbit show. The very reason that we had so many 

 entries of fancy Rabbits at York was their being so common, so easily 

 bred, and of so little value. The pair of Angoras that won the first 

 honours at the York Show belonged to two poor lads who stand in onr 

 market with a few Pigeons and common Rabbits. The forty-five Lop- 

 •eared Babbits entered at our show belong to thirty good Rabbit fanciers 

 whose names are household words amongst us ; "but out of the forty- 

 five fancy Rabbits entered, there were not a dozen good fanciers' names, 

 the majority belonging to lads whose names are unknown amongst the 

 fancy. The fancy-Babbit men are able to make a dozen or more 

 entries in a show, for such Rabbits are so easily procured and breed 

 so fast that their owners are able to enter largely ; but the Lop-eared 

 fanciers have to be content by entering from three to six or more, 

 generally one. There is no comparison between the two in valne. I 

 had at one time ten Babbits, which I valued at £100, and I could 

 have sold them for that snm, and I very much question if there is a 

 fancy variety dealer in the country who has a stock to amount to any- 

 thing near that sum, and who can count his stock by from forty to sixty. 

 I am of opinion that, taking the country throughout, the fanciers of 

 Rabbits are on the decline. I inclnde fanciers of all varieties. I 

 should delight to see the day when Rabbits were placed on the same 

 jooting as the other fancies which compose our shows. It cannot but 

 be admitted that at present, with committees, Rabbits are either left 

 out altogether or very meagrely represented. Can we expect, so long 

 as this neglect continues, that the fanciers of B ibbits will increase ? 



Tbequestion, then, arises. How ar« Rabbits to be raised to an equal 

 positiSh with poultry and Pigeons ? I think that it can only be done 

 by fanciers sinking all differences and jealousies, and uniting into an 

 association that will recommend the fancy to the public at large, and 

 to committees of poultry shows in particular. Since throwing out 

 a hint about the formation of a United Kingdom Rabbit Club, I have 

 had letters from many iuBuential fanciers wishing such a Club to be 

 formed and carried out. My idea ie for the Club to be formed upon 

 the following basis — 



That it be composed of Rabbit fanciers, to become members by sub- 

 scribing Is. annually. That a city or town be chosen as the head 

 quarters of the Club. That a committee be chosen out of every town 

 at the rate of one committeeman to every four members. That an 

 unpaid secretary be appointed to do the work well for the love of the 

 fancy. That the secretary keep a register not only of members, but 

 of every known fancier in the kingdom. That the members keep the 

 secretary well supplied with iuformatiou— anything that is interesting 

 to the fanciers. That the secretary correspond with every poultry- 

 show secretary prior to the schedule being issued, to suggest classes, 

 and, where no Babbits have been exhibited, to use his influence to 

 have such classes established ; also to keep up a continual correspond- 

 ence with secretaries of local clubs. The secretary to be a well-known 

 fancier, one to whom any new beginner can apply" for information and 

 advice as to the management of Babbits. 



I would expend any surplus funds by holding a "gi-and Babbit 

 show " successively in different towns. 



By the formation of such a Club, if it were well worked, I believe 

 the fancy would increase and revive, also a tone would be given to it 

 which it does not at present possess. If thi3 meets the approval of 

 all fanciers I am willing to set the Club going, and when established 

 the committee can appoint a secretary. — M. Millixgtos, York. 



EXAMINING STOCKS. 



The period is approaching when scientific apiarians will be 

 taking advantage of a fine day for the purpose of inspecting 

 their hives, and ascertaining how they have fared during the 

 late protracted frost, which, with only one short intermission, 

 €stended over seven weeks. Some that were weak and not well 

 supplied with stores will be found to have succumbed to the 

 severity of the season ; others that were strong and well pro- 

 visioned, and prepared for winter's storms, will be seen to have 

 sustained little or no injury. We should profit by experience 

 — our very errors are good teachers — and when we find anything 

 in our practice that has been faulty and followed by evil con- 

 sequences, our wisdom is not to repeat our mistakes. 



The desire to know the condition o{ our hives is liable to be 

 gratified at some expense when proper precautions are not 

 taken, as I learned to my cost nearly twelve months ago. About 

 the beginning of March the weather happened to be cold and 

 nngenial, but the 16th was calm ; and although no bees were 

 going abroad I concluded it would be quite safe to make an 

 examination of one of my stocks, and that, as the temperature 

 was over 40', no harm could eome to the brood from a short 



exposure of the frames in the open air. This conviction, as 

 the result showed, was well founded, but it did net occur to me 

 that the carrying out of my intended inspection might be the 

 occasion of serious loss to an adjoining stock not more than 

 3 feet removed — a distance, by the way, far too small for the 

 separation of hives, seeing they ought to be placed as far apart 

 as circumstances will permit. Without, therefore, feeling any 

 concern for the safety of my other stocks, I proceeded at once 

 to remove the crown board and elevate the frames ; but whilst 

 holding them up to view a number of bees flew off and soared 

 into the air. These fugitives, I imagined, would return by their 

 accustomed entrance to their homes, but instead of doing so 

 they seemed bewildered, and several went directly into the hive 

 located nearest their own. This showed me the propriety of 

 suspending operations, so after adjusting the frames I shut up 

 the hive as quickly as possible. I need hardly say that I was 

 apprehensive of consequences, but as the stock receiving the 

 stray bees remained perfectly quiet throughout the remainder 

 of the afternoon, my equanimity was not much disturbed. 



I felt, however, that an error had been committed, and next 

 day, when reflecting on the matter, I thought it would be pru- 

 dent to make an investigation, and see whether the stragglers 

 which had entered a strange dwelling without opposition 

 were keeping the peace in their new home. Accordingly, after 

 employing precautious that had been neglected on the previous 

 day, I commenced operations in the usual manner. A glance 

 showed that all was not right. The inhabitants evidently were 

 in a state of commotion, and that peculiar sound could be 

 heard which is emitted whenever a queen is encased. I had 

 not to search long before I discovered that my worst fears were 

 realised, but the rescue intended on my part came too late. 

 The queen was found i i the very heart of a compact ball of 

 regicides and hopelessly injured, her body being already rigid 

 and shrivelled. Her deliverance and death was almost simul- 

 taneous. Now, if a friend having a spare queen had not come 

 to my aid, this stock, losing its sovereign so early as the middle 

 of March, must have been utterly ruined, and it is to put others 

 on their guard that I am induced to state my experience. 



Bees, as is well known to observers, go out from their habi- 

 tations after long confinement in the same manner as from 

 a young colony. They do not fly off directly, but make two or 

 three circles, so as to enable them to become acquainted with 

 the place they have left and avoid making any mistake on their 

 return ; consequently if they have been kept within-doors for 

 some time they should have an opportunity of reconnoitering 

 their entrances before any attempt is made to open up their 

 hives, otherwise, as in the case mentioned, they may take advan- 

 tage of the situation and fly ofi from the frames, and ignorantly 

 or stupidly enter the homes of their neighbours for their own. 

 But when a stock is to be examined early in spring, all danger 

 may be avoided by shutting up the entrances of hives which 

 are near to it with perforated zinc, or, what is more convenient, 

 wetting them with carbolic acid. In the one case stragglers 

 cannot enter a wrong dwelling, and in the other they dare not. 

 As the life of the queen is the most valuable life in the hive 

 and essential to its existence, nothing should be done which is 

 calculated to put her precious person in peril. Bee-masters, 

 then, would do well to beware in early spring, and before the 

 season is advanced, of a practice which is sometimes resorted 

 to for the purpose of strengthening a weak colony — viz., that of 

 putting it on the stance of a strong one. By making two stocks 

 exchange their stances at an improper season both stocks may be 

 lost through their queens being imprisoned and killed. — E. S. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Books (ff.BroicM).-—" Poultry Book for the ilany," lor seven postage 

 stamps. " Poultry-keeper'^s Manual," free by post from our office for 

 sixty-four postage stamps. 



Keeping Poultry as ak Employment (E. H.). — Your question is a 

 difficult one to answer. Few men can live by poultry alone. To keep it 

 profitably requires a thorough knowledge of the subject, and, trifling 

 though it appear, there is no royal road to it. All the theory may be 

 learned from books, but much can be only gained from experience. In 

 poultry, as in everything else, that must be bought. If your friend is 

 about to breed and send the ordinary poultry, and fatten it only as it is 

 fattened in Ireland, we should advise him to send it to Liverpool ; if he 

 means to make it good enough for the London market, let him send it 

 there. He must choose hia season. In the hot weather much pains and 

 care are required in fattening, fasting, killing, and packing to enable it to 

 reach its destination in a til state to realise a good price. Advantage 

 must also be taken of the time of year. Poultry is most valuable in 

 London in April, May, and June. Irish chickens well killed wiU make 

 good prices during those months, but they must be chickens in age as 

 well as name. It would be necessary he should choose a good breed, as 

 the ordinary Irish chickens with black, blue, and yello.v legs eat as much 



