May 18, 1871. ] 



JOUBNA.L OF SORTICULTDBK AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



361 



Tegetmeier, Fincliley. Pigeo^is : Mr. T. J. Charltou, Bradford. 

 Mabbits: Mr. E. Teebay, and Mr. T. J. Charlton. 



NEW ENGLAND POULTRY DOINGS. 



Ix one of your November numbers I noticed something from Mr. L. 

 Wright in relation to the New York State Poultry Society, and it may 

 not be uninteresting to your readers to know that New England is not 

 behind other sections of the country in her endeavours to bring poultry 

 more prominently before the public. We have a very nourishing club 

 in this state of Massachusetts {the New England Poultry Club), which 

 numbers now some 250 members. We organised in 1S65, and have 

 just held our seventh annual exhibition. Our entries average about 

 four hundred to five hundred pens, and we give cash prizes, although 

 not large ones at present. We hope, however, to increase them as we 

 grow stronger. We have a guarantee fund of some 400 dollars, are 

 free from any debt, and have never made an assessment on our mem- 

 bers. At our recent show we had probably the best collection of birds 

 ever brought together in this country. The Asiatics were so acknow- 

 ledged by all the breeders present, and so close was the competition, 

 that the Judges were unable to make their awards after summing. up 

 points for two whole days, and were then obliged to call in an additional 

 Judge to assist them. The stock from the yards of Messrs. Boyle, 

 Baily, Beldon, and others so familiar in your English shows were well 

 represented by fine specimens, and received their respective awards. 



We confine ourselves to poultry and Pigeons, and receive no outside 

 attractions for the purpose of drawing a large crowd, our object being 

 to perfect poultry and extend a knowledge of it, and its utility among 

 the masses. — H. Woodwaed, late Treasurer of A"ew England Poultry 

 Club. 



ACTION FOR THE LOSS OF A PIGEON. 



While v. jExmsex. — The plaintiff, Mr. James F. While, of Bir- 

 mingham, brought an action in the Manchester County Court, against 

 Messrs. Jennison, the proprietors of Belle Yue Gardens, to recover 

 .-£13, the value of a Black cock Carrier Pigeon, which had been lost or 

 stolen while in the charge of the defendants. 



The plaintiff's Pigeon obtained the first prize at the Manchester 

 Poultry Show in December. Other Pigeons belonging to the plaintiff 

 were returned after the Exhibition bad closed, but the first-prize bird 

 was lost, and Messrs. Jennison seemed to have come to the conclusion 

 that it had been stolen. The defendants alleged that they were not 

 liable, because one of the rules of the Show set forth that all damage 

 arising from accident, delay, fire, or other causes must be borne by the 

 exhibitors, the whole of the stock being at their risk after being de- 

 livered to the Secretary or the servants of Messrs. Jennison. The 

 defendants said they could not have taken greater care than they did ; 

 but it was alleged if they bad exercised the same precautions that 

 were observed at the Birmingham Show, the Pigeon could not have 

 been lost or stolen. In reply to the Judge, it was stated that 7s. fjd. 

 was paid by the plaintiff as the entrance fee for each Pigeon, but no 

 part of that money was intended to reward the defendants for taking 

 care of the birds. For the defendants it was urged that they were in 

 the position of bailees without reward. The Judge said unless the 

 plaintiff could show that Messrs. Jennison did not exercise ordinary and 

 reasonable care they would not be liable. The plaintiff wasnon-suited. 



[There can be no doubt that the decision was correct. It was ad- 

 judged long since in the case of Doorman v. Jailcins^ that if an article 

 was deposited by A with B, for the sole benefit of A, and without any 

 reward to B, and the article was lost without any gross negligence on 

 the part of B, he was not liable for the loss. Whether there was such 

 negligence is always a question to be decided by the jury, or, in the 

 County Court, by the Judge, if a jury is not employed. — Eds.] 



Babbits. — Seventy years ago Bome domestic Rabbits were 

 introduced upon Sable Island, a small Bandy ielet lying about 

 a hundred miles off the Nova Sootia coast, and being left 

 alone and not crossed in breeding, they have entered their feral 

 state in liveries of beautiful silver-grey, with white collars, in- 

 timating some remote affiuities with bygone races. — [Nature.) 



THE FIRST HONEY DAYS OF 1871. 

 Aftee a long and severe winter the month of March arrived, 

 bringing with it a pretty bright sky, but cold easterly winds 

 and frosty nights prevented the secretion of honey in flowers. 

 April brought with it a dark murky misty atmosphere, and rain 

 almost every day. The spring months of this year have been 

 very unfavourable for honey gathering. The flowers of goose- 

 berry, plum, and pear trees have been abundant ; but owing 

 to the inclement weather they were not much visited by bees ; 

 indeed bees in this neighbourhood did little work out of doors 

 till May 8th, when the weather became propitious. The syca- 

 mores being in full bloom are yielding honey in considerable 

 quantity. Two of our best hives were weighed on Saturday 

 morning, one was 33 lbs., the other 36 lbs. To day (MajjStb) 



they have been weighed again, and found to have gained 17 lbs, 

 — i.e., one 9 lbs., the other more than 8 lbs., say 3 lbs. per hive 

 per day. Though late in coming, these honey days have been 

 gratefully welcomed. A few more of such days will make our 

 hives heavy, and enable many of them to send off swarms in 

 May. — A. Peitigeew. 



HERMAPHRODITE BEES. 



The opinions of Professor Siebold on hermaphrodite bees 

 are the same as I have myself arrived at. The degree of inter- 

 mixture of sex is often very small, such as one of the antenBa3, 

 legs, or eyes being of a sex opposite to that of the bee generally. 

 The most remarkable cases I have met with were two bees which 

 possessed the fructifying organs of the drone, and the stings 

 of the worker. I thought the last specimen that I sent was 

 one of this character, but it appears I have made a mistake in 

 sending a wrong one. It is evident that these hermaphrodites 

 do not remain long in the hive, but whether they are expelled 

 by the bees, or make their own exit from the scene, remains 

 yet to be proved. The cause of this anomaly is, in my opinion, 

 as in the case mentioned by Professor Siebold, that of the queen 

 having become aged, many of the eggs having been only partially 

 fertilised. In my present case it is different, the progeny being 

 that of a young queen, and that the most prolific one I have. 

 In this case it would seem to arise from an excess of sper- 

 matozoa, or from the shape of the queen making it impossible 

 for her when depositing an egg in a drone cell of too small a 

 size, to pass the egg without allowing it to come into contact 

 with the fertilising sac. I enclose a tew more of these bees, 

 one of which has two small auxiliary eyes instead of one ; one 

 of these being situated at the top angle and base of the left eye, 

 the other being in the usual situation. — A Lanakkshihe Bee- 

 keeper. 



[We are much obliged for the specimens sent, but we do not 

 think we can again trouble Mr. Smith to make an examination 

 of them. These monstrosities are by no means so uncommon 

 as many people suppose. — Eds] 



Early Swaem3 at Ledeuet. — Mrs. Apperlev hived a fine 

 swarm on May Ist ; Mr. Lewis, at the Gas Works, on May 

 6th ; and Mr. Cox, New Street, May 7th. 



Hive Flooes. — Some people put great stress on the material 

 of which hives are constructed, but I never notice anyone turn- 

 ing his attention to the floor of the hive, which, in my opinion, 

 is of as much importance as the hive itself. If floors were 

 made of charcoal or other absorbent nonconducting material, 

 bee-keepers would find it a great advantage towards securing 

 the health of bees during winter. I have in some cases used 

 carpet, and have seen coal used with advantage. — A Lanaek- 



SHIRE BeE-KEEPEK. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Double Egg (T. E. IF.)— One egg within another as you describe is 

 the usual mode of malformation. 



A Sitting PBODUClNe only One Chick (Dark Brahma). — The pur- 

 chaser should have written to you civilly, and asked for your favourable 

 consideration. He has no legal claim upon you. 



Dockings (iTenricuj).— We fully detailed the chicken culture of Susses 

 and Surrey last year. 



Chickins Partially Formed in the Egg {Sandy Scott). — We do not 

 believe it is possible to tamper with the eggs so as to destroy the chicken 

 partially, nor ii it necesaarv. We can at once tell you the cause of your 

 failure does not rest with the seller of the egHs. Either the germ of lifo 

 in an egg must be preiervert entire, or it must be destroyed totally. This 

 latter was not the case. The life wa a developed and the embryo existed 

 to a certain age, and was then destroyed. This destruction need neither 

 have been wilful, nor the result of negligence on the part of those who 

 had them in charge. With such weather as we have had it was enough 

 for the hen to be absent from her nest in the morning for the cold, frost, 

 and east wind to destroy the chickens. If you ask why all the eggs did 

 not perish alike, their position in the nest would explain that. 



Toulouse Geese (Six-yeurs Sufcscrtbcr).— Toulonse Geese are remark- 

 able for large size, and for the facility with which they fatten. They 

 cannot be called sitters, although now and then one has deviated. They 

 lay many eggs. One in our possession once laid sixty. 



Spanish Cock's Face Scaly (Pa().— We believe with you that sun is 

 detrimental to the faces of Spanish fowls, and we know that to prepare 

 them for hard competition tbev should be shut up in a dark place ; but 

 there has been very little sun in our parts, and a very fine bird we have 

 shows many such spots. Althougli the hens miynot cause them, they 

 continue them by picking, and will eat away ths entire white ' sac" if 

 Ihey are left alone. We find with one exception the cock always recovers 

 when removed from the hens. The exception i^ when the discoloration 

 is caused by a weeping from the eye. The liquid discharged would seem 

 to burn in its progress. 



Cochin Pullei's Layixg (Lemon Buff). — It is unusual— one-third 

 double-yolked eggs, but the consecutive laying for thirty-one days is mora 



