378 



JOUKNAi OF HOKTICULTUSE A.KD COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



[ Hay 25, 1S71. 



happens in sammer, but never in winter, with the famished, 

 when frost or great cold prevails. 



With these views I must demur to the supposition that the 

 straw hive with its entrance so closed as to admit air and to 

 exclude bees, and from which the inch-plug in the crown was 

 withdrawn, died from want of air. There was a free passage 

 for it between the milk-pan and the skep, and through the 

 straw thatching that covered all. The hole left by the plug 

 was not obstructed in the least by wax or any foreign body, nor 

 were the dead bees on the floorboard at all numerous. Most 

 of them occupied empty cells and remained suspended between 

 the combs. De Gelieu says, " I have seen an excellent swarm 

 perish in consequence of a slight bend in the board, which left 

 an interstice on each side through which a cold north wind 

 sifted and froze more than three-fourths of thj bees ; and no 

 after-care was able to save those that were left." Bat without 

 any chinks, or any openings left for ventilation, the wind may 

 blow in at the entrance and circulate through the interior of 

 the best-protected hives in such a way as to paralyse the bees 

 and occasion death. An instance of this kind came under my 

 observation last winter. In a box made of the best material, 

 and with its entrance kept carefully free of dead bees, the in- 

 habitants all perished through the influence of cold. — E. S. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



WooDERiDGE PotTLTRT Show.— " We bave written to tlie Secretary for 

 pri£es awarded, but have received no .instver, although it is now ten 

 weeks since the Show, and the rules say that if prize money be not re- 

 ceived ia fourteen days exhibitors will please apply for it, — S. & R. 



ASHTOil." 



Guinea Fowls Laying {Lincolnshire Vicar). — No fowls lay every day 

 without stopping. Guinea fowls, in common with others, lay twice in the 

 year and a great many es^s, without wanting to sit. They always steal 

 their nests if tbey can. The best authorities, and we hold with them, are 

 of opinion that Guinea fowls are strictly monogamous. 



Chicken Yoracious and Giddy [E. Woollen).— Yoqt chicken is suffer- 

 ing from vertigo, or from injury to the head. We advise you to treat it 

 with camphor, jriving at intervals of eight hours a ijill the size of a very 

 small garden pea ; continue this till the disease disappears. 



Pullet Found Dead (W. Car;-).— Considerable decomposition had set 

 in before we received your bird. We should be sorry to give you a false 

 report, and, therefore, speak most cautiously. There was no disijase 

 about her, nor anytbing to cause death, unless it were poison. You will 

 do well to recollect that a poisonous substance maybe accidentally found 

 and eaten. We do not think spices good or proper food for fowls. 



White Face of Spanish Cock (Suftscnfter).— If sticking plaister fails 

 to hold up the overhanging parts, you have no remedy that is ad- 

 missible. 



Rattling in Fowl's Throat (C. B.). — The (departure of the east wind 

 will do much for your fowls. Wash-ont all their nostrils. Give them 

 some brrad soaked in strong beer. Let them have camphor in all their 

 water, and give them camphor or Baily's pills. It is not roup, as the 

 breed is not subject to it. It is cold, and it is an indication or a result 

 of improper or insufficient feeding. Confine yourself to ground oats or 

 barleymeal twice every day. Feed at midday with Indian corn, or table 

 and kitchen scraps. 



Hatching a Cracked Egg (W. L.). — We have known a chicken pro- 

 duced from a cracked egR, but a piece of stout paper was securely 

 fastened over the crack at the time it was made. We can give no in- 

 formation about incubators. 



Separating a Brahma Hen from Her Chickens (E. TV*.).— Our diffi- 

 culty is to keep our hens with the chickens, not to induce them to leave 

 them. We snppose you, in common with most poultry breeders, keep 

 the chickens away from the aduUs. As soon as a hen under a rip lays 

 an egg, we know from that day she is only a step-mother, and we remove 

 her to the society of those of her own age. The rip she vacates is left 

 open, and the motherless brood roost in it. They are nearly adults 

 b fore they care to perch. In hot weather yon may move them without 

 risk when they are seven or eight weeks old. 



Best Hatching Time {E. H. iJ.) — It is a common saying that chickens 

 hatched in June never do well. It has passed into a proverb— 

 " Chicks that are hatched in time of hay 

 Will never gi-ow up, but pine away." 



We believe it so little that we have " garnered-up our hearts " on the pro- 

 duce of fifteen or sixteen steady sitters. At the same time we are not 

 disposed to undervalue the old tradition. There can be no doubt that if 

 we are to choo^^e our own time, we should prefer May to June, because in 

 the first month the nights are getting shorter, in the second they are 

 getting longer. 



SKoniED Milk for Chickevs (Oxoniensis). ~Ii would be as good as 

 the unskimmed for wetting the meal. 



Ducks' Eggs not Hatching (R. P., Ipsivich). —It was only a fortnight 

 ago that we answered a similar question. As the eggs have been put 

 under bens, the cause of the failure is evident — namely, that the eggs 

 have been kept too dry. The eggs should be wetted every day, when the 

 hen is off the nest. Let the water be just '«tirm enough to communicate 

 w irmth through the shells. 



Wet Spots on Eggs (N., La/icashirc' .—"Leuve the eggs alone, except 

 to sprinkle them with water when the hen is off. 



Propagation of Ligurians (Q. B. C). — A long answer to your in- 

 quiries is unavoidably postponed till nest week. 



Lquefving Candied Honey {C. A. /,).— We do not know of any pro- 

 cess by which you can liquefy your honey candied in the comb sufficiently 



to enable you to extract it by the centrifugal machine. To clarify the 

 honey, place the combs in a large stone jar without any water, which 

 must be stood in an iron saucepan or boiler, with water nearly up to the- 

 top ; simmer gently until the comb is quite melted. Take out the jar 

 and let it stay until cold, when the wax, which will have formed into a 

 solid cake on the top, can be easily removed. The honey will remain 

 clear and fit for use for a considerable time. Your honey congealed 

 chiefly from having been kept in too cold a place. 



Hive without Queen (H. J.).— It the brood comb yon inserted in the 

 hive contained brood in all stages, or eggs, you have done all that at 

 necessary so far. If you can inspect the comb in a week or so from this 

 time you will be able to ascertain if royal cells have been raised. You 

 will, moreover, probably be able to judge whether your experiment has 

 been successful, by observing whether the bees manifest greater activity 

 in working and in carrying in pollen. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Camden Square, London. 



Lat. Sr 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0^ S' 0" W. ; Altitude 111 feet. 



Date. 



9 .1.31. 



In the Day. 





1S71. 



oig_. 



Hygrome- 

 ter. 



Direc- 

 tion of 

 Wind. 



Temp, 

 of Soil 

 at 1 ft. 



Shade Tem- 

 perature. 



Radiation 

 Tempera- 

 ture. 



1 



3Iay. 



Dry. 



Wet. 



Max. 



Mm. 



In 

 sun. 



On 



grass 





We. 17 

 Th. IS 

 Fri. M 

 Sat. 20 

 Snll.21 

 Mo. 2-2 

 Tq. 23 



Inches. 

 S0.027 

 29.849 

 30.172 

 30,27S 

 30.337 

 30.261 

 SO.MS 



deg. 

 •16.4 

 52.5 

 55.0 

 59.2 

 52.7 

 57.7 

 62.9 



des. 

 41.7 

 43.7 

 52.6 

 63 2 

 51.0 

 52.0 

 56.0 



N.E. 



N. 

 S.W. 

 N.W. 

 N.E. 



S.E. 

 S.E. 



deg. 

 61.5 

 51.5 

 51.6 

 52.6 

 53.S 

 62.9 

 53.9 



deg. 

 57.6 

 62.2 

 70.5 

 C9.S 

 65.S 

 66.2 

 70.1 



deg. 

 40 3 

 41.0 

 43.5 

 ■15.4 

 48.0 

 39.6 

 46.1 



43.4 



deg. 

 105.6 

 1118 

 118.5 

 115.1 



S5.2 

 111.6 

 116.0 



109.1 



deg. 

 43.2 

 39.5 

 40.9 

 44.4 

 ■45.0 

 38.8 

 ■IS.S 



42.2 



In. 



0.160 



Meaiis 



30.139 



55.2 



60.7 





52.5 



66.0 



0.160 



REMARKS. 

 17th. — Warm sunny day with cold wind, cold night. 



18th. — Dnll, overcast morning. Rain began at 1.3 p.m., showers at inter- 

 vals afterwards, wet night. 

 19th. — Warm and fine. 



20th.— Dry fine morning, and, though occasionally overcast, generally fine 

 21st. — Dark cloudy morning, fine afternoon and evening. 

 22nd. — Fine throughout. 

 23rd. — A fine warm day, sun getting very powerful. 



A fine sunny week, no rain except on"l8th, and frequent drying winds 

 — G. J. Symons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— May 24 

 Supply and demand about balanced. Out-door produce for the most, 

 part is coming-in in good condition, improving under the influence of 

 the present genial weather. The foreign trade has again been very 

 active during the week ; in addition to the artic'.es mentioned in our lats 

 notice, there are Cherries, Apricots, and Globe Artichokes. The Potato 

 trade have large stocks of old Potatoes stUl on hand. 



Apples 



Apricots 



..} sieve 

 .... doz. 



lb. 



. bushel 

 ..J sieve 

 do. 



s. 



1 





 

 



s 









 6 

 6 

 6 



s. 

 4 

 4 

 2 

 

 2 

 

 

 1 

 

 

 6 

 1 

 3 

 

 

 2 

 

 

 

 3 



fe; 



d- s. d' 

 6 to 3 

 3 

 5 

 

 

 

 15 

 2 

 2 6 



8 10 

 12 

 10 

 12 



VEGET 

 d. s. d 

 to 6 1 

 8 : 

 8 

 

 S 



9 16 

 

 2 

 

 8 10 

 10 

 6 2 

 6 

 6 1 6 

 

 

 3 

 8 

 3 

 5 



JIT. 

 Mulberries 



lb. 



s. 





 12 



6 

 12 











6 

















 10 



1 



8. 

 

 1 

 1 

 

 7 

 

 3 

 







2 

 3 

 

 

 

 

 





 

 



a. s. 



too 

 24 

 10 

 24 

 

 

 10 

 

 

 

 6 1 

 16 

 8 



a. 8. 

 4 too 



2 

 2 



3 



e 10 





 G 

 9 1 

 4 

 4 

 i 

 6 1 



4 

 

 

 6 

 6 4 

 

 9 I 

 



e 







n 



Cherries 



Chestnuts 



Currants 



Black 



Oranges 



Peaches 



Pears, kitchen .. 



...i* 100 



... doz. 

 .... doz. 



c- 





 



l> 



Figs 





Pine Anples 



Plums 



lb. 



. i sieve 







FUherts 



lb. 



lb. 





 



Gooseberries ... 



... quart 

 e.... lb. 



... ^lao 





lb. 







Grapes, Hothou 

 Lemons 



Strawberries .. 



Walnuts 



ditto 



AELES. 



Leeks 



Lettuce 



Mushrooms 



Mustard i Cress 



Onions 



pickling 



Parsley 



Parsnips 



Peas 



oz. 



. bushel 

 ...¥•100 



. btmcli 



doz. 



.. pottle 

 .punnet 

 . bushel 

 ...quart 

 ... sieve 

 — doz. 







0^ 



n 



Artichokes 



Asparagus 



Beans, Kidney . 



Broad 



Beet, Red 



.... doz. 



.. »100 

 ...¥►100 

 . bushel 



a 



G 





 6 





 n 





bundle 

 ..1 sieve 

 ... doz. 



...vioo 



..bunch 



n 



Brussela Sprout 

 Cabbage 





 



n 



Carrots 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes .. doz. bunches 



lihubarb bundle 



Savoys doz. 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes doz. 



Turnips bunch 



Vegetable Marrows.. doz. 







n 



Celery 



Coleworts..doz. 



Cucumbers 



pickling 



. bundle 

 bunches 

 . . . each 

 .... doz. 





 G 

 

 

 a 



Fennel 



..bunch 

 lb. 









. bunch 

 . bundle 





Horseradish . . 



C 



POULTRY MARKET.— May 21 

 We have indications of a rather better supply. We need it; the ex- 

 travagant prices made by a few good young things lately, are beneficial 

 to no one. 



s. 



Large Fowls 6 



Smaller ditto 5 



Chickens 3 



DuckliDf^s S 



Goslingd (5 



1 Pheasants 



d. B. 

 to 6 

 C 6 



d. 



6 







C 



6 



6 







Pigeons 



s. 

 .... 



a. 8. a 



9 to 10 

 6 1 C 



3 



Wild ditto 





5 



Hares 



Q 





 6 4 

 



G 











Grouse 



.... 



