June 22, 1871. 1 



JOURNAL OP HORTICTJLTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



4^9 



the small show cages and their tiny tenants into the shade. For a 

 moment, only a moment — and I most penitently confess my sin — I 

 thought the Canary looked small beside the great lumbering Cochin ; 

 but when I ventured to suggest that ponltry-fanciers had certainly 

 done much good in producing such flesh-bearing birds, and modestly 

 inquired if they laid correspondingly large eggs, my cicerone turned 

 ^n me with a look — such a look I — pity, horror, contempt, scorn, all 

 combined; and with one word, "Feather, sir, feather ! " he took an 

 early opportunity of leaving me. And so I turned to the Canaries 

 again, a wiser man ; and as they seemed to welcome me with a cheer- 

 ful song, and not a noise something between a howl and a groan, which 

 the Cochins were busy rehearsing, I thought that if it were neither a 

 question of flesh nor eggs, but simply feather, then the one " fancy " 

 was as good as the other. Chacun a son gout. 



A Canary Show in the month of May is unusual. Most of the best 

 birds are either up for breeding, or are so out of condition from a long 

 exhibition season as to be laid on the shelf. But there was a very 

 ready response to the Stroud schedule, which, so far as Canaries are 

 concerned, if issued at another time of the year, would command that 

 attention of the principal All-England men which it deservedly merits. 



It will be unnecessary to refer to the prizewinners very minutely, 

 many of them having appeared on the stage before. In Clear Buff 

 Norwich Mr. Close, of Derby, was somewhat indebted for his first 

 place to the comparatively uncertain light of early morning filtered 

 through the canvas covering. A large bird of fair colour, it showed to 

 advantage under a not very strong light ; but the midday sun developed 

 more quality in 1057, Mr. Walter, who under other circumstances 

 would probably have been first. 



The Variegated Jonque Norwich contained some very excellent birds, 

 Moore &: Wynne taking first with their old bird, and Mr. Close second 

 with a remarkably good specimen, marked on each wing, and having a 

 fair cap, superior in quality to 1073 ; Moore & Wynne third, marked 

 wings, eyes, and cap. Variegated Buii Norwich were not superior, 

 1080, Mr. Close, approximating most nearly to exactness, but short of 

 quality. Moore & Wynne were first, second, and third in "Any other 

 Variety " with three grand crests which have done good battle before- 



Belgians were not up to the mark. The very busy character of the 

 surroundings was against their performing well. 



Mr. Ashton sent some good Lizards. They must have been laid up 

 in lavender purposely for Stroud, showing none of the signs of matri- 

 monial squabbles which many birds present at this period of the year. 

 Mr. Mackley's were also good. Mr. Ashton was first in " Any other 

 Variety " with a superb Coppy, and Mr. Close second with Variegated 

 Cinnamon, which would make many a north countryman's month 

 water. 



Goldfinch Mules (variegated) were not in good condition. But what 

 can you expect in May ? Dark Mules were better, the first Mealy 

 bird being one of a kind bad to beat. 



"Any other variety of Mule " contained the usual curious hybrids — 

 Bullfinch-Goldfinch, Bullfinch-Linnet, Canary-Linnet, &c. Mr. A. 

 Webster, jun., was first with Bullfinch- Goldfinch, but it was a near 

 thing between it and Mr. Ashton's bird, a similar hybrid. Mr. Spence's 

 well-known Linnet-Canary Mule was second. Mr. Bamesby showed 

 a fine specimen of this cross, a bird full of colour and well marked. 

 I am not certain whether my description is quite exact, but when I 

 say marked neatly on each wing and head all dark I think I am sufii- 

 ciently near to convey a just idea of it. 



British birds were good, especially the Goldfinches. The first and 

 second, Mr. W. Arkwright and Capt. Hawkins Fisher, were nice birds. 

 The first, although a little injured in plumage, was to my eye a Gold- 

 finch extraordinary. Mr. Harrison's Skylark was a picture. 



Foreign birds were well represented, comprising about thirty entries, 

 conspicuous among which were two American Horned Owls and an 

 *' Australian Magpie or Laughing Jack," whose chief performance ap- 

 peared to be a habit of falling into his water-dish and struggling to get 

 out of it. 



I find I have only jnst time to send this to the post. A few words 

 next week on Canary managements — W. A. Blakston. 



men in the sliow, or else let it be perfectly tinderstood ihat it 

 will be given to the most successful exhibitor ; then those with 

 but one or two good Rabbits need not enter, and those with 

 second and third-class ones can do so. Bat I cannot see much 

 honour in any person taking silver cups with second and third- 

 class cattle, poultry. Pigeons, or even Rabbits, in preference to 

 first-class ones. — J. Hujie. 



BABBITS AT STROUD SHOW— AWARDS BY 

 POINTS. 



I WAS glad to see from the report in your Journal of the 

 Stroud Show, and also from the remarks by Mr. Eayson, that 

 it had been a success, and so far as I know I believe Mr. Ray- 

 son's decisions have given satisfaction to the exhibitors. But 

 what I have to complain of is, that the cup should have been 

 given to Mr. King for a lot of second and third-class Rabbits, 

 instead of to the best Ribbit with the most points. I entered 

 a Babbit which took the first prize in its class ; I also entered 

 it for the cup, believing this was to be given to the Rabbit pos- 

 sessing the most points of merit, and you may judge of my 

 surprise when I found that the points had to be taken out of 

 second and third-class Rabbits to defeat the first-olass ones. I 

 think this anything but satisfactory. Had the Committee said 

 that a cup would be given to the most successful exhibitor there 

 could have been no misunderstanding or dissatisfaction. 1 

 hope next year, it a cup be given, it will go to the best speci- 



AN IRISH BEE-KEEPER'S MANY DIFFICULTIES 

 AND QUERIES. 



On examining the super of my Woodbury hive, I find the 

 bars are moveable, as the crown-board can be unscrewed and 

 taken off, But of what use are these bars in a super except to 

 put a stop to breeding by means of ihtm as soon as it is dis- 

 covered, takiug out the bar and comb and cutting out the 

 brood ? Yet I cannot see how the bar and comb can be taken 

 out when the latter is fastened at the sides and below. Of 

 what use, then, are those bars in the super? My super is 

 13 inches by 13 (inside), and 6 inches deep, with eight bars. 

 How much honey will it contain ? 



One of my stock hives swarmed yesterday (June 81h), and as 

 I had no empty hive in which to put the bees, in order to 

 shake them from it in the evening in a cloth, and so hive them 

 in my new Woodbury, by putting this over them, I took the 

 crown-board off the Woodbury, put on it a bottomless and 

 topless box 14 inches by 14 inches, and 6 inches deep, and 

 shook the cluster of bees into this. I then covered the in- 

 tervening box with the hive's crown-board, and when all was 

 quiet removed it to its stand, facing north, as do all my hives. 

 Now, here was the Woodbury hive with 6 inches space between 

 the top of the bars and the top of the crown-board. I hoped 

 that during the night the bees would go down among the 

 frames. To-day (June 9tb) I donned my bee dress, and lifting 

 the crown-board found the bees in a cluster attached to if. I 

 lifted it as high as my shoulders to allow of the bottcmless 

 topless box being removed. This done I shook the bees as 

 well and as gently as I could, down into the frames. Is it not 

 curious that they had made a lump of comb about as big as a 

 hen's egg on the crown-board just when they clustered? I re- 

 moved it, it was quite soft, and I stuck it as best I could in a 

 corner of cue of the Crimes. 



In the crown-board of my Woodbury there are three openings, 

 with their covers or stoppers. In a floor-board belonging to 

 the super already mentioned there are only two, the long slits. 

 Now, in putting on this super am I to remove the hive's crown- 

 board, and if so, what am I to put, or am I to put anything, 

 between the hive and the super ? Is the board that is with the 

 super and has the two slits meant to go between, for if I put it 

 even and straight on the top of the super the slits are closed by 

 the bars ? Can glasses, &o. , be worked on the top of this super ? 

 If so, would not the hive's orown-board be suitable for working 

 three at a lime, one on each slit, and one on the round hole? 

 If drones and the queen were excluded by the slits in the 

 board between the hive and the super, surely no opening how- 

 ever large would be objectionable above that. 



When a queen of the Ligurian breed is introduced into a 

 native stock, will not her progeny be hybrids, unless she has 

 been impregnated by Ligurian drones before leaving ? If those 

 " big " bee-keepers whose notes appear in the Journal, were to 

 preserve the bits of combs containing queen brood when they 

 excise all the royal cells, and were to forward them carefully 

 packed in wadding to their purchasers, would not that lea 

 safer way of ligurianising a bar-frame than sending a live queen ? 

 Could not comb containing Ligurian drone brood be likewise 

 sent? — A GAiiWAy Bee-keeper. 



[Perhaps the chief reason for having bars in supers, is to be 

 enabled to remove the combs — after the filled super is taken oil" 

 the hive — entire and without waste or crushing. They are 

 also useful when brood in them happens to be discovered. 

 There is not the slightest difficulty in removing the bar and 

 comb, even if fastened to the sides, if a properly curved honey 

 knife be used. The combs are seldom fastened to the surface 

 of the board below. Perhaps a super of the dimens'ons yon 

 mention would contain 25 lbs. to 30 lbs. The swarm hived as 

 described would be sure to cluster in the top box, ai d it was 

 not at all curious that a piece of comb attached to tl e crown- 

 board should have been commenced. The adapter, or loose 

 bottom of the super, is intended to be placed on a 1 oard or 

 top having similar side openings. The central hole iu the 

 cover of the stock hive is iutendel ctiefly for feeding v.hen 



