468 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ June 29, 1371. 



of none of the Yorkshire summer shows. There are three 

 prizes in each class for poultry, with a cap each for the Game, 

 the other large fowls, and the Bantam division. The prizes in 

 the Pigeon classes are£l and IO5., with two silver caps ; and 

 the much-desired separation of coeka and hens in the Carrier 

 and Pouter classes is a feature, as is also a separate class for 

 working Antwerps, 



Fashion ij? Food.— Many a man will naturally and surely 

 say, '*I am careful; I have not yet wasted, and therefore can- 

 not save bread or meat." Still he may find out the way of 

 contributing to the result. At the present time our whole 

 people are eating wheaten bread, and therefore the great bur- 

 den of food falls on wheat. If wheat is scarce, it becomes 

 dear, because no substitutes are consumed. Here comes a 

 case:— Mai:ie is an article of food, need by others, which we do 

 not use; yet our brethren in New England are fond of it, and 

 they have the choice of wheat. It is from the want of habit 

 and practice of using maize that the population do not resort 

 to it ; but if maize were brought sometimes into the variety of 

 a well-to-do house, servants would learn how to deal with it, 

 and they would use it in other houses and in their own when 

 they marry. — [Food Journal.) 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Mr. JACK90N writes to uq as follows:— " Mr. Hall, of Chelmsford, who 

 complains in yonr last week's Journal of having sent me stamps for half 

 a dozen Spanish epj^s, and that I have ' neither sent the egffs nor replied 

 to his letter,' had the epgs sent from here on the 30ih o( May ; and my 

 letter advising him of their beini? forwarded has been returned through 

 the post office marked * No addrfss.^ Some people have an idea that 

 luowever an ambiguous address they may attach to their communicationg, 

 that the post-office authorities and railway companies are sure to find 

 them, Mr. Hall among the number, as the only information of his where- 

 abouts that he gave me was * E. Hall, Chelmsford.' I advise him in 

 future to name his residence as well as the town he belongs to. I have 

 no doubt he will find his eggs at the railway station.— W. Jackson, Blake- 

 down, Kidderminster." 



One-eyed Cock [H. F. D. T).— The cock is certainly not disqualified 

 by the accidental loss of an eye. It is a disadvantage ; and if there were 

 difficulty in deciding between two birds, the bird that had lost an eye 

 would "kick the beam." 



Detecting the Gandkr (Goose).— The sex can be accurately told only 

 by very close examination and handling ; it is then easy, and reveals 

 itself on being subject to pressure. 



Locust Bean Meal {Eegular Subscriber). — We do not know the meal, 

 but we are sure that any addition is not necessary to ground oats. We 

 believe they contain all that is requisite for the well-being of poultry. 

 Barley, and still more pea or bean meal, have a tendency to harden both 

 flesh and plumage. We not only do not recommend them under ordinary 

 circumstances, bat we believe many complaints and much disappoint- 

 ment arise from the unnatural, and, above all, the stimulating food with 

 ■R'hich fowls are fed. 



Stiff Feathers {R. A. IF.).— The stiff feathers in the vulture hock are 

 well quilled, firm, and quite straight. They do not curve like the wing 

 feathers. They project from the lower part of the thigh just above the 

 kuee 1^ inch, sometimes 2 inches, inclining downwards and outwards. 



Sea Sand and Fowls' Legs (Jd^m).- We cannot answer your second 

 question. We have never kept fowls on the seashore. The salt water 

 may have effect in the same manner that in some pUces the effect of the 

 water is to change the colour of Ducks' bills. 



Weight of Coceerel lIdem).~Yon should have told us the breed of 

 the cockerel, it would have enabled us to give a more correct opinion. 

 Let it bs as it may, it is a gvc-ai weight— almost too heavy. It will be 

 neceesary to feed very well, otherwise his legs will give way. Give him 

 ground oats slaked with milk ; let him have access to plenty of brick- 

 layers' rubbish, cooked mei^t chopped fine, and at times bread and milk. 

 K will be for you to say whether be is worth this outlay and trouble. If 

 he be of pure breed, and free from fault of shape or feather, his size 

 makes him valuable. If he fail in any of these particulars we advise you 

 to eat him. He will never be better. 



Romford Show. —Mr. Easten, of Hull, informs us that he was awarded 

 the first prize for Lop-eared Rabbits, and not Mr. Harvey. Mr. H. Ling- 

 wood was awarded the first prize for Dark Brahmas; Mr. H. Partlett the 

 first for Rouen Ducks ; and Mr J. Ford for Tumblers. 



Stroud Poultry Show.— Mr. E. J. Drew was the winner of the 

 second prize for Almond Tumblers. 



Belfast Show (4/).— Thanks for the prize list, but we always con 

 c''.ul6 that if a committee do not think a show worth advertising, that it 

 is not worth reporting. 



Cleansing Poultry-house Floor (The FaZcV— We conclude that your 

 floor is of bricks or other hard substance. Cover it 3 inches deep with 

 sand, and merely rake off the droppings in the morning. A layer of 

 earth alternating with a layer of the droppings is a good way of accumu- 

 lating a manure for your garden. 



Barbs not Breeding, &c. (R. D.).— It has been a common occurrence 

 with fancy birds this season, for which the severe cold of the winter and 

 spring must be blamed Our own have been equally unfortunate. 

 Tumblers of the larger and commoner sort breed very freely, also 

 Dragoons. 



CoMMENCiNO Pigeon-keeping (Q. H. B. C'*.- Flyiog Tumblers aro good 

 birds to begin with, being perfectly hardy, good breeders, and anybody 

 can manage them, as they give no trouble. Baldheada would suit you, 

 or flee answer above. Certainly so very far north as you live, the PJgeon- 

 left should not on any account face dne north. 



Salt for Fowls (T. E, IF-).— Salt Is not necessary, but a piece can do 

 no harm. 

 Are the Queen's Eggs all of onb Sex.— In answer to Mr. Potti- 



grew's query, " B. Si W." would feel satisfied with such an experiment as 

 that detailed by Mr. Pottigrew, if on repetition it were demonstrated as a 

 fact. But nothing can b« proved beyond doubt by an isolated eipari- 

 ment, because queens which lay drone eggs (as I believe), or eggs which 

 turn out drones in worker cells, may also lay worker eggs in droue celli. 

 Why not ? " B. & W." once felt sanguine in the same way as Mr. Petti- 

 grew now does, but nothing came of the drone— royal cells. Therefore, 

 he would remain sceptical even if one queen were to issue from tha 

 " seven cells which the bees have sealed up." Sceptical he would atill 

 remain, though less so, if more than one queen wore hatched. Tha ex- 

 periment must be repeated and proved again and again ere the matter 

 could be beyond doubt. Very sorry " B. & W." is to miss the lucid and 

 judicious pen of Mr. Woodbury, in common with every other reader of 

 The Jourmal of Hoeticultuee, who is interested in bees. May i,« 

 soon recover his wonted health. 



PoT-PouRRi {Bristol). — Gather the petals of the most fragrant kinds of 

 Rosog, with which other flowers may be mixed with pleasure In smaller 

 proportion; spread them out to dry in the sun, or in a warm room; 

 sprinkle a little salt on them, and put them in a jar, in which they are to 

 be kept covered up till wanted for use. Take of these rose leaves 4 oza.; 

 dried lavender flowers, 8 ozs. ; vanilla, cloves, storax, and benzoin, all 

 bruised, of each 1 drachm ; ambergris, 20 grains ; otter of roses, 30 drops. 

 Mix. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 

 CAiiiDEN Square, London. 

 Lat. 51° 32' 40" N. ; Lons- 0° 8' 0" W. ; A-ltitude 111 feet. 



DiTE. 



9 A.M. 



IX THE DiY. 





1S71. 





Hygrome- 

 ter. 



Direc- 

 tion of 

 Wind. 



Temp, 

 of Soil 



Shade Tem- 

 perature. 



Radiation 

 Tempera- 

 ture. 





June. 



Dry. 



Wet. 



at 1 ft. 



Max. 



Mln. 



In 

 sun. 



On 



grass 



We. 21 

 Th. 22 

 Fri. 23 

 Sat. 24 

 Sun. 25 

 Mo. 26 

 Ta. 27 



Inches. 

 29.832 

 29.941 

 29.844 

 30069 

 30.1.i9 

 30.277 

 S0.03S 



53..T 

 59.9 

 55.4 

 6G.0 

 55.9 

 60.3 



deg. 

 66.5 

 51.4 

 57 1 

 61.9 

 50.5 

 51.3 

 65.6 



N. 

 N.E. 



N. 



N. 



N. 

 N.E. 

 S.W. 



deR. 

 58.3 

 53.3 

 67.2 

 57.3 

 56.0 

 65.4 

 65.6 



des. 

 69.3 

 60.0 

 65.9 

 65.3 

 625 

 61.6 

 70.1 



deg. 

 508 

 51.0 

 51.1 

 48 1 

 41.3 

 41.0 

 40.2 



deu. 

 115.0 



79.1 

 120.2 

 111.0 

 116.8 

 121.5 

 119 1 



deg. 

 50.8 

 62.7 

 63.4 

 49.3 

 42.5 

 40.4 

 42.8 



In. 

 0.040 

 0.640 



0.030 



Means 



30.030 



57.2 



5S.6 





66.9 



63.5 



46 3 



1U.3 



47.1 



0.710 



REMARKS. 

 21st. — Rather dull in morning, sunshine at noon, very heavy rain and 



thunder from 4 to 4.15 p.m., fair weather afterwards. 

 22nd.— Moderately fine till 5 p.m., then very wet all the evening. 

 23rd. — Dull morning, clearing-up towards noon, and continuing so till 



6 P.M , when there was a very slight shower of very fine rain, 

 24th. — Fair all day with occasional sunshine, but very cold. 

 25th.— Fine day and beautiful night, but still cold. 

 26th. — Very fine, but still very cold for the time of the year. 

 27th.— Rather dull in morning but splendid day, and rather warmer than 



any day during the past week. 

 With a return of northerly winds, this week has been cooler than the 

 last, and drier, except on Thursday, when there was heavy rain. Owing 

 to cloudy nights diminishing radiation, and the warmth of the earth 

 (57'^ at 1 foot), we have the singular fact that the weekly mean of the 

 minimum thermometer on the grass is greater than that of the air 4 feet 

 above it. — G. J. Sysions. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— JuNH 2^. 

 Business is rather better again this "week, but the supplies of out-door 

 produce have not much improved, first-rate descriptions of both English 

 and foreign fruit and vegetables being compnratively scarce. Cherries 

 and Currants have suffered much from the late heavy rains, and from 

 the general accounts we have received do not promise well as to bulk. 

 Potatoes of both kinds, Kidneys and Rounds, are plentiful, from 4s. to 

 123. per cwt. 



FRUIT. 



B. d. 8. d 



Apples J sieve I 6 to 4 



Apricots doz. 2 3 



Cherries lb. 10 2 



Chestnuts bushel 



Currants 1 sieve 5 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 4 8 



Filberts lb. 2 



Cofes lb. 2 9 6 



Gooseberries quart 6 8 



Grapes, Hothouse.... lb. S 80 



Lemons ¥^100 6 10 n 



Melons each 3 6 6 



B. (I. 8. d 



Mulberries lb. to 



Nectarines doz. 10 30 



Oranires ¥*• 100 6 10 



Peaches doz. 12 24 



Pears, kitchen doz. 



desBsrt doz. 



Pine Apples lb. .S 8 



Plums 4 sieve 



Quinces doz. 



Raspberries lb. 6 in 



Strawberries lb. 6 3 



Walnuts bushel 10 16 



ditto ¥^100 10 8 



TEGETABLES. 



, d. 8. 

 Oto 6 



Artichokes doz. 



Asparagus 3*^100 4 



Beone, Kidney ....!?' 100 1 6 



Broad bnshol 



Beet, Red doz. 2 



Broccoli bundle 



Brussels Sprouts..! sieve 



Cabbage doz. 1 



Capsicums T^-lOO 



Carrots bunch 6 



Cauliflower doz. 4 



Celery bundle 1 6 



Colewort8..doz. bunches 8 



Cucumbers eaoh 6 



pickling doz. 



Endive doz. 3 



Fennel bunch S 



Garlio lb. 8 



Herbs bunch 8 



Ilorseradiab .... bundle 8 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce doz. 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard & Cress, .punnet 

 Onions bushol 



pickling quart 



Parsley...- sieve 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes .. doz.bancbes 



Rhubarb bundle 



Savoys i^*^^ 



Sea-kale bfsket 



Shallots ID. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes doz. 



Turnips bunch 



Vegetable UarrowB.. doz. 



d. B. 



4 too 

 1 



1 



