38 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 14, 1870. 



and careful cooking, and working people cannot spare time for i 

 this, and our open stoves make firing expensive. One plan 

 would be to add a kitchen to the national schools, teach the 

 children cheap cookery, and make it self-supporting by selling. 

 Food well cooked would add to the comfort of a poor man's 

 home, and save him from other temptations. — E. II. Major. 



NADIPJNG— HEATH PASTURAGE. 



I have placed several hives filled with comb, or empty, below 

 other strong stocks ; in these the bees work well, but as the i 

 upper hives only receive air through some twenty inch-holes, 

 is there not fear of dysentery ? My hope is to obtain artificial 

 swarms in the lower hives to supply great losses caused by the 

 late disastrous winter. 



A few miles distant we have large heaths of ling ; if I carry 

 weak swarms to it when in bloom, can you tell me how much 

 assistance I may expect them to obtain from it ? Will it be such 

 a second honey harvest as to enable a swarm, driven into a hive 

 with comb, to get honey enough for the winter ? Will it also 

 encourage the queen to increase the laving of eggs? Can you 

 tell me how long ling generally remains in flower ? also, if a 

 removal of four miles would be a sufficient distance to prevent 

 the return of bees ? The nearest ling heaths are about two 

 miles away, but I do not think my tees go to them for honey. 



I have been rather successful for some years past in obtain- 

 ing artificial swarms from wild bees in roofs, trees, &c. Would 

 any account of my method be of use to your Journal? — A. J. F. 



[The stocks which you have nadired are in no danger of 

 dysentery, but we cannot see how you can hope to get artificial 

 swarms in the lower hives, which, moreover, are very likely to 

 contain an undue proportion of drone-comb. 



The heather will in some seasons remain in bloom four or 

 five weeks, or even more; in others, such as this seems likely 

 to be, the flowers wither much more speedily. Mr. Isaac states 

 that a weak swarm sent to the heath on the 30th of July re- 

 turned two months afterwards with an increase of 24J lbs. ; but 

 this is a result much beyond what we have been able to obtain. 

 It is, therefore, questionable whether a swarm driven into a 

 combed hive may be able to store sufficient for the winter, 

 but the supplementary honey harvest will certainly stimulate 

 the queen to increased egg-laying. Dees will not return from a 

 distance of four miles. 



We shall be glad of an account of your method of obtaining 

 artificial swarms from wild bees in hollow trees, &c] 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Judging Game Coces (C. W.). — Game cocks are not judged by weight. 

 They are judged for colour, symmetry, and hard feather. ThiB latter is 

 an important point, and feeding for weight often has the effect of making 

 soft feather. Good barley, a little bread and. beer, sometimes a scrap or 

 two of raw meat, and a few old peas given every other day, are supposed 

 to make good plumage. 



Diarrh<ea in Fowls and Pigeons {Subscriber). — We always give chalk 

 made into pills, sometimes a few grains of hempseed, and in urgent cases 

 a spoonful of brandy and water. 



White and Black Fowls (Experientia). — No cross is necessary to 

 produce White and Black Bantams, as they exist as recognised breeds. 

 The White Cochins also exist. Black could not hold their own, as they 

 constantly betrayed a mixed origin. In the days when Black Cochins 

 were attempted and sometimes shown, it was said they were bred be- 

 tween a Buff hen and a White cock. 



Ceoss Between a Dorking and Guinea Fowl (H. W.). — The cross 

 in question has been seen, and we have seen it, but it is so rare we 

 hardly ever expect to see it s gain. If you mean to persevere, we advise 

 you to keep the same birds together always, and to allow no others to 

 associate with them. 



Spubless Cock — Roup Symptoms (Hamburgh). — A cock need not be 

 disqualified because his spurs are cut off. The description of the hen is 

 that of the early stages of roup. She must be purged with castor oil. 

 You should give Baily's pills. If you have them not, or do not care for 

 them, give a couple of camphor pills each the size of a garden pea. It 

 is wise to separate this bird from the others. 



Exhibiting Golden-pencilled Hamburgh Chickens (Northern Sub- 

 scribers—The age at which the chickens can be shown with a prospect of 

 success, will depend on the age of those they have to compete against. 

 In many of the good strains we have seen the chickens, especially the 

 pullets, beautifully marked at from four to five months old. To be shown 

 advantageously the cock should be older than the pullets, as he retains 

 his chicken feathers longer than they do. 



Brahma Hens' Feathers Broken (M. W.). — It is too late now to pull 

 the stumps of the feathers out of the backs of your hens. They would 

 not grow in a month. Take the cock away from them. The feathers 

 will come as good in colour as before, unless the process of pulling them 

 out is constantly repeated. In that case they often come white. 



Fowls Roupy iJ. G.)- — You are not prodigal of information. How 

 large is your earth run ? Is the dung heap merely a heap of rubbish, 

 or is it the wholesome sweepings of a well-ordered stable ? When you 

 say you feed on barley, is that all the fowls have ? We gather so from 



your letter. Roup does not interfere with fattening. Feed your birds on 

 barleymeal or ground oats. Vary this with a little maize from time to 

 time. Give them a little bread and ale, and to the sickly ones give two 

 camphor pills, each the size of a garden pea. You may give these every 

 night till they make a cure. It is always well to remove sickly birds 

 from healthy. 



Testimonial to He. Dixon.— Mr. T. C Harrison, Beverley Road, Hull, 

 writes to us to say that he will subscribe 10s. 6d. Subscribers had better 

 write to Mr. Hutton, and when the subscription list is; completed we will 

 publish it. 



Htve very Light (C. T.).— If the hive continues light, we should deem 

 it useless to put on a super. 



Bees taking Lime-water (F. Roberts). — We have had no experience of 

 the effects of lime-water on bees, but do not fancy that yours will have 

 sustained any injury. Water is generally supposed to be essential to bees 

 during the breeding season, but they seem most capricious in this respect, 

 t one time collecting it with the utmost avidity, and then without any 

 apparent reason suddenly disregarding it altogether. 



Bees not Swarming, &c. (A Bee-lover). — We fancy the cine to your 

 difficulty may be found in the fact that the hive which you purchased 

 was "small" and at the same time "very heavy." When, therefore, 

 the winter was oyer the poor queen found but a restricted breeding space 

 at her command, which, as the overwhelmingly good honey season set 

 in, became more and more contracted, so that she has been in difficulties 

 ever since, and has never been able to raise her colony to the drone- 

 breeding pitch in respect of population. There is much in what Mr. Petti- 

 grew has advanced concerning large hives, whilst there can be no question 

 as to the propriety of utterly eschewing very small ones. You had better, 

 therefore, appropriate the contents of your honey-choked hive in the 

 autumn by driving the remaining bees and uniting them to your con- 

 templated new purchase, which might in this case take their place in the 

 apiary. 



Raspberry Vinegar (T. L.)— Put a quart of raspberries into a quart 

 of the best vinegar, and let them stand a week, stirring them occasion- 

 ally ; then add 1 lb. of loaf sugar, boil slowly twenty minutes, strain, and 

 bottle. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 

 In the Suburbs of London for the week ending July 12th. 





EAEOMETER. 





THERilOilETER 





■Wind. 





Date. 



Air. 



Earth. 



Bain. 





Max. Min. 



Max. Min. 



1 ft. 



2 ft. 





Wed... 6 



29.970 



29.917 



75 49 



64 



59 



S.W. 



.00 



Thnrs. . 7 



30.043 



29.916 



84 



41 



64 



59 



S.W. 



.00 



Fri. ... 8 



29.939 



29.870 



88 



61 



66 



59 



S. 



.04 



Sat. ... 9 



29.803 



29 723 



79 



59 



66 



60 



SB, 



.04 



Sun. . . 10 



29.779 



29.751 



82 



51 



65 



60 



W. 



.00 



Hon. . . 11 



29.616 



29.556 



77 



52 



68 



61 



w. 



.92 



Tnes. . 12 



29.693 



29.627 



78 



43 



65 



61 



w. 



.00 



Mean.. 



29.839 



29.766 



80.43 j 50.86 



65.43 



5986 j . . 



o.so 



6. — Fine; cloudy but fine; densely overcast. 



7. — Foggy ; very fine ; clear and very fine. 



8. — Very fine ; exceedingly fine ; overcast. 



9. — Fine ; showery ; overcast, very fine. 

 10. — Fine ; very fine ; clear and fine. 

 11. — Overcast ; showery ; heavy showers at night. 

 12. — Cloudy but fine ; cloudy ; clear and fine. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— July IS. 

 Our supply is well kept up, and all the soft and bush fruits are in fair 

 request. There have been heavy arrivals from the Continent, and a 

 further supply of West India Pines is announced. Potato trade active. 



FRUIT. 



Apples i sieve 1 6 to 2 



Apricots doz. 2 4 



Cherries lb. 6 1 



Chestnuts bushel 6 



Currants i sieve 4 6 



Black do. 3 5 



Fips doz. 6 10 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 9 10 



Gooseberries quart 4 6 



Grapes, Hothouse.... lb. 2 6 



Lemons ^100 8 14 



Melons each 3 5 



3. d. s. 

 OtoO 



6 12 



7 14 

 Peaches doz. 8 







B 



Mulberries quart 



Nectarines doz. 



Oranges v 100 



Pears, kitchen doz . 



dessert doz. u 



Pine Apples lb. 2 



Plums 5 sieve 



Quinces doz. 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries lb. 



Walnuts bushel 10 



do %>100 1 



YE GE TABLES. 



Artichokes doz. 3 to 6 



Asparagus » 100 3 8 



Beans, Kidney do. 10 16 



Broad bushel 3 4 



Beet,Ked doz. 2 8 



Broccoli bundle 



Brussels Sprouts., i sieve 



Cabbage doz. 10 2 



Capsicums ¥<- 100 



Carrots bunch 4 8 



Cauliflower doz. 2 6 



Chlery bundle 16 2 



ColewortB..doz. bunchea 8 6 



Cucumbers each 6 16 



pickling doz. 2 4 



B»dive doz. 2 



Fennel bunch 8 



Sas»c lb. 8 



H*bs bunch 3 



Horseradish .... bundle 3 6 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce doz. 



Mushrooms pottie 



Mustard & Cress, .punnet 

 Onions bushel 



pickling quart 



Parsley sieve 



Parsnips doz. 



Pea3 quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes .. doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Savoys doz. 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes doa. 



Tamils bunch 



Vegetable Marrows., doz. 



s-d. s. 



4 to 

 6 1 

 



a 



(• 



4 



