96 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ August 4, 1870. 



human beings, perfection is the exception; So far from a black breast 

 being essential to a Brahma cock, many of our best amateurs prefer one 

 spotted with white. We do not admire the description you give of the 

 Brahma hen you have bred. With a brown colour and a black head, we 

 should unhesitatingly class her among those which are inferior to the 

 Grey or Pencilled birds. 



Judges' Awards (Querist). — We are very happy to give all the in- 

 formation in our power to those who use our columns, but we have no 

 means of knowing the reasons that guide judges in their awards, or in 

 withholding prizes. We should not dream of asking them. 



Bone Dust— Poland not Laying (Mrs. Bam).— See Mr. Lingwood's 

 advertisement in this Journal. It is very possible for a substance to be 

 quite innocent when given regularly in small quantities, which would be 

 very injurious when eaten suddenly in excess ; but Mr. Wright only recom- 

 mends the bone dnst for large breeds. Possibly the Poland is too fat. As 

 she appears well it will be best to leave her till after moulting, unless you 

 like to try the effect of a spoonful of castor oil. It is not, however, 

 always possible to tell the reason a hen stops laying. We have a Brahma 

 which has stopped in the same way. Having no cock in company would not 

 cause it. It is possible the bird lays, but eats her eggs. 



Parrot Breathing with Difficulty (A Constant Reader). — We con- 

 clude from your statement that your Parrot has caught cold and is moult- 

 ing; if so, keep it out of draughts, place a pan of water in the cage for it 

 to bathe in, and give it bread soaked in cold water, squeezed rather dry, 

 and occasionally soaked in milk for a change ; Canary, millet, and hemp 

 seed mixed, very little of the latter ; Indian corn boiled ; also a Chili or 

 white peppercorn occasionally, and any ripe fruit you find it will eat ; but 

 if the bird pull out or bite off its feathers, then give it a good washing 

 with water twice a-day through a fine-rosed watering pot, and do not give 

 it any Chilies, peppercorns, nor hempseed. You should notice what 

 your birds like best, for what one Parrot is fond of another often will 

 not touch. 



Lice on Canary (J. S. B., and Forest Hill). — There is an insect-de- 

 stroying powder sold by most druggists under the name of Persian vermin 

 destroyer, or some similar title, which I have known to be very effectual 

 in eradicating these pests. It is sold with a distributor, an indianrubber 

 ball and tube, with directions for use, and is not expensive. Any re- 

 spectable druggist will supply the right article, if I should have been 

 somewhat incorrect in naming it. If the bird were mine I should wash 

 it, but that is an operation I should scarcely recommend an inexperienced 

 person to attempt, and especially so near the moulting season. A tho 

 rough dusting with sulphur will materially assist in dislodging the Acari 

 — W. A. Blarston. 



Canaries not Pairing (F. W. Herbert). — Are you quite sure that the 

 necessary conditions for pairing are present? "Not to put too fine a 

 point on it," are they cock and hen ? Such mistakes will sometimes 

 occur. It may be disappointing to persons who have only one pair of 

 birds up, to find that they show no signs of pairing; but to those who 

 fcreed on a larger scale it is only one of the many failures which are 

 written on the debit side of the account. If the birds are in health there 

 IB no reason why they should not have paired, if fed even on the plainest 

 diet. It is usual to give a little hard-boiled epg andhempeeedas a stimu- 

 lant. Try it, and induce them to make hay while the sun Bhines, as the 

 season is nearly over. The German method of preparing birdlime is by 

 putting about 2 lbs. of linseed oil into a pot, to simmer upon the fire for 

 some time, after which it is taken off and lighted with a match. In this 

 state of inflammation it continues about two hours, when half the quan- 

 tity will be consumed. By dipping, from time to time, a stick into the 

 oil, and trying the matter between the fingers, its proper glutinous con- 

 sistence may be easily ascertained, on which the pot is covered and the 

 flame extinguished.— W. A. Blakston. 



Commencing Bee-keeping (J. G. T.). — The pamphlet which you men- 

 tion is still in print, and can be obtained through any bookseller for one 

 shilling. The common straw hive is theone most easily managed by a 

 beginner, but it affords no facilities improvement. 



Deficient Honey Harvest ( Ho rseshoe).— Your bees have done quite 

 as much as could fairly be expected from them, for you may rely upon it 

 that Mr. Pagden's golden promises can only be realised (if at all) under 

 the most exceptionably favourable circumstances. A strong swarm may 

 fill a super the same year if the honey season be sufficiently prolonged, 

 but it cannot be expected to do so when it issues so late as the beginning 

 of July. As a rule, a stock that has swarmed will not afterwards fill a 

 super during the same season, anything that Mr. Pagden may say to the 

 contrary notwithstanding. Your friend's bees may have been hybrid- 

 ised by Ligurians, but are certainly not " half wasps," Huless, indeed, 

 they are defunct, and the Vespida? and robber bees are ransacking 

 their hive. 



Sowing Lucerne (B. B.). — There is much difference of opinion about 

 the quantity of seed required per acre, but the universal practice seems 

 to be to sow it in drills from 14 to 18 inches apart. Assuming the ground 

 to have been ploughed neatly and straight, we have seen the seed sown 

 in the alternate furrow slices before harrowing down, and in the case of a 

 small quantity, as an acre or so, sowing may be done by band or by some 

 light drill. If you sow by hand, putting the seed into a common bottle 

 with a suitable-sized hole in the cork, is as convenient a way as any. 

 About March or early in April is the best season lor sowing, and the 

 ground ought to be kept clear of weeds for a time ; after the plant has 

 been once established it is capable of taking care of itself. Nevertheless, 

 it is good practice to slightly dig over the ground in April, and harrow it 

 to destroy the grass and other weeds which often grow amongst the 

 Lucerne, taking care in digging to use only a pronged fork for the pur- 

 pose. Lucerne likes a deep soil or one with a subsoil which permits of 

 its roots descending, which they do to a great depth. 



Mushroom Catsup (C. N. B., Dublin).— We give you three modes: — 

 ;l). Take 4 lbs. of mushrooms, and the same of common salt ; sprinkle 

 whe salt over the mushrooms, and when the juice is drawn ant add 8 ozs. 

 of pimento and 1 oz. of cloves. Boil these for a short time, and press out 

 the liquor: that which remains may be treated again with salt and water 

 for an inferior kind. (2). Take the large flaps of mushrooms gathered 

 when dry, and bruise them; put some at the bottom of an earthen pan, 

 and strew salt over them ; then put on another layer of mushrooms, then 



salt, and so on till you have sufficient. Let them stand a day or two, 

 stirring them every day ; strain the liquor through a flannel bag, and to 

 every gallon of liquor add one quart of red wine; mace, cloves, allspice, 

 of each \ oz., with a race or two of cut ginger. If not salt enough, add a 

 little more. Boil it till one quart is wasted, strain it into a pan, and let 

 it get cold. Pour it from the settlings, bottle it, and cork it tightly. 

 (3). Take care that the mushrooms are of the right sort, and fresh 

 gathered. Full-grown flaps are the best. Put a layer of these at the 

 bottom of a deep earthen pan, and sprinkle them with salt; then add 

 another layer of mushrooms, with more salt, and so ou alternately. Let 

 them remain two or three hours, by which time the salt will have pene- 

 trated the mushrooms, and rendered them easy to break ; then pound 

 them in a mortar, or mash them well with your hands, and let them 

 remain two days, during which stir them up and mash them well ; then 

 pour them into a stone jar, and to every quart put 1 oz. of whole black 

 pepper ; stop the jar closely, set it in a Btewpanful of boiling water, and 

 keep it boiling two hours. On taking out the jar pour the juice clear 

 from the sediment through a hair sieve into a clean stewpan, and let it 

 boil gently half an hour ; skim it well, and pour it into a clean jar or jug ; 

 cover it closely, let it stand in a cool place till the next day, then decant 

 it off as gently as possible through a tamis or thick flannel bag till it is 

 perfectly fine, and add a table-spoonful of good brandy to each pint. 

 Now let it stand again, when a fresh sediment will be deposited, from 

 which the catsup must be gently poured off into bottles which have been 

 previously washed with brandy or other ardent spirit. Kept closely 

 corked and in a cool place it will remain good a long time. Examine it, 

 however, occasionally by placing a strong light behind the neok of the 

 bottle, and if any skin appears upon it boil it up again with a few pepper- 

 corns. This is called double catsup, and a table-spoonful of it will 

 impart the full flavour of Mushroom to half a pint of sauce. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 

 In the Suburbs of London for the week ending August 2nd. 











THEEM03IETEB. 

















Date 









Earth. 



■Wind. 



Rain. 





Max. 



Min. 



Max. 



Min. 



1 ft. 



2 ft. 





Wed... 



27 



8 }.012 



29.931 



84 



58 



67 



64 



E. 



.00 



Thurs. 



as 



30.100 



30.078 



65 



43 



66 



64 



N.E. 



.00 



Fri.. .. 



29 



29.982 



29.917 



65 



50 



68 



62 



N. 



.00 



Sat. ... 



80 



29.926 



29 789 



76 51 



64 



61 



E. 



.08 



Son. . . 



81 



29 686 



29.655 



80 



59 



66 



62 



S.K. 



.10 



Mon. . . 



1 



29.779 



29.724 



82 



63 



67 



62 



E. 



■72 



Taes. 



2 

 n.. 



29.827 29.786 



70 



61 



67 



62 



E. 



.04 



Mea 



29.902 1 29.840 



74.57 



55.00 



65.71 



62.48 



•• 



0.86 



27.— Fine ; cloudy but fine ; clear and fine. 

 28. — Densely overcast ; overcast ; clear, starlight. 

 29. — Cloudy but fine ; densely overcast ; overcast. 

 30. — Densely overcast ; overcast ; mild, overcast. 

 81. — Densely overcast ; thunder ; overcast. 



1. — Densely overcast, damp ; cloudy, thunder; foggy. 



2. — Foggy, drizzling rain ; foggy and overcast ; densely overcast. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— August 3. 

 We have scarcely any alteration worth quoting. The supply of out 

 door produce is well kept up, and a good attendance of buyers enables 

 the growers to clear a large quantity of goods. The last cargo of West 

 India Pines is now in the market. Foreign importations continue heavy, 

 and include some very considerable consignments of Apples from the 

 south of Spain, which are, however, of very poor quality. Good Regents 

 are more plentiful this week among the Potato dealers. 



FRUIT. 







B, 



d. 



s. 



d 







R. 



d. 



R. 



I] 





J sieve 



1 

 1 

 



6 to2 

 3 

 6 1 





 

 





lb. 





 6 



7 



9 too 

 12 

 8 14 







...¥•100 









n 





bushel 























S 







15 



S 







2 







4 







Pears, kitchen .. 

















n 





.... do. 



8 

 8 





 



5 

 6 





 







Si 



a 



l) 

 6 



s 



5 









n 











9 



1 











s 







5 



n 







(1 



ft 



1 



II 







a 



1) 



n 



() 











4 







6 





lb. 



n 



fi 



i 



n 



Grapes, Hothouse lb. 





n 



K 



li 







ii 



e 



l 



fi 







H 







J4 



(i 











is 



1 







2 



5 



VEGET 



do 



... ^100 



l 







a 







SJBLES. 











s. 



d. 



B. 



a 







R. 



d. 



R. 



a 







8 

 8 



ii tn i; 



8 



u 

 











l 



4 to 

 6 3 





Beans, Kidney . 



.. »100 





n 



i sieve. 



4 







B 











8 







4 



• 





bushel 



H 



1) 



4 







Mustard & Cress 



.pnTin^t 







2 







■ 



Beet, Red 





2 







8 











4 







A 









. bundle 



























4 







3 



Brussels Sprouts 



. . J sieve 























8 



e 







I) 







1 



u 



2 



1) 











9 



1 































1 







I 



« 







11 



4 







H 







4 







fi 











2 







6 











6 







8 









h^ndlft 



1 



n 



2 



n 



Radishes .. doz. 



bunches 



1 







n 



II 





bunches 



3 

 





 6 



6 

 1 





 











e 





 







n 



n 















2 







4. 



n 











1) 















2 



n 





 8 





 





 





lb. 





 8 



6 

 





 

















lb. 







8 















1 







s 



II 





. bunch 



n 



8 



















B 



1 



n 



Horseradish ... 



bundle 



8 







6 







Vegetable Marrows . .doz. 



4 







V 



u 



