298 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICULTTJBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 18, 1870. 



things into consideration, I have to congratulate yon on your 

 success." 



So far, then, this is the result of my latest experiment, and 

 it only tends to confirm the opinions 1 had previously formed, 

 and which have been already expressed, and now unhesitat- 

 ingly state my opinion that the maximum time occupied in 

 hatching a queen is fourteen days. — A Stewarton Apiarian. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Exchange (A. Johnston). — We insert in a special column exchanges 

 desired. If yon send twelve postage stamps, and state what you wish, the 

 statement will be inserted in that column. 



Dobeing Cock's Comb Discoloubed (Dorking), — It is sometimes in- 

 dicative of failing condition. Sometimes at this season of the year it is 

 caused by the sharp morning frosts, which begin about this time. At 

 other times it springs from eating improper food, or not digesting that 

 which is eaten. In either case your first remedy is to give a tablespoonful 

 of castor oil, follow it wi'h Baily's pills, feed principally on ground oats, 

 and give no whole corn for a time. Dorkings in confinement require 

 more watching than any other breed, and it is beneficial, when this ap- 

 pearance of comb is seen, to give a couple of pills of camphor, each the 

 size of a garden pea. 



Leghorn and Jersey Fowls (M. E).-We do not know them. People 

 take strange liberties in naming fowls. 



Cochin- Chtna's Feathers Projecting (Biy7). — In your young cocks 

 you are plagued with twisted wings. They will not come right in moult- 

 ing. We have tried various experiments, but have never succeeded, and 

 it is, unfortunately, hereditary. As it is an eyesore, you can improve the 

 appearance of the birds (when the new flight feathers are hard) by 

 cutting them off halfway up, and tying them under the rest of the wing. 

 We have two otherwise fine birds that are so disfigured, and are half dis- 

 posed to pinion them as we do wild fowls. They cannot fly if they 

 would, and they never try to : we think they would not miss that which 

 in their case is miscalled the flight. We have some confined in a large 

 space, separated from a kitchen garden by a rubble wall between 8 and 

 4 feet high. The goodly Cochins sometimes look up at the luxuriant 

 green food so nearly within reach, and at last make an effort to get over ; 

 it ends in a mighty fly that raises them 18 inches from the ground, a 

 vigorous scramble that ends in their reaching the ground breathless and 

 panting for a quarter of an hour. Your birds should be clean moulted 

 by the first week in November. Soft food is always best, and it is cheaper 

 to give ground than whole corn. 



Cboss-breeding with Light Brahmas (Jay Cee). — Of the two varieties 

 you name we should advise you to cross with White Dorkings if size is 

 among your desiderata. If you cross with the Game we advise the 

 White in preference to Piles, only on account of colour. 



Brahma Pootra's Foot Swollen (Amelia 8.). — There may have been 

 a little inflammation in the foot, and the bleeding will do it good. In 

 some cases Brahma cocks affect the dainty btyle of walking, and it is a 

 bad symptom, often ending in being crippled for life. We advise you to 

 poultice it twice, and then bind it np. Shut him up somewhere where he 

 can have nothing hard to tread upon until the foot is quite healed, and 

 where there is no perch. If he is only eighteen months old you should 

 be able to depend upon him for this year. If he is older he will hardly 

 recover to be of much use. If the strange gait arose from the inflam- 

 mation or injury, he will recover. If it is a sort of " string-halt," we 

 should fear its gaining the other leg. As soon as his foot is well let him 

 return to his ordinary life and to his perch. 



Dark Brahma Pootras (5. S.).— L. Wright, Esq., Kingsdown, Bristol, 

 ean give yon the information. 



Meddleton Show.— Mr. F. Steel informs us, that at this Exhibition he 

 won the cup for the best pen of Game Bantams. 



Breeding Trumpeter Pigeons, &e. (A. Z.).— Put a young Black hen, 

 bred from a pair of Blacks, to a dark Mottled cock, and the produce will 

 most probably be a good number of very dark Mottled birds. If you 

 have no Mottled bird, put a White bird to it, but your chance of breeding 

 dark birds will be of course less. Let the Black bird be the youngest. 

 Of all things make out the antecedents of your stock, and know how they 

 were bred, and whether there is good Mottled blood in them. In breed- 

 ing Jacobins it is best to keep the colours clear of each other. 



Parrot Dull and Sleepy (H. T.).~ Continue to give your Parrot the 

 usual food to which it has been accustomed, except the rice, which with- 

 draw. Give it boiled Indian corn, and add a little canary seed with the 

 hempseed, also mix a good sprinkling of cayenne pepper with the soaked 

 bread. Parrots are fond of fruit and nuts, but too much fruit must not 

 be given, as it is likely to cause too great a looseness. Keep the bird 

 warm and free from draughts, the moulting, no doubt, is.the cause of its 

 being poorly. 



Hive Deserted (T. Y.).— We should fancy that the colony had suc- 

 cumbed to a buccaneering attack from robber bees, probably after hav- 

 ing lost its queen. It is. however, possible that it may have perished 

 from starvation, and we should therefore counsel an immediate examina- 

 tion of all your other stocks, with the view of ascertaining and supplying 

 any deficiency that may exist in their stores before the approach of 

 winter. 



Mjxk for Rabbits (Antony).— Rabbits are fond of milk, milk and 

 water, or water alone, and ought to have some two or three times a- week, 

 not much, but about three or four tablespoonfuls for a full-grown Rabbit. 

 In summer, when all green food is dried up, or at best contains not 

 much moisture, they require more liquid, and a few peas soaked in water 

 about twelve hours form no bad substitute for green food for a breakfast 

 once a-week; and if a little clean water be added to the peas it will be 

 better for them than drinking the water the peas have been soaked in all 

 night. 



Cover for Hutch (Idem). — Tarpaulin (cheap) may be had at any 

 marine store-keeper's ; but for a covering for roofs, &c, the felt at 8d. per 

 yard is as cheap and better, especially when covered with gas tar and 



fine sand sprinkled upon it before the tar is dry. It will then last for 

 years. 



Food for Rabbits (Idem). — Half a pint of dry food, as oats, bran, &c, 

 with sweet hay and oat straw for a bed, and to eat if they choose ; also a 

 little green food, or Swedes and carrots, will be sufficient for a day's food 

 for any ordinary Rabbit. You will soon find what they require and 

 willeat. All Rabbits are not the same as regards the amount of food 

 eaten. 



Age for Breeding (Idem). — If you wish for large, strong Rabbits, 

 nine months will be soon enough for them to pair, and do not let them 

 produce more than four litters in twelve months. 



Fur of Angoras Matted (Mem).— For the hair to be matted in the 

 Angora is a proof they are of the true kind, as length and fineness of 

 hair are always to be desired in this variety. When the hair is matted it 

 can be removed with an iron comb and scissors, being careful when doing 

 so to cause as little pain as possible. The new hair will soon grow again, 

 even if the fur has been cut bare to the skin. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 

 In the Suburbs of London for the week ending October 11th. 









THEBMOHETEB. 



Wind. 





Date. 



BABOSTETEE. 



Air. 



Earth. 



Eaix, 





Max. 



Min. 



Max. 



Min. 



1 ft. 



2 ft. 





Wed. . . 5 



30.143 



80.134 



54 



46 



54 



53 



N.E. 



.00 



Thurs.. 6 



30. 78 



29.901 



58 



35 



54 



53 



N. 



.00 



Fri. ... 7 



29 673 



29 394 



68 



53 



54 



53 



N.W. 



.02 



Sat. ... 8 



29.154 



29/20 



69 



43 



68 



53 



S. 



.08 



San. . . 9 



29.126 



2S.860 



61 



29 



56 



53 



N.W. 



.04 



Hon. . . 10 



29 667 



29 359 



55 



20 



55 



63 



N. 



•00 



Taes.... 11 



29.823 



2a.806 



60 



23 



47 



51 



W. 



.00 



Mean.. 



29.656 



99.496 



61.14 



35.57 



64.00 



52.71 



.. 10.14 



5.— Foggy, cold wind; densely overcast ; densely clouded. 



6. — Densely overcast ; overcast, fine ; clear. 



7. — Cloudy but fine ; fine, overcast ; densely overcast. 



8. — Rain ; cloudy, very damp ; clear and fine. 



9. — Very fine; cloudy; showery at night. 

 10. — Very fine ; fine but cloudy ; clear and frosty. 

 11. — Sharp frost; very fine; clear and frosty. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— October 12. 

 There is no improvement in the trade, but owing to the falling-off in 

 the supply, the price of Peaches and Nectarines is much higher. Pears 

 principally consist of Marie Louise, Gansel's Bergamot, Duchesse d'An- 

 gouleme, and Louise Bonne, but the supply far exceeds the demand. 

 Good samples of Ribs ton, Cox's Orange, and Blenheim Orange Pippins 

 are now being sent into the market. 





8. 

 1 

 

 

 





 



1 



1 





 2 

 10 



1 



8. 





 

 8 

 

 2 

 

 

 1 

 1 

 

 2 



i 

 3 



ii 

 2 





 

 

 3 



a. s. d 



to 2 

 

 

 6 10 

 4 

 

 6 10 

 2 

 6 2 

 

 5 

 16 

 4 



TEGET 



d. s. d 

 OtoO 

 

 4 

 

 S 

 

 

 2 

 16 

 4 8 

 6 

 6 2 

 6 

 6 10 

 4 

 

 8 

 8 

 3 

 6 



Pears, kitchen .. 



lb. 

 lb. 



B. 

 

 2 

 

 4 

 1 

 1 

 8 

 1 

 1 

 

 

 10 



1 



8. 

 



1 



1 





 4 

 

 3 

 

 

 3 

 4 

 

 

 

 

 

 2 

 1 

 



a 



d. s. 

 OtoO 

 4 

 20 

 12 

 2 

 3 

 5 



8 3 

 1 

 

 

 16 

 2 



d. 8. 

 4 to 

 6 8 

 2 

 2 

 6 

 4 

 



9 1 

 

 6 4 

 6 

 

 

 

 

 6 

 2 

 1 

 6 

 3 



a 

 s 



6 

 

 

 

 



n 

















Grapes, HothouBe lb. 





lb. 





Strawberries .. 















1BLES. 

 Mustard & Cress 



.punnet 



d 

 fl 



Beans, Kidney ..J sieve. 



Beet, Red doz. 



Brussels Sprouts. .isieve 









 

 



8 



• 



e 



Radishes .. doz. 



bunches 



6 









Coleworts..doz. bnnches 





 

 

 

 6 

 6 





Vegetable Marrows . . doz. 







Horseradish bundle 







POULTRY MARKET.— October 12. 

 We have little to note. There is a fair supply and small demand. 



Smaller ditto 



s. 

 '2 

 2 

 1 



d. s. 

 6 to 3 

 2 

 6 1 

 2 

 7 

 6 3 



a 





 6 

 9 

 3 

 

 





s. 

 



a. e. 



5 to 

 4 1 

 9 



6 8 

 3 1 

 2 



a. 

 q 



Rabbits 



1 



e 



10 







2 









6 





1 

 2 



6 





2 



3 



