320 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 20, 1870. 



called npon him one day to inquire how he was getting on. 

 " Very badly," was the reply ; " I have been here eleven years, 

 and I don't think I have done any good." Then pointing to 

 a gathering of Methodists in one of the fields, he exclaimed, "You 

 have no conception of the paple I have to dale with ; they are 

 all taehers, but none of them are taught. When I tell them 

 of the ' Principia ' of Newton, they say it is all nonsense ; or 

 if I speak to them of manners, they say Lord Chesterfield was 

 a fool." My auditory were evidently of the same opinion with 

 the old clergyman's parishioners. They said plainly, though 

 not in words, that parthenogenesis was nonsense, and that 

 Dzierzon was a fool. But what can an apiarian expect when 

 be throws his " pearls before pigs ?" The readers of " onr 

 Journal " belong to a different class, and I have no doubt that 

 most of them are ready to hear patiently any statements that 

 may be honestly made, and to bring them to the test of ex- 

 periments. 



With their permission, then, I venture to say that the best 

 bee glass that has yet been devised is that so well described 

 by the "Renfrewshire Bee-keeper" in "our Journal" of 

 June 4'h, 1868, and that the worst is the bell-shaped, which I 

 have generally used and still continue to use in my apiary. 

 Possessing several of the latter form, I was unwilling to throw 

 them away ; and this led me to adopt an expedient whereby 

 their defects might be in a great measure obviated. The chief 

 defect, as those who use them must know, is the difficulty 

 which bees experience in ascending them. The bees' efforts to do 

 so are repeatedly frustrated, and, when they succeed, the next 

 difficulty is the fixing a foundation for their combs. Now 

 the former of these inconveniences is not found in the form of 

 glass devised by Mr. Mitchell, of Abingdon, and both may be 

 overcome in the common bell-shaped by the following process : 

 — Warm the glass before a good fire, exposing the interior to 

 it, until it is sufficiently hot to melt wax. Then take a piece 

 of clean comb, and draw parallel lines from top to bottom 

 where you wish your combs to be fixed. Portions of comb 

 will adhere throughout the lines to the heated glass, and these, 

 if tlfa'temperature has been raised to the proper mark, will not 

 only prove excellent bases for future operations, but will also 

 serve as ladders, affording all needed facility of ascent to the 

 bees. Having tried the process and found it successful, there 

 is reason to hope it will succeed with others also. — R. S. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Cochin Pullets Dying (F.). — Yon do not give us sufficient informa- 

 tion about your fowls, from description we should say they become 

 diseased after they come into your possession. If you will give us a 

 description of the place they have, and the food afforded them, we shall 

 be able to form an idea as to the disease and its remedy. At present all 

 we know is that at certain intervals you lose one of your fowls. 



Featheh-le go-ed White Bantams (G. AT.).— There is a very handsome 

 breed of White Bantams, called the "Booted Bantams." They have now 

 become scarce because all Bantam-fanciers turn to the Game. They 

 have not, and never had, a fixed weight, but, ia common with all others, 

 the less they weigh the better and more valuable they are considered . 



BiRHiNG-HAM Poultry Sale (W. Carr).— You had better write to Mr. 

 Lythall; he can give you authentic information. 



Andalusians (Very Old Subscriber). — The Blue Spanish or Andalusians 

 rank as a distinct breed. Without giving an opinion on the Darwinian 

 theory, we believe they are offshoots from the Spanish, just as we believe 

 the modern Spanish is an offshoot from the old Minorca. They have been 

 shown as a separate breed everywhere, but never in sufficient numbers to 

 entitle them to a class. They always belong to the "varieties," and com- 

 pete therein. Mr. James, of Fareham, used to keep them very successfully. 

 Apply for a sitting of eggs to the person who shows the best of the breed 

 at Birmingham. 



Hen's TTf.at> Swollen (J. W.).~ If the swelling be a hard one, you can 

 either treat it with iodine ointment, or you may carefully open the skin, 

 and squeeze the swelling out by pressing the lower part. If it be soft it 

 is merely the result of cold, and as Brahmas are not subject to roup it will 

 have no consequences. The treatment will be to give only ground food 

 for a day or two, to administer stimulants in the shape of bread and 

 strong beer, and to give either Baily's Pills, or pills of camphor the size 

 of a garden pea — two at a time and once per day. 



Brahma Cockerel (Brahma).— We should not hesitate to breed from 

 him. 



Aylebbury Docks' Bills become Yellow (E. H.).—It is a very vex 

 atious thing that the bills of Aylesbury Ducks turn yellow, but it is not 

 less true that they do so in certain localities. Water that runs off peat or 

 heath, stagnant ponds that receive stable or yard manure, and dirty water 

 of every kind, are injurious to the colour of the bills. A clear running 

 stream, access to meadows at daybreak when the grass is covered with 

 cold dew or white frost, and the mixture of small pebbles or stones with 

 the only water they have (where it is supplied artificially), are all bene- 

 ficial to the colour. It is hardly necessary to say gravel stones are very 

 bad to mix with water. 



Antwerp Pigeons (Several). — It is only necessary to refer several 

 correspondents to our number for February 17th, for the Birmingham 

 Columbarian Society's standard of merit, to which may be added, in 

 answer to one inquirer, " True Blue," that the white-eyed specimens of 



the Antwerp are very numerous, and amongst them are some of the most 

 perfect bird?, more especially amongst the Bed Chequers and Blues, 

 although all the varieties are pretty sure to breed some white-eyed birds, 

 which is not a positive defect, yet the fact of its similarity to the eye of 

 the Barb, leads us to prefer the deep blood-red-coloured eye ; yellow and 

 dingy-coloured eyes are objectionable, and lack that fierce, fiery ap- 

 pearance so essential in that great point, the eye of an Antwerp. 



Various Diseases in One Loft of Pigeons {David Laurie). — The 

 various diseases you mention as being rampant in your Pigeon loft — 

 falling of the feathers, or feather-rot, blindness in young birds, formatiou 

 of matter in the joints, and loss of power in the legB, allpointto one cause 

 — viz., bad constitution, and that in no common degree. Most probably 

 your stock have in other hands been bred in-and-in for generations ; and 

 bad food, had wat Q r, bad air, and crowded and unclean lofts, causing the 

 birds to sleep in air charged with exhalations from dung, have helped to 

 bring about your troubles, and your own care may have been fruitless to 

 prevent what former years have caused. Fresh blood and frequent 

 crossings will help you to get rid of the scrofulous taint ; or, better still, 

 get a new set of birds, for scrofula lingers for generations. 



Removing Stocks (Brixtoniensis). — We do not think you need fear the 

 effect of the removal on your ponderous stocks in Woodbury hives. More 

 harm than good would be likely to arise from disturbing the hives in 

 order to insert a transverse notched bar at the bottom of the frames. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 

 In the Suburbs of London for the week ending October 18th. 









THERITOSTETEE. 



■Wind. 





Date. 



BABOMETEB. 



Air. 



Earth. 



Rain 





Mas. 



Min. 



Max. 1 Min. 



1 ft. 



2 It. 





Wed... )2 

 Thuis. . IS 

 Fri.. .. 14 

 Sat. ... 15 

 San. . . 16 

 Mon. . . 17 

 Tnes... 18 



29 212 

 29 68S 

 29.935 

 29.910 

 29 401 

 29.753 

 29 850 



29.177 

 29250 

 29.826 

 29 717 

 29.127 

 29.349 

 28.606 



65 

 57 

 63 

 61 

 59 

 58 

 59 



48 

 43 

 25 

 SO 

 46 

 27 

 47 



53 

 53 

 52 

 48 

 51 

 53 

 50 



50 

 50 

 51 

 50 

 50 

 51 

 50 



S. 

 W. 

 N.E. 

 S. 

 S. 



w. 



s. 



.03 

 .00 

 .00 

 .08 

 .34 

 •04 

 .06 



Mean. . 



29.678 



29.436 



60.31 



38.00 



5143 



50.29 





0.58 



12. — Showery; drizzling rain ; exceedingly boisterous. 

 18. — Exceedingly boisterous ; boisterous ; rain. 

 14. — Cloudy but fine ; very fine ; clear, starlight. 

 15. — Dense fog; exceedingly fine ; clear and fine. 

 16. — Rain ; heavy rain ; cloudy ; very damp. 

 17. — Very fine ; showery ; clear and fine. 

 18. — Very fine; overcast; densely overcast. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— October 19. 

 We have still to report an excessive supply in most of the ordinary 

 kinds of produce, orchard fruit being especially abundant, and large con- 

 signments of Pears from the south-west of France reach us every week. 

 The Potato trade is Bomewhat dull, with large stocks on hand, chiefly 

 Regents and Flukes, ranging from 80s. to 120s. per ton. 







R. 



d. 



ft. 



a 







B. 



a. 



s. d 







1 

 



to2 

 





 





lb. 





 



u 







O0 















6 



n 



14 



ii 

















lb. 





 





 





 





 



Pears, kitchen . 





4 

 1 





 



12 







2 





do. 





 2 





 



3 





 





lb. 



1 

 3 







3 



Figs 





6 



Filberts 



lb. 



1 







2 



II 







I 



ti 



3 8 





lb. 



1 



fi 



2 











1 













ie.... lb. 













lb. 













Grapes, Hothou 



2 







5 







Strawberries . 



















... $H00 10 



n 



IK 











10 







16 n 







1 







4 



(1 







1 



I) 



2 









VEGET 



ABLES. 















8. 



a. 



B. 



g 







B. 



d. 



s. d 











OtoO 















4 to 



























1 



6 



3 



BeanB, Kidney 



■ i Bieve. 



8 







4 











1 







2 





. bnshel 



II 







II 







Mustard & CreBS 



.JlTlTlTipt 



II 



2 







Beet, Bed 





2 







3 









. bushel 



4 



II 



6 





. bundle 







9 



1 



6 











4 







Brussels Sprout 



..$ sieve 



8 







4 



II 







3 



1) 











1 







2 



II 











9 



1 







i 







1 



t; 











(J 



6 







II 



4 



II 



8 









II 



4 D 







2 







6 











3 







4 







1 



6 



2 



(1 



Radishes .. doz. 



bunches 







II 







Coleworts..doz. 



bnncbeB 



X 







fi 











U 



II 











(1 



fi 



1 











ft 



II 











2 

 2 





 



4 

 





 





lb. 





 





 fi 



fi 





ft 









 

 



S 

 8 

 8 





 

 





 

 







2 

 1 

 



(1 

 



fi 



2 fi 





lb. 



1 6 



Herbs 









Horseradish . . 



. bundle 



3 







6 







Vegetable Marrows . . doz. 



2 



ft 



9 



POULTRY MARKET.— October 12. 

 Still moderate supplies, but no demand at all. Pheasants come in 

 moderately, as the leaf being on, but few are killed. 





B. 

 1 



i. s. 

 G to S 

 2 

 9 2 

 2 

 7 



e s 



d 

 

 6 

 ft 

 S 

 



fi 





s. 

 



d. s. 

 8 to 

 4 1 

 8 

 fi 3 

 4 1 

 2 



el. 

 1 





, 1 







5 

 9 





o 





1 



(1 





.... 6 



fi 





.... 8 





