November 17, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



403 



ampton generally contains more all-England exhibitors than 

 any other place. No catalogue is complete without them, and 

 seldom, indeed, does one appear without their names figuring 

 prominently in the front, and dull would our stages appear 

 unless lighted up by the wonderful birds they send out. I do 

 hope that this short reminder may attract the attention of 

 many an exhibiting committeeman, who has often been cheered 

 by Moore and Wynne's bulky envelope on the eventful day of 

 closing of entries ; and that in east, west, north, and south, in 

 every place which Northampton has for years generously pa- 

 tronised, it will be considered a fitting opportunity to pay a 

 graceful compliment to the town by sending entries to its Show. 

 — W. A. Blaksion. 



"WAR ON THE BRAHMAS." 



At a meeting of the North-western Poultry Association, held 

 at Chicago some time since, there was a very lively discussion 

 on the standard of excellence of Light Brahma fowls, whether 

 they should possess a single or double comb. Many of the 

 members of the Association expressed themselves dissatisfied 

 with the standard of excellence of the Brahma fowl, now re- 

 cognised by many breeders. 



Daniel Worthington, President of tho Association, presented 

 various authorities, showing the original Brahmas to have been 

 quite different, in style and shape, from the present standard ; 

 stating they were generally single-combed, the pea comb being 

 the exception ; that the form was more round and plump ; 

 shorter legs and bodies ; not so gawky, and better layers ; colour, 

 slightly buff on the back, with a general mixture of grey. 



After discnssion pro and con, it was finally decided that as 

 the present Light Brahma fowl was certainly a very superior 

 bird, and the standard now in use was endorsed by all the 

 prominent American and English breeders, the Association 

 would not change the present standard, but rather adopt another 

 for the Light Brahma, with single comb and markings in con- 

 formity to the authorities quoted by Mr. Worthington, thus 

 enabling exhibitors to Bhowboth single and pea-combed fowls. 



A late number of the Prairie Farmer remarks upon this sub- 

 ject (the war on the Brahmas), as follows : — "It is at last over, 

 and there is peace in the hearts of the combatants. The 

 question of double combs and single combs for Brahmas, is 

 settled in a manner that ought to please both sides, whether it 

 does or not. The deoision virtually amounts to this: — That a 

 Brahma fowl may possess either a single comb or a pea comb, 

 according to the taste of the individual breeder; at least such 

 is the decision of the North-western Poultry Association. The 

 protracted discussion among its members has resulted in 

 making two classes of Light Brahmas, and in establishing a 

 standard of excellence for each." 



This Society, in its proceedings, ignored the standard of 

 excellence and description of this breed of fowls, as laid down 

 by Tegetmeier, as being "incorrect and not adapted as a safe 

 guide for the judging of" Light Brahma fowls. Whether the 

 action of this Society in this particular will be adopted by 

 others yet remains to be seen.— (Moore's Rural New Yorker.) 



THE YORK RABBIT SHOW. 

 Me. Millington takes me to task for commenting on the 

 glowing account given by " Cuniculus " of the attractive prize 

 list for Rabbits at the approaching York Show, and declares 

 the schedule to be "the very best ever issued by any com- 

 mittee in England." I have not the courage to deny such a 

 positive statement ; but as few things under heaven are ab- 

 solutely perfect, I would ask, Where is the justice of charging 

 the same entrance fee for the Variety classes as for the Lop- 

 aars, and then awarding less prize money ? This outrage on 

 common fairness is the more apparent when it is remembered 

 that Rabbits for the Variety classes must (I know not why) be in 

 pairs, entailing more expense in carriage. If the York Com- 

 mittee think this just, I believe the fancy generally will wonder 

 where they learnt logic. Surely the same proportion of en- 

 trance fee to prizes ought to be maintained in all classes of 

 Rabbits, unless the Committee wish systematically to discourage 

 the exhibitors in the Variety classes, who, however, cannot 

 easily be dispensed with. The latter cannot see why they 

 must send their specimens in pairs more than the Lop-ear 

 fanciers ; but Mr. Millington emphatically says, " I differ from 

 your correspondent ; I think they ought to be shown in pairs." 

 but he does not vouchsafe one reason to show the reasonable- 



ness of his dictum. Mr. Millington quotes the last Hull Show 

 as proving my inconsistency in thinking a cup might have 

 been given at York for the Varieties, when two cups are to be 

 offered for Lop-ears. I would remind him that ours at Hull 

 was a newly-started Show, and that the Committee had to tread 

 their way very cautiously, which is not the case at York, where 

 there is annually a large surplus. At all events, we did act 

 justly and consistently in our money premiums, giving to Lop- 

 ears £1 and 10s. prizes, entrance fee 2s. Gd. ; and for varieties 

 15s. and 7s. 6<7., entrance fee Is. 6d. This proportioning of 

 the fee to the premium is, I think, an arrangement that must 

 commend itself to all lovers of fair play. It was not I, but 

 another correspondent, animadverting on the injustice of the 

 York schedule, who spoke of pairs being put into one pen, and 

 often presenting disgusting scenes. I, who know how the 

 arrangements are at York, cheerfully admit that in this respect 

 the Show is a model for others ; but nobody knows better than 

 Mr. Millington that in nineteen cases out of twenty the Varie- 

 ties are put in pairs into pens, and that no exhibitor can be 

 certain what state his doe may be in wfcen she comes home. — 

 L. Or. Hudson. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH PERMANGANATE OF 

 POTASH AS A CURE FOR FOUL BROOD. 



Notwithstanding the many investigations which have been 

 made, and the different opinions which have been expressed, 

 by men eminent in the apiarian world of science, the origin and 

 cause of this fatal disease have hiiherto baffled all attempts 

 which have been made to discover them, while its cure remains 

 equally shrouded in mystery. Like many other bee-masters, 

 I have suffered very considerably from this plague, hence I am 

 naturally anxious to find out a cure, and ever ready to make 

 any experiments in which there is the smallest possible pro- 

 spect of success. 



A friend of mine received from an English apiarian a small 

 quantity of the permanganate of potasb, with instructions for 

 using it as a cure for foul brood, but he having no diseased 

 hives sent it to me, and I happening at the time to have a 

 colony affected with this dreadful malady, readily agreed to 

 give it a trial. The following is the mode of proceeding : — 

 The quantity sent (as much as would lie on the point of a 

 table-knife), should be dissolved .in a gill of water, of which 

 solution a table-spoonful will be sufficient for each pint of 

 syrup, to be given to the bees whilst in quarantine. As soon 

 as they have all partaken of it, which they will readily do, 

 mix a little essence of peppermint with some of it, and pour 

 it on them in the skep in which they have clustered, so as to 

 insure their being wetted with it, rolling them actually in it, 

 and then they may be turned into a healthy stock or amongst 

 healthy combs. He adds, " It is a simple remedy, but has 

 effectually cured foul brood in two stocks of mine. As far as 

 I can judge, it is only necessary to wet the bees inside and out 

 and the cure is complete." He likewise says, " If the foul bees 

 are driven from a straw skep, they will, of course, require more 

 time than if simply brushed off the combs, as they will have 

 filled their honey sacs with diseased honey ; but I do not 

 think they will require more than twenty-four hours, unless 

 the swarm is large." 



Having diluted this disinfectant as described, I took the 

 required quantity, mixed it with a pint of syrup, and placed it 

 upon the top of the hive (the bees having been previously 

 transferred to an empty hive), but they did not partake of it 

 very willingly, for although I allowed it to remain for two days, 

 they had not wholly consumed it. I now turned my attention 

 to the second part of the prescription, took a quantity more of 

 the solution, adding to it a small quantity of the essence of 

 peppermint, turned the hive upside down, and poured it gently 

 upon them. But, oh, what a calamity ! the cure was worse 

 than the disease, as in less time than it takes to write it, the 

 little creatures had wholly forsaken the hive, with the exception 

 of a few who were so wet as to be unable to fly. Never did a 

 despotic monarch abdicate a throne, nor the inhabitants of a 

 plague-stricken city flee, with greater haste than did this roial 

 lady accompanied by her loyal and industrious subjects. I was 

 so paralysed by this unexpected event that it took me some 

 little time to comprehend it ; but on recovering from my 

 bewilderment I found my bees clustering on the landing-board 

 of another hive, the inmates of which had set a strong guard 

 lest these panic-stricken emigrants should attempt to find a 

 lodgement in their midst. But where was my queen ? After 

 a considerable time spent in fruitless search, I found her lady- 



