486 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Dee-iBibei' 15, H73. 



fecundated in the cells, and afterwards quickened by the in- 

 fluence of the drone ? 



This method of fertilisation was long believed by apiarians 

 to have been " established beyond all contradiction," by the 

 observations of M. Debran, of Cambridge. It was not till 

 Huber exposed the optical illusion which misled, that the bee 

 ■world learned they had been accepting as true a conclusion 

 which was altogether untenable. The processes that are now 

 so much in vogue, though somewhat modified, were found in 

 the hands of M. de Reaumur and Huber to be wholly without 

 result. "We have," says the latter, "frequently confined 

 virgin queens with drones of all ages. We have done so at 

 every season, and witnessed all their advances and solicitations 

 towards the males. Nothing, indeed, was left undone by him 

 that was deemed likely to bring about a marriage in confinement, 

 but without a fertile result. 



Now, if the procedure adopted by the honey bee is at all 

 similar to that followed by the wild species (and I have no 

 doubt it is), the union of the sexes must necessarily take place 

 on the wing in the open air. I had an excellent view of the 

 conjunction of the Bombus terrestris, male and female, on the 

 18th of September, 1857. 



In those cases where fertilisation has been supposed to 

 have been effected when the queen was confined, I would like 

 to ask whether all due precautions have been used to prevent 

 its having taken place in any other situation. When we obtain 

 a seemingly pure offspring after a pure Ligurian queen has 

 been shut up with pure Ligurian drones, we are not to take 

 this as a proof of the royal marriage having been contracted 

 when in durance. It is very difficult to say when a pure breed 

 has been secured. 



I had a queen this summer, the daughter of one hybridised 

 last year, which produoed the finest-looking Italians. Not a 

 cross was to be seen amongst them, and some half dozen young 

 queens reared naturally after swarming were all beautifully 

 marked. Tet all these queens which were put at the head of 

 colonies, became mothers of a dark race with scarcely a trace 

 of Italian features either in shape, size, or colour. — B. S. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Beecon Poultry Show. — Mr. Brien has explained to as that the non- 

 payment of prizes has not been his fault. After the 22nd inBt. he will he 

 nahled to pay them. 



Game Bantams Mutilated at the Dublin Show [F. G. H.).— Our 

 correspondent complains that the cock's sickle feathers were cut off and 

 the tail otherwise injured. The mutilation was done previous to the 

 judging, and he warns other exhibitors there to " look sharp." 



Egg-eating Hens {Comto.nt Subscriber).— You can only watch the 

 hens and drive them from their nests as soon as they have laid. It is 

 sometimes useful to lay hard eggs about, so hard as to defy all efforts to 

 peck pieces off. 



Houdans' Toes (J. S.). — One toe turning up and the other downwards 

 is not a disqualification. 



Hamburghs (S. D. C.!. — We do not care for the colour of a Hamburgh 

 cock's eye. We cannot advise you about breeding, as we do not see the 

 birds. If the son has produced part of your requirements, but you wish 

 for more, use him again, not with his mother but his sister — with his 

 mother he will merely produce again th*t which he produced before. A 

 hollow in the comb is a disadvantage. A tail should not be too much 

 bronzed, but it is a venial fault. We know nobody's indiosyncracies in 

 poultry judging. Yon had better write to the judge iu question. A hen 

 with a pencilled tail is more likely to breed pencilled-tailed pallets thaa 

 one with a blacking-brush tail. 



Poultry Feeding [Hants Hemcife). — Your feeding is troublesome, ex- 

 pensive, and poor. We do not like either Indian meal, sharps, or buck- 

 wheat. They all go to make internal fat, and to prevent laying. Give 

 them ground oats every morning, kitclen scraps, and Indian cora mid- 

 day, and ground oats in the evening. It is bad crossing sitters and non- 

 eitters, or we would advise Dorkings. 



Hastening Laying (E. H.).— Your Dorkings are hardly arrived at an 

 n=e to lay. Have patience. Greaves, meat, and hempseed will force 

 them, but you will be a loser in the end. There is a great outcry for eggs ; 

 we hope those who have them will stand out for a great price, and that 

 the present will make us wiser in future, and leBS dependant on a foreign 

 supply. 



Cockerel for Exhibition [T. F. A.).— Allow him one pnllet. Feed 

 as we advise. If the shows are near at hand put him by himself; not, 

 however, if other hens are about. If he can see them, it is better to allow 

 him one pullet, or he may lose weight. Feed as we advised. 



Hens apparently Egg-bound (if. R.).~ The symptoms you describe 

 are those of an egg-bound hen. but as there has been no egg, it was pro- 

 bably only a derangement which Baily'spills, followiogon castor oil, should 

 cure. The care will not be perf&ct till the evacuations are partly white. 

 Give up the oats_ which they will not eat, and the potatoes which are 

 worse than nothing, making internal fat, and causing diseased livers. 

 Substitute ground oats. When twelve hens die at about tho same time, 

 it is fair to suppose they picii up something poisonous. 



Turtjits (Turbit).— Pair your Black cock with a Blaek hen, not a Red 

 one. We tried crossing Blacks with Reds years ago, and the produce was 

 always s l rn-^h3riy, both colours being entirelv SDoiled. Point crowns are 

 best for TurbltF. 



j Carriers (E. Laurie).— It is usual with Carrier fanciers to match Black's 

 j and Dans together, the idea being that a more brilliant black is the result. 

 i The fineness of plumage you allude to results most probablv from the 

 owner of the birds being able to fly them. Another thing producing fine 

 colour and appearance is not exhibiting birds; they are injured by travel- 

 ling. At the Peristeronic Meetiug, the birds exhibited by gentlemen 

 members who do not show for prizes are far superior in appearance as to 

 colour and gloss, to the poor birds that have been sent to shows all over 

 the country. As to food, beans and old tares are the best for all Pigeons 

 Crystal Palace Poultry Show.— Through an error in the catalogue 

 of the Crystal Palace Show we reported that Mr. E. Tndman took the 

 fir3t prize for an old Partridge Cochin cock and hsu, whereas the first 

 prize was awarded to pen 157, belonging to Mr. Liogwood, Crec-ting, Suffolk. 

 Mr. H. Shumach says his pen, 822, of Black Red Game Bantam pullets 

 was awarded the second prize. Mr. Lorimer informs us that he took the- 

 second prize in class 111 (Pigeons, any other variety) with a p-iir of Arch- 

 angels. We are informed that in the class for Bl*ck Ducks a fourth 

 prize was awarded to pen No. 1178, belonging to Mr. G. S. Sainsbury. In 

 the class for Aylesbury Ducks the first prize was awarded to Mrs. Senmons. 

 not Mr. Hollis. 



^White Cockatoo (E. M. D.).— The bird picking off his feathers In- 

 dicates that there is irritation of the skin. Give him a shower-bath daily 

 by pouring over him tepid water throcgh the rose of a watering-pot. 

 Give him no bones nor meat, only sopped broad and fruits. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 

 In the Suburb* of London for the week ending December 13th. 







THERirOHETEH. 



















DATK- 









Earth. 



Wind. 



Rain 





Max. 



Min. 



Max. 



Min. 



1 ft. 



2 ft. 





Wed. .. 7 



29.629 



29.608 



41 



16 



40 



40 



N. 



.03 



Thurs. . 8 



29.636 



29.618 



32 



29 



40 



40 



N. 



.00 



Fri. . .. 9 



29.816 



29.650 



34 



30 



89 



S9 



N. 



.10 



Sat. ... 10 



29.900 



29 850 



86 



32 



41 



89 



N. 



?2 



Sua. . . 11 



29.S00 



29.51S 



51 



27 



41 



39 



S.E. 



.30 



Mon. . . 12 



29.281 



29.185 



52 



42 



42 



39 



W. 



.26 



Tues. . . 18 



29.424 



29.866 



5>> 



45 



43 



40 



s. 



.53 



Mean.. 



29.641 



29.542 



43.00 



31.57 



40.85 



39.43 





1.24 



7.— Overcast; densely overcast; cold and overcast. 



8.— Sharp frost; overcast; snow at night. 



9.— Snow; continued fall of snow; densely overcast. 

 10- — Densely overcast ; dense fog; densely overcast. 

 11. — Overcast ; very fine ; cloudy, frosty air. 

 12 —Rain ; cloudy but fine ; slight rain. 

 13. — Drizzling rain ; rain ; drizzling rain. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— December 14. 

 We have no improvement hereworth notice, except in the bast Grape? t 

 which have advanced iu price during the week, and continue very good. 

 The Potato trade is steady, and the supply ample. 







s. 

 1 

 

 

 10 

 

 

 

 

 2 





 4 

 6 



1 



s. 

 

 



2 





 3 

 

 2 

 1 

 

 

 3 

 1 

 S 

 

 8 

 2 

 

 

 



d. s. d 

 to 2 

 

 

 18 

 

 

 

 2 

 2 6 

 

 S 

 10 

 4 



YEOET 



d. s. d 

 OtoO 

 

 SO 

 

 3 

 9 1 G 

 S 

 2 

 



4 8 

 6 

 6 2 

 6 

 9 16 

 

 



5 

 8 

 3 

 6 







8. 

 

 

 6 

 

 1 

 1 

 3 

 1 

 

 

 



10 



1 



s. 





 



1 







s 







s 





 



2 



s 





 



1 



2 



a 



2 

 3 

 

 



«. 6. 



OtoO 

 

 10 

 

 2 

 3 

 5 

 6 3 

 



o o 







e 16 



2 



d. s. 

 4 to 

 9 1 

 2 

 2 

 5 

 4 

 

 9 1 

 

 4 

 i 

 6 1 

 

 6 2 

 2 

 6 

 2 

 

 6 

 



a 





















Fi«s 



bushel 



Pears, kitchen ., 





o- 





 





lb. 



Plums 









lb. 







e.... lb. 









Grapes, Hothous 



Strawberries .. 



lb. 









do 









ABLES.' 





d 









Beans, Kidney . 



..V100 

 bushel 



Mustard & Cress 

 Parsley 



.punnet 

 .. sieve 





 



Brussels Sprouts 



bundle 

 ..J sieve 

 ... doz. 



1* 100 



bundle 

 snnehea 



.... doz. 



6 



a 





Potatoes 



Radishes .. doz. 

 Rhubarb 



. bushel 

 bunches 









 



ft 





 



fr 







Colenorts..doz, 





lb. 



. bundle 





















Horseradish . . . 



Vegetable Marrows . . doz. 







POULTRY MARKET.— December 14. 

 We have still a sorry trade, and have lost the inspiriting effect of frosty 

 weather. Trade is very bad now, but we look for a good Christmas 

 market, from the absence of foreign supplies. 





s. 

 3 



2 



,,,. 1 

 1 



d. s. 



to 3 

 2 

 6 1 

 9 2 

 7 

 6 2 



d 

 6 

 6 

 9 

 3 

 6 

 





s. 

 



d. s. 

 9 to 

 4 1 

 9 

 2 

 9 2 



e o 



d. 

 10 







1 



5 











in 











fi 







1 



















