222 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ September 12, 1872. 



them over the hives whence they issued. They quietly fra- 

 ternised, and a dead queen on the ground the next morning led us 

 to hope they "would rest in peace, which they did, and swarmed 

 no more, but still the supers were deserted. 



A prime swarm, hived on June 3rd, is now working in two 

 supers, the second having been opened when the bees showed 

 signs of overcrowding. One of the old stocks is also working in 

 the super, and we took one off filled on the 19th of July, while 

 eleven supers show nothing but empty comb. 



Our neighbourhood (West Norfolk) is essentially agricultural, 

 and therefore not a honey-producing district. Very rarely does 

 even a field of white clover gladden our eyes ; and in the spring, 

 when the blossoms of fruit trees and wild flowers abound, the 

 weather is so ungenial that our little favourites can with diffi- 

 culty venture out to forage. "We do all we can to help them in 

 our garden, which is large. We have thousands of snowdrops 

 and crocuses, box trees in abundance, long ranges of thyme, 

 mignonette, borage, &c, Phacelia and Salvia nemorosa, which 

 two last flowers they are remarkably fond of. Our hives are of 

 various kinds — the improved cottage, the economic, Sadler's 

 Berkshire hive, and two Woodbury hives. The last-mentioned 

 have greatly disappointed us ; the bees have not filled one super 

 in either of them in any one year, and the only honey we have 

 obtained from them has been by taking out the two outer frames 

 at the end of the season. All our hives are well protected from 

 rain and sun, even the deluges of this season have failed to pro- 

 duce any trace of damp. 



As to Iiigurians, our attempts to introduce them have proved 

 so disastrous that we have bid adieu to them for ever. Our 

 black bees are fully as prolific as we could desire. — Drina. 



imprison them for half an hour or more in a dart place near the apiary, 

 then let them go. At this time of year, when bees are quiet to detect the 

 scent of honey, yon mnst watch the super for fear of robbers, and act accord- 

 ingly, shutting them up again if necessary for a time. A fine afternoon is. 

 the best time. 



TRAXsFERErsG Bees (A. I. IF.).— It is quite as feasible to hive an ordinary 

 swarm in a bar-frame hive as into any other hive. Perhaps, however, you 

 mean to ask if it is easy to transfer the bees of an established swarm into a 

 bar-frame hive. This can be done too by taking out the combs and affixing 

 them to the bars, but it wants a very practised hand to do this. "We have 

 forwarded your letter to the gentleman to whom you allude. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



CA3TDEN SqUABE, LONDON. 



Lat. 51° 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0° 8' 0" W. ; Altitude 111 feet. 



Date. 







A.M. 







In the Day. 



ition 







. ° ** 





C3 1 



M 



Shade Tem- 



Eadi 



a 



1872. 



2 Z^" 



Hygrome- 

 ter. 



.S3 1 





perature. 



Temperature 



Sept. 









In 



On 







s-^ 



Dry. | Wet. 



5° 





Max. 



Min. 



sun. 



grass! 





Inches. 



deg. 



deg. 





deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



In. 



We. 4 



29.617 



71.4 



67.0 



S.W. 



62 3 



77.4 



61.6 



121.6 



58.0 



0.072 



Th. 5 



29.798 



66 3 



61.2 



S.W. 



62.5 



74.0 



61.2 



121.2 



58.1 



— 



Fri. 6 



29.811 



65.3 



60.0 



s. 



61.8 



74.5 



55.0 



124.8 



51.3 



— 



Sat. 7 



29.810 



65.0 



59.8 



w. 



61.5 



72.8 



57.3 



121.7 



• 54.2 



— 



Sun. 8 



29.971 



63.5 



55.8 



w. 



60.6 



70.6 



51.0 



116.S 



49.1 



— 



Mo. 9 



29.903 



62.9 



58 3 



s. 



60.4 



69.0 



54.8 



97.3 



52.9 



0.02O 



Tu. 10 



29.950 



61.2 



55.7 



S.W. 



6).l 



68.6 



49.9 



108.3 



48.2 



0.010 



Means 



29.816 



65.1 



59.S 





61.3 



72.4 



55.8 



116.0 



53.1 



0.102 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Early- breeding Pullets (M. A. W.). — In many breeds, as Cochins and 

 Brahmas, it is not uncommon to find layers at sixteen "weeks old, but careful 

 breeders never set their eggs. One of the best poultry authorities has said, 

 " Never set the early eggs of a pullet." We agree with him. Your expe- 

 rience will agree with ours. The chickens may be strong, but they will never 

 be large. We nevertheless thank you for your letter. It is only by com- 

 municating our experiences one to the other that we can derive the profit and 

 pleasure attached to the pursuit we like so much. 



Lice on Fowls (Subscriber). — Your fowls are dying from the effects of 

 parasites — call them what you like. "When they attach themselves to a bird 

 they worry it to death. The treatment for the fowls is to daub them with oil 

 at the back of the head, on the backbone, and under the wings. To prevent 

 the continuation of the plague provide the birds with plenty of road grit, 

 placed in heaps of about a bushel in their haunts. Wash the walls with 

 carbolic acid diluted according to necessity. Let the operator mix it very 

 strong, and, above all, work it into every hole, corner, and cranny of the 

 house. 



Characteristics of Sllver-Gret Dorking Cock (Frodsham). — Scru- 

 pulously black tail and breast, white hackle and saddle, wing barred with 

 dark blue steel and white bars. One spot of white in the tail, or on the 

 breast, is a positive disqualification. 



Musk Ducks (H. E. B.). — They are thus described in the " Poultry- 

 keeper's Manual: " — The Drake often weighs 9 or 10 lbs., hut the Duck never 

 exceeds 5 or 6 lbs. The bunch of red, warty flesh near the bill, and the 

 crest raised or depressed at pleasure, are striking characteristics. They often 

 rest on a wall, or branches of a low tree. The drake has a harsh, croaking 

 note ; but the Duck is rather silent. Eggs dull whitt ; weight about 3 ozs. 



(W. S. W.).~ Next week. 



English Guano (A Struggling Om;\ — We never knew poultry dung sold 

 and we kaow of no market for it except the market, gardeners in your own 

 neighbourhood. It is a very rich manure. 



Rabbit's ErE Discharging (S. Hill. jun.). — Your Rabbit seems to have 

 some internal gathering in the region of the eye, which will require a little 

 patience in its cure. Wash it two or three times during the day with warm 

 milk and water ; keep it free from cold, and well supplied with food of the 

 most nutritious kind. Ulcers will be found at times, but we think yours 

 suffers from the effects of cold. As the eye is exceedingly delicate, all treat- 

 ment should be very careful. When the eye is free from the discharge, an 

 application every alternate day of the following restorative for the growth of 

 the hair will be of service — viz., 1 oz. of honey, ^ oz. of laurel oil, i oz. linseed 

 oil, and £ oz. of onion juice, all mixed well together. 



The Andalusian Rabbit (H. B.). — It is a native of Spain, reared also in 

 France, and in the neighbourhood of Paris in particular, as the Ram Rabbit, 

 and called so in consequence of its head being large, with a round forehead. 

 The ears hang loosely, almost as in the half-lop Rabbit. The largest im- 

 porters of this variety are Messrs. Baily & Sons, 113, Mount Street, Gros- 

 venor Square, London, yet several private gentlemen keep them in their 

 rabbitries, and might have some to spare. 



Two Queens (C. L. F-). — When bees are driven together from different 

 hives the queens always settle their differences, and the weakest goes to the 

 wall. 



Bee Specimen (Thos. Smith). — The bee you forwarded to us for inspec- 

 tion was a worker, and not a queen. 



War of the Bees {B. B. Alexander). — We are glad to find that your 

 difficulties are so well over. Pray give us the description of your house, 

 which you speak of. 



Honey in Super (TT. J. J.). — We advise you not to meddle with your 

 stock hive, but to content yourself with the honey in the super. You may 

 possibly so injure the bees as to cause their destruction in the winter. The 

 gain of honey would not compensate for your loss. As to the super, one or 

 two puffs of tobacco at the entrance of the hive will drive the bees in, then 

 lift the super gently, and give a few puffs while doing so. Next lift the super 

 off, and if it has only a few bees in it, brush them out with a feather near 

 the hive, blowing in a puff of the tobacco now and then ; but if full of bees, 



REMARKS. 

 4th. — Dull morning, rain about 11 a.m. ; fine afternoon ; much lightning in 



the N.N.W. after 8 p.m. 

 5th. — Hazy at 7 a.m., fine after; a most lovely day, nice breeze; stars very 



bright at night. 

 6th. — Fine in the early part of the day, but cloudy and rain-like in the 



evening; fine night. 

 7th. — A few drops of rain about S A.M., then fine all day. 

 8th. — Fine bright morning, rather cloudy about 11a.m.; fine after, with 



nice breeze, making it very enjoyable. 

 9th. — Fine morning, but some very slight showers during the day, heavier in 



the evening, but fine night. 

 10th. — A very pleasant day, a few drops of rain occasionally, but very slight. 



Temperature higher than last week, warm for the time of year, and equable, 

 the extreme range being only from 49.9= to 77.4\ Yery little rain, and. plea- 

 sant winds. — G. J. Stmons. 



COYENT GARDEN MARKET.— September 11. 

 A limited supply of fruit, and the greater part of that fit for dessert i& 

 Continental, most of the English growth being rough and very much spotted. 



Apples J sieve 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries per lb. 



Chestnuts bushel 



Currants A sieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries qaart 



Grapes, hothouse lb. 



Lemons 3>100 



Melons each 



Artichokes doz 



Asparagus ^ 100 



Beans. Kidney.. . . i sieve 



Broad bushel 



Beet, Red doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums ^ 1C0 



Carrots bunch 



Cauliflower -. doz. 



Celery bundle 



Coleworts.. doz. bunches 

 Cucumbers each 



pickling doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



H erbs bunch 



Horseradish bundle 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce doz. 



OtoO 























6 



























Mulberries ?>lb. 



Nectarines doz. 



0! Oranges ^-loO 



Peaches doz. 



0, Pears, kitchen doz. 



i dessert doz. 



0; PineApples lb. 



' Plums £ sieve 



Quinces doz. 



0\ Raspberries lb. 



. Strawberries Vlb. 



Walnuts bushel 10 



I ditto Jp-100 



VEGETABLES. 



d. S. d 

 0to4 

 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard & Cress. .punnet 

 Onions bunch 



pickling quart 



Parsley per doz. bunches 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Round do. 



Radishes., doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsaf y ^ bundle 



Savoys doz. 



Scorzonera.... ^bundle 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes doz. 



Turnips bunch 



Vegetable Marrows. .doz. 



1 OtoO 



3 



8 



8 



14 O 



4 6 



12 



1 



3 



2 



i O 



3 



6 



5 







1 



2 



















10 



25 



1 



2 



s. d. 



s. d. 



1 0to3 



2 







4 







6 







3 



4 O 



9 



1 



1 



1 6 



2 



4 O 



2 



4 



2 



4 



6 



1 







o e 



9 



1 







c- 



9 



1 6 







o o 



i 



8 9 



2 



3 



1 



2 



3 



6 



6 



1 



POULTRY MARKET.— Septejibee 11. 

 Bct little trade. Partridges above the average price. There are many old 

 birds, and the young are small. The supply of Grouse is falling off as the 

 guns travel southward. 



s. d. 



Large Fowls 2 6 



Smallerditto 2 



Chickens 1 9 



Geese 6 



Ducks 2 



Grouse 2 





fi. 



d. 



to 



» 









1! 



6 





2 









(i 



<i 





2 



6 





2 



6 





s. d. 





9 10 





10 10 







