300 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 10, 1872. 



doubt the Carolina's eggs -were bad, because the sitting that hatched four 

 would have batched all had they been equally good. "We imagine the Man- 

 darin eggs to have been very stale. It is clear from your description no germ 

 of life was ever developed in them. If at tbe time of sale all responsibility 

 was disclaimed, we should say you must put up with your loss ; but as, on 

 the contrary, everything was said in their favour, we think you may justly 

 ask for the return of half your money, or fresh eggs to that amount when 

 convenient for you to take them. 



Giving Camphor to Fowls (S. A. J.\ — The camphor should be adminis- 

 tered in doses of two pills each the size of a garden pea. It is a most excel- 

 lent thing to keep some always in the water the fowls have to drink. The 

 indications of coming eggs are increased size from fatness and very red face, 

 the comb also much developed and very florid. Spanish and Dorkings do not 

 ' lay so early as Cochins or Brabnias. A Spanish pullet with red feathers may 

 be pure-bred) but she is not suited for breeding purposes. There is no such 

 thing as a five-clawed Spanish. Such a one as you describe is a cross-bred 

 fowl. 



Bantams not High-plyers (*?. B. F.).— The Japanese are among the 

 quietest of the Bantam tribes. We believe the fence you describe, 4 feet 

 high, will confine them. Game and Sebright s fly as well as scared Pheasants. 

 Cochin Cock Dying Suddenly (Constant Beader). — Cochin cocks are sub- 

 ject to sudden death, and in every instance either the heart or the brain is 

 found to be gorged with blood. It has always been thought, and wo have 

 seen it happen, that when one of them indulges in a much longer than 

 the usually prolonged crow, and is at last compelled to bring his head be- 

 tween his legs, he breaks a blood vessel and dies. Your feeding is good, 

 but would be improved by omitting the sharps, and more particularly the 

 boiled potatoes; the latter are fruitful parents of disease among fowls, and 

 especially favour fatal affections of the liver. Barley meal, ground oats, with 

 whole corn for a change, and a run in the paddock or kitchen garden, are all 

 they require for health. 



Pullets' Breathing Defective (H. F.). — Fowls, like human beings, 

 suffer at this time of year - from alternations of temperature, and have, like 

 human beings, a tickling at the .top of the throat ; they also have bad colds, 

 which, if neglected, become inflammations — bad for both parties. Both maybe 

 traced to their origin. One has not changed for warmer clothing, and tbe other, 

 probably, still roosts out of doors. Our treatment of fowls has substituted 

 _ an artificial for a natural regimen, and we must therefore 'cany it out to the 

 far end. Our fowls are not fit to roost out ; we must therefore compel them 

 to come in. Not only are they less robust than wild birds, but they do not 

 understand the question of shelter so well as they do. "Wlien you-perceive 

 the premonitory " sniffing," and the short cough, give them at once a little 

 bread and ale and two pills of camphor, each the size of a garden pea. Give 

 water to think strongly impregnated with camphor. The use of this medi- 

 cine does away with much risk of infection. 



Poultry Sneezing (E. J. B.). — Bead the previous answer, and adopt the 

 stimulants. Release them at six o'clock, or as soon as it is light. If they 

 go to roost at sis, and are not let out till eight, they are in their house four- 

 teen hours. That is very injurious to them at this time of year. It makes 

 them weak, and tends much to the spread of any contagious disorder. 

 Ground Oats (-N. B.). — Mr. Agate, Slaugham Mills, near Crawley, Susses. 

 "Whitby Canary' Show. — The winner of the second prize in Class 2 should 

 Joseph Audley, Leicester, and not Caleb Worth, as previously announced. 

 Market Rasen Poultry Show (S. A.). — Much obliged. Perhaps the 

 Committee another year will raise it above a local show by advertising it. 



Barleymeal for Poultry Cfi. E. H.), — Mix it with cold water, and only 

 use enough water to make it an adhesive yet crumbly mass. 



Summer Rape Seed for Canaries {M. H. F.). — It may be had of any re- 

 spectable seedsman. It is the small brown seed. 



Pigeons "Wasting away (E. W.). — Your birds are dying of the disease 

 called " going light" — in fact, consumption or atrophy. It is most prevalent 

 in high-class birds which are too nearly related. The only thing you can do 

 is to give them daily eed-Hver oil, either in its usual state or bought in 

 capsules. The latter is the better plan, as the feathers do not become greasy: 

 Indian com and bailey are not good enough. Beans are the best under such 

 circumstances. 



Bar. Frames (J. Howard). — We cannot see any improvement in your sug- 

 gested alteration of the frames. We have used the Woodbury modification of 

 the Langstroth frame very extensively for eleven years, and have had no 

 reason to complain of their want of stability; nor do we think you would 

 gain anything in facility of removal by the adoption of your proposed 

 method. The form and pattern of the Woodbury frames quite satisfy us; 

 but whether they might not be advantageously made of a much larger 

 capacity, to be used in hives of correspondingly greater dimensions, is a 

 question which we think might, in some districts at least, be decided in the 

 affirmative. 



Fertile Queens (E. H.). — By the use of moveable frame hives you can at 

 any time during the breeding season ascertain whether a queen is fertilised 

 or not, and to a great extent determine her condition and quality as a breeder. 

 The age is not so easily determined, unless you are previously acquainted 

 with the history of the hive. We never trouble ourselves about the age of 

 our queens, but when we find that there is a decided falhng-off in their 

 fecundity, we take stepB to replace them by younger and more vigorous 

 mothers, unless, as it often happens, the bees themselves save us the trouble. 

 By the swarming system of keeping bees you may usually make a pretty 

 good guess at the age of your queens, remembering that the old queen 

 always goes off with the swarm, consequently the stock must have a young 

 queen, and the next year's swarm from that stock will, unless an accident has 

 happened to the queen, be headed by a queen one year old. 



Ligurianising (S. B. Knowle).—We remarked several things in your recent 

 communication which we thought interesting. First, as to the method you 

 successfully adopted of giving the Italian queen to her new subjects after 

 driving. We suggested this some time back as worth trying, and are glad to 

 find it a feasible plan. We note also the importance of care and time being 

 given, even in the use of green cages. The fact is, that bees are addicted to 

 strange freaks of liking and disliking. Tho great point seems to be to avoid 

 irritating them in any way when introducing a queen. During the process of 

 driving they seem paralysed with fear, and anything can be done with them. 

 At other tiroes they are soon roused to suspicion and anger. We doubt if the 

 removal of the brood would make any material difference in the manner :n 

 which they would receive a new queen; moreover.it would generally prove 

 fatal to a hive to let their home remain tenant less, if by this you mean 



minus their old queen. Your experience as to the doubtful value of drones 

 bred by non-impregnated queens tallies with an opinion which we had formed 

 to the same effect, based on the non-success of similar trials of them for 

 breeding purposes. "We canuot tell why they should fail in then; peculiar 

 functions, but so it seems to be. We have no experience of the value of 

 small drones bred in worker cells. Will you kindly say whether you were 

 satisfied as to the purity, of the Italian queens which you sought to introduce 

 into your apiary? You maybe able to report of the one which the bees 

 welcomed. 



Various (J. KJ). — Better have one large hole 2 inches in diameter instead 

 of the twenty small holes. By no means smother the bees if they are in reason- 

 able strength as to population, but feed them up at once with white crusted 

 sugar. We are feeding largely a number of poor hives which will be most 

 valuable in the spring. If you put 5 lbs. of sugar into a can, and pour 2Jlbs. 

 of boiling water upon it, stirring up till dissolved, you will get an excellent syrup. 

 Set your hive over a box, into which you can place every evening, by a side 

 door, a plateful of this syrup, covered with floats of wood or cork. Feed up 

 to 20 lbs. nett weight. Try " Profitable Bee-Keeping," published by the 

 ■Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 

 Camden Square, London. 



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



Date. 







A.M. 









In the Day. 









■ & ^ 



Hygrome- 

 ter. 



Sa 



*, 



Shade Tem- 



Radiation 





1872. 



Barome 

 ter at 3 

 and S 

 Level. 



.2| 



lis 



& ~£ 



g-1" 



perature. 



Temperature. 



.9 



Ph 



Oct." 







In 



On 







Dry. 



Wet. 



5° 





Mas. 



Min 



sun. 



grass 







Inches. 



ilea. 



deg. 



dog. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



In. 



We. 2 



29.422 



61.2 



6U.0 



s. 



54 2 



65.1 



52 2 



88 3 



49 2 



P.060 



Th. 3 



29 413 



56 8 



54.6 



w. 



55.2 



65.3 



53.2 



110 4 



52 I 



0.390 



Pri. 4 



211.876 



448 



42 4 



N.B. 



54.1 



51.3 



35.1 



76 8 



35 6 



0.070- 



Sat. 5 



,10.227 



46 2 



45.0 



N.E. 



51.2 



57.1 



41.8 



91.2 



39.6 



O.Oltt 



Sun. 6 



30.354 



49 5 



47 2 



N. 



50.6 



CO.S 



S6.8 



85.2 



34.2 





Mo. 7 



30.267 



49.5 



47.6 



s.w. 



49.8 



62.2 



33.7 



08 8 



31.0 







Tn. 8 



30.036 



52 



52.3 



w. 



507 



56 9 



46.8 

 42.8 



65 5 



42 5 



050 



Means 



29.942 



51.6 



49.9 





52.3 



(0.2 



88.0 



40.6 



0.580 



REMARKS, 



2nd. — A dull damp day, without much of either sunshine or rain. 



^rd. — Dull early, then fine to noon, when it suddenly clouded over. Short 

 thunderstorm:, with hail and heavy rain, commencing at 12.20, but all 

 over in fifteen minutes, and beautifully fine by 2 p.m. ; rain at G p.m. , 

 and a dull evening. 



4th. — Dark dull morning, with rain ; very dark at 2 p.m., but fine afterwards. 



5th. — Damp uncomfortable day ; the afternoon rather better than the morning, 



6th. — A very pleasant day, though neither warm nor bright. 



7th. — Hazy early, but from 9 a.m. a very bright, pleasant day. 



Sth. — Dark and comfortless, slight rain falling nearly all day. 

 A dull damp week, slightly cooler than the preceding, but very near tho 

 average for the season. — G. J. Symons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— October 9. 

 The same moderate tone prevails in our market that we have experienced 

 for some time past, buyers hmiting their operations to just what is necessary 

 for immediate consumption. There is nothing offered of any ketping qualities 

 but hard goods and some Almeira Grapes. A few Peaches, both home-grown 

 and foreign, are offered, and command rather high prices. 



Apples $ sieve 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries per lb. 



Chestnuts bushel 



Currants £ sieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse lb. 



Lemons ^-100 



Melons each 



Artichokes doz 



Asparagus ^100 



Beans, Kidney.. .. £ sieve 



Uroad bubhel 



Beet, Red ... doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums ty-UQ 



Ciirrnts bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Coleworts.. doz. bunches 

 Cucumbers ;..eacu 



pickling doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bmn-h 



Garlic lb. 



erbs bunch 



Horseradish bundle 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce doz. 



s. d. 



s. d. 



3 OtoO 















0' 



























1 6 



8 



1 



1 6 



1 



1 6 











2 



5 



6 



10 



2 



5 



VEGE1 



s. d. 



n. d. 



2 0to4 











3 



i 







{) 



1 



S 



9 



1 6 



1 



1 6 



2 



8 



6 







a o 



4 



1 6 



2 



2 



3 



3 



1 











2 







3 







6 







3 



II 1} 



8 



i 



2 







9 



1 



s. d. 



Mulberries %*lb. OtoO 



Nectarines doz. 



Oranges ^ 100 10 20 



Peaches doz. 10 25 



Pears, kitchen doz. 1 S 



dessert doz. 2 4 



Pine Apples lb. 4 8 



Plums $ sieve 5 



Quinces doz. 10 2 



Raspberries v ... lb. 



Strawberries ^ lb. 



"Walnuts bwhel 15 SO 



ditto fpaOO S 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard & Cress. .punnet 

 Onions ^ bushel 



pickling quart 



Parsley per doz. bunches 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Round do. 



Radishes., doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsafy %* bundle 



Savoys dnz. 



Scorznnera ^bundle 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Ppinach bushel 



Tomatoes. , d«iz. 



Turnips bunch 



Vegetable Marrows.. doz. 



OtoS 

 



POULTRY MARKET.— October 9. 

 There is a considerable falling-off in trade ; there always is as soon as 

 Game comes in season. Pheasants, like Partridges, appear to be very back- 

 ward this year. 



