374 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AXD COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ November 1, 1S72. 



In judging the supers the freight and parity of the honey, 

 finish and appearance of the combs, should he carefully examined. 

 The judges should he allowed to taste the honey. In this class, 

 too, cottagers would hare a fair opportunity of coming to the 

 front. 



-We now come to the ornamental hives of wood and glass. It 

 is this kind of hive which is most interesting to visitors at such 

 exhibitions. It is quite certain that our amateur friends who 

 invariably carry off the prizes can, if they like, produce and 

 exhibit something far more ornamental and pleasing to look on 

 than their present heavy, clumsy, flat, squat, bar-frame hives. 

 Such ornamental hives are not kept for profit, but to please the 

 fancy, and therefore in judging them, the weight or value of the 

 contents should not be so highly estimated as the symmetry, 

 elegance, and transparency of the hives. It is, of course, under- 

 stood that the bees are exhibited in these ornamental hives. 



I omitted to state that I think supers filled, or partially filled, 

 on the hives competing in the first and second classes might be 

 exhibited on them and be considered part of them. — A. Petti- 

 gezw, Priori) Vineyard, Sale, Manchester. 



MR. PETTIGREWS SYSTEM. 



"E. F. G. T." upholds Pettigrew's system upon the strength 

 of his having obtained 100 lbs. of honey from only four hives. 

 His results are not very encouraging to the would-be followers 

 of any new system, for they are not greater than those obtained 

 from the regular cottagers' straw hive in a moderate season and 

 locality. I have obtained 114 lbs. from one such hive this year 

 by the addition of a nadir and super, and have left the bees 

 sufficient store for the winter, and a writer in the English 

 Mechanic tells of supers of honey 109i and 112 lbs. in weight. 



Mr. Pettigrew's system merely consists in the using of straw 

 hives of large size and dense population. The system may be 

 mine or anybody's, as I know several bee-keepers who have 

 advised and practised such a course before Mr. Pettigrew's book 

 was written. I know one man, a bee-keeper of thirty years, 

 who uses very large straw hives, and it is not uncommon for 

 him to stock them with three or four swarms united by him on 

 the day of swarming. 



"We bee-keepers of the present day want to advance and emu- 

 late our Yankee cousins in the tremendous harvests they obtain 

 from their apiaries, and not go backwards till we obtain the mis- 

 named splendid returns of 2a lbs. average per hive of the Petti- 

 grew system. To advance we must adopt the bar-frame hive 

 and the honey-slinger, which practical experience has proved 

 so remunerative across the Atlantic. I fully intend sending for 

 a "slinger" from one of the Cinciii"*i firms, and hope to report 

 to you next autumn my experience of its use, as a means of in- 

 creasing the honey harvest in this country. — R. Syaiixgton, 

 Ovendon, Market Barborough. 



seen. The process of reducing them to a skeleton is very simple. Select per- 

 fect leaves, and put them in a pan of very hot water, about 200° : let them 

 remain in this for a fortnight or three weeks, without changing the water; 

 take them out, and, if sufficiently softened and decayed, place them one at a 

 time on a flat hoard, holding the leaf by its stalk, and drawing the edge of a 

 knife gently over the upper surface of the leaf. If this is decayed sufficiently, 

 the skin, or the chief part of it, will come off easily. Then turn the leaf, and 

 take off the skin from that side in similar manner. The skin being off from 

 both sides, wash out in clear water the pulpy matter remaining among the 

 nerves, and the skeleton will be produced. If the skin does not readily leave 

 the surface of a leaf it has not been a sufficient length of time in the water. 

 Some leaves will not bear the water in which they are put being very hot, and 

 the only advantage is that it hastens the progress of decay. For the same 

 purpose the pan of water should he kept in a closet or elsewhere, at a tempera- 

 ture of about 70°. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Camden Square, Lo:n>os. 



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



OUE LETTER BOX. 



Oxford Pocltet: Show. — We have revived the folio-wing from Messrs. 

 Bellrngham & Gill: — "The second prize for Game Bantams is printed as 

 having been won by H. C. Herieff, bnt we have the prize card, and the same 

 is marked with the nnmber of our pen, 362, whereas Mr. Herieff 's pen is 356. 

 On re 'erring to the printed list of awards supplied by the Secretary of the 

 Show we find that the second prize is awarded to pen 32S, no snch number 

 existing in the class ; 344 or 345 being the first and 380 the last. So that the 

 mistake has arisen by the last two figures in 362 fourpen) being transposed." 



[We have printed the awards according to the printed list we received.] 



Brahmas and CREVE-CtEtTR Hens {Z. J. X.J.— The latter would not have 

 any influence. 



Light Beahmas. — L. H. Ricketts, Esq., ELmhurstj Banwell, Somerset, 

 wishes " E. S. F. :: would write to him and say where a letter could be directed 

 to him. 



Exhibiting Bantam Cock TTndubbed {Black Bed). — There is little hope 

 of success for a Game cock, whether Bantam or not, if it is not dubbed. The 

 operation should be performed as soon as the comb is developed, and the bird 

 is full grown — i.e., as soon as the scaffolding is up, but before it fills out and 

 becomes furnished. The bulk, squareness, and weights continue long after 

 height and length of limb have ceased. 



Beeedes"g Light Brahmas {Light Brahma \, — If your pullet has yellow 

 feathers she is disqualified. If the tinge is only cream-coloured she is not, 

 but she would be defeated by any pullet equally good in other points and 

 lacking this colour. "We have seen it in the best strains, both homebred and 

 imported. You run no risk (if it is only the cream colour) in breeding from 

 her if you put her to a cock with a clear white body feather. If the feather 

 is buff you must not breed from her. 



Plumage of the Robin {Jenny Wren). — Both male and female have 

 red breasts, but that of the female is rather paler than that of her mate. 

 Both have their " scarlet waistcoat" throughout the year. We hope you are 

 not deceived by the popular verse — 



" Cock Eobin and Jenny Wren, 

 Are their Creator's cock and hen." 

 The Wren is a totally distinct species of bird. 



Skeletonising Leaves {Subscriber). — We know of no book upon the sub- 

 ject. We believe that this may he most readily effected by soaking them in a 

 weak solution of chloride of lime, or bleaching powder ; but the usual mode of 

 reducing a leaf to a Rkeleton is by subjecting it to slow decay. The leaf of the 

 birch, which has two layers of nerves, jsrives a very beautiful skeleton ; but 

 that of the orange, which has three layers, is the most exquisite we have ever 



Date. 







A. it. 







In ti 



Shade Tem- 

 perature. 



Met. Ilia 



: 

 57.2 45 6 

 55.6 48 

 SS.4 43.0 

 53.0 il.S 



ss its 



56.2 35.3 

 tl-2 43 4 



ffi Day. 



Ead 

 Tern pe 





1872. 

 Oct. 



= ?■=? 



livirrome- 

 ter. 



11 



5° 





ation | p 

 rature -g 



Not. 



Dry. 



Wet. 



In 

 sun. 



On 



grass 



We. 30 

 Th. 31 

 Fri. 1 

 Sat. 2 

 Sun. 3 

 Mo. 4 

 Tu. 5 



Inches. 



, 29 6S4 



. 29.614 

 29 752 



' 29-4!2 

 29.7-3 

 30.11S 

 29.755 



de»- 

 56 5 

 iS8 

 48:9 

 49 7 

 46.3 

 44.5 

 57.9 



deg. 

 55.3 

 487 

 46 9 

 46 9 

 •14.1 

 42 2 

 53.4 



S.E. 

 Vf. 



s.w. 

 s w. 



Yv\ 

 S W. 



w. 



dcg. 

 49.4 

 50.8 

 43 4 

 4D.2 



48 2 

 47.2 



49 4 



deg 

 5S9 

 642 

 SS3 

 S1.7 

 SS.l 

 6*0 

 7^2 



deg. ' In. 

 45 5 M93 



47 3 ' — 



88.2 roso 



43 ,0 201 

 J-8 5 1 — 

 82 11 0.400 

 433 — 



3Ie?.ns 



29.71S 



59.4 



48.6 





491 



53.5 43.1 



74.6 



41.8 1.222 



RE1IAEES. 

 SOih. — Wind and rain during the night and wet morning; very dark between 



2 and 3 p.m., followed, by heavy rain, then bright for a short time; wet 



afternoon and evening. 

 31st. — Very dull morning, but soon cleared, and was a fine and pleasant day. 

 Nov. 1st. — Bather hazy in morning, but beaufifully fine after till 2.30 p.m., 



when it clouded over ; several showers before 8 p.m., when it was fine. 

 2nd. — line early; rain at 9 a.m., continuing for about an hour, then fine; but 



several sharp showers during the af tsrnoon, evening, and night. 

 3rd. — A fine and pleasant day, clouding over once or twice, but no rain. 

 4th. — Fine, but hazy early, then very fine fcr a while, but clouding over, and 



rain beginning about 4.30 P.M., and continued occasionally all the 



evening, sometimes very heavily; but fine night. 

 5th. — Dull morning ; very bright in the early afternoon, but only continuing 



so for an hour or so, then very dull though no rain fell. 

 Another wet, warm, and muggy week, temperature (owing to S.W. winds) 

 rather higher than last week, and about 4- above the average. The third con- 

 secutive week in which upwards of an inch of rain has fallen, the amounts 

 being 1.695, 1.7S5, and 1.222 respectively, making 4.702 for the three weeks. — 

 Q t 3. Symoks. 



COYEST GABDEN HAHKET.— November 6. 

 Quite a stagnation in business, with which the present wet weather has a 

 great deal to do ; the growers not being able to do the usual amount of work 

 on the ground, and buyers limiting their operations to immediate wants. A 

 parcel of good American New Town Pippins is to hand this week, and a fair 

 average supply of continental goods. 



s. d. s. d. 



Apples £ sieve 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries perlb. 



Chestnuts bushel 12 



Currants A sitve 



Black T...do. 



Figs doz. 



Filberts lb. 1 



Cobs lb. 1 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse lb. 2 



Lemons ¥"100 6 



Melons each 2 



Mulberries ?-lb. 



Nectarines doz. 



Oranges ^100 10 



Peaches doz. 



Pears, kitchen doz. 1 



dessert doz. 2 



PineApples lb. 4 



6 Plums i sieve G 



Quinces doz. 1 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries ¥• lb. 



Walnuts bu?hel 15 



■ ditto ^-100 3 



d. s. 

 OtoO 

 



Artichokes doz. 



Asparagus 3>100 



Beans, Kidney.. .. J sieve 



Broad bushel 



Beet, Red doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums & 1C0 



Carrots bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Co^worts.. doz. bunches 

 Cucumbers each 



pickling doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



herbs bunch 



Horseradish bundle 



Leeks buDch 



Lettuce doz. 



VEGETABLES. 

 . d. S. d- 



d. s. 

 OtoS 

 



2 0to4 Mushrooms pottle 1 



0| Mustard & Cress. .punnet 



OnionB ^ bushel 2 4 



pickling quart 6 



10 8 i Parslev per doz. bunches 9 3 



9 16 Parsnips doz. 9 1 



10 1 6 j Peas quart 



2 3 1 Potatoes bushel 8 6 5 



6 0j Kidnev do. 6 



2 4 Oi Bound do. 



1 6 2 C Radishes.. d02. bunches 10 1 



2 3 Rhobarb bundle 



S 1 Salsafy ^bundle 9 1 



Savoys doz. 



2 Scorzonera.... ^bundle 9 1 



3 Sea-kale basket 



6 Shallots lb. 3 



8 1 Spinach bushel 2 3 



8 4 0' Tomatoes doz. 10 2 



2 | Turnips bunch S 



9 1 I Vegetable Marrows., doz. o 



POULTRY MARKET.— November 6. 

 Tee supply is good, and the trade dull. 



