October 4, 1864. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



283 



for cockerel Black Red was first, and Brown Red second. 

 In Bantams any other variety, Gold-laced were first, and 

 excellent Blacks second. 



In Ducklings, Aylesburys, Mrs. Seamons suffered a defeat, 

 the first prize being awarded to a very fine pen belonging to 

 Sir. J. Hartley. Rouens were also good. 



The Pigeons were not numerous, but some very choice 

 birds were exhibited, many of which, however, did not 

 receive notice ; in fact, the best pen was passed over. In 

 Almonds the worst pair were first, Mr. Eden having to be 

 content with the second position. In Carriers splendid 

 Blacks won. In Powters the best pair of Blues, belonging 

 to Mr. Eden, were not noticed. Jacobins were chiefly no- 

 ticeable for odd eyes. In Pantails crested birds were first, 

 and a fine pair of plain-headed second. In Owls the first 

 went to poor Whites, the second to very coarse Silvers, 

 Messrs. Eden and Fielding's fine Whites not receiving notice. 

 In Nuns the first-prize pen contained a pair with odd eyes, 

 the second were fair birds. In Any other variety a pair of 

 splashed Trumpeters were first, and Black Barbs second; 

 while a much superior pen of Barbs was unnoticed. 



POULTRY JUDGES. 



As one of the exhibitors I attended the Agricultural Show 

 recently held at Middleton, and was sorry to hear the com- 

 plaints current as to the character of the poultry judging, the 

 awards accorded to some of the classes being of a nature to 

 make it evident that the Judges were not competent for their 

 task. It is not denied that one of the Judges is well quali- 

 fied to decide on the merits of some kinds of birds, such as 

 the Spanish, Hamburghs, &c. ; and it is the more to be 

 regretted that he should have undertaken to pronounce on 

 the deserts of classes, where he had to rely more on the 

 opinion of others than on his own judgment. 



Judges niust bear in mind that many of the exhibitors 

 whose fowls they judge understand the peculiarities of those 

 kinds which they are in the habit of rearing and exhibiting 

 quite as well as the Judges themselves; and that the deci- 

 sions of the latter are certain to be canvassed and scrutinised, 

 and if they do not approach tolerably near to correctness 

 will not fail to be condemned. It is, therefore, a great mis- 

 take when Judges undertake to decide on claims, often con- 

 flicting, between the several competitors in a class where 

 the knowledge of the exhibitor is superior to their own ; and 

 they would confer an incalculable benefit by confining them- 

 selves to the classes with which they are acquainted. On 

 the other hand, a contrary course frequently inflicts irrepa- 

 rable injury on the cause of poultry exhibitions. It occasions 

 disappointment and well-grounded discontent among the 

 contributors, and if permitted to occur with anything like 

 frequency would ultimately defeat the object of these shows 

 in the improvement of the various kinds of fowls, and also 

 break up the exhibitions altogether. 



One of the Stewards of the late Middleton Show, who pos- 

 sesses a good knowledge of the qualities of birds, I was glad 

 to observe, was fully sensible of the anomalies in the poultry 

 judging, and candidly admitted them when pointed out to 

 him, expressing his sincere regret at their occurrence, inti- 

 mating that they should not recur in any future Show. 



Before closing this line, allow me to explain that it is not 

 out of a captious or unfriendly disposition towards any party 

 that I have taken up the pen, but in the interests of the 

 exhibitors and exhibitions ; and the circumstance that the 

 only mode whereby what is wrong can be remedied is sub- 

 mitting it to the ordeal of public investigation, will be 

 a sufficient apology for troubling you with this communica- 

 tion. — J. 



a lane, known as the Back Lane, it may be seen in the most 

 splendid luxuriance, the blossoms swarming with flies and 

 wasps, the latter being in such numbers as to appear like a 

 swarm of bees in the air. In the neighbourhood of Exeter 

 at this date, the 27th of September, the ivy blossom is not 

 much opened ; and as for wasps, numerous as they have 

 been, we have been troubled by very few within the last two 

 weeks. But in Kingsbridge an almost Egyptian plague of 

 wasps still exists. 



Up to ten o'clock on the 26th, about the ivy in the lane, 

 bees, flies, and wasps, were almost equally divided, the bees 

 somewhat exceeding the wasps in numbers. An extraordi- 

 nary excitement prevailed among all the bees in Mr. G. Pox's 

 apiary in consequence of the great supply of honey and 

 pollen. Although the day continued uninterruptedly fine 

 and warm — external thermometer in the shade 63°, baro- 

 meter 30.35 — on revisiting the locality of the ivy bloom at 

 two o'clock not one bee was to be seen on the ivy, very few 

 flies, but thousands upon thousands of wasps. Every bunch 

 of flowers had three or four wasps upon it. His bees had 

 become suddenly quiet, but were about mignonette, fuchsias, 

 &c, as usual. The wasps had established a perfect mono- 

 poly of the ivy, and the bees must have felt intimidated at 

 their overwhelming numbers, and deserted the otherwise 

 tempting pasture. 



Last year, when wasps were comparatively scarce, the 

 bees gained considerably in weight from the ivy blossom ; 

 but now it seems as if the bees had agreed to surrender the 

 field unconditionally to the wasps. My correspondent con- 

 cludes by expressing his belief that the pith of this matter 

 is worthy of investigation by the entomologists of the day, 

 irrespective of its singularity and interest to the apiarian. 



I have told the tale of this close observer of nature in an 

 imperfect manner, and without having obtained permission 

 from him to do so. I wish he could be induced to give, from 

 his own pen, the readers of the Journal the benefit of his 

 observations more frequently. He has promised me that he 

 will relate his experience with hives made of a new material. 

 I trust he will do so, and that before long, as I'am sure it 

 must interest all apiarians. — S. Bevan Pox, Exeter. 



[We heartily coincide with this concluding wish. — Eds.] 



BEES, WASPS, AND IVY BLOSSOMS. 



In a letter which I have received from my cousin, Mr. 

 George Pox, of Kingsbridge, in the county of Devon, he 

 gives a most interesting account of what has fallen under 

 his notice, with respect to the ivy blossoms and the wasps. 

 As his letter was not intended for publication, I extract the 

 substance for the edification of others. 



The bloom of the ivy in the neighbourhood of Kingsbridge 

 is more abundant than has ever been known before. Down 



QUEENS' EXCURSIONS— COMB PLATES. . 



Has Mr. Woodbury ever known young queens to take 

 flights after positive evidence of impregnation ? 



Has he ever known virgin or drone-breeding queens lay 

 eggs in the same year as they were hatched ? 



What is the longest period which has ever come under his 

 observation between hatching and impregnation ? 



Can he inform me of the composition of the metal plates 

 for making wax sheets ? — S. 



[Although the fact has never come under my own personal 

 observation, I consider it proved on indubitable evidence 

 that queens sometimes again take flight after a perfectly suc- 

 cessful wedding trip. Huber was, I believe, the first who 

 observed it, and his testimony has recently been confirmed 

 by my accomplished apiarian friend "J. E. B." I have also 

 just come across an article by Otto Rothe, a clever German 

 apiarian, on this very subject, in which he states it as cer- 

 tain that some queens who have already returned with the 

 sign of impregnation will yet take wing afterwards. He 

 relates, in support of this conclusion, an instance in which 

 he witnessed a young queen return with unquestionable 

 evidence of her excursion having been successful on the 25th 

 of last April. On the 27th she again took flight, apparently 

 without any result, and a subsequent examination of the 

 interior of the hive and the brood found therein, proved that 

 the object of her flight must have been fully accomplished 

 on the 25th. 



I have on more than one occasion known drone-breeding 

 queens lay eggs the same season in which they were them- 

 selves hatched. 



The longest period I ever knew between hatching and 

 impregnation occurred in 1862, when I had a queen which 

 laid no eggs till she was thirty days old, so that she must 

 probably have been twenty-seven or twenty-eight days old 

 before making a successful wedding trip. Her worker sisters 

 appeared to manifest impatience alt this unusual delay, inas- 



