524 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 27, 1864. 



one class, and three in the others. Four pens were Game 

 Bantams, and one Black. The class for other breeds had 

 five entries, three of Brahmas, one of Shanghaes, being a 

 white cockerel and dark pullets, and a pen of coloured 

 Dorkings. 



Extra stock comprised a fine pen of single-combed White 

 Dorkings, and three pens of Pigeons, a nice pair of small 

 blue Owls, and two pairs of Fantails, one white, the other 

 black. 



_ Of Turkeys there were two entries, both by the same ex- 

 hibitor. Of Aylesbury Ducks there were five entries, but 

 some of the larger birds had stained bills. Ducks of other 

 breeds mustered seven entries. A very pretty pen of Wild 

 Ducks took first prize, a large pen of Greys with white 

 flights was second, and a pen of Rouens commended. The 

 remainder were imperfect "Rouens. 



It will at once be seen that Dorkings are the principal 

 fowls shown, and the Committee should put them first, and 

 give them most classes and prizes. Classes for White, 

 Grey, and other coloured Dorkings would be better filled 

 than those for Hamburghs. Game came second, and then 

 Bantams. 



Poultry was also exhibited the same day at Rye Cattle 

 Show. I am very glad to hear of such exhibitions of poultry, 

 but am quite sure we in the south require every such local 

 show to improve our local fowls, to wit, Dorkings, whether 

 White, Grey, Cuckoo, Speckled, or any other colour. — 

 B. P. Brent. 



FOWLS FOE, COLD WET DISTRICT. 



One of your correspondents, a few weeks since, was in- 

 quiring for the most profitable sort of fowls. I suppose a 

 good deal depends on climate and locality ; but here, in our 

 wet Lancashire, nothing succeeds so well as the cross-bred 

 fowl, between the Spanish cock and the Golden Hamburgh 

 hen. The chickens are healthy, and easily reared ; the 

 pullets lay eggs equal in size and quality to the Spanish ; 

 they rarely want to sit ; they are generally black, a good 

 size, and handsome; and the cockerels are good for the 

 table. In all respects I think them much better than the 

 Pencilled or Spangled Hamburghs, which are not so hardy, 

 lay smaller eggs, and not so many of them as the cross- 

 breds.— T. G. 



BntMINGHAM POULTRY SHOW. 

 Although the sales of poultry, in the office set apart for 

 the purpose, were not quite so numerous as last year, they 

 realised rather more money. 



1S64. 

 Pens. £ s . d. 



Monday 154 616 17 6 



Tuesday 56 208 19 



Wednesday 38 141 12 



Thursday 25 100 



Total . 



, 273 



8 6 



Total 



1864 

 1863 . 



Pens. 

 163 

 52 

 25 

 40 



.. 280 



1863. 



£ s. a. 

 661 12 6 



... 70 2 6 





133 13 6 





.,, 1,054 15 6 

 Pens. 









. 1,066 



£ s. d. 



1864 1,066 8 6 



1863 1,054 15 6 



Among the pens disposed of were Mr. Yardley's (Market 

 Hall, Birmingham), first prize Buff Cochin pullets, for .£20 ; 

 Mi-. Lawrence's second prize Yellow Jacobin Pigeons, for 

 £20; Mr. James Wood's first prize Black-breasted Bed Game, 

 for £12 12s. ; Mr. Elijah Smith's first prize Buff Cochin hens, 

 for £12 12s. ; Mr. James Wood's first prize Brown-breasted 

 Red Game, for £12 12s. ; Mrs. Seamons's first prize Aylesbury 

 Ducks, for £12 12s. ; Mr. Shorthose's first-prize pen of Par- 

 tridge-feathered Cochins, for £10 10s. ; Miss Beldon's first 

 prize Silver Polish chickens, for £10 10s. ; Mi-. Jas. Fielding's 

 first prize Spangled Hamburgh chickens, for £10 10s. ; Mrs. 

 Hurt's second prize Silver-spangled Hamburgh chickens, for 

 £10 10s.; Mr. Aykroyd's first prize Duckwing Game, for 

 £10 10s.; Mi-. Cock's Black-breasted Red Game (single 

 cocks ) for £10 10s. ; Mi-. Swift's Game Bantams, for £10 10s. ; 

 Mr. Hulbert s Rouen Ducks, for £10 10s. ; Miss Biggar's 

 fast prize Spanish pullets, for £10; Mr. Bates's commended 

 Buff Cochin hen, for ,£10; Mr. Bishop's commended Buff 

 Cochin cock, for £10; Mr. Poole's first prize Partridge- 

 teathered Cochin cock for £10; Mr. Kelleway's first prize 

 Orame Bantam cock, for £10 ; and Mr. Postan's highly com- 



mended Game Bantams, for £9 9s. Fifty other pens sold 

 for sums varying from £8 10s. to £5. 



We append a statement of the aggregate of the sales 

 during the last twelve years : — ■ 



1853 





£1,755 4 6 



1,219 IS 10 



1854 





1855 





1,145 8 6 



1S56 





999 6 





801 17 ft 



1858 



1S59 





1860 



203 



, 831 



1861 



, 705 1 



1862 



210 



2S0 



, 741 17 7 



3863 



, 1,054 15 6 



1864 





1,066 IS 6 



The Stewards for this department were G. C. Adkins, Esq., 

 Messrs. F. Sabin, W. Lort, jun., and Mr. W. B. Mapplebeck, 

 and their duties were discharged in a very efficient manner. 

 The latter gentleman also undertook, and zealously per- 

 formed, the very arduous task of superintending the reception 

 of the birds and the dispersion of them to their several des- 

 tinations. No sooner were the doors of the Hall closed on 

 Thursday evening that this work commenced, and was con- 

 tinued, with scarcely any intermission, through the night, 

 so that by ten o'clock on Friday morning the entire 1,677 

 pens of poultry, and the 290 pens of Pigeons, had either been 

 despatched to the several railway stations, or were ready for 

 delivery to such local exhibitors as had arranged to call for 

 them. The promptitude and ability with which the com- 

 plicated regulations for the accomplishment of this removal 

 were carried out, entitle Mr. Mapplebeck to the warm 

 thanks of the exhibitors. — {Midland Counties Herald.) 



SATINETTE PIGEONS. 



I am much obliged by Mi-. H. Noye's explanation respect- 

 ing the pretty Satinettes, but he seems to disregard the 

 distinction between a variety and a breed. The difference 

 may be a trifle, yet it makes all the difference between us. 

 I am quite willing to admit them as a distinct variety, but 

 of the same breed as Turbits — in fact, a distinct variety of 

 the Turbit-breed or kind. How far they may be superior to 

 the other varieties of Turbits must remain a mere matter of 

 private fancy. 



A correspondent who has bred them informs me he paired 

 a Satinette with a Turbit, and the produce were to all intents 

 Turbits. Change of colour, the addition of a turned crown, 

 or a few feathers on the feet is not enough to constitute a 

 distinct breed or sort. — B. P. Bbent. 



EEGICLDE AMONG BEES. 



I am very glad that "A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper" has 

 again directed attention to this interesting subject. It is 

 all very well for such ad captandum writers as Dr. Cuniming 

 to exclaim " that bees are regicides is not true. They never 

 kill their queen; they love and are loyal to her, and obey 

 her commands," and so on through a mortal Times column, 

 of what one of his reviewers happily styles " a mellifluous 

 compound of nonsense and error ;" but the fact unfortunately 

 remains that bees are sometimes provokingly apt to slaugh- 

 ter their queens, and it is only by directing the attention of 

 apiarians generally to the subject, and by carefully collect- 

 ing and comparing facts and observations bearing upon it, 

 that we can hope fully to investigate, and, perchance, even 

 to explain what now appears a most inexplicable and un- 

 satisfactory chapter in the natural history of the honey bee. 



Taking Huber for my guide, whenever I discovered a 

 queen imprisoned in a knot of workers I used to fancy that 

 sb e must either be a stranger, or at least a supernumerary 

 queen produced in the same hive; and I well remember, on 

 first finding a young imprisoned queen in a small queen- 

 rearing box or nucleus, the long and unavailing search I at 

 once made in the hope of discovering a second princess. 

 On another occasion of the same kind I fancied the juvenile 

 queen must have mistaken her hive in returning from a 

 nuptial trip, and, therefore, having released her from her 

 sisters' pitiless embrace, I thought I could promptly and 

 safely resolve my doubts by introducing her to a single 

 worker from the neighbouring colony, to which I fancied 



