B26 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTtJEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



[ Deeember ST, 1864. 



follow my advice of giving a second breeding-box below at 

 once, shortly thereafter a honey one, and further breeding- 

 space gradually as the stock might require it. The result 

 was his taking off a splendid super of clover honey, and a 

 second beautiful one of the gleanings of the heather and on its 

 return from the moors a very heavy stock. On showing me 

 with pride the last of these trophies, he told me as long as 

 he kept bees he would never allow a hive to swarm, to 

 which resolution I made the addendum always providing 

 he kept his queens young and vigorous, for which additional 

 hint he expressed his further acknowledgements to — A Ken- 

 frewshibe Bee-keepeb. 



WILTSHIEE BACON verstts HEETFOEDSHLEE 

 BACON. 



Some weeks ago 1 read in your paper how to make bacon 

 by a "Wiltshire Hector." Now, I knows better; and 

 what your Hector tells us to do about letting out the brine 

 by a hole in the corner of the tray, taking out the bacon 

 when cured, rubbing it with bran, and hanging it in the 

 kitchen, you may just as well rub it with a brickbat and 

 hang it in the sun. If you want good bacon, do as I do, 

 place your side of a good-sized pig in your tray. If it 

 weighs 50 lbs., take of common salt 2 lbs., bay salt 2 lbs., 

 saltpetre 4 oss., mix these salts well together and rub the 

 mixture in thoroughly. This is the first day's work. The 

 second day take H lb. sugar and half a pint of vinegar, boil 

 them together and pour on to your bacon, as is to be, hot, 

 then rub the salts and the vinegar and sugar well in. Do 

 this and turn the sides every day for a month, never let off 

 the brine, then take them out and smoke them gently in 

 wood smoke for three weeks. If my bacon does not beat 

 the Wiltshire out and out, I am not — Sally Grisein. 



P.S.- — Some people like their bacon hogs singed. My 

 grandfather, a Berkshire man, would insist that no bacon 

 was good unless the hogs were singed. He was a blue-eyed 

 old Saxon, and like all of that race hard to move. I believe 

 there is no occasion to singe bacon hogs. My neighbour, the 

 doctor's wife, a Warwickshire lady, tells me they never use 

 sugar in curing their bacon in the north, and never smoke it, 

 drying it in the kitchen. Nasty stuff, I say. 



CUEING BACON. 



Another inquiry concerning bacon ! and from " Ballin- 

 asloe," in the land of Bacon ! I shall henceforth attach a 

 more literal meaning (not indeed forgetting the figurative), 

 to the phrase, " Every man wants to save his bacon." 



Matters relating to food must always be ranked among 

 important matters. Thus an army kept on short rations 

 for a week would be beaten by an inferior force of well-fed- 

 say bacon-fed, to the last hour. 



In replying to my Irish correspondent, I would say first, 

 that much depends upon the pig. Not to take the extreme 

 case, that without a pig there would, manifestly, be no bacon 

 at all ; but with an inferior pig, inferior in breed and feed, 

 the bacon will be inferior too. 



I would presume, then, that my inquirer has nothing to do 

 with the Irish pig described in a book lying before me, in 

 these not favourable words. "In Ireland the native pig is 

 tall, long-legged, bony, heavy-eared, coarse-haired, and by no 

 means possessing half so much the appearance of domestic 

 swine as they do of the wild boar." I remember seeing 

 large droves of such pigs five and twenty years ago, but I 

 hope they are no more visible anywhere. 



The best pig for a gentleman's pig — i. c, where not wanted 

 of a large size, is the Berkshire, very slightly crossed with the 

 Chinese. I began with the rule of killing when the supposed 

 weight was eight score pounds, but now that little mouths 

 begin to be larger mouths, I kill at nine score. 



As to the component parts of the pickle. We use a stone 

 of salt for the whole pig of nine score including hams, faces, 

 &c, and 1 lb. of saltpetre ; nothing else whatever is used for 

 the flitches. 



A person accustomed to salting bacon scon sees, so my 

 cook informs me, when the meat will take in no more salt. 

 True Wiltshire people use no other ingredients even for the 



hams, but usually they are cured more highly, vide any 

 cookery book at hand, and choose the receipt most pleasing. 

 — Wiltshire Hector. 



Large Importation of Esgs. — The enormous number of 

 291,597,240 eggs has been imported into this country in the 

 first ten months of the present year ! — not very far from a 

 million a-day. 



OtTE LETTEE BOX. 



Darlington Poultry Show.— I have received a Game cock from the 

 Darlington Show which does not belong to me. If the owner will write 

 and describe the bird I shall be happy to send it to him. — Henry H baton, 

 Loicer Brougkton, Manchester. 



Characteristics of Black Hamburghs (Cornish Subscriber) .—The 

 shape and comb should be the same as the other varieties of this breed. 

 The deaf ear should be quite white, the face should not 



Game Cockerel Crowing (1. F. 5.).— Although attheageof four months 

 some cock chickens make a sort of noi6e that may by courtesy be called 

 crowing, yet it is nothing extraordinary that a bird two months older 

 should be silent. The Game are the likeliest to crow early, and the bird in 

 question may have crowed many times without having been heard. 



Diseased Fowls [Lady Subscriber).— We fear your fowls have the ronp. 

 If there are hut few cases separate the sick from the healthy, and give 

 Baily's pills. If all are affected, and yon, have too many to treat as invalids, 

 give svimulants— strong beer is the best, and put camphor in all their water. 



Taming Parroqdetb {Idem).— We have the small Parroquets, it yon 

 mean the Undulatus, perfectly tame, and have never had any difficulty 

 with them. We have constantly seen them at liberty flying about in rooms. 

 A tuft of growing grass is a bribe they can never resist, and they will go 

 anywhere for it. 



Diarrhosa in Cochtn-Celna Fowls (H. W.).~— You must continue the 

 purging till the evacuations assume a natural and healthy state and colour. 

 Feed on the most nourishing things, as oatmeal, hut very little at a time. 

 Discontinue the cabbage and Indian corn. We have little doubt she has 

 picked up something that is injurious if not poisonous; but castor-oil will 

 carry it off if persevered in. 



Cock's Leg Ulcerated (Lenion).— We know no poultry doctors. If the 

 bird keeps in good condition you will only bave to wash the wound con- 

 stantly, and keep it dressed with citron ointment as soon as the discharge 

 diminishes. Generally speaking, these affections of the leg are the pre- 

 cursors of fatal maladies; but iu these instances they are accompanied by 

 shrivelling of the limb and wasting of the body. The absence of these 

 symptoms in your case would seem to point to an accidental cause lor the 

 ailment. 



Tdrett Pigeon Affected with Cold (M. A.). — To administer cod-liver 

 oil to Pigeons, mix flour or meal with the oil to a stiffish paste, roll it into 

 pellets, and give the bird one every twelve hours. The pellet will bo more 

 easily swallowed if a few drops of water are first put into the bird's mouth. 

 — B. P. B. 



Siiver-Gre? P.aeeit Skins (Coney).— Refer to the London list of furriers* 

 and write to some of them if yon have a dozen or more skins. 



Canary (W.B. A.).— As the bird becomes dull and heavy, and his feathers 

 ruffle only when hnng from the curtain-pole near the window, it is very 

 probable that the fumes of the gas collect there during this season, as the 

 heated fumes rise to near the ceiling and rush to the coldest part of the 

 room. Let the cage be suspended in a warmer part of the room, and lower 

 from the ceiling. 



Canaries JIollting (Canariensis}-— let, Canaries occasionally lose their 

 voice from cold. Benefit may be derived from dissolving Spanish liquorice 

 in his drinking-water. 2nd, Maw seed — that is, poppy seed, is generally 

 much relished by the birds, and I think it much more conducive to their 

 health than hemp or rape seed. 3rd, Eread is not injurious, and you may 

 let your bird eat as mcch as he likes. 4th, To cut the- bird's claws, take 

 him in your hand, and loofeuog through the nails to see how far the quick 

 extends, then cut off the remainder with a sharp pair of scissors. — B. P. B. 



Superstitions about Behs (J. Jackson). — Your letter is written in a good 

 spirit, but is toially at variance with our own experience, and the experience 

 of all apiarians. We are very glad that yon derive assistance from our 

 pages. 



LONDON MAEKETS.— November 21. 

 POULTRY. 



The character of the Christmas market of late years has been almost 

 monotonous— few first-class goods, they consequently make good prices; 

 large quantities of inferior poultry, which finds a sale with difficulty, hut 

 is evidently remunerative from the fact it is persevered in. During the first 

 few years of the Goose clubs the supply of these birds was inadequate, they 

 therefore made very large prices. There are plenty of them now, but they 

 sell well, une man sends up many thousauds. Poultry is in the ascendant 

 during this week in Sussex, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk. Lincolnshire, and 

 many parts of Ireland, Scotland, France, Holland, and Belgium. From tbe 

 various points all come to Leadenhall as their common centre, and the 

 market during this week is a perfectly unique sight. We do not qnote 

 Turkeys. If of good quality they are like meat, and valuable, according to 

 weight, rising rapidly after the limit of eighteen pounds is passed. 





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