62 
THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 
sumption of food consequently large. It is calculated that not less 
than five million bushels of corn are consumed by them in the year 
in Great Britain ; and at seed-time they are particularly destructive, 
denuding whole patches of ground unless a strict watch is kept. 
A person having no corn-land maintaining a dovecote, the in- 
habitants of which forage upon his neighbours, can be looked upon 
in no other respect than a public robber ; aud there are statutes 
still existing the provisions of which enact heavy fines and punish- 
ment for destroying these birds, which are considered private pro- 
perty, these laws being doubtless made at the instance of landlords, 
who supported dovecotes at the expense of their tenants. 
The duration of a pigeon’s life is reckoned to extend to twenty 
years, or thereabouts, and it is deemed full-aged when the wings are 
full of the quill-feathers. In order to attach pigeons to their home, 
it is usual to place some odoriferous drug about their holes ; asa- 
foetida appears extremely agreeable to them, and the strong scent of 
cummin and coriander seeds has an alluring effect. When a bird 
loses its mate, it is very often the case that it lures another from a 
distance, and this may often account for the loss of a particular 
pigeon. To prevent their tearing lime and mortar walls, some 
rubbish should be incorporated with lime and salt, or what is called 
a cat , made as follows : — Gravel or drift sand, unctuous loam, or 
rubbish of an old wall, or lime, a gallon of each ; one pound of 
cummin seed, one handful of bay salt ; mix with stale wine. Enclose 
this in jars corked or stopped, holes being punched in the side to 
admit the beaks of the pigeon. Bats and other vermin are apt to be 
troublesome if the birds are kept in a room or loft. To guard 
against this, a cat should be trained for the purpose of watching, 
which may easily be done. The entrance hole should also be so con- 
trived as to prevent the intrusion of strange cats. 
Cleanliness is essential to success in the management of pigeons, 
and every opportunity should be taken to whitewash the walls after 
each term of rearing, which will destroy fleas and other vermin. If 
confined, pans of water should be laid on the floor for the birds to 
wash, and also heaps of sand for them to wallow in. The most 
common disease is the scab on the back and breast, and this is con- 
tagious, and often fatal to the young birds. To cure it, make a 
paste of the following mixture, knead it into rolls, and when baked 
lay the pieces where the pigeons can peck at them : — A quarter of a 
pound of bay and the same of common salt, a pound of fennel seed, 
the same of cummin and also deb seed, and two ounces of asa- 
loetida ; mix up with some wheat flour and finely-worked clay. 
REMINDERS EOR GARDEN WORK IN FEBRUARY. 
PERENNIALS of all kinds intended for removal to places where they 
are to bloom should now be planted out. 
Box Edgings should be planted ; trees, bushes, shrubs and plants 
for the borders or shrubbery, should be put iu their places without 
delay ; gravel walks should be formed, and all contemplated altera- 
tions should be made, for although this work can be done from November to 
