September 9,1880.1 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 249 
VARIETIES. 
The Birmingham Poultry Show. — We have received the 
schedule of the Birmingham Show, which this year will begin on 
November 27th. The general classification is little changed, except 
that all the cocks of all the sub-varieties of each breed come first and 
all the hens follow, instead of each sub-variety of all ages and sexes 
being arranged by itself. The chief new feature of the schedule is 
the addition of two challenge cups, value respectively £50 and £30, 
the former for the best Black Red Game cock of the year, the latter 
for the best pullet of the same variety. Any exhibitor who wins one 
of these cups three years out of seven will retain it as his absolute 
property. Polish, again, are well off with twelve classes. In the 
classes for Pigeons we can see no important change from late years. 
We observe the name of Mr. M. Leno among the Judges. We fancy 
it will be the first time that he has officiated at Birmingham. 
-Bath and West oe England Society.—A t the Council 
Meeting of this Society held at the Grand Hotel, Bristol, on Tuesday 
last, H. G. Moysey, Esq., in the chair. Mr. Knollys, in accordance 
with previous notice, brought up the question of Stewards and 
officers of the Society exhibiting in competition for prizes, and 
moved a resolution affirming its inexpediency. Considerable dis¬ 
cussion took place, it being asserted by various members that the 
principle had always formed an acknowledged but unwritten rule of 
the Society, although precedents of occasional exceptions were quoted. 
Mr. Acland having seconded the resolution, an amendment was 
moved by Mr. Moore-Stevens, but afterwards incorporated with the 
original motion, and the’resolution was finally passed in the follow¬ 
ing terms :—“ That it is inexpedient that Stewards and officers of 
this Society should exhibit in competition for prizes in the depart¬ 
ment in which they act as Stewards or officers.” 
- Cattle Disease in Lancashire.—I nformation has been 
received by the Clerk of the Peace for Lancashire that cattle disease 
has broken out on a farm at Rawtenstall. Three of the affected 
animals have been slaughtered by order of the Inspector. The re¬ 
mainder of the herd consists of twenty-three cows. The Inspector 
states that every effort is being made to stamp out the contagion. 
The Bacup Inspector reports a further outbreak of disease among 
swine. The affected animals are promptly slaughtered. 
- Hops in England and America.—T he crops in Kent are 
extremely variable. Side by side are good and bad grounds. Some 
expected in a few cases to yield nearly a ton an acre ; others, despite 
timely sulphuring, hardly worth picking at all. The “red mould” 
has been very mischievous around Maidstone ; and Mr. Roger Leigh, 
the Member for Rochester, is said to have decided against picking his 
Hops at all, as they are so bad that he could only do so at a loss. 
Still the Hop crop is immeasurably better than that of last year, when 
the largest cultivator in this part of Kent had only three hundred 
pockets instead of the three thousand his gardens produce in a fairly 
good season. The Hop crop in the State of New York and through¬ 
out the country this year will exceed that of last year 25 per cent., 
or about 150,000 bales. In New York City a few daj r s ago new 
Hops, grown in Oneida county, brought 50 cents per pound. 
-The Harvest and Grain Values. —The crops are secured 
in the southern counties, and nearly secured in the midland, while in 
the north great progress has been made in this important work. 
With a continuation of the fine harvesting weather and another large 
arrival of foreign Wheat the quotations of all descriptions again gave 
way at Mark Lane on Monday—English 2 s. per quarter, and foreign 
Is. to 2s. per quarter since last week. Barley, Beans, and Peas un¬ 
changed ; Maize quiet, and unaltered in value. The supply of foreign 
Oats was again large,being 105,000 qrs. for the week. The low prices 
attracted buyers, and the bulk was cleared off, good corn selling in 
most cases at an advance of 3d. per qr. over the rates current on the 
previous week. 
- French Wine Harvest. —The splendid weather which has 
now prevailed for several weeks is having the happiest effects on the 
prospects of the vineyards, and it is expected that the yield will be 
above the average in the Charente and a portion of Gironde, and 
moreover of excellent quality. Not only has the phylloxera mani¬ 
fested no fresh energy, but many of the Vines seem to be recover¬ 
ing, which is partly attributed to the excessive severity of’the'last 
winter. In the Midi and Burgundy districts the Vine crops look 
exceedingly well ; and in Champagne also the quality is excellent, 
though the quantity is rather deficient.— {Times.) 
- The Butter Grain and Butter Making. —The dairy¬ 
man, says a correspondent of the Praiiie Farmer , cannot be too 
careful in selecting his cows. The cream from one poor cow mixed 
with cream from fifteen or twenty good animals will injure the 
butter. Different opinions have been given about the grain of butter, 
and there are different modes of making butter. The old process of 
making it was to gather it into a body, then press out the buttermilk 
and work in the salt. The new method of making butter is to remove 
all the buttermilk as soon as the grains are formed, then work the 
salt and grains together, warm it, so it will press into a body, and 'it 
is ready for market. The old process is like mashing up ripe Straw¬ 
berries to remove the hull; the new, like carefully removing the hull 
and leaving the berry whole and round. If the butter is made too 
warm while churning and finishing it an inferior article is the result. 
The contents of the churn should be kept between 53° and 60° to 
finish butter by the granulating process. 
•- Breeding Fine Turkeys.—W e have seen it stated that Mr. 
Lythall prefers to breed from gobblers not exceeding two years old, 
and his example has been quoted as if conclusive in favour of this 
course. It will have been noticed, however, that the cockerel which 
is certainly the heaviest yet bred in England was bred from Mr. 
Simpson’s old bird ; and as the Americans have hitherto beaten us in 
weights, this agreement with their theory is pretty nearly conclusive, 
besides being borne out by the almost unanimous opinion of English 
breeders. The great objection to using old gobblers lies in their 
weight; but a way to remedy this has already been pointed out, and 
removes the difficulty entirely. Mr. William W. Clift, another cele¬ 
brated American Turkey breeder, and formerly editor of the American 
Agriculturist , in an article upon breeding Turkeys in the American 
Poultry World, is equally strong upon the necessity of using fine 
matured males. “ In rearing this or any other variety,” he says, 
“ almost everything depends upon the parent birds ; yet in nothing 
are farmers more careless. The common practice is to sell off the 
heaviest birds at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and take the late birds 
of light weight for breeding. The excuse for this is that the heavy 
cocks wear the feathers from the hen’s back, and the heavy hens 
are more apt to break the eggs in the nest. But these notions are 
old wives’ fables that ought to be banished from the poultry yard. 
Another objectionable practice is to breed only from yearling hens. 
The old birds are generally sold off because they have four or five 
more pounds of flesh upon them. The Turkey does not attain its 
maturity until the third year, and the largest strongest chicks can 
only be secured from mature parents. So common is the practice of 
selling off everything at a year old or less, that it is almost impossible 
to get stock tw r o and three years old. In purchasing breeders, it is the 
best economy to buy the heaviest birds, even at fancy prices. A ten- 
months cock weighing thirty pounds is cheaper at fifty dollars than 
a twenty-pound bird at five. Young hens weighing sixteen to 
eighteen pounds are cheaper at twenty dollar's than twelve-pound 
birds at five. Large, well-formed birds, of perfect plumage, will 
leave their mark upon their progeny.”—(From “ The Illustrated Boole 
of Poultry ” for June.) 
NEW AND OLD PRACTICES OF BEE-KEEPING. 
No. 1. 
“ Bee-keeping- is making such rapid progress now that stereo¬ 
typed men and notions will soon be left far behind.” “ Modern 
improvements in hives and management with their enlightened 
advocacy are doing much to remove prejudice, dispel ignorance, 
and introduce a system of bee-keeping both humane and pro¬ 
fitable.” Such statements as the above are common, and honestly 
made by earnest and enthusiastic men. They mean well. Would 
that I could endorse all that they say. Who does not see that an 
exaggerated import is given to almost every novelty and inven¬ 
tion of home and foreign growth ? About ten days ago a clever 
bee-keeper came here to tell me his experience during the present 
season. He keeps about eight stocks, and originally belonged to 
