40G 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER, 
[March 27. 
[The receipt will be quite admissable.—E d. C. G.] In keep¬ 
ing them warm, care must be taken not to exclude the 
i air too much. 
To enable the chickens to force their way out of the 
j shell, each little bill is guarded at the tip by a small horny 
i protuberance, I do not know that it is necessary to remove 
| this, but I always do so nevertheless; it is very easy to take 
[ it off with the nail. In sixteen or twenty hours the little 
J strangers will be glad to peck tiny crumbs of bread or groats 
broken up small, and will drink a little water. They will 
j soon ask for this refreshment so often, that notwithstanding j 
1 Mr. Canteloe’s success in chicken raising without the hen’s ; 
; care, you will be very glad to give them back to their ! 
( rightful owner, and to use the intervening services of a 
! good mother hen. 
As I have been requested to give a more precise account j 
than I have already done, of the place in which I keep my I 
i own fowls, and also to give an opinion as to how small a run j 
j will suffice, I must for the present defer the consideration of j 
j the care necessary in raising the young broods. 
My present hen-house is a two stall stable of the usual j 
j dimensions. The farther stall is fitted up with perches, and 
I the other is supplied with nests for laying and sitting: this 
i is also used in the spring for the young broods and their 
mothers. Some nests are made in the manger, and others 
in square boxes, measuring sixteen inches by twelve, which 
j are placed on and under the manger. The yard where they 
I run for the greater part of the day, contains about 65 square 
; yards, and is well sheltered from cold winds. For a few 
hours every day, the fowls are allowed to run out into the ; 
orchard. Having tliis accommodation at my disposal, I last I 
spring reduced my number to eight hens. From these I j 
raised about fifty chickens; five died from accidents, which | 
might be avoided by greater care. Killing for the table 
commenced as soon as the chickens were large enough, but 
notwithstanding this, they became rather too much crowded 
in autumn, and, in consequence, I lost three or four from 
sickness. Taking warning by these mischances, I shall not 
raise a smaller number, but shall only use more frequent 
cleaning and white-washing. I have not, however, always 
had so much room. The smallest place in which I have 
kept fowls with advantage, was a little, well-sheltered yard, 
twenty feet long and ten wide. It was surrounded by rather 
a high wall, covered in at the top with a net, and the house 
(four feet by eight) was built in one corner. This yard was 
on one side of a semi-detached dwelling house and as it was 
warm and dry, the fowls did very well. I think two or 
three broods a year would be as many as could be raised 
with advantage in such a small place, and it would be a 
a good plan to have the fowls of a sort, which might with 
safety be allowed to run out into a road or lane. I should 
only give them this indulgence for three or four hours in 
the day, both for their safety, and also because too much 
liberty makes the hens wild, which is very inconvenient, 
especially for sitters and mothers. At another period, I 
found the fowls do worse in a larger place, on account of the 
yard having an eastern exposure. 
Our readers had better take this opportunity to have the 
hen-houses well cleaned and lime washed, as sitting hens 
and young broods, will soon render the operation more 
troublesome. 
DAILY WORK FOR APRIL. 
The same as last month, with the addition only of 
constantly feeding the newly hatched broods. 
Anster Eonn. 
(To he continued.) 
HONEY CONSUMED BY BEES IN WINTER. 
I have often' troubled you in reference to my bees, and 
now enclose you the result of my monthly observations upon 
seven hives. My table does not show the correctness of the 
remark—“that doubled stocks do not consume more food in 
winter than single ones.” Nos. 1, 3, 4, 6, and 8, were fed in 
j the autumn with prepared food ; 6 and 8 had nothing else. 
This, however, would not account for their large consump- 
j tion, as No. 5 was not fed, and the loss in it during the winter 
has been greater than in four of the hives above named. 
On referring to my notes of last year, I find that No. 5, 
then a single swarm, lost from fltli September to 1st October 
(21 days), 5* lbs.; while No. 6, bees from two stocks united 
7th August and fed, lost from 30th August to 1st October 
(31 days) only 34 lbs., leaving a considerable balance in 
favour of the doubled stocks, How to account for the dif¬ 
ference I know not. B. B. 
[Mr. Payne will have something to say upon this sub¬ 
ject.—E d. C. G.] 
Loss on 3 Hives during Winter 1850-51. 
wt. 
Wt. 
Loss 
Wt. 
Loss 
Wt. 
Loss 
wt. 
Loss 
Total 
No. 
in 
in 
in 
in 
1 No. 
1 De. 
Nov. 
1 Ja. 
Dec. 
1 Fe. 
Jan. 
1 Ma. 
Feb. 
Loss, 
I. 
17* 
14 
3* 
12 
o 
9* 
8 
n 
9* 
III. 
15* 
U| 
1 
m 
Ilf 
H 
9* 
n 
G 
IV. 
1G* 
1* 
13* 
12* 
10* 
ii 
6* 
Total Loss on 3 Hives in 4 months 22 
N.B.—These hives had 9 o/.of Mr. Golding’s syrup between 
21st February and 1st of Mai'ch ; and in that time, 
in addition to this quantity of food, they lost:— 
No. I. * lb.; No. III. 4 lb.; No. TV. * lb. 
No. I. are bees saved from burning—3 stocks united ; III. 
and IV. are casts to which 1 [-lb. of bees were united to each. 
Loss on 4 Hives during Winter 1850-51. 
No. 
wt. 
1 No. 
Wt. 
1 De. 
Loss 
in 
Nov. 
wt. 
1 Ja. 
Loss 
in 
Dec. 
wt. 
1 Fe. 
Loss 
in 
Jan. 
Wt. Loss 
in 
1 Ma. Feb. 
Total 
Loss. 
II. 
27 
26* 
3 
* 
25 
n 
OQI 
-°4 
i* 
013.1 11 
12 
V. 
19* 
18* 
1* 
15* 
2* 
14 
i* 
10*| 3* 
9 
VI. 
17* 
16* 
* 
15 
1* 
14 
i 
12 2 
5* 
VIII. 
17 
14 
3 
13 
1 
11 
•j 
o*| i* 
7| 
Total Loss on 4 Hives in 4 months 27* 
N.B.—No. II. an old stock to which no union has been 
made; No. V. a swarm to which 1 lb. of bees was 
added; No. VI., bees from two stocks united 7th 
August and fed; No. VIII., bees from three stocks 
united 7th September and fed. 
NEW AND CHOICE DAHLIAS. 
NEW, TO BE SENT OUT IN WAY. 
Admiral (Bragg); fine lilac. 10s. Gd. 
Arthur (Flandre) ; rose. 7s. Gd. 
Barmaid (Holmes); clear white. I Os. Gd. 
Beranyer (Fauvel) ; crimson purple ; fine. 10s. Gd. 
Charles Turner (Turrill); blush, tipped with purple; con¬ 
stant, with a compact centre. 5s. 
Colonel Bacon (Whale); rosy crimson. 10s. fid. 
Consolation (Meillez) ; vermilion scarlet; fine shape and 
habit. 5s. 
’Elizabeth (Whale) ; white, edged with lavender. 10s. Gd. 
Gem of the Grove (Soden); dark maroon. 10s. Gd. 
General Fauchier (Rose); reddish cinnamon ; fine. 10s. Gd. 
Gracilis (Salter); orange fawn, tinted with rose; very fine 
shape, and good show fiower. 10s. Gd. 
Hon. Mr. Herbert (Dodds); light buff, shaded with golden 
amber; 10s. Gd. 
King of Dahlias (Morgan); fine crimson ; extra. 10s. Gd. 
Lady Eleanor Oathcart (Turner); white, edged with pur¬ 
ple. 7s .Gd. 
Madame Kuhlmann (Bauduin); white, mottled with rose 
pink; fine. 10s. Gd. 
Napoleon (Parker); rich vermilion ; fine. 10s. Gd. 
Pirolle (Voisenon) ; crimson amaranth; fine. 10s. Gd. 
Queen of Beauties (Mitchell) ; waxy white, tipped with 
bright cherry; fine. 15s. 
Summit of Perfection (Keynes); dark velvety purple. 10s. Gd. 
Uranus (Salter); orange, shaded with rose; fine. 10s. Gd. 
Yellow Gem (Gurney) ; clear yellow. 10s. Gd. 
Yellow Superb (Keynes); clear pale yellow. 10s. Gd. 
