•372 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
September 9. 
house for them much difficulty that way will he avoided; 
when there is not, any old shed will he of service, 
as, with a little extra care in covering up, and a little 
more liberality in the dung used at the making of the 
beds, we have seen very good crops in such a place. 
Horse-dung, however, with a part of the litter amongst 
it is best, only it ought not to be in the least heated; 
and in preparing it care must be taken that it does not 
get over-heated; turning every other day must be 
practised for a time, then every third or fourth day, 
until the heat moderates. We like a little sheeps’ dung 
to mix with it, when it can be had. It often happens, 
at this season, that sheep have the habit of lying and 
depositing their dung on roads or paths running through 
their walks. In such places it may be obtained with¬ 
out much trouble, and certainly no detriment to the 
spot it is removed from. We like a little of it in mush¬ 
room-beds, on account of its stimulating powers, and 
the quantity may be increased in those thin beds made 
up in ordinary mushroom-houses. J. Robson. 
The judges were Mr. J. Bissell, Birmingham, and Mr. 
Higson, of Preston. 
list or PRIZES. 
Dorkings —Cock and 2 Hens. Prize, T. T. Parker, Esq., St. Helens. 
Highly commended, Rev. William Hornby, St. MichaePs-on-Wyre. 
Spanish —Cock and 2 Hens. Prize, Capt. W. Hornby, ll.N., Knowsley. 
Game— Cock and 2 Hens. Prize, W. Allison, jun., Esq., Park Hall, 
Chorley. 
Cochin-China— Cock and 2 Hens. Prize, T. T. Parker, Esq., St. Helens. 
Golden-pencilled, Hamburgh .—No entry. 
Silver-pencilled Hamburgh »—No entry. 
Golden-spangled Hamburgh —Cock and 2 Hens. Prize, Ed. Allison, 
jun., Esq., Chorley. 
Silver-spangled Hamburgh —Cock and 2 Hens. Prize, Mr. T..I. Car¬ 
rington, Preston. 
Polands —Cock and 2 Hens. No entry. 
The best of any Breed or Cross —Cock and 2 Hens. Prize, Mr. Geo. 
Banks, High Gate, Kirkby Lonsdale. 
Geese —Gander and 2 Geese. Prize, T. T. Parker, Esq., St. Helens. 
Toulouse. Highly commended, T. T. Parker, Esq., St. Helens. 
Ducks —Aylesbury Drake and 2 Ducks. Prize, W. Ellison, jUn., Esq., 
Kendal. Highly commended, Capt. W. Hornby, Knowsley. The 
whole class commended. 
Ducks —Rouen Drake and 2 Ducks. Prize, T. T. Parker, Esq., St. 
Helens. 
Ducks, any other variety—Drake and two Ducks. Prize, Mr. \\ . 
Pindar, Whalley. 
Turkeys. —No entry. 
YOUNG POULTRY. 
THE POULTRY SHOW OF THE ROYAL NORTH 
LANCASHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
This was held at Preston oil the 26th inst., and proved 
highly attractive to a very numerous and respectable com¬ 
pany. 
The number of entries were (for premiums and sweep- 
stakes) very nearly 200, and, with hut few exceptions only, 
all were exhibited that were entered. Upon the whole, it 
was a much better show than the council had anticipated, 
and the arrangements were such as reflected the highest 
credit upon the Secretary, Mr. Hunt, whose indefatigable 
exertions had procured so much comfort and completeness 
for the stock, and so much accommodation for the public. 
Many of the pens of fowl exhibited were, in points of ex¬ 
cellence, never surpassed at any former show ; hut we must 
observe they were sent by two of the most successful ama¬ 
teurs in the kingdom. There was hut one prize in each 
class offered, hut two classes iu each variety—viz., for cock 
and two hens, and for six chickens. 
The Dorkings, which stand first on the list, were closely 
contested, and upon the whole good; the pens which ob¬ 
tained the prizes were really first-rate birds. The six 
chickens in this class gained the society’s silver medal for 
the best pen of poultry in the yard, and well, we think, they 
deserved the distinction ; and it is not saying too much in 
their praise to add, that they were the very best pen of 
poultry we ever saw penned together of any variety, for 
nothing was wanted to make them perfect of then' kind; 
they possessed size, colour, and character, and were besides 
in excellent condition. The exhibitor was T. T. Parker, 
Esq., Sutton Grange, St. Helen’s. 
The Spanish fowl shown by Capt. W. Hornby, Pt.N., of 
Ivuowsley, near Prescot, were remarkably good birds, and 
carried away both prizes, especially the six chickens, which, 
besides showing great purity of race, promised to possess 
greater size in maturity than the birds hitherto so success¬ 
fully shown by that gentleman. 
The Game fowl were, as a class, very inferior ; the prize 
pen even were so poor that they scarcely deserved the award. 
There were, as usual, more entries of Cochin-China than 
any other breed, and, as usual, a preponderance of bad 
ones ; hut the prize birds were in excellent condition, had 
the characteristics of the breed well developed, and were 
nicely matched in colour, which was the favourite huff, with 
a few mai'ginated feathers on the hackle of the nock. The 
other varieties were badly represented, and in some classes 
none at all. 
The judges deemed it necessary to withhold many of the 
prizes offered by the society, as the specimens competing 
were unworthy the distinction. The Geese , Aylesbury and 
Rouen Ducks, were all good, and generally deserved the 
highest commendation ; indeed, it would have been impos¬ 
sible to have selected a had specimen from the whole of 
them. 
For the best six Goslings.— Prize, T. T. Parker, Esq., St. Helens. 
Commended, J. P. Lord, Esq., Wigan. 
For the best six Aylesbury Ducklings.— Prize, Capt. W. Hornby, R.N., 
Knowsley. Highly commended, Sir. J. Hodgson, Halifax. 
For the best six Rouen Ducklings.— Prize, T. T. Parker, Esq., St. 
Helens. . 
For the best six Ducklings of any other variety.— Prize, Mr. J. Lid- 
greaves, Preston. 
For the best six Dorking Chickens.— Prize and Society’s Silver Medal, 
T. T. Parker, Esq., St. Helens. Highly commended, Rev. W. Hornby, 
St. Michael’s-on-Wj're. 
For the best six Spanish Chickens.— Prize, Capt. W. Hornby, R.N., 
Knowsley. , . 
For the best six Game Chickens. —Prize, Mr. Richard Hinde, Lancaster. 
For the best six Cochin-China Chickens.— Prize, Capt. W. Hornby, 
R.N., Knowsley. 
For the best six Malay Chickens.— No entry. 
For the best six Poland Chickens. —Withheld. 
For the best six Chickens of any other breed. —Prize, Shanghai, Mr. M. 
Carter, Preston. 
The sweepstakes were generally won by the same gentle¬ 
men as carried away the prizes offered by the society. 
[We are exceedingly obliged by this report, hut we must 
observe that we think the value of the prizes, five shillings, 
very far too small, aud the more so when even the winners, 
after paying their entries, must have been considerably out 
of pocket. If the society wishes their Poultry Show to con¬ 
tinue prospering they must increase the value of each 
prize.—E d. G. G.] 
WILD BEES. 
By Ii. TV. Newman, Esq. 
( Continued from page 341.) 
I shall now proceed to notice the extraordinary habits of the 
drones, or males, of all these species of wild bees, my first dis¬ 
covery of which was with the Apis lucorum , and purely acci¬ 
dental. They leave the nest hut once, never to return ! ! after 
the hatching of the females in July and August. When about 
thirteen years of age, I began to collect nests of bees, and 
place them in my garden. In the months of June and July, 
I used to employ my idle hours in looking for their nests, 
and meeting with a very strong and numerous one, about 
the 15th of July, in a wood, a schoolfellow accompanied me 
to take it. We were armed with a large knife, two wooden 
boxes with holes and stoppers to hold the bees. The nest 
(Apis lucorum) was so numerous, that at fifty yards distance 
I could see them ascending and descending to the place. 
The flight of this species is much higher in the air, and j 
steadier than any of the others. After an hour’s labour we 
got to the combs, and succeeded in capturing no less than 
five hundred bees, including a new hatch of about fifty . 
drones; these were all brought home, with nearly all the j 
combs. Having left a small hit of comb to decoy the stray 
bees, we returned home. This nest contained eight hundred \ 
bees ! fully two hundred, or three hundred bees more than in 
any I ever found before or since. It contained three full J 
quarts of combs, and there was nearly a pound of honey¬ 
comb filled. It shows how much sometimes a good season, j 
