G8 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. October 30. 
at this time, except they are brought from a distance, and 
then it is immaterial at what time they are removed ; but if 
it be only from one part of the same garden to another, it 
will, be it when it may, be attended with considerable 
loss, therefore it had better be done when the cells are tilled 
with brood, perhaps towards the end of March. 
Keeping Old Stocks. —I would recommend all cottage 
bee-keepers to read the papers of “ A Country Curate,” 
page 12 of the present volume of The Cottage Gardener, 
and to adopt the advice there given, (that is, where the 
storifying system is not adopted) namely, in keeping then’ 
stocks (bat have swarmed this year for stock hives, and 
taking the honey of their swarms, by driving, because they 
will not have only honey of a much finer quality, and a 
larger quantity, but the advantage in all probability of 
earlier swarms. 
TRANSACTIONS OF THE HEN-YARD— November. 
An application from a correspondent of The Cottage 
Gardener, has led me to the idea that a few words about 
hen-houses would not be unacceptable to many of its readers. 
Comfortable bousing, warmth and defence from bad weather, 
with a facility for cleanliness, are so necessary to render 
fowls profitable, that the situation and fitting up of the 
building intended for then - use is well deserving attention. 
A south aspect is best for the house, for fowls love warmth 
and thrive in it; if it can also be well sheltered from the 
east, a good supply of eggs may be confidently relied on. 
If the choice of a site for the bouse rest with the owner of 
the fowls, the north-east corner of the enclosure intended 
for their use will be the best to fix on; thus the house may 
face the south, and there should be a good wall, or stout, 
close paling along the eastern verge of the hen-yard. I 
consider good fowls quite deserving the respect and in¬ 
dulgence of a bouse to themselves ; they are so much more 
cleanly and inoffensive than ducks and other kinds of 
poultry, that l think it much better to give them a place 
which can be kept quite distinct. The walls and roof of the 
hous9 must be wind and water-tight. 
Supposing ourselves thus possessed of weather-tight walls 
well-roofed in, we next come to the flooring. In this the 
chief point is to find the material which can most easily be 
made and kept perfectly clean. If on first building the hen¬ 
house a present saving of expense is found desirable, a floor 
of beaten earth may be used, and this, if kept clean, will do 
very well for some time—perhaps for the first year, if for 
only a small number of fowls. But, in course of time, 
this kind of floor will become saturated, and consequently 
foul; it should then have the surface pared off and replaced 
by some level flooring, such as brick, asphalt, or paving 
tiles. If there can be a gutter down the centre, running 
towards a neighbouring drain, it will be found much easier 
to keep the house clean by frequent washing down in warm, 
dry weather. 
I believe the kind of nests for laying not to be of the 
slightest importance; for a perverse desire which hens have 
to take their own way, often makes them fix on the very 
one which appears the least commodious amongst all that 
are provided for their use. Box, basket, old hamper, or a 
nest pushed into any out-of-the-way corner, will stand 
equal chance of pleasing. But Avhatever, or wherever the 
nest may be, let it be kept perfectly clean, and let it be 
often supplied with a new bed of clean hay or well-rubbed 
straw. A very good nest, especially for sitting hens, may be 
built up with two or three ranges of loose bricks in one 
corner of the ben-house or any other out-building. If the 
floor is of brick the bottom of the nest should be spread 
with cinder-ash, sand, or mould several inches deep; for 
some hens are so rough in turning about their eggs that 
they are likely to get them broken on any surface which is 
j so hard as brick. The nests must be placed quite free of 
the perches, and in a situation that may be reached by the 
j hens without difficulty. 
The perches should be broad and should not be placed 
too high: I have had a good hen killed by a fall from a 
high perch. Mr. Nolan recommends a tier of shelf-like 
perches resembling the stage in a greenhouse. I speak 
only from memory, as I do not happen to have the work at 
hand, but I think he mentions four inches as the width of 
the shelves or perches. This stage or tier of perches must, 
of course, have a sufficiently low slope to allow the fowls to 
roost quite free of each other, I have not tried this kind of 
roosting apparatus, and cannot, therefore, speak from 
experience respecting it, but I should think it would answer 
the purpose exceedingly well, and would have the advantage 
over the hen’s ladder of being made use of, by the fowls in 
descending as well as in mounting. Heavy fowls, such as 
the Cochin-China, are generally considered to do better if 
allowed to roost on a bed of straw in preference to a perch. 
A sketch which accompanied L. A.’s request for advice 
about fitting up a hen-house, represented a nice brick 
building with sloping roof, than which nothing could be 
better adapted to the purpose. A portion of the front wall 
is formed of open bars; but it would be quite desirable to 
have the means of closing this portion in cold weather, 
which could easily be managed by having a piece of patent 
felt, bunting, or old carpet, to hang up inside when occasion 
requires. A little extra warmth, a storm-house—or shed 
in which the fowls may seek shelter in bad weatlier, is a 
valuable addition to the hen-yard. With the use of some 
patent felt roofing (a material which I greatly favour in my 
own little arrangements), it may be made without any 
great expense. 
I know, by experience, that amateurs derive both pleasure 
and advantage from comparing notes, and, therefore, con¬ 
clude that it may interest some of our readers to hear how 
my own fowls have thriven this year; such as have been 
more fortunate than I, will congratulate themselves on their 
success, while those whose poultry have not done so well, 
may feel desirous of comparing my plans with their own. I 
began the season with ten hens; seven of which are 
common, and three of a choicer kind. Some of them have 
set twice, and yet I have had a most abundant supply of 
eggs throughout the year. Several are now moulting, yet 
there is still a regular supply of three eggs every day. 
There were nine broods of chickens—sixty-eight in all. 
Although this does not give a very high average, I must 
confess that more than nine hens were employed in the 
hatching—thus reducing it rather lower still. I have lost 
five chickens in the course of the season, two from casualties, 
three from sickness. In this account of chickens and 
losses I do not reckon some two or three little badly 
hatched chicks, which died almost directly. 
In accordance with a request which I have received, I 
will, with pleasure, write what I know about ducks next 
month. Anster Bonn. 
BEES.—PROMOTING EARLY BREEDING. 
At page 339 of the sixth vol. of The Cottage Gardener, 
Mr. Payne, speaking of the advantage ot promoting early 
breeding , excellently remarks as follows : “ In our fitful cli¬ 
mate this is a most important thing to effect, and every pos¬ 
sible means of promoting it should be used." He then 
suggests that, in addition to having stocks well prepared to 
stand the winter, by leaving them “rich in store as well as 
in bees,” (to which I would add, “ and securing to them the 
advantage of vigorous queens") they should be kept “ as cool 
as possible till the end of February,” at and from winch 
time, “ where it is at all practicable, the temperature of the 
hives should be increased, by defending them externally 
from the cold of March and April, by any means that may 
the most readily be had recourse to for the. purpose; 
perhaps (he says) binding the hives neatly over with hay- 
bands would be as little troublesome and expensive as any¬ 
thing.” He then expresses his intention “ for the sake of 
experiment, to place two or three hives in a greenhouse, in 
which the temperature will never be suffered lower than 32°, 
and in March and April, uniformly eight or ten degrees 
above that point.” Now, I would first observe, on that part 
of his advice which relates to the coating of hives with 
bands of hay, that while undoubtedly it will be of some, and 
may be of considerable advantage, it will yet be of compara¬ 
tively little use, if the entrance of the hive be withal left 
open, so that the air of the interior of the hive shall be 
liable to be affected and lowered by the influence of the 
external atmosphere, especially in windy weather. In the 
case of straw-hives, therefore, located in the open air, I do 
not expect (owing to the impossibility of so shutting the 
