THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
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I 
necessary to them, that the impossibility of procuring it is the 
sole cause of the numerous maladies to which they are subject. 
“ The flesh of these birds, in taste resembling that of the 
common pheasant, is yellowish, as well as the bones. 
“ The golden pheasant lays earlier in the spring than the 
common pheasant, and frequently in the month of March, 
whereas the common pheasant does not lay till April; it is 
necessary, therefore, to mate the golden species in February, 
as soon as they show any tendency to form an attachment; 
incubation lasts twenty three days. "When the female golden 
pheasant is closely confined, it is rare that she takes much 
care of her brood, but at liberty, or in an extensive in¬ 
closure, she is very solicitous about the welfare of her little 
ones. 
“ The young differ much from their parents in the colour 
of their plumage ; in their first year, till they are a year old, 
they are of a yellowish - grey, transversely striped with 
brown. The following year the males may be distinguished 
from the females by the deeper colours of the former ; it is 
not till the third year that the male is clad in his brilliant 
plumage. The aged hens, like those of all the other species 
of pheasants, are liable to assume the lining of the male; 
but these changes of plumage are rather rare. 
“ The eggs of the golden pheasant much resemble those 
of the Guinea-fowl. They are smaller in proportion than 
those of the common hen, and of a redder hue than those 
of our pheasants. 
“ The golden pheasant is a native of China, where it 
bears the name of kinki. This species would long ago have 
been more common in Europe, if amateurs had not persisted 
in rearing them in too strict a captivity, and continued to 
lavish on the young uncalled-for attentions, which they 
would do better without. By granting them a greater degree 
of liberty, especially by exposing them more to the incle¬ 
mencies of the open air, even during winter, the result 
would be that the species, as it increased, would become 
more hardy, and in the end would become able to support 
the cold of our climate. The experiment has been made in 
Germany, in an extensive plieasantry, where these birds 
have lived at liberty along with common pheasants, and 
have not suffered more than them from the change of 
seasons.” D. 
BEE HOUSES. 
I am: afraid, much as I should wish to see the American 
bee-house (modified according to my suggestions) generally 
adopted, that its necessary expense will place it beyond the 
reach of cottagers generally; for “ a Country Vicar’s ” satis¬ 
faction, however, I will, with pleasure, give as particular a 
description of it as I can, including an improvement or two 
which have suggested themselves to my mind since I first 
drew the attention of your apiarian readers to the subject. 
In the first place, it should have four stout upright posts, 
of durable wood, well seasoned, each post not less than three 
inches square ; two of them, those in front, being six feet 
high, those at the back seven feet high. At eighteen inches 
from the ground, these posts should be joined together by 
four horizontal bars, three inches deep, each, by two inches 
or so wide, two of which (those in front and behind) are six 
feet long, and the two others, at the sides, four feet long 
each;* there must also be a cross-bar, or tie-beam, con¬ 
necting the longer bars in the middle, to support the board 
on which the boxes rest. In the case of my own house, I 
have it put together with screws, so as to facilitate its dis¬ 
memberment and removal at any time. At exactly two feet 
higher up, the posts are again connected together by the 
same number of similar horizontal bars, with tie-beams as 
before. Also, the posts are joined together at the top— 
i again just two feet higher up—by the same system of bars 
exactly, upon which the roof is supported; in fact, all the 
uppermost bars form an integral part of the roof itself, which 
consists of planks of wood overlapping one another, and 
nailed to the uppermost bars, of which the three shorter 
ones are cut saw or step-like, in such a manner that the 
planks overlap one another (say about an inch) naturally, 
i.e. without leaving any apertures for the wind or rain to 
intrude into the house clandestinely. A stout piece of wood, 
* Of course the length may be of any extent, but the house ought to 
be about four feet wide —neither more nor less. 
March 25. 
about three inches broad, and extending the whole length 
of the house, should be nailed to the ends of the shorter 
bars behind, so as to cover any gap, if any exists, between 
the roof and the back of the house itself. It will be seen, 
so far, that the roof is a distinct whole of itself, and lifts off 
like a cap; moreover, the tops of the posts run into sockets, , 
or grooves, made to receive them in the cross bars at each 
corner of the roof. To have done with the roof, I would 
here observe that I allow a fall of one foot in the four feet ! 
from back to front, and I would recommend it to project a 
few inches all round, but especially in front and at the sides. 
To proceed ; the sides are closely boarded the whole way, 
from the lower cross-bars upwards, a space being left per¬ 
fectly open beneath the lowermost tier of hives, to promote 
dryness and cleanliness. At the back, it must be so con¬ 
trived (either by double doors, opening right and left, and 
fastened by lock and key, or by swing-doors, suspended on 
hinges, and secured by padlocks) that the whole of the 
house shall be open to the bee-master at pleasure, it being 
of importance that nothing should hinder him from getting 
easily at any and every hive. In my own case I have 
adopted the swing doors as more economical. They should 
be strengthened by bars nailed crosswise, at intervals, 
against their inner side. 
Turn we now to the front of the house. I have recom¬ 
mended a space of two feet clear to be left between each set 
of horizontal bars (for which, in the above specification, I 
have made allowance), and between the upper bars and the 
front part of the roof, which space is thus dealt with : the 
upper nine inches, in either case, are permanently closed by 
a board extending the whole front length of the house, and 
nailed or screwed to the upright posts at either side. The 
next nine inches are occupied by a precisely similar board, 
only that this board is not secured permanently to the posts, 
but swings on hinges, and is fastened by padlocks within- 
side whenever, as in winter, it is required to close the house, 
or in the heat of summer; at other times, when the hives 
are pushed forward to receive the benefit of the spring sun, 
this board is lifted up, and kept open by “ hooks and eyes,” 
or some such contrivance. Thus, of the whole space of two 
feet only the lowermost six inches are left open perma¬ 
nently. The hives stand on boards made two feet wide, 
which rest, both above and below, on the three cross-bars or 
tie-beams, and are so constructed as to slip backwards and 
forwards with ease. The hives may either stand directly on 
these boards, or have each their own separate floors, which 
I much prefer. 
With a little contrivance, such a bee house as the one 
whose dimensions I have given might easily accommodate 
eight colonies of bees, if an exit was supplied to the outer¬ 
most colony at the east or west side of the house. It re¬ 
mains for me to add that the four posts at their base are let 
into sockets made for them in large blocks of wood, five or 
six feet in length, to steady the house, which are only 
partially buried in the earth. Every board, too, should, if 
possible, be of inch stuff.—A Country Curate. 
WHAT ABOUT THE POULTRY EXHIBITION 
IN LONDON ? 
What about the show in London ? is a question which 
many anxiously ask, and none can fully answer. There is 
sufficient enquiry and solicitude about it, to show that it will j 
be well supported, and very welcome when it does come, but 1 
nothing definite appears to have been arranged at present, i 
Every one seems desirous to receive intelligence concerning 
this interesting exhibition; few are able to give much. I 
Many amateurs are willing to raise specimens, which they 
hope will do honour to the great metropolis ; but what 
gentleman or gentlemen, with leisure at command, will 
kindly undertake the arrangement and management ? Like 
the amiable Rosa Dartle, I ask for information. What are 
to be its laws ? Where will it be held? and at what period 
will it take place ? 
Some observations made by “ Incubator,” which were pub¬ 
lished in The Cottaoe Gardener, a few’ weeks back, con¬ 
firmed me in an opinion which I had long entertained, that 
those amateurs who bestow time, trouble, and expense, in 
raising fine fowls for exhibition, and for the purpose of im- 
