340 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
that when there are but few wasps, it proves a had honey- 
season. 
Transferring Bees. —Notwithstanding what I have 
already said on this subject at page 54 of the present volume 
of The Cottage Gardener, I am continually applied to for 
the best method of effecting it; and I can only say, as I have 
already done, that I never recommended it, nor ever 
practised it, and for this simple reason, that wherever I have 
seen it, or heard of its having been done, in nine cases out 
of ten the stock transferred has either been killed at once, 
or so weakened by the process as never to become of any 
value. Let the bees remain in their present hives, let them 
swarm next year, put the swarms into the hives most 
desired, and in the autumn drive the old stocks, and unite 
them to the swarms. 
TRANSACTIONS OF THE HEN-YARD— September. 
COCHIN-CHINA FOWLS. 
When I first mentioned Cochin-China fowls, it was quite 
my intention to have confined my remarks to a single article, 
and now I find myself commencing a third on the same 
subject; it is, however, I hope, one which is interesting to 
many persons, and one, moreover, which has, at present, 
been so slightly treated of, that I trust this lengthiness will 
not prove unwelcome to those who take an interest in 
choice poultry. 
The chief circumstance in which the management of the 
Cochin-China fowls differs from that of the lighter varieties, 
is their roosting. It is not well to allow these heavy birds 
to ascend to a high perch, for those which do so almost 
invariably get deformed in the breast-bone, and this, if it 
increases to any great extent, becomes very unsightly, even 
supposing it should not interfere with the health of the 
fowl. When a hens’ ladder is placed against the perches, 
the fowls will make use of it in mounting to roost, but in 
coming down they almost always use their own wings alone. 
Many persons attribute this crookedness in the breast-bone 
to mischief sustained in these hasty descents (which are 
often as had as a fall), but I am inclined to think that it 
proceeds rather from the great weight of the fowl bearing 
upon one point for so many hours together; if this is the 
case, either high or low perching is likely to be injurious, 
but be this as it may, high perching is proved to be so to 
heavy fowls. Some persons give them broad perches near 
to the ground, hut I should recommend, in preference, a 
bed of straw, either on a wooden platform, or in a basket so 
large as to avoid any danger of injuring the plumage. 
This straw must be shaken up and cleansed every day, and 
renewed once a-week, or oftener, if necessary. The 
purchase of this straw occasions an additional outlay of 
money, hut this will be found no loss to those who have 
even a small garden, as the rotted straw mixed with fowls’ 
manure forms a valuable addition to the manure heap. In 
making these remarks, I refer to fowls which are kept 
without the appliances of a farm-house or country residence. 
It is almost superfluous to mention that where size 
is so much a consideration, high feeding is very ne¬ 
cessary. Where common poultry are fed twice a-day, it is 
desirable to feed the Cochin-China three or four times, and 
to give the food so abundantly, that some may be left after 
the fowls have satisfied themselves. They will very gladly 
eat the same food as other fowls. 
In speaking of young chickens, in The Cottage Gar¬ 
dener, during the earlier months of this present year, I have 
recommended so much care, that the same treatment will 
answer applied to Cochin-China chickens. I have often been 
asked the question whether they give more trouble, or require 
more care than the commoner kinds ? The true sort is at pre¬ 
sent so rare, that, I believe, the few persons who keep them do 
so chiefly for the fancy, and so, being desirous of realizing 
the greatest attainable excellence both in size and breeding, 
bestow much cost and attention upon them; but when the 
time shall arrive (and I trust it is not distant) when every 
cottager may possess his Cochin-China cock and hens, I 
know no reason why these may not be kept quite as easily 
as the common barn-door fowls. Only let the breed be kept 
pure, and if they do not attain the size at which they now 
arrive under the care of persons who wish to raise from 
[August 28. 
eight to twelve pound birds, they will get, at least, double 
that of our common poultry (I speak within bounds) and, 
certainly, double the number of eggs. 
I have not found the Cochin China fowls more delicate 
than our own, and the chickens are quite as easy to rear. I 
have sometimes found cross-bred chickens very delicate, 
very subject to roup, and very difficult to raise; but I have 
never experienced this trouble with the true sort: they are, 
on the contrary, nice, thriving, hearty, and hearty feeding 
chickens. 
Before concluding this subject, I must offer some ex¬ 
planation of one passage in my article of the 31st July last; 
for as I know that my words have been misunderstood by 
one reader of The Cottage Gardener, I fear they may 
also mislead others. In speaking disparagingly of some so- 
called Cochin-China fowls bearing marks of a cross of Malay , 
I would not, on any account, be understood to allude to some 
true-bred Cochin-China fowls of a somewhat Malay-like 
height and bearing, but which are quite pure Cochin-China 
fowls notwithstanding, although not so handsome, to my 
fancy, as the more square built variety. 
In these observations on the Cochin-China fowls, it has 
been my endeavour to render my descriptions clear, even to 
those who may be as ignorant both of the kind of fowl, and 
the deceptions frequently practised upon their unluckly 
purchasers, as I was myself when I commenced the same 
pursuit. If in this endeavour I should have failed in any 
point, I shall be most happy to reply to the inquiries 
(through the courtesy of the editor of The Cottage Gar¬ 
dener) of any reader of these papers who may find 
himself in want of information, reminding him, at the same 
time, that as I try to avoid writing from hearsay, I have but 
the experience of one person to offer. Anster Bonn. 
ANTIRRHINUMS. 
Those, like me, who are fond of mixed flower-borders, 
and who grow chiefly hardy, showy perennials and biennials, 
with an intermixture of the best annuals, need never want 
for flowers. I reckon a garden is not worth having, if it 
does not look gay nine months out of the tw r elve. To such, 
I ivould particularly recommend one flower, which is de¬ 
serving of more general and better cultivation : I allude to 
the antirrhinum. This has been a favourite with me for 
some time; and about two years since, I purchased a packet 
of seeds of B. W. Knight, St. Leonard’s, near Hastings, 
Sussex. They were stated to have been saved from seventy 
choice-named varieties. I sowed them in a bed by them¬ 
selves, and no collection could come finer; when in bloom, 
the best flowers were marked and hybridized, and this year 
there was such a gorgeous display of sorts and colours, as I 
never saw before,—very many are beautifully variegated 
and striped, like carnations, and they grow from one to six 
feet high: some of the spikes are two feet long, with lateral 
branches of flowers from the root up to the bottom of the 
spike. One advantage of such a bed (and the Slirubland 
Gardens cannot produce a richer) is, that you can select 
from it any flowers you wish (except blue) to ornament the 
borders. Apropos of blue, my neighbour grows the Linaria 
ornithora (triomithopliora?), a sort of long-tailed snapdragon, 
and amongst her collection are blue flowers. Query, will the 
Linaria and Antirrhinum hybridize ? if so, we may get into 
blues. A friend of mine has the double red; I have the 
double white, and one yellow, the two stamens of which have 
pushed into petals, and if the pistils should follow, they will 
be the only three double flowers that I know of. All my 
experience in Antirrhinum culture (and much of it is only a 
confirmation of what has been already written in The 
Cottage Gardener) amounts to this:— 
1. The flower hybridized upon produces form, 
2. The flower hybridized with gives colour, 
3. Red and yellow flowers produce orange. 
4. The oftener the crossings are made between the striped 
flowers, the richer are the markings. 
5. The male stamens of the flower hybridized, should be 
cut out. 
0. The more the plants are hybridized, the more difficult it 
is to raise the seed. 
7, Plants from hybridized seeds and cuttings arc tenderer 
