48 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
April 21. 
rests at stated periods, and compare the state of our science 
at the commencement of the several periods, we shall he 
able to estimate pretty accurately the progress that has 
been made. 
If we mistake not, Tiie Cottage Gardener was one of 
the first, if not the very first, periodical that opened its 
pages to bee-keepers. Formerly we used to get in bee- 
books the experience of an individual bee-keeper, who filled 
up the outline of his own experience, and the details of his 
own particular hobbies, with the stereotyped platitudes of 
his predecessors. The book was published; some poor 
enthusiast bought it; followed its directions; failed of 
success, and became disgusted with bees ; no one was by to 
offer good advice. Now, week by week, we have failures 
and successes alike chronicled, and he must be indeed a 
dullard who cannot, out of the calendars and other papers 
that are continually being published, knock out a safe and 
profitable mode of practice. If we look back upon the 
various suggestions for, and well tried modes of, ventilating, 
driving, fumigating, forming artificial swarms, superhiving, 
removing supers, giving water, feeding, making food, &c., 
and the interesting notes that have appeared upon position 
of hives, consumption of hives, weight of comb in hives of 
different ages, honey-dew, formation of Queens, &c. ; we 
cannot but admire the truth of what has been urged ; and 
while these last mentioned subjects are, perhaps, chiefly 
interesting to those who have had some experience, it is 
quite clear, from the nature of the questions put, and from 
the admissions continually made by correspondents, that 
The Cottage Gardener has greatly increased the number 
of bee-keepers, 
What, we would ask, is it that makes bees such general 
favourites, particularly to us dwellers in dull climes where 
disappointment awaits us in almost two seasons out of three, 
and where we have neither the orange-blossoms of the Isle 
of Bourbon, nor the rosemary of Narbonne to impart their 
perfume to our honeyed store ? Is it not because, in the 
midst of the hurry and anxiety of business, they are sug¬ 
gestive of heather and wild thyme, of apple-blossoms and 
laburnum, of Hybla and Hymettus; because we mount 
upon their backs and follow them in their flight to the 
scenes of our autumnal rambles; because in these rambles 
a knowledge of their habits often enables us to drop a word 
of advice and encouragement where it is most wanted ; be¬ 
cause we take pleasure in explaining to the little ones about 
us the wonders shewn in the economy of these insects, and 
so prepare them to receive, unscathed, the shafts wherewith 
the Great Enemy, clothed in the gai’b of materialism and 
the pride of reason, may before long assail them, 
Before closing these notes, we would recommend every 
bee-keeper who is alive to the poetry of bee-keeping to 
read the article from the “ Quarterly” already referred to: 
however much a practical man may differ from the wiiter on 
some points, no one with any pretence to taste can fail to be 
pleased with the elegant manner in which the subject is 
treated by him, nor with the admirable review it contains of 
many of the writers who have treated of the honey-bee. 
As we commenced this paper with poetry, we will end it 
in like manner: however frequently we may have come 
across the following passage, and whatever, as naturalists, 
we may think of its truth, it will never lose its freshness or 
beauty to those who really like bees; it moreover beauti¬ 
fully conveys one of the many lessons which their habits are 
calculated to teach. After having enforced from their 
example the great principles of contentment and obedience, 
and shewn the influence of those principles on the com¬ 
munity at large, the poet proceeds to infer analogically, how 
it is quite possible that the many interests that are at work 
in the world are, in fact, all “ working together for good,” 
though they may appear conflicting to us, who can only 
grasp one or two links in the long chain of events. 
“ Therefore doth heaven divide 
The state of man in divers functions, 
Setting endeavour in continual motion ; 
To which is fixed as an aim or butt, 
Obedience : for so work the Honey Bees ; 
Creatures, that, by a rule in nature, teach 
The art of order to a peopled kingdom. 
They have a king, and officers of sorts ; 
Where some, like magistrates, correct at home ; 
Others, like merchants, venture trade abroad ; 
Others, like soldiers, arm’d in their sting, 
Make boot upon the summer’s velvet buds ; 
Which pillage they, with merry march, bring home 
To the tent royal of their emperor ; 
Who, busied in his majesty, surveys 
The singing masons building roofs of gold ; 
The civil citizens kneading up the honey ; 
The poor mechanic porters crowding in 
Their heavy burdens at his narrow gate ; 
The sad-eyed justice, with his surly hum, 
Delivering o’er to executors pale 
The lazy yawning drone. Hence we infer, 
That many things having full reference 
To one concert may work contrariously ; 
As many arrows loosed several ways 
Fly to one mark ; 
As many several ways meet in one town; 
As many streams run into one self sea; 
As many lines close in the dial’s centre, 
So may a thousand actions, once afoot, 
End in one purpose, and be all well borne 
Without defeat.” 
R. 
DISEASES OF FOWLS. 
CROP-BOUND. 
A very large Cochin Cock of last year, who had for some 
time been the despotic ruler of the yard, was deposed, after 
a short combat, by a new arrival from “ Stevens’;” after 
being conquered, he was so much hurried and driven by the 
victor that ho was even prevented from feeding, and in a 
few days drooped to such an extent that his removal was 
deemed necessary, aftel which, lie took the earliest oppor¬ 
tunity of eating a very large quantity of barley, &c., and 
filled his crop to a degree of which only a Cochin is capable. 
The food in the over-distended crop remained there for 
several days, not passing into the gizzard, consequently the 
bird was half-starved, and became exceedingly hungry, 
eagerly devouring grass, &c., &c., which, of course, added 
to the evil. In this state I first examined him, and found 
the crop extremely distended with a perfectly solid, unyielding 
mass of food, which had remained there for five days :—after 
securing the fowl by wrapping a long piece of netting round 
the legs and wings, (in the same fashion that a spider adopts 
in securing a fly), I picked off" a few feathers, and made an 
incision, two inches long, through the skin, muscular fibres 
and crop, and extracted, with some trouble, an immense 
quantity of exceedingly offensive grain, grass, &c.; washed 
out the cro]} by repeatedly pouring water through the 
opening, and then sowed up the wound, taking care that the 
edges of the crop and of the skin were neatly brought 
together. 
Perhaps some persons may imagine the operation to have 
been both unnecessary and cruel; I feel confident, however, 
that it saved the life of the bird; and as to the pain inflicted, 
it could not have been very severe, as the animal, whilst 
held down on its back, made every effort, not as may be 
imagined to escape, but to reach and devour the corn which 
was being extracted from it. A few hours after the operation 
the fowl was fed with some oatmeal-gruel, and was obviously 
much better, the food passing through the bowels, which, 
for several days previously, had not occurred. The ob¬ 
struction was caused simply by the compact character of the 
solid mass which distended the crop, as, upon examination, 
I found that there were not any substances contained in it 
larger than peas. The following day the patient appeared 
much better, took soft food freely, which was properly 
digested, d r c. &c., and afterwards rapidly recovered, the 
stitches having been carefully cut on the third day after the 
operation.—W. B. Tegetmeier, — Tottenham, Middlesex. 
[Usually, if promptly treated, when a fowl with “ a hard 
crop,” or crop-bound, has a teaspoonful of gin or brandy 
poured down its throat, the torpid crop is so stimulated as 
to pass the mass of grain.— Ed. C. G.] 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
Royal Dublin Society’s Cattle and Poultry Show.— 
This was on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the 
29th, 30th, and 31st March, on their spacious premises, 
Kildare-street, Dublin, and had the merit of superiority in 
both quantity and quality to former shows. The splendid 
cup presented by Messrs. Purdon, of the Farmer's Gazette, 
