THE COTTAGE G A KEENER. 
July 14. 
.902 
united casts and swarms, for the last forty years, and never in a single 
instance has the like happened. Our method has been given in The 
Cottage Gardener. —J. H. P. 
Bees.— E. IJ. says:—“Yesterday one of my hives sent forth a cast 
about ten o’clock, a.m. The cast was put into one of Payne’s Cottage 
Hives (a new one), and in half-an-hour’s time, the bees being quiet, tiie 
old stock was removed from its position, its entrance closed, and the cast 
placed on its stand, to receive the bees that happened to be out as they 
returned from the fields. I sliould have said, that the cast, when it 
settled, alighted in two clusters on the adjoining branches of a yew tree. 
In about half-an-hour after they were placed on the stand there was 
evidence of some confusion, which lasted till one o’clock, when all the 
bees left the hive. After being in the air fully ten minutes, they alighted 
again (this time in one cluster), but with considerable hesitation, on the 
bough where they had collected when they first swarmed. This time 
many of the bees seemed very unsettled and would not cluster. I hived 
them in an old common hive, and left them under the tree. The bees 
remained in it for about two hours, flocking in and out all the while. 
They a third time returned to the hough. I hived them once more, in 
Payne’s Cottager’s Hive, and sprinkled the inside with honey and beer. 
On returning to look at them in a short time they were all gone. I 
should add, that eacli time they were hived not one single bee was left 
upon the bough of the tree. What became of the bees I do not know, 
they may have returned to the old hive, which I had before this placed 
upon its stand. What was amiss in all this ? What was the cause of 
the bees declining to remain in the hive? Their confusion, and the un¬ 
certainty of their movements, gave me the impression that they lost their 
queen on their leaving the hive the first time after swarming.” In all 
probability they came out without a queen, and would have returned in 
the first instance to their parent hive, had it not been removed from its 
place. They did ultimately return, no doubt. It is possible they might 
have lost their queen, which would have produced the same result. 
Cerasus serotina (Scholasticus).— This is the American Bird 
Cherry. Walks.— As you can obtain neither chalk nor gravel, make 
them of coal tar and the finest portions of the sifted coal ashes which you 
say are abundant. The latter must he perfectly dry, and will then form 
a concrete with the tar; the addition of a little lime will improve the 
hardness of the composition. Never mind whether vegetation is later or 
earlier, plant deciduous trees when the leaves are becoming yellow ; and 
vegetables in your kitchen garden about the times given in our calendars. 
The concrete mentioned above, spread over clay, makes perfectly tight 
water tanks. 
Woodlice (A Subscriber). —Gas lime drives them away, and they 
may be trapped bv having two tiles set over each other one-eighth of an 
inch apart. Ho not put the gas lime too near the Carnations. 
Spanish Fowls Eggs.— Capt. W. II. Snell says that he had four 
weighed last year by Mr. French, of High Holhorn, and they weighed 
4 o7,s. 3grs. each. From a subsequent letter, we find that they were double- 
yolked. 
Balm op Gilead Seedlings {A Country Subscriber).—Yon do not 
say where they are growing. Too much wet is the cause of their damp¬ 
ing off; let them have less, and sprinkle dry sand among them. 
^ oung Turkeys (G , L. Ec). —“ Can any of your readers give me 
some information respecting the diseases of young Turkey chicks ? Last 
summer I had twenty-nine hatched from two hens, and at about four or 
five weeks old they began to droop, were affected with cramp, apparent 
giddiness, blindness, &c ; , which at first was only at intervals during the 
day; and, notwithstanding all the remedial measures of peppercorns, 
hot wine, carravvay-secds, tk c., which I was advised to try, they drooped, 
and one by one died. Thinking cither the farm they were at did not 
suit them, or that the poultry woman who managed them was not skilful, 
I this year removed the Turkeys to another farm, with a very experienced, 
good poultry woman. The Turkey only hatched out eight, hut for six 
weeks they were most thriving, but now one has died, and I fear that all 
the rest will do the same, as three or four of them are now, at intervals 
in the day, apparently quite giddy, with their head hanging down, 
shaking with a kind of cramp, and always in the morning with a sort of 
film over their eyes. They eat well at intervals, when for a time it passes 
quite off. We have taken every care to keep them dry and warm, and 
house them every night in a dry, warm place ; but, as the disease seems 
a very marked one, perhaps there may be some remedy for it, and, if so, 
I should feel very much obliged to you if you could give me some in¬ 
formation about it. The food they have had has been barley-meal and 
chopped onions.” We shall be glad if any one experienced in raising 
Turkics will give us an account of their mode of treatment. 
Poultry House. — H. T. would be obliged by the plan of a house 
calculated for keeping under one roof Ducks, Turkeys, Shanghaes, and 
Dorkings. 
Erecting Greenhouse (A Country Rector) .—Pray consult our fifth 
and sixth volumes; you will there find abundant information on the 
subject. 
Bad-tasted Butter.—T. C. B. wishes us to state that lie finds the 
remedy recommended by us on the 12th of May completely successful. 
X. Y. Z., Morpeth— The party you mention we believe to be re¬ 
spectable. 
Vine (J. II .).—We should bend the stem down, and introduce it 
through the. brick-work just below the sash. This is the most desirable 
plan, but it is impossible to advise positively without seeing the place 
and the Vine. 
Hambubohs (Amateur).— The coloured plate of these in No. 4 of 
The Poultry Book should have been “ Go\&en-pencilledl Hamburghs.” j 
They took a first prize at the Metropolitan show last year. 
Half-drowned Chickens (M. M.).— Why not keep them in a wired ; 
enclosure until old enough to be more careful ? Prevention in such 
case is certainly better than having to cure. When a chicken does fall 
into water, the best proceeding is to get it out again without delay and j 
to dry it before a fire. 
Spot in Geraniums (Devon).— 1 There is no doubt that your plants 
are atfected with it. 
I 
Young Vines (Now a Constant Reader). —You may prune them now. 
See what we have said above about erecting a Greenhouse. 
British Queen Strawberry (Pluto),— Apply to its raiser, Mr. 
Myatt, nurseryman, Deptford. 
Otto of Boses (E. G. ). —To obtain one drop of this would require, 
probably, the flowers from every rose-tree in your parish. To make rose 
water from the flowers, requires distillation and a proper apparatus. 
Insect-nest on Wall (J. L., Basford).— The patch of dirt on the 
wall enclosing thirteen cells, in which were grubs, was the nest of one 
of the Mason Wasps (Odynerus). The grubs were the store of food laid , 
up by the parent wasp, the builder of the nest, for the young wasp-grubs 1 
when hatched. 
Name ok Insect (Henriette).—' The caterpillar in your Ayrshire Rose 
is that of the Common Vapourer Moth. 
\ entilation of Rooms (E. S.). —The best answer to your query is 
the following extract from a iittle work on “Domestic Economy,” by 
Mr. Tegetmeier:— 
“Ventilation. —The only ventilation practicable in the houses of 
the working classes is that which is termed natural ventilation ; which is 
caused by the ascent of heated air; the air which becomes impure by 
the action of.the lungs, or by the burning of candles, lamps, gas, &c., or 
by the fire, is heated, and rendered lighter than pure air, it therefore 
rises to the top, and cold, pure air takes its place. 
“ Thus, to ventilate a room well, it is essential that there should be 
two openings ; one above, by means of which the impure, heated air can 
pass out, and another below, for the entrance of pure, cold air. 
“ In dwelling rooms, as ordinarily constructed, the impure air is 
imperfectly carried away by the draught of the chimney; it follows that 
the whole of the room above the level of the fire-place remains filled with 
air in a partially impure state ; and the openings by which air is admitted 
are usually left to chance, the cracks around and under the doors and i 
windows being the means by which it gains an entrance. If these are 
not sufficient to admit a proper quantity of air to supply the draught of 
the chimney, the latter necessarily smokes. 
“ A much better plan is to admit the pure outer air, by means of a 
plate of perforated zinc placed, instead of a pane of glass, in the upper 
part of one or more of the windows farthest from the fire; the air 
entering through the zinc in small streams, becomes so mingled with the j 
warm air of the room that a draught is prevented, and when the windows j 
are opposite the tire, the whole air of the room is gradually and imper- l 
ceptibly changed. If to this mode of admitting pure, cold air, be added 
an opening in the chimney, near the ceiling, to allow the escape of the 
impure, warm air, much will be done for health and comfort: this 
opening in the chimney, however, requires a chimney-valve to prevent 
any downward draught of smoke; the utility of this mode of allowing 
air to enter and escape for the purpose of ventilating rooms, is proved by 
its frequent and increasing adoption. Sheets of perforated zinc may be 
obtained from 6d. upwards, and chimney valves from 4s. to 5s. Where 
appearance is an object, glass perforated with circular holes or slits may 
be employed instead of zinc, and chimney-valves are made of a very 
ornamental character. 
“ Cold air, it may be added, should never be admitted under the doors 
or at the bottom of a room, unless it be close to the fire or stove, other¬ 
wise it flows along the floor towards the fire-place, leaving the upper 
foul air unchanged, and cooling most unpleasantly and injuriously the i 
feet and legs, which are most susceptible of injury by cold.” 
Names of Plants ( Inquisitor ).— The only Fern which reached us 
was a piece of the Common Pulypodium vulgare. The Davilliu canu- 
riensis is one of the Hare’s Foot Ferns. (Rev. R. M. E.) —Yours is the 
Aloe variegata, or Partridge-breast Aloe. Our correspondent says “ it 
was out-of-doors the whole winter near Cloyne, in Ireland, it being only 
covered with a.hand-light during severe days, and it is now in bloom. 
Eccremocarpus is hardy there, and bore the frost very well, as did 
Guzania rigens;- but Lopliospernum was killed.” (W. Ledger). —We 
think Doronicum cuucasicum. (Carig Cathol). —We believe your bit of ■ 
Myosotis to he the M. e/espitosa, which is so much like the palustris, hut 
coespitnsu is considered a biennial, and pulustris a perennial. We see ! 
nothing wrong with respect to your Scarlet Geranium ; plants often 
exhibit a little sickly appearance until they become established, either ! 
from too much wet, cutting winds, or some other too great change. 
London: Printed by Harry Wooldridge, Winchester High-street, 
in the Parish of Saint Mary Kalendar; and Published by Vv'illiam 
Somerville Orr, of Church Hill, Walthamstow, in the County of 
Essex, at the Office, No. 2, Amen Corner, in the Parish of Christ 
Church, City of Loudon.—July 11th, 1853. 
