THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, November 1, 1859. 
NOTES ON THE CRYSTAL PALACE SHOW. 
As “Xeres” wishes me to settle the question respecting 
Mr. Brent’s remarks on my pullet—what Mr. Brent calls a 
cockerel, I beg to state has just commenced laying, and I have 
no doubt I shall be able to supply Mr. Brent with a batch of 
her eggs in the course of a fortnight or three weeks. I am really 
at a loss to know how Mr. Brent could make such a mistake as to 
call her a cockerel.—R. Weight, 2, Porter's Place, Holloway. 
WHITE COMB —TARDA’ MOULTING — COMB 
OF GOLDEN-PENCILLED HAMBURGH. 
I have a Golden-pencilled Hamburgh cock that is just getting 
over moulting. Before he began, his ear-lobes were quite right; 
but since, they have streaks of red on them. Ilis comb also does 
not seem to be quite right, for it is rather scurfy and white. Can 
you form an opinion as to what is the matter with him, and 
suggest any remedy ? What is a good thing to give hens that 
are moulting and do not seem to get on with it very well, and 
how long ought they to be over it ? Do you think that a hen 
that is ju3t beginning to moult, will be in a fit state to send to 
the Birmingham Show ? Ought the comb of a Golden-pencilled 
Ilambui’gh cock to terminate in a long bold spike behind, or 
doe 3 it matter about its terminating in one point behind ?—C. 
[Your Golden-pencilled Hamburgh cock is suffering from 
white comb. It is easily cured by being kept rubbed with com¬ 
pound sulphur ointment; but as it is an indication of great internal 
heat, you should purge him freely with castor oil. Give him two 
doses of a table-spoonful each, at three days’ interval, and follow 
with Baily’s pills. If his deaf ears have been perfectly white, they 
will likely be so again. Moulting often causes these changes ; 
but it is fair to tell you, in order that your dependence may not 
be on him alone, that in old birds the white does not always 
entirely return. Tardy moulting is too often the effect of feeding 
on stimulating food, as heat of body acting on the feather in 
process of formation, dries it and prevents its growth. You 
must purge with castor oil, two doses at three days’ interval. 
Each dose a table-spoonful. Feed on ground oats, and if the fowls 
have not grass, give them lettuce. Keep them well fed and cool, 
but let them roost in a ventilated place, free from draughts. If 
the hen is only beginning to moult, she must use her time well 
to be ready for Birmingham, but if she is partly through it, she 
may easily be ready. The cock’s comb should terminate in one 
point, which should be stout at the base, tapering to the end, 
and incline upwards.] 
The Birmingham Cattle and Poultry Show.—Now that 
the autumn meetings of our numerous local agricultural Societies 
are terminated, attention will be given, and that immediately, to 
what are called our Christmas exhibitions, but which, from the 
early period they are fixed for this year, scarcely deserve that 
title. With regard to our own gathering in Bingley Hall, we 
must remind intending exhibitors that they should at once obtain 
the requisite certificates, as the entries in all departments will 
close on the 1st of November. Already, indeed, the applications 
of this nature to the Secretary have been very numerous, in some 
cases from gentlemen who have not previously been exhibitors; 
and we have every confidence that the show of stock wall prove 
to be quite equal if not superior to any which has been yet held 
in this town. With regard to the collection of poultry there can 
be no doubt that, as in former years, still further improvement 
will be manifested in all our principal breeds, the number of 
zealous and intelligent breeders of poultry increasing every year, 
and the competition for prizes becoming consequently more 
severe at each succeeding meeting. With respect to the general 
arrangements, but few changes have been made from last year, 
and the programme already issued supplies all the information 
which exhibitors can require .—(Midland Counties Herald.) 
IVY HONE1’. 
I HAVE just taken off a small super from one of my hives 
(No. 2), in which the bees were comb-making and honey-storing 
only two days ago, but which they have entirely deserted this 
morning,—the first frosty morning of 1859. As I expected, the 
honey is, unquestionably, gathered from ivy flowers. It is of a 
clear amber colour, highly scented, precisely like the scent of ivy 
75 
blossoms, and of a peculiarly bitter flavour. There is rather 
more than a fourth of it altogether, besides a small quantity 
in another super on No. 1 stock. Is there any parallel to 
this ?—B. & W. 
BEE-KEEPING IN DEVON.—No. XIII. 
A “ DOUBLE CASSETTE ”—FEEDING THE HUNGRY—LA REINE EST 
MORTE ! — THE BRITISH MUSEUM—A PROPHECY FULFILLED 
— DRIVING-A PROTRACTED SEARCH — INTRODUCTIONS TO 
ROYALTY—A PALPABLE HIT—AN UNEXPLAINED HIATUS. 
My experiment of establishing an artificially-formed stock of 
bees with a Ligurian queen appearing likely to succeed, I became 
desirous of possessing more than one colony of these interesting 
strangers ; and accordingly lost no time in procuring two ad¬ 
ditional queens, one for myself, and the second for my friend, 
Mr. S. B. Fox. Having, therefore, received a letter on the 23rcl 
August advising me of the despatch of “ one double cassette 
containing two Ligurish bee queens,” I impatiently anticipated 
their arrival. Day after day passed on, however, and still no 
“cassette” was forthcoming, until the conviction forced itself 
upon me that, when it did arrive, its contents would be of little 
value. At length, on the 27th, the long-looked-for little deal 
box was placed in my hands and at once applied to my ear. 
Unfortunately, this time no buzz arose to bear witness to the 
truth of the statement on the box-lid that it contained “living 
bees.” All was silent as the grave; save that, as I turned it 
over, I could distinguish the muffled sound of some apparently 
soft substance falling from side to side. Hastily applying a 
screwdriver, I wrenched open one compartment of the “ cassette 
and there, as I anticipated, I beheld a mass of dead bees, which I 
at once turned out on a sheet of paper. Contrary to my ex¬ 
pectations, a few remained clinging to the sides of the box, not 
quite dead, but so weakened as to be perfectly incapable of flight. 
Amongst these I distinguished the queen; and having satisfied 
myself that she was uninjured, I supplied them with some small 
pieces of honeycomb, and turned my attention to the unfortunates 
in the other compartment. In this case my misgivings were 
unhappily but too well founded—only one bee remained alive, 
and that one not the queen. 
The seasonable supply of food which I had furnished to the 
few surviving bees so recruited their strength, that when I 
delivered them over to Mr. Fox they appeared quite able to take 
wing, and were making the most vigorous efforts to escape. 
What success attended their introduction to this gentleman’s 
apiary will doubtless be in due time related by him in some future 
number of “Apiarian Notes.” 
Being very desirous of ascertaining what species of bee I was 
taking so much pains to naturalise in this country, I was fortu¬ 
nate in obtaining an introduction to Mr. Frederick Smith, of the 
British Museum, by whom I was assured that the one I sent him 
was undoubtedly the Apis Ligustica. He also informed me that 
the only specimens in the Museum were those of workers only, 
neither queens nor drones being represented. This deficiency I 
was able in part to remedy by presenting to the Trustees the 
dead queen whose untimely end I have recorded; and in due 
time received their thanks for my “liberality” and “valuable 
contributions ” of “ a specimen of Apis Ligustica from Switzer¬ 
land.” 
My second adventure in Ligurian queens having resulted so 
unfortunately, I immediately despatched a letter to Switzerland, 
stating the result, and requesting that another “ double cassette ” 
with two queens might be forwarded without delay. 
Pending their arrival I turned my attention to No. V., the 
stock with a Ligurian queen whose adventures have formed the 
subject of two former communicat ions. On the 3rd of September 
I first had the pleasure of seeing young Ligurians on the wing, 
thus literally fulfilling the prophecy recorded in a former article, 
that in thirty days “people would become yellow,” The excite¬ 
ment produced by feeding having subsided, it soon became evident 
that this artificial colony was, as compared with my other stocks, 
somewhat deficient in numbers—that main element of prosperity 
in bee-keeping. A populous condemned hive about a mile off 
was accordingly driven ; and the bees having been deprived of 
their queen, transferred their allegiance to the alien sovereign 
during the night of the 9th of September. In this case there 
was rather more fighting than usual, two or three hundred lives 
being sacrificed. The good effects of increased population became, 
however, immediately apparent, and the stock has since worked 
with redoubled strength and activity. 
