202 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, December 27, 1859. 
acquainted with Jack Chapman, his feeder, and through him I 
became possessed of a cock and four hens—one of which was 
blue, another red-dun, another dun-pile, and another, with the 
cock, mottled like the Dorkings. All had yellow legs. I once 
had a Chinese Game cock given to me by a friend who im¬ 
ported it; but it did not show any points of breeding. Its 
plumage was buff; the sickle feathers black. It had a large 
rose comb, and a few feathers on the legs like the Cochins. Its 
progeny proved themselves first-rate birds.— William Brent, 
Canterbury. 
BREEDING BLACK HAMBURGHS — FEEDING 
SPANISH FOWLS. 
Can you inform me how to breed Black Hamburgh cocks? 
I can breed black hens from any of the Hamburgh hens and a 
Spanish cock, and some perfect birds among them; but the 
cockerels throw bronze saddles and other colours. I intend 
putting a Black pullet to a Silver-spangled cock, if you think 
she will throw Black cocks. She is a cross between a Spanish 
cock and Silver-pencilled hen. 
Excuse me for troubling you for further information respect¬ 
ing several Spanish chickens that began to gape in June when 
about three weeks old, and continued till now, when they have 
begun to run at the nostrils and swell in the face. I think the 
disease is not the roup, as they eat freely, and are in good con¬ 
dition. I feed them on boiled Indian meal and corn. They have 
a good run in green fields. They roost in a place nine feet 
high, next to a wall where a fire is kept nearly night and day. 
—A Constant Reader. 
[We know many who keep Black Hamburghs and always breed 
them true, cocks and pullets. All Black cocks have a tendency 
to throw coloured feathers. We should advise you to get a 
cock from some of the good strains: we noticed several at the 
Tredegar Show mentioned in our number of last week. 
Nothing can be worse than your feeding for Spanish fowls, or 
indeed for any other poultry; it makes only fat, and gives no 
strength. They want no fire. Leaving the warm place you 
describe, and going into the cold air, will account for all the 
symptoms you describe. Leave off fire, and Indian corn and 
meal. Feed them well on ground oats mixed with warm water 
three times per day; and while the severe weather lasts give 
them, twice per day, bread and ale. Then let them live natu¬ 
rally without artificial heat.] 
A VENTURE IN LIGURIAN BEES, AND A 
WORD ABOUT MULTIPLYING THE RACE. 
The interest felt by many of your readers in the success of the 
attempt which is now being made to introduce the Italian bee 
into this country must be my apology for troubling you with 
this notice of the result of my first venture in this line. Having, 
in conjunction with an apiarian friend, ordered (through Messrs. 
Neighbour and Sons) two Ligurian queens from H, D. Hermann, 
of Tamins-by-Chur, I received on the 19th of October a “ double 
cassette,” containing (as Mr. Hermann’s note had previously 
announced) two queens, “ all yellow, and born in the month of 
May, this year.” On taking the box into my hands, I found that 
the bees in one compartment were noisy and restless ; in the 
other silent as death. On opening the former I found the bees 
very auxious to make their escape, and at the bottom of the box 
a breathless queen, in appearance differing but slightly, if at all, 
from a common English queen. Now this circumstance I was 
disposed to attribute to its having probably been dead some 
days, and thus its bright colouring became dark and dingy (as 
is the case, more or less, with common queens after death). The 
Ligurian people from No. 1 I led into a straw-cap with comb in 
it, and thenproceeded to open No. 2 ; and here I was delighted 
to find the bees as lively as the others, and -amongst them, con¬ 
spicuous for her beauty, a vigorous Italian queen. Taking her in 
my hand, and admiring the “ brightness and brilliancy of her 
colours,” I placed her amongst her Ligurian subjects in the 
straw-cap. As the day was warm I took them into the garden 
and allowed them the luxury of a flight, which they seemed to 
require after their six days’ confinement. This was between ton 
and eleven o’clock in the morning. In the afternoon, about four 
o’clock p.m., I placed the straw-cap containing queen and people 
pver a flat-topped straw hive, from which I had the same morn¬ 
ing removed the queen, after fumigating the stock in the old- 
fashioned way. The English bees appeared readily to receive 
the foreign monarch ; but the Ligurian people were nearly, if 
not quite, all slaughtered during the following night and morning. 
As the hive was not arranged with bars, I could not satisfy 
myself of the safety of the queen, except by the quiet and con¬ 
tented state of the stock. For some time after this there ensued 
an unfavourable state of weather, and but few bees made their 
appearance until the 23nd of November, on which day a great 
number came out for a flight, and amongst them a fair proportion 
of unmistakeable juvenile Ligurians; thus proving not only the 
well-being, but also the fertility of the “ Italish Alps’ ” queen, 
and, so far, the success of my first venture with the new race of 
bees. Immediately after the receipt of the first “ cassette,” I 
wrote to M. Hermann for a second ; but he replies in November, 
that it is “ too late, now, of sending more queens,” and states, 
that he proposes, in the spring, to bring a quantity of beehives to 
England “ his one-self.” Then follows his answer to my inquiry 
as to the distance to which Ligurians must be removed from 
common bees so as to prevent confusion in the races, and which 
I quote at length for the benefit of the apiarian readers of The 
Cottage Gardener. 
“ I shall send you a little book, in which you can find why it 
is possible to multiply the Italish bees of a lower distant,* also 
in the same apiary, and keep the race pure. But being printed 
in Germain and not knowing if you does know that language, I 
will translate it and send you an Exemplar. With a little practice 
you may make Italish 20 hives of your bees, in a fornnight, 
without removing the Bees, besides you have moveable bees 
enough. It must to multiplied the Italish Drones, and diminished 
the black Drones,—these are the two first principles, and when 
the Italish Queen flies out of marry her. The hives with black 
Drones must be keeped under lock and key by a preparation 
which does not permitt to let go out Drones but working Bees, 
and to know early Drones the hive is to be feeded every day with 
honey provided with Drones bars.”f— Sibert-on-the-Wold. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Liverpool Poultry Show. —It is our duty to keep our readers well 
informed of all that relates to poultry. We beg, then, to remind them the 
entries for Liverpool close on the last day of this month. Thanks to the 
liberality of the prize list and the deserved popularity of the managers of 
this exhibition, we expect, as usual, it will be the struggle of the elite *and 
the tournament of the winners at previous shows. 
Weight op Turkeys at Birmingham ( J . iff.).— We cannot pretend to 
know the reasons for the decisions of the Judges at Birmingham. We 
know it was stated in the Show some were given for weight, some for 
feather ; but, in accordance with their instructions, high condition was to 
be kept in view. It is also the rule to be guided by form as well as weight. 
If mere fat and weight decided in the classes, it would be unnecessary to 
have premised Judges like those gentlemen who act at Bingley Ilall. 
Feeding Geese for Exhiuition (C. R .).—Whole barley is an excellent 
food in a farm-yard, where birds pick up all other requisites for health. 
It is not, however, what is wanted for fattening. If it is required to make 
weight or put on fat, birds must not have much exe.-cise, or they walk off 
all they put on. Shut your Geese up in an old pigstyeor place of the same 
dimensions, and feed liberally on oats as much as they will eat. Let them 
also have gravel and grass; at times give them oatmeal for a change. 
They should fat in three weeks. 
LONDON MARKETS. —December 26. 
POULTRY. 
The Christmas market Is a spectacle, and none can imagine the quantity 
of poultry consumed in London unless they have seen it. But it is diffi¬ 
cult to make any quotation, as, in the masses of food brought in, there 
are all sorts—from the smallest and worst to the largest and choicest. 
As a rule, the heavier the Turkey or Goose is the more it is worth, if the 
quality is perfect; but, in unusually large birds, every pound above the 
average adds much to the value. 
Each — s. d. s. d. 
Large Fowls. 5 0 to 6 0 
Fowls. 3 6 „ 4 G 
Capons . 7 0 ,, 9 0 
Chickens . 2 0 „ 2 6 
Geese. 6 0 „ 8 0 
Ducks . 2 6 ,, 2 9 
Pheasants. 3 0 ,, 3 3 
Each— s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
CoGk Turkeys 
.12 
0 
to 25 
0 
Hen Turkeys 
. 6 
0 
„ 11 
0 
Partridges. 
0 
», 1 
4 
Pigeons . 
8 
.. o 
9 
Hares. 
. 2 
6 
3 
0 
Rabbits . 
4 
1 
5 
Wild ditto. 
8 
„ o 
9 
* lie had mentioned 1000 yards in a previous note. 
+ We have copied the letter literally. We suppose M. Hermann means 
that there are to be holes large enough to permit the passing in and out of 
the working bees; but too small to permit the drones to do so. However 
we de not undertake to explain the rest of his letter,— Eds, 
