294 
TIIE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 7, i860. 
Dorking Cock.— Prize, H. W. B. Berwick. Helmsley. Two entries. 
Cochin-China Cock.—Prize, W. Cannan, Bradford.' Three entries. 
Gamb Cock.— Prize, T. Dodds, Ovenden. Five entries. 
Hamburgh Cock (Golden-spangled).—Prize, J. Dixon, Bradford. Five 
entries. 
Hamburgh Cock (Golden-pencilled).—Prize, W. H. Dyson, Swap Farm, 
Bradford. Six entries. 
Hamburgh Cock (Silver-spangled).—Prize, J. Dixon, Bradford. Two 
entries. 
Hamburgh Cock (Silver-pencilled).—Prize, J. Dixon, Bradford. Two 
entries. 
Gander and Two Geese.— First, R. Tate, Driffield. Second, J. Dixon, 
Bradford. Three entries. 
Ducks (Aylesbury).—First, Mrs. E. Fidler, Stokesley. Second, R. Tate, 
Driffield. Five entries. 
Ducks (Rouen, any other breed not Aylesbury). First, G. Crowtber, 
Moor Allerton. Second, S. Pickard, Dirtcar House, Wakefield. Eight 
entries. 
Turkeys.— First, J. Dixon, Bradfo.d. Second, R. Tate, Driffield. Three 
entries. 
Extra Poultry. —Prize, E. Appleyard, Elm House, Thorn. One entry. 
PRECOCIOUS DORKING PULLETS. 
I see an account of a Grey Dorking of I860, laying an egg 
On the 20th June, which seems to be thought wonderful. I beg 
to inform Mr. Watson that we had chickens on that date from 
pullets of this year.-—N. Fergusson Blaie, Inchmartine, N.B. 
PRIZE PEN OP BUFF BANTAMS at BEVERLEY. 
Is this fair poultry dealing ? I see an advertisement in The 
Cottage Gardener offering for sale the pen of Buff Bantams 
which took the first prize at Beverley. 
After ascertaining that they are still to he had, I send the 
advertiser the sum asked, and receive an answer from him saying, 
that “ the pen of Bantams is sent off.” 
The “ pen however, on its arrival turned out to be Buff hens 
and a Blaek-breasted Red Game Bantam cock ! 
I write to inquire how this is, and am told that the prize Buff 
cock is dead; but that" the advertiser has sent another bird 
instead. 
I write to say, that an imperfect pen is useless to me, and to 
demand my money back. To this I get no reply at all. After 
waiting some days my husband writes, giving the advertiser the 
alternatives of either taking hack the whole pen at the original 
price, or the cock only at Is. 6 d. 
The advertiser writes a slashing reply, abusing your humble 
servants for being hasty , but agreeing to take the cock at the price 
named, if I would send him the birds before he sent me the 
money, and also carriage free. 
I comply with the first request, but refuse to pay carriage; and 
he having secured this advantage, deducts Is. for carriage, and 
returns me Gw 6 d. I am advised not to appeal to law for the 
recovery of my shilling. There remains, therefore, only to appeal 
to public opinion through your columns.—E. C. 
[We have the names of all the parties in the above transaction ; 
and if the statement contains all the facts of the case, and we 
have no reason to doubt it, the vendor ought not to have sent 
the Bantams to “ E. C.,” without her consent; and he ought 
not to have deducted the carriage which was occasioned by his 
own mis-doing. He knew very well that he had no justification 
for sending a Blaek-breasted Red Game Bantam cock with Buff 
hens, and he ought to return the shilling, and be well satisfied 
that he has not to pay for a lawyer’s letter.— Eds.] 
LIGURIAN COMBS-SIZE OF CELLS. 
Being desirous of ascertaining whether Ligurian bees really 
constructed combs with larger cells than the ordinary species, I 
made two artificial swarms of pure-bred Ligurians, oue on the 
7th, and the other on the 11th inst. Having waited until both 
hives were nearly filled with comb, I, yesterday (24th July), 
examined them and carefully measured the diameter of their cells. 
The result is, that they exactly correspond in size, as well as in 
every other respect, with the combs formed by the common honey¬ 
bee. Of course, there still remains the possibility that these bees 
may construct unnaturally small cells owing to their having been 
themselves dwarfed by being bred in cells of the usual size. I 
am not, however, disposed to concur in this supposition, since I 
could not perceive that the workers sent to me direct from 
Switzerland were at all larger than those bred in this country; 
and I am also of opinion that Nature would impel them to con¬ 
struct cells of a size suited to the full development of their species, 
even after tliey^had themselves been bred in the combs of the 
common bee. Nearly all the combs were complete masses of brood, 
mostly sealed (some amongst it being drone-brood), afforded satis¬ 
factory evidence of the extraordinary breeding powers possessed 
by Ligurian queens.—A Deyonshiee Bee-keeper. 
THE BEE SEASON—NOTES FROM AN APIARY. 
Since my last communication the weather has been verv 
cloudy and variable. I weighed some of my stocks of 1858, and 
found them all extremely light. There is likely to be a little 
made up, as the season is full three weeks later than last year. 
The lime trees have been in full blossom here since the 15th, and 
will last a week longer. In 1859, they came into blossom about 
the 24th June. 
It must be a very favoured locality where bees will not require 
feeding in the coming winter. My two best stocks are full 20 lbs. 
each lighter than they were in October last. 
Bees Deseeting tiie Hites. —One of your correspondents 
mentions a case of desertion. I have had a great many desert 
from various causes. First. From over deprivation of their 
combs. These went into a chimney and perished. Second. From 
being put into a hive (a swarm), which was partly tied together 
with a fisherman’s tarry twine. Third. From damp getting in 
and mildewed combs in consequence. Fourth. From losing their 
queen at certain seasons. 
The swarm left the tarry-twine hive the next day at noon, 
leaving a small piece of comb made, but clear of the tarred twine. 
They settled on the butt of a tree and were hived in a wooden box. 
I never knew a desertion from an old stock, such ns that 
mentioned by “H. M.,” where bees did not look out a hole in a 
wall, a chimney, a hollow tree, the roof of a church, or some 
such place previously. I never saw nor heard of such a desertion 
as that mentioned, so I have got a wrinkle. Many years ago, I 
saw an account of an early swarm, on the 29th March; on 
inquiry of the owner, near Bristol, he wrote me a very polite 
letter, and informed me that the bees had deserted from the 
combs being completely riddled by the Honey Moth. The bees 
were lost. 
Bees will desert a hive which has anything offensive in it—a 
dead mouse, or being overrun in winter by field mice. When 
bees desert they go much more quickly away, and much more in 
a straight direction than when they swarm. I never knew or 
heard of a desertion from an old stock that the bees did not 
perish should they" go into a strange hive. They are generally 
destroyed by the invaded bees. 
I have had several swarms come out this season and return, as 
you observe in The Cottage Gardener, July 24th, No. G17, 
no doubt occasioned by the weather. But the temperature has 
been on the average for the last six weeks 15° lower than at the 
same period in 1859.—H. W. Newman, Hillside. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Sussex Snow ( W. R. J!.). — It is contrary to all editorial propriety to 
reveal needlessly the name of an anonymous correspondent. We do not 
know the gentleman you name. 
White Bantams [J. Crossland, jun .).—We have no doubt that you are 
well acquainted with the points required in these birds; but it is also 
certain that there are two varieties—the clean-legged and the hooted, and 
if a Judge considers a pen of the latter superior to a pen of the former, we 
cannot condemn him for awarding to it the prize. It only points to the 
necessity for two separate classes with equal prizes being established at 
Poultry Exhibitions. 
Hen with Swelling in Foot {Fazakcrley ).—The substance with roots 
extracted was a corn. Corns are occasioned often by narrow rough 
perches, especially if placed high. Anything th.it cramps and bruises the 
sole of a fowl’s foot is apt to cause corns, and thickening of the skin and 
flesh, popularly known as “bumble-fooled.” Adopt broad, smooth, low- 
placed perches. 
LONDON MARKETS.— August 6. 
POULTRY. 
The supply increases, the demand becomes less dailv, and 
proportion. Trade will, in all probability, be bad 
months. 
Each- 
— 5. 
d. 
s . 
d. 
Large Fowls. 
0 
to 
5 
6 
Smaller Fowls... . 
6 
3 
6 
Chickens . 
3 
3 
0 
Geese. 
0 
6 
6 
Goslings . 
0 
0 
0 
Ducks . 
0 
0 
0 
Ducklings. 
9 
» 
3 
0 
prices fall in 
for the next two 
Each— s . d. s . d . 
Turkeys. o 0 to 0 0 
Guinea Fowls. 3 0 „ 3 6 
Pigeons. 0 8 „ 0 9 
Hares. 0 0 ,, 0 0 
Leverets . 4 0 „ 5 0 
Rabbits. 1 4 ,, I 5 
Wild ditto. 0 8 „ 0 9 
