1883.] POULTRY RAISING. 59 



eggs, and at the same time she speaks of using Buff Cochin, 

 Leghorn, and Plymouth Rock cockerels. How does she 

 maintain that standard, in using different breeds ? 



Miss Reed. We have had no Cochins. We bought two 

 sittings, but none of the eggs hatched. They were total fail- 

 ures. We have had a Plymouth Rock and a Leghorn, but 

 the intervals have been so long that the special peculiarities of 

 the breeds have been bred out. We select only those which 

 conform to our own standard. We have two distinct breeds 

 at present. We have the white, which is more Leghorn than 

 Brahma, and we have the speckled, which is like the Domi- 

 nique and Plymouth Rock. They are entirely distinct, and 

 we keep them distinct. But it is too much trouble for per- 

 sons who cannot devote their whole time to the matter to 

 keep more than one breed of fowls. Somebody will leave a 

 door or a gate open, or some child will look in to see how 

 they are getting along, and they will all get together, so that 

 you will have a world of trouble. We therefore keep only 

 two breeds, and probably shall keep but one when we have 

 decided which is best. 



Question. Do you advocate giving chickens water or milk, 

 or any liquid, before they are six weeks old ? There has 

 been a good deal of controversy in poultry papers on that 

 point. I have raised chickens for the last two years without 

 giving them any liquid at all until they were six weeks old, 

 and I think they have done as well or better than chickens 

 that have had liquids earlier. 



Miss Reed. We have always practiced giving them water 

 as soon as they would drink it. Perhaps the food you gave 

 them was such that they did not require water. But if they 

 were fed with dry food, I think they would be thirsty. My 

 chickens always cry for water. It is a peculiar cry, different 

 from the cry for food. If you give them food when the water 

 trough is empty, they will give that cry. Give them water, 

 and they will be satisfied. 



Mr. . Mr. Hawkins raised 10,000 chickens the past 



season. For the last four years, his practice has been to give 

 them no water until they were six weeks old. 



