68o Journal of Agriculture. [8 Nov., 1907. 



is defective. The shafts of the feathers are light, but the less conspicuous 

 the better. Very few birds are seen without the light shafting ; yet there 

 is a possibility of breeding out the light shafts, so that the back would 

 resemble a piece of broken steel at the fracture. There is reason to 

 believe that this result can be brought about, as we have seen in Partridge 

 Cochins, which once had light shafts to a great degree, but still nO' 

 other quality should be sacrificed for the absence of shaft colour. I 

 have seen small, inferior birds awarded first prize over largt ones with 

 good backs, fine in all other respects. 



Many birds have lighter or darker tips to the feathers, which mar 

 the even steel colour. A shade of brown or drab often appears, and 

 in the latter part of summer most backs incline that way in the old 

 faded feathers before moulting, but come out bright and clean in new 

 feathers — under part of body and fluff are grey. There is a tendency 

 on the shoulder and upper wing coverts to have a reddish tinge. This is 

 a persistent feature of this breed and it should be avoided in the Show 

 pen and bred out as much as possible at all times ; it is gradually dis- 

 appearing, but is a decided bore to breeders of Show birds. The wings 

 should be closely folded and carried well up. Coverts and bow, silver 

 grey with white centre lines. Primaries and secondaries, upper webs 

 brown, lower webs slatv, mottled with grey. The tail of fair size to 

 match the body colour, and carried in a fairly elevated position. The 

 large feathers are grey on the outsides, dark brown on the insides. 

 Thighs strong, also grey in colour. Legs white, and the fifth toe must 

 be perfect in form and development. It will be seen that a bird with 

 such fine colouring, form and size, is not one to be overlooked, for 

 added to all this, it is a bird of fine carriage, graceful movement and 

 symmetrical proportions. 



THE PROCLAIMED PLANTS OF VICTORIA. 



{Continued from page 606.) 



Alfred J. Eivart, D.Sc., Ph.D., F.L.S., Government Botanist; and 

 ] . R. Tovey, Herbarium Assistant. 



The Bag^wort. 



Senccio Jacohaa, Linn. {Compositce.) 

 An almost cosmopolitan herb with a root-stock short and thick 

 without creeping shoots. Stem two to four feet high, erect, scarcely 

 branched, except at the top. Leaves divided into ovate, obovate, or narrow 

 segments, coarsely toothed or again divided, the terminal segments large 

 and joined together, the lower ones smaller and distinct, sometimes with 

 a loose woolly down, especially on the under-side. Flower-heads rather 

 large, of a bright yellow, in a handsome, compact terminal corymb. 

 Involucral bracts tipped with black, the outer ones few and very small . 

 Florets of the ray from twelve to fifteen, linear-oblong, and spreading. 

 The seed-like fruits of the disk are covered with short hairs, those of the 

 ray with none. A native of Europe and Asia. 



Having a perennial root-stock, the Ragwort is difficult to eradicate ; 

 care must be taken to remove the root-stock from the soil, otherwise the 

 plant will grow again. Since it seeds freely, and the seeds are easily 

 carried by the wind, it should be destroyed before flowering. 



Proclaimed for the Shires of Phillip Island and Woolamai, Wooryal, 

 Poowong and Jeetho, South Gippsland, Mirboo, and Colac. 



