186 



JOURNAL OP HOBTICULTDRE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



[ March 7, 1887. 



and to put them into a large jar full of dry bran, sticking them 

 points downwards deep into the bran, and thus keeping them 

 in an upright position, aud then placing the jar in a cool cup- 

 board. Wlieu eggs were required fur a sitting I chose the best- 

 shaped of these, none of which were older than ten days. All 

 eggs kept in this way I found to hatch well and without failure. 

 Game fowls, if healthy, should be in full feather by Novem- 

 ber, aud should moult in September or October, feathering 

 well and quickly, as healthy birds should do. Some are found 

 too bare lu moulting. Such birds are not so healthy. No Game 

 hen if short iu body and of the proper size can cover more 

 than twelve eggs properly. I use eleven eggs to a sitting in 

 cold or cool weather, and twelve in warm weather, and never 

 more, though many give thirteen eggs. A little earth at the 

 bottom of the nests, not too dry, assists in hatching the eggs. 

 As with I'heasauts, fur nests 1 prefer short hay sprinkled with 

 lime. — Newmakicet. 



(Tu be continued.) 



BREEDING DARK BRAHMA POOTRAS. 



{Continued from jiai/e 170.) 

 I MENTio.sED last Week the principal characteristics iu shape 

 to be attended to in breeding these fowls, and I propose next 

 to make a few remarks upon the colour and other fancy points. 

 One of these, and of no small importance, is the comb, 

 which, as it is more peculiarly characteristic than in nearly 

 any other breed, ought to receive very special attention, but is, 

 on the contrary, very generally neglected. I had a note a 

 fortnight ago from a gentleman who has taken numerous 

 prizes for Dark Brahmas last season, remarking that he found 

 it almost impossible now to procure hens with good combs ; 

 and another only a day or two ago from one of the most suc- 

 cessful exhibitors of the light variety, iu which the writer 

 observed that he now seldom saw a good comb in either colour, 

 and that all Brahma combs were fast degenerating into "cup 

 combs," and would, if not watched, soon lose their peculiar 

 triple character. I quite agree with both the writers, and wish 

 to draw special attention to the point before it is too late. I 

 believe the evil to have arisen primarily from the various crosses 

 which have been attempted with the idea of improving the 

 breed, and which I shall notice by-and-by, and to have been 

 since perpetuated by waut of care. As it is, even where the 

 triple character is apparent, the comb is too often a shapeless 

 confused mass. Amongst tifty-three entries for cocks at Bir- 

 mingham, I particularly noted that there was only one comb | 

 which could be called perfect (belonging to a bird shown by 

 Mr. Boyle), and live more tolerably so. The others were all 

 examples of more or less shapeless confusion. In a good 

 Brahma comb, I need scarcely say, there should be three dis- 

 tinct divisions, each running straight along the head and evenly 

 serrated. The centre division should be about double the 

 height of those on each side, and thin, and the whole as'small 

 as possible, so as to sit firmly on the head, and not tremble 

 every time the bird moves. An overgrown comb which shakes 

 with every movement is very unsightly. 



Even when the parents have had unexceptionable combs, it 

 may be as well to caution beginners, and even some old 

 breeders, that it is by no means easy to "grow" them in per- 

 fection upon the heads of the cockerels. There is a continual 

 tendency to grow too high, or, what is still more ugly, to shoot 

 out sideways. After comparing notes with several experienced 

 exhibitors, I am of opinion that this arises from too much or 

 too stimulating food. If there be more flesh-forming material 

 supplied than is consumed in the general system, the re- 

 mainder appears to go into the comb. At all events, the over- 

 growth I am speaking of appears more frequently in cockerels 

 bred in comparative confinement, and is more rare where the 

 birds have a wide grass run, to keep the bowels freely open, 

 and work off any amount of feeding by active exercise. I can 

 only point out the fact, each breeder must avoid the conse- 

 quence as best he can ; and it will be seen that the problem is 

 a rather difficult one, for if the bird be underfed, it, of course, 

 does not attain a proper size, whilst undue forcing leads to the 

 result mentioned. 



I wish, however, to express a decided opinion, that far more 

 stress should be laid upon the comb of the Brahma at all ex- 

 hibitions than is now the case, and for the simple reason that, 

 as already observed, it is a marked characteristic of the breed. 

 I am no advocate in general for laying undue stress upon 

 " fancy points," I could wish that our general poultry-judging 



were very much more the other way ; but where any point is 

 one of the distinguishing marks of a breed, I contend that it 

 stands upon a different footing ; and I cannot understand why 

 any gross defect iu the comb of a Spanish or Hamburgh fowl 

 should be instant disqualification, and almost any amount of 

 deformity be tolerated in a Brahma. No one would think of 

 giving a prize to a Hamburgh cock whose comb was not, at all 

 events, passably good ; jet the Hamburgh comb is approached 

 in character by the Dorking, and is, therefore, far less peculiar 

 and characteristic than the comb of the Brahma, which is 

 altogether unique and peculiar to the breed. 



I have dwelt at length upon this point, having a strong sense 

 of its importance, a feeling which is shared, as I have said, by 

 some of the most eminent breeders. I venture to ask for it 

 the careful attention of our poultry judges, and would also like 

 to invite the opinions of others of your numerous readers. I 

 write in no dogmatic spirit, but simply from a strong feeling 

 that unless more stress be laid upon the perfecticn of the 

 comb, and very soon, that peculiar formation which is in my 

 eyes one great beauty of a Brahma will speedily be lost. That 

 it has real beauty few who have seen it in jierfection will be 

 disposed to deny. 



My remarks on this head have taken up so much room, that 

 I must defer anything concerning the colour of the plumaga 

 until my next communication. — Nemo. 

 (To be continued.) 



INQUIRY. 



Has any one applied for the eggs advertised in " our 

 Journal," at 10s. (jd. per sitting, from birds of all the " crack " 

 strains, and giving the address as M. Brooksbank, 4, Back. 

 KoUeston Street, Manchester ? We are informed that it is 

 about one of the lowest localities in Manchester, in fact, not 

 a " stone's throw " from Pott Street, New Islington, notorious 

 for the "Long firm ;" that No. 4 is a cottage at about 2s. or 

 2s. Gd. per week, pretty clean for the neighbourhood ; and that 

 a few mongrel fowls are kept, which roost in the cellar. 



CROSS BREED OF FOWLS. 



I CAN from experience strongly recommend a cross between 

 the Brahma Pootra and Spanish. I use a Brahma cock from a 

 stock bred in-and-in for ten or twelve years, and common 

 Spanish hens, costing 2s. (id. each ; the chicks are healthy, 

 never naked in their chickenhood like their parents, come early 

 to maturity, and are first-rate layers of fine eggs in winter, 

 when eggs aregenerally scarce, aswell as in summer ; the pullets 

 lay large eggs as compared with other pullets, and they make large 

 handsome fowls. I have some in full laying weighing about 

 7 lbs. each. The cockerels at six months old alwuys weigh 

 more than G lbs. I killed some in November ; one of them, five 

 aud half months old, weighed when trussed u^ lbs. ; no shutting 

 up, stuffing, or cramming, but running in the yard and feeding 

 with the others. The pullets are close sitters and good mothers. 



I sit my hens anywhere in small houses, like dog-kennels, 

 covering the sides, roofs, and backs with tarred felt. To each 

 house I have a small yard 3 feet C inches long, 3 feet wide, and 

 3 feet high, formed by means of laths. The roof is covered 

 with tarred felt. Out of about thirty pullets put to sit last year, 

 only one refused the nest. 



The crossbred fowls are very quiet, a three-feet wire fenc« 

 being sufficient to keep them in. If I had had prime birds to 

 breed from, and a good run, no doubt the result would have been 

 better still. 



I feed my fowls principally upon barleymeal and fine bran 

 in equal quantities, and everyday I mix with their food half a 

 pint of finely powdered chalk, or half-a-pint of animal charcoal, 

 costing 14s. per cwt., and I aiJord a small feed of oats or barley 

 before they go to roost. 



My fowls are kept in a yard covered with coke dust. The same 

 yard has been occupied by them for five or six years ; sometimes 



1 have had iu it as many as eighty or ninety at a time. I keep it 

 perfectly sweet by occasionally dissolving in boiling water about 



2 ozs. of McDougal's (Arthur Street West, City), " cattle plague 

 soap," costing lid. per lb., adding about three gallons of cold 

 water, and watering the yard as one would a flower-bed. Befor* 

 I adopted this plan, in wet weather the yard used to smell very 

 offensively, not only to myself but to my neighbours ; now it is 

 always sweet. I keep the house free from smell by every day or 



