March 28, 1867. 1 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



237 



infallible sign of Dorking blood, though, of course, not to be 

 looked for in most of the birds. There will also be, in all pro- 

 bability, a great want of the characteristic " cushiuu," causing 

 a long back, and the " fluff " will be more scanty than in pure- 

 bred birds ; and lastly, whilst the pencilling on the breasts of 

 pure-bred Brahma pullets assumes the form of more or less 

 perfect semicircles, one within the other, the markings on the 

 breast of a crossed bird often appear in the shape of straight 

 streaks or lines in a downward direction, more or less mingled 

 with the concentric Brahma pencilling. A red colour will 

 likewise be usually discernible, but is by no means decisive, as 

 it will also occur m quite pure-bred birds. The cruel head is 

 the best sign, as it is the last to quit : and did I know, in fact, that 

 there had been a Dorking taint in a yard, and found the heads 

 of the pullets small, taper, and gentle in expression, with good 

 combs, I should regard the strain as effectually " bred out " or 

 eradicated. The faults in shape and colour are less decisive, 

 and will vary with the amount of alien blood, but a white leg 

 is absolute proof. The centre division of the comb will also, 

 in all probability, be thick and blunted, and the whole comb 

 in the hens be too largo and thick, even more in proportion 

 than is seen in the male birds, which also, however, will nearly 

 always have combs much too large and fleshy, and with the 

 characteristic triple character much obscured. 



Scantily-feathered shanks will likewise be very often found 

 in Dorking-crossed Brahmas, and are frequently owing in 

 reality to this cause when attributed to a fear of vulture hocks. 

 Single birds scantily feathered will occur in any yard, and if 

 very good in other respects, may And their way to the show- 

 pen ; but where I have seen whole pens of scantily-fealhered 

 birds, I have rarely failed to discover other traces of impurity 

 in the strain. 



The Cochin cross I believe to have likewise arisen from two 

 causes ; the flrst being the original scarcity of breeding-stock, 

 which led to crossing with the nearest-allied race in order to 

 increase the produce as quickly as possible ; the second being 

 a desire to increase the size of degenerate strains. The first 

 motive needs no condemnation ; of the second I will only say 

 that the expedient is totally useless, as a well-bred Brahma 

 cook that has been properly reared is both larger and heavier 

 than any Cochin that ever was seen. In some cases, also, a 

 cross with the Partridge variety of Cochins has been employed 

 to give more pencilling to the breasts of the pullets. 



This cross is difficult to detect in specimens picked out for 

 exhibitiou, but greatly mars the beauty of the general produce in 

 the yard. A narrow and deficient breast will, however, be often 

 apparent, and is an almost infallible sign, though, of course, 

 ill-shaped bii'ds will occur in all strains. There is also usually 

 more yellow on the breasts of the pullets, or brown in the case 

 of the Partridge cross; but this also is not a sure test, as I 

 knew of two splendid hens, bred from some of Mr. Boyle's best 

 birds, which had very stained breasts, and yet bred chickens 

 again of the first quality. The comb will, however, be always 

 more or less faulty, being, although generally triple in character, 

 much too higb on the head of the cock, and trembling with 

 every movement of the bird. Most, in fact, of the large, loose, 

 trembling combs we often see arise, in my opinion, from a 

 Cochin stain. The cock will also very often have perceptibly 

 red feathers about the hocks, and the hen about her shoulders ; 

 and in these places a red colour is nearly conclusive, though, 

 as already observed, it is by no means infallible when about 

 the breast. Nearly all Cochin-crossed hons, however, acquire a 

 great deal of red somewhere in their second moult, though they 

 may as pullets have been good in colour. 



Another sign of a Cochin stain is a frequent tendency to 

 incubation. I would not insist on this in the case of a single 

 bird, though I have never myself had a Brahma which showed 

 any desire to sit until she had laid at least thirty ej;gs, and 

 generally more ; but when the propensity occurred generally 

 in a yard I should regard it as conclusive of a cross with the 

 Shanghae, though perliaps generations back. 



It will be seen that scarcely any one sign is infallible in 

 either case, and to determine the question of a suspected cross 

 requires much judgment and careful comparison of different 

 points. Other experienced breeders may see further signs, 

 and if so, I shall feel glad to have them pointed out, for my 

 own benefit and that of other readers. 



It will be seen, also, that I am little likely to agree with " An 

 Old Doeking Cock," who attributes Brahmas to a cross be- 

 tween Dorkings and Cochins ! I have shown how characteristic 

 is the slightest taint of either breed ; and his opinion will 

 never be shared by any one who has actually bred for three 



successive years either a Cochin or a Brahma. Into the vexed 

 question of their real origin this is nst the place to enter; 

 though I may yet have a friendly nut to crack with him on the 

 comparative merits of the fowl Miss Watts justly calls, " About 

 the best we have ever had." — Nemo. 



SAL1 FOR POULTRY. 



In answer to a correspondent, you stated that salt was con- 

 sidered injurious to fowls. Can any of your readers give any 

 reliable information on this matter 7 I have been in the habit 

 of mixing largo quantities of table salt in the food of my 

 fowls, but whether it has done harm or good I cannot tell. 



I believe the general impression is, that salt is actually ne- 

 cessary to animal life, so that I cannot understand how it can 

 be injurious to poultry. — E. S. 



[The work you quoted is no authority. It is quite cer- 

 tain that though salt is beneficial to many animals, it is not 

 essential for the preservation of health in all. We shall be 

 glad of a reply from any one who has given salt to fowls. — 

 Eds.] 



BREEDING GAME FOWLS. 



(Concltukd from page 201.) 



When crossing colours, in breeding in the following cases, 

 the hens will prevail more than the cock : — 1st, When ther& 

 are more than six hens to each cock. 2nd, When the hens are 

 dark with dark legs, and the cock light. 3rd, When the hens 

 are full grown and the cock not full grown. Also, in breeding 

 from Game hens with a barndoor cock, the progeny will be 

 " Gamer " than if breeding from a Game cock with barndoor 

 hens. The fighting properties are, however, inherited more 

 directly from the cock than from the hens in breeding Game 

 fowls together, which made the best breeders for the pit in 

 general more careful of their best brood cocks than of their 

 brood hens. In all animals of both sexes, those taking most 

 after their sires are considered to be both the strongest and the 

 most spirited — as a rule. 



Breeding from fowls not full grown is a great mistake, as even 

 if they produce quicker birds, which some say, though contrary 

 to my own exper ence, they at any rate produce weaker, and 

 smaller, and softer birds in both flesh and bone. 



In crossing light and dark colours together, it is well known 

 in all animals that the darker colours must gradually prevail 

 and eventually absorb the lighter colours, and that the only 

 way to prevent or retard this is, to keep most of the males of 

 the lighter coloius, or to have all strong vigorous males of 

 the lighter colours. Dark-coloured animals are generally the 

 strongest. Dark Brown or Dark Grey birds more especially so. 

 In changing brood cocks in crossing from Brown Red to Black- 

 breasted Bed ; for instauce, it will alter the tingo of colour in 

 the eggs of the hens, the Brown Bed cock inclining them to 

 lay a white egg, while the red-eyed Black-breasted Red cock 

 will make the eggs of a pinkish tinge, though not so much so 

 with Brown Bed hens. A yellow or daw-eyed brood cock will 

 cause yellowish-tinged eggs in like manner. If the brood cock 

 does not influence all qualities, he is never a first-rate bird. 

 Some say the cock influences colour and the hen shape, others 

 that all external qualities are from the cock, and all internal 

 qualities from the hen. I am certain that good cocks influence 

 all properties, more in all respects than the hens ever do. 



The immense difference between spring-hatched chickens 

 and summer-hatched chickens, even though from the same 

 parents, is worthy of remark. Those hatched in the spring 

 (the proper time), running the right height on the leg, light 

 and hard in flesh, with the right amount of bone ; while those 

 hatched in June or July run low on the leg, heavy and soft in 

 flesh, and too small and weak in bone, and, therefore, if .such 

 were matched to fight against birds bred at the right season, 

 they would have to fight with much longer-reached and stronger 

 and harder birds, though not at all heavier than themselves, 

 and would, consequently, be easily beaten, even if equal in 

 blood. I may here mention that I have had good broods in 

 June and July, though not equal to the spring birds. 



Breeders for the pit generally allow three hens to a " stag " 

 in breeding, and five hens to a full-grown cock. Some, how- 

 ever, prefer only two hens to the full-grown cock, or even one. 

 favourite hen to the favourite cock, only one hen is not 

 enough ; but two good hens are suSicient for the best cock, 

 and I am convinced that the best Game chickens are bred 



