June 13, 1867. ] 



JOURNAIi OP HOBTICULTUKB AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



^5 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



GUARANTEEING HIGII-PPaCED EGGS. 



As there is considerable discussion about the quality of high- 

 priced eggs just now, perhaps the experience of one of your 

 subscribers may be useful. Of purchased eggs I have tried 

 three sittings simultaneously : one Dark Brahma, one Black 

 Spanish, one Black Duck of a foreign variety. The first sit- 

 ting cost quite £1, for there was carriage to pay and a man's 

 time in going to the station on three consecutive days, in addi- 

 tion to the high price for the eggs. The result was six chickens 

 hatched, with which I was satisfied. The Spanish eggs I ac- 

 quired by exchange from one who guaranteed the bonajidcs of 

 one of your advertisers a short time ago. He stated that he 

 was quite satisfied with his part of the agreement, made ac- 

 cording to his own terms, and I in return asked him to guarantee 

 me four chicks, and to be sure and send the eggs fresh. I re- 

 ceived them on a Friday evening, and set them the following 

 Tuesday morning ; the result was only one chick saved out of 

 three hatched. I wrote about it, and was promised, as all 

 appeared fair and aboveboard, a few others, which I have 

 never received. Of the Black Ducks, nine were hatched out 

 of thirteen — a very good result ; but they have never been 

 advertised to my knowledge. I supplied five eggs of the Silver- 

 spangled variety to a friend, and they were all hatched in nine- 

 teen days, or two days previous to the expected time ; and as 

 I had some Sebright eggs, which I offered for sale but did not 

 part with, I set the layer herself on nine, and she hatched the 

 whole of them, coming off with a strong brood on the morning 

 of the twentieth day. I did not select the eggs, but took them 

 in the order of their being laid. 



All the three sittings which I purchased I set under first-class 

 Dorkings exactly under the same circumstances, so there was 

 no excuse in any way, the hens being well cared for and looked 

 after. It is useless to talk of eggs being fresh when they do 

 not hatch to time, for that is the great test. Of the three 

 Spanish chicks, the first two were so weak that they did not 

 survive the hatching, the third was so weak in the shell that 

 to strengthen it I gave it raw egg, which helped it through. 



These remarks, I am sure, will do good to all those who ad- 

 vertise eggs, if they will guarantee what they ask a high price 

 for, and these continued disappointments are only prejudicial 

 to their best interests. The Spanish eggs, I should state, cost 

 with carriage expenses 16s. — Veiutas. 



GAPES IN CHICKENS. 



The above disease seems in consequence of the cold wet 

 ■weather, to be more than usually prevalent this year amongst 

 Dorkings and other delicate breeds ; and as I heard a short 

 time ago of a remedy which appears to have been singularly 

 successful, I have thought it might be of service to give it 

 publicity. 



It was furnished me by a friend who is breeding Dorkings 

 this season from some of the best stock in England. His 

 chickens having suffered severely from gapes, the following pre- 

 scription was given to him as an unfailing cure, by a game- 

 keeper who has had the rearing of 1500 head of Pheasants 

 per annum, and the very first results were so promising that I 

 had thought of publishing them a fortnight ago, but have pur- 

 posely delayed till they should be confirmed by subsequent ex- 

 perience. This, also, being satisfactory, I trust you may find 

 loom for the prescription, as follows : — Bol. Armen. 20 grs. ; 

 spirits of tar, 12 drops; cochineal, 1 oz. To be divided into 

 pills the size of a peppercorn, and given on the first symptoms 

 appearing, or one pill as a preventive to all chickens, where the 

 disease has prevailed, about the sixth day after hatching. It 

 may be as well to remark, that, as a preventive, the medicine 

 must be used with caution, as it is a violent purgative. 



I have not hitherto had much faith in internal remedies for 

 this disease, but the following results have induced a change of 

 opinion ; — 



1, A chick apparently dead from gapes, showing some slight 

 signs of animation under warmth, was given a dose. Next 

 morning it could stand, and was given another pill. It lived 

 through the day, and my friend believes would have recovered, 

 but having to leave in pursuit of his business avocations no 

 further medicine beyond the second dose was given, and the 

 chick died. 



2, Another chick not bo far gone, but yery badly infected, 



recovered. 



3, Whilst one or two chickens were lost daily previous to 

 the trial of this medicine, none have died where it has been 

 given. 



I shall be glad if any of your readers who may try the above 

 remedy will state their experience of its success. I maka no 

 claim to originality, I simply give the remedy as written for 

 me by my friend referred to. It is new to me, and I publish 

 it, but if any one else shall say that it is as old as Adam, I 

 shall not deny it, only if it is effective let it be tried. 



I will only add, for the sake of novices in poultry-keeping 

 (old hands do not need it), that the best means of preventing 

 any disposition to gapes are, to keep the chickens clean and dry, 

 and to give them clear spring water, putting in the fountain 

 each time it is filled a lump of camphor and sulphate of iron 

 the size of a small pea. All chickens are much benefited by 

 this in cold weather. — Nemo. 



EXTENSn^E POULTRY -liEEPING. 



In reply to your correspondent " Toby," I may remark that 

 my experience as a poultry-keeper on a large scale is greatly at 

 variance with his statements. I keep almost 2,00!j fowls for 

 eggs, and I have never been able to obtain much more than 

 half the number of eggs per head which he does, and the 

 quantity of food consumed is very much more. 



As my fowls are nearly all common cross-bred birds, I should 

 have attributed my ill-success to that cause if I had not care- 

 fully analysed " Toby's " estimate for 10,000 hens. He puts 

 the cost of corn for that number at £2000. This sum would 

 buy say 1335 quarters of barley or damaged wheat, weighing 

 50 lbs. per bushel, at 30s. per quarter, which is is. or Cs. below 

 the present price, and the weight would be 238 tons 7 cwts. 

 He allows £50 for flesh, which at £10 per ton gives 5 tons. 

 This weight of food is to produce 2,000,000 eggs, which ought 

 to weigh 2 ozs. each, or 111 tons 12 cwts. ; thus, about 2 tons 

 3 cwts. of food is supposed to produce one ton of eggs. I leave 

 your readers to judge whether it is probable Hamburghs or any 

 other poultry will ever accomplish that feat. If it could be 

 done, the profit at the present prices of eggs -would be ovei 

 100 per cent. 



A business of the kind proposed might, with a suitable soil 

 and situation, and an energetic manager aceustoiaed to the 

 charge of large numbers of poultry, be carried on lit a profit, 

 otherwise it would be a decided failure. — George Chambers, 

 Standon, Herts. 



"STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE." 

 I AM much surprised to observe it stated, that the " Standard 

 of Excellence " is appended to a poultry book by permission of 

 the Poultry Club. This to me looks very like disposing of the 

 Club's " stock-in-trade," and for considerations, I, as a member 

 of the Club, know not of. 



The only return the members of the Club have received for 

 a number of years' subscription has been the " Standard," and 

 it now has apparently been handed over to others, who will 

 thus receive the benefit of that which it has taken the Club 

 years to produce. If the consideration for publishing the 

 " Standard " is to be handed over in prizes at a Show, it will 

 certainly be at a very distant date, as after the experience of 

 Kochdale, notwithstanding the excuses made for that gigantic 

 failure, few members will contribute to a certain prospect of a 

 similar result. — Keform. 



PRE^^LNTING HENS SITTING. 



In your answer to " Kitty," you seem to think it a difficult 

 task to prevent a Cochin hen sitting. I have found it so until 

 this year, when I tried the plan recommended by the Hon. 

 Mrs. Arbuthnot with great success. 



It is as follows : Let the hen sit three or four days in the 

 nest she chooses ; then place her in a yard, or anywhere where 

 there is no nest, and feed well ; in four or five days she may 

 be returned to her own yard, and in about a fortnight will lay 

 again. — Philip Ceowley. 



The Prize Schedule of the Long Sutton and South Lin- 



COLNSHLRE PoTjLTRY, PiGEON, AND RaBBIT ShOW manifests B 



very great advance on any of the three previous shows. In 



