272 



JOUKNAL OF HOfiTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



[ October S, 1868. 



17, Waltham Abbey Seedling. The others we do not recognise at present. 

 (Centurion). — Your Apples and Pears are a curious mixed lot, many of 

 them ore, no doubt, purely local sorts, which are to be found nowhere 

 else. There are many such in this country which have no names. Wo 

 certify what we can. a, This name is correct ; b, Ditto ; c, Too much 

 decayed for us to name with certainty. It is, however, not Napoltron. 

 D, Urbaniste; F, Yes. The true old Golden Pippin, i, Most probably a 

 long form of White Doyenne ; L, Is not Reinette du Canada. It is, how- 

 ever, unknown. It might he iReinette Grise doree, (H. Hare), — Y'ours 

 are by far the finest lot of Pears we have had sent to us this season. 

 They are so exceedingly well grown that many of them are scarcely re- i 

 cognisable, so much are they altered from their usual character. We ' 



should be glad to Itnowhow they have been cultivated. "We name them 

 as far as known. No. 3, Flemish Beauty ; 5, Napoleon ; 6. Beurre Diel : 

 7, Beurrt- de Ranee ; ly, Baronne de MeUo. probably ; 20, Brown Beane; 

 23 and 31, Fondante d'Automne; 25, White Doyenne ; 26, Comtedo Lamy ; 

 S3, Doyenne du Cumice. extremely fine ; 18, Knij^ht's Monarch; 37, Passe 

 Colmar; 39. Mart-chal de la Cour; 40, Triompho de Jodoigne ; ii, Pro- 

 bably EeurrO Clairgeau ; 41, Bergamotte Drouot. 



Names of Plants fiJossin/).— Arctotis reptans. The late Mr. Beaton 

 used to call it " The Frosted-silver Plant." (jV. A'., Driims.na). — 1, Purple 

 Orache ; 2, Agathea cielestia variegata ; 3, Nepeta ciesia. {Julia). — 

 Capsella buraa-pastoris. (J. 8. H.). — Hippophae rhamnoides. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS in the Subiirba of London for the week ending October 6th. 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



DUBBING OR TRIMMING GAME STAGS. 



Game stags should not be dubbed until their combs are full 

 gi'own, otherwise these will grow a little after the cutting. The 

 usual time for dubbing is about the first Christmas, if spring- 

 hatched birds, at which time the cock chicken becomes a 

 " stag." In dubbing two persons are employed, one to hold 

 the bird steadily and firmly in his hands, having the thighs 

 and wings between his thumbs and forefingers, with the head 

 of the bird pointing towards the operator. The two persons 

 standing facing each other, the operator takes hold of the 

 stag's comb, and with a sharp-pair of horse-clipping scissors 

 takes off tirst one wattle and deaf ear at one stroke ; then, turn- 

 ing the bird's head, still holding him by the comb, he with the 

 second stroke takes off the other gill or wattle and deaf ear ; 

 and then, taking the bird by the back of the head and neck, or 

 still holding him by the comb as some do, he with the third 

 stroke cuts from the beak backwards, taking the comb neatly and 

 quickly off close down to the head at one stroke, which com- 

 pletes the operation in about two minutes, and in three strokes 

 if done by a clever operator. Some anoint the bird's head 

 with sweet oil after the operation, but most persons consider 

 this quite unnecessary, as a healthy bird heals very quickly, 

 and in twenty days at farthest no trace of the operation should 

 be visible, the whole head being quite healed and red again. 



Some people cut from the back of the comb towards the 

 beak, but I think this is backhanded and clumsy, as the stag 

 can best be held facing the operator, and in cutting from the 

 beak backwards the man stands in front of the bird, and can 

 see both sides of the comb much better than in the other way. 

 The comb should be taken off last (though some like taking it 

 off first), as it affords a good hold to the operator. From six 

 to twelve months old is the usual time for dubbing Game stage. 

 Many operators say that they can cut better from the back of 

 the comb to the beak, but in general I have seen it best done 

 in the way I describe, and more quickly and neatly as well. 



Game Bantams should be dubbed in exactly the same 

 manner. The dark or gipsy-combed sorts stand the dubbing the 

 best. These are the Dark Greys, Brown Beds, Dark Birchens, 

 and the gipsy-combed Black Game fowls. The Piles and 

 Whites, Blue Duns, and the yellow or daw- eyed sorts do not 

 stand dubbing quite so well as the Black and red-eyed sorts. 

 The light brown-eyed also, and bay-eyed sorts do not stand it 

 so well as red and black-eyed birds, which' are the gamest breeds 

 and strains of all Game fowls. 



Game stags should either be dubbed on their " out-walks," 

 or be put out to walk as soon as dubbed, as if a number of 

 them be dubbed in the home run, and then be put down to- 

 gether again, they wiU all begin to fight hard, and will probably 

 injure themselves severely before they can be separated, as they 

 do not know or recognise each other after dubbing, and will 

 never run together quietly again, though they may have done 

 so previously for soma time. 



Game stags should not be put out on a walk before they are 

 six mouths old, and the beat walks possible should be selected 

 for them, on dry soils, not too bleak or windy in situation, 

 and where from two to four of the smaller sort of farmyard 

 hens are kept. Cottage walks if with a good run are the best, 

 and malting or mill-yards, if not too hard strown, are in 

 general preferable to any dirty farmyard, where they mix too 

 much with pigs and aquatic fowls to keep clean enough. 

 Piles, if high-bred, are, perhaps, more delicate than the darker 

 breeds, and, therefore, require the best walks as a rule. 



In preparing Game cocks for exhibition the small hairy 

 feathers, called hairs or more technically " bristles," are all cut 

 close off with the scissors, both at the top and sides of the 

 head, but no trimming of the regular feathers is at all allow- 

 able. Some breeds have more of these bristles than others, the 

 hardest breeds generally having most, Black-breasted Beds 

 more especially. 



Before exhibition some breeders rub the combs and faces of 

 both cocks and hens with yolk of egg or milk, to give a smooth 

 and shining appearance to the head and face, but healthy 

 birds do not require this, and it is after all an artificial means 

 of giving au appearance, and not to be recommended. Some 

 leave the deaf ears uncut until the other parts have healed!, 

 but all should be trimmed or cut together. — KEwjiiKKET. 



PAYING WITH POSTAGE STAMPS. 



I VENTORE to call your particular attention, and more espe- 

 cially that of your readers, to the very objectionable practice on 

 the part of exhibitors at poultry shows of tending postage and 

 even receipt stamps in payment of entry fees. None but 

 secretaries themselves have any idea of the trouble and incon- 

 venience arising from this. Besides, if the exhibitors would 

 look into the matter, they would find it exceedingly risky. 

 Several cases have come to my knowledge this year of letters 

 containing entries and stamps having either miscarried or been 

 lost in their transit through the post office. I have myself, at 

 the moment I write, nearly £100 worth of stamps, all of which 

 have been forwarded to me as entry fees, and in sums of from 

 Is. to £2. Of course the stamps can be returned in prize 

 money, but exhibitors do not like it, and they sometimes 

 positively refuse to have them. Would it not save much 

 trouble and anxiety if exhibitors sent the amount of their fees 

 by means of a post-office order? I myself think so, for there 

 is neither reason nor safety in a person sending, say 30s. 

 worth of stamps by post in one letter, at the same time 

 having to pay for an extra stamp or two in consequence of over- 

 weight, before he will take out a post-office order costing 3d., 

 and incurring no risk. 



I notice that at some shows stamps are only taken as fees 

 at the rate of thirteen or fourteen to the shilling, but of course 

 the order system would be much belter, both to payer and re- 

 ceiver, if iiniversally adopted. Then, again, every exhibitor 

 could be paid his prize money in the same way, and he would 

 thus have the pleasure of receiving money in place of penny, 

 twopenny, and even sixpenny stamps. 



