May 2H, 1868. 1 



JODKNAIi OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



89T 



and night at intervals, and some of the eggs get chilled. Again, 

 I often go at night to see the sitting hens, and with a young hen 

 it is quite common to finil one or more eggs out from under 

 her, even if she has only seven or eight eggs. As they all 

 come outside in turn, this must do much to spoil the whole 

 brood." 



The last remark I can corroborate from my own experience. 

 It the hen be not too heavy the fault can bo guarded against 

 by making rather a deep hollow in the nest, which keeps the 

 eggs together ; but a large hen often breaks eggs in a nest so 

 made. 



And now in reply to the kindly request of " Veritas," that 

 I would give my own views upon his courteous communication, 

 I must frankly admit " that ' Nkmo ' does 7wt attend to his sit- 

 ting hens so well as he misht." It is, alas, too true ; hut when 

 I inform him that my hobby has to be ridden within the pre- 

 cincts of a small town garden, and that my business avocations 

 require my presence every morning by (i A. 51., he will under- 

 stand that this arises " from circumstances over which I have 

 no control." That I am not ignorant of the plan he recom- 

 mends may, perhaps, be proved by the fact that in a work on 

 poultry, which most readers of " our .Journal " know to be 

 written by me, I have given, from " Poules et (Eufs " (a sort of 

 compendium of " Le Poulailler "), not only a description of the 

 process, but the very engravings (by permission) with which it 

 is illustrated ; still I do not think the French .system adapted 

 to this country for several reasons. In the first place, in our 

 climate the hens would become infested with vermin if only 

 allowed to dust themselves now and then, and the eggs get 

 chilled, as my friend describes, unless, as the French do, an 

 apartment is set apart for the process, and kept warm. Further, 

 except in cold weather, I incline to the opinion that half an 

 hour's absence is better for the eggs than a very short period. 

 I may be singular in this notion ; but when the weather gets 

 warm I have never found that a very close sitter brought such 

 good broods as one which remained off a fair time (possibly 

 my Scotch friend again I) In the early days of incubators the 

 eggs were kept heated without any intermission ; but although 

 this seems to answer perfectly in Egypt, I believe that here a 

 periodic cooling is found important to success. But, lastly and 

 chiefly, I altogether differ from " Veeitas " in his opinion, that 

 chickens thus hatched are stronger than those produced on the 

 ground. It is necessary, to have any success at all, that the 

 eggs be damped, and by adopting this precaution chicks may 

 be hatched on a shelf with no difficulty ; but my experience is, 

 that apart from all question of moisture, there is a something 

 in the ground itself (by ground I mean real earth), which gives 

 a vigour to the broods nothing else can impart. " Veritas " 

 confesses to having lost many. It will be seen I have had a 

 tolerable number, and scarcely any have died, whilst those few 

 are nearly all accidents, or from one brood, whose mother from 

 the first stood up all day instead of brooding them as she 

 should do. 



Another objection is, that very many hens are not quiet 

 enough to be put back in their nests by hand. Cochins and 

 some Dorkings will do so, but with many you would find your 

 bird all " alive and kicking," to the damage of the egg shells. 

 On the whole, therefore, while I believe that for very early 

 broods, with quiet hens, some such plan as "Veritas" de- 

 scribes may be adopted with advantage where possible, I far 

 prefer the natural method of giving the hen a small run and 

 leaving her to herself in ordinary seasons. The run should be 

 small, and she should be alone in it ; with these conditions and 

 a, proper nest I believe that the average result will surpass 

 that of any other treatment, if the number of chicks actually 

 reared to maturity are, as they should be, taken into the ac- 

 -count. 



With regard to packing, the last eggs I hatched and which, 

 so far as they themselves were concerned, it will be seen were, 

 without exception, fertile and vigorous, came to me from Lanca- 

 shire and were thus packel. Each egg was wrapped in paper 

 and then enveloped in a wisp of hay. Thus guarded they 

 were bedded rather loosely but steadily in a small flat-topped 

 hamper, a layer of hay about 2 inches deep being placed over 

 and under them. Hay was also padded between the eggs and 

 the sides of the basket. This is a first-rate method, if any- 

 thing superior to bran, as described by me the other day, but I 

 would use either according to the journey, weather, and other 

 circumstances. — Nemo. 



P.S. — I cannot exactly give reasons, but I have a very strong 

 impression that, entirely apart from temperature, an east wind 

 bus a very prejudicial or at least retarding influence upon 



hatching. Can any of your readers either confirm or contra- 

 dict this from their own experience ? 



ON POULTRY SHOWS IN GENERAL AND 

 ONE IN PARTICULAR. 



One of the main objects in securing prosperity to poultry 

 shows, is to inspire the exhibitors with confidence ; but not 

 often is that taken into consideration. Tbe question naturally 

 arises, How can it be effected ? and my object is to answer that 

 question. 



I object to any of the members of the committee showing 

 their own specimens for competition. As a general rule, and 

 where practicable, the committeemen are chosen from those 

 taking an interest in the breeding and rearing of fancy poultry, 

 &c., which is not what I object to, only (except in rare cases) they 

 generally study their own interests before that of the show, and 

 in some cases even make their office a means of furthering the 

 object they have in view. Now, I ask, would it not bo wiser, if 

 for that once, the committee, or riither intending exhibitors on 

 the committee, would withhold their specimens from exhibition ? 

 Perhaps there may be some who think, that in excluding the 

 committee I have taken too wide a range. Well, then, m 

 illustrating my case, I will only object to secretaries showing 

 for competition. They, at least, ought never to do so (and one 

 having the interest of the show at heart would not), and for 

 these reasons : They know every entry, and can either enter 

 their own specimens or not, according to pleasure, or, what iS 

 more probable, their chance of obtaining a prize. In illus- 

 tration I beg to submit the following :— Suppose a secretary is 

 awarded a medal or other prize, with a pair of birds of far in- 

 ferior merit to others exhibiting for that same prize, what is 

 the inference many would draw? Again, suppose three prizes 

 are advertised for award to a certain class, the first and second 

 are given, but the third is withheld (not for want of merit, as 

 the specimens are highly commended), and given to a single 

 hen belonging to the secretary, what is the inference drawn? 

 Another case, and I have done. Suppose the judge is a dealer, 

 amongst the exhibitors there may be one or more of his 

 customers— say, for instance, the secretary is. The ]udge 

 recognises his birds, and awards them prizes. What, I ask, 

 again, would be the inference many would draw ?— Carolina 

 DccK. . 



BREEDING PILE GAME FOWLS. 



I QUITE dissent from "Newmarket's" views on the breed- 

 in" of Piles, and other cross-breeds. He describes the old 

 cefebrated Cheshire Piles as white-legged, white skinned birds. 

 I happened to have the acquaintance of the late Mr. Ashley, 

 who was the originator of these birds, and, in fact, bred almost 

 all tbe Cheshire Piles, and I am very intimately acquainted 

 with his son, the present Mr. K. Ashley, who, I think, breeds 

 as many and as good birds as any man in Eugl.and, often sup- 

 plying ilr. Fletcher, Mr. Brierley, and others, who are not, with 

 the exception of Mr. Akroyd, breeders, but buy and show and 

 do not breed. Well, the late Mr. Ashley bred these Piles from 

 white-legged Black Keds and White Game. They were but 

 very few in number, and as they were not found so good 

 as desired, although fair birds, they were crossed with willow- 

 legged Black Reds, thereby giving the yellow leg and yeUow 

 skm. This breed is considered the original Cheshire Pile. 



"NEWMiRKET" says that the white-legged white-skinned 

 birds are good, if well bred. This only puts them in the same 

 position as anv well-bred bird, and if not well bred it is not a 

 good bird. I would ask. Where are now the Cheshire PUe, and 

 the Lemon Pile of Lord Derby? neither, I believe, to be com- 

 pared with the present Blood Piles for beauty or courage, for 

 show or pit purposes. These remarks are gathered from 

 upwards of fifty years' experience in breeding Piles. 



I aho take exception to " Newmarket's " remarks on Greys 

 being bred from Brown Reds. Greys bred from or crossed with 

 Brown Reds have nothing to recommend them but their fighting 

 qualities, being the ugliest Game birds I know. They are 

 mottle-breasted, "toad-bellied," both defects entirely destroy- 

 ing their chance of prizes. But while entirely dissenting from 

 "Newmarket" in the above particulars, I think his general 

 d»Ecnption of Game fowls is correct, as, for instance, that Brown 

 Reds should have the gipsy face, the hens having a brown- 

 marbled, or laced body ; but where are the judges that would 

 give prizes to hens not having " rook bodies? " 



