366 



JOUBNAIi OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ May 1, 1873. 



Gapes in Chickens {Birdie}.— In our last number but ono {April 17th) 

 ■wo stated all that we know on the subject. The origin of the worms is a dis- 

 puted point. They cause the gap^s, aud many (ourselves among the number', 

 believe they come from stagnant and impure water. No medicine is of any 

 avail, because the worms exist only in the trachea, aud the medicine does no't 

 touch it. They are, nevertheless, easily curable. When the chii-keus are old 

 enough give a pill of camphor the size of a garden pea. Camphor is the 

 strongest vermifuge, and its odour pcrvado.'i the windpipe while it lies in the 

 crop. Give the chickens only water strongly impregnated with camphor to 

 drink ; this is a certain cure, and we have never known it fail. 



Poultry in Pai;Dock iC. -4.).— Enclose seven postage stamps with your 

 address, and order the '• Poultry Book." It wiU be sent by post. In it you 

 will find all the directions yon need. 



Hatching Failcres (R. W.}.— The present will long be remembered as a 

 trying time for hatching. There have been more failuref than we ever re- 

 collect. We can only attribute it to the bad weather. It must also be horuo 

 in mind that early eggs do not hatch so well as later ones. The clear eggs 

 that, had not changed were not impregnated. The others had at one time had 

 the germ of life in them, but it had died, and they became rotten. Where 

 ftn egg has the white and yolk mixed, it is generally the result of frost. The 

 failure of many of your eggs was doubtless from chill in the early days 

 of iocabatiou, arising either from the hen being off too long, or from her 

 sitting hollow, or from being exposed to the cutting east wind. During such 

 weather as we have bad the hen should never be off the eggs more thau a 

 quarter of an hour, and she should always be shut in. You may give up eggs 

 if, when you feel them, they are cold. When eggs are put iu tepid water a 

 lew days before hatching, the good ones will wobble and be full of motion; 

 those that remain quiet on the top of the water ai-e failures. 



Two-VEAit-OLD Brahmas (H. S. C.).— You may keep the Brahma hena, 

 hut not the cock. Our experience is decidedly against thrce-ycar-old cocks for 

 breeding. If the old bird is clean on his legs, good in comb, and bright iu 

 plumage, he is worth keeping or selling as a show bird. If not, he must go 

 ■to the kitchen. Sitting hens lequiro to be well fed. Warmth of body is in- 

 creased by it, and the chickens are consequently stronger. We always give 

 ours barley, maize, and barleymeal. Millet is not good ; it has only fattening 

 properties. A sod of growing giass is always beneficial to hen or chickens. 

 The rip may he put on the grass. We never have any bottoms to ours, but 

 ■while the nights are cold, and when the chickens are very small, they are 

 covered in with a hoai'd. We would sooner have the earth covered with grass, 

 or a gravel walk, for chickens than any artificial flooring. Grits are such as 

 are used for gruel. 



8PANTSH Cock's Face Stvollen (Amateur).— 'We expect your cock has a 

 cauliflower face, and that which you call a swelling is simply natural growth. 

 In many cases it closes the eye entu-ely. It is sometimes washed with alum 

 and water with beoetit. In other cases the lids are fastened back with stick- 

 ing-plaister, but they are only temporai-y expedients, and the exaggerated 

 beauty becomes at last an incurable defect. There is an excellent Pigeon 

 book pubhshed at our office. 



Fowls Feather-eateus and Elephantiasied (F.). — You do not tell us 

 Tvhether all your poultry are similarly affected, or only those that are shut up 

 for pure eggs fur sitting. We have suffered from both the complaints you 

 name, but never among our birds that are at liberty, only among those in con- 

 finement. The elephantiasis is comparatively a modern disorder, dating seven 

 or eight years back. The feather-eating is as old as poultry. We have cured 

 the first in its early stages by keeping the legs constantly oiled. We are at 

 present free from it, and never have it till the end of the season, when the 

 birds are naturally out of condition. It is also much worse in old than young 

 birds. The feather-picking can only be cured by giving the bu'ds their 

 hberty and removing any that are reaUy bare. We have seen them with only 

 their tail aud wing ft-athers left. Your feeding is unsatisfactory. You may 

 give meal in the morning, Indian corn mid-day, and meal iu the evening. 

 Thus you will give three meals instead of two, aud above all discontinue the 

 potatoes. The feather-ea'"ing arises from a diseased and disordered stomach, 

 craving for something the bird cannot get. Potatoes create much internal 

 fat ; this impedes the action of the gall and liver, causes maladies in both, 

 and probably inducei the habit of which you complain. Cannot yon manage 

 to let eaeh breed have a separate run, or to divide the day, each havlug six or 

 seven hours' run, and thus do away with the necessity of shutting any up ? 



Detecting the Sex of Chickens (E. R). — At a few weeks old the sexes 

 ere easily distinguished. The cocks show a distinct comb, aud in many breeds 

 the plumage differs. 



Chickens Dying in Hatching (J*. Y. C, Acton).— V,'e have no doubt your 

 chickens die in the shell from the eggs being too dry. For a week before 

 hatching they should be wetted every morning, or at any time when the hen 

 is off the nest. Failing this assistance the inner membrane of the egg be- 

 comes as har<i. tough, aud brown as Indian rubber. Few chickens can get 

 I jrough it. Whin the hea is off, dip your hand in water aud wring it over 

 the egg freely. 



Promoting Feather- growth {New iJoss).— Rub the Dorking cock's neck 

 with coropouud sulphur ointment. He must bo put by himself. It is pro- 

 bable the hens have picked out the feathers. All eggs should be damped fre- 

 quently towards the end of the period of incubation. 



YoLKLEss EGGB(ii. TK. C). — All such occurreuces as you mention are the 

 results of derangement of the egg-producing organs, and are sure to come 

 right. The only exception we ever knew was a ben that laid double eggs. She 

 did 60 two years in huccession, and we were obliged to kill her. 6ieu said 

 more than a thousand years ago they could tell the sex of the chicken by the 

 shape of the egg, but they never did so. Men are still under the impression 

 they can pick them out, but they never make their experiences public. We 

 do not believe anyone can dn it. We have given professors the opportunity 

 of choosing among any number of eggs, on the condition we were to be made 

 acquainted with the result. They never accepted our offers, nor will they. 



Eggs Unproductive f.7. O. A. B.).— Under the circumstances wo think a 

 Bitting at half price sufficiently liberal. 



Pigeons Parrot-beaked, &c, (.7. L. Jonfs). — We have known excellent 

 straight- beaked birds throw Parrot-beaked young ones, aud the opposite, so 

 that we should breed from such a bird. There is no cure for the beak itself. 

 Good beans and tares are the best food for Pigeoud. 



Dandeuon instead of Hops — Some years back you inserted a letter 

 from Mr. Abraham Hardy, of Maldon, recommending the use of dandelion. 

 He said that a friend was making beer from it. I shall feel obliged to any 

 correBpoudent who can inform me how it in made. I am told that beer from 

 dandehon and nettles is quite common in LiverpooL — C. £. 



White Paint (Su&.srri;>.r).— First mis in the pot the stiff ground white 

 leid, with a little spirit of turpentiue, into a smooth, uniform cream, adding 

 raw liuseed oil, and as much more turiientine as the puriiose the paint is in- 

 tended for may require ; finally, tinge it with a little grauiul Prussian blue, to 

 remove any yellowness, and, if wanted to set very quickly, mis in a UttU 

 sugar of lead in fiue powder. 



WET EOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Camden Square, London. 

 Lat. 61^ 32' -10" N. ; Long. O'' 8' 0" W. ; AUitnde 1 U feet. 



23rd.- 



BEMARKS. 

 hail at 1.20, and again at 2.10 p.m.; but fine 



Rather dull morning; 



afternoon and eveniug. 

 24th. — Fine morning, snow at 11 a.m. ; heavy rain for a short time at 1 p.m. ; 



sunshine and showers in afternoon ; tine evening. 

 25th. — Fine, but cold moruin . ; heavy snow at 11.30 a.m., and at 0.15 P.M. ; 



very cold all day, but frequeut bursts of hue sunshine. 

 26th. — Fine morning; very cold all day, alternate sun and showers, some- 

 times of rain, sometimes of hail, aud sometimes of snow. 

 27th. — Rain in early morning, the hue heavy shower at 3.15 p.m., showery after 



occasional hail. 

 28th. — Fair all day, but very variable, sometimes very dark, and sometimes 



very bright. 

 29th. — Early morning wet and dull, showery before noon ; but fine aftex"nooa 



aud evening. 

 Mean temperature nearly 8 ■■ below last week; repeated showers of snow, 

 hail, and soft hail, di-y northerly winds, and thi-ee successive nii^hts with 

 frost. — G. J. SYiiONS. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— April 30. 

 A CHANGE to more genial weather has brought a corre.spouding improve- 

 ment in the retail demand here, and a fall' supply of gjjd hothouse fruit 

 is now offered, comprising Peaches, Grapes. Strawberries, and Pines, the 

 latter beiug in good request at an advanced price. New Potatoes are now 

 coming-iu in large quantities from Malta aud Lisbon, prices ranging from 

 3d. to ijd. per pound. Good old ones are scarce and dear. 



FRUIT. 



Apples i sieve 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries i^ box 4 



Cheatuuts bushel 



Currants j sieve u 



Black do. 



Figs doz , 



FiTuerts lb. 



Cuba lb. 2 



Gooseberries quart 1 



Grapes, hothouse lb. S 



Lemoua t^ 100 (j 



Melons each 



6. d. B. 



3 Uto5 

 



4 8 

 l> 





 

 2 6 

 2 

 15 

 10 U 

 



Malberrlfls \>\h. 



Noctarinta doz. 



Oranges. ^ loo 4 



Peached duz. IS 



Pears, kitchen do^. i 



deaaert doz. C. 



Pine Apples 1 1>. 8 



Plums 1 sifve u 



Quinces doz. 



Kaspberries lb. 



Strawberries i+ oz. 



Walnutii buihol 1& 



ditto v^lOO 2 



OtoO 

 





 

 

 

 

 6 

 

 



1 

 8u U 



2 t» 



Artichokes doz. 



Aspara^'us %^ 100 



Freuch 



Beans. Kidney ^100 



beet, lied doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums ^ iOO 



Cnrri'ts bunch 



Caalitlower doz. 



Celery bi-udle 



Coieworts.. do£. bunrhes 

 Cucumburs eaon 



pickim[{ doa. 



Endive doz. 



Feuuel buuch 



Garlic lb. 



tierba buuch 



Horseradish bundle 



Leeks buuuh 



Lettuce doz. 



VEGETABLES. 

 . d. 8. d. 



1^ 

 2 

 3 

 1 

 1 

 



1 6 



a 6 



6 







2 

 3 

 6 

 8 

 8 



2 



1 



MuBbrooms pottle 



Mustard &, Cress.. puuuut 



Unions ** bushwl It 



pickling quart u 



Parsley per doz. bunuhus 



Parsnips doz. U 



Peas quart 6 



Potatoes bushel 6 



Kidney do. U 



Kouud du. 



Radishes., doz. bunchus 1 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsafy.. ^bundle 1 



Savoys doz, 2 



Scorzonera.... ^c bundle 1 



Sea-kale baaket 1 



tohallots.. lb. 



Spinach bushel 2 



Tomatoe* doz. 



Turuips bunch i* 



Vegetable Marrows 



0to2 

 :d 

 6 

 6 U 

 4 

 a I 



10 

 9 



e. d. 

 







POULTRY MARKET.— ApaiL 80. 

 We have still a scarcity, and a moderate trade. If the trade were as it used 

 to be, the supply would not be sulhcient. 

 d. H. d. 



Lar^e FowU 6 to 7 



Smallerditto S 6 G 



Chickens 4 4 



GoslmKs 7 ti 



Guinea Fowls 4 4 



Duuklmgtt 4 4 



Pheasan'B 

 Piirtridges 

 llnrea .... 

 Kablti',s 

 Willi ditto 



Piteous 6 U 



s. d. B. d. 

 to 

 

 

 15 16 

 !( 10 



I 10 



