July 10, 18C6. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



35 



are scarcely pretty enough for pets, and I imagine Mr. Rad- 

 elyffe to be fond of pets. Dorkings, with all their merits, the 

 ohief being as an articlo of food, have such a farm-yard look 

 about them, that they seem out of placo unless walking among 

 oorn ricks. 



I now como to the variety I earnestly recommend to Mr. 

 Radclyffe — that is, Hamburghs. I sat down and talked over 

 their merits and domorits the other day with a parishioner of 

 mino, who has kept them several years. Ho assured me, and 

 he was a poor man who scarcely feeds high enough, that he has 

 had eggs regularly from before Christmas to this time. I can 

 vouch for tho truth of this, as, but for my poor neighbour's 

 Hamburghs, I should many a timo have lacked my Sunday egg, 

 a necessity with me after my second service. Then Ham- 

 burghs are very healthy, and never broody. Should Mr. Rad- 

 clyffe wish for chickens, which he perhaps will, though a se- 

 condary object, I would advise that he should follow my plan — 

 keep a few Gamo hens with his Hamburghs. These laying fawn- 

 coloured eggs, and the Hamburghs white, there could be no 

 mistake, and Game hens are excellent sitters and mothers, and 

 are of a suitable size to bring up Hamburghs. 



There is, however, yet another reason — the Hamburghs are 

 so very pretty, everybody admires them at once, everybody 

 gentle or simple, whether of the Adam or Eve variety. I see by 

 my " Clergy List " that Mr. Radclyffe is at least of my standing. 

 Well, he may have, then, a wife and family, and I assure him 

 from the tiniest child up to mamma, and down again from 

 mamma to the youngest domestic just from the village school, 

 all will expatiate on the beauty of the Hamburghs. Lady 

 visitors, for there are always lady visitors where there are 

 ladies, will at once approve. Or, I will suppose — 



" Whon thought is warm, and fancy flows, 

 What will not argument sometimes suppose ? " — 



that Mr. Radclyffe lives a bachelor, and, if so, I am sure ladies 

 come to see his roses, his peaches, and — himself. Now in 

 future he will like to tako them from flower garden to poul- 

 try yard, but if he have Cochins they, the ladies, will serve him 

 as they did me (alas ! 'tis true), and one and all exclaim with 

 that feminine shudder which draws back the corners of the 

 mouth, tightens the neck, and raises the shouldeis, " Oh 1 

 what horrors ! what frights ! " And this is not pleasant — it 

 humbles one, it reflects painfully upon one's judgment, for in 

 vain I tried to draw attention to the sensible-looking heads of 

 my Cochin hens, and the various beauties of that variety, but 

 'twas all in vain. Now it is, " What pets ! what darlings ! what 

 beauties ! " — and this is consolatory to an owner, the pretty 

 phrases sound so very prettily. Perhaps Mr. Radclyffe 

 will plead that he is wholly indifferent to praise or blame 

 from such a quarter, but that I doubt. However, leaving the 

 point unsettled, I beg to recommend Hamburghs ; there are the 

 two colours, silver and gold, and the four varieties to choose 

 from. I am glad to find that Mr. Radclyffe is about to become 

 a poultry fancier, and although some persons keeping fowls 

 may have " tricks worse than in horseracing," yet he will find 

 many kind, honest, genial hearts among poultry fanciers. Of 

 this let him take the word of one whose experience among 

 them has been extensive — viz., of — Wiltshire Rector. 



PROFIT FROM DUCKS. 



When I sent you a few lines respecting the profit to be ob- 

 tained from feeding Ducks I did not enter into any detailed 

 account of their management ; for although this result was 

 somewhat of a surprise to myself, I did not feel assured that 

 the communication was of sufficient interest to insure its in- 

 sertion in your columns. However, I willingly comply with 

 Mr. Beyton's request. 



Outside my garden wall is a small strip of ground bounded 

 by a brook. By this land is a glazed shed 21 feet long by 

 9 wide, wherein the Ducks were kept, and the hen removed 

 when they were a fortnight old. 



The shed is used to harden off bedding plants after their 

 removal from a vinery, and with this use the Ducks did not at 

 all interfere. The floor was covered with rotten dung from an 

 old Cucumber-bed. This proved useful for manure water, and 

 as a top-dressing for Peach trees in pots and dwarf fruit trees 

 generally. 



_ The Ducks were fed at G, 9, 12, and 7 p.m. Grains were not 

 given until the Ducks were a month old, and were mixed with 

 a small quantity of Indian corn meal. At first they did not 

 eat all the grains purchased, for it was necessary to purchase 



half a bushel at a timo ; but when they wore seven weeks old 

 they consumed exactly a bushel a-week. 



When about five or six weeks old they looked miserable, 

 dirty, and with weak eyes ; but this was all changed directly 

 they were allowed to go into tho water daily. I may mention 

 that two of my neighbours who keep Ducks were so pleased 

 with tho appearance of mine, that they inquired the mode of 

 feeding, and I was strongly urged to send them to a poultry 

 exhibition which was held in the town at that time, to show 

 what Ducks could be brought to in eight weeks. Tho garden 

 refuse consisted of a bed of seventy lettuces which ran to seed. 

 After the daily cooking was finished some cabbage was gene- 

 rally boiled for the Ducks. Our household consists of nine, 

 and although not extravagant, there is much food which but 

 for the Ducks would have been wasted. I am aware that these 

 circumstances are unusually favourable ; still the result is so 

 remarkable, thoro must be somo other cause. 



For some time past I have recommended my friends to feed 

 their poultry principally on grains, but till this year never had 

 the opportunity of testing this plan for myself. I believe it 

 is from the quantity of this food that the success is due. To 

 feed a Duck of a month old on barleymeal— an expensive, 

 highly fattening food — is probably a mistake : it should be 

 reserved for the last few days of his life. After my last letter 

 the weather became so hot that the glazed shed was unsafe ; 

 the Ducks were therefore obliged to be allowed to go into the 

 water all day. The effect was most marked. They no longer 

 cared to eat lettuce, and consumed much less food, seldom 

 coming home until supper time. The Ducks were kept in the 

 centre of a large town, but there was never any difficulty in 

 persuading them to return by a whistle at bedtime. Lastly, 

 at the time I wrote Ducks were selling at 7s. Gd. to 8s. a-couple 

 at the poulterers'. — B. A. 



P.S. — I enclose my name. 



BURY ST. EDMUNDS POULTRY SHOW. 



Deprived as this Meeting was, in consequence of the cattle plague, 

 of the additional attraction of cattle, poultry formed no mean substi- 

 tute, and proved, perhaps, one of the most popular features of the whole 



j Show; nevertheless, many were the inducements held out to popular 

 favour, more especially by those who exhibit implements at such agri- 



! cultural meetings. All of us admit that just at this season of the 

 year " Duck and green peas " form a very acceptable addition to our 



! viands ; nor can we resist the digression of naming to our readers a 



I curious machine which we witnessed in full operation, by which the 

 shelling of green peas is accomplished with a perfection and dexterity 

 none of ns could believe possible. The peas as gathered are poured 

 out into a hopper, and simply by the rapid turning of a handle that 

 requires a very small amount of muscular exertion, the shells are 

 voided from between two rollers, somewhat crushed, but the peas them- 

 selves are received into a large tin receptacle quite uninjured and ready 

 for boiling. So perfect is the whole arrangement, that on the most care- 

 ful inspection not a single pea could be found that was at all bruised ; 

 aiud even after the most vigilant search among the shells, not a pea as 

 large as a hempseed was found to have been passed over. A bushel of 

 peas may thus be easily shelled in from twelve to fifteen minutes. 

 Well might many of the bystanders exclaim, "Well, what next?" 



But to the poultry especially. The Committee well deserve every 

 credit for their arrangements, as all the poultry were exhibited on one 

 Bingle tier. Kvery possible provision was made for the safety of the 

 birds themselves and the accommodation of the public, in case the 

 weather should prove unfavourable. Tho Abbey grounds, where the 

 Show took place, are not only extensive, but kept in a manner that 

 reflects credit on the managers of this subscription place of recreation. 

 That the poultry as a whole lacked that condition 60 all-important to 

 Buch meetings is admitted as inseparable from the time of year alone, 

 but still tho principal classes were well filled with first-rate birds. 



Game fowls stood first on the prize schedule, and although there 

 was no lack of competitors, the struggle rested in every class of this 

 variety between those gTeat guns in Game fowls, Mr. Fletcher, of 

 Manchester, and Mr. Mathews, of Stowmarket. The competition 

 was necessarily close, Mr, Mathews taking three first prizes for Game, 

 the same number of second prizes, and a third prize as well. Mr. 

 Fletcher, with the limited entry of only four pens, took a first, second, 

 and third prize, besides the five-guinea silver cup for the best pen of 

 any variety of Game fowls exhibited. They were Duckwings. How 

 so experienced an exhibitor could send his fourth pen, containing an 

 admirable Red Pile cock with bright yellow legs, mated with a very 

 capital hen, but rejoicing in brilliant willow legs, can only be accounted 

 for from some error in packing, for to havo thus selected them is quite 

 out of the question. Though as single birds so good, they were, as a 

 pair, of course simply passed over. Considering the great difficulty of 

 exhibiting Game fowls just at this season, the Bury Show was wonder- 

 fully good. Tho fact is, that just prior to the annual moulting, any 

 effort to force Game cocks into first-rato condition at once produces 



