December i8, IM'.B. ) 



JOUKNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



475 



Turkeys exc Heat, Lad; Margaret Macdonald took first 



followed by avers meritorioas pen shown by Mr. Pepcur. We run 

 qieak as highly of the Qet Ladj M. Macdonald was again first, 

 and Mr. Co\ sec ind. 



ft»is m« i! inn i' I good class. Aylesbury, Kouen, and 



Buenos Ayrenn were all well represented. Messrs. Barge, <'ox, and 

 Hildov took the prises. All these were excellent pens. 



An extra pri . offered for Brahma Poptras, was well deserved and 

 gained bythe Hon. Prances Scott. This was given by . I. Pares, Esq., 

 so well known for ' tBsncoesses in Light BraJbmas. 



Mr, l!.iil_ ', i lb, Judge. 



NATIONAL COLUMBARIAN SOCIETY'S SHOW. 



Tin,; ninth ai uual Exhibition of this Society was held in the Free- 

 masons 'l , ;u,ii Great Qneen Street, 'on the L3th inst, Dpwardsof 



seven hundred Pigeons, tin' property of the members, and comprising 



nearly every ty, shown, and there was a large attendance of 



visitors, who e i ressed themselves much gratified by the Exhibition. 

 Amongst tin' Carriers was Mr. ETcdley's splendid Dun, which recently 

 took th, 'i I prize at Birmingham, and which. wag sold during the 

 day for twenty guineas, Tin- Carriers from Messrs. Corker, Ord, and 

 Else wire also orach admired ; and remarkably fine Duns and Blacks 

 came from Mr, Faith. A collection of Antwerps, many of which had 

 made very long (lights, shown by Mr. Hudson, was also well worthy 

 of note. Mr, \ olckmaE exhibited a splendid collection of Powters ; 

 one of the White cocks measured 202 inches in length. Those from 

 Mr. Bacchus were also remarkably good. Mr. Ford and Mr. Jayne 

 had some very line Almond Tumblers ; and birds of great excellence 

 also came from Messrs. Wiltshire, Esden, Claydcm, and others. Of 

 Barbs, Mr. Jones and Mr. Hedley had birds of first-rate merit. Of 

 Fantails, Jacobins, and Archangels very excellent specimens were 

 contributed li; Messrs. Else, Morris, and Betty. 



KEEPING POULTRY PROFITABLY. 

 I am in possession of a house and an acre of land (freehold), 

 with t':;0 per year income. I am prevented by defective eye- 

 sight from following any profession. I have hitherto been able 

 to rub on without much difficulty, but high prices and an in- 

 creasing family begin to tell, and I find I must increase my 

 income by some means, and my hopes are centred on making 

 the most of my acre of land. 



The land is enclosed on three sides by a six-feet fence. By 

 enclosing the fourth side with wire-netting, I propose turning 

 my land into a poultry-yard — one acre in extent. I am told 

 that fowls may, and are kept, at the rate of five to a rod of 

 ground. At that rate my acre will accommodate eight hundred 

 fowl?. I propose to keep that number to produce eggs and 

 fowls for market. 



I now earnestly ask your candid opinion of my plan, begging 

 you to remember that the person who asks is looking for some 

 means of obtaining a living ; help me with your experience 

 and advice as to the best way of making the most of my land, 

 i very light soil. I look at in this light : if I can keep eight 

 huudred fowls, and can make a clear profit of, say, Is. per 

 auuum on each fowl, that will amount to £40 per annum. If 

 I can make this of my land, with the £30 I already have, I 

 should be contented. Now for the questions. 



1st, Is my plan practicable ? If so, can I accommodate so 

 many as eight hundred fowls on an acre, and if not, how many ? 

 2nd, Presuming the plan to be practicable, what breed or 

 kiud of fowl would you recommend ? I am within six miles of 

 a town of 13,000 inhabitants, and think egg-producing would 

 pay in this neighbourhood better than fowl-rearing. 



3rd, Could I clear the profit I mention ? If not, what do 



you suppose ' At the present time eggs are sold here at the rate 



of twelve fur V'\, when cheapest they are sold at twenty for Is. 



1th, What should the eight hundred hens cost, and who 



could supply them ? — J. Johnson. 



We sent your letter to an authority who has had some ex- 

 perience in poultry-keeping, and this is his trustworthy reply : 

 — " I should not like to keep so many a3 eight hundred hens in 

 so small a space, I fear they would soon sicken ; better divide 

 the space and grow corn and potatoes on one half to feed the 

 Fowls on the other. You may then in the following 'year 

 reverse the plots, so B3 to have fresh ground for the fowls, 

 '\hile thev will have well manured the other portion. A cock 

 ti n liens of a good, large, hardy cross will produce a large 

 number of chickens, if you can find a market for them when 

 they are eight or ten weeks old. If you desire eggs procure two 

 i i ' k- rind twenty-five or thirty hens of some good laying kind. 

 •■ If yem understood the fancy varieties and could take sumc 

 prizes at the leading shows, then fancy stock would pay well to 



dispose of their eggs, but each variety must bo kept separate. 

 My conclusions are : — 



" 1st, I do not consider it practicable to keep eight hundred 

 fowls in health on an acre of ground. 



"2nd, For egg-producing I like White Dorkings. Others 

 recommend Spanish, Hamburghs, and Pulauds, but there is 

 always a difficulty in rearing these varieties, as thoy do not sit, 

 aro delicate, and are for a long time unproductive in winter 

 when eggs aro dearest. Except for about a week in November, 

 my White Dorkings have not left me without eggs for three 

 years. Cochins are good layers but most persistent sitterB, 

 which is very annoying when you do not want chickens. 



" 3rd, It will take much trouble and considerable experience 

 to realise the profit you name. 



" 4th, The Loudon salesmen could supply you with hens at 

 from Is. to iis. each, but I must certainly advise you not to 

 buy nearly so many. 



" 5th, I would rather recommend for market chickens, to buy 

 six or seven large healthy Brahma hens and a Houdan cock. 

 Save your pullets, and the year after breed from them and a 

 Dorking cock. This plan will give you good, hardy, healthy 

 chickens fit to be fattened for market at ten weeks old. 



" Do not begin with too many, you will then be gaining ex- 

 perience at little risk. If twenty hens hatch ten chickens 

 each four times a-year, that will make eight hundred chickens. 

 You will find if you have any success they will cost something 

 to keep, and if you can grow their food it will not cost nearly 

 so much. When you have gained some experience you will 

 be better able to judge for yourself than any one else can 

 instruct you. — B. P. B."I 



NANTWICH POULTRY SHOW. 



I enclose a prize list of the Nantwich Poultry Show for 

 February, 18C7, by which you will see that Mr. Edward Tud- 

 man's statement in your Journal of last week is totally un- 

 founded. The silver cup presented by the Hon. Mrs. Sugden 

 is given with the express understanding that the classes for a 

 Buff-Cochin cockerel and pullet, and for Buff-Cochin pullets 

 are open to the kingdom. — An Exhibitor. 



Every one must indeed sympathise with Mr. Edward Tud- 

 man, for his disappointment and annoyance in finding himself 

 excluded from taking any more prizes at the Nantwich Poultry 

 Show, after having done so " for so many years," particularly 

 as he has never subscribed one shilling towards the funds of 

 the Show ; but before he again makes charges against a highly 

 respectable Committee, it will be as well if he will read over 

 the prize list, as he will then find that two of the classes for 

 Buff Cochins are open to the kingdom, and until this year 

 Cochins have been confined to a radius of thirteen miles, 

 which will, perhaps, account for .Mr. Tudman's always gaining 

 the prizes until the Show in February last, when his Partridge 

 Cochins were beaten by a splendid pen of Buff Cochins be- 

 longing to the Hon. Mrs. Sugien. — An Old Subsciubei:. 



MiNOHESTEK Poultry Show. — The relative entries for the 

 Manchester Poultry Show, for three years are as follows : — 



Year. Poultrv. Pigeons. 



1864 552 



1866 1001 199 



(866 1265 



This year the Show commences on the 21st of December. 



CriinEBLAND ANT. NOKTH "F EnOL Htp PoUI.TIlV SlIOW. — Til? 



ninth annual Exhibition will take place in the Elding School, 

 Whitehaven, on January 8th, 9th, and 10th. The prize m 

 amounts to nearly £'J.">n. There are also twenty silver cu] I 

 be awarded, the highest being of the value of £S 8*., an 1 the 

 lowest £2 2s. The prizes in each class are £2 first, £1 sea 

 and 10s. third. There are also fifteen classes for Pig < 

 which £1 is offered for the first prizes, and 10s. for the (COS 

 besides a two-guinea cup for the most successful exhibitor. I 

 birds have six classes devoted to them, with two prizes in each. 

 This Society has been steadily increasing in favour year by 

 year, and as the forthcoming Show will be held at a time when 

 not many other exhibitions occur, we make no doubt theoniariJ i 

 will be very numerous and the Show well worthy of a visit. The 

 schedule announces the names of the Judges — Edward til ivitt, 

 Esq. ; Richard Tecbay, Eso. : and W. 13. Tegetmeier, Esq. 



