270 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( September 30, 1869. 



been ftrowo exten^ivol^ for mftrket. (Guemtey).~~The Urffo trrooD Apple 

 is Aliriston, aod that with a brown tinge on it ia Wamer'd Kin^^. 



ASdS OP PuiHTfl ((?. P.).— Corintho minor. (T.H. C. D.).— 1, Physalis 

 edalis. the CapeGoosoherni- ; 2. Bftlsntnitn vulgariij— Costmnry. (.4. B. C). 

 — t, Bnrt^iAodontitcH ; a, Achillea Ptflrmira ; 8, Juncurt bnfonius ; •!, Cares 

 Tulpina ; 5, Angelica eylvostris ; <5, Sanlcala ouropn-^ ; 7, Oxvria reni- 

 formiti. (Af. i'arsonj).— Catalpa syriogn! folia. {Ignoram\i«).—h\i\ximvir- 



Ratnm. (L. M. H.).— Your Fern Is Lomuia epicant. Tar. orlstata. It has 



been flgnrod ia " Lowe's Native Fcmfi." Vol.2, where seTeral other ab- 

 normal form* of the Hard Fi-ro are described. {An /nqufr^r).— Some 

 8nlannni, most probably 8. capsicnstrum. Wo sboald bo able to tell yoo 

 with (greater certainty if your ppeciraen hnd been fn bloom. The whole 

 family ia of a poiHonous nnturo. (Drmn) -1, Uyporirnm Rndroapmam; 

 5, Meliaaa offlcinaliB variegata ; B, CelsU oricntalla. The reist next week. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS in the Suburbs of London for the week ending September 2ftth. 



POTTLTRY. BEE, AND PIGEON CHRONICLE, 



A WORD FOR HOUDANS AT PURLIC SHOWS. 

 Mt object in now soliciting space for a few lines ia to endea- 

 vour to obtain a more prominent position for this valuable 

 breed of poultry, in the hope that I may induce others who 

 delight in Houdans, as I do, to urge with their greater ability 

 and experience the committees of future shows to try and find 

 a comer for them in a class by themselves. 



To instance how little encouragement this useful breed as 

 jet obtains at public exhibitions in this country, upon look- 

 ing over the last hall-dozen numbers of the Journal I find the 

 descriptions of thirty-two different shows, out of which there 

 are but three having classes for French poultry generally, only 

 one giving a class for Houdans exclusively. An intending 

 exhibitor must therefore enter them, if at all, in the " Any 

 other variety " class ; and if he considers for a moment the 

 number of other breeds that can, according to the magnitude 

 of the show, be brought against him, together with the attendant 

 expense, iucreasing with the distance, it is enough to make him 

 think twice before resolving to send his birds into such an 

 unequal contest with such an uncertain issue. 



It -would appear upon first consideration, and many doubtless 

 would say, that the other breeds competing against Houdans 

 in the above class are just as much entitled to a separate one 

 for themselves ; and this would indeed be the case were I ad- 

 vocating more especially the cause of a purely " fancy " fowl. 

 I hope I am right in saying, however, that the Houdan is not 

 a purely fancy fowl, and therefore deserves to be selected indi- 

 vidually. We cannot take up a paper or work upon poultry 

 without seeing the useful qualities of Houdans extolled, and 

 there is no breed so calculated for the profitable production of 

 eggs and meat, either for the table of a private family or for 

 the market from a farm ; and the latter circumstance should 

 be snfBcicnt in itself for their encouragement in a country 

 where poultry is so much neglected by the agriculturist. 



Being pre-eminently the breed for a farmer, should not the 

 introduction of Houdans over the country be attempted ? for it 

 is in thii position poultry will be most profitable; and if this 

 ia the case, why, in an agricultural sense, should the Houdan 

 not have a class in the same way that the famous Shorthorn so 

 certainly does at every show ? 'l should like to see the motley 

 crew of barndoors partially give place, from homestead to home- 

 stead, to the black and white spangles of the Houdan, or at 

 least have the Houdan element largely imported into them. 

 Poultry produce would become more abundant, and the money 

 that is now sent away in payment for the miUions of eggs that 

 are annually imported from France would be retained in the 

 country. I must conclude with a hope that I may enlist your 

 readers in the cause. — Scotia. 



legs bustled behind the house, as if some important matter 

 depended ou her immediate attention there, and so it did, tor 

 on following her we found her comfortably settling down on a 

 stolen nest of thirteen eggs, all her own there is no doubt. As 

 the 18th of August was thought too late for chickens, the eggs 

 were taken away, and she was left to go to roost in the hen- 

 house ; this happened towards evening ; the weather was quite 

 dry, but very warm. In the morning cool reflection came ; it 

 was considered that those thirteen eggs, if boiled for breakfast, 

 might disclose something not appetising to the fastidious, and 

 poor Shortlegs was pufljng and fretting for them, so they were 

 given up to her in the nest she had made, after being kept 

 away about fifteen hours. They were given to her without an 

 idea that they had been sat on previous to her so eagerly taking 

 possession the evening before. That day fortnight she neg- 

 lected to come ofi to feed, and so was looked after again, when 

 a lot of little heads were popping out around her. She bad 

 hatched ten chicks, two were dead in the shell. I believe we 

 should have had twelve from the thirteen eggs if we had known 

 of their hatching, and bestowed a little necessary attention in 

 removing the eggshells. — E. Waits. 



A Clever Mother Hen. — It is interesting to know and to 

 notice the dangers and diflioulties which eggs will go through 

 during incubation without the brood being destroyed. On the 

 28th of July our old fowls were shut up for some cleaning 

 bout, and when they were let out, a hen we have named Short- 



POULTRY DURING AN ECLIPSF. OF TRK SUN. 

 I WELL remember the effect of a total eclipse of the sun, I 

 think in 1830, upon the fowls in my poultry yard. The old 

 Dorking cock repeatedly turned his head on one side to look at 

 the sky as it became darker, as i( he thought there was some- 

 thing wrong ; but at length he became convinced that it must 

 be evening, and he and his wives betook themselves to the 

 roost-house. But, even then, before perching, he put his head 

 out, and took a final look upwards as if to be certain there was 

 really no mistake. Before they were well settled, the eclipse 

 gradually terminating, the fowls came down again from their 

 perches, and when the old cock emerged from the house, and 

 before venturing to crow, he looked np at the sky, and there 

 was evidently an impression that if there was not a mistake 

 somewhere, the night had passed marvellously quickly. This 

 was all recalled to my remembrance by reading the follow- 

 ing in an American newspaper : — Pr. Peters, the eminent 

 astronomer connected with Hamilton College, went west to 

 observe the late eclipse of the sun. He requested an old negro 

 living near his observatory to watch bis big flock of hens, for 

 at 4-4.J they would g:) to roost. .4.fter the eclipse was over, the 

 negro came, evidently much excited. "How was it?" said the 

 doctor. " Beats ebbery tink," said the negro. " When de 

 darkness come, ebry chick'n run for de hole in de barn. De 

 fust ones got in, and de next ones run ober one anudder, and 

 de last ones dey just squat right down in de grass. How long 

 you know dis ting was acoming?" " Oh, I reckon we knew it 

 more than a year," said the doctor. " Beats de debbil ! Here 

 you away in New York knowd a year ago what my chick'ns was 

 gwine to do dis bery afternoon, an' you nebber see de chick'ns 

 afore nudder." — G. 



North British Columbarian- Society. — Our Scotch friends 

 are again to the front in Pigeon matters, as a copy of the 

 schedule of their eleventh annual Show, to be held in Glasgow 



