281 



JOUENAL OF HOBTIODLTUEE AND OOTTAQB GAEDENEK. 



( April 8, 1875. 



same ground, consequently it thrives apace. Even in back 

 yards of large cities we frequently find prize poultry kept, while 

 in many localities nearly every villa garden has its portion wired 

 off for the chickens. We rejoice to think that it is so, and that 

 our feathered friends are daily being more appreciated. Not- 

 withstanding the great number of poultry fanciers of the present 

 day we often wonder where the purchasers of eggs can come 

 from. 



Many egg purchasers are, we believe, fanciers in embryo who, 

 seeing week after week the names of successful exhibitors at 

 our shows, go to an exhibition for the first time, and catching 

 the fever inwardly, burn also to win prizes and ornament their 

 sideboards with silver plate. Perhaps these good people think 

 the cheapest way of winning poultry glory is to buy eggs from a 

 great and successful exhibitor, and so they despatch a post-office 

 order, and order a sitting of eggs. In due time they arrive and 

 are placed under the hen, and many expect to obtain from the 

 dozen eggs at least nine or ten birds as good as the vendor is in 

 the habit of exhibiting. Perhaps they hatch only four or five, 

 perhaps less, that is the first disappointment, and at once they 

 imagine they have been swindled; still when these which they 

 have hatched grow up, they are often sent to a show in the full 

 hope of winning the silver cup— in fact, people think for a few 

 shillings' worth of eggs to win cups and prizes. The birds go to 

 the show and are beaten, or perhaps some friend says they are 

 not worth sending; then comes disappointment number two, 

 and with it epithets of the strongest nature are heaped on the 

 unhappy vendor's head. These egg-purchasers buy in ignorance 

 and are not genuine fanciers. 



Many do not take into consideration that the exhibitors who 

 win so much generally breed scores of birds either at home or 

 at neighbouring cottages and farms from which they select their 

 winning specimens, and that a small fortune is,' spent in their 

 rearing. It is a lottery almost whether the dozen eggs Mr. 

 Jones buys contain the egg to produce the best bird of the year 

 or no; and even if Mr. Jones does draw the winning egg, whether 

 he knows how to make the most of it in the way of feeding and 

 management. We are able to testify to this from two cases in 

 which we have been concerned. First, many years ago we saw 

 some eggs advertised at 10s. Gd. the dozen; we sent for a sitting, 

 and hatched one chicken, and that bird won something like five 

 cups and twenty prizes. Secondly, we sold a dozen eggs for 1.5s., 

 from which four were hatched ; one of those turned out to be a 

 celebrated hen. In this case the gentleman gave Is. 3(J. to us 

 for the egg, and we purchased the hen back again for £15 lus. 

 from him. 



Egg-bujing and egg-selling will always be, however, unsatis- 

 factory between strangers. The purchaser always thinks the 

 vendor is a swindler if he does not have at least half a dozen birds 

 for his few shillings. We really do not wonder so many decline 

 to sell eggs. We are repeatedly told by those who do not sell 

 that they only refuse to do so from feeling it must be unsatis- 

 factory to all parties. 



Then we are often asked about the packing of eggs. Some 

 write to us and say if the eggs had been packed in a box they 

 would have hatched ; others, if they had only been in a basket 

 we should have had better success. A third party cays the eggs 

 should not have been in hay, and others that they should. Ex- 

 perience, though, seems to show us that hay, from its elastic 

 property, is more suitable than bran or sawdust, as these are 

 shaken close in the transit, and the eggs are disturbed and 

 cracked. We think a wrapper first cf strong soft paper and 

 then wisps of hay round each egg should answer all purposes, 

 and baskets or boxes may be need according to the distance they 

 have to travel. 



Egg-buying people, no doubt, think they only have to bear the 

 misfortune of an unsuccessful sitting. They very likely think 

 when the great exhibitors send eggs to each other success can 

 Boinehow be insured. We can only say that last season we 

 reckoned the chickens from bought eggs had cost us 22s. Gd. each 

 by the time they were hatched. We know of one party who 

 finds egg-purchasing answer. He makes a rule of buying £20 

 worth every season, and always goes again to those who used 

 hini best. This party hatches what eggs he can, and sells their 

 produce. When all expenses of every kind were paid connected 

 with the £20 worth of eggs this man cleared in 1h73 £27 1.5s., 

 and m 1874 £38 16s. Gd. Now this is all straightforward and 

 pleasant, but as we wrote in another journal, from which article 

 we have here taken many passages, there is one kind of egg- 

 purchasing from which all would do well to steer clear. We 

 heard of such a one only this time last year. This party 

 purchased sittings of eggs from noted exhibitors, and then 

 having waited three or four weeks wrote and said all the eggs 

 were clear, and he would indeed be obliged if the seller would 

 send a fresh lot, or even half a sitting, free. We know of an 

 instance in which this was done, and it afterwards transpired 

 that there were nine chickens walking about in this party's 

 garden which were the produce of the first dozen eggs, and 

 which were described as all clear, and about which the purchaser 

 had written so piteously. 



There is another point many are hazy about : the difference 

 between rotten and clear eggs. Many think rotten eggs are 

 unfertilised eggs, while it is the reverse. Clear eggs are those 

 which have never had the germ developed in them. For 

 instance, the eggs laid by hens running without a cock will be 

 all clear, and as clear many days after being sat upon as the day 

 when first placed under the hen. Rotten eggs are eggs in which 

 the germ, after being placed under the hen, develops tiU being 

 accidentally chilled becomes putrid. 



In egg-purohasiug there is always risk. We are entirely at 

 the mercy of porters and railway officials whether the packages 

 are thrown about or moved carefully ; but on the other hand 

 sittings which people have come and personally chosen from our 

 egg drawers and carried away have not hatched so well as those 

 sent by train at the mercy of railway officials to Ireland, Scot- 

 land, and Jersey. — W. 



THE EXHIBITION DORKING.— No. 13. 



BY T. C. EUBNELL. 

 WHITE DOEKIKGS. 

 These are great favourites in all country places, their snowy 

 plumage and coral combs never showing to greater advantage 

 than when contrasting with the green of a country meadow. 

 They do not do well, however, for a large town, as their bright 

 plumage very soon becomes soiled. 



C.^-B7ittan-^ 



Fig. 65. — Cucloo Dorkiug Cocli. 



A White Dorking's comb must be rose-shaped (double), firmly 

 fixed on the head, and without any tendency to lop on one side. 

 A single comb is a disqualification, but is now rarely or never 

 seen. The ear-lobe, as in all Dorkings, should be red, and the 

 feet white. The legs and feet are frequently found of a pinkish 

 tinge, but white is the proper colour for the leg of a Dorking. 

 The colour of the feathers should be a bright spotless white, 

 and it is here where the difficulty occurs, as so many birds show 

 a yellow tinge in theii' plumage. Many birds will moult-out 

 white, but if exposed to the influence of the sun will rapidly 

 turn yellow. The cocks especially will become yellow on the 

 hackle and saddle, their feathers being brighter in colour are 

 more prone to absorb the sun's rays. Some cocks will keep 

 much purer in colour than others, and, for breeding, we must be 

 careful to select birds with this peculiarity in addition to their 

 possessing a good comb and all the Dorking characteristics. 

 Yellow beaks and toe nails should be avoided, as clearly show- 

 ing a cross. 



White Dorkings are not very great favourites with the show 

 community, owing to the great difficulty found in keeping them 



