122 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 2 



which is pofier. On the third day, they should eat 

 nothing, that is for twelve hours, before they are 

 killed. 



The horrid system of cramming, that disgrace 

 to these enlightened times, we cannot loo strongly 

 reprobate ! It is grievous to reflect upon the innate 

 cruelty of nature which man possesses ; we regret 

 to think it innate, yet such it must be, lor if it pro- 

 ceeded from ignorance, our educational systems 

 ought to have instructed the community ; if from 

 the remnants of our barbaric origin, civilization 

 and sociality should have shamed human beings 

 into humanily! Cruelty and cowardice are in- 

 separable; the more weak and unoff'endmg the ob- 

 jects, the greater is his delight to torture them. 

 How vidated, too, must be the taste of those who 

 can endeavor, and thereby encourage, this torture 

 of creatures which are overfed, and consequently 

 in a state of disease I 



One of our be*t writers on domestic poultry, 

 Bonnington JMowbray, Esq. (whose able work is 

 nevertheless tinctured with irrationalities) thus 

 speaks of this vile custom, in his "Practical Trea- 

 tise on breeding, rearing, and fattening domestic 

 pojitry,'' page 69. 



"The Workingham method of feedino-, is to 

 confine the fowls in a dark place, and cram them 

 with a paste made of barley-meal, mutton-suet, 

 treacle, or coarse brown sugar, and milk, and 

 they are found completely ripe (ripe '.) in a fort- 

 night. If kept longer, the fiiver that is induced 

 by this continued state of repletion, renders them 

 red and unsaleable, and frequently kills them. I 

 must presume to repeat, it appears to me utterly 

 contrary to reason, that fowls iiid upon such irreasy 

 and impure mixtures, can possibly produce flesh 

 so fat, firm, so delicate, high flavored, or nourish- 

 ing, as those fattened on more simple and substan- 

 tial food, as for example, meal and milk; and I 

 think lightly of either treacle or sugar. With re- 

 spect to grease of any kind, its chief effect must 

 be to render the flesh loose, and of indelicate fla- 

 vor. ****** Real excellence cannot be 

 obtained, but by waiting Nature's time, and using 

 the best food. Besides all this, 1 have been very 

 unsuccessful in any [evf attempts to fatten fowls 

 by cramming, they seem to loathe the crams, to 

 pine, and to lose the flesh they were put up with, 

 instead of acquiring fat: and where crammed fowls 

 do succeed, they must necessarily in the height of 

 their fat be in a state of disease." 



In and around London, the trade of fiilting fowls 

 is at once extensive and lucrative. The state of 

 misery in which these poor victims to the cruelty 

 and gluttony of the coarse-feeding citizens and 

 their caterers, drag on their existence, is truly pitia- 

 ble; shut in from pure air, and the enjoyments of 

 liberty, cooped up and gorged against their will 

 with food abhorrent to their taste; what well- 

 regulated mind does not revolt fi-om the contem- 

 plation, and who would not rather partake of even 

 inferior flavored poultry, rather than encourage a 

 trade so degrading to humanity I 



But we maintain, that the rational plan which 

 we have detailed, will ensure a supply of the finest 

 poultry liiat can be reared; thus, in discounte- 

 nancing the cramming system, "virtue would be 

 its own reward." 



Our remarks on this subject being the result of 

 experience, mid our plans iheretijre practical, we 

 fbel no hesitation in pruiuising the same success 



to all who may adopt them, which has attended 

 ourselves. We are Ibnd of experimenting; and 

 having tried every known method to preserve 

 eggs, and found all of them fallible : we discover- 

 ed a simple method, which we have proved to be 

 unobjectionable, it is well known, that while the 

 yolk of an e.g^ remains surrounded by the white 

 or albumen, the egg is good. Few of our readers 

 can have been so fortunate as to have escaped 

 that breakfast-table infliction — a stale e^^g; and 

 they will not fail to have observed, that on one 

 side of it there exists no white, but that the yolk 

 is in close contact with the shell? This alteration 

 in the position of the vitellus or yolk, is the cause 

 of the annoyance ; the shell is porous, and as soon 

 as that portion of the egg, which is intended to 

 constitute the food of the chicken, and is conse- 

 quently liable to corrupt on being exposed to the 

 influence of the atmosphere, sinks through the 

 surrounding medium, which contains (and perhaps 

 partakes of) the vital principle, and touches the 

 shell, the process of decomposition commences. 



To retain the yolk, then, in the middle of the 

 white, is tfie desideratum, and this we have suc- 

 ceeded in achieving lor many months. We had' 

 failed to preserve them in bran, sand, ashes, salt, 

 lime-water, hanging tiiem up in nets, and scalding 

 them; the last-named plan, however, though ob- 

 jectionable, is the best, excepting our own, which 

 consists merely in turning them every day, and is 

 thus contrived: A frame of wood, two feet long 

 by one wide, and two inches in height, has strong 

 copper-wire strained across liom end to end and 

 side to side, to form squares large enough to allow 

 eggs that are of a medium size being placed in 

 every alternate space; the wire to be twisted at 

 each corner of the reticulation or intersection. In' 

 private families, the number of eggs will rarely 

 exceed those of the square receptacles contained? 

 in one square frame, and can therefore be with 

 ease turned every day, (forty or fifty being re- 

 versed in one minute); but when eggs are kept 

 for sale, or on a large scale, hundreds could be 

 managed in the same short time, by having seve- 

 ral of these frames made to fit on to one another 

 with handles, so that the whole stock might be 

 turned at once. The plan is excellent, yet suscep- 

 tible of much improvement. In the event of pack- 

 ing egcs for sea voyages, it would be invaluable, 

 if the slight attention they require could be com- 

 manded. 



Diseases. — Of the disorders to which poultry 

 are liable, we really are practically ignorant, hav- 

 ing for manj' years been so fortunate as to expe- 

 rience fiiw or no instances of disease among our 

 stock; and we attribute the health of our various 

 animals in the farm-yard, entirely to strict atten- 

 tion to cleanliness, diet, and rational treatment. 

 Those who listen to the adviceof the ignorant and 

 prejudiced, nay, they who seek from books reme- 

 dies for disorders which may appear among their 

 live-stock, will have to contend with monstrous 

 absurdities, excessive ignorance, and barbarous 

 cruelty, in the quackeries recommended. Nature 

 will generally efl'ect a cure, if her efforts are se- 

 conded by simple means on our own part. Calo- 

 mel, sulphur, rue, pepper, and gin, are all absurdi- 

 ties, though all recommended for the ailments of 

 poultry. 



Backs. — Large-bodied and dark-feathered ducks, 

 are generally finer flavored than those with while 



