1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



305 



A PAIR OF JAVA FOWLS. 



The account of these fowls which we give be- 

 low, we copy from Bennett's Poultry Book. 



These, like all other pure Java fowls, are of a 

 black or dark auburn color, with very large black 

 legs, single comb and wattles. They are good 

 layers, and their eggs are very large and well- 

 flavored. Their gait is slow and majestic. They 

 are, in fact, amongst the most valuable fowls in 

 the country, and are frequently described in the 

 books as "Spanish fowls," than which nothing is 

 more erroneous. They are as distinctly an orig- 

 inal breed as the pure-blooded Great Malay, and 

 possess about the same qualities as to excellence, 

 but falling rather short of them as to beauty. 

 This, however, is a matter of taste, and some con- 

 sider the pure Java superior to all other large 

 fowls, so far as beauty is concerned. Their plu- 

 mage is decidedly rich. 



Mr. C. N. Bement, a distinguished breeder, and 

 writer on the subject of poultry, says of this fowl : 



"This is a singular breed, which partakes of 

 the common fowl and the India fowl, peculiar to 

 the island of Java, where they are seldom reared 

 but for fighting; and are said to be so furious, 

 that they sometimes fight together till death of 

 one or the other separates them. According to 

 Willoughby, it carries its tail nearly like the tur- 

 key. The Sieur Feurnier, informs us, that one 

 of this species was kept in Paris ; it has, accord- 

 ing to him, neither comb nor wattles ; the head 

 is smooth, like that of a pheasant. This fowl is 



very high on its legs ; its tail is long and point- 

 ed, and the feathers of unequal length ; and, in 

 general, the color of the feathers is auburn, like 

 the vulture. It is generally supposed the Eng- 

 lish game cock originated, or is a cross of, this 

 variety." 



The above quotation is a description of the 

 wild Indian game, and not of the Java, except ia 

 color. 



For the New Englflnd Farmer. 

 TUBNIPS. 



Mr. Editor : — I have read with interest, the 

 numerous articles on turnips which have recent- 

 ly appeared in your valuable paper. There seems 

 to be quite a dilTerence of opinion among agri- 

 culturists respecting their value, compared with 

 other crops. 



Experience proves that animals do not thrive 

 best on the most concentrated food, nor is such 

 food most conducive to health in man or beast. 

 A man would not long survive if fed upon sugar 

 or venison alone, and a dog would not live six 

 months if fed wholly upon fine wheat flour. Yet 

 all admit these substances are highly nutritious. 



The analysis of the turnip shows a large per 

 cent, of water to the nutritive matter, but I be- 

 lieve it to be more valuable to feed with other 

 fodder, than a strict chemical analysis shows it. 

 A change of food is beneficial to stock, and in 



