54 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jan. 



HINTS ON THE BREEDING OF FOWLS, thoroughly cleaned out now and regularly sup- 

 If not alreadv done, now is the time to look over P'';';^ ^"""? .^^"ter, with clean, dry straw 



1 i. J i- ■] I ,» f.n,. „,i „t ^,,» »u„ I ,.r, J it you design to change one or more oi your 



your lots of lowls, and caretully select out the hens, ^ •' .i^. . ^'^ , . „,, .,,•', 



1 . 1 • ., I f« u, i-or>f f^- k..,.„,i;„,r ..^vf I'oosters, now IS the time to do It. ihey will thus 

 and roosters desmned to be kept tor breeuing next u i i. ,• ^ j. • . i • t .i • 



'Tu *• .i-f ^f 1, .. ^.a\..,i, 4i, . u'r.^^,1^^ have abundant time to get aceiuainted with their 

 year. The lecundity ot nen^ aiiorus the breeder ^ . ,. . 7 i • 



.. r -i-t- , i- ^ :.„..«„;.,-» fi,« u,.^-,,! K„^ t,«n, I F^artners beiore spring. In selecting a rooster, we 

 creat facilities tor improving tbe breed, but now ' .. i i *^ ° i ^ t, . r ^^■ . 



«= , , , I ^ ,„i )., .„ . „c fU ^ T^ ,„oL-^ should not look so much to beauty oi outline, as to 



saldom does he take advantage ot them, lomakei . i i- ^ i . 



, . , , • » • „ 1 J „«-i,^ , ,„f^1,. l<t vigorous and valiant demeanor, strong, muscu- 

 uecided imnrovement in a breed oi horses, cattle, ! , '^.. , ,. n i ^ i i i i i 



, ' ■ .• »i » „„ „i,^^ 1 lar thighs, lull breast, and plump, heavy bodv, 



r sheep, refiuires more time than most go-ahead, , . * ' i J. /• rV \ • '' ' 



. ^ ^, ,„ 1,. f„ ..,,11 „,. ^f.>i-,^o having more muscle than lat. Color is a mere 



Americans — who are ever ready to pull up stakes, - . ,. 



andselloutfor'a" consideration "—are willing to''"^"*^'' ? ^^A^J 



White fowls are supposed by 



some to be delicate ; but this has not proved so in 



our experience, though it Is probable, as a general 



thing, that colored fowls are the hardiest. White 



TT ■ 1 11 ^ I ui ^ t-„,.„ *^ ■.,, f ,1- 1 or bluish legged fowls are the favorites with some. 



Hence we shall probably continue to import the ,. ,, pr ^ i ,- c- .■> 



, , ,. '_,_ ^ • ^,j u . Li-.ij-„ trom tue whiteness and apparent delicacy or the 



bestow. In fact, the bare idea of spending half a 

 life-time in perfecting a breed of animals, would 

 be enough to frighten them from the undertaking. 



pure breeds of cattle originated by more plodding 

 nations. But with fowls, the length of time re- 

 quired need not deter any one from attempting 

 to improve the breed. By careful and judicious 

 selection, any farmer — or, we would rather say, 

 any farmer's son — may, in two or three years, 

 add a hundred per cent, to the good qualities, and 

 correct most of the deficiencies, of. his present 

 breed of fowls 



meat ; but it is admitted that the yellow legged are 

 the richest and most highly flavored. 



If a little flesh meat can be cheaply obtained 

 during winter, the fowls will be all the better for 

 it. It is a tolerably good substitute for the worms 

 and insects they obtain in warmer latitudes. Be 

 very careful, however, not to give them any salt 



unless, indeed, they are alreadv l^f.^' ^^!' ^^"'*^'M'™'''%^"J?™r^^"u someI.imes 

 much betrer bred than the ordinary fowls found ^ *^^**1- , ^here can be no doubt tha salt is no re- 

 . n , , ■ ^ ► ^r.iJ., » I quired by fowls in larger quantity than that ob- 



in farmers vards in most parts ot the country. L* • i "^ .-. F x- .i ■ t r ^ 



T ,, . - 1 ' i-ii • '/' , tained as a constituent oi their ordinary rood. 



In this coun'ry, and even still more so in Great I rp, ,, * /■ t * i-c^u 



■n ■ ■ c \ \ u III u ..ui ihey must have access to fresh water, and it they 



Britain, fowls have been looked upon as beneath . r i u r i ^ ^i, .» • c- 



^, .' . , .. !• ., ,• ^ ,} . ., • cannot and enough food from the scatterings of 



the serious consideration ot the farmer. Jsut this ., , t ,. u f a »i-i ^ c 



. /. ,. 1 • x. T^i • 4.-[ the barn-yard, must be led as the ludgment of 



is £.iv from being the case. There is no otherl^, ^^^.^J ^j^|^^^^ J = 



item on a farm that foots up more net profit than | 

 a r>ood breed of properly kept fowls. This is a I 



fact gradually taking possession of the public -DT^Tn^TTicrP a^^V'^ m'^SS"'' ^"""''' 



mind, (thanks to the agricultural press and — i rRUHlJiG APPLL TREES. 



though we do not fraternize with them — the reported to the concord faumeus' club by 

 chicken speculators,) and we shall ere long witness ^"^ ^VILLIAM r>. broavx. 



a decided improvement in tbe common fowl of the Mr. President: — The subject assigned to me 

 country. For, without taking into consideration .for a short essay was PriiHJn^. I shall speak only 

 the improvement caused by the introduction of of apple trees. 



Asiatic and other foreign breeds, the stimulus of i The apple tree grows with a superabundance of 

 high prices and good profits has directed the at- 'limbs, that provision may be made against casual- 

 tention of farmers to their common breeds, and it] ties, and an opportunity afl'orded for the cultivator 

 cannot be doubted that if they once take hold of to train according to his particular taste, or the 

 the matter in earnest, great beneficial results must! necessities of the locality. 



speedily follow, and that without the introduction! A young tree in the nursery requires but little 

 of any foreign blood. | pruning, if any, for the first two years. The side 



Now is the time to take this matter in hand. — i limbs contribute to the grovvth of the stock, which 

 Select out hens under four years of age, having naturally grows with a regular taper from the 

 reference, particularly, to a healthly and vigorous! ground up. When the low limbs of a young tree 

 constitution, large, well-formed bodies, and rather jare early removed, and the sap driven into the top, 

 small legs and feet, bright eyes and pendent combs. I the tree Avill not sustai.i an upright? position. 

 Early maturity and good laying (qualities must not; The top increases faster than the trunk, which soon 

 be forgotten. The form is a good indication of i becomes too weak to support it. A tree that has 

 the former, and also, to. a certain extent, of the' been trimmed at the right time, requires no staking 

 latter. If early maturity, beauty of form and re-| when transplanted. AVhenatree i^ trimmed in the 

 finement are carried too far, the tendency to lay nursery, it is hardly possible to shape the head and 

 eggs is supposed to be diminished. If a hen is i leave on only such limbs as will be required when 

 known to be of an uneasy disposition, or a poor! it arrives at the bearing state. The head should 



layer, on no account keep her. 



Having selected what hens you intend to keep 

 for breeders, it will be advisable to sell off all the 

 others now, so that the remainder may be better 

 fed during the winter. It is vain to expect 



be worked up gradually, a few lower limbs each 

 year being cut away. 



Cultivators generally agree that the lowest limbs 

 at the trunk of the tree should be out of the way 

 of teams passing under it. It will be found a 



abundance of eggs next spring it the hens are | great convenience in plowing to have the tree 

 starved during winter. A few hens fed will always; trained with one straight upright stem. Those 

 prove more profitable than a large number half-, side branches are of the right kind that join the 

 ^starved during a few months of the year, even i trunk nearly at aright angle. They can never 

 though they may have a superabundance of food, break, even if bent to the ground at their extremi- 

 at other times. See, too, that the hen-house is [ties. It will be found that there will form about 

 warm and dry. Hens, like sheep, can stand any- the junction a hard knot which never gives way. 

 thing better than water. Let the hen-house be j A tree properly shaped when young will seldom 



