112 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



quarts of ground millet seed per day, to each horse. 

 Fed in the same way to milch cows, it will keep them 

 fat and sleek, and cause an unusual flow of goocf- rich 

 milk. Colts, calves, and sheep fairly luxuriate in the 

 green fodder. The seed fed to hens will make ever- 

 lasting layers of them, whether Dorkings, Shangha;s, 

 Poland, Spanish, or native, other necessaries being 

 provided. D. W. Freeman. 



Windham, C. W. 



KOHTHAMPTON COTJNTY POUITBY ASSOCIAnON. 



Mr. Editor : — Thinking it would interest your 

 readers, I send you a brief description of the first 

 annual exhibition of the Northampton County Poul- 

 try Association. 



For a few years past, an increased interest has been 

 felt m this part of the state, in improved breeds of 

 fowls. At the county fairs of the past two yearS; 

 the number and beauty of the improved breeds of 

 poultry excited the admiration and astonishment of 

 all. The attention of our farmers was drawn towards 

 poultry-raising, and men of taste and wealth among 

 them, began at once to manifest more interest in this 

 subject. 



The quality and variety of both foreign and native 

 fowls has increased so rapidly tliat — taking the hint 

 from Barnum, perhaps — those interested met and 

 organized the above association, which held its first 

 annua! exhibition in January last Had I entertained 

 any doubt of the reality of the affair, that doubt was 

 dispelled when I came near the entrance of the hall 

 where the exhibition was held. But when the door 

 was opened, my ears were greeted with such an out- 

 pouring of salutatories and overtures, that I stopped 

 on the threshold for some minutes in wondering amaze- 

 ment. It seemed as if every cock was crowing defi- 

 ance to his neighbor ; nor was there any monotony 

 in the tones, or the key-note of this new tangled or- 

 chestra; — for, by turns, the shrill, piping tenor of the 

 bantam, the deep, guttural bass of the Shanghai, the 

 chirp of the canary, and the voice of the mocking- 

 bird, parrot or guinea-fowl could be distinguished ; 

 but above all, at regular intervals, rang out the 

 hoarse "cronk, cronk," of a large pair of Bremen 

 geese. 



Passing along, I first noticed a number of coops 

 of ShanghcBS, Brahma Pootras, Chittagongs, SiC. 

 The Shanghaes were beautiful — though large they 

 seemed better favored than any I had before seen — 

 in all the specimens of this breed exhibited, there 

 was a vast improvement upon the specimens which I 



first saw some years since. Then they were so tall, 

 bony, gaunt, and ill-favored as to give point to the 

 satirical remark of the negro, that " if you cut dera 

 heads off, de legs would fall right apart." No other 

 breed exhibited so marked an improvement, though 

 there were many beautiful specimens of Dorkings, 

 Black Spanish, Cochin Chinas, and other fowls of 

 foreign origin too numerous to mention. My know- 

 ledge of fowls is entirely too limited to allow me to 

 speak critically of all that I saw; but I suspect that 

 in one or two cases, at least, a foreign name was af- 

 fixed to a coop containing our common fowl, some- 

 what peculiarly marked; yet in one case — that of a 

 noble pair of common black turkeys — I feel certain 

 that if a high-sounding polysyllable had been affixed 

 to the coop, nineteen out of every twenty would have 

 left satisfied that they had seen a new variety of the 

 genus turkey. 



The show of Bantams was good; there were half 

 a dozen varieties, of which the diminutive Sea-brighta 

 seemed to me the most beautiful. In fact, all the 

 varieties which are commonly found in our poultry 

 books, were more or less fully and well represented. 

 Besides several varieties of ducks and geese, I found 

 a large cage with nearly forty canaries, another with 

 a dozen of quails, and others still with wild pigeons 

 and pheasants, or partridges. Again, as if the man- 

 agers had tried to make the exhibition an omnium 

 gatherum, in another room I saw a crow, and a large 

 white owl, and near them cages containing Scotch 

 ten-ier puppies, Guinea pigs, three difierent varieties 

 of rabbits, English, Madagascar, and common wild 

 and gray squirrels. I should not omit to notice a 

 most superb pair of silver pheasants. 



During the exhibition a large number of fowls 

 changed owners, bringing from one to twenty dollars 

 apiece. There was one, and but one, fault which 1 

 found. In two or three instances, the weight of largo 

 fowls was marked from two to three pounds too high, 

 and that of small ones, too low; thus, cocks of four- 

 teen pounds and hens of twelve, were marked upon 

 printed cards; and bantams of ten and eight ounces; 

 when any one at all acquainted with poultry, could 

 see the incorrectness of the statement at once. Al- 

 together, the exhibition was one which reflects great 

 credit upon this part of Pennsylvania. 



Yours, &c., E. 



Easton, Perm., 1855. 



A woman may as reasonably be proud of the lihes I 

 of the field, or the tul-ps of the garden, as of the : 

 beauty of her own face. 



