The Lancaster Farmer. 



Prof: S. S. SATHVON, Editor. 



LANCASTER, PA., FEBRUARY, 1876. 



Vol vm. No. 2. 



BLACK COCHINS. 



We give herewith ;i pleasing ilhistration of 

 a first-elas.s pair of this variety, representing 

 "Nicodomus" and ",Iet," owned liy Dr. F. 

 W. ]5yers, Lena, 111., who kindly furiiishedus 

 the following notes in reply toaenrr>'spandenl 

 of our Aincrinin Fanciers^ (luzittr, which, hav- 

 ing .sold, we will give the readers of TiiK Lan- 

 C.vsTEU Fakmku the henelit of Dr. Hyers' 

 cxperienee wi(h this variety, in liis own words. 

 — W. Atkc Buriia; Fhiluddphia, Fth. 5. l^Tll. 



seen kept in the poultry line — never throwing 

 any hrown or dingy colors. In some we find 

 a little white in tli" unilerfoathering, which, 

 by soniej)f our poultrynien, is not onsidered 

 olijcctionalile, as black and white are corre- 

 sponding colors. For this climate we do not 

 believe they have any superiors. They pos- 

 si'ss extreme hardiness — seem to feel w.'ll when 

 other varieties are piiwhed up with cold. Tliey 

 are a first-class table fowl, attain a fair size, 

 and with little inclination to sit, are (excellent 

 layiirs. The young 

 rear with very lil- 

 l\o. attention, and 

 when fully matured 

 are, indeed, attrac- 

 tive and beautiful. 

 The cock, especi- 

 iilly, is an aristo- 

 cratic, stately look- 

 ing fellow, stands 

 erect, presenting a 

 very handsome and 

 imposing appear- 

 ance. — Fred. \V . 

 Byers,- Jjena, III., 

 January 25, 1870. 



BLACK COCHINS. 



A writer in the August Gazette, speaking of 

 Cochins, says the Blacks are very little 

 known, only one pair being shown at the Pro- 

 vincial Exhil)ition at Loudon. Mr. Wright, 

 in his Illustrated Book of Poultry, givesthis 

 variety only a slight notice, seeming to con- 

 sider them an inferior fowl as they are now 

 bred in England. However, in the United 

 States, and especially here in the West, they 

 are regarded as a very superior breed. 



At one of our poultry shows last winter, the 

 rmml)er of entries of Blacks was eijual to those 

 of an}' other Cochin variety, and tlie display a 

 very creditable one throughout. It is true 

 they are not so large as the Bull', but careful 

 breeding is bringing them to true shape and size. 

 They are closer in feather, couseipicntlv do not 

 show size like the loo.se feather Huffy liuff. In 

 color they are glossy black, shading to bottle 

 green, with bright red comb nattles and ear- 

 lobe. They diti'er in sha|)o and gait usually 

 from the other Cochins, and by .selecting such 

 as conform to characteristics of Buff and Par- 

 tridge, they are assuming the true Cochin 

 type. The back is long, sloping to root of tail 

 like a Game, and the tail itself is more like 

 that of the Brahma. The legs are rather 

 pearly, furnished with feathers, but to off.set 

 this we have never seen a vulture hock or any 

 ap])roach to it among the blacks. They are 

 also free from ''sli]» wings" and twisted 

 feathers in wings, defects so common in many 

 Asiatic families. If they are ,a cross, as some 

 contend, it is our opinion that they carry 

 some Game blood. They are sprightly and 

 active in their movements, splendid foragers, 

 and are sure to come oH' " first best " in a 

 fight with their cousins. Black Cochins breed 

 more true to feather than anything we have 



TOU LOUSE 

 GEESE. 



This variety is 

 doubtless the larg- 

 est known. Men in 

 general have a n 

 aversion to geese, 

 and We don't blame 

 ^^ thejn cither; for 

 what could the lit- 

 tle noisy, vora- 

 cious, unruly com- 

 mon geese be con- 

 sidered on a farm 

 but a nuisance, un- 

 less securely pemied 

 in .siiuie .sivaiupy field V This natural aversion 

 we were not exempt from till we tried the 

 magnificent Toulouse, and then it was changed 

 to a liking for these geese. 

 In appearance, they are no- 

 ble and dignified, and will 

 thrive without water to f 

 swim in, if plenty be provid- fi 

 ed for drink. They are f 

 never unruly, and can be 

 fenced as easily as shec^p ; 

 are very quiet, not noisy, 

 and extremely hardy. Th(\ 

 are good layers, averaginj 

 about forty eggs each, in ; 

 sea..son, and are seldom 

 broody. If the old stock is 

 not kept fat, and after .spring 

 opens oidy on pasture and 

 vegetables, without grain, 

 nearly every egg will hatch. 

 The goslings are much 

 stronger when young than 

 the connnon, and are more 

 easily rai.sed than a pig. 

 We use hens for hatching, 

 and in summer have placed 

 them on a fresh grass-plat, 

 and reaied them without 

 any mother. Their growth is so rapid that 

 at four weeks old they will weigh from six to 

 eight pounds each, and at three months, from 

 fifteen to eighteen pounds. At four wi'cks 

 old they need i further housim;, and can be 

 taken from the nur.s<M-y and placed in the open 

 pasture to graze and shift for themselves, pro- 

 vided they have their regular meals of soft 

 feed, whi('h should l)e ciMitinned till they are 

 three or four months old. In France and Eng- 

 land, Toulouse geese are prized for their great 



size, excelli 111 ilesh, and abundant yield of 

 soft, line feathers, of which they will average 

 about half a pound to tlu; "picking," and 

 would be i>rotilahle lor this purpo.se. In the 

 severest weather they require no sli(dter, and 

 we never feed mature birds any gniin when 

 the ground is bare, where tliey have access to 

 pasture fields. 



In color, geese and ganders are exactly 

 alike, vi/. : a uniform, handsomi' gray, with 

 breast and underparlsof body a shad«r lighter. 

 They are so mild and tractable in disposition, 

 and pos.se.ss .so many gooil traits, that they are 

 profitable when; they can be ke|it, and es|)eci- 

 ally where grain and gniss an; chea|). There 

 are hundreds of wa.ste places upon which, with 

 a trilling expense, large numbers of tlu'se 

 gee.se ctuild be raised. To sliow how prolific 

 tliey are, we have known, for two .sexsons 

 pitst, one hundred goslings to Ite rai.sed each 

 year from the eggs of eight females, besides a 

 large number being .sold for hatching purposes. 

 For all pur|)0.ses, the Toulouse .should bi^ voted 

 the "goo.se of the period." — Tkc I'uuUry Na- 

 tion. 



THE RED ECHYMYD. 



l^K liijtnijtt rttfuH.) 



This .animal isindigei'iousto Brazil, Guiana, 

 and Paraguay, in .South Amerii'a. Itisabout 

 the size of the common rat of North America, 

 and is also called the " Spinous rat." It is a 

 reddish gray in color, and the tail is llattened 

 and somewhat shorter than the body. It con- 

 structs long subterranean biirrow.s. It is allied 

 to the "Dormice," the last group in the fam- 

 ily SciUKiD.E, according to CuviKii. It .seeni.s 

 to be a connecting link between tiie .sijuirrel 

 family and the rat family. Like the " Dor- 

 mouse," it also has foiu' molar teeth, which 

 tlilter, however, in formation from tlie animal 

 named. The fur is somewhat rough, iider- 

 spcrsed with short tlattened spines ori)riekling 

 iiuills. These animals are true Uodkxts, or 

 " gnawers, "an<l their food and fee«ling habits 

 are similar to those of sijuirrels, mice, and 

 dormice. Their phure is not uuaniiuou.sly, and, 



therefore, not permanently fixed, in the order 

 of classification. There are two groups of 

 theseanimals. belonging to the genus E:lii/my.i, 

 one of which hius hairy tailsand the other .scaly 

 tails, the former being more nearly allied to 

 the .sipiirrels, and the latter to the common 

 rats and mice. 



A i)ol,l,AltspentlorTllKLAKC.\STEli Fau- 

 MElt will prove the l)est paying investment that 

 can be made. .iVsk your neighbor to try it. 



