250 



THE AGRICULTURAL 



GAZfiTTiE 



toiler on a farm, as it may prevent the ^^JJJ 

 from ashes or clinkers coming in contact **^ w * 

 other substances left, too often, lying about. Uut i »eg 

 to question the advantages he claims for this P r - Ct1 ^ 

 which he so strongly recommends in his paper ot tiie 

 18th of March (See Agricultural Gazdic for Marcii &.) 

 Now, it Is well known that under the most advan- 

 tageous conditions, it requires 1 lb. of the best coals to 

 raise 10 lbs. of water from 60° to 212° ; and as ; *e 

 States that from 100 to 200 gallons (equal to 1000 ids to 

 2000 lbs. weight), are evaporated from to ^'\^\ 

 the radiant heat in the course of the J**^£^ 

 follows tliat an amount of heat has been MMte* 

 equal to from 100 lbs. to 200 lbs. weight of coal, under 

 the ordinary conditions of engine work probably neai y 

 double these weights would be required. Ihen again, 

 suppose that this immense amount of vapour W2W) 

 is carried up through the bars into the fire, and it will 

 not be very difficult to calculate the additional amount 

 of caloric which would then be required to raise its tem- 

 perature sufficiently to enable it to pass off .by the 

 flues and the -chimney ; a temperature ot at 

 least 600° to 800°, all this power being expended out- 

 side the boiler, and therefore of no use. In order to 

 ensure perfect combustion, and thus economy of fuel, it 

 is desirable, also, that we should check the admission of 

 more air than is required by the fire, and more parti- 

 cularly of any large quantity of vapour, both of which 

 must appropriate heat, which ought to he all trans- 

 ferred to the boiler. These points can be kept in view, 

 and yet all the advantages claimed by Mr. M. may be 

 obtained by other arrangements less costly, and cer- 

 tainly more philosophical than those which I venture to 

 object to. We must recollect that heat radiates equally 

 in all directions — the natural tendency of heated air to 

 ascend, and the usual mode of applying the draught,' 

 cause the greater part to be brought in contact with the 

 lower surface of the boiler ; but the remainder is lost 

 either by lateral or vertical radiation. (This effect is 

 seen by Mr. Mechis report.) Now, by having a boiler 

 so constructed that the fire may be placed in its centre, 

 and thus be surrounded by the water, we are in a con- 

 dition to avail ourselves of the entire heating power of 

 the fuel, and effectively appropriate the portion which 

 would be lost by the ordinary arrangements. This de- 

 scription of boiler is known by the name of " Cornish 



THE BREEDING AND REARING OF POULTRY. 



Fowls.— The first point of consideration is the breed ; 

 this is of much importance when you want to make the 

 most of them ; by this I mean both by eggs and the fowls 

 for market. I am inclined to think that a cross between 

 the Spanish and Dorking will answer both purposes 

 best ; but as yet it has not been sufficiently tried on this 

 farm, because the eggs of either sort are Is. each ; this 

 would involve much expense where the number of 

 hens and cocks kept from one to four years old is 



400 ; but we are gradually getting this breed 



over 



the majority of the present stock are the common dung- 

 hill crossed with the male game. This is a hardy 

 breed ; but is not much liked by the London poulterers. 

 The true Spanish do not come to maturity soon enough ; 

 they are at least eight months before they are # fully 

 Hedged ; but they are most excellent layers, and if you 

 cret them early they will begin to lay before Christmas. 

 This is generally a time that eggs sell well. We 

 have this season sold them in November and Decem- 

 ber at U M. per score ; they are now, January, 10& ; 

 this price will suggest the importance of having early 

 pullets, though it is a great temptation to sell in May 

 and June, as the price then is more than if you keep 

 them two or three months longer-; but we have, the last 

 few years, made it a rule to keep most of the early 

 pullets, selling only the early cocks, being well satisfied 

 that the hens pay best if kept over till the following 

 spring, the eggs they lay generally amounting to more 

 than they were worth themselves ; and some of them 

 will want to sit at Christmas or before, and it is impos- 

 sible to have them too early, though they require more 

 attention at this early period, yet they are invariably 

 the healthiest and largest birds. We have now, 

 January 21st, over 50 strong chickens, and have not 



lost one as vet. 



* 



I will state now the detail of the management of 

 them on this farm, as stated above. We endeavour to 

 have chickens as early in the year as possible, and con- 

 tinue t# set all the hens that show any disposition to set 

 during the entire year, except such as have been proved 

 bad mothers or unsteady sitters, and there are many that 



sible : the 



with a little -warm water, and crwit must "**S 

 off, for, if the skin of the chick SSL?*?** *m 

 t will die. The chicks do not reS ^ «£! 

 hours after being hatched ; after t W T' food M 

 to eat : try them with a little bread St P wil1 S£ 

 little Wheat; they will pick up^S**"**?. 

 gran,. _ It is of much importance *£** «*«i 

 up their own food as soon as uossihlp « Jr m *> Tick 

 better when they do so, yet th^ht ZuV'^ 

 to go longer than 24 hours after leaving i »' *** 

 ought to be fed by hand with b^ftSAj* 

 a woman does this best, as her fingers «L , V* ! 

 you may manage it pretty well with a «Lw • »* 

 stick, shaped something like a marrow sw»n P" * 

 smaller, of course ; and by placing the lmwl • "•* 

 neck of the chick, the thumb on oi 2 f?^ 

 the forefinger on the other, you will find no £ 



are good layers, yet are the worst mothers in the world. 

 This requires, like everything relating to poultry (and in 

 fact everything else) the constant eye of the master, not 



. ..- rf . , - , !•„•+= „.u„~. once or twice a week, but unremitting attention every 



^fllfUlf ^ rUcularl y ada P ted to durtricte «lu*e | ^ for howeyer fo ' mniate you ma J be in getting 1 



0/v ° ° *"" ' "~" person to attend to them, they will grow twice as fast 



under the close inspection of the master. We have here 

 a middle-aged man, who from bodily infirmity has been 

 prevented doing any hard work, but has been odd man 

 and boy on this farm all his life ; from being all his life 

 amongst poultry, he has acquired a tolerable share of 

 practical knowledge, and what is of still more importance, 

 a liking for them ; and it is useless to have a person 

 with poultry who has not • this feeling added to a large 

 share of patience and good temper. 



I will state here the means pursued to engender this 

 feeling. I believe it is well understood that if you wish 

 any person to study your interest you must show them 

 that theirs is combined with it. This man has a direct 



difficult 



sary 



did not find their way out of the 



th: 



m opening the mouth and introducing anv f^ 



hid 

 aft 



at a time, by breaking off a small portion of foe & 



I Zttl"2l!&J*5^ ? the SJ 



i after 

 'iilarge % 



memo; nauuieir way ^ out ot the shell soon afeX 

 egg waft chipped, that it is necessary to enlZ £ 



opening, as it must be done very gently and 



aftk 



all round the chipped part, say an eighth of 



tten3 





coals are dear. 



Some little judgment is required in the selection of 

 coakfer the engine — they should be of a free-burning,and 

 not of a coking, character : those best suited for house- 

 hold purposes are generally best suited for the engine : 

 with attention to this point and careful stoking, caking 

 and clinkering are avoided, the draught is unimpeded, 

 and the bars are not burnt. In all cases, however, a 

 simple arrangement of the fire or dead-plate will be 

 found advantageous in regulating the combustion of the 

 fuel. The fires should be kept flat, and 2 to 4 inches 

 thick all over the bars ; all fresh coals should be thrown 

 on this plate, where they become partially coked, and 

 the gases, produced by the decomposition of their 

 bituminous matter, passing over the heated surface of 

 the fire, are burnt, instead of being driven up the 

 chimney in the shape of a dense smoke. When the 

 fire requires more fuel, that on the dead-plate should 

 be shovelled forward, and another fresh supply thrown 

 on to it. If this plan is attended to, no smoke will be 

 S3en from the stalk, except on lighting up — a plentiful 

 and regular supply of steam will be generated, and a 

 great saving effected, both in fuel and in the wear and 

 tear of the boiler. W. 



Mr. Alecbi's plan, as described in your Paper of 



the 20th ultimo, of using a cast-iron pan filled with 



water under the grate of his steam boiler, will materially 



assist the fuel to generate steam, but as his is one on the 



high-pressure principle, the same advantages may be 



obtained by having a gas-pipe three-quarters or an 



inch in diameter, from the waste or exhaust pipe to the 



space under the grate. There should be a stop-cock in 



the pipe to regulate the quantity of steam to go through 



the grate. The pipe may be single or branched off in 



two or more, to more equally spread the steam ; but 



each pipe should be stopped at the extreme ends, and to 



have small perforations on the sides or bottom ; for if on 



£ie top of the pipes, the ashes falling from the grate 



Upon them might stop them up ; and there should be 



some in the bottom of the pipes for the condensed water 

 £} escape. 



In the same paper there isa new principle of cultivating 



interest in both the eggs and poultry when sold ; he has 

 1 d. per score eggs for all he may collect out of the 

 poultry-houses, and Id. for every fowl sold ; 2d. for 

 each turkey and goose ; this added to a small weekly- 

 regular wage makes his place quite as good as any man 

 on the farm, and this he deserves, for he is required to 

 be stirring by day. break, and when there are a large 

 quantity of young he cannot leave them till dark. 



I have found that baskets, or common hampers are 

 the best for the hens' nests, from the^r being so easily 

 washed ; this is best done by taking a few at a time and 

 either putting them into cold water, and letting them 

 soak all night ; 



a time. It is best in the early part ofThe se^JS to t 

 them m-doors (except it is very fine and dry $&& 

 season has been hitherto) for at least a fortnight tirT 

 them plenty of room ; a barn is a famous dace aldf 

 regret to say that we have plenty of them unocLj 

 at this early season. Our barns are built entirely- rf 

 timber, and afford plenty of ventilation, without wU 

 no animal can exist for any length of time in herifc 

 and -for poultry it is indispensable. To this point, an^ 

 keeping them and everything relating to them sea. 

 pulously clean, 1 lay the success that has attended tt 

 rearing of poultry on this farm, and without this In 

 satisfied any one who may try to bring up any quality 

 of poultry will meet with much disappointment. He 

 chicks have now reached say a month or fiix we^kttf 

 age ; this is rather a trying time with "them 

 their first pen feathers ; but if they are well -atten 

 to they will soon get over it. They are, whenever tfe 

 weather is suitable, carried out into a pasture: every 

 day the hen is confined in a coop, the chicks having the 

 liberty of running about. If the hen is not fius col- 

 fined, she is apt to roam too far with her young. We 

 endeavour to keep each brood as far from one another 

 as possible, as many diseases that they are snbjectto 

 very contagious. This farm has many advantages thai 

 a smaller one has not. There are eight off-hand pl&oot 

 five of them with cottages attached, and at all of them 

 are a large quantity, both of chickens and turkeys, rased 

 every year. I do not think that any person caa do as 

 well when they are all together, but I kavenofak 

 that every farmer may raise five chickens and the 

 same quantity of turkeys to each acre. 



We have found that the best time to send chickens fo 

 London is from October to Christmas for the cocks! 

 the current year, and from Christmas to June for the 

 pullets of last year. They are allowed to lay iillte 

 show a disposition to sit, or till the middle or latter end 

 of lay, when they .are immediately put into the faitiBf 

 coop and fed upon Barley-meal, and either Carrotsor 

 Swede Turnips, made warm every time they are fei 

 (three times a day) ; this has been found to answer 

 equally well with Barley-meal alone, and of emm f* 

 much less expense. The roots require to be steamed tj 

 they will mash e-isily, and mixed in the proportion « 



one of roots to three of meal. 



Of course you will get rid of all the early .chicW 

 (except those pullote kept for stock, and »^ to *f| 

 to lay early), that are of any size in May and June, w 

 7 J " we sold them little top 





* 



old 



land, as described by Mr. Smith, in his little work, styled 

 a * Word in Season," which principle is advocated by Mr. 



Hewitt Davis, whose knowledge and experience stamp the m hn hma r „„ Kf ^ , A . 4 \ , —--■ 



method asone of practical utility. I have one of the first aJ2t JS-3K? disturbed as httle as possible 



editions, which is only adapted for the spade; and one of £ * , *T e they ar . e f\ m - ; y et they require to 



ih* W pd.'H'nna ^-k ;„ L. i.— uL2~I ' « . have food > *"<* more particularly cl 



or, what is still better, putting them into 

 a large tub and pouring boiling water over them, letting 

 them soak for an hour or two, when all the dirt may be 

 easily removed with a hard scrubbing-brush. This plan 

 ensures the destruction of the numerous insects lodgii 

 in the crevices of the basket, and apt to escape if only 

 cold water is used. The basket must be thoroughly 

 dried before it is returned to its place ; it is a good plan 

 to dust the basket inside and out with lime powdered 

 and put into a coarse piece of linen. After washing a 

 little straw is put at the bottom of the basket, or I think 

 the hens generally prefer hay, but I believe that 'it en- 

 courages the insects more than straw ; and I would 

 recommend a quantity of dry ashes to be put at the 

 bottom, under the hay or straw, and packed all round 

 the outside, this keeps out the cold wind, and I have 

 no doubt that it contributes to keep an equal temperature 

 resembling, in some measure, the natural nest the hen 

 will often choose for herself at the bottom of an 

 hedge or bank ; this is not required after April. 



the last editions, which is for large holdings. 



first reading of the book I was desirous of working part of 



my land upon the described method. 



the growth of Wheat; hut from the 



land, and its being on the clay slate 



much better paying crop than Wheat. 



From the thdr reach 



It only mentions 

 elevation of my 

 rock, Oats are a 



Now if I should adopt the plan— consume all my 

 Oats with feeding, and in every space between the 

 growing grain to have the manure ploughed or dug in, 

 and either by sowing seed or transplanting to have one 

 row of green crop which, when off, to trench the space, 

 would it be an improvement ? Richard Nicklin, hie of 



Mm, ApiHl 9. J 



i 



particularly clean water, put within 

 and, if they do not come off the nest »verv 

 day, or at any rate every other, they should be gently 

 removed from the nest and kept off for 10 or 1 

 minutes, and a good sitter will almost starve herself 

 before she will leave the nest. I always mark the ens 

 with the day of the month when set ; this is very c<S- 

 venient where you have many setting at the same tin.< 

 as sometimes the chick requires a little assistance to 

 effect its escape. But never be in a hurry. Sometimes 

 the weak chicks will be 24 hours after their stronger 

 brethren, and it often happens that the weak ones are 

 glued to the Shell of the egg ; wWn so, the ej- ought to 



be immediately broken and removed as gently as pos- 



two best months in the year , ■ . . 



than pigeons in May, 1850, at 3s. id. cached m» 

 Hie best price for r ny jears, with the exception rt« 

 year, I belie vr, when the scarcity was pmi -*»« 

 passing of the free-trade measure. H"s « i an 

 portent fact, as showing that the demand mint ; nw 

 creased, or they could not have kept up tne pn • 

 The chickens, if well kept, do not require to K» 

 fatting coop more than a week or 10 days i ; .v 

 longer, thev are apt to get a bad colour an d Jo* = 

 instead of gaining, as they are close packed » «J £ 

 and kept with scarcely any light- a n "v 

 x stem is pursued at all the off-hand plac« 

 gard to remunerating the labourers wive * 1-oanrf 

 the chickens and collecting the eggs, as i v* 

 regarding the noultryman at the liome-tarai. ^^ ^ 

 About the profit of rearing poultry ^*VI-^A 

 Acuities, as everv one who has t,,0 J , 8 M *^ | or m 

 knows. There are always, or 'near ly so, ^ 

 flails gomg in each of the yards biW*"?^ dtf0 « 

 of course there are many grains unavo . u 



~ ,y themselves in _P IC ^^ 

 the straw is thrown out from *e_bam; : »» ^^ 



'> 



m 



ithre- 



and 



anu oi course mere are uum.v h ...— . , 



out which the fowls employ & eI ?*^r,™ t 



hTa~ferV"nnmh«r of "pigs fatted here on b 

 food, of which the fowls P^ takc w ;„ n Le > 

 avidity, it is still more difficult in tu» l^.^ ^ 



hih iiioie «■•"-«" — . being "8 



fondness for this food has led to «■ theffiB fcr 

 larly given to them, more particularly t> • 



donbt 



months, and as it is always g»*W **i ' the***" 

 induces them to begin to lay e arhe • H» ^ m » 

 wise would ; we have found it benefice t ^ ^ 

 small quantity of greaves (the refuse lr^ ^ j* 



during November, December, ana j>* fabttfi* 

 they have more difficulty in getting wonj ^ , j£» 



animal food. The greaves ■ fc, l° uW J* 1 £ et i then J** 

 warm water a few hours before "f™* >vi*J* 

 into minute pieces, and intimately 













• 



