FANCIERS' JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



195 



PoJljf^y De P ^t|weN"P 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



BLACK HAMBURGS. 



These fowls are as yet, perhaps, less known than any of 

 their class, and a few words may therefore be in place as to 

 their merits, which will no doubt make them popular when 

 recognized. They combine great utility with extraordinary 

 beauty, being unsurpassed as continuous layers of large eggs 

 (not as large as the Spanish, as some have said), which they 

 yield almost all the year round, and standing first of all 

 black fowls for grace of shape and brilliancy of plumage. 



As table birds they are excellent, plump, juicy, and, like 

 Games, always fat enough to kill as they run. They also 

 resemble Games in looking lighter than they weigh ; then- 

 neat plumage and compact shape accounting for this. 



Cocks weigh five and a half to six pounds, and hens aver- 

 age four, fully matured. The chicks of this breed are easily 

 raised, feathering evenly and in proportion to their strength ; 

 neither running naked for weeks, like Spanish, or putting 

 all their strength into wings, like young Games. May pul- 

 lets will lay in November, and all winter with proper care; 

 i. e., plenty to eat and good shelter. They, in common with 

 all fowls, have a high appreciation of full liberty; but I 

 have found them bear confinement as well as any but Asiatics, 

 and better than Games and the other varieties of Hamburgs. 



In this vicinity I have found them better layers than 

 Spanish in the very hot and very cold months. They have 

 the fault of being great flyers, and liking to lay astray; but 

 I have found mine easy to make tame, and by making nests 

 in barrels, &e., near their houses, and leaving nest eggs in 

 them, I manage to persuade them to select my choice of 

 nests. Kose Comb. 



New York, March 7, 1874. 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



UTILITY AND PROFIT OF FOWLS. 



When the very interesting subject of fowls is broached, 

 the following remark, or something similar to it, is often 

 heard: " Fowls are of no use; they are dirty, require care, and, 

 above all, do not pay." In fact, this seems to be the pre- 

 vailing opinion among " non-fanciers." The remark comes, 

 perhaps, from one who has never kept fowls, or it may be 

 from one who has kept them ; but from whichever of these 

 the remark emanates, it is useless to say it is substantially 

 incorrect. In the first place, he contends, " Fowls are of no 

 use." Now, for a man to say this is absurd, to say the least. 

 Hardly a day passes without our friend partaking of some 

 article of food partially composed of the products of poultry, 

 and as for the fowls themselves, they are invaluable for the 

 table; this, combined with the fact that, if our friend has 

 leisure time to examine his stock, or is surrounded by children 



who have leisure time to examine it, he or they may learn 

 a great many lessons of value from the poultry, makes it 

 plain that fowls are of some use, and we may proceed. 

 Again, he says, "They are dirty." Now, that all animals 

 are dirty to a greater or less extent it is needless to remind 

 our readers; but how absurd it would be for a farmer to give 

 up his sheep or cattle because they " are dirty." 



Fowls, with a little attention everyday (mark the words), 

 are as clean as any of our domestic animals, if not cleaner. 

 The fowl, when in good health, will keep him or herself 

 cleaner than any mortal could keep him or herself, so that 

 all the birds want is to have their pen or inclosure cleaned 

 every day. But some say we cannot spare the time every 

 day to clean our hen-houses. Let me tell them that ten 

 minutes or a quarter of an hour will suffice to clean a 

 very large hen-house, provided it is done actually every day. 

 Where the floors are covered with sand or earth, it is 

 perhaps unnecessary to clean your house out so often. But 

 our uninitiated friends make another objection, viz.: " Fowls 

 require care." Now, in the first place, it is perfectly use- 

 less for a man to keep fowls unless he has a natural love for 

 pets, for the reason that such a man is almost sure to leave 

 the care of his fowls to some servant, who takes no special 

 interest in the fowls, and then his birds are a most miserable 

 failure ; so that unless the care bestowed on his fowls is a 

 pleasure, he can derive no profit, and must give them up 

 at once. But when the management of his birds becomes 

 a pleasure, as it does to an ardent fancier, then the care 

 ceases, so the argument of our antagonist is done away 

 with, and instead of being a care, they become a great and 

 ever-increasing amusement. 



Lastly, he says, " Fowls do not pay." There is very little 

 to be added to the substantial proofs on this subject ; let our 

 friend look at the poultry papers and read the accounts of the 

 profits on fowls. There are plenty of men who have made 

 them pay, we should judge as well, if not better, than sheep, 

 pigs or cattle, with far less trouble. 



Let no one therefore make the excuse for not keeping 

 poultry that they "do not pay," when such tremendous 

 prices are realized from sales of first-class birds and their 

 eggs. Our friend may keep any breed, or he may keep 

 dunghills, but whatever he keeps, if he keeps them right, 

 they will pay ; if he does not keep them right they will not 

 pay, but will become an unnecessary evil, costing more than 

 they come to, and. doing more harm than good. 



If a man procures a dozen hens and a cock, and puts them 

 in a yard, leaving them to the eare of an uninteres.ted servant, 

 they become a burden and expense to hirn; whereas, if he 

 looks after them a little himself, the little trouble it costs 

 him is nothing compared to the satisfaction he will have on 

 seeing that his profits have been much more than his losses. 



Hoping that we have not trespassed too much on your 



valuable and successful Journal, I remain, yours truly, 



Black Red. 

 New Yoke, March 13, 1874. 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT FOWLS AND "FOWL" 



MATTERS. 



Friend Wade. 



Dear Sir : As I try to keep posted on all matters per- 

 taining to fancy fowls and pigeons, I would like to ask a few 

 questions, and have you or some of your many readers answer 

 them through the Fanciers' Journal 



