FANCIERS' JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



357 



Vermilion, Ohio-: We received the eggs (twenty-eight in 

 number), the 30th day of March last, very ingeniously 

 packed in a light, strong bos, with cushions extending across 

 the ends, covering about two-thirds of the bottom ; the 

 cover securely fastened by screws, with strong hickory han- 

 dle; directions plain and easily read, with the customary 

 directions to carriers. A perfectly safe package for trans- 

 porting eggs any distance. Three nests had been prepared 

 for the eggs, and the hens nicely sitting before the eggs 

 arrived. Upon their arrival they were immediately placed 

 under the hens — ten under one, nine under each of the 

 others. Prom the twenty-eight eggs we obtained twenty- 

 three nice chicks — eleven Dark and twelve Light Brahmas. 

 At the present writing they are all well and thrifty. The 

 distance travelled is more than twenty-seven hundred miles. 

 By rail it is twenty-six hundred and seventy ; by stage 

 twenty-eight; horseback six. This result, after a trial of 

 railway, stage, and horseback travelling, completely does 

 away with the notion that "travelled eggs will not hatch." 

 Our success is due, first, to the honesty of the seller in send- 

 ing fresh eggs ; second, to the faithful and scientific manner 

 in which they were packed ; third, to our own care of the 

 eggs and hens while sitting. 



Nine-tenths of the misfortunes resulting in failures, we 

 believe, occur through mismanagement or neglect on the 

 part of the buyer placing too many eggs under the hens, 

 and not giving them proper attention while sitting. To 

 meet with success, requires care and attention from the 

 time the eggs are placed under the hen until the chicks are 

 removed. 



If the purchaser of valuable eggs would always perform 

 his duty as faithfully as he expects the seller to perform his, 

 we would have less charges of dishonesty, and less fault- 

 finding with Express companies, &c, &c. 



We send you this result, hoping you will publish it for 

 the benefit of all fanciers and breeders. 



Respectfully, Buffum & Stockton. 



Hornitos, Cal., May 15, 1874. 



DIFFERENCE OF OPINION- 



How many times in our school days have we followed in 

 our writing books the copy " Many men of many minds 1" 



Well, it is true, for were we all agreed, this world would 

 lack sadly that variety needed as the spice of life. Thus, 

 our friend Pitkin thinks chickens can be killed with kind- 

 ness, while we do not. We have chickens of all ages, from 

 forty-eight hours to three months — Light and Dark Brah- 

 mas, Plymouth Rocks, and Partridge Cochins. We kept 

 them housed most of the time, until within a fortnight. 

 They occupied warm, dry rooms, with sanded floor and 

 plenty of sun — no fire. Have warmed bricks and planks 

 and laid on the floor for them to stand upon many a time 

 during March and April. Have one hundred and seventy- 

 five, and have fed them upon everything you can think of, 

 but " addled eggs." Eggs boiled hard, the yolks only being 

 used ; bread crumbs soaked in milk ; meat of all kinds. I 

 prefer during cold weather, beef suet chopped fine. At the 

 present time I feed beef scraps, bought in Boston by the 

 quantity, soaked in boiling water and fed when cool ; grease 

 of all kinds in small qnantities stirred into their dough ; 

 onions, cabbage, and grass ; clover heads picked from the 

 hay mow ; grass seed gathered from the barn floor under the 

 hay ; hemp seed ; mud worms cut up and mixed with fresh 



earth, which has been warmed and dried in a dripping pan 

 on the stove, and put in piles for them to scratch over and 

 dust themselves in ; Indian meal and shorts ; oatmeal baked ; 

 Indian meal cakes ; pounded or cracked corn ; ground bone 

 and wheat, not screenings, as we do not consider them profit- 

 able. How is that for variety? They have plenty of fresh 

 warmth, and no sickness, and a more lively flock of chickens 

 you would never wish to see ; always ready for their rations, 

 which they get with punctuality five times a day. I feed 

 them at six, nine, one, three, and six. Onions we do not 

 recommend, as we have seen — as friend Pitkin says — our 

 chickens so paralyzed as to show a desire to stand on their 

 heads rather than their feet, soon after eating them, acting 

 very much like those " little witches " we used to make with 

 bits of lead and piths from the corn stalk, that would pop 

 over so curiously if stood upon the end not leaded. 



I forgot the salt. We give them salt in their food every 

 day, they never miss it from their puddings and cakes any 

 more than we do from ours. We never saw a case of gapes 

 that we know of, neither of roup, or any of the diseases so 

 fatal to chickens. 



One of our neighbors lost every one of his turkey chicks 

 last spring, in the manner referred to in the last Fanciers' 

 Journal. They became blind, refused to eat, and drooped 

 and died. We have had two or three blind chickens this 

 spring, but hope it will not prove a disease. S. B. S. 



West Amesbury, Mass., May 19, 1874. 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



A PUZZLE. 



A fancier sends the following letter to us to decipher, 

 and at the same time he thinks it would puzzle a Phila- 

 delphia lawyer. We agree with him, and certainly cannot 

 recommend it as a model order for eggs, which it appears 

 to be intended for : 



Suefield May 16th 1874 



Dear Sir I was reading your Advertisement in the paper 

 about your eggs for Hatching they are $2.00 per doz. if I 

 take a doz and when they are Hatched I will give you one 

 or two if you will do so please send on one doz partrige 

 Cochin eggs if not please write to the Address of 



Write soon 



(No address being given.) 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



CONNECTICUT POULTRY NOTES. 



The State Society held its regular quarterly meeting in 

 Hartford, May 12th, which was largely attended, and was 

 in session from 10 A M. to 4 p.m. The constitution was 

 amended so that the number of Vice-Presidents shall be fif- 

 teen, instead of two, as formerly, and the following gentle- 

 men were elected: Charles R. Hart, Hartford, Pirst Vice- 

 President ; Charles H. Crosby, Danbury; H. W. Conklin, 

 Hartford ; George W. Bradley, Hamden ; T. A. Todd, New 

 Haven ; S. J. Bestor, Hartford ; Charles L. Mitchell, New 

 Haven ; W. H. Lockwood, Hartford ; S. A. Bassett, New 

 Haven; H. L. Welch, Hartford; J. Boardman Smith, 

 North Haven ; Edward S. Brewer, Hartford ; A. E. Hart, 

 Hartford; C. C. Plaisted, Hartford; Charles Ruickholdt, 

 New Haven. It was voted to make the entrance fee at the 

 next exhibition one dollar per coop on fowls and fifty cents 

 on pigeons and minor pets. A large amount of routine 

 business was transacted, and important measures inaugu- 

 rated toward preparing for the next annual exhibition, 



