202 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTITKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ March 7, 1365. 



selves, would proiluce a far better result than leaving every- 

 thing to paid servants, whose first care is ordinarily for 

 themselves. 



I tnow not how it is, but artificial incubation does not 

 seem to bo permanently successful amongst us. Cantelo's 

 system made a prodigious noise for a time, but who ever 

 hears of it now ? His " Hydro-incubator " was exhibited in 

 every stage of operation at a charge of Is. He then esta- 

 blished a small " Poultry Farm " at Chiswick, but after all 

 he could do no good with it. Now with every kind feeling 

 for Mr. Goyelin, and with the heartiest wishes that the 

 utmost success may attend his speculation, what pi-oof, I, 

 would ask, have we that his system of artificial incubation 

 is ia any respect superior, commercially, to that of Mr. Can- 

 telo? It is obvious the success of the Company must en- 

 tii-ely depend on the perfect success of his incubator ; and I 

 need not say to establish the success of anything now-a-days 

 is a work of time, trial, patience, politeness, and persever- 

 ance. 



An inventor must bear in mind that to object is not to 

 condemn. An inventor must be prepared for severe criti- 

 cism, and so long as this is fair and reasonable so much the 

 better for the inventor, if his invention safely passes the 

 scrutiny. This is the royal road to popular favour, which 

 makes his fortune. — Nemo. 



Mt estimate of revenue and expenses is based on facts 

 ascertained by actual experiments, and I maintain its correct- 

 ness. If your correspondent, " C. S. J.," previous to pro- 

 claiming himself the public Mentor, had favoured your 

 readers with the results of his own experiments in lieu of 

 publishing surmises based exclusively on his personal opinion, 

 they would, no doubt, have been received with all due de- 

 ference. 



My system of feeding chickens is far cheaper than the 

 present mode, and is calculated to develope the size and 

 bones in the shortest space of time, and not flesh and fat, 

 which can soon be done when the frame is ready to receive it. 



The market commission is 5 per cent, on dead stock, 

 and not 10 per cent., and a chicken six months old fat- 

 tened with barley and Indian-meal is more likely to fetch 

 3s. G(Z. than 2s. 6d. The expenses of one home being divided 

 among six hens and one cock are necessarily heavier per 

 head than when divided among twelve or eighteen laying 

 hens, or ft-om twenty-four to thirty chickens. The choice 

 bii-ds, I am informed by many, ought to produce over dfilOOO 

 from among 50,000 chickens per annum. 



I am pleased to perceive the interest "C. S. J." takes in 

 this subject, and I trust that the Company now forming will 

 have the advantage of his co-operation, with a view to°solve 

 the problem " Ostend Rabbit" so forcibly puts in his 

 masterly letter. Is there any valid reason wliy England 

 should not supply her own wants in the shape of eggs, 

 poultry, and rabbits ?— Geo. K. Getelin, C.E. 



HOME SUPPLY OF POITLTEY AND EGGS. 



How long does it take for a question to go through all its 

 phases, to settle down as a recognised fact before tho public, 

 with the certainty that it will only be disturbed now and 

 then, at stated periods, to be ventilated according to some, 

 or to have the accumulated dust of years rubbed off accord- 

 ing to others ? Fourteen years ago, the public one day 

 recognised the fact, that poultry was a pursuit, that it was 

 deserving of encouragement, and then some thought it was 

 a mania. 'J'he pursuit of the trade of a "poulter" is not 

 one of yesterday. Its Guild, or Company, ranks among the 

 ancient ones of the City of London. It has in its day lent 

 money to the Sovereign of tho United Kingdom. It still 

 exists, and has its chartered rights ; and its bequests and 

 benefactions go back to tho sixteentli century. It seems 

 now as if its claim to a share in providing food for the vast 

 populations in the metropolis and large towns wore about to 

 be properly considered. We are no longer self-supporting 

 in the way of food. Many of us can rccoUect in one of the 

 old Anti-Gallican son^, it was said — 



" They wjnt to gtt onr fleib and blood, 

 Our bcoT and bcor." 



Things are altered— wo get a good quantity of tbelri; 



aud half the continent is laid under contribution to supply 

 our carnivorous propensities. Good sound men of figures 

 prove that the supply of food decreases, others point to an 

 increasing population, and the iucreasing price of meat. 

 The leading journal of the world but lately called attention 

 to the figures of our imports in the way of food, and was 

 obliged to pause at one item. " A million of eggs imported 

 for every working day in the year ; " Turkeys by thousands ; 

 Eabbifcs by the ton. These are helps to the food necessary 

 to feed the metropolitan millions ; but the question naturally 

 suggests itself. Do we do aU in our power to provide more of 

 these things at home ? 



The egg trade with Scotland is becoming a very large one. 

 Wo import eggs from France, Holland, Belgium, Switzer- 

 land, and part of Italy. Cannot we do something towards 

 providing ourselves with these valuable luxuries, and there- 

 by not only increase the number, but in'ohably decrease the 

 price of them ? Wo have in our favour, and, consequently, 

 to our profit, all the expense of foreign agents, of travelling, 

 freight, carriage, and dues. With eggs produced at home 

 nearly all this would be avoided. If those who can keep 

 poultry will not keep them, then those who have the incli- 

 nation without the convenience, must endeavour by associa- 

 tion to find the means of carrying out their theories and 

 ideas on the subject. 



Wo believe we are correct in stating, that plans are now 

 a-foot, which will in all probability result in calling public 

 attention to the subject, and in giving the question a fair 

 trial on a large scale. 



THE POULTPvY CLUB. 



YouK correspondent "A Timid Exhibitok" says, in his 

 first letter, that one of the main objects for which the 

 Poultry Club has been formed is the discouragement of 

 dealers as judges at any show. Even if tho Club have 

 acted up to this rule, they have fallen into a worse error 

 than if they had completely ignored it — vi'/.., they have left 

 the appointment of judges in the hands of dealers, who are 

 also amongst the largest exhibitors, and whose interest it is 

 to win prizes, not merely for the sake of the prize itself, but 

 as a means of raising the value of the birds they have for 

 sale. 



In my opinion any person is a dealer who breeds or purchases 

 poultry, and afterwards disposes of it for a pecuniary consi- 

 deration. There may be two Icinds — the amateur dealer who, 

 whilst he keeps poultry for amusement, endeavours by sell- 

 ing birds at a profit to make the receipts cover the expendi- 

 tiire. Amongst this class I should placo several of the Club's 

 stewards, and also some of the persons mentioned by Mr. 

 Boyle. The other class of dealers make it part of their 

 trade to buy and sell poultry, as for instance Messrs. Baily, 

 Yardley, Hutton, Beldon, &e. I do not say that all the 

 Club's stewards are dealers, but there are a few whom I can 

 point out who deal in fancy poultry to a large extent. Their 

 influence with the judges appointed by themselves must 

 obviously be great. This circumstance no doubt accounts 

 in some degree for a iact that must have been noticed by 

 ninny of your readers^ — viz., birds purchased of^ this class 

 of people generally leave their winning properties behind 

 thoui, although remarkably successful when exhibited by 

 the dealer. 



I have lieen surprised in looking over tho prize-lists of 

 recent shows to see how very successful these gentlemen 

 have been lately. One of tliem, an extensive dealer, accord- 

 ing to his own advertisement has taken 537 prizes, including 

 elev(m silver cups, since .Tanuary, 1804.. I am not the only 

 person who has made remarks about the success which 

 appears to cling to members of the Club when their own 

 judges are officiating. 



Mr. Kanwell in his letter about the Islington Show remarks 

 " that he thinlcs the rules ol' the Club have been compiled 

 by tho members solely with an idea of pleasing their own 

 fancies." If such were not tho case ho thinks the prizes 

 wouhl not have been so thickly distributed amongst the 

 meuibera as they were. 



I advise "A Timid Exhiuitob" not to join the Club until 

 some alteration is made in tho management ; and then it 

 would be better if the Club ivould POUfine itself to Bimply 



