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JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. [ February 17, 1863. 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



FEEDING POULTRY PROFITABLY. 



It. F. asks us to give some instruction as to feeding poultry 

 in the most profitable manner, and at the same time he com- 

 plains of the quantity of food his birds consume. We are not 

 surprised. We have often seen poultry yards inches deep in 

 wasted food. We have seen two birds supplied with food 

 enough to feed twenty. Fowls, like human beings, should leave 

 off with an appetite. If they overfeed they lay the foundation 

 of disease. First, then, no trough, no pan, no vessel of any 

 kind to hold the fowl's food. The reason will at once be obvious. 

 Fowls have no teeth, they have no means of mastication, and, 

 therefore, their habit is to peck grain by grain, one at a time. In 

 a trough a fowl takes a mouthful, which it has to bolt somehow 

 or other to its great discomfort. Mouthful after mouthful 

 follows, and then the bird becomes crop-bound, or squats about 

 till it is seriously ill ; this is the result uf improper feeding, and, 

 we unhesitatingly say, the inevitable result. It is a plain deviation 

 from the laws of Nature. Fowls and all the tribe of Gallinacese 

 are intended to pick up their food grain by grain, and scrap by 

 scrap. It is the condition of their health. While in searoh of 

 food they find pieces of grass, herbs, small stones, and many 

 little things that are eesential to their health, although they 

 escape our notice. It is also an incentive to exercise. 



Whenever we want to Bucceed in having our pets in as good 

 condition as wild birds, we must so far as possible confine them 

 to the same habits of life, and we must make our arrangements a 

 close imitation of the Pheasant, Partridge, and Grouse. These 

 thrive and fatten on the stubble, and the apparently barren 

 moor, while too often the petted fowl looks with careless eye on 

 the barleymeal, and bread that lie about in all direction. The 

 difference is, aB between the appetite of a man who runs break- 

 fast into luncheon, and with the help of a stimulating glass of 

 wine lasts till dinner, which he can only peck at ; and that of 

 the man who runs home from the baker's after church on Sun- 

 day with a baked shoulder of mutton and potatoes under it, and 

 who eats it in imagination all the way home. 



The nearest approach to natural feeding is to give food by 

 hand, and in small quantities, and scattered about. The most 

 profitable food is ground oats. Let such a quantity as will be 

 eaten be mixed and thrown by hand to the fowls so long as they 

 will run after it — no longer. As soon as they appear indifferent 

 about it, leave off feeding. If any appear on the ground you 

 have overfed. In the midday give a little whole corn, but scatter 

 it broadcast. Let the fowls have to look for it as Pheasants and 

 Partridges search a stubble. Feed in the evening with meal 

 after the same manner we have described for the morning. 



Do not be led away by tender-hearted poultry-women, or by 

 occasionally' sulky poultry-men, when they say the birds are 

 being starved and you can expect neither eggs nor chickens. If 

 the fowls do not run after the bucket and the person who carries 

 it they are not hungry ; and if they are not hungry, they do not 

 require feeding. 



DEVIZES EXHIBITION OF POULTRY. 

 February 10th and 11th. 



Though the numbers of entries at the Devizes Show last week 

 fell somewhat short of those in preceding years, we can with- 

 out restriction congratulate the Committee on their Exhibition 

 of this year being quite the best collection of poultry ever yet 

 brought together at this meeting. Two circumstances, most pro- 

 bably, tended equally to decrease the number of competitors — 

 viz., firBt, it is now getting quite time to close poultry ex- 

 hibitions for this season, as the breeding-time of most varieties 

 has actually begun : consequently many fanciers are reluctant 

 to exhibit on account of its obvious tendency to throw back 

 many valuable birds in their early broods. The other reason is 

 this : perhaps it would be well in future to lessen the entrance- 

 money from 6*. to 5s. each pen, as that sum, combined with the 

 incidental expenses of carriage, as it will be seen, from very long 

 distances amounts in the aggregate to an outlay somewhat con- 

 siderable when taken in ratio to the premiums offered, and this 

 naturally deterB the more distant competitors from subscribing. 



We have on former occasions Bpoken highly of the Devizes 

 Corn Exchange as a room for an exhibition of this kind, and 



shall, therefore, simply now say that it is by no means an easy 

 task to refer to any building better suited for a Bhow of five 

 or six hundred pens. 



The Black Spanish were excellent as a class, but were scarcely 

 in the perfect condition we anticipated. Mr. Brown, of Sheffield, 

 took the principal prize with his well-known excellent pen, 

 closely pressed by Mr. Lane, of Bristol, whose misfortune it 

 was to have a really first-rate hen and cock both sadly injured 

 about the combs and heads during their transit to Devizes. The 

 third-prize birds of Mr. Bodbard, also of Bristol, comprised a 

 lovely pair of hens ; but mated with a cock so massive about 

 the face as to be nearly blinded. His day as an exhibition bird 

 is mostly bygone, and he appeared altogether listless and in- 

 active. The Grey Dorkings were a grand collection, Viscountess 

 Holmesdale standing, in Bpite of so capital an entry, far a-head 

 of the general competition. Her ladyship's firBt-prize birds- 

 are too well known to be now specially described ; but cer- 

 tainly they were not shown so well as heretofore. The second- 

 prize birds were rosy-combed ones, and were in much better 

 condition than the others, though from the same exhibitor. 

 They were a most unusually large pen of birds, but lacked 

 much of the neatness and attractiveness of the first-prize spe- 

 cimens. The White Dorkings deserve especial mention, bo 

 much so, indeed, that in the single Dorking cock class of " Any 

 colour," a White one became master of the sweepstakes. It 

 is of very rare occurrence in such open competition. A pecu- 

 liarly large fine old bird was exhibited in this last-named class, 

 a Grey one, but so diseased about the comb as to render his 

 chances of prizetaking hopeless. The class for either Black or 

 Brown-breasted Game fowls was one of the best in the room, 

 Mr. Fletcher, of Manchester, taking the lead with some first- 

 rate Brown Beds shown in the most unexceptionable condition. 

 We must here note, too, the success of this gentleman'B yard in 

 some of the other Game classes. His first-prize Bed Piles, in the 

 " Any other variety of Game" class, are, it ia supposed, the best 

 pen of Piles ever shown, and, somewhat strangely too, the cock 

 is now fast approaching six years old, yet retaiDS a marvellous 

 condition, and still moults as true to colour as when a youngster. 

 Mr. Fletcher's Black Bed Game cock, the winner of the Sooiety's 

 silver cup for the " Best Single Game Cock," is a two-year-old ; 

 and should his condition prove maintainable up to his present 

 standard he will be hard to beat anywhere. Mr. WhitweU's 

 second-prize Brown Bed was not in nearly the trim for exhibit- 

 ing as when shown at Kendal a few weeks back. Mr. DyaB's 

 Black Bed, the third prize, is an exceedingly well-built, neat 

 bird, but certainly " a small one." The Cochins were best in 

 the Partridge-coloured and White varieties, which were really 

 a Bhow in themselves, even after the winners had travelled so far 

 as from Oswestry and Kendal. Mr. Sykes's Malays were excel- 

 lent. The Golden-pencilled Hamlurghs were remarkable for 

 the general imperfection of their combs ; and it would be wis- 

 dom for exhibitors to bestow every care in their selections on 

 this all-important point. Among the Golden-spangled were 

 many of the best hens we ever yet saw. The Polands mustered 

 Btrongly, and proved the best class ever yet seen of Polands at 

 Devizes. The Sebright Bantams were so good that every pen 

 save one obtains mention in the prize list ; the cock in this one 

 had a complete sickle-tail, though the two hens were of the 

 highest character. 



As it is always found at Devizes, the Buenos Ayrean Duck 

 class was good and well- filled ; the principal honour, however, 

 travelled bo far as Mr. Jessop, of Hull. 



The Turkeys were few but capital ; and when we mention 

 the well-known names of Seamons and Fowler as competitors, 

 none of our readers can doubt for a moment that the Ducks 

 and Geese were as well represented as possible. 



The management of the poultry on the part of the Committee 

 admits of no improvement, and thus the order and regularity 

 were unexceptionable. As we before hinted, however, if this 

 Show were in future held a little earlier in the season, no doubt 

 the number of entries would be considerably advanced, and 

 therefore its pecuniary success greater. 



Spanish.— First. E. Brown, Sheffield. Second, H. lane, Bristol. Third, 

 J. R. Rodbard, Wrington, Bristul. Commended, Rev. G. Hodson, North 

 Petherton, Bridgwater; J. K. Fowler, Aylesbury. 



Dorkings, Coloured. — First and Second, Viscountess Holmesdale, Linton 

 Pars, Staplehurst. Third, Mrs. A. Guy, Eaton Grantham. Highly Com- 

 mended, Major Ward, Castle House, Calne ; Mrs. M. Seamons, Hartwell, 

 Aylesbury; Rev. M. Stark, Hull; J. B. Coleman, Beversbrook ; T. R. 

 Hulbert, Bradgendon, Cirencester. 



Dorkings, White. — First, Mrs. H. Fookes, Whitchurch, Blandlord. 

 Second, Rev. G. Hodgson, North Petherton. 



