February 23, 1871. ] 



JOUKNAL OF HORTICaLTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



151 



But -ivere I a farmer, and wanted a really useful and remnnerative 

 breed, for hardiness, fast Ejrowinf^, and sure and certain wiuter-lajers, 

 I would keep Brahmas — Brahma9,and nothiDg butBrahmas. Another 

 snggestiou which I olfered was that of keeping some of the best and 

 biggest x^ullets, and turning down with them a fresli cock. Here I 

 would i-ecommend either Dorkings or Brahmas as being most suited. A 

 fnend of mine had a Brahma cock from me two years since for this 

 purpose, and the number of chickens when I last saw his yard might 

 have been described as "legion." 



If we look into our markets, I i^o not think that we find the dead 

 poultry offered there for sale ranch larger than it used to be, with the 

 exception of Turkeys, Geese, and Ducks, in which I have noticed vast 

 improvement. And here, again, the result of having only first-rate 

 strains to breed from soon shows itself, A good strain will cost no 

 more to keep than a bad one. To show how much Ducks have, of Jate 

 years, improved in weight, at the last Birmingham Show the first prize 

 Aylf'sbury Ducks weighed over 18 lbs. the couple. Seventy-two pens 

 of Rouen Ducks competed there, and the first prize couple weighed 

 19 lbs. -4 ozs. Geese weighed 5S lbs. and 56 lbs. the couple, and gos- 

 lings of last year dO lbs. The first prize aduU Tarkey cock, which 

 came across the Atlantic to compete, weighed 36 lbs. 4 ozs. This bird 

 I believe to be ncv the property of Mr. Lythall, and with it, if I mis- 

 take not, he won the silver cup at Bristol during last month. Both the 

 prizes for Tnrkey cocks of 1870 went also, at Birmingham, to the same 

 gentleman, with birds weighing 2-ilbs. and 23 lbs. each. The old prize 

 liens weighed 35 lbs. and 3-1 lbs. ; the young ones, 31 lbs. and 291Vs. If 

 yon breed from such strains as these, yon may go and do likewise. If 

 you make a point, too, of attending some of our largest exhibitions, 

 and mark well the points and characteristics of the winning biriJs in 

 these breeds you may be desirous of keeping, experience will soon teach 

 you the standard req^uisite to be attained. "Whatever be your breeds of 

 poultry, be careful to infuse fresh blood into them every spring. 



As regards the management of poultry, the most important point is 

 to have a properly-couatructed, well-ventilated poultry house, with 

 plenty of light, and free from draught. By all means have this before 

 entering upon a fresh breed of fowls, as on their arrival they can be 

 shut in for a few days in their new abode, and thus learn to return to 

 it for the purpose oL' laying and roosting. Have the door well secured 

 by two iiat iron bars to go across it, fastened with staples screwed into 

 the post at one end, and by patent padlocks at the other. There 

 should also be a sliding panel in the bottom of the door for the fowls 

 to go in and out during the day, and the lower iron bar should ro 

 across this panel when shut down for the night. You will thus be 

 better able to frustrate tbe designs of that class of people who hardly 

 know the difference between "mine and thine;" and sly Reynard 

 (however dtisirous we may Ije of his welfare) will find it answer his 

 purpose better to visit the poultry yard of some more careless neighbour. 

 The walls of the house should be limewashed at least three times in 

 the year. The perches should notbe more than 3 feet from the ground. 

 and ought to be at least 3 inches wide : a larch pole, pplit in liolve?, 

 answers tbe purpose admirably. These perches sbould be placed all 

 round the house, about 3 feet distant from the wall, not one above the 

 other, and care should be taken that there are no beams or rafters that 

 they can fly up to in the roof, as in their descent they alight on the 

 ground with great force, and this is the cause of so many cocks being 

 bumble-footed and gouty. Round the walls, on the ground, at con- 

 venient distances, place three bricks, to form a square for nests for lay- 

 ing and sitting; in these place some liay and a china egg. I prefer 

 this plan to boxes, because they are easier to keep clean, and the other 

 fowls cannot roost upon them to disturb the sitting hens. The centre 

 of the house being an open space, there is room to have the droppiucrs 

 liroperly raked out from under the perches once or twice a-week, and 

 fresh earth or coarse sand thrown all over the floor, and well raked 

 over. Tho value of these droppings as manure cannot be too highly 

 estimated. It is usually the plan to allow fowls to roost in sheds, 

 bushes, cr trees, where the droppings are mostly wasted, and cannot 

 well be collected and turned to good account. In some places where 

 there is a poiiltry house the fowls undoubtedly decline roosting in it, 

 because it is kept so dirty, and consequently swarms with vermin. The 

 cleaner you keep your fowl-house the healthier will be your stock. If 

 you can induce your Turkevs to roost in the same house as your fowls, 

 so much the better ; and, although it may entail, at first, a little extra 

 expense, by all means bave a separate dwelling for your Geese and 

 Ducks. Let the fioor be well littered with straw, to be occasionally 

 shaken over, or changed. In winter time, eight o'clock is almost early 

 enough for fowls to be let out of their house, but before so doing it is a 

 good plan to give them a liberal supply of soft food (warm if possible), 

 as it will teach them to become attached to their abode, and the sitting 

 hens will reap the benefit of a regular meal. By soft food I mean 

 potatoes boiled the night before, and mashed up when warm with Indian 

 or barley meal. Corn should be given in the middle of the day, and 

 again before going to roost, in the vicinity of the fowl house. Cabbages 

 should also be sjiecially grown, to be given them daily during the 

 "winter months. In summer time they can of course in a measure 

 cater for themselves. The sitting hens will also be much benefited by 

 having a cast iron trough (which will cost about 3s.) placed on two 

 iron brackets, fixed in the wall of the house about a foot from the 

 ground, to contain water, which ought to be changed every morning. 

 As regards the rearing of chickens, I would only ?ay, when under the 

 coop give a most liberal supply, little and often, of diiferent kinds of 



food, but above all be very particular that the water given them to 

 drink is clear, and often changed. Information you may sometimes 



require about the management of your fowls and their various ailments, 

 and if you will write to the editors of the paper I have before mentioned, 

 they will, I am sure, willingly give you advice in the columns allotted 

 for correspondence.' 



In drawing my remarks to a close — though I now assure you that 

 poultry may be made a profitable adjunct to the stock of the agricul- 

 turist, and a source of great pleasure and amusement to the amateur- 

 and that with proper care, judgment, and attention it will be exceed- 

 ingly remunerative — yet I ti-ust that we may, in the course of time, be 

 allowed another discussion on the subject, and learn much by listening 

 to the experience of some members of this club, who may take heed of 

 my suggestions, which, out of pure love for things appertaining unto- 

 poultry, have been liumbly offered. 



JMr. Lo^vE said that Mr. Brooke had told them that his experience 

 showed that tbe Dark Brahma were the best kind of poultry for the- 

 farmer, but he feared that tbe price which it was stated three of these 

 birds had fetched — 50s., showed that Mr. Brooke must have been look- 

 ing at the matter from an amateur's point of view. The neglect of 

 poultry by farmers, he considered was due to one of two causes- 

 Either the farms were now on a much larger scale than formerly, or 

 the wives and daughters of farmers did not attend properly to the- 

 ponltry. Now his later experience was not sufficient to enable him to- 

 say whether the Bi-aliraa breed would be the best for the farmer to- 

 cultivate ; but he was thrown back on the experience of tbe past, when 

 tliey used to think a Black-breasted Red a decent bird [laughter]. 

 He could remember when those birds would give them a little amuse- 

 ment in the shape of a stand-up fight [laughter] ; but in these 

 enlightened days far more healthy pastimes had been introduced. 

 Nevertheless these birds had qualities besides their fighting propen- 

 sities, and a couple of Game chickens v/ere by no means a bad dish to 

 introduce [hear, hear]. He begged to suggest whether the excellent 

 wives of the farmers and their daughters could not devote more atten- 

 tien to the cultivation of poulti-y, more especially in the shape of food 

 for the people. 



Mr. George Wise said a few years ago, when he lived in Ireland?- 

 he was a very great fowl-keeper. He was very unfortunate now with 

 regard to fowls, but he still took a very great interest in them. He 

 took a great interest in the preservation of fowls, looking at it as a fox- 

 hunter. He never lost but two fowls during the whole time he had 

 kept them, and if people would only just take care of their fowls they 

 would not be pestered by people saying, " The foxes are always taking 

 nur fowls " [laughter]. It might be interesting to some gentlemen to- 

 know that during the five years he kept fowls he always found that he 

 got more eggs in the month of February tho,n in any other month 

 [hear, hear], and the next month he found good for his eggs was the- 

 month of July, He always gave his fowls plenty to eat, and fed them 

 regularly, and took as good care of them as he did of himself, and he 

 could only soy he found them most profitable [hear, hear]. 



Mr. Beooee said he must disagree with Mr. Lowe on the point of 

 keeping Brahmas. He had kept Malays for the last thirty years, but 

 he would not recommend them to farmers. 



Mr. LoKT said he should recommend Malays to farmers. He had 

 kept them, and had found they were the only breed he could keep=- 

 They were an excellent breed for the table, and he did not see why Mr^ 

 Brooke should not recommend them to farmers. He could not keep 

 DoWdngs or Spanish, and yet he could keep Malays. He would be glad 

 if Mr. Brooke would give them his reasons why he would not recom- 

 mend them to farmers. 



Mv. Masfen said he had listened with very great pleasure to the 

 remarks of Mr. Brooke. So far as his remarks about Dark Brahmas 

 were concerned, he was very much disposed to agree with him, from a 

 farmer's point of view, that they were a very profitable breed. That, 

 he thought, was the forty-fourth day of continuous frost they had had^ 

 and he was happy to say that it was tbe only time he had had eggs 

 every dav in his life, and those eggs were the produce of the Brahma 

 kind. Mr. Lowe had alluded to "the fact of the present generation of 

 fiirmers' wives looking with contempt upon the poultry [laughterj- 

 He was happy to say that idea did not reigu at Pendeford. A statistical 

 account was kept by his wife, and she could tell them what she made 

 out of the poultry iu the year. He mentioned also another instance^ 

 and said, therefore, he tho'ught his friend Mr. Lowe was going beyond 

 the mark in sfiyiuii the farmers' wives did not look after the pounds, 

 shillings, and pence iu the poultry department. 



Mr. 'weight said for more than a quarter of a century he had kept. 

 poultry, and had had profits to a considerable extent. He considered 

 that they could not lay down any strict rules as to the breed of poultry 

 to be kept universally. Thfre would be difi'erenccs of climate and ot 

 soil, and some would be inconvenienced in the room required for keeping 

 them. With regard to the keeping of x^onltry generally, he found that 

 they required two runs or two yards for their old and young birds. 

 Unless they were able to provide that accommodation, it was alinosc 

 impossible they could keep poultry satisfactorily [hear, hear]. They 

 found they cost them double in corn, and iu the course of a year or two 

 their old birds became unfit for use. He advocated the use of out-barns- 

 for that purpose. But the most important question for them was to 

 consider the best kind for a farmer to keep. He thought Mr. Brooke 

 would give up the Brahmas. One of the best and oldest birds wa -, 

 the Dorking. It was certain the number of eggs they laid was no 



