264 



JOUBNAL OF HOKTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



[ April 6, 1871 



together, form a fringe or mane similar to the hog mane in a 

 JacjbiD. 



Another great point, by no means to be lost sight of, is the 

 gullet. This shonld be well developed, and the frill below it 

 should extend downwards nearly the whole front of the neck, 

 and at the same time stand well out. The ruffle or frill can 

 scarcely be too large; indeed, the larger it is the more it is 

 admired. 



The shoulders of the wing are the only parts of the bird that 

 ought to be coloured, and these should be of a sound uniform 

 hue. The prevailing and more generally-known shades are 

 those of Blue, Silver, Bed, Yellow, and Black, the Blue and. 

 Silver being distinguished from the others by the addition of 

 black bars, distinctly and clearly marked, which show to ad- 

 vantage when the wing is at rest. The other part of the 

 plumage is pure white, including the ten flight feathers and 

 taU. The thighs also should be equally unspotted and free 

 from dark feathers — a by no means easy point to obtain. 

 Taking the colours separately, it may be noticed that the shade 

 of the Blues should assimilate as nearly as possible to that 

 known as the light sky-blue, or what might be called a bright 

 slaty-blue. The hue of the Silvers should not be that of the 

 washed-out blue type, but thoroughly of the argentine shade, 

 and must be seen in order to te known. Good beds, like the 

 Yellows, are very difficult to obtain, those usually seen are 

 generally inferior both in colour and points, consequently are 

 not exhibited to the same extent as the Blues and Silvers. 

 The Blacks are scarce, and those of a good rich colour are 

 rarely met with except in their own climate. 



As regards size, the birds should be small, neat, and com- 

 pact in form, having the chest broad and full ; the flight fea- 

 thers and tail must be rather short, and the feet of a bright 

 coral red colour. 



The Turbit is not naturally a delicate bird, but, on the con- 

 trary, is very hardy, and quite as prolific as any other variety. 

 It is entirely owing to the caprice of those who are anxious to 

 obtain the smallest possible size for exhibition that the con- 

 stitution of the bird in this country has suffered so much. 

 This, of course, is brought about by the system of breeding 

 in-and-in, a system which it is to be hoped will soon die out, 

 or it will in the end have a strong tendency to destroy the 

 original beauty of the variety altogether.— Bikminqham Colum- 

 BAKiAN Society. 



EXHIBITION MISMANAGEMENT. 



At Great Harwood Show, on Thursday last, I was an esliibitor. My 

 best Camer hen and my best pair of Barbs were not in the pen when 

 the birds were judged. I sent Yellow Dragoons, but a pair of Blues 

 were put in my pen, and were highly commended ; Yellows being first 

 and secotid. Strange to say, when the birds were returned mine were 

 all right, showing, I think, that tbey had been put into the pen of 

 some one else pui-posely. My birds left Birmingham at 11 A.ii. on 

 Wednesday, and were not penned until after 11 on Thursday morning, 

 and some of them not then, being without food and water over twenty- 

 six hours. Again, the Show closed at 4 o'clock, p.m., on Thursday, and 

 the birds did not reach Birmingham until 7.40 p.m. on Friday. — ■ 

 H. Yat.dley. 



[The Show must be an obscure one ; we never see it advertised. 

 —Eds.] 



POULTRY-KEEPING IN CONFINED SPACE. 



Being a lover of poultry and Pigeons, also of gardening for nearly 

 twenty years, it may interest many of your readers to know the result 

 of my ponltry-keeping for last year. Three sets of fowls were in a con- 

 fined space — "viz., in ran No. 1, about 12 square yards, four Game 

 Bantam hens and one cock ; in run No. 2, about 40 yards, nine 

 Houdan hens and one cock; in run No 3, paved house yard, passages, 

 and coach house, about 120 yards, ten Hamburgh hens and one cock. 



Run No. 1. Enn No 2. Run No. 3. 



4 Bantams. 9 Houdans. 10 Hamburghs. 



January Eggs laid 3 .... 3 24 



February „ 12 7 17 



March „ 32 .... 42 .... 57 



April „ 23 .... 133 .... 13d 



May „ 22 .... 141 .... lU 



June „ 28 .... f-S .... 117 



July „ 12 .... 39 .... 124 



August „ 13 .... 39 .... 84 



September „ 5 .... 12 .... 36 



October „ 8 11 .... 



November ^ „ 10 .... 



December „ 7 .... 2 



Total 175 511 715* 



My object being to obtain eggs, the Hamburghs show the largest 



* 8th October aU thes n No. 3 killed by a dog. 



average. My system of feeding is alike with all, but those in the house 

 yard, probably, have had more, scraps to pick among. All the potato 

 peelings are well washed and boiled three times a-week, poured boiling 

 on to equal parts of Indian corn, meal, and bran, mashed up into a 

 good stitf consistency, and given each morning warm. About 2 p.m. we 

 give a feed of corn mixed — oats, barley, wheat, and maize. All house 

 scraps and shells of shell fish are thrown to the fowls, also green meat 

 — cabbages, &c. — as it can be procured, sifted ashes, old mortar, and 

 plenty of clean water ; houses well cleaned and sanded twice a-week. 

 With this treatment I find my fowls as healthy and well as any I ever 

 see. — A Subscriber. 



PRESERVING EGGS. 

 We recommend the following to the attention of our readers, 

 for we have reason to believe that oiling eggs is the best mode 

 of preserving egge from the summer until the following spring 

 without their becoming tainted. The following trial seems to 

 have been judiciously conducted. Flajiseed oil is commonly 

 known as linseed oil. " Continued immersion in lime-water 

 gives the egg a peculiar taste, not agreeable : some advise salt 

 water, but it penetrates the egg ; ashes, bran, and sawdust do 

 not preserve it ; varnishing has been practised, but abandoned 

 on account of the odour and taste which it communicates. The 

 following experiments with pure oil will show their value : — 

 Ten eggs were rubbed with the finger dipped in flaxseed oil, just 

 lightly covered with the oil, which dried in a few days ; ten 

 other eggs were oiled in the same manner with the oil of the 

 French poppy, to ascertain the comparative effect of the two 

 oils ; ten eggs were not oiled, and received no preparation ; the 

 thirty eggs were placed side-by-side, but not in contact, in a 

 vessel, the bottom of which was covered with sand enough to 

 beep them standing upright, three-fourths of each egg being 

 exposed ; they remained thus for six months ; they were weighed 

 when first put into the tub, and weighed in six months after. 

 The following will show the result : — First, the eggs not pre- 

 pared lost 18 per cent, of the primitive weight, were half empty 

 and exhaled an odour of corruption ; the eggs rubbed with oil 

 of poppy lost 4 per cent., were fall, without odour or bad taste.; 

 the eggs rubbed with flaxseed oil lost 3 per cent, of primitive 

 weight when it was full, and had the odour and taste of an egg 

 perfectly fresh. Hence, flaxseed oil maybe deemed preferable 

 for preserving eggs. — {English Mechanic and World of Science). 



CANARY JUDGING AT WOODBRIDGE. 



How is it that the judge of Canaries at the recent Woodbridge Show 

 has rendered himself conspicuous by reversing the decisions of many 

 of the tried and acknowledged judi^es in Canary matters ? 



I sent birds there, to which dilferent judges in London, Yorkshire, 

 Lancashire, and elsewhere have always given prizes, and they are 

 passed over without notice. I sent a Silver Lizard, amongst others, 

 which had never been beaten, for which I refused £4, and it is not 

 looked at ; but a wretch of mine, which I will sell for 4.S., is placed 

 second. To make matters worse, having been beaten (as was stated, 

 I saw, in last week's Journal) for the cup by birds receiving very high 

 commendations that were not worth giving a prize to — having had 

 my crack Lizard so insulted that he had to be put up with two hens to 

 get his temper right again — I receive the following from my agent in 

 London: — "Your birds arrived from Woodbridge without previous 

 notice ; one best Mule dead, the lot queer ; it is a scandalous shame." 

 Fan- thee well, "Woodbridge ! No more birds from — H. A. 



Fowls versus Ducks as Egg-pkoducees. — The question 

 whether fowls or Docks are the better investment for the pro- 

 duction of eggs has to some extent been settled experimentally. 

 It was found that on choosing three chickens and three Daoks 

 hatched in February of the same year, the Ducks took the lead, 

 laying 225 eggs in autumn while the fowls laid none. All were 

 liberally fed with various kinds of food. The Ducks recom- 

 menced the next February, and laid without interruption until 

 August. They showed no inclination to breed, became thin at 

 first, but gained afterwards. The following table gives the 

 details of the season : — 



Eggs laid by the Fowls. By the Dncka. 



January 26 



February 87 



March S9 



April 41 



May 89 



June 83 



July S2 



August 10 



Total 257 393 



This is at the rate of 80 eggs per fowl, and 131 per Duck. 

 100 fowls' eggs weighed 12.1 lbs., and the shells, 1.44 lbs. 



. none 

 24 

 63 

 08 

 82 

 72 

 70 

 13 



