384 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ November 10, 1870. 



the necessary material is not to be fonnd in the haunts of the hea, and 

 in that case it must be supplied in the shape of brieklayers' rubbish, old 

 ceilings, chalk, lime, &c, or the secretions are at fault. Try the first. If 

 it does not succeed, attribute the result to the second cause, and ase 

 Baily's pills, which will, we doubt not, effect a cure. 



Cochin Pullets Dying (F.). — There is nothing in your keeping that 

 Bhonld cause your fowls to die. Your dietary is not of a high class, and 

 if the birds came from much better keeping they would lose condition. 

 A large gravelled st^bleyard otherwise unoccupied is not suggestive of 

 healthy feeding ; and Indian corn twice per day, varied sometimes with 

 barleymeal and tailing wheat, is not good feeding. With a little alteration 

 it may be good enough. A sickly person may be ordered to take turtle, 

 bnt if entirely confined to it would starve. Just so the Indian corn 

 thrown down in the clean gravelled yard is suggestive of the children's 

 cry, " Sick of the sight of it," when their parents expatiate on the merits 

 of some dish on which they pin their faith. We fancy your fowls are 

 like Dr. Blimber's boys as they appeared when enjuying themselves, 

 whereas tbey should be like those unhappy children who had no one to 

 take care of them, and who were in consequence " doing dags," *' turning 

 wheels," and "standing on their heads.'' Have two or three or more 

 cartloads of road grit full of grass and small pebbles. Form them in a 

 heap in the yard. Make another with as much mould as you can spare, 

 cover the top of it with large sods of growing grass. Feed on barleymeal 

 or ground oats as the principal fond, and let Indian corn be the occasional 

 change. As some of the youngest chickens may want it, give them bread 

 and milk and a little chopped egg till they have recovered strength. 

 Cleanliness cannot be tuo much insisted upon in the roosting place or 

 house ; but where the runs are so intolerably clean and tidy, we are com- 

 pelled to believe either that the fowls have not the various appliances 

 neceBsary to health, or they are not in health to make use of them. 



Diseased Cross-bred Hen (E. S.). — The complaint you mention be- 

 longs more to the Spanish than the Cochin breed. It is seldom cured, 

 but the fowls live on, and are as useful as if they had not the excrescence. 

 In the early stages, when the swelling is soft, it can sometimes be got 

 rid of by making an opening and squeezing out the contents, which will 

 generally be found to be a cheesy substance. Baily's pills, we believe, 

 are to be had of all the principal chemists, or at 113, Mount Street, W., 

 London. They are very useful in keepiDg fowlB in health at this time 

 of year. 



Coce's Toe Partly Lost— Hamburgh Cock's Come {Constant Header). 

 —The accident to the Cochin cock is of no importance. The double pike 

 to the Hamburgh's comb will be fatal if it iB discovered. 



Brahma Pullets and Cock {Owl). — They should be set apart at once 

 They will probablv lay the end of next month. Give them the largest 

 space you can. If it possesses greea food in the way of grass, 4c, you 

 need not provide it. If it does not, you must supply then witn road grit, 

 garden mould, growing grass, and other green food. If they have a good 

 run and the consequent advantages, give two meals per day of whole 

 corn, the midday one of barleymeal or ground oats. As the/ are grow- 

 ing birds you may also give them kitchen scraps and bread and milk. 

 In very bad weather you may give them bread and ale morning and 

 evening, we mean during snow or long-continued wet. Be sure their 

 roosting place h*s none other than an earthen floor, and that the perches 

 are very wide and not more than 18 inches from the floor. 



Silver-pencilled HaaibcrgH6 iM. I. M.). — Assuming that all your 

 cockerels are of the same age, we should certainly Rive the preference to 

 the perfect earlobe If tbey are all of the same strain, and he of the 

 white ear be older than the others, we should not hurry to make our 

 selection, because age will often transform the faulty into a perfect ear- 

 lobe, just as it does the face of a Spanish pullet. 



Poultry for Sale (Novice), — " Fit for exhibition is a wide term, and 

 binds the seller to nothing. You need not wait long. Go to Birmingham 

 Monday fortnight, and you can buy birds that have actually appeared in 

 the first pri^e sheet in the world. We do not think yoa would be likely to 

 buy prize birds from anyone who never takes prizeB, as, even in his own 

 case, his estimate ot the merits of his birds is a mistaken one. If there 

 ■were onlv open classes for '* birds of all ages," the age ''f the birds form- 

 ing competing pens would be taken into consideration, but one six months 

 old would haidly ever compete successfully with one twice the age. Still 

 at almost every show there are distinct classes f >r chickens and adults. 

 The probable success of six-months chickens would depena on the time 

 of year at which the show was held. Thus, at a show held in July it 

 would be very difficult to get chickens more ihnn six monthB eld, and 

 they would, if good, be successful. The same chickens, or their fellows, 

 might be shown in November or December, being then nearly a year old 

 and as much adults as they ever would be, chickens six months old would 

 have no hope in competing with them, although they might have done 

 so in July. Early maturity is one of the objects aimed at by those who 

 encourage the breed of poultry. To produce chickens late in the year ia 

 of little use, as they are then of small value. 



Malays {Minorca) — They are not Game fowls, and. if there is not a 

 separate class for them, they must be exhibited in the " Any other va- 

 riety " class. 



Chickens Crop-bound (C. R.).— Your feeding mu=t be wrong, and your 

 fowls consequently become crop-bound and die. Those which have their 

 crops full must have them emptied. Feed on green meat and ground 

 food. See our instructions to " F, T." last week; we entered fully into 

 the subject. 



Brahma with Twisted Flight (T. F. J.).— Your bird has a twisted 

 flight, and nothing will cure it. It is always a mistake to Bave such 

 chickens, as they are worthless for stock, and to our ideas blots in a yard. 

 We always devore them to the kitchen. " Wise men flattering" may tell 

 yon of cures. We have never found one. 



Colour of Dark Brahma Hen (Idem).— The brown or salmon colour 

 is a defect in a Brahma hen. If we had others as good, lacking the 

 colour, we should not breed from her. If she has qualities that make it 

 desirable, we should mate her with a Dark cock— that is, black and white, 

 and, above all, one without the chestnut patch on his wing or a brown 

 feather in any part of his plumage. 



Exhibiting Dark Brahmas (Brahma).— We advise you to show No. 2 

 for two reasons. You say she is nearly as large, is better pencilled, and 

 has no brown in her plumage. No. 1 is evidently out of health. There 

 is no greater proof than inordinate thirst. Betnove the water at once; 



let her have a little morning, midday, and evening, but none to stand by 

 her. Feed her moderately on soft food. Give her lettuce. If the thirst 

 continue, give castor oil. 



Barbs' Eyes (Belton). — As the pearl eye in these Pigeons is the proper 

 colour — vide the article on the Pigeon in our number for October 27th — 

 on no account cross with a bird having a crocus eye, as you will damage 

 your stock, and get the yellow eye into it. 



Measuring the Faces of Carriers and Barbs (Jas. TJrgon). — We 

 think the safest and best way to measure the faces of watt'ed Pigeons is 

 from their point to the centre of the eye itself, certainly not to the outside 

 of the eyeball. 



Curing Rabbit Skins (Owl). — We know nothing about the process. 



Cooking Scorzonera (N. H. P.). — You guessed erroneously ; our cook's 

 name is not" Betty," but Apicia, indicative of being quite up to palatable 

 preparations ; yet, when we imparted to her your question, she inquired, 

 "'Is it a fieh ?" so we retired from taking further counsel, and impart the 

 following from the store of our own encyclopaedic knowledge :— Scrape off 

 the dark outside skin of the roots ; then soak them in water for an hour 

 or more to extract a portion of the bitterness; then boil them till soft,, 

 like the parsnip, and send to table to be eaten with either white sauce or 

 melted butter. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 

 In the Suburbs of London for the week ending November 8th. 







BAE03IETER, 



THXRHOMETEB. 



Wind. 





Date. 



A 



IT. 



Earth. 



Rain 





Max. 



Mm. 



Max. 



Min. 



1 ft. 



2ft. 





Wed... 



2 



30.423 



30.396 



44 



55 



45 



47 



N. 



1 .(0 



Thurs. . 



8 



31.418 



81.371 



4< 



27 



45 



46 



S.E. 



1 .00 



Fri. . . 



4 



30 379 



30 368 



51 



33 



47 



46 



S.W. 



.00 



Sat. ... 



5 



30.382 



35.343 



54 



39 



48 



46 



N.E. 



.00 



San. .. 



6 



30.203 



3 '.041 



48 



25 



48 



46 



N.W. 



1 .QO 



Moil. . . 



7 



29.990 



29 961 



58 



26 



46 



46 



N.W. 



■04 



Taes.... 



8 



29.989 



29.942 



44 



26 



45 



45 



N. 



.00 



Hear 



30.251 



30.217 



48.86 



29 43 



46.28 



46.00 





1 0.04 



2.— Foggy ; fine, foggy; frosty fog at night. 



S. — Frosty fog; foggy, dense fog; frost, dense fog. 



4.— Dense fog; densely overcast; overcast. 



5. — Densely overcaBt ; very fine ; densely overcast. 



6. — Densely overcast; fine ; densely overcast. 



7. — Frosty ; rain ; fine ; heavy clouds. 



8.— Frosty air ; dense fog ; foggy and frosty. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— No vembeb. 9. 

 The attendance of buyers has been but limited during the past week: 

 and as the stocks have much accumulated forced sales have been resorted 

 to, but without much influencing the current rates. Some heavy con- 

 signments of Pears froai France, shipped at Dieppe and St. Malo, have 

 pasBed under the hammer this week. We have also received a good 

 parcel of Newtown Pippins from New York. The Potato trade is rather 

 active. 



FRTJIT. 



s. d. s. d 



Apples J Hi eve 1 to 2 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries lb. 



ChestnntB bushel 6 14 



Currants j sieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 



Filberts lb. 2 



Cobs lb. 1 6 2 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, Hothouse.... lb. 2 5 



Lemons ^lOO 



8 

 Melons each 1 



14 

 4 



s. d. s. d 



Mulberries lb. to 



Nectarines doz. & 



Oranges $»• 100 6 10 



Peaches doz. 



Pears, kitchen doz. 10 2 



dessert doz. 10 S 0- 



PineApples lb. 4 6 



Plums i sieve 16 3 



Quinces doz. 10 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries lb. 



Walnuts bushel 10 b 16 



do WlQQ 10 2 0" 



VEGETABLES. 



s. d. 



ArtichokeB doz, to 



Asparagus » 100 



Beans, Kidney ..£ sieve. 



Broad bushel 



Beet, Red doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



Brussels Sprouts. . J sieve 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums ^-100 



CarrotB bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Coleworts..doz. buncheB 

 Cucumbers each 



pirkxing doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish ....bundle 



Lee>s bunch 



Lettuce doz. 



MushroomB pottle 



Mustard & Cress, .punnet 

 Onions bushel 



pickling quart 



Parsley Bieve 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes .. doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Savoys doz. 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes doz. 



Turnips bunch 



Vegetable Marrows.. doz. 



s. d. s. 

 4 to 



POULTRY MARKET.— November 9. 

 The supply is moderate, and the demand very small. The lamentable 

 war on the Continent has closed our best markets for the sale of Game,, 

 and will influence the price of it greatly. We expect it will be difficult to 

 sell many Pheasants, except at very low rates. 



d. s. d s. d. s. d. 



6 to 3 



Large Fowls 2 



Smaller ditto 2 



Chickens 1 



Duoks 1 



Geese 5 



Pheasants 2 



Pipeons 



Rabbits 1 



Wild ditto 



Hares 2 



Partridges 1 



Grouse 2 



a 



9 to 10 

 4 15 

 9 

 6 S 

 9 2 



10 



