378 



THE GARDEN AND FIELD. 



January, I9i4 



The Hamburg Fowl. 



In these days when Wyandottes, 

 Rocks, and (Jrpinj^on, are so much 

 the rage, the old standard breeds 

 are apt to be lost sight of in a 

 desire to combine in the one fowl 

 a good egg and meat producer. It 

 is a well known fact among breed- 

 ders that this cannot be attained, 

 that the one quality has to be 

 sacrificed to gain the other. Know- 

 ing this to be a fact, the writer, 

 says a recent " A.I'.J." desir- 

 ing a breed that was the greatest 

 egg producer and at the same tiraie 

 a handsome and hard}- fowl, select^ 

 ed the Black Hambuirg as the one 

 combining these qualit es, and were 

 they better known would be bred in 

 greater numbers, as they are a 

 veritable egg machine, and as for 

 beauty, no black fowl in the 

 Standard can surpass them. The 

 Hamburg breed was introduced in- 

 to England from Holland, or 

 North Germany, and eventually 

 took the name of the noted sea. 

 port, Hamburg, although at that 

 time and for many years after 

 their introduction into Great Bri- 

 tain, they weire known as the 

 "Dutch livery Day Layers." In all 

 l)robability, up to the poultry 

 show era in Kngland, none of the 

 varieties now so designated, bore 

 the name Hamburg, and previous 

 to that time, the Blacks had been 

 known as Black Pheasants, being 

 finally named Black Hamburgs. 

 They are beautiful, syinmet'rical 

 and stylish in carriage. They have 

 Ijeen much improved in the beauty 

 and uniformitv of iilumage since 

 the era of poultry exhibits, but' not 

 in productiveness, as that is hard- 

 ly j)ossible, for they have long 

 maintained the reputation of be- 

 ing " every dav layers." Birds of 

 the Hamburg famil" are of only 

 invdiumisize, but their deficiencv in 



size is more than made up for by 

 the r fecundity. Both sexes ex- 

 hibit such glossy and elegantly 

 marked plumage that they are 

 looked upon as special favorites 

 where N"er shown or cultivated, and 

 when well bred, are truly orna- 

 mental, possessing fancy points 

 that render tnem pleasing to those 

 who desire to keep a fowl that 

 will furnish plenty of eggs and 

 also be a gratification to the eye. 

 For table use, though small, they, 

 are very good. Their flesh is ten- 

 der, with Httle offal, having a 

 large proportion of the dressed 

 weight in flesh, due to the 'delicate 

 structure of the skeleton, and is 

 fime in quality. Among black fowls 

 there is no richer color than that 

 possessed by the Hamburg, the ele- 

 gant beetle green in neck, back, 

 wing bows and tail coverts on 

 both male and female, not quite 

 equalled in any other black fowl, 

 and it is charact'eristic of this fowl^ 

 that they invariably breed true to 

 color and shape. When ojje^ con- 

 siders the good qualities which this 

 variety ]3os.sesses, it is surprising 

 that so few entries ha\'e been made 

 at the. poultry exhibits. It isi, the 

 hope of the writer that this article 

 may have the efiect of creating a 

 greater interest in this splendid 

 variety of the Hamburg family, 

 that at our fixture shows a greater 

 number of exhibits mav be found, 

 and the Black Hamburg will again 

 resume its proper place among the 

 important breeds of poultry. 



# 



Caponise the late hatched cock- 

 erels (says an exchange) and those 

 that show decided faults. It means 

 ])rogression, and prevents the free 

 distribution of your good blood at 

 killing prices. 



Methods of Fattening. 



It shoufd first be understood that 

 unless a fowl is a suitable subject 

 for fattening, improvement of its 

 flesh qualities is not possiljle. A 

 fowl intended foj: this purpose 

 should l)e healthy, quiet in tem- 

 perament, and, if a male, not 

 more than four to five months old. 

 A cockerel of a greater age than 

 this will not prove as satisfactory 

 as one which has been caponised. 



There are, generafly speaking, 

 four methods of cramming. . — by 

 trough, machine, hand, and funnel 

 — none of whicji are practiced in 

 South Austral a. The first ol 

 these is the one most employed on 

 English and American poultry 

 plants. Of the Igst two little need 

 be said beyond the fact that both 

 demand an amount of hand labour 

 far too excessive in most circum- 

 stances. Ex]>ert fattening by hand, 

 it is said, achieves a greater finish 

 and measure of success than all 

 other methods. The operator, hoM- 

 ing the fowl between his knees, 

 takes a pellet of food from a pile 

 previously rolled up. Dipping it 

 in milk, he rapidly- insets it into 

 the fowl's mouth. With gentle 

 pressure of finger and thumb 

 around the gullet the food is then 

 quickly passed into the crop. From 

 twelve to fifteen of these peUets, 

 according to individual require- 

 ment's, are fed to one fowl, which 

 is then returned to the quiet of 

 the pen, and the next bird oper- 

 ated upon. 



Fattening by trough is perhaps 

 on all counts the best method., The 

 birds penned in narrow cages ac- 

 commodating three to five, are 

 fed twice or th'rice a day. The 

 food, mixie^d to the consistency of 

 thick porridge, is placed in long 

 troughs, which are removed direct- 



t 



I Smallpox, Diptheria, Measles, and all Contagious Diseases. 



♦ Cleanse all Kitchen, Dairy, 15edroom Utensils, Woodwork, and soak Clothes in water with 



BURFORD'S Extract of Soap. 



^ A powerful and pleasant disinfectant and cleanser. Tiarge (1-lb.) and Small I'ackets. 

 ^ No other made like it. 



