o«0 ^ THE GARDEN AND FIELD. January, 1914 



The Ind ian Game Fowl. 



An linjjlish breeder of this hand- 

 some fowl writes : — " One of the 

 greatest points in breeding these 

 fowls to remember is never to 

 breed from any that are at all 

 high on the leg. The natural ten- 

 dency is always to go up, never to 

 come down. But let it not be 

 taken by this I mean that one 

 should kill off young birds showing 

 length of thigh. That will dimin- 

 ish as age and weight come on, so 

 long as the shortness of shank is 

 there. 



The most important thing in the 

 .Indian Game breed is type. AH 

 birds must be short in leg and 

 back and vefy broad in front. A 

 bird is not an Indian Game if he 

 is high on the leg and long-back- 

 ed. You must have type afcove all 

 things. 



They do not require anything 

 like the trouble that the light 

 breeds do in the way of shelter 

 from the sun and rain, nor are 

 they the nuisance of the birds of 

 the ^Mediterranean tv])e with their 

 big combs, which are always col- 

 lapsing and falling over. Provided 

 vou start with healthy stock, they 

 are hardy and very easy to rear 

 and one of the finest table fowls. 



♦ 



Points Worth Studying. 



There are personal traits of char- 

 acter which underlie success in any 

 business, and these must naturally 

 be possessed or else acquired, be- 

 fore we can look for the best re- 

 sults from a man's labours in 

 poultry keeping. The poidtry-keep- 

 er must have application, patience, 

 persistence and in every way be a 

 hustler. Be on the look out for 

 every new idea in your business. 



Keep strict accounts and records 

 and study them. Do not begin 

 too expensively. Remember that 

 every shil'ing you put into the 

 business is an interest-bearing fac- 

 tor and must be accounted for out 

 of your profits. 



Kxpensive or fancy Iniildings arc 

 not a necessity, but convenienoe of 

 labour and projjcr conditions are. 

 Make your i)lant cost as little as 

 possible, but do not sacrifice con- 

 venience or proper conditions under 

 any circumstances ;. above all, look 

 after the details, for no department 

 on the farm needs so close atten- 

 tion to the many little details, or 

 will suffer so '(luickly for the lack 

 of attention as poultry keeping. 



Careful attention to these littles, 

 a love for the work, and a never 

 failing wiU to succeed under any 

 and every condition will bring you 

 success. Never depend on luck 

 and ne\er expect success till 

 you have earned it. 



♦ — 



Geese. 



Whilst there are nine breeds of 

 domesticated geese, there are only 

 two bred to any extent. The two 

 varieties aire the Toidouse and the 

 Embden. The former is a grey 

 and white bird, the g'.'ey predom^ 

 inating, and is of a huge, massive 

 appearance, ilt is the largest do- 

 mesticated goose there is, and, like 

 all large animals and birds, is 

 somewhat slow in growth, where- 

 as its rival, the Embden, is a 

 smaller bird, more rapid in de- 

 N elopment. The Embden is pure 

 white in colour, which makes it a 

 greater favourite with some 

 people, as rather more can be ob- 

 tained for the feathers. The eggs 

 produced by the Embden are ra- 

 ther larger than those of the Tou- 

 louse, and are usually laid some- 

 what earlier in the season. As far 

 as number is concerned, however, 

 the Toulouse has the advantage, 

 generally laying from thirty-live 

 to forty-five in a season. The 

 Embden is a very persistant sitter 

 and an excellent mother, whereas 

 the Toulouse cannot be depended 

 upon, frequently becoming restive 

 and forsaking the_nest. The quality 

 of the Toulouse is not everything 

 that can be desi'red, but this would 

 be naturally expected, as large sizei 

 and fine quality do not often go 

 together. The F.mbden, on the 

 other hand, is of exceptionally 

 fine qiiality, being full and rich in 

 llavour, and of a fine texture. 



In reality geese are grazing 

 birds, and when given access to a 

 good pasture are well able to sup- 

 ))ort themselves. In fact they will 

 thrive better entirelv upon green 

 stuff than upon either meals or 

 grains. Unless one has an abun- 

 dance of room, geese .should not be 

 tried, as it is almost useless keep- 

 ing them in confinemjent. It is al- 

 ways wise to realise one's limita- 

 tions as well as one's opportuni- 

 ties. 



In England many goose-'farmers 

 are in the habit of growing green 

 crops merely for the fee.se, one of 

 the best being oats. When the crop 

 is about loin. above the ground 

 the geese are turned therein, and 

 will thrive excellently upon the 

 succulent green food. In Norfolk, 



where so many geese are raised, it 

 is customary to feed off turnips, 

 etc, by geese, in the same manner 

 as sheep ; the birds eat the roots 

 as close to the ground, and — what • 

 is equally as im'port.int -they 

 manure the land just as well as 

 sheep. 



Whilst a pond or stream is by no • 

 means necessary to the geese, it is 

 advantageous to allow them access 

 to water in which they can swim, 

 but, it is not necessary to ensure 

 fertife eggs, and the germs are 

 equally as strong with or without. 

 It should be remembered that 

 geese do not attain maturity till 

 they are two years old, And the 

 gander should not be under this 

 age. A Vear-old bird should be 

 mated with two-year-old getee, . 

 and vice versa. This will have a 

 much better effect upon the gos- 

 lings, making them hardier and 

 more vigorous, and causing them 

 to ultimately attain a greater 

 size. Only unrelated stock birds 

 should be used, and those oniv 

 that are in perfect health. 



« 



The Value of Epsom Salts. 



Whilst magnesium sulphate, or 

 Epsom salts, cannot be claimed to 

 be a panacea for all the diseases 

 that poultry are heir to, it ijs un- 

 doubtedly one of the cheapest and 

 most efficacious remedies, and one 

 which breeders of healthy poultry 

 cannot afford to be without. Al- 

 most all ailments are benefited by 

 a dose of Epsom salts, given 

 either in the drinking water or 

 mixed with boiling water in the 

 soft food mornings, whilst in sfe- 

 \-ere cases the best remedy is to 

 dissolve half a teaspoonful — the 

 correct dose for a single bird — in a 

 little hot water, and pour it down 

 the ailing bird's throat. Poultry 

 suffering from liveT disease (easily 

 discernible by dark and purple- 

 coloured combs), or over fat, will 

 soon recover to their normal con- 

 dition by giving a dose of Epsom 

 salts once a day, ^ early in the 

 morning for preference. It seems 

 wonderfully to brighten up all 

 fowls, and improve their blood, as 

 will soon be evident from the 

 colour of their combs. 



♦ • 



Customer : " Do you keep a good 

 corn-cure.'"' Druggist: "Yes, sir. 

 Here is an excellent i)reparation. 

 One of my customers has been 

 using it for the last fourteen years 

 with very good results." 



