THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



181 



gotten in the sweet and luscious flavour 

 which overcomes it in the mouth. The 

 flesh is bright yellow, jnelting and rather 

 meaty, with short flbre next the seed. 

 This kind was received through the hands 

 of French cultivators in Martiiiique. 



Dr. l)e Boissiere's Mango : The fol- 

 lowing description is taken from a manu- 



script left by my predecessor, Mr. H. 

 Trestoe, dated 15th July, 18C9 :— "Flesh 

 Farinaceous flbrous, but very tender — 

 strong mango flavour, with only a dash 

 of the turpentine taint ; bright orange 

 colour outside as well as inside, round, 

 full, and very succulent ■ — a first-class 

 mango — little liable to be attacked by 

 rot or sourness." 



Poultr:^ Hints, 



i GOOD laying hen will frequently lay 

 lA. her weight m eggs in six weeks. 



If there is one thing that the hen louse 

 despises it is kerosene oil ; the smell of it 

 makes them walk lively. 



Grive the chickens a good grass run and 

 on clover if possible. Clover is a splen- 

 did feed for fowls of all ages, antl the 

 chicken that lives on clover will be the 

 fowl that develops finely. 



A breeding pen composed of hens three 

 or four years old mated with an active 

 young cock or cockerel, will produce more 

 males from their eggs than a pen made up 

 of pullets and mature cocks. 



The dust-bath to the fowl is what the 

 wash-bowl is to the individual. With the 

 dust-bath the hen cleans her body. She 

 uses it also for exercise. AVhen a hen is 

 incubating she comes off as regularly to 

 dust herself as she does to feed, instinct 

 teaching her that it is the best of methods 

 for ridding herself of the vermin. 



The Eus sian sunflower is one of the 

 best foods known for giving a glossy tint 

 to the plumage of fowls. When fitting 

 your birds to exhibit, let it be included 

 in the bill of fare. It is also an excellent 

 egg-producing and healthful food for all 

 kinds of poultry. The sunflower will do 

 well on almost any kind of soil, and is 

 often planted in out-of-the-way places 

 to keep from view unsightly rubbish 

 heaps. 



There is nothing so much tends to the 

 comfort and welfare of confined fowls as 

 digging up their yards for them every 

 two or three days. They just revel in the 

 fresh dirt, and find besides many a tit- 

 bit in the way of bug or worm. 



In choosing your parent bird, just re- 

 meiiber that the hen gives size and the 

 ma'.e bird symmetry. The lack of this 

 important bit of knowledge has led to 

 much disappointment on the part of new 

 beginners. 



Care and food afl'ect results to a great 

 extent. 



Breed from the best laying hens you 

 have, and the stock will not disappoint 

 you. 



Grain food for fowls can be thrown 

 on the ground, but soft foods should be 

 fed on a boarcl, or in a trough. 



Never over-feed your poultry, or the 

 supply of eggs will be reduced. 



Introduce new blood if you wish to 

 keep your stock vigorous and healthy. 



An occasional meal of meat is useful 

 during the moulting season. Boil it well 

 before feeding it to the poultry. 



Three essentials of a proper fowl house 

 for winter are, to keep it light, warm, and 

 dry. 



In mixing pollard or other soft food, a 

 little salt M'ith it will be found beneficial. 



Exercise is necessary to ensure the 

 health of poultry. 



Rain~making. 



IN the "Queenslander" E. Morey 

 writes : — The recent re]3orts con- 

 cerning the prevention of hail by means 

 of the so-called "Stiger vortex," pro- 



duced by the explosion of gunpowder in 

 guns of special form, has renewed the 

 discussion of the question of artificially 

 producing rain. An elaborate series of 



