TBH AGUICUL TUBAL JOURNAL. 



the iron by plunging a magnet into the 

 mass, to which the filings will cling. 

 Here we have a mere mixture, and no 

 compound is formed. But if we now 

 heat the mixture rather strongly a sort of 

 glow will spread through the mass ; a 

 black substance will be formed in which 

 no particles of either iron or sjlphur will 

 be visible, and upon which a magnet has 

 no effect. Combination has taken place 

 under the influence of heat ; a compound 

 of iron and sulphur, called iron sulphide, 

 has been formed, entirely different in its 

 properties from both iron and sulphur. 

 Mixtures differ from compounds in an- 

 other important particular ; one can mix 

 substances together in any proportion one 

 pleases, but compounds always consist of 

 the same elements united in the Fame ])ro- 

 portions. For instance, in our experiment 

 above, if we used exactly the proper pro- 

 portions, viz., H2 parts by weight of sul- 

 phur to 56 of iron, there would be no iron 

 or sulphur left as such, but 88 parts of 

 iron sulphide instead. If, however, we 

 had taken, say, 60 parts of iron, there 

 would still be only 88 parts of iron sul- 

 phide formed, the other 4 parts of iron 



remaining unaltered. It is this law of 

 constant composition that enables the 

 analyst to state definitely the quantities 

 of various elements contained in their 

 compounds. 



No Destruction. 



Another important principle is that all 

 matter is incapable of being destroyed. 

 We can change its form, or make it dis- 

 appear from view, but it still exists in 

 some form or other, and by suitable 

 means can be completely accounted for. 

 When a candle burns, it disappears ; it 

 vanishes entirely, and in common 

 language it has been destroyed. But 

 this is not true in reality ; the consti- 

 tuents of the candle hive been under- 

 going combination with a part of the air, 

 and the prodncts formed are ir. the form 

 of gases and invisible, which l)y in-.iper 

 means can be absorbed and weighed, and 

 are found to actually weigh more than 

 the original candle, the increase being due 

 to that part of the air which has helped 

 to form the new products. 



( 7o he co?itinued.) 



In'breetlingm 



ITS USE TO THE POULTRY KEEPER. 



THIS, says " R. G." in " Farmer and 

 Stockbreeder," is a subject of con- 

 siderable interest to poultry breeders, but 

 one which is very littte understood. 

 Nothing is more common than to read 

 wholesale denunciations of the system 

 from the pens of amateur poultry-keepers, 

 and many others who have not even a 

 superficial knowledge of the subject, but 

 who like to air their views on that or any 

 other subject if they can only get people 

 to listen to them. The experienced 

 breeder knows how wrong such ideas are, 

 l)ut seldom takes the trouble to confute 

 them. 



To what class of poultry-breeders is in- 

 breeding of most service 'i To the fancier, 

 un(l(jul)tedly. Without its aid hev>ould 

 never know what results he should expect 

 from any mating, and the result of many 

 a season's breeding would be unsatisfac- 



tory in the extreme. At great expense he 

 might have got a beautiful pen of birds 

 together, with a typical unrelated male at 

 the head of it ; just such a pen as most 

 people would say ought to breed a pre- 

 ponderance of first-ciass stock, and yet, at 

 the end of the season, he would be amazed 

 as well as disappointed to find that not 

 5 per cent, of the produce were fit for the 

 show-pen. On the other hand, had the 

 male bird stood in the re'ation of, say, 

 nephew to the hens, and he had been well 

 bred on the other side, there would prob- 

 ably not have been more than 10 per cent, 

 of real rubbish in the whole progeny. 

 We do not mean to say that the whole of 

 the remainder would have been fit for the 

 show-pen, but a very satisfactory propor- 

 tion of them might reasonably be expected 

 to be so, and the balance fit for the breed- 

 ing i^en or for sale as breeding-stock at 

 more or less remunerative prices. 



