348 
THE TROPICAL AQRICULTURI81 . [December i, 1891. 
roads the plane are Bubmitted to the rkpartment, 
and the work during its progress is subject to the 
constant inspection of the national engineers. There 
IE, therefore, no cliance for any haphazard work 
even where local monny is expanded in making 
and repairing roads. The thriftiness of the French 
people has long excited the admiration of the 
world. .Meilher internal revolution nor defeat from 
abroad has entailed upon thi3 people burdens too 
heavy for them to bear. TI13 wplendid roadways 
which unite commune with commune aud village 
with village have helped them no little in their 
struggles against adversity, for the Ibx which by 
poor interior comniunications ia put upon the 
business of a country has been reduced in their 
case to the very lowest point. And how much 
have these roads to do with the contcntintnt to 
be found among the rural people of France ! The 
French agricultural classes are singular among Iho 
farmers of Iho world in not holding that all 
the world is at war with them. It is true that 
they practice better methods of farming, but it 
is the good roads which to a great extent enable 
them to do this, lor they can get their products, 
however perishable, cheaply and quickly to market, 
— LipjnncuU's Magazine. 
POINTS 
AND TECHNICAL 
POULTRY, 
TEitMS IN 
The 
points and technical terms used in poultry 
phraseology are given in a recent munber of the 
Cultivator" aud Oountry Geutlemau of Albany, New 
York, by S. B.: 
1— Comb, of which there are five forms, single, pea 
or triple, rose, leaf and fork- 
2— Fnce, the fleshy matter around the eye, usually 
red, but white ia Spanish, and purple in Silkies. 
3_Wattles, peudulous fl-sby appenda^ej just below 
the beak. Always red e.^otv* in Silkies. Vanes 
greasy in lengtb, and does eo ia accordance with 
the s ze of tbe comb. 
4 Ear-lobp, or rieif-ear, pendant ornament on the 
face just below the rear ear. lied in some breeds, 
white in others, and also yellow and purple. 
5 _ Whiskers, only fouud on a few breeds, and those 
almost entirely crested varieties. 
6— Crest, top kuott of leathers, in some varieties 
very much developed, notably Polish, Crevecoeurs, 
Sultans, etc. . . , 
7— Beak, horny sub tancs at montti, varymg m color 
from nhite to ell-iw, prmcipally the a ter. 
8— Beard, (see No. 5). 
9_Neck-backl , the fl 'wius; featheri on tbe neck, 
very profuse in some varieties. 
10— Brea-t,- usually bold an'l prominer t, leis so in 
the Asiatic breeds than in others ; v iries jireatly in color. 
XI — Keel or breast bone, must be wtraight, an.) tbe 
deeper the better is the fowl f )r the table pu'-poses. 
12 — Back very lon^ in some breeds nnd as short 
in others. 
13— Saddlp, tlie feathers hanging below are caUed 
the saddle liaokle. 
14 Thifihs, or fleshy part of tbe leg. 
15— Hocks, always covered with feathers, but in 
some breeds stiff f<^ather8 protrude therefrom, and 
are called hock feathers. 
16— Spur, specially prominent in the cock, and 
more so in s:o;iie breeds than others. Increases in 
size year by yea,r. , u, 
Fifth-tre, found on some birds, notably the 
Dorking and the Houdan. 
X8_Back-claw. 
19— Muffs, or leg featbers. In most of tbe heavier 
Asiatic breeds of poultry, feathers grow down the side 
of the leg, and on the outer part of the foot. In 
Cochins, Brahmas, Sultans, etc., these are highly 
developed. ■ j- i i. 
20 Shoulders, very prominent in a tew breects, not- 
ably Malays and the Game varieties. 
21 — Tail-fluff, light softfeatbtis which grow new 
the root of the tail. 
22— Centre toe**. 
23— Shanks, ibe I'-g proper of the f< wl. 
24 — Wing-bar, the band or cross-iuarkiug cePD on 
many fowls. 
2.';— Primary covertu, the outer feather of iLe wing. 
20— Primary flights, not Bten when the wiug in in 
repose. 
27— Sickle f fathers, the lorg rircular feathert 
wliich form the outer sweep of the lai', a' d are each 
a graceful addition to that incpor'aut part of the 
fowl's pluma'^e. 
28 — Primary tail, the shorter, straigbter featheri 
of the tail, and in soma varieties the princip-1. 
29 — Secondary sickle, like the outer sickh-, but 
»!nisller. 
30— Tail covi-rls, tie fa'liug feathers, or hangers, 
below the base of the tail. 
— Ilxtral (Jalifoinian. 
THK TASMAXIAX BILMiU-FlELD. 
The first diRcovery of Tasmania was made on 
November 24tb, 1042, by the Du'ch nnvigator Able 
Jans Taaraau. Tbe fir.<.t land sighted by liim was 
the mountain su' b( cjuently called 'A ehan, after one 
of biH ships, and the hills ard coaut line io its 
immediate vicinity. This moQutaiu aud the surround* 
ing district, owing tu the denst-neas of vegetation 
and tbe unfruitful appearance of tho soil, remained 
a terra incognita from the period of its discovery 
until Fome five or six jears ago, wien the liardy 
colojial prospector, in bis rf8tle--B search for gold 
penetrated iis dark and inhospi'ftbie fo ests, and dis- 
covered, not the looked-for yellow metal, but the 
white. Little was thought of this discovery at the 
time. The colonists recognized tbo fact (hat silver 
WAS there in tho Zeeban ci u' try ; the proepecior 
went his way s-arcbing for go'<l or ti'> ; and so the 
matter rem»ined in ahsyai ce But the great mccess 
of tbe Broken Hill mines tanxbt the Tnsmanians 
duly to appr. ciate the possible wealth of Z-ehan, 
and withiii tbe last f ur reirs the quest for silver 
bas been pnrsuod with eatrpy. One discovery of 
silver deposits has followed anc.ber, and altogether 
80,0)0 acres are rented from th- Govemmnit. o . re- 
newable 21-year lease", for >iv. r mining p'i>.po«eg ; 
and in the o ntre of wh-t is believ^d o <ie the 
richest portion of the field, one "f those rniniu" •■.wna 
which rise as I'V maaic abonc the ahnft a: d pnpiiet 
heads is rapidlv assumiui; the prop'-riions -.f a c ty. 
Two yeari ago tbe S'te of the p'lBpnt town of 
Zeehan was a valhy o" myr'lf, blup-gam, a d pine 
t'ees, wif htre an.i thtre a fpA? calico t n's -w nk- 
lini? through the f li»:'e. Now it i- a clenre l ep ic, 
upo which some 3,000 p opie h ive settled tith>rin 
houses of theii o« u or in large an ' well-upp int*-d 
h fels, that pro iile accomraodat on for hu'i' reds. 
Fo'<r churchfs h?ve bet-i' frfc*fd or "-re ii course of 
erec ion ; public hills and billiard salom s fur' ii-h 
amuseinent for the resiJeiifs; a bricb Ii t!e tri-wckly 
cewspapt r k^eps the mini rs av, courant with tlie hffairs 
of the outside world ; sod the carpenter's saw and 
hammer are heard dny and right, tr.akir.fr further 
provision for the crnw'ls which continue to pour in 
trom tlie districts of Tasmania m d the lu ifjhb. uriug 
coioiiif^s. It is fstiooated that about 6,000 peopie are 
now upon tbe field, the msjority of whom are actively 
employed in mining, .ind every succeedirg day brings 
its own evi<lence of tbe rich abundance of silver ore 
which is a waiting development. 
During the past two years nearly 200 companies 
have been placed upon the Melbou np, Hobar*^^. and 
Launcfston markets, and the shares have been 
readily subscribed for. chiefly by capitalists who 
have during the psst few years gleaned a rich harvest 
in the silver-field of Broken Hill. Mist of the^e com- 
panies sre i;ow actively engaged in developing their 
properties, and many are pu'tiag out large quantities 
of payable ore. Although nearly all silver-mining 
necessaries, such as timber, water, and smelting fluxes, 
