JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 27,1881. ] 
83 
cross roads, containing remarkably fine specimens of prize fowls, 
many of them feathered down to their feet; most of them kept for 
show purposes. I understood from the attendant they were a source 
of great profit to the proprietor, buyers sometimes paying as much 
as £1 for a sitting of eggs for prize fancy sorts. There were many 
hundreds of different varieties and various ages in pens, and hun¬ 
dreds more not in pens were basking in the sun; it was a grand 
sight to see them come running when called to their midday meal. 
I understood they were fed three times a day—at eight, at twelve, 
and at five in the afternoon. Now what I would like to see or hear 
of is colonies of poultry, the profitable domestic fowl, not so much 
for show as for general use scattered through the length and breadth 
ot the land. I believe if more attention were given to the keeping 
and rearing of poultry by farmers, cottagers, gardeners, and amateurs 
it would be a wise and beneficial undertaking, and good for the 
country at large. Our French neighbours are far ahead of the 
English in this respect, and I have no doubt wonder at our short¬ 
sightedness in buying from them what we might raise ourselves. 
—T. Walker, Gardener. 
[“ L. D.” has a valuable stock. 165 eggs per hen for the year is 
above the average. Can Mr. Walker give us the monthly returns ?] 
SMALL POULTRY YARDS. 
Thinking that my former notes on this subject might create 
no more than a passing interest, I only made what might be 
termed a few summary remarks on Mr. Clatworthy’s unique 
poultry yard at page 560 of your last volume; but as it now 
appears that more minute details would be of service, I gladly 
comply with the request of “ C. J.” (page 601), and send a ground 
plan of the yard in question. At the same time I may say that 
my previous figures as to area and extraordinary number of fowls 
kept therein were quite correct. “ C. J.” cannot imagine what 
use the small coop-like runs at the top of the yard are good for, 
but if he saw them he would soon perceive their value. We are 
having some of the same kind constructed now, and fifty of them 
would not be too many for us. It will be seen there are six small 
coop runs on the ground floor, and there are other six of the same 
size and shape above.them forming the second storey, and making 
twelve. The whole of the yard all round is roofed over. The 
fronts of the roosting places are of boards, and the runs have 
boards in front next the ground and wire above this until it 
meets the bottom of the span roof. The highest part of the roof 
is from 5 feet to 6 feet from the ground. The fronts of the top 
coops take the form of doors, with a square hole in the centre of 
each covered with wire, and a shutter behind this to close when 
necessary.—M. M. 
PRACTICAL SCIENTIFIC BREEDING!. 
(Continued from ■page, 60.) 
The greater degree of facility with which points which have 
been a long time in existence are reproduced may be accounted 
for as follows :—They have through length of time become charac¬ 
teristic of the variety as distinct from the several strains of which 
the variety is made up, and as a general rule the various strains 
have become so mutually crossed and recrossed that the whole 
variety is, in fact, only one family. Every attempt to introduce 
fresh blood is thus counteracted as to its ill effects by the fact 
that the new blood is more or less remotely connected with the 
strain into which it is introduced. 
Again, even if there be no actual relationship between the two 
strains, each bird has become so prepotent as to the points which 
have been established for a number of years that there is a pre¬ 
potency in both parents as to the same points, and they are thus 
much more likely to be reproduced than if one of the parents 
were loosely bred as to the points in question. 
As an illustration of our statement that in-breeding is largely 
resorted to by fanciers generally, and is not necessarily injurious, 
we may cite the following lines from the letter of a breeder of 
Turbits published recently in the pages of a contemporary :—“ I 
have at this moment upwards of fifty Pigeons that are all bred 
from two pairs of birds that I bought ten years ago. They have 
never been crossed ; they are perfectly healthy ; are, many of 
them, larger and better in their fancy points than the birds they 
were bred from, one of which is still alive. They have been care¬ 
fully selected for size and fancy points, entirely regardless of 
relationship.” 
It must be borne in mind that we are only writing for fanciers ; 
not for those who keep poultry either with a view to killing for 
table purposes or to the production of eggs. We do not say that 
even for these purposes in-breeding may not sometimes be desir¬ 
able ; but there is no doubt that, as a general rule, first crosses 
are more advantageous. The fancier, however, does not regard 
table or laying qualities as of primary importance. He seeks to 
attain perfection in certain fancy points, and the more difficult the 
task of attaining perfection the more attractive is the pursuit of it. 
Even though the variety which he takes up have certain known 
characteristics which are easily reproduced, the true fancier is not 
satisfied with merely reproducing these, but seeks to add new 
