124 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. c February 9 , m 2 . 
his experience and views on the matter. He says, “ From corre¬ 
spondence in the Live Stocli Journal in 1879 I was led to try the 
plan. Previously to this I had allowed my chickens plenty of 
water, so placed that they might get at it at any time. 1879 being 
a wet season I had no chance of proving the fact. This summer 
[he wrote in September] has been both dry and hot, and since 
April 15th to first week in June I have hatched 159 chickens, 
some thirty Black Hamburghs, the same number of Dark Dorkings, 
twenty cross Brahma-Dorkings, the remainder Black Minorcas. 
None of these have had any water till ten weeks old. I am so 
convinced of the good of this system that I do not intend ever 
giving water to young chickens again, or to let them out too soon 
on heavy dew. 1 fancy there may be a difference with regard to 
water. Your land, for instance, is deep and rich : fowls can 
always get plenty of grubs and moisture from it, and will seldom 
crave for drink. My run is dry : few grubs remain on it, and no 
water save that given in vessels. Young chickens, if at all thirsty, 
will drink till nearly bursting, and in some cases 1 have seen 
them sit back and gasp. I am confident that chickens may be 
reared with greater ease as I have described than by letting them 
go to vessels and drink their fill.” 
Our correspondent’s letter raises a very interesting question, 
and one about which we should be glad to know the views of 
others. It is our plan not to give our chickens water for the first 
three weeks, but bread and milk. Without this we have found 
them feverish and discontented from the age of ten days or a 
fortnight. One of the most successful exhibitors of Polish fowls 
about twenty years ago gave his chickens nothing to drink but 
water which had been boiled with a little saffron in it. Un¬ 
doubtedly some waters constantly before chickens in pans are 
injurious, and cause diarrhoea and death. To deprive them, how¬ 
ever, of drink altogether seems to us so unnatural that our own 
system is, as we have said, to give bread and milk about twice 
a day till they are a month old. With this regime we have, we 
believe, been generally more successful than our neighbours.—C. 
THE PRODUCTION OF NEW VARIETIES OF 
POULTRY. 
In one part of your correspondent '• C.’s article on poultry, 
page 103, I feel much interest—that part, namely, which treats 
not so much on the manufacture of new as the revival of old 
breeds, notably Game. He mentions several sub-varieties as 
“ quite unknown in the exhibition room.” Very true ; there has 
been a run upon some half dozen colours, to the exclusion of at 
least as many as genuine in breed and quite equal in beauty, 
which can never be seen now, though in the early days of exhi¬ 
bitions they were not very uncommon. 
But in truth had he time to search Chester or Cornwall, or 
one or two other counties, where, as I have reason to believe, 
birds are kept for cockfighting, he would, I think, have no 
great difficulty in recovering them, and would find them not 
“ more or less hybrid,” but of the true original type of Game 
bird, not corresponding to the present fancy for gawky Malay - 
bred mongrels, but hard in feather, powerful in leg and wing, and 
standing as if nothing could cut them down, as different from the 
fashionable bird as the spaniels in Vandyke’s pictures are from 
the last “ Jumbo ” or “ Topsy ” in the prize list. 
Or perhaps he might get help from the makers of artificial flies, 
some of whom, I understand, have yards whence they procure 
hackles, mostly Game, of peculiar tints. It would much to be 
regretted that such colours as the following should die out—Blue 
and Red Duns, Birchen and Silver Greys, Blacks, Hennys, &c. I 
have promised to keep one of the first for a friend ; of the second 
I had a beautiful strain some twenty years ago, but entirely failed 
to recover it last yeaT ; and I think I could lay my hand on the 
two last, but I have no convenience for more than one cock bird. 
“ C.,” however, must be content to keep them for his own grati¬ 
fication, and to do without prizes. They ceased to be exhibited, 
I suppose, because they were not in favour with judges even when 
“ Game fowls were Game fowls,” and now if he procures his stock 
where the pure bred bird is found they would still less stand a 
chance with the modern “ show-pen” mongrel.— Duckwing. 
THE POULTRY CLUB. 
A meeting of the Committee of the Poultry Club was held at the 
Charing Cross Hotel on Monday, the Gth Inst, at 2 r.M. There were 
present Mr. R. A. Boissier (in the chair), the Earl of Winterton, and 
Messrs. T. W. Anns, G. B. C. Breeze, A. Comyns, and S. Lucas. 
Election of Officers and Committeemen.— The Secretary 
reported that he had issued voting papers for the annual election, 
that seventy papers had been returned, and that the following was 
the result of the voting—Vice-President: Hon. and Rev. A. Baillie 
Hamilton, G9. Treasurers : Mr. A. Darby, G9 ; Mr. H. Radclyffe 
Dugmore, 69. Committeemen : Mr. T. C. Burnell, 65 ; Mr. S. 
Lucas, CO ; Mr. R. A. Boissier, 59 ; the Earl of Winterton, 58 ; Rev. 
W. Serjeantson, 57 ; Mr. C. E. Montresor, 51 ; Mr. G. B. C. Breeze, 44 ; 
Rev. G. S. Davies, 35; Mr. T. C. Lawson, 20 ; and that accordingly 
all the gentlemen named, with the exception of the Rev. G. A. Davies 
and Mr. T. C. Lawson, had been duly elected. The Committee 
examined the voting papers, and directed that the Secretary’s report 
be confirmed. 
Election of Members. —The following new members were 
elected : R. Stowell Bryan, South Molton, North Devon ; E. Bullard, 
Old Cotton, Norwich ; E. C. Pawle, Northcote, Reigate ; H. Tomlinson, 
Gravelly Hill, Birmingham. The following new associate w r as 
elected : R. Collard Harrison, Sandwich, Kent. 
Defaulting Shows. —Communications were read by the Secretary 
from two members of the Club, stating that prize money due to them 
from certain shows had, upon application by the Secretary of the 
Club, been paid. 
Club Show. —Several communications relating to matters con¬ 
nected with the Cambridge Show were read, and the replies which had 
been sent thereto by the Secretary w T ere approved by the Committee. 
Dates of Meetings. —The following dates were fixed for meetings 
of the Committee up to September 1st—Fridays, March 3rd, 13th ; 
May 5th, June 2nd. July 7th, August 4th, all to be held at the Charing 
Cross Hotel at 2 r.M. ; and the Secretary was authorised to summon 
any additional meeting or meetings should he find it necessary so to 
do.— Alex. Comyns, Hon. Sec. Poultry Club, 47, Chancery Lane. 
February 8th, 1883. 
The Liverpool Poultry Show. —In your notes on the above 
Show you say that the Dark Brahma cup went to Mr. Percival’s hen 
which was first at Wolverhampton. I beg to state that the hen to 
vffiom first honours were awarded at Wolverhampton belongs to me, 
and that Mr. Percival’s hen was second.— Ellen E. Bennett, South 
Villa , Elgin, N.B. 
[By a slip of the pen we described Mr. Percival’s hen as first 
Wolverhampton instead of first Birmingham. —Ed.] 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Varieties of Barley {Home Farmer ).—Amongst the many sorts now in 
cultivation must be noticed Chevalier, American, Nottingham, Golden Melon, 
and Moldavian, with some others. The Chevalier certainly stands highest in 
estimation for malting purposes, and probably also as giving the best return 
for cultivation and particularly that called Hallett’s Pedigree, which is known 
to have been selected and propagated from the Chevalier sort originally, and it 
is now the best variety for all dry and kind soils which prevail in the eastern 
and south-eastern counties, for under Mr. Hallett’s judicious selection from the 
best, longest, and strongest ears and stalks, and the kindest and plumpest 
grains, it has now attained a value which it never could have done by the old 
plan of simple selection of sort only, for until the Pedigree stock became avail¬ 
able the ordinary Chevalier had receded in cultivation, more particularly on 
loamy soils. In those districts where it has not succeeded the sorts in favour 
are the Nottingham, American, and Moldavian (often called Thanet). The 
latter is a short small grain, and will bear later sowing than any other sort 
with which we are acquainted. If you need further infgrmation we will readily 
supply it if you will state your requirements as precisely as possible. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE LONDON. 
Lab. 51® 32'40" N.; Long.0° 8'0" W.; Altitude,lll feet. 
date. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAT. 
5 
•a 
oa 
1882. 
January, 
February. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 32° 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
Temp, of 
Soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
snn. 
On 
gr&»«. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg 
deg. 
In. 
Sun. 29 
30.190 
45.5 
43.7 
S. 
39.9 
49.5 
43.8 
52.2 
37.9 
0.1*1 
Mon. S'. 
30.279 
42 3 
41.1 
N. 
40.G 
44.8 
38.3 
46.4 
32.3 
Tnes. 31 
30.635 
39.6 
37.9 
K. 
4it.fi 
42.4 
39.3 
42.4 
33.4 
_ 
Wed. 1 
30.685 
30.7 
S0.3 
E. 
39.8 
40.2 
29.2 
50.7 
21.0 
_ 
Thuri. 2 
30.533 
29.6 
29.7 
!■;. 
38.2 
317 
24.6 
41.4 
19.4 
_ 
Friday 3 
30.601 
37.4 
37.3 
N.W. 
37.3 
42.2 
29.5 
61.3 
30.0 
_ 
JSatur. 4 
30.507 
33.9 
33.9 
Calm 
37.2 
38.4 
31.4 
38.1 
38.4 
— 
30.490 
37.0 
36.3 
39.1 
42.0 
33.7 
47.5 
29.3 
0.136 
REMARKS. 
29th.—Fair, but dull morning ; rain in afternoon. 
30th.—Overcast, but fair. 
31st.—Fair, with cold east wind ; bright moonlight night. 
I st.—Very fine, bright, frosty day; moonlight night. 
2nd.—Foggy and dull. 
3rd.—Fog early ; fine and bright in middle of day ; very dense in evening. 
4th.—Very dense fog in morning and dark ; clearer in middle day, but hazy 
with fog again in evening. 
The remarkably high barometer still continues, with much fog, and tempera¬ 
ture near the average.—G. J. Symons. 
