JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
228 
[ March 16, 1882. 
for use, one teaspoonful of the restorative to a pint of water, to be 
given every other day to chickens, and once a week to adult fowls.” 
Occasionally in unfavourable seasons and with chickens hatched 
late in the summer we have found the coughing not yield to this 
remedy and good feeding, hut the bracing of the first frosts have 
then always cured it, or the chickens have gradually outgrown it 
as the winter has advanced. If they do not, we should always feel 
pretty certain that the evil had to he sought further than in the 
immediate management of the chickens, and that it lay in some 
of the causes we have mentioned, such as in-breeding, tainted or 
crowded ground, or ill-ventilated houses. 
To have healthy chickens it is absolutely necessary to have healthy 
parents. Many people think that so long as fertile eggs are laid and 
hatched all is well, and that accident, or mismanagement can alone 
prevent the success of the broods. This is a great error. We well 
remember a year in which we could hardly rear a chicken. The 
season was not cold, our chickens had almost unlimited runs, were 
cooped on sunny banks with plantation behind and paddock before 
them, their attendant was a most trusted henwife. The broods 
hatched fairly well, the chickens looked unusually plump and strong 
at first. We could not for a while conceive the cause of this disas¬ 
trous failure under apparently the same circumstances that had 
often brought us great success. At last we discovered it. Several 
laying hens died suddenly, an examination followed, and revealed 
the fact that during our absence through the spring the over-kindness 
of the feeder had ruined the breeding stock by overfeeding. The 
hens laid eggs which hatched ; but something was wanting in the 
development of the chickens. They were what in adults would be 
called “ down behind.” Some of their organs were apparently not 
properly developed; they could not digest food, took diarrhoea in a 
day or two, and died by scores. Breeding stocks at this time of 
year, at least the hens, must be kept rather thin than fat. The cocks 
require more nourishment, and should, if possible, be fed apart from 
their wives. Chickens, on the contrary, must be kept always plump. 
We observe that our inquirer speaks of having given “Beach’s 
food,” but says that such things are expensive. Good food is never 
expensive, though, as we have often said, we do not recommend 
spiced stimulants, but much prefer “ Spratt’s food,” which, as far as 
we know, contains much more real nourishment and much less 
exciting properties than other patent foods. However, whether 
this he used, or solely plain oatmeal, barleymeal, and corn, it is, in 
the long run, economy to buy the best, and to give it without stint 
to the growing stock. Imagine the loss of keeping all through the 
winter a yard of birds which lay no eggs! Through such a season 
as we have had every young and good hen ought at least to have 
laid six pennyworth of eggs a week. With a free range, or at least 
an occasional free run, many hens should have brought in consider¬ 
ably more than this where there is a town market for eggs. The 
secret, however, of keeping a profitable stock is to know and observe 
just how long chickens require feeding up, and then as the pullets 
develope into hens to change their diet to that of breeding stock. 
—C. 
THE GAPES IN CHICKENS. 
In the Journal of Horticulture of February 23rd, there are some 
remarks on the gapes in chickens, and you invited information 
from your readers as to the cause and cure. As to the cause. 
I think very few, if any, can say positively what is the origin 
of the tiny red thread-like worms, of which I have often taken 
from twenty to thirty from the windpipe of a dead chicken. It is 
certainly not, as many assert, from stagnant water, as we have not 
any about the place ; nor is it from overcrowding, as our poultry 
have an unlimited run. Some neighbours of mine never have it, 
and some are troubled like myself. As to the cure I can speak 
more positively, as I now seldom lose a chicken from gapes. We 
use a small vaporiser with carbolic acid, sold by Messrs. Savory 
and Moore, chemists, New Bond Street, London. As soon as even 
one chicken of a brood looks droopy we place the vaporiser and 
chicks in a garden handglass with moveable top, and when the 
chicks look stupified we lift them out. If this is persevered with 
once or twice a week until the chicks are about a month old they 
will go on all right. They must be well fed, and have little often 
and fresh. The vaporiser used in coops and pens destroys all the 
insect pests belonging to fowls. I shall be glad to give any further 
information I can at any time.— An Old Subscriber. 
A CURIOUS EGG. 
Noticing a very long egg amongst others from some pure-bred 
Brahma hens I had the curiosity to open it. At the smaller end, 
embedded in the “ white,” was another egg about the size of that 
of a dove’s. The shell of this enclosed egg was of a dark colour, 
and its surface very rough. This second egg was found to con¬ 
tain both “ white ” and yolk as in a normal egg. How can this 
curiosity be explained ? In the first place we must suppose a very 
small yolk to have been discharged from the ovary, just as so 
frequently occurs when small eggs are laid. The yolk then 
obtained the coating of “ white ” and shell as in the ordinary way. 
When, however, it reached the lower portion of the oviduct, 
after having received its shell-covering, and instead of being 
passed on into the common cloaca and laid, it must have travelled 
back again along the oviduct by some reversed peristaltic action 
of this canal into the first portion of the oviduct, where another 
yolk was advancing. In this way the small but perfect egg 
would get a coating of “ white ” in common with the large yolk, 
and then the whole passing into the third portion of the oviduct 
would get the usual shell. This reversed action of a muscular 
tube like the oviduct is not at all uncommon, and seems the only 
method of explaining what will be generally admitted as a curious 
egg.—T. Frederick Pearse. 
[We have several times seen a small egg enclosed in a large 
one, but there was never more than one yolk, and on one occasion 
there was no yolk in either shell. All such occurrences denote 
either that the egg-producing organs are out of order, or that 
the hen is about to stop laying.] 
THE INCUBATOR LIBEL CASE. 
A statement appears in your report of the Hemel Hempstead 
incubator libel case which is erroneous and likely to mislead your 
readers. 
You state that —“ Prior to the meeting of the Poultry Club Com¬ 
mittee at Oxford in June, 1880, Mr. Peel had Miss Arnold’s letter 
containing the alleged libel and his reply thereto printed. Copies of 
this print were forwarded to the Secretary of the Poultry Club, and 
apparently also given to members of the Local Committee at Hemel 
Hempstead, and in this way the fact of Miss Arnold having written 
such a letter became known to the plaintiff, who shortly afterwards 
commenced the present action.” As a matter of fact, the plaintiff 
first saw Miss Arnold’s written accusation against him at a meeting 
of the Incubator Tournament Committee specially convened for its 
consideration on Friday, January 9th, 1880, when the following 
resolution was passed—“ In reference to the charges brought against 
F. G. Twigg, the Committee are satisfied that there is in truth no 
foundation for them, and as they are clearly libellous they consider 
he will only be doing his duty if he clears himself from these un¬ 
founded aspersions by seeking the protection of the law.” 
I have the minute-book of the Incubator Tournament Committee 
in my possession, and was ready to produce it at the trial had I been 
called upon to do so.— J. Huckle, Assistant Secretary to the Hemel 
Hempstead Incubator Committee. 
[Our statement of the facts was founded upon the evidence given 
at the trial as we understood it. The resolution quoted by Mr. 
Huckle was not, so far as we are aware, put in evidence.] 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Leg Weakness (A. <?.).—Too rapid growth, or the want of sufficient bone¬ 
forming material in their food, is the cause of your chickens going down on the 
legs. Give nourishing food, such as oatmeal, and try the effect of a little bone- 
meal mixed with the soft food. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE LONDON. 
Lat. 61° 32'40" N.; Long. 0° 8'0" W.; Altitude,111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
5 
*3 
QS 
1882. 
March. 
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 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg 
deg. 
In. 
Sun. 5 
29.772 
46.0 
43.5 
S.W. 
41.2 
52.8 
32.4 
74.0 
30.0 
0.020 
Mon. 6 
29.790 
48.4 
42.9 
N.W. 
42.8 
52.7 
45.3 
88.4 
39.8 
— 
Tues. 7 
30.228 
48.0 
45.9 
S.W. 
42.4 
54.3 
346 
58.5 
28.7 
— 
Wed. 8 
3' >.249 
51.3 
49.2 
\v. 
43.7 
56.6 
47.0 
70.7 
41.0 
— 
Thurs. 9 
30.346 
51.4 
49.6 
w. 
44.9 
55.3 
48 6 
69.7 
46.2 
— 
Friday 10 
30.318 
50.5 
49.4 
S.W. 
45.8 
55.7 
48.7 
63.9 
47.3 
— 
Satur. 11 
30.455 
50.7 
48.5 
N. 
40.4 
55.4 
48.7 
65.7 
43.6 
0.113 
30.165 
49.5 
47.0 
43.9 
54.7 
43.6 
70.1 
39.5 
0.133 
REMARKS. 
5th—Fine till evening, then showery. 
6th.—Very fine bright day; moonlight night. 
7th.—Overcast, slight showers in forenoon. 
8th.—Strong wind ; fine, mild, calm evening. 
9th.—Fair, with strong gusty wind. 
10th.—Overcast, but fair. 
11th.—Calm ; fair until 5 P.M., then very dark and rain. 
Temperature much higher than last week, and considerably above the 
average.—G. J. SYMONS. 
