272 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. t March so, ms. 
old enough, and kept in some of the improved enclosures to which 
we have alluded. 
In this way we may breed for any object we may desire, for 
in using sires accordingly we may obtain hunters, harness horses, 
&c., of every size and variety with the full advantage of the blood 
in their veins derived from the original Exmoors. It is, however, 
from the produce of the daughters of these mares and a blood 
sire crossed again with blood or a very good trotting stallion, 
that we should look for future profit, as these would produce 
larger stock with some quality. We would never have the mares 
worked at all or even shod, because we are convinced that we 
should breed sounder stock from unworked mares. We have now 
endeavoured to show what might be done with our native breeds 
of horses properly crossed on our waste lands. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—This can be assisted by steam power, and if thi3 
has been done during the past few weeks the work on the home farm 
must now be in a forward state. In order to be enabled to give the 
Mangold seed a fair chance of vegetating sow immediately when the 
weather is favourable. A liberal dressing of manure for Mangolds 
is always judicious, because if the Mangolds are removed for the 
feeding of cattle, and some manure is still left for the support of 
succeeding crops, the money spent upon it must be well laid out. 
There is the important question of sowing Clover and grass seeds 
with the Lent corn to be considered, and we recommend it to be done 
at the time of sowing the corn, because if the weather continues dry 
the sowing of Clover seed on the surface will not always insure its 
growth. There is, however, often some reason for delay when sowing 
on the Barley land, because it prevents the grass getting up so much 
in the standing corn at harvest. In the early white sorts of Oats it 
is no matter, for the corn may be cut above the Clover, so that an 
autumn growth of Clover available for cutting up as fodder may be 
obtained. It is at this busy period of the year when horses of suffi¬ 
cient power may be used two to a double-furrowed plough. This 
economy, however, cannot be obtained unless the horses are at least 
1G^ hands in height, and of weight and substance in proportion. We 
have lately noticed that three horses have been used in ploughing on 
some farms, even where the land is dry and friable. This is most 
disadvantageous in various ways, for these require a driver, besides 
the fact that one horse’s labour is thrown away. It is impossible to 
make the business of farming profitable unless the severest economy 
is practised daily in every department, and we constantly notice 
that so much are many farmers prejudiced against even well-advised 
changes in agricultural procedure, that in some districts especially 
farmers have been ruined, or have vacated their land because they 
could not make a profit in farming upon the old systems. 
THE FOWLS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN. 
Thus not inaptly has been named the whole race of fowls cognate 
to the Spanish breed. Their home undoubtedly has for centuries 
been on the many-bayed shores of the Mediterranean. There they 
are still almost everywhere to he found, not in any great purity of 
breed as regards marking and colour, hut with certain clearly defined 
characteristics running through all their sub-varieties, which are 
surer evidence of common ancestry than simple peculiarities of 
feather. The latter can easily he engrafted on a breed, the former 
take many generations to produce. Some of them, as the Leghorns, 
have come to us from the New World, yet with doubtless their old 
and correct name, and still showing all the characteristics of the 
fowls common on the Italian shores. Others, as the Black and 
White Minorcas, have long been bred in our extreme south-western 
counties, where probably they were first introduced by Spanish 
traders, and where they flourish better than in any other part of 
England. Others, again, as the highly bred exhibition White-faced 
Spanish, have come to us from Holland, whither doubtless they were 
brought during the ride of Spain in the Low Countries. The Dutch 
have a peculiar talent and fancy for growing and breeding up to a 
special standard, and in all probability they improved the fancy 
point of the white face before much attention was given to pedigree 
breeding in England. 
Broadly speaking, those sub-varieties of the family which are kept 
in the Italian peninsula are coloured in plumage and yellow in legs. 
Those in the Iberian peninsula are blue-legged, and in plumage 
black or white, or of some intermediate hue, as blue or speckled. 
The characteristics of form common to all are considerable develop¬ 
ment of single comb, which in the hens is pendant, short bodies from 
breast to tail, short backs, and tails carried somewhat upright. 
Their common excellence is that the hens are abundant layers of 
large rather round eggs, and are non-sitters. It is as layers, net 
exhibition birds, that we are now primarily concerned with them. 
At the same time, those who have an eye for the beautiful can well 
please themselves according to their tas’.e from the catalogue of sub¬ 
varieties which we shall give. Our attention and pen was drawn to 
this subject by the complaint of a friend the other day that his 
White-faced Black Spanish hens were very poor layers. He had 
heard that Spanish were the fowls for eggs, and thought himself 
fortunate to receive a present of some half dozen pullets till a six- 
months corn bill had no eggs to balance it on the other side. Many 
similar complaints have from time to time reached us, and many 
queries as to the cause of Spanish hens disappointing their owners. 
Our general answer to them is, that we believe the race, for some 
reason which we do not pretend to explain, are not suited to be bred 
up to any fancy standard of points. We have had the most perfect 
Cochins in fluff and rotundity which have been the very best and 
most productive of layers. We have had Hamburghs which, after 
winning at the Crystal Palace or Birmingham, have immediately 
begun to lay, and for eight months continuously laid unvaryingly 
fertile eggs. We have found some of the best exhibition Dorkings 
we have ever known the best of layers too. We have possessed 
high-class exhibition Spanish, but we have found them miserable 
layers. At the same time, there is a consensus of opinion among 
breeders of the less highly cultivated sub-varieties of the race that 
they are among the very best of layers. For the benefit of poultry 
keepers who require a breed of good layers and non-sitters we will 
enumerate the various branches of the family we know. Space will 
not allow us to describe the points of each. These must he sought 
in poultry books, or better studied practically at poultry shows. In 
a future issue we will give some brief description of each.—C. 
OLD FOWLS LAYING. 
I remembeh reading in the Journal an invitation to those who 
kept poultry to give any information they might possess about old 
fowls laying. As my experience is somewhat unusual in this matter 
I venture to send a few lines. 
I have two Dorking hens—a dark brown and speckled grey. They 
are seven years old this spring. Year after year they never cease to 
lay, commencing the beginning of March, laying on the average five 
eggs a week each until the end of October. This March furnishes 
no exception to the rule. They ramble in the fields and get their 
own living, with the exception of a small allowance of corn for their 
first feed. They associate with no other fowl whatever. They 
return to their house early to roost, and with full crops gathered in 
their rambles. 
I have also in a small wired run three very fine Dark Brahma hens 
and a cock. They were hatched just four years ago. They are now 
laying well. On the other hand, 1 am not so fortunate in regard to 
six White Brahma pullets, which with their cock occupy a separate 
run, and although now a year old, and treated precisely as the other 
Brahmas, have not laid one egg.— Marian. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Drake Ailing (C. E. C.).—You may let the drake run in the garden. As 
from what you say it would seem his crop was not distended with water you 
may give him a moderate quantity to drink. Try the effect of another dose of 
oil. We fear the complaint is more deep-rooted than the crop, and that he will 
not get over it. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32'40" N.; Long. 0° 8'0" W.: Altitude.lll feet. 
BATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
2 22 * ~ 
Hygrome- 
d . 
Shade Tem- 
Radiation 
d 
1882. 
otjco > 
ter. 
+2 d 
a— o 
perature. 
Temperature. 
cJ 
03 
March. 
a 
V r-< 
In 
On 
i *-a 03 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Qo 
Max. 
Min. 
sun. 
grass. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg 
deg. 
In. 
Sun. 19 
3(U08 
44.3 
42.7 
W. 
44.0 
60.0 
37.4 
98.2 
3H.5 
_ 
Sion. 20 
29.806 
46.3 
43.7 
S.W. 
44.4 
63.9 
38.2 
128.7 
33.3 
_ 
Tues. 21 
29.772 
4. r >.3 
40.8 
w. 
43.0 
58.0 
39.0 
104.7 
35.1 
0.112 
Wed. 22 
29.937 
39.0 
35.0 
N. 
44.0 
45.0 
29.9 
93.8 
26.6 
0.030 
Thurs. 23 
30.241 
35.8 
33.3 
N.W. 
42.2 
5".3 
29.3 
91.4 
25.2 
0.039 
Friday 24 
29.801 
49.6 
48.6 
S.W. 
42.8 
55.8 
35.5 
81.8 
35.2 
0.023 
Satur. 25 
29.761 
45.8 
41.6 
w. 
44.0 
56.2 
38.2 
100.1 
33.0 
0.672 
29.918 
43.7 
40.8 
43.8 
» 
55.6 
35.4 
99.8 
31.3 
0.876 
REMARKS. 
19th.—Fine and bright; clear starlight night. 
20th.—Fine and bright, with more wind and much dust. 
21st.—Fine with bright sunshine in forenoon, later rough and squally, much 
colder ; thick snow 9 r.M. 
22nd.—Frosty morning, slight sun on ground; squally with cold showers of 
snow and sleet; intervals of bright sunshine. 
23rd.—Fine and cold, but somewhat overcast. 
24th.—Generally cloudy and dull, fair till evening, then some rain. 
25th.—Very bright and fine, cold wind ; rain in evening. 
Colder than the previous week, but still above the average.—G. J. SYMONS. 
