144 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 11, 1881. 
fancy fowls.” “ That it will pay an ordinary farmer, so far as 
money is concerned, to breed for fancy points I dispute most 
emphatically. It will pay him indirectly, but not in cash. Such 
poultry-breeding is for the mechanic in village or suburb, who 
attends show’s and knows all the ins and outs of ‘strains’ and 
‘ breeds ’ and premium birds. Our leading fanciers are not farmers ; 
thousands of farmers take a keen interest in fine poultry, but are 
not kuown outside of their towns as poultry breeders.” The 
writer proceeds to recommend the wives and children of farmers 
to go into poultry breeding, and become fanciers on the ground 
that it will do them good in a hundred ways and may bring in a 
few dollars of pocket money, and concludes—“ But to the prac¬ 
tical granger who cares nothing for horses but for their ability to 
pull, nothing for cows but for the milk they give, and nothing 
for poultry except for its market value—if he asked me if I 
thought it would pay him to keep standard fowls as leading 
fanciers do, I should reply emphatically, ‘ No.’ ” 
The Live Stock Journal of last week contains an interesting 
account of poultry farming as carried on by a Mr. Wells of 
Barnston, Dunmow, Essex. This establishment is not, however, 
exclusively or even mainly a poultry farm. It is au ordinary 
farm of five hundred acres, of which about 150 are under grass, 
and upon which on the average some six thousand chickens 
are kept. These are intended for killing, and some twelve to 
fifteen dozen are sent off daily to the London market. During 
autumn and winter the chickens necessary to keep up thi3 
supply are raised at home by means of incubators and artificial 
mothers. Mr. Wells prefers a cross between Ilamburghs and 
Dorkings, because the fowls are vigorous and plump. In spring 
and summer the chickens are purchased from the farmers and 
cottagers of the district at from 8 cl. to \§d. apiece. The chickens 
are kept until ready for fattening in moveable poultry houses, such 
as old showman’s vans, &c. There are twenty of these, and each 
holds three hundred chickens. They are frequently moved about 
from place to place, and it is found that the presence of the chickens 
on the grass does not in any way interfere with the grazing of the 
cattle, while their manure increases the quantity and improves the 
quality of the pasture. When ready for fattening the chickens 
are taken into the feeding shed, where there are tiers on tiers of 
small cages, each capable of holding ten or a dozen fowls. As 
the chickens are in good condition before being put up to fatten, 
a few days only are necessary to finish them for market. Barley, 
maize, barleymeal, and toppings constitute the staple feeding in 
the fields, some horseflesh boiled, Mangold, &c., being given twice 
a week. Meal of one sort or another mixed with milk is used in 
the feeding shed. The plucking and dressing is done by piece 
work at a cost of 9 cl. per dozen, and against this there is to be set 
the value of the feathers, which is about &d. per dozen birds. The 
carriage to London costs 9 d. per dozen. The capital employed in 
the business is some £500, and the monthly balance sheet shows 
a profit of from 25 to 30 per cent, on this sum. The concern has 
not as yet been a year in operation, but the results so far are of a 
satisfactory character. 
OVERFEEDING. 
There are few evils fowls suffer more from, or are more sub¬ 
jected to, than this. It i3 a matter not exclusively confined to 
the inexperienced. I think the most practical often commit the 
mistake, and it happens oftenest with those who are preparing 
fowls for particular purposes, such as showing, laying, or killing. 
When such objects are in view the general impression seems to 
be that they are soonest and best secured by continual feeding. 
In poultry books and poultry papers no warning is more often 
given than to avoid too frequently feeding fowls generally and 
young chickens in particular. But how long most of us are in 
putting this sound advice into practice ! We adhere to the 
idea that the oftener we can induce them to eat the sooner will 
they gain a healthy maturity, and at first we feel confident that 
we are succeeding, but there soon comes a time that proves us 
mistaken. 
Very young chicks may require to be supplied with food four, 
five, or six times a day ; but at this season of the year there is no 
necessity for such frequent feeding, as all young stocks are now 
advanced in growth, and feeding must be regulated accordingly. 
We have offered food four times a day to birds four months old, 
and at times some of them would not come near it, while others 
would look at it as if it was bad, until at last they seemed to have 
no appetite for food at any time. It is when they are like this 
that they are most provoking, and it is then that readers trouble 
Editors with doleful tales of their fowds not taking food and 
moping about from indigestion although this is hardly ever 
admitted. 
The advice given is generally “to feed less,” and in many 
mysterious cases this has a most wonderful effect. I have 
observed it with much gratification amongst my own birds and 
can speak from experience. I readily own to occasional over¬ 
feeding, and also to the efficacy of the simple remedy. S >me- 
times when I have had late-hatched chicks which I wanted to 
get up for certain occasions, I have tried frequent feeding on 
every variety of food, but in no single instance had this the desired 
effect, and the improvement which took place in their flesh, 
feather, and carriage when the supply of food was reduced was 
surprising. 
All other things being right a fair supply of food will bring all 
kinds of fowls on fast enough for any purpose, and by a fair 
supply I may say I mean giving them as much as they will eat 
twice daily and no oftener. If fowds are fed say at 7 A.M., and 
again at 4 or 5 P.M., there wdll none of them wait to think which 
bit they should select for the next, but all will be taken with a 
relish, and it is then condition is gained. To observe them taking 
one meal under this regulation will please the young fancier far 
more than when only a very little of his frequently given dainties 
are taken and the remainder left to be devoured by pests of the 
poultry yard, or, worse still, to be mixed up with fresh food Gr 
taken later on in a sour state. 
Apart from cleanliness, if I wanted to keep fowls, no matter 
of what age, in the best of health, I would begin and end by 
always keeping them on the hungry side, and if a distaste for 
food became apparent a meal now and again would be wdthheld 
altogether. If this is done at supper time an extra handful of 
meal will be wanted next morning, and care must be taken that 
it is not overdone. Of course these remarks do not apply to fowls 
being crammed for the pot, but only to such as are being kept for 
any other purpose. Some of the quick-fattening processes are 
apt to end in loss of appetite, and then, even in the case of birds 
that are being fattened, skipping over a meal now and again gives 
more gain than loss.—J. Muir. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Feeding Times for Fowls (Alice ).—A good meal in the morning, a 
very moderate one at midday, and another good one two hours before dark 
will be sufficient. The appetite of the birds must be your guide as to 
quantity. 
Earth Floor for Stables—Oilcake for Cow (S. G .).—Ordinary clay 
soils will do well for placing at the bottom of stables and boxes if made per¬ 
fectly dry and then broken down fine and passed through a half-inch ash screen. 
There are, however, some very tenacious and putty-like clays which will require 
about 20 per cent, of sand or ashes mixed with them to be effectually absorbent. 
If a cow at grass is allowed 4 lbs. of oilcake per day as supplementary foodj it 
should be given at twice at the time of milking. 
Hydrophobia (Leal ).—It is utterly impossible for us, however willing we 
may be to do so, to advise you satisfactorily on the case submitted. There may 
be circumstances connected with it of considerable importance that no one can 
fully appreciate from a briefly written description of the event. Your only 
proper and safe course is to consult a medical man on the points you have sub¬ 
mitted to us. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE,LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32'40" N.; Long.0° 8'0” W.; Altitude,111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAV. 
Rain. 
1881. 
J uly. 
August. 
| llarome- 
! ter at 32° 
1 and Sea 
t Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
Temp, of 
Soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
snn. 
On 
gruso. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In- 
Snn. 31 
29.578 
69.6 
59.0 
S.E. 
62.8 
67.5 
57.3 
75.5 
514 
0.167 
Mon. 1 
29.800 
62.2 
55.3 
N.W. 
61.7 
72 5 
47.4 
100.0 
44.3 
0.155 
Xues. 2 
30.092 
61.0 
55.6 
N. 
61.6 
71.7 
53.8 
114.6 
50.8 
— 
Wed. 3 
30.244 
61.7 
58.9 
W. 
61.6 
71.5 
50.8 
103.4 
45.8 
— 
Thurs. 4 
30.330 
64.6 
61.3 
W. 
61.9 
80-4 
57.2 
126.3 
53.2 
_ 
Friday 5 
30.094 
70.6 
64.0 
S.E. 
63.3 
84.6 
51.4 
124.5 
45.5 
— 
Satur. 6 
30.088 
64.8 
57.9 
W. 
64.1 
75.5 
51.3 
124.0 
50.4 
— 
Means. 
30.032 
63.6 
68.9 
62.4 
74.8 
53.2 
110.2 
49.2 
0.322 
REMARKS. 
31st.—Very wet morning; slight rain nearly all day and high wind ; heavy 
shower at 7.15 p.m. 
1st.— Hazy but fine until 5.45 P.M.; rain until 7 P.M. 
2nd.—Pine, calm, hazy. 
3rd.—Dull cool morning ; slight shower at 9.15 A.M. ; fair rest of the day. 
4th.—Very warm, tine, and bright. 
6th. —Hazy at first; very warm fine day ; solar halo at 6.30 P.M. 
6th.—Cooler ; bright and fine throughout. 
Sunday was wild and wet, and Friday was very warm ; but on the whole 
the temperature was near the average, and calls for no special remark.— 
G. J. Sl'MONS. 
