48 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 13, 1882. 
Band Labour .—Hoeing Mangolds and Turnips will require constant 
attention, as also Carrots, Cabbage, ifcc., and any other vegetable crops 
which may be cultivated on the home farm, and in some cases the 
crops are varied in different ways, according to the soil, climate, and 
the requirements of the districts in which the home farmer may be 
placed. 
Live Stock .—The puichase of ewe sheep for breeding lambs for the 
fat markets usually takes place to a considerable extent at the early 
fairs whether of Down sheep or Longwools. In the midland districts 
this matter may be deferred for a while, but in the southern or home 
counties the sooner the ewes are purchased the better. The next fair 
will take place at Overton, Hants, July 18th; then Alresford, Hants, 
July 27th ; and Britford Fair, Wilts, August 12th. At all these, and 
various fairs in Dorsetshire and Sussex, the ewes can be bought soon 
enough to be mated with the best Down rams at their new home as 
soon as they arrive from the fairs. The dairy cows where they cannot 
have a change of fresh grass should now have a good bait of Clover 
in the racks at milking time night and morning, otherwise Italian Rye 
grass, water meadow grass, or other green fodder reserved on purpose 
for them. If they do not get something of this kind the flow of milk 
will diminish, and they will go dry at an early period, and thus prove 
out of profit; 4 tbs. of decorticated cotton cake, however, per day will 
go far to maintain the supply of milk, besides improving the pastures 
where the cows graze. Fatting bullocks on the pastures also will 
require some little assistance unless the pasturage is very forcing and 
plentiful, but especially if it is overstocked in numbers of cattle. But 
in this case some may now be sold with advantage, especially if drape 
cows form part of the herd, for beef generally sells well through July 
and the early part of August. Cattle in the boxes will now be doing 
well with 4 tbs. of the best St. Petersburgh oil cake allowed them per 
day added to a full quantity of green fodder, a succession of which 
should be considerately provided in order that there may be no defi¬ 
ciency in the supply at any time. Some arrangement, too, should be 
made so that the cake may be given them in the meal state, the best 
way being always to hold over a little Mangold for the purpose, or 
otherwise to provide some early Cabbages to be passed through 
Gardner’s cutter twice; in this way the cakejneal can be mixed with 
the root crops without waste. The breeding sows and also store pigs 
may be now doing well with some green fodder strewed over well- 
littered yards or large pens, receiving also a few cracked beans or 
peas twice a day in the troughs. 
in England as the table fowl par excellence , but at the same time, 
as a delicate bird. We may observe, by the way, that whatever 
modern poultry fanciers have done for the form and size of the 
Dorking, they certainly have made it a far hardier bird than it 
was. The Brahma when first imported was found hardy and far 
less unsightly on the table than most of the Asiatic fowls. We 
fancy, nevertheless, that its strength of constitution was some¬ 
what over-rated. What, however, more natural than that the 
old fowl of the country should be crossed with this new much- 
lauded importation? The result proved generally satisfactory. 
The chickens grew fast and were hardy ; the cockerels became 
nice table birds at an early age ; the pullets were precocious 
layers and good mothers. Thus the cross has acquired a reputa¬ 
tion simply because it has been much tried and succeeded. We 
do not believe it to be superior to other crosses which have been 
less tried. It is often a question of which variety the male bird 
should be. We do not lay much stress upon the point, but are 
inclined to favour the union of a Dorking cock with Brahma 
hens, because the latter are more certain winter layers. On the 
other hand, a Brahma cock is more likely to be a certain father, 
and will generally last two or three years, while we should advise 
that only a young Dorking chanticleer should be kept, and a fresh 
one procured every year. 
2, Cr6ve Coeur and Brahma is a cross not much known, but a 
very good one all the same. We cannot say much of the beauty 
of its offspring, but their size is fine and their constitution strong. 
Their appearance is sometimes most peculiar. The beard of the 
CiAve parent is not reproduced, but in lieu of it huge whiskers 
appear. The Cieve, like the Dorking, is a full-breasted bird, and 
seems to impart this desirable property to its half-bred offspring. 
They are plump as well as large-framed, and the cockerels very 
early fit for the table. The pullets are capital layers. We know 
a yard in which they are generally kept for winter and spring 
laying, and are then killed off. By this time they make fine fowls, 
and must, of course, be hung accordingly, and not dressed like 
spring chickens two or three days after they are killed.—C. 
(To be continued.) 
CROSS-BRED TABLE POULTRY. 
This is no new subject; we have often given our opinion on 
particular crosses. Of late, however, many questions about table 
poultry have been put to us, and this is a time of year at which a 
beginner can obtain well-bred birds at moderate prices, so it seems 
a favourable opportunity for collecting a few experiences on 
crossing. At present we are only concerned with the production 
of table poultry, though of course if the pullets are also good 
layers so much the better. 
At the outset we may be asked if we generally recommend pure¬ 
bred or cross-bred birds for eating. Our answer is that this must 
depend on circumstances. We are fully persuaded that no 
possible cross can be more excellent on the table than a pure-bred 
chicken of certain varieties ; we should give the palm to Dorkings, 
Polands, La Fleche, Crbve Coeurs, and Game. At the same time 
where the soil is not suitable to poultry, or where the chickens 
are likely to be too much left to chance, or where they are required 
to be reared in enormous numbers, we should without hesitation 
recommend first crosses. There is a robustness about birds of a 
first cross which can seldom be got even by constant introduction 
of fresh blood in a pure breed, and which seems to carry them 
through dangers of cold and damp and tainted ground in a 
wonderful manner. There is no risk, too, of interbreeding, for 
these crosses must be first crosses ; all experience shows that to 
continue to breed from cross-bred birds leads to certain failure 
and degeneracy. 
We do not pretend to have tried a great number of unions, the 
number which might be made between the now known varieties 
of fowls would be prodigious. It is simply a question of arith¬ 
metic ; but the knowledge now possessed of the characteristics of 
most breeds is enough to show that the majority of the possible 
crosses would do far more harm than good. There are four 
crosses from which we have seen good results, and which we can 
safely recommend; many more may result in hardy palatable 
chickens, but we have little experience of them. 
1, Brahma and Dorking. This is probably the commonest and 
best known of all poultry crosses. So useful has it been generally 
found that early Brahma-Dorking pullets often command prices 
almost of pure-bred stock. The Dorking has long been known 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Nitrate of Soda on Farms (.4 Fancy Farmer ).—Your “fancy” for 
applying this powerful fertiliser to land in the autumn is one that we do not 
approve of. It is far better in our experience to apply it as a top-dressing to 
crops in spring, when they need some assistance to accelerate their growth. 
Poultry for Table (/. Webbe ).—As your Dorkings give you so much 
satisfaction, and thrive well in your district why do you want to change them 
for other breeds ? Would not it be wiser to add than to substitute ? You can¬ 
not do better than read the article in the present issue, and the notes we shall 
publish in continuation on the same subject. 
Vermin on Canary (IF. J.).— Mr. Brent says—“The red mites or cage 
bugs are a species of Acaris. They live in the cracks and joining of the cages, 
and at night sally forth to suck and annoy the birds ; they multiply in great 
numbers about the cage and in the nests, tormenting the birds, causing the 
death of the young, and frequently of the old birds likewise. Some fanciers 
have recommended the use of the Persian insect-destroying powder; but I have 
not tried it, finding that by thoroughly cleaning the cages, saturating the cracks 
with linseed oil, and then filling them with flowers of sulphur, and dusting 
sulphur amongst the bird’s feathers, also by cleaning the nest and sprinkling 
powdered sulphur in, that I can get rid of these pests..” 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40” N.; Long. 0° 8 0” W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
1882. 
<?j cS 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
P . 
© ^ 
£ d 
o-£ . 
§<S§ 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Rain, 
July. 
MS a 
Dry. 
Wet. 
5 o 
QjCC rH 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Sun. 
2 
Inches. 
30.120 
deg. 
63.0 
deg. 
,57.2 
N. 
deg. 
60.0 
deg 
74.6 
deg. 
53.2 
deg 
113.9 
deg. 
51.1 
In. 
Mon. 
3 
30.123 
64.2 
60.5 
w. 
61.0 
77.3 
52.9 
123.5 
52.0 
— 
Tues. 
4 
29.8.59 
59.3 
55.1 
S.W. 
61.9 
73.8 
57.0 
101.7 
56.0 
— 
Wed. 
5 
29.533 
62.0 
57.0 
w. 
61.1 
60.3 
55.9 
125.5 
54.6 
— 
Thurs. 
6 
29.509 
62.3 
57.0 
s.w. 
0'i3 
65.3 
53.0 
98.0 
49.2 
0.321 
Friday 
7 
29.391 
57.5 
54.2 
s.w. 
n'LO 
67.6 
51.3 
120.0 
47.3 
0.166 
Satur. 
8 
29.511 
63.1 
57.2 
S.E. 
5?.9 
67.8 
51.1 
119.4 
45.2 
0.225 
29.721 
61.6 
56.9 
60.3 
70.8 
53.5 
114.5 
50.8 
0.712 
REMARKS. 
2nd.—Very fine, bright, warm, and calm. 
3rd.-—Fine, with more cloud, and breezy. 
4th.—Overcast but fair ; sunshine at intervals. 
5th.—Bright early ; afterwards cloudy with heavy showers. 
6th.—Unsettled, showery, cool. 
7th.—Stormy morning, afterwards bright and fine. [bright. 
8th.—Showery in forenoon; hazy rain for short time at 0.26 ; evening fine and 
Owing to the increase of cloud the temperature has been more equable, the 
maximum by day have been lower than in the previous week, but the minimum 
by night have been so much higher (averaging 63'5°) as to render it the warmest 
week this year.—G. J. SYMONS. 
