70 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
[ July 20, 1882. 
have been fed should have the tufts of old grass now mown down, 
which will greatly favour a regular growth of aftermath. 
Live Stock .—All kinds of sheep and young cattle are extremely 
dear, and we must again call attention to the policy of reaving all the 
cattle we require in order that the home farmer may have the full 
advantage, not only of cattle grazing, hut of breeding and rearing 
likewise. In most cases the same may be done with sheep stock. 
There are, however, some exceptions which require notice, for we 
think at the present moment in various midland districts, where a 
great scarcity of sheep exists in consequence of the losses by fluke rot 
during a few years past, it may be advisable, where the turf is good 
and where a bullock can graze till fit for slaughter without artificial 
food, it requires consideration as to the advantage of feeding sheep 
as well as cattle on the best pastures, for the sheep certainly will eat 
out the finest and choicest herbage, such as White Clover, leaving 
the longest and coarsest grasses only for the cattle, and, in our opinion, 
depreciating the value of the bullock food, and at the same time run¬ 
ning the risk of rotting the sheep. Store cattle of the one year may 
graze on the poorest pastures and be growing into a condition for feed¬ 
ing off the best pastures for beef the succeeding year, and therefore 
dispense with the feeding of sheep altogether. Then if we take the 
marshland districts of certain eastern counties the question becomes 
almost reversed, for in these the sheep may be kept for grazing 
without any bullocks at all, and ten or twelve sheep per acre may 
be thus sold to the butcher every year, because the generality 
of the marshlands reclaimed from the sea originally do not endanger 
the health of the sheep by the fluke rot. Still, on those farms 
not well adapted for a breeding flock the best plan is to buy lambs 
in the autumn and put them out to winter feeding on roots, &c., 
in the arable districts, and on farms in certain districts this is done 
by a customary payment according to the season, and the lambs 
wintered on dry arable land at so much per head, returning to the 
occupier of the marshland at a stated time in April, or as soon as the 
grass on the marshes is equal to the maintenance of the stock in that 
condition, which, after being shorn, they may be sold in the markets 
for mutton, but only the long-woolled breeds of sheep are rrsed in 
this way. 
Royal Agricultural Society’s Show. —The awards for the 
best cultivated farms were announced at the G-eneral Meeting of 
members, when it was found that the first prize of £100 was awarded 
to Mr. J. J. Ratcliff, The Priory, Beech Hill, near Reading ; and the 
second prize of £50 was awarded to Mr. Geo. Adams, Pidnall Farm, 
near Faringdon. The Judges recommend that an extra prize of £25 
shall be awarded to Mr. Jenkin Davies of Wickcroft Farm, Engle- 
field, Reading. We are informed that all the above competitors used 
Messrs. Suttons’ seeds. The Prince of Wales visited Messrs. Suttons’ 
trial grounds during the Show, and expressed the gratification that 
the inspection had afforded him. 
CROSS-BRED TABLE POULTRY. 
Continuing our remarks from page 48, we come to the third 
cross. The Dorking-Game cross has long been known. Before 
the days of Asiatic importations it was to be seen in many a farm¬ 
yard where a thrifty henwife had tried to improve her stock ; the 
hens were known as excellent mothers, and generally layers of 
larger eggs than either of the parent races. The cross is still a 
common one, especially in the establishments of country gentle¬ 
men, where the poultry run in the park or the woodlands about 
the gamekeeper’s cottage, and where the cuisine is good. Dorking- 
Game chickens are very plump, and their flavour gamy and 
excellent. We decidedly recommend that the male bird should 
be of the Game race ; the Game cock is the traditional model lord 
of the yard, hardy and vigorous, and considerate for his wives ; 
Game hens are quarrelsome and spiteful to each other’s families, 
while Dorkings are generally peaceful. As to the kind of each 
breed to be crossed, much depends upon the fancy of the breeder. 
If he desires birds of rich red, yellow, and brown hues a Black Red 
or Brown Red cock may be crossed with Dark Dorkmg hens ; if 
soft Silvery-Greys, a Duckwing cock should be procured and 
Silver-Grey Dorking hens ; if pure white, a white Game cock and 
white Dorking hens, though curiously enough the chances are that 
their produce will not be pure white, but show dark feathers here 
and there, and yellow or red bands in the wing. One who likes 
peculiarity and distinctiveness in his poultry yard may gratify it 
by crossing a Red Game cock with Cuckoo-Dorking hens ; the 
male produce are often very handsome, with a kind of golden 
cuckoo hackle. If white legs are specially desired it should not 
be forgotten that both White Game and Black Reds are procurable 
with white legs. The latter are now somewhat rare ; they are the 
old Knowsley strain, which still is prized by some amateurs, 
though the exhibitor would have little chance of winning with 
them. The cockerels of this cross should be killed early, for they 
naturally inherit some of the spirit of their paternal ancestors, 
and terrible frays may occasionally take place among a party of 
them. The pullets prove the best of mothers, but cannot always be 
trusted near the chickens of another hen. 
The Dorking-Poland cross is another long known, but seldom 
tried in these days. Whether there once was a distinct lark- 
crested breed of fowls we have before discussed ; however this 
may be, there certainly have long been seen in well-cared-for 
farmyards hens which show traces of Dorking blood in small 
fifth claws, and of Poland in small tufts. They are almost 
invariably good layers. Next to the Dorking we believe, possibly 
with the exception of La F16che, Polands to be the best table fowls. 
Their bones are small, their breasts round and plump, and their 
flesh delicate ; they are, too, always ready for killing. All these 
good qualities, combined with greater size and quicker growth, 
are to be found in their half-bred produce when the second parent 
is a Dorking. We remember in the class for table poultry at the 
Birmingham Dairy Show of last year to have seen a very pretty 
pen of chickens from the Patshull yards, a cross between Silver 
Polands and Cuckoo-Dorkings. They were short-legged, round¬ 
breasted, and small-boned, and just such as we should fancy for 
the table ; they were very pretty too. 
Any one of these four crosses will, we believe, be found a useful 
one. It must not be forgotten that for the production of strong and 
vigorous chickens robust and vigorous parents are necessary. They 
must not, too, be too numerous a troop. One cock and four or six 
hens on a free range will produce a stock large enough for most 
establishments. If the cock be Game, still more hens may be 
allotted to him. If, however, chickens for market or a very large 
household are required in numbers beyond the natural produce of 
one pen, two or more breeding pens should be made up separately. 
It is seldom advisable to let two cocks run with a double harem 
of hens.—C. 
THE POULTRY CLUB. 
A meeting of the Committee of the Poultry Club was held on 
Wednesday, July 12th, at the Charing Cross Hotel. There were 
present Messrs. S. Lucas (in the chair), T. W. Anns, R. A. Boissier, 
A. Comyns, and C. F. Montresor. 
The following new member was elected—Mrs. Herbert Philips, Oak 
House, Macclesfield. 
Shows under Club Rules. —The Secretary reported that Leek, 
Wolverhampton, Caistor, Hanley, and Lamberhurst Shows are to be 
held under Poultry Club Rules, and subscriptions were granted to 
the funds of the two first-named Shows. 
The next meeting was fixed for August 4th at the Charing Cross 
Hotel at 2 p.m.—Alex. Comyns, Hon. Sec., Poultry Club, 47, Chancery 
Lane , London , W.C. July 17th, 1882. 
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. 
<£> cS_, 
C CO o o 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
fl . 
O 
3 d 
fs 
Qo 
Q~< O 
3 '32 
a jcO rH 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
d 
*5 
July. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
graSvS. 
Sun. 9 
Mon. 10 
Tues. 11 
Wed. 12 
Thurs. 13 
Friday 14 
Satur. 15 
Inches. 
29.623 
29.754 
29.625 
29.774 
29.923 
29.661 
29.500 
deg. 
60.7 
60.9 
55.4 
00.3 
57.8 
64.1 
62.7 
deg. 
54.5 
53.8 
53.0 
55.8 
55.3 
59.4 
60.8 
S.W. 
S.W. 
E. 
N.W. 
S.W. 
w. 
S.E. 
deg. 
58.2 
58.6 
58.2 
58.2 
59.0 
58.9 
6 ‘.0 
deg 
74.6 
68.5 
64.8 
70.7 
68.5 
73.6 
71.6 
deg. 
51.8 
48.6 
51.2 
52.8 
54.4 
57.3 
61.0 
deg 
120.2 
123.6 
84.3 
118.3 
123.7 
128.4 
116.4 
deg. 
46.6 
45.6 
50.4 
53.0 
52.4 
55.5 
58.2 
In. 
0.128 
0.954 
0.308 
0.036 
0.010 
0.040 
0.050 
29.695 
00.3 
56.1 
58.7 
69.8 
53.9 
116.4 
51.7 
1.526 
REMARKS. 
9th.—Heavy showers, with bright intervals.’ 
10th.—Fine bright morning, very heavy showers in afternoon. 
11th.—Rain during day, fine evening. 
12th.—Generally fine and bright, shower at 2.45 P.M. 
13th.—Showery at first and windy, afterwards fine and bright. 
14th.—Slight showers at first, afterwards fine and bright. 
15th.—Wet morning, fine afternoon and evening. 
Temperature again near the average, rainfall much in excess.—G. J. SYMONS. 
