214 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 31, 1882. 
year, the value being 239,493 dols. The total emigration to Canada 
during the year was 47,991. The rapid extension of railways, par¬ 
ticularly in Manitoba and the North-West, and the prosperous con¬ 
dition of the country generally, are also subjects of comment. 
THE FATTENING OF POULTRY FOR THE TABLE. 
We will finish our articles on the fattening of poultry by giving 
a translation of a French author’s directions for funnel-feeding. 
We have seen it practised on young Pigeons in Italy, and a very 
neat and rapid method of feeding it seemed, only in their case 
hard grain and water were given separately instead of a soft 
mixture as in this case. 
“The third method,” he says, “is funnel-feeding— i.e., the 
forcible administration, by means of a funnel, of farinaceous food 
in a liquid state. This latter method is sure in the end to prevail 
generally, so simple is it, so easy, and so quickly performed. The 
fattener procures barleymeal, not crushed barley, for the meal 
must not have any husk in it, but must, on the contrary, be well 
sifted. This is mixed smoothly into milk and water in equal pro¬ 
portions. The paste must be of the consistency of clear pap just 
put on the fire, and there positively must not be more than half 
milk, for experience proves that if more is put in the fattening 
process stops at the end of a few days, and the bird soon dies. 
“ Next a funnel of white metal is got, which will hold as much 
as any chicken requires at a meal. The pipe of the funnel which 
goes into the bird’s mouth is cut off diagonally ; its edges are 
rounded back, and finished off with a little pewter mouthpiece to 
make it soft. A small ring is attached to the funnel just below 
the rim of its large end for the forefinger of the right hand. Its 
position is specially important, for while the head of the fowl is 
held in one hand, with the other the funnel must be properly in¬ 
serted, which is quite easy when the ring is properly placed. The 
opening at the bottom of the funnel (which, as we have said, is 
cut off diagonally) must be turned towards the operator, and for 
this reason the ring must be fixed to the large end of the 
funnel somewhat to the right of the lower mouth as one looks up¬ 
wards. Those who are well accustomed to it use the funnel with¬ 
out any risk, but people who are not used to it are in some danger 
of injuring the gullet. It is well, then, to put some indiarubber 
round the mouth, and so obviate all possibility of accident. 
“ All this is very simple, and I only dwell upon it just to explain 
it thoroughly, which is very important. The paste is put in a 
vessel, whence it can be easily taken up in a deep spoon. As soon 
as all is ready the bird is seized by the wings near the shoulders ; 
its head is placed forwards between the operator’s knees, so as to 
get tight hold of it without hurting or shifting it. It flutters a 
little the first time, but soon gets used to it. When it is quite 
quiet the right forefinger is passed into the ring, the left hand 
seizes the bird’s head, its neck is stretched out, and its beak 
opened with the help of the right hand, which still holds the 
funnel. When the beak is properly opened they manage to keep 
it so an instant with the left hand alone, while the neck of the 
funnel is quickly put down the throat, care being taken not to 
hurt it. Then they take the paste and fill the funnel with it, but 
not to overflowing, the bird’s neck all the while being stretched 
out. The spoon used for the paste is then replaced, and the right 
hand holds the bird’s crop till it is perceptibly filled, which opera¬ 
tion may be helped by the action of the hand. The crammed 
fowl is then replaced and another taken out. 
“ The quantity of paste which the funnel should hold and a 
chicken swallow is about one-eighth of a pint, but at the first meal 
not more than half that should be given, and the full amount not 
before the third day; after that more or less according to the 
bird’s strength. The meals are regularly given three times in the 
twenty-four hours, at intervals of eight hours—viz., at six in the 
morning, at two in the afternoon, and at ten at night in town 
houses ; at four in the morning, at noon, and at 8 p.m. in farm 
houses. To facilitate the operation of funnel-feeding, and to ob¬ 
viate accidents from forgetfulness or intrusion, which tire and 
harry the chickens, there should be a proper apparatus, according 
to the number to be fattened, consisting of two, three, or four 
coops, closely barred, and more than ten birds should not be put 
in each. These are put in a quiet spot, in a stable or some other 
place, with equable atmosphere and away from draughts. There 
should always be one unoccupied. When all is ready the bottom 
of the coops is covered with clean straw, and as the cramming is 
carried out each bird after being fed is put into the empty one 
that the last bird had been taken from. This is continued till 
everyone has been changed into the next coop, and the straw is 
changed every day while each is momentarily vacant. The straw 
must be changed every day, for good feeders and those who fatten 
for them never allow the birds to remain on their droppings, for 
it imparts a disagreeable flavour to them. The progress of each 
bird must be watched attentively, and anyone which stands still 
must be killed. Only those, too, must be selected for this treat¬ 
ment which are in good case and health, for it would be useless to 
put up weak chickens, which, instead of fattening, would sicken 
and die. The duration of the process is from fifteen to twenty 
days, according to the habit and breed of the chickens ; after that 
the birds would only go back.” 
These directions seem plain and practical enough, and we hope 
before long to give the system a trial. The rule of cleanliness 
is much more in accord with our own ideas than that given by 
our French authority with his directions for cramming with balls. 
Cooked Meat for Fowls.— It is too much the practice to feed 
raw meat to poultry, under the mistaken idea that as the worms and 
insects which they seize with such avidity are uncooked so should be 
any meat given them by their owners. But the early worm which 
Biddy takes in her empty crop—soft, pulpy, and crushed by the bill 
before it descends the gullet—is one thing, and the coarse, dry, 
stringy, fatless flesh thrown to them “in the rough” and the tough 
is quite another, even if the carcass of horse or sheep so bestowed is 
not still more objectionable on account of disease. True, these nearly 
“dry bones” may serve to while away a weary hour in the monoto¬ 
nous life of the poultry yard, and happily the fowls may labour 
under the impression that they are eating something, and so they 
may serve a certain purpose in the poultry world ; but for real aid 
and comfort to the fowls, save all your refuse meat and buy in addi¬ 
tion “ liver, lights, head, and all,” as the old story runs, from the 
shambles, and boil all together for two hours or more. Then chop 
finely, and mix with meal in the water in which they are boiled. 
This dry rich mess, showing bits of meat like the raisins in plum 
pudding, will be a dish fit to set before any “ queen of the (poultry) 
harem,” and she and her maids of honour will pay you for it in more 
than words, as your egg basket, high with pearls, will show on many 
a succeeding day .—(Poultry Yard.) 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Love Birds (C. S .).—A change of food is acceptable to the birds and bene¬ 
ficial. Cauary seed, millet seed, Indian corn, and oats being varied according 
to judgment, crushing the larger seeds if needed. 
Lucerne Irregular (Dr. Mackenzie ).—We have no doubt that the strips 
of land spoken of on which the Lucerne is of “double growth” is caused by 
two old banks and ditches which formerly existed an 1 intersected each other, 
and that the banks were levelled and the ditches filled with the loose earth and 
vegetable mould. This is the cause of the deeply rooting plant like Lucerne 
making extra growth in the second cutting, as the roots are now working in 
the deep and valuable soil. Wc have plenty of instances on our own land which 
illustrates in the same way the advantages to be derived from deeply moved 
soil. We have thrown down many old banks, and ever since it has been done 
we can tell by the crops where the ditches formerly existed ; nor can we by any 
amount of manuring obtain the same benefit that will be derived from deeply 
moved soil, especially in those cases where rich vegetable mould has been buried 
in the subsoil. 
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. 
Rain. 
1882. 
August. 
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. 20 
30.039 
60.4 
56.3 
W. 
(*0.7 
71.7 
48.1 
107.8 
44.7 
0.0.54 
Mon. 21 
29.772 
60.5 
54.0 
N.W. 
00.8 
69.1 
53.9 
123.8 
49.3 
— 
Tues. 22 
29.843 
60.0 
52.4 
W. 
60.0 
66.7 
49.9 
114.0 
45.9 
0.391 
Wed. 23 
29.276 
50.8 
51.3 
s.w. 
59 8 
65.0 
54.1 
119.0 
4'.0 
— 
Tliurs. 24 
29.623 
57.9 
52.5 
s.w. 
58.8 
65.7 
47.6 
123.5 
43.5 
0.160 
Friday 25 
29.557 
55.5 
53.8 
S.E. 
f8.2 
67.3 
50.8 
113.7 
47.2 
0.135 
Satur. 2(5 
29.556 
58.7 
54.3 
N.W. 
58.0 
68.2 
51.2 
120.1 
47.8 
0.071 
29.667 
58.5 
53.6 
59.5 
67.7 
50.8 
117.4 
46.8 
0.814 
REMARKS. 
20th.—Cloudy day, with sprinkle of rain in afternoon ; wet night. 
21st.—Fine, bright, windy day. 
22nd.—Fine bright morning; cloudy afternoon ; wet evening and night. 
23rd.—Dull at first; fine and bright during the day with high wind. 
24th.—Showery and cool, bright intervals; moonlight night. 
25th.—Wet cold morning ; bright afternoon and evening ; moonlight night. 
26th,—Fine and bright, few spots of rain at times ; heavy rain in evening. 
Mean pressure and temperature both considerably below those of the preced¬ 
ing week, and the temperature a little below the average. Generally a cool aud 
dull week with a good deal of rain.—G. J. Symons. 
