JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
106 
[ July 2D, 1880. 
leads authorities on dairy farming so often to speak of them as 
something worthy of good-natured notice, but unworthy to be 
classified with the Jerseys, Shorthorns, and Ayrshires ? Granting 
that Kerrys are not admissible into large herds kept upon rich 
land for the production of milk for market or for cheese, yet 
there are great numbers of farms, notably upon poor soils, where 
a decided and clear advantage would attend the substitution of 
Kerrys for larger cows often yielding milk inferior both in quantity 
and quality. The advantage becomes still more striking when 
it is found that the food required for the sustenance of two large 
cows yielding together twenty quarts of milk daily will suffice to 
maintain in better condition three Kerrys yielding from thirty to 
thirty-three quarts.— Edward Luck hurst. 
MANAGEMENT OF POULTRY IN SUMMER. 
It is some time since we gave some hints on the management 
of poultry in spring. Since then summer has come, alas 1 is pass¬ 
ing, and summer has its special cares in the poultry yard. It has 
often struck us, as the time comes when we begin regretfully to 
watch the shortening days and the lengthening shadows, that there 
is some slight consolation in looking at the rapid growth and 
vigorous development of our young poultry—the hope of the year 
to come. Thus far the summer has been a favourable one, especi¬ 
ally for young stock. We have always found our own thrive well 
in summers which are showery without being immoderately wet. 
In very dry seasons the growth of chickens is checked and disease 
often makes its appearance ; the reason of this is manifest—the 
supply of insect food, so necessary for the natural development of 
young birds, fails in dry ground, and the ground itself is apt to 
become tainted. Gentle rains supply the former desideratum, and 
at the same time purify the soil. 
We will speak separately of the treatment of old and young 
birds. The breeding pens should now, if possible, be separated. 
Where accommodation is good the breeding cocks should be put 
into small runs away from the hens ; they will moult better in such 
places, or each one may run with a lot of cockerels and will keep 
them in order. The hens may be placed together in large batches 
either at liberty or in large runs. There is one great advantage 
in this separation—many valuable birds will continue laying. 
Eggs are now plentiful, and so it is often necessary to send them 
to market. If the hens are thus widowed there will be no fear of 
valuable eggs being eaten, or at least of their hatching. Where 
accommodation is very small of course the best must be made of 
it. We believe it is often a good plan to take away a cock from 
the general stock at this season, even if he has to be shut up in a 
small house, so long as it is clean and dry. We have before stated 
that if it is specially desired to make hens moult early they should 
be left two or three weeks upon sham eggs whenever they become 
broody in the late summer. If, however, this is done too early the 
moult is sometimes a spurious one, and is followed by a second 
moult late in the autumn, just when we wish our exhibition birds 
to be in full plumage. 
The young stock, too, now require attention. All should be plenti¬ 
fully supplied with spring water. Too often only a glance is given 
to see ihat the pans are full, and full they are pretty sure to be 
after such heavy thunderstorms as we have had. But rain water 
will not do ; delicate chickens invariably get gapes from drinking 
it, and older ones often the seeds of disease. The water vessels must 
frequently be well scrubbed out and filled twice daily with pure 
spring water ; they should, too, be put in the shade. Heated water 
gives no more refreshment to birds than to human beings. Then 
it is of the utmost importance that chickens should not be crowded; 
even where premises are large and there is an extensive range they 
will not grow well if many are kept together, they congregate and 
taint particular pieces of ground. Constant thinning is absolutely 
necessary. Where poultry are only kept for the table of course 
the necessary killing-oif of those required makes room for their 
successors ; but where they are reared for fancy or with a view to 
exhibition somewhat ruthless weedings must from time to time 
take place. We have always found our own do best in years when 
we have, however reluctantly, sacrificed all but the most promising 
chickens during the summer months. Young birds which are 
strong and healthy but which fail merely in fancy points will often 
fetch fair prices for the improvement of farmyard stock, we mean 
in the case of such varieties as Dorkings, Brahmas, and others 
which are well known as profitable stock for their special purposes. 
If, however, purchasers do not come forward we advise that the 
birds be eaten rather than the yards should be left overcrowded. 
In the matter of food we now find three good meals a day 
plenty ; at this season meat is to be picked up by birds with even 
a moderate run, and the exhaustion of the system from cold is at 
its minimum. We are convinced that half-grown birds which are 
moderately but regularly fed become eventually finer specimens 
than those which are perpetually crammed and stimulated. As a 
general rule where space is abundant cockerels and pullets, at 
least earliest, should long ere this have been separated. Much 
judgment, however, is necessary in carrying out this rule, and we 
have observed many cases in which birds have been thrown back 
and harm done by its universal and indiscriminating application. 
Poultry are gregarious, and we have often seen two or three fine 
growing young cockerels when taken away from the brood penned 
up alone, pine and absolutely go back in size for weeks. When 
too early pairs of chickens are required for exhibition we leave 
the sexes together, they are then used to each other and tamed 
quietly ; if, on the other hand, a freshly caught cockerel is 
penned with a pullet he has never seen before a skirmish is sure to 
result. We have come to the conclusion that this question of 
separating the sexes, and when the separation should be made, is 
one that can only be answered after much experience and with 
the view to each particular case. In our opinion it is better to 
keep them both together, quiet and contented on a large run, than 
to take them off such and confine them in small places. One 
caution remains to be given—Never if possible let a lot of half- 
grown cockerels run with the old breeding stock.—C. 
VARIETIES. 
The Dairy Farming Industry. —We cite the following from 
a lecture recently delivered by Professor Sheldon. It is computed 
that the dairy cows of these islands each yield on an average 
about 440 gallons of milk per annum, and this is making due allow¬ 
ance for inferior milkers and for stirks and heifers, whose yield of 
milk is generally smaller than that of fully matured cows. Now, if 
we base our estimate on a minimum number of 3,700,000 cows in milk 
—and this is making due allowance for deaths and abortive milkers— 
we have an annual production of 1628 million gallons, which valued 
at Id. a gallon is worth upwards of forty-seven millions sterling 
a year. I assess the milk production of the country at this price, 
because it is probably the extent of what it realises to the farmer. 
But in any case the interests involved in dairy farming in this country 
are enormous, even if we confine our estimate to milk production 
alone ; and if we include the other interests, such as the sale of 
surplus stock, we may conclude that the annual income to British 
agriculture from dairy farming is not much less than that which 
flows into the coffers of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The 
present value of the bovine stock of these islands may be set down 
at upwards of 120 millions sterling. Farmers’ capital employed in 
bucolic agriculture may be assessed at 150 millions in the aggregate, 
and landlords’ capital at 900 millions, making a total of upwards of 
one thousand millions of capital embarked directly or indirectly in 
dairy farming in these little specks in the ocean. 
“- Natural Grasses. —We have received from Messrs. Little 
and Ballantyne, Carlisle, a treatise on the natural Grasses, which con¬ 
tains some terse and useful information in relation to the culture of 
Grasses. The principal part of the treatise is, however, devoted to 
tables of the Grasses suited to different soils and situations. 
- The Turbit Club. —We have received a new list of the 
Turbit Club, from which we see that the Club now numbers 
thirty members. Among the rules of the Club we observe that 
“ Members be requested not to show Turbits at any exhibition 
which, in the opinion of the Club, does not offer satisfactory Turbit 
classification. We understand that at a Show to be held at Bingley 
on September 1st, classification approved by the Club will be given 
to this beautiful variety of Pigeons. 
- The American Harvest. — According to the American 
papers just to hand, which have been collecting reports from all 
parts of the States, the yield of gra'n for the present year will in all 
probability be greater than has ever been known before on the other 
side of the Atlantic. 
- Harvest Prospects and the Grain Trade.—T he prospects 
of good harvests at home and abroad have reduced the price of corn, 
The average price of Wheat last week was 43s. 6<f. per quarter, or 
lower than it has been during any corresponding week for some years. 
The price of Barley last week was 27s. Id. per quarter, or lower on an 
average by several shillings than it has been for a very long time. 
