JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
428 
November 4, 1880. 
the cold in winter—at least, I have never experienced anything 
of the kind, and I have kept some of the most tender breeds. But 
it is not always those that look most tender that really are so. 
Most people who see our Sultans exclaim, “What tender fowls 
they must be ! ” but it is quite the reverse, as I know of no variety 
of fowl so hardy. 
Careful feeding is a great assistance to all fowls in cold weather. 
Much that benefits them in summer should not be given to them 
in winter. Warm food in the morning is suitable ; barleymeal is 
our morning feed throughout the winter. It is mixed with water 
as hot as the hand can bear, and given to them at once. The last 
feed at night is grain. They do not become hungry again on this 
so quickly as on soft food. In very cold weather I generally 
place the grain in a tin dish, pour a little water or beer over it, 
and place it in an oven until it is warm, and let them have it in 
this state. This has a tendency to keep them comfortable during 
the night, and it also increases the supply of eggs, which are very 
liable to become scarce in cold weather.—J. Muik, Mar gam. 
VARIETIES. 
We understand that a general meeting of the Poultry Club will 
be held in the Crystal Palace on Tuesday, November 16th. 
— Sultans at the Dairy Show. —We were pleased to observe 
at the Dairy Show last week that our correspondent, Mr. J. Muir, 
Margam, won the first prize in the Any variety class of fowls with 
one of the most promising pair of young Sultans we have seen for 
a long time. Although only six months old they were in splendid 
plumage, and their faultless colour testified to Mr. Muir’s skill in 
practising what he lately advised in these pages about washing white 
fowls before sending them to exhibitions. 
-Exhibiting Poultry. — A successful exhibitor writes as 
follows :—“As the season of poultry shows is coming on we may give 
a few hints to beginners, for probably some of your readers who have 
never before shown poultry will do so at some of the coming autumn 
exhibitions. Birds caught up suddenly from large fields and wood¬ 
land runs will not do themselves justice. It is well to keep two or 
three show pens, which can be purchased from any of the great 
makers and contractors for such things, and accustom birds to them 
beforehand. We have known inferior birds from our own yards 
defeat others, manifestly then - superiors at home, from being used to 
a pen, standing up boldly, and so displaying themselves to advantage. 
Poultry with white earlobes, such as Hamburghs and Black and 
White Bantams, are greatly improved in their lobes by confinement 
for a -week or ten days under cover.” 
-Bath and West op England Society and Southern 
Counties Association. —At the Council meeting held October 26th, 
1880, at the Grand Hotel, Bristol, it was decided, in accordance with 
a wish expressed by the Tunbridge Wells Local Committee, that the 
Show of next year be fixed to commence there on Monday, June 6th, 
and close on Friday, June 10th. The principal alterations in the list 
of prizes had been the addition of a class for agricultural yearling 
colts, and the increase of the second prize for cart mares. The Com¬ 
mittee of the Sussex Herd Book Society having offered to add third 
prizes to all the classes for Sussex cattle in the Society’s list, the 
offer was accepted by the Council with thanks. The fees for the 
entry of horses were decreased, and will in future be 20s. for each 
entry for members of the Society, and 30s. for non-members. It was 
also decided to receive post entries up to the 1st of May on payment 
of additional fees—viz., 10s. for each entry for horses, and 2s. 6d. for 
cattle, sheep, and pigs. Letters from Mr. George Simpson of Wray 
Park, Reigate, and others were read, requesting the Society, in con¬ 
sideration of the growing importance of the Channel Islands breeds 
of cattle and their large representation at the exhibitions, to place 
them in the same position in the prize list as the Shorthorns, Sussex, 
and other leading breeds. The Council, however, while anxious as 
far as possible to meet the wishes of so influential a class of exhi¬ 
bitors, regretted their inability to comply with their request in con¬ 
sequence of there being at present no funds available for the purpose. 
Mr. R. H. Bush presented the draft list of prizes offered for poultry 
and Pigeons at Tunbridge Wells, which was received and adopted. 
The list had been considerably improved by the addition of third 
prizes in all the classes and the lowering of the entry fees. 
- Live Stock Returns. —As to the various kinds of live stock 
there appears to be a slight decline in agricultural horses, caused, it is 
stated, by the number of unlet farms, and also a decrease in brood 
mares and young horses, for which the demand has not been so great 
recently. Moreover, the stock of horses had increased up to last 
year, when the numbers were larger than in any year since 1870. 
The imports of horses from abroad were 26,000 in 1878, 15,000 in 
1879, and only 6,600 in the first eight months of the present year. As 
regards horned cattle, milch cows have decreased less than 1 per 
cent., but other cattle show an increase of nearly 2 per cent., so that 
the total number of horned cattle in Great Britain is this year 
5,912,000 as compared with 5,856,000 in 1879. Sheep in the country 
have suffered an important decline of nearly a million, chiefly owing, 
the collectors state, to the losses by disease, and lambs have also 
decreased more than half a million, partly, it is stated, from the weak 
condition of the ewes. The stock of sheep and lambs is now only 
26,619,000—which appears to be a very insufficient number consider¬ 
ing the additional permanent pastures of late years. It may be 
remarked that these great losses in sheep and lambs have occurred 
only in England and Wales, the counties of Scotland with few ex¬ 
ceptions showing a small increase in sheep and a considerable one 
in lambs, while the northern border counties of England have also 
escaped in great measure. Pigs have further decreased by 91,000 
since 1879, and by 483,000 since 1878, [the competition of American 
bacon being stated to make pig-keeping less profitable than formerly, 
while, as before mentioned, the sanitary regulations in populous 
places tend also to diminish their numbers. 
- Acreage of Green Crops.—As regards the green crops 
we find from the recently published agricultural returns an increase 
of 10,000 acres planted with Potatoes, and the area 551,000 acres is 
nearly equal to the figure of ten years ago. Turnips and Swedes 
were returned as grown on 2,024,000 acres, a small increase from 
1879, but Mangolds show a decrease of nearly 6 per cent, from last 
year. Cabbage, Kohl Rabi, &c., of 4 per cent.; and Yetches, Lucerne, 
and other green crops of more than 15 per cent., the acreage this 
year being only 380,000, making the total area under green crops 
3,477,000 acres, or 2 per cent, less than in 1879. Green crops on the 
whole have shown little change during the last ten years, but the 
present year’s figures are less than in any year since 1868. Flax has 
increased somewhat from the average of the last five years, but the 
area, 9000 acres, is still less than half the acreage grown ten years ago. 
Hops were planted on 67,000 acres, about the same area as in 1879. 
A return was added last year, and is continued this year, to show in 
greater detail than in counties the districts in which the Hops are 
grown. Bare fallow in Great Britain has further increased from 
721,000 acres to 812,000 acres, and has this year taken a larger area 
than in any year since 1870, when there were only 610,000 acres in 
fallow. The depression in agriculture and the number of farms unlet 
and temporarily farmed by their owners are stated by the collecting 
officers as the chief reasons of so much land being uncropped, and 
the foul state of the land is also noticed in some districts. Clover and 
rotation Grasses have varied little in their acreage from 1879, show¬ 
ing 4,434,000 acres at the present time. Permanent pasture and 
meadow have increased by 260,000 acres since last year, and now 
amount to 14,427,000 acres, or nearly 45 per cent, of the cultivated 
area of Great Britain. 
- Hog Products of America. —Pork-packing in the west has, 
says the “ American Cultivator,” increased from 1,652,220 head to 
over 6,000,000, in round numbers, during the past thirty years. The 
old “ razor-backs ” of the generation passing away are giving place 
to modern improved breeds—viz., the best strains of Poland China, 
Chester White, Berkshire, <Src. Of barrelled pork packed in the 
country about 70 per cent, is put up in six cities—Chicago, Cin¬ 
cinnati, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Milwauk e, and Louisville. Since 
March 1st, and including twenty-eight weeks, the number of hogs 
packed aggregate 4,310,901, against 2,885,658 in the same time last year ; 
and the winter packing figures up 6,950,000 against 7,480,000. Total 
picking since November 1st, 11,260,000, against 10,385,000. Exports 
since November 1st—of meats, 785,000,000, against 766,200,000 ; lard, 
347,000,000 lbs., against 304,100,000 ; total product, 1,132,000,000 lbs. 
