THE BLACK SWAN. — CHINA GEESE.-EXPERIMENTAL CROPS. 
129 
Bogs’ ^Department. 
The Black Swan. —The Black Swan was first 
discovered in Swan River, and is found in vast flocks 
on the coast of New Holland, and in Van Dieman’s 
Land. It is black all over save a few of the quill 
feathers, which are usually tipped with white. The 
bill is bright red. It is not as large a bird by one- 
third as the White Swan; but at the same time it 
is graceful arid dignified in all its movements. We 
have often seen them sporting in the clear, beautiful 
little lakes in the London Parks, and on noblemen’s 
estates in different parts of England. The Duke of 
Devonshire had quite a flock of them at his princely 
estate of Chatsworth when we visited it. We should 
like to see these rare and beautiful birds introduced 
into this country. 
goslings frequently lay in the fall. They have ex¬ 
tremely beautiful plumage, always alike ; a wild, shrill 
cry, unlike that of any other geese ; an erect, graceful 
carriage, and would be quite an ornament to any gen¬ 
tlemen’s grounds. They are very correctly described 
in your article. You may insert this in your paper 
if you think proper. 
Although we have never sold any of these geese 
yet, still, if any of your friends would like to pur¬ 
chase them, we could part with two pairs in the spring, 
at $4 per pair, at our farm, or any quantity of gos¬ 
lings after they are full fledged in the summer, boxed 
up and delivered in New York at $5 per pair. This 
we do, believing them to be a valuable acquisition to 
the poultry-yard, and for the benefit of the commu¬ 
nity. A. & H. Mesier 
Wapping’s Creek, Dutchess Co , N. Y. 
Black Swan.—Fig. 35. 
The above cut is a spirited representation of one. 
In rearing them, it is important to have plenty of 
clear water for their diversion; in all other respects 
they may be treated just like geese. 
China Geese.— In your last No. of the Agricul¬ 
turist, we noticed a spirited cut of Chinese Geese, 
accompanied with an inquiry where they could be 
procured, and also who was the owner of those ex¬ 
hibited at the late State show at Poughkeepsie. In 
answer to the inquiry, we would reply, that we im¬ 
ported them about ten years ago from China, and 
have some of the original stock still on hand. We 
have kept our flock (which has always been large) 
pure from any admixture. We know of no other 
flock of pure Chinas of this description. We ordered 
the first lot, and the Chinese sent us all males, and 
we had to wait another year before the second lot 
came, which, fortunately, proved to be all iemales— 
they probably not liking us “ outside barbarians” to 
raise any progeny. Their superior qualities are, ex¬ 
tremely delicate flavor, great hardiness of constitution, 
and unusual prolificness. They will lay, if well fed, 
all the year round; and generally hatch and raise two 
broods of goslings in a season, without any other feed 
but grass after they are hatched. We have now a 
brood which were hatched in September, at the time 
of the show, which are already full grown. Spring 
Now, boys, you see where you can get 
some pure bred China geese ; and the sooner 
you commence breeding them, and show Mr. 
Jack Chinaman that you are an “ inside bar¬ 
barian,” the better. You might raise hun¬ 
dreds of them at a good profit, on poor land 
which would scarce support anything else. 
Thousands of geese are annually raised on 
the grass of the heaths of England, too poor 
even to support a sheep. In passing through 
Epping forest, we once met a single flock of 
about 800 geese coming up to London to be 
pastured on the heaths in its vicinity, and fat¬ 
tened for the market. It is a good business 
there, and managed almost exclusively by 
women and children. If we recollect right, 
Cobbett asserted that the geese thus raised and 
fattened in Surrey, were equal to the wheat 
grown in Northumberland. 
The next information we desire is, to know 
who has got any pure bred, clean legged 
white or buff-colored bantams, not larger than stout 
pigeons. Several of our young friends are on tiptoe 
to possess some of these, and many are the epistles 
in round school boy hand that we have received re¬ 
cently, inquiring their whereabouts. 
Experimental Crops.— The boys should request 
their fathers to let them have a small patch of land 
on which to grow experimental crops this season. 
The school-boys on a model farm near Dublin, last 
year, raised in a large field, a crop of potatoes ave¬ 
raging 750 bushels per acre, and thus supported 
themselves at school, and made fair progress in their 
studies. A humble gardener in the vicinity of Che¬ 
shire, raised 64 bushels of good wheat weighing 70 
lbs. per bushel, from a trifle over a half acre of high¬ 
ly cultivated ground. Another person produced 28 
bushels of wheat from a quarter of an acre. The 
secret of getting these great crops lies in manuring 
properly and pulverising the soil very deep, say two 
or three feet, which they did with a spade ; but you 
can do it much easier with a subsoil plow. 
In making experiments, keep a careful record ol 
all expenses: such as the value of labor, manure, 
seed, and rent of land; the value of the crop at har¬ 
vesting, and the increased worth of the land. Then 
strike the balance between the two sums, and the dif 
ference will be the loss or gain. 
