148 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
FA KM SURROUNDINGS. 
NUMBER V.—POULTRY. 
Having for the present disposed of the 
quadrupeds, although we may touch on an¬ 
other variety or two hereafter, we will now 
look at the poultry. In proportion to the 
comforts and conveniences—luxuries even 
—that they yield to the household, no living 
thing that you keep gives more satifaction, 
or pays better, when properly accommodated , 
than the poultry department. To the eye, 
when tastefully selected, they are objects of 
beauty. Their domestic habits are studies 
of interest, and their whole course of life, to 
an appreciating mind, is a pleasant subject 
of observation. Occasional annoyances 
will come from some untoward cause, or 
another, but on the whole no country place 
can be complete in its decoration, or its in¬ 
habitants without them. We shall, there¬ 
fore, proceed to discuss them in their com¬ 
parative order of utility and interest. 
First, then, is the chicken, or barn-door 
fowl. In the selection of these we are not 
fastidious as to breed. All the different 
breeds have their virtues, and some their 
vices. We are not a chicken fancier, nor a 
chicken trader, have no wares of the kind to 
vend, and therefore, with many years of ex¬ 
perience in different varieties, think our¬ 
selves competent to judge somewhat of their 
several merits. We have passed through 
the recent years of a raging chicken fever 
without contagion, visited all the varieties 
of patients and the type of their maladies, 
looked into their nurseries and hospitals, 
made our own observations, came out un¬ 
scathed, and learned—something. Indeed, 
we have attended sundry assemblages of 
consultation on severe cases, prescribed, as 
an amateur, for relief, and administered ad¬ 
vice in some paroxysms of extremity. In 
short, we profess to know somewhat about 
poultry. Let us look then, at the chickens 
as we find them around us. 
The large Asiatic fowl in its several cog¬ 
nomens, not necessary here to enumerate, 
we class as of one general breed. Their va¬ 
rieties are many, but they have one general 
character in common, of great size, late ma¬ 
turity, thinly feathered, rather unfitted in 
constitution for a cold climate, and, without 
extra care, an unfitness for common, every 
day uses. They comprise specimens of the 
very best and the very worst of their kind. 
We have seen them large, grand and beau¬ 
tiful in size, figure, proportion, and color— 
peisonating, in fact, the beau-ideal of a ma¬ 
jestic fowl. Again we have seen them as 
devoid of grace and comeliness as a sand¬ 
hill crane, and not a whit more useful to run 
about the premises—a nuisance anywhere. 
But, as we shall not dispute about tastes, we 
will not further discuss them. From these, 
and their admixture with the common dung¬ 
hill fowl, have grown several other varieties 
which their admirers have dignified with 
names, and called them “breeds,” meaning 
nothing, in reality, but mongrels and cross¬ 
es, and they of varied utility. 
Next to these in size, but holding no par¬ 
allel with them otherwise, is the English 
Dorking—the most perfectly formed, and the 
very best fleshed fowl we know. But from 
a long course of nice breeding in the mild 
climate of Southern Britain, they are thinly 
feathered, and not robust enough to with¬ 
stand our harsh extremes of season. No 
bird of the farm yields such a deep, well 
fleshed breast, or so savory and well-meated 
a side-bone, nor a better egg ; but they re¬ 
quire snug housing, and extra attention to 
keep them up to the mark in breeding. They 
are more subject to the roup—a hateful dis¬ 
ease—than any other, yet, when well cared 
for, pay for their trouble. In plumage they 
are beautiful, and in all otherwise, a perfect 
fowl to look upon. 
A third variety is the game fowl, old as 
Egypt, and in all ages downward an object 
of barbarian pastime and cruel usage, and, 
like the equally ferocious bull-dog, instinct¬ 
ively and of choice, contributing to the bru¬ 
tal tastes and passions of their masters. 
In grace,plumage and action, they are equal 
to any others, and superior to most; and 
well-fleshcd, prolific and hardy. They know 
no fear, and avoid no danger. Yet they are 
not a pleasant bird to have about you. They 
quarrel with every other fowl upon the 
place, and for want of these they quarrel 
with each other, cocks and hens alike. An 
occacional cross of the game upon other de¬ 
ficient varieties may give them stamina and 
hardihood, but otherwise we could not keep 
them. Thus, it will be seen, we are no 
abettor of the cock-pit. 
We have named three prominent breeds ; 
and there are many others which we might 
name, as the Black Spanish, fancy-bred, del¬ 
icate and beautiful, but unprofitable; the 
Creole, or Bolton Grey, a compact, fine, 
small prolific bird; the Poland, with an 
enormous white tuft upon the head to con¬ 
trast with a shining black body, tender to 
rear, prolific in eggs, and inferior in flesh ; 
the beautiful small fowl of the East India 
Islands, called Sumatra game, of the bright¬ 
est plumage and most graceful form, yet too 
tender and delicate for our climate without 
extraordinary protection. There are oth¬ 
ers, also, which are to be found in the poul¬ 
try books, and which may please your tastes. 
But some are mere humbugs, got up by the 
chicken fanciers to get your money, and 
worthless as an economical housekeeping 
hen, or even a thing of well-regulated fancy. 
If you, like ourself, have gone through the 
entire calendar of chicken variety, you have 
probably by this time made up your mind 
what to keep in that line, and need none of 
our advice. But, if not, and only want a 
good every day hen, one that will give you 
an abundance of eggs, will breed you a brood 
of hardy chickens, early fit for the table, and 
well-fleshed always, we advise you to mark 
our description of what a nearly perfect 
chicken is, and then get more or less of them 
as soon as you can, regardless of what vari¬ 
ety they are called, and commence your 
poultry keeping. 
A well conditioned barn-door fowl should 
have a small head, with either a single or 
double comb of good size, a short, strong 
beak, a quick facile eye, without any feath¬ 
ers by way of tuft. The neck should be 
short, light, and well feathered. The body 
deep, long and broad, full-breasted and com¬ 
pact, of course, and the more brilliant 
the plumage, of whatever color it may be, 
the better, as it is a sign of hardihood. The 
tail should be of moderate length, and full In 
feather. The legs short and muscular, and 
their hue flesh color or yellow. We dislike 
blue or black legs. They are signs of hard¬ 
ship, but of bad looking flesh. There is a 
want of delicacy about it with such legs. 
The cock should have a corresponding figure, 
brilliant plumage, and a proud and portly 
bearing. He should not be a coward, nor 
yet a braggart, but a manly protector to his 
family. In selecting young stock birds al¬ 
ways keep theAest, discarding everything 
tending to effeminacy in either sex, and if 
they decline in stamina, introduce a new 
cock into the flock, of such quality as will 
continue, if not improve their good qualities. 
There is still another interesting family 
of the chicken department, especially if there 
be children in the house, that should not be 
omitted. It is the Bantam. We do not 
mean the little fancy thing called the 
Sebrights or Javas, with their buff feathers, 
black edged, or coal black plumage, for they 
are hard to obtain and troublesome to keep 
up to the mark infancy requirement. Still, 
if you like these, and can breed them in their 
purity, they are well worth the pains you 
take for them ; but we mean the beautiful 
little, sociable, feather-legged, common 
white Bantam, which inhabit the tenements 
of the washer-woman, and laboring people 
of our large cities,—New-York, Philadel¬ 
phia and Baltimore. They are the most do¬ 
mestic little house-keeping creatures ima¬ 
ginable. They love the companionship of 
children, as well as the puppy, or the kitten ; 
will follow them all over the house, if they 
are permitted ; will make their nests in the 
cupboard, or coal scuttle, the cradle or rock¬ 
ing-chair—your hat even, if you lay it down 
right side up—and cackle as triumphantly 
over their little egg as the proudest matron of 
the farm-yard. Through twenty years of 
our child-rearing experience, with their lit¬ 
tle joys, and their transient sorrows,the child¬ 
ren kept, and loved, and enjoyed their Ban¬ 
tams, always cherished objects of their care 
and solicitude. If you have children, then, 
indulge them with the Bantams equally with 
the cosset lamb and the pony. You can do 
this even in restricted premises where you 
can keep neither of the others. How the lit¬ 
tle Bantam cocks do strut, and flap their 
wings, and crow, about once a minute all 
day long. 
Further than what is above written we 
need not discourse in the chicken depart¬ 
ment. For all the manipulations touching 
their care and education, we commend you 
to Bement's Poultry Book, a new and im¬ 
proved edition, of which the Harpers’ have 
lately published. He will describe to you 
all the breeds which are worth knowing 
about, and some, also, the less of which you 
know the better; and as the author is a long¬ 
time friend of ours, and understands the bu¬ 
siness of poultry in all its departments, we 
