214 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
March 15, 1894. 
FOWLS FOR FARMERS. 
Habdt, good for eggs, good for table cbickens, good winter 
layers, and reliable for plenty of early spring cbickens. Have 
we such a fowl as this? Take the Light Brahma. Here we 
have a good winter layei', a large heavy fowl, a non-flyer, nor 
is it given to wander far, but it is regarded as an inferior table 
fowl. Cross it with the White Dorking, select carefully for the 
best points indicated both for chickens and eggs. In doing 
this, exercise much caution and patience; it is not to be done 
in a single season, but that in due course it would lead to 
results entirely satisfactory we doubt not. On the Dorking 
side there is delicacy of flesh, but then there is also a delicate 
constitution, and an average of only about ninety eggs. Take 
a well-formed Dorking cock, mate it with the best type of 
Brahma hen, and the requisite improvement of flesh may be 
obtained without seriously affecting the good laying properties 
of the Brahma. Do this repeatedly, select the most promising 
birds of both sexes from each brood, watch results closely, and 
by rigorously discarding all doubtful or inferior birds a yard 
of really superior white-legged fowls may be had. 
Of pure breeds the Langshans may be said to approach more 
nearly than any other to our ideal farmer’s fowl. Its laying 
average is fully double that of the Dorking; it is one of the very 
best table fowls, having small thighs, deep, full, plump breasts* 
and is such a rapid grower that early birds are a certainty* 
Justly has it been termed “a splendid fowl on the table,” but 
i as black legs. Does not this show the folly of the fancy 
or fashion (call it what you will, under any term it is as unrea¬ 
sonable as absurd) of the poultry dealers’ demand for five claws 
and white legs ? Glad are we to know that this stupid fancy 
is dying out, and that chickens are fast coming to be valued 
for intrinsic merit and not for a fancy. Selection tells among 
the Langshans as among all other breeds, for what are termed 
good all-round fowls, or good in every valuable property, with¬ 
out excelling in one at the expense of others, also for grand 
heavy cockerels, as heavy as a fair-sized Turkey, with magnificent 
breasts, and flesh as white and delicate as a Dorking. Try the 
Langshans, say we to every farmer and cottager ; there are 
plenty of good birds on offer every week in Poultry. Avoid 
cheap birds; purchase a well-bred cock with four or six hens, 
young birds now laying freely, and by using other hens or an 
incubator for hatching several useful broods could be had this 
season. Much better is it to do this than to buy sittings of 
eggs ; the outlay may be greater, but the result is speedy and 
certain. 
In no other breed do we find such general excellence, not 
even among the “all-round ” breeds. Plymouth Rocks are fine 
birds, the chickens grow with singular rapidity, growing to a 
large size, and the hens are good layers of nice brown eggs. 
But the eggs are small, and the fiesh of the table birds yellow, 
which appears likely to prevent them from ever becoming a 
leading breed with us either for table fowls or for eggs. 
Houdans are excellent table fowls, especially valuable as 
spring chickens ; they are fairly free layers, but their average is 
much inferior to the Langshans, yet they are regarded by many 
breeders as good farmyard birds. They are very hardy and 
fairly profitable, yet the fact of their being non-sitters tells 
seriously against them. 
The Brahma as a pure breed has its admirers, but though a 
large, heavy fowl, it is inferior as a table bird, and we cannot 
recommend it except for crossing, as we have shown. 
For eggs only we should give first place to Minorcas for their 
large eggs and high average; but they have no mean rivals in 
the Andalusians and Leghorns. Hamburghs may lay more 
eggs, but they are small, and we have not found the birds 
everlasting layers by any means; they moult early, and cease 
laying early. The Spanish breeds we have mentioned all answer 
well. The white shells of the Minorcas may be an objection to a 
fancier ; for all practical purposes the eggs are excellent. 
Size and number must tell, and an average of 250 cannot be 
despised. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Though the weather has been showery, by following the sheep folds 
closely with ploughs, and sowing also closely after them, Lent 
corn has been got in well. There is such an ample supply of Swedes 
left that folding and sowing must go on for some time. Barley sowing 
under these conditions has its limits, and all the later sowings will be 
of Oats. 
Our use of chemical manures for spring corn is entirely a thing of 
circumstances. Where the folding is heavy or close, in view of the 
entire consumption of the roots, or Thousand-headed Kale, then nothing 
additional may be required. But we prefer to pay heed to every point 
—health of the flocks, timely sowing of seed, and the harvesting of it 
well. New folds are therefore used before the soil in the old ones 
becomes hurtfully muddy, the flock is moved on before every scrap of root 
or green food is cleared up. Then if there is any doubt of the land being 
rich enough in plant food for the next crop some manure is drilled in 
with the corn. It may consist simply of nitrate of soda and super¬ 
phosphate or of the nitrogenous manure only. But when we are bring¬ 
ing poor land round—land which has been farmed out and was taken 
last Michaelmas, then we know that manure cannot well be overdone, 
and we have a special mixture, a complete plant food rich in every 
essential. Here it is:—^ nitrate of soda, ^ sulphate of ammonia, 
^ steamed bone flour, \ muriate of potash, J mineral superphosphate. 
Of this from 1^ to 2 cwt. per acre may be used for cereals and double 
that quantity for roots. Try it, and you will find it a good investment. 
It is a manure to have by one, to turn to at any and every time 
when soil is deficient in fertility. No scourging or soil exhaustion is 
possible where it is used, and in a dry store room it may be kept in good 
order throughout an entire season. Resolve to have no inferior crops 
this season, but so to sow, plant and manure, and to have crops full and 
abundant everywhere, to have no stunted growth for lack of fertility 
of soil. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Pickling Hams (G Z>.).—Our advice in this matter has reference 
to hams of the usual shape with the bones left in ; nor can we under¬ 
stand how, if hams are cut in the usual way, that rolling is either pos¬ 
sible or necessary. You must try an experiment, rolling one or more 
before and the others after drying. We vote for rolling before drying, 
certainly. The suet is to impart flavour, just as are the other ingredients. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Oamden Square, London. 
Lat.51° 32'40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, HI feet. 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
In the Day. 
Rain. 
1894. 
March. 
1 Barometer 
1 at 32°, and 
1 Sea Level. 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of soil 
at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
Grass. 
Inchs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Inchs. 
Sunday 
4 
30-065 
38-1 
37-6 
N.W. 
39-6 
50-9 
32-9 
87-2 
28-0 
— 
Monday .. 
5 
30-366 
36-4 
34-2 
W. 
39-7 
49-4 
29-9 
91-1 
22-1 
0-121 
Tuesday .. 
6 
29-659 
46-9 
42-1 
W. 
39-9 
52-9 
36-9 
101-1 
31-1 
— 
Wednesday 
7 
29-894 
40-2 
37-8 
N. 
40-2 
48-8 
34-3 
78-2 
26-7 
0-020 
Thursday.. 
8 
29-650 
47-4 
45-9 
S.W. 
40-8 
43-7 
40-2 
63-1 
36-1 
0-151 
Friday .. 
9 
2-I-651 
46-3 
44-3 
s.w. 
41-0 
60-8 
38-1 
69-0 
29-4 
0-084 
Saturday ., 
10 
29-685 
46-6 
43-4 
w. 
41-9 
54-7 
43-1 
84-4 
36-7 
— 
29-853 
43-1 
40-8 
40-4 
50-9 
36-5 
80-6 
o 
o 
0-376 
REMARKS. 
4th.—Brilliant morning ; cloudy at times in afternoon ; clear night. 
5th.—Bright sun nearly all morning, generaliy overcast in afternoon; spots of rain 
after 6 p.m., and rain at night. 
6th.—Overcust early; much bright sunshine after 9 A.M. ; slight shower at 1.30 P.M., 
and frequently cloudy with high wind in afternoon. 
7th.—Sunny morning; overcast after 3 P.M., and drizzle all evening. 
8th.—Almost incessant drizzle or rain till 3.30 P.M. ; fine sunset and almost cloudles 
night. 
9th.—Drizzly and showery till 11 A.M. and after 2.30 PM. ; overcast between. 
10th.—Bright sun at interv.ils, but frequently cloudy. 
A week much resembling the previous one, but rather more sun and less rain.— 
G. J. Symons. 
