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REARING AND MANAGEMENT OF POULTRY.—“NO. 3 . 
REARING AND MANAGEMENT OF POULTRY.— 
No. 3. 
Selection of the Cock .—“ The courage of the 
cock,” says a modern writer on “ Ornamental 
Poultry,” “ is emblematic; his gallantry admirable; 
his sense of discipline and subordination most ex¬ 
emplary. See how a good game cock, of two or 
three years’ experience, will, in five minutes, re¬ 
store order in an uproarious poultry yard. He does 
not use harsh means of coercion, when mild will 
suit the purpose. A look, a gesture, a deep, chuck¬ 
ling growl, gives the hint that turbulence is no 
longer to be permitted; and if these are not effec¬ 
tual, severe punishment is fearlessly administered. 
Nor is he aggressive to birds of other species. He 
allows the turkey to strut before his numerous 
dames, and the Guinea fowl to court his single 
mate, uninterrupted ; but if the one presumes upon 
his superior weight, and the other on his cowardly 
tiltings from behind, he soon makes them smart for 
their rash presumption. His politeness to females 
is as marked as were Lord Chesterfield’s attentions 
to old ladies, and much more unaffected. Nor does 
he merely act the agreeable dangler; when occa¬ 
sion requires, he is also the brave defender.” 
Much has been said relative to the selection of 
the cock ; but all, in the end, come to one point. 
Whatever be the breed to which he belongs, he 
should exhibit the distinctive characters of that 
breed in full perfection. He should be bold, lively, 
clean made, with close, glossy plumage, a high 
head, short bill, and a bright eye; the color of his 
comb and wattles of a rich, shining vermilion ; his 
crow should be clear, loud, shrill, and long-drawn; 
his breast, broad and fleshy; his thighs, muscular, 
firm, and covered with feathers; his insteps and 
ankle joints, stout; his claws and spurs, strong, 
pointed, and slightly hooked ; and lastly, he should 
carry himself with a proud, yet graceful air, and 
should be in perfect health. 
Some cocks, especially when they are getting 
past their prime, say at the age of five or six years, 
are unsocial, vicious, and tyrannical. Instead of 
scraping up delicacies for the hens, and collecting 
them around him by a clucking note of invitation, 
the surly bird attacks them without provocation, 
tears their combs, and otherwise injures them. Let 
such a despot be dethroned from his proud emi¬ 
nence as soon as possible. On the other hand, a 
young cock, in his prime, will sometimes take a 
hatred to some particular hen, and treat her with 
marked antipathy, although he will conduct him¬ 
self towards the rest of his coterie with a grace 
becoming to a gallant cavalier. The entire life of the 
domestic cock, however, shows that he is a most 
excellent family man, placing his whole care and 
study in providing all necessaries for his household. 
For this bird devotes whatever energy he has, the 
live-long day, to the good of his dependents, and 
is solicitous about nothing else than self. 
Choice of Hens .—The hen is deservedly the ac¬ 
knowledged pattern of maternal love. When her 
passion of philoprogenitiveness is disappointed by 
the failure or separation of her own brood, she will 
either go on sitting, till her natural powers fail, or! 
she will violently kidnap the young of other fowls, ■ 
and insist upon adopting them. But all hens are 
not alike. They have their little whims and fan- 1 
cies, likes and dislikes, as capricious and unaccount¬ 
able as those of other females. Some are gentle 
in their manners and disposition, others sanguinary; 
some are Jazy, others energetic almost to insanity. 
Some, by their Very nature, are so mild and familiar, 
and so fond of the society of man, that they can 
scarcely be kept out of his dwelling; others seem 
to say, “ Thank you, but I’d rather be left to my¬ 
self.” 
The good qualities of hens, whether intended for 
laying or for breeding, are of no less importance to 
be attended to, than those of the cock. To 
gratify the curious reader, and show what 
the ancients thought of the points of a hen, 
we give a quaint passage from old Leonard 
Mascall. Following Columella and Stephanus, 
he says, “The signes of a good henne are these: 
“ to be of a tawnye colour, or of a russet, which 
“ are counted the cbeefest coloures, and those 
“ hennes nexte which hath the pens of their winges 
“ blackishe, not all blacke, but parte. * * * * 
“ Their heads oughte not to be great, and 
u their tails oughte to be in a meane, and her 
“ breast large, and her body deepe and long, for the 
“ greatest hennes of body, are not the aptest hennes 
“ to lay, nor yet for that purpose so naturale. As 
“ for those hennes which have hinder clawes, they 
“ will commonly breake their egges in sitting there- 
“ on, and they sit not so surely as others, and will 
“ ofttimes eat their egges. As for those hennes 
“which doe call or crowe lyke the cocke, or doth 
“ creke and scrape to help the same, ye shall pluck 
“ off the greatest feathers of her wings and give 
“ her millet-wheat to eat.” To this we may add, 
they should be of middling size, of robust consti¬ 
tution, with bright eyes, pendent combs, yellow or 
bluish legs and feet, and not over four or five years 
old. 
ORANGE-COUNTY AGRICULTURAL FAIR. 
The Orange-County Agricultural Society held its 
annual fair, this year, at Goshen. Notwithstanding 
this is one of the richest agricultural counties in 
the state, the efforts of a few friends of improve¬ 
ment, who have labored year after year to build up 
an agricultural society in the county, and awaken 
an interest that should make its annual exhibitions 
worthy of such a county, have not been crowned 
with success. There are perhaps some twenty gen¬ 
tlemen connected with the society, who are devoted 
to the cause, and spend time and money freely to 
support the interest so intimately connected and 
promoted by agricultural shows; and perhaps as 
many more who assist in getting up the show for 
the sake of the premiums ; while the great mass of 
the people care no more for it than they do for a 
militia muster, menagerie, circus, or any other 
“ show” that brings a crowd of people together. 
Now, whether these people could be induced to 
read good books and papers upon agriculture or 
not, is a question ; but I have no doubt it would be 
far more beneficial to the county to expend the same 
amount of money that is devoted to premiums, in the 
free circulation of such works ; for, in truth, where 
the competition is so very small, as at the late fair, 
the interest excited really amounts to just nothing 
at all. Only think of “ the greatest butter county 
in the world,” showing fourteen very small parcels 
