COCHIN-CHINA FOWLS. 
287 
growth of this parasitical plant than lighter 
soils, and the clover grown upon them is often 
so vigorous as to survive any slight evil produc¬ 
ed in the first crop, but not always able to do 
so in the second growth. Dry seasons, (as being 
most unfavorable to the vigorous growth of the 
, clover plant,) are most favorable to the spread 
of the broom rape. It appears to be indigenous 
i to Flanders, though it has only attracted atten¬ 
tion during the last forty or fifty years. Since 
that time, it has gradually spread more and more, 
until, in some parts of that country, very serious 
injury is done to the clover crop. 
Within the last few years, these facts have ex¬ 
cited great attention, and several memoirs have 
been written on the subject. The information 
they contain is chiefly botanical, so that no fur¬ 
ther notice of these memoirs can be interesting 
except to extract the information they contain 
respecting the destruction of this pest to the 
farmer, and to suggest such other methods as 
have been found successful. It is thus shown 
that the clover may be destroyed by a parasite, 
having as substantial and bone-fide an existence 
as the ivy that fastens itself to the decaying elm, 
or the mis-letoe on the oak. A remedy has been 
found by mixing ashes with the clover seed and 
rubbing closely together between the hands, then 
stirring in water, and after the clover seed has 
settled, pour otf the floating rape and ashes. 
Repeat this two or three times. 
The dodders are found to be extremely preju¬ 
dicial to many plants, and the clover among 
them, constituting, as it does, a parasite to the 
whole family of the leguminosse, peas, beas, the 
clover, &c. 
-- 
COCHIN-CHINA FOWLS. 
Having made inquiry in the December num¬ 
ber of the eighth volume of the Agriculturist 
concerning some reputed peculiarities in Cochin- 
China fowls, and as no answer has yet appeared 
in relation thereto, I send the following for pub¬ 
lication :— 
In the first place, it may be well for me to 
give the history of my fowls as far as known. 
The stock from which mine descended, was im¬ 
ported direct from Shanghae, in May, 1847, by 
Mr. John J. Taylor, of Monmouth county, New 
Jersey, from whose brother they were procured, 
who resided in that city two or three years, 
where they cannot be bought for less than $5 
per pair. 
As far as I have been able to ascertain, the 
feathers on the necks of the cocks do not turn 
upwards, as has been asserted by some; but 
“ the wing is jointed, so that the posterior half 
can, at pleasure, be doubled up, and brought 
forward between the anterior half and the body.” 
The general description of this breed appears 
to agree with that of the queen of England’s, as 
given by Richardson in his Treatise on the Do¬ 
mestic Fowl. 
The combs of the cocks are mostly, but not 
always single, the size, middling, the wattles, 
thin, fair-sized, legs always yellow, or reddish- 
yellow, and generally lightly feathered, with the 
spurs very short and sharp. A pullet procured | 
of Mr. Taylor, in every other respect a perfect 
resemblance to his imported hen, has no feath¬ 
ers on her legs. The color of the cocks vary 
from a reddish gold to a red bay. Mine is of a 
light bay on the breast and thighs, wings beau¬ 
tiful gold and red, neck feathers black, covered 
with red and gold hackles; back hackle, bright 
gold, tail, black, which does not appear before 
five months old. The wings are small and de¬ 
cidedly jointed, so that the end of the wing folds 
up between the main part of the wing and body, 
and in the chickens, the end of the feathers fre¬ 
quently show above the body of the wing. 
When young, the wings often cross each other 
on the back, and at no age, fold around the 
body below the tail, as in the common fowl, but 
incline to meet together on the back. I con¬ 
sider the cock a very compact, well-built, beau¬ 
tifully-colored, handsome bird. 
The hens vary but little in shade of color, 
much resembling, in form, the portrait on p. 35 
of Browne’s American Poultry Yard, and the de¬ 
scription there given of the Cochin-China hen 
corresponds with mine in color, character, and all, 
except mine are generally lightly feathered on 
the legs. They are very meek, motherly-looking 
hens. The eggs are about the size of those of 
the common hen, of a reddish color. The 
chicks, when first hatched, are considerably 
larger than the common ones. 
These fowls are the most hardy, peaceable, 
quiet, and fonder of home, than any others with 
which I am acquainted. A flock of fifty or 
one hundred together forms a beautiful sight. I 
believe them a distinct breed, because, first, the 
color never changes, neither do they show now 
and then a streak of Malay nor any other col¬ 
ored bird. Their color is their own, of which I 
should call them very tenacious. Second, al¬ 
though Mr. Taylor has bred them in-and-in for 
four years, they do not, in the least, degenerate. 
Third, the tail feathers always show at the same 
age in all the pullets, and although later, in all 
the cocks of the same age. Now, what two 
breeds can you find that show the tail at the 
same age ? Certainly, if you cross two breeds 
together, showing the tail, one at an early age 
and the other later, the chickens would some 
show the tail young, and others late. I contend 
that no new breed can be formed from different 
bloods, and here, Mr. Bennett, a late writer on 
poultry, is decidedly in error, in pretending to 
have formed a Plymouth-Rock breed from Cochin- 
Chinas, fawn-colored Dorkings, Great Malays, 
and Wild Indians. They are no breed, but most 
mixed-up mongrels. I undertook, about six 
years ago, to form a breed that should resemble 
each other in form and color. I had about as 
mixed materials as Mr. Bennett mentions. I 
succeeded at first very well, producing a beau¬ 
tifully-colored cock of white, gold, red, and black. 
Each year, the chickens would turn out several 
cocks resembling the father. Finally, the old 
cock died, the next oldest I killed, and these two 
years past, my fowls are all growing white, and 
the chickens, which at first were large and 
very thrifty from the cross, have degenerated, 
[ become miserably sickly things, hardly worth 
