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NEW YORK, MARCH 1, 1884 
PRICE ETVE CEKTS. 
$•2.00 PER YEAR. 
[Entered according to Act of CongresB. In the year 1884. Uy the Rural Kew-Yorhgr in the office of the Librarian of Confess at Washinaton.l 
fowls next Spring to their fullest extent, and 
then to dispose of them to all lovers of poultry. 
At the present time they are kept at his 
residence in Hoboken in company with the 
elephants, tigers, and other wild animals that 
are wintering in the animal house. 
The white variety of the Phcenix fowls, as 
shown in Fig. 69, are extremely beautiful and 
are somewhat suggestive of our White Leg¬ 
horns both in build and the color of the legs, 
whilst the pens of the dark varieties closely 
resemble Game fowls. 
When this new variety of poultry was first 
introduced in Germany, they caused much 
excitement among the poultry fanciers and 
brought very high prices. Their laying qual¬ 
ities are said to be nearly equal to those of the 
White Leghorns, and the hens are very good 
sitters and excellent mothers, 
advent in this country, there will be no occa¬ 
sion for disputes as to their origin like those 
that “raged” some years ago about the origin 
of the Brahmas. If they prove of value, the 
birds may be imported from Germany and 
supplied by the trade. 
another of these seedlings which has done 
well with me. Soon after Mr. Miner’s death 
Mrs. Miner sent out something like a dozen of 
his principal seedlings to different parts of 
the country. The Victoria sent us corres¬ 
ponds with the description given of it by the 
Rural and also with the description given 
of it by Mr. Miner, I see no reason to sup¬ 
pose that Mrs. Miner did not send them out 
correctly and under uniform uames. 
Fredonia, N. Y. t. s. htjbbard. 
JAPANESE PHCENIX FOWLS, 
OUR years ago a captain of 
# a Hamburg vessel brought to 
Germany from Japan five 
pairs of the beautiful Phce- 
, nix fowls, which were placed 
* in the hands of his son to ac¬ 
climate. Of these, only three 
pairs withstood the cold Win¬ 
ter of Germany. From these 
during the following Springs 
many broods of strong, 
healthy and thoroughly acclimated Phoenix 
chickens were raised. 
THE VICTORIA GRAPE 
I notice in a late issue of the Rural a cor¬ 
respondent refers to ns as having the Vic¬ 
toria Grape. I wish to say we have it true to 
uame, but have no Victoria vines at present 
to spare. This variety with me fruited and 
looked very promising in 1882. Last year 
GRAFTING THE HICKORY, 
We find the following in the agricultural 
department of the New York Sun: “The 
PHOENIX FOWLS. From Life. Fig. 69 . 
Their wonderful beauty of plumage and 
graceful movements so attracted Mr. Reiche’s 
attention when visiting his native home last 
year, that he determined to purchase five trios 
to place on trial for ti year on his grounds in 
Hoboken, N. J. So far they have stood the 
severity of the present Winter very well, only 
one having died. 
They would have been placed ou exhibition 
at the late poultry show had it not beeu for 
the disordered condition of their long sickle 
feathers, which suffered through their close 
and long confinement during their voyage 
across the ocean. 
Mr. Henry Reiche intends to breed these 
So far there are only two parties in Europe 
who have this stock for sale, oue in Hamburgh 
and the other in Brunswick,Genuuny. The four 
longest sickle feathersof the tails of these fowls 
average from four to foui -and n-hulf feet iu 
length, the tips touching the ground. 
India and China have already umde valu¬ 
able additions to our breeds of poultry; will 
this breed from remotest Asia, be equally de¬ 
serving of esteem ? The fowls are certainly 
very huudsome—we would say. the handsom¬ 
est among all our breeds, were it not that 
tastes differ, and “handsome is as handsome 
does,” is a true adage in the minds of many. 
In any event, after the above account of their 
i 
(1883) it did not do quite as well as in 1882, 
while some others of Miner’s seedlings did bet¬ 
ter than in 1882. While we have all these 
seedlings fruiting, we are not yet satisfied that 
■my of them are euough better than varieties 
already introduced to make them worthy of 
beiug added to our already too large list of 
grapes. The \ ictoria is a good-sized white 
grape with large-sized, shouldered clusters. 
The vine is productive, but the fruit is only 
of about the same grade of quality as Martha. 
It has Concord foliage and is healthy and a 
good grower. If during another season it 
should succeed as well as in 1882, I should 
think it worthy of more extensive trial. Ida is 
Rural New-Yorker, in answer to the ques¬ 
tion “When and how should the hickory be 
grafted?” says: ‘It is not customary to graft 
this tree. If one wishes to graft it it should be 
doue in the Spring. Use the thrifty stocks 
of last year s growth. There are various 
modes of grafting.’ etc. Does the writer of 
the above know of a single hickory tree that 
is grafted? If so we should like to make the 
acquaintance of the person who did it. So far 
as our experience and information go, the se¬ 
cret of how to graft the hickory successfully 
is yet to be learned.” 
If the editor of the Sun will go to Flushing 
he can see in Parson’s Kissena Nurseries a 
