300 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[March 6. 
and did all things well. There was no need to look after 
him, for he never loitered or spared himself; and if George 
was, by any chance, not to be found, there was no occasion 
to suspect anything wrong: when his open face came back, 
all was found to be right. He may really be said to 
have had an old head on young shoulders, for he was never 
thoughtless or mischievous, like other lads, but always at 
work, and never in harm's way. His only fault was his 
temper, and that we have reason to think is mended of late. 
While under the gentle rule of a lady, he did very well, after 
the first four months; he became softened and civilized; 
but under two previous masters, he had misconducted 
himself and suffered for it. He could not bear to be found 
fault with; and therefore lost two excellent situations, where 
he learned much as groom, from his ignorant and self- 
conceited insolence. He was out of work for some weeks 
before he came to us; and he could not have taken an in¬ 
door place again, because his temper could not have been 
passed over ; but during the two years he worked for us, he 
seemed to improve in temper and manner, and we were 
truly grieved to part with him. The offer was made him to 
enter the service of a clergyman as groom, too good a 
situation to be rejected; and after long, and strong admoni¬ 
tions against his besetting sin, George entered upon do¬ 
mestic service again. Pie has now been in his place nearly 
a year, and no fault, I am happy to say, has yet been found 
with him. 
Let young men think seriously of the value of character. 
George’s temper was frequently forgiven and overlooked, 
because he was so steady and good. Young people are too 
often headstrong and full of their own consequence, because 
they are too young and inexperienced to feel how ignorant 
they really are. When they are steady and trusty, good 
sons, and good servants, failings of temper may be over¬ 
looked and forgiven, if they are sorry for their fault and 
really strive against it; but when there is nothing in them 
to be depended upon and valued, a bad, ungovernable 
temper, although it may seem a trifling fault, will not be 
borne with; and want of employment, or continual change 
of masters, which is always discreditable, will be the con¬ 
sequence. “ A good name is rather to be chosen than great 
richesin fact a good name is riches, for one who can be 
depended upon is sure to be always employed. 
Let the young “ Remember their Creator in the days of 
their youth.” He alone can give grace to walk soberly and 
honourably; and His blessing upon their ways, will give 
them power to resist evil, and obtain favour in the sight of 
man. 
COCHIN CHINA FOWLS. 
The superiority of different breeds of poultry has lately 
become quite a vexed question, and perhaps the experience 
of an amateur who has tried several, may not be uninteresting 
to your numerous readers. I tried the Everlasting layers, 
common Barn-door fowls and Polands, but found that the 
number of eggs obtained was very limited. Hearing of 
Cochin China fowls, I applied to a gentleman who had his 
stock from the Royal Poultry Houses, and began with one 
cock and two hens; and as they were very expensive, to 
prevent any contamination of the breed, I kept no other 
male bird. I soon found out the superiority of the Cochin 
China fowls, and gave over all the rest of my birds to the 
executioner, and have now a fine yard, of what I believe to 
be a genuine breed. These fowls certainly lay more 
than double the number of eggs I have ever had before 
from a similar quantity of birds; as I always attend to 
them myself, and have kept a register of the eggs laid 
from the time I first commenced keeping poultry. 
Two gentlemen who have had the breed from me, have 
been quite astonished at their fecundity. The eggs are of a 
brownish pink, or flesh colour, with minute white specks. 
The eggs generally take rather longer to hatch than the 
common fowl; the chicks are large and sturdy; the hen 
leaves them early, and begins laying again; they grow 
rapidly, and some birds from my eggs, weighed at 8 months 
old, about 8 lbs. The colour is bay, either of a lighter or 
darker shade; the tips of the feathers being generally 
shaded of a dark colour; the tail very short, and in the cock 
bird bushy; the thighs are covered with a mass of 
I pluffy feathers, and there is great breadth over the back and 
I behind; the wing is gathered up and partly hidden; the 
head is small and elegant; some have smooth legs and some 
feathered, the colour of the legs is generally yellow, but not 
always. I do not believe they lay more than one egg a day, 
the flavour of which is delicious. My birds are fed on good 
sound barley, of firm wheat, grass, and occasionally a cabbage 
or two, and now and then pollard, with a little Cayenne 
pepper; I also give them apiece of bullock's liver, once or 
twice a week, as from my birds being rather confined, they 
cannot procure worms and insects. I think when this kind 
of poultry is more generally known, it will quite supersede 
other species.— Henry Copland, Chelmsford. 
THE YEARLY TRANSACTIONS OF THE HEN-YARD. 
A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR THOSE WHO MAY WISH TO KEEP A 
FEW FOWLS AND FIND THEM PROFITABLE. 
(Continued from p. 339.) 
JANUARY AND FEBRUARY. 
There is little to do for the fowls, beyond giving them 
plenty of good food at this early season of the year. 
I believe few persons would consider early chickens suffi- 
i cient compensation for the trouble of a brood during these 
j usually inclement months. Any, however, who may think 
] the early chicks a reward for the trouble and probable dis¬ 
appointment, I would advise to sit the hen in a warm 
place fa kitchen in common use, for instance), and to keep j 
the young chickens under shelter, except when they can be 
placed out in a little warm sunshine, and in a sheltered spot, j 
Have the floor of the house where they are kept thickly 
strewed with gravel, and give them some meat chopped fine, 
and a little green with their food. A good supply of eggs 
is, however, as good a return as we can expect from the 
fowls at present—perhaps the best—and to forward this end, 
let them have a sufficient quantity of good heavy barley. 
While speaking on this subject of laying, I will give my 
opinion of a good laying hen —for many persons differ much i 
on this point. The best common hens I have, lay, in fair ' 
weather, four days in five. I consider a hen a good layer, 
that will give two eggs in three days ; a bad one which lays , 
less than once in two days. There are few hens that do not | 
indulge in a week or two’s holiday sometimes; but if this 
occur too often, or last too long, my lady had better be urged 
to her duty by a little warm food. 
If you now have some hens, which at the proper season 
got well through their moulting, or pullets above eight 
months old, still unproductive—in spite of good feeding— 
separate them from the rest every morning, and give them 
a good meal of potatoes, pollard, and barley meal, mixed 
stiff with hot water or pot liquor. Let it he given so warm 
that you can just well bear your finger in it. I have never 
found this fail, if regularly persevered with for a fortnight 
or a little more; as soon as they lay let it be discontinued. 
Warm grains from a brewery, warm baked potatoes, or fried 
oats given warm, will answer the same purpose. This j 
treatment may be repeated throughout the year whenever I 
the fowls lay badly', always taking care to separate those 
which lay well, on the principle—“ that we must not goad 
the willing horse." 
A little meat or bullock’s liver, given raw, is very good for 
the hens in winter, and very likely to promote their laying. 
It is a very good plan to keep them laying well at this 
season, as they will thus be more likely to sit in good time. 
It is now advisable to reduce the number of fowls (if this 
should not have been done already), by killing all superfluous 
cock birds for the table. Many persons advise killing the 
hens ; this I seldom do, provided they are good layers, for 
the following reasons :—First, I find those hens which 
begin by being good layers, continue the same for several 
years; secondly, these hens being strong, and accustomed 
to the cold of winter are more likely to be healthy, and to 
lay eggs at that season than the pullets ; and, in the third 
place, both from size and steadiness they make excellent 
mothers. Instead, therefore, of having the old hens killed 
without a sufficient reason, it is my practice to notice the 
pullets particulai-ly when they begin to lay, and to weed out, 
for the table, all that do not lay well: this has one advantage 
