November 10. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER, 
107 
found them, that I could not accept this challenge, par¬ 
ticularly as the difficulty yet remained in reserve, to prove 
the negative, that the original stock did not emanate from 
America, which would be a heavy responsibility; no doubt, 
all these circumstances were very judiciously weighed by 
W. C. G. before he displayed his valiancy, but it does not, 
assist his cause by proposing anything so unreasonable. 
But all jesting aside; as W. C. G. has so many of these 
Greys (like each correspondent, indeed, who has put on 
armour in their cause) and feels such an interest in estab¬ 
lishing their reputation as to induce him to throw down the 
glove as their champion, I am disposed to break a lance with 
him in favour of the Buffs. Will W. C. G., therefore, kindly 
state on what terms he will undertake to show the best Grey 
pullet he can produce, for all properties, except colour, against 
the best one I can produce of some other shade. This will 
be meeting the question more fairly ; and, as the tendrils of 
W. C. G.’s affections appear to entwine round his calum¬ 
niated, but cherished Greys, with a grasp rendered the firmer 
by the aspersions thrown on them, he, of course, will rush 
to the rescue with an enthusiasm equal to the cause. 
But I am not intending to enter the lists to tilt for a gift 
to a charitablo institution; though, I trust, this will not be 
deemed an obstacle. My heart, I fear, does not swell with 
the same, amount of benevolence as W. C. G.’s, and if it did, 
circumstances dictate my charity should begin at home ; but 
I can assure him, in case he loses, the money shall be 
devoted to no other than a good purpose. 
I wish to remind you, that when I first entered on this 
disputed matter, I stated these Brahma Poutras were Grey 
Shanghaes, and not of American origin; and, instead of being 
just imported, had been long known here; and that the 
Grey colour was produced as true from one Buff, or other 
coloured parent, as from two Greys ; all of which remaining 
disproved, swept, away the strongest claims urged for imposing 
a fictitious value upon them. I have since said, they were 
not larger, nor better—in fact, not so good, as our Buffs; 
therefore, will W. C. G. now, or will any one else, say 
explicitly, in what their superiority consists. I long to be 
informed of this, so that I might admit I am in error, if I 
am really so ; and many of your readers will be equally glad 
to know why they are more desirable. I remember, some¬ 
one bewailed my depraved taste in not allowing the Grey’s 
plumage to be the most beautiful; and, I confess, while a 
choice remains to me, I shall prefer the pure white; but what 
are their other good qualities ? 
I never had any of these fowls myself, though T might 
have had, had I so wished; and, therefore, I was not in the 
least interested about them, until I noticed an attempt to 
hoodwink your readers by erroneous statements of their 
merits, when I thought it time to send you the result of my 
experience, which is not of that infantine date suggested by 
W. C. G., whose fowls, by the way, I have seen, and, con¬ 
sequently, did include them in my criticism. It was I who 
first directed Mrs. Hosier Williams’s attention to Dr. 
Bennett’s work on American Poultry, the perusal of which 
led to the importation of the first pair of Greys into this 
country by that lady. Before ordering these birds, she sent 
me the book for my opinion on it, and naming several 
varieties which she proposed to send for; but, as the engrav¬ 
ings would have disgraced a child’s penny primer, and the 
matter was exceedingly vague, I did not like to offer one; 
but these Greys were selected, as the lady felt anxious to 
introduce what she supposed would be new to this country. 
They came, and the result your readers have been made 
acquainted with, and speaks volumes on the merits of the 
new and much-vaunted breed. They were exhibited at 
Birmingham—escaped notice—and were afterwards bought 
in at an auction at a nominal price, while Turner’s half-bred 
10s. Greys received the prize, and afterwards were sold to 
that eminent judge of poultry, Mr. Bond, of Leeds. It is 
not often such results ooze out from those who write to 
defend these Americans; but since it has, how little has 
W. C. G. to say upon it. 
Your readers are aware that many breeds of fowls have 
very distinctive characteristics. The Malay, White-faced 
Spanish, Polish, Sebright Bantam, <fce., are all well-known 
by some distinguishing feature readily apparent to the eye 
of any breeder of ordinary sagacity and experience in such 
matters, even when these breeds are blended together. I 
mention this, by way of preface, to stating, that those Grey 
Shanghaes which have long unfeathered legs, long tails, 
hawk heads, and knobbed combs, are only half-bred Malays, 
and many of such are called Brahma Poutras. Now, as the 
Grey is only a variety of the true Shanghae, any departure, 
in this variety, from the adopted well-known type of the 
pure Shanghae, should bear the bar sinister in their escut¬ 
cheon as so many bastards, and judges of the Malay breed 
will say as much. I could mention one of the best autho¬ 
rities on Shanghaes, who told me he had bred birds identical 
with many of these so-called Brahmas from a Shanghae 
and a splashed Malay hen ; and others have bred very 
similar ones from a Shanghae cock and a speckled Dorking. 
If your correspondents will wrestle with actual facts, and 
state in what the superior merit of this breed consists, so 
that your readers may be made acquainted with it, they will 
be serving their own cause much more effectually than 
hitherto. 
If agreeable to you, you will please publish my name, so 
that at least some of your readers may know' whether I am 
capable of forming an opinion on the subject, particularly 
as matters have assumed the position they have at present.— 
C. II. Brown, Knip's Cottage. 
COTTAGE BREWING. 
(Continued from, page 88.) 
Proceed to fill the copper. Some prefer a hard, others 
a soft water for brewing with; I never could perceive any 
difference, although a preference in favour of soft water 
appears reasonable. Allow plenty of moistened small coal 
(slack) to be near at hand, use as much of this as possible 
for economy’s sake; some stout, dry wood would also be 
found convenient to arouse the fire into extra activity, as 
occasion may require. 
Next in order, and during the time the water takes to 
boil, we will consider about the mash-tub: It should be 
adjusted, raised on a tram about fourteen inches from the 
floor, and near to the copper as may he, for the purpose of 
allowing the hot water to be laded conveniently into it during 
the process of mashing; arrange the fauset and strainer, 
these require great nicety in placing. The latter, in our 
case, we will suppose made with wicker work; envelope a 
thin cloth around it, and this will ensure a double certainty 
for the wort running off fine. It must be made to lie hori¬ 
zontally even for the end of the fauset, with its mouth 
pressing close against the inside of the tub, and retained in 
this position when in the act of driving the fauset from the 
outside, through the aid of a piece of cord, permanently 
attached, by both ends being entered through the bottom, 
conveyed from thence through its mouth, and then united 
by a knot; this will allow a stout stick to pass between, as a 
medium of pressure outwards for the left hand, the lower 
end of the stick meeting with a resisting force from the left 
foot, while the fauset is driven with a mallet, by the right 
hand, firmly into the tub. The strainer is thus kept 
immoveable by the fauset pressing the strings against the 
parallel sides of the hole ; screw the spigot in the fauset, and 
place the malt, and the mash stick, or stirrer, convenient for 
the mash-tub. Thus far prepared, and the water boiling- 
lie quite sure that the water does boil before you begin to 
mash, in short, it must before you do so. The old fashioned 
way of proving the water for the mash, is to cool it down 
till its surface, unobstructed by steam, resembles a mirror, 
wherein another resemblance to one’s own physiognomy can 
be distinctively beheld ; or when, by dashing through it 
one's finger, the water feels intensely hot without scalding. 
I have, long since placed these rules upon the shelf, as I 
never could bi-ing myself with confidence to trust them. 
When, by a thermometer, the proper heat the water should 
be turned on to the malt can be proved, to a degree, for 
certainty, do not jeopardise the brewing by trusting to 
those expedients of our great grandfathers, wherein 
differences according to the state of the weather of 20° or 
30°, cannot be depended upon. A thermometer will cost, 
say 3s. (id. as a happy medium; they can be purchased at 
any ironmongers; inquire for a brewing thermometer; drive 
! a nail to suspend it by near the copper, within arm’s reach, 
