November 18. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
190 
fully wliat the will of the Lord appoints. I called one day, 
and found her sull’erhig from illnes.s. She was sitting 
without a fire, in a clo.ak and bonnet, and looking vei^ ill; 
but her heai't-ha]ipiness was the same. “ I want for 
nothing, ma'am, bless the Lord. I am not drowthy, and 
1 am not hungry; I want for nothing.” Oh ! how fully 
did this show forth the faithfulne.ss of tho promise, “ he 
that cometh to mo shall never hunger, and he that believeth 
on me shall never thu’st.” It i.s impossible to look in her 
face, siglitloss as she is, and not see the evidence of a 
“peace which passeth alt understanding;” and the quiet, 
j sim])le expression of her feelings is exquisite to hoar. Hero 
! is no excessive “talk of tho lips;” no disjday to catch the 
I eye and deceive; you feed it is real, and it goes to the 
' heart at once. 
I Tho cottage is not one to gratify a tasteful imagin.ation; 
it is situated in rather a wild Init pretty spot,—a sort of 
green, through which p.asses a cartw.ay ; but tho scenery on 
all sides is lovely, .and the neighbouring hills always give 
a sort of grandeur to the valley at their feet. The inside 
of the dwellhig is not attractive either; tho air of tho little 
kitchen is not clean or comfortable, as one would wish to 
S(>e; but a cliild of tmi or twelve cannot bo expected to do 
exactly as she ought, unless innatidy clc.an, which few 
cliildren are; aud tho poor blind mother can do little. Still 
they are better than very many others, and their clothes 
are neat and mended. 
Let us .all Lay to our hearts tho lesson taught us by this 
cottage scene. Let us look round xipou our mercies, our 
food, our raiment, our posse.ssions. I.et us consider our 
health, our eyesight, the sense of hearing, the j)owcr of 
speech ; let us dwell a few moments upon all these things, 
and then ask ourselves whether we can say as the blind 
mother does, “ 1 want for nothing.” 
IVhat is the secret of her abundance ? IVliat fills her 
basket and her store ? She quietly m.akes answer, “ The 
Lord is my shepherd ; I shall not want;” “ Thou preparest 
a table before me in the ])resence of mine enemies: thou 
anointed my head with oil: my cup runneth over.” This 
is the secret, ever-flowing spring of her peace and plenty. 
She has noihhuj, and yet she “ possesseth all things.” This 
is the secret of all peace. AVe may have, plenty in tho 
world ; but we cannot have peace out of Christ. AVe may 
turn and twist the m.atter a thousand ways, but we shall 
never get at it, never obtain real peace, until we are “ one 
with Christ,” until we can experience, in all its truth and 
richness, that glorious prerogative, “ The Lord is my shep¬ 
herd." Then wo shall bo sweetly led to say with the poor 
blind w'oman, “I w.ant for nothing.” 
VISITS 'TO SOAIE OE THE CHIEF POULTRY 
YARDS OF ENGLAND.—No. :l. 
(Penzance). 
[Tho following has appeared in tho Cornish 7'c/cyrap/t, but 
was obligingly communicated to us by tho author.] 
Penzance coutains several collections of poultry, which 
would do credit to places where their several merits have 
long been subjects of emulation. 
Among those whose ardour has been specially kindled in 
this pursuit is Mr. A. Blee ; and the result of his observa- 
I tion at Birmingham leads him to regard the Cochin- China 
j race as those most deserving of his car e. It would be difli- 
' cult, indeed, to point out any better lot of pullets than those 
he now possesses, excellent both as to colour as w'ell as 
figure. As regards the former, they arc mostly fawn and 
light buff; tho neck-hackles in some cases being slightly 
pencilled, and tho legs of all fo.athered throughout mth the 
same tint. In shape they are robust and compact, with a 
line head, and well-proportioned legs. A pullet hatched 
February 27th in the present ye.ar weighed 71bs. 2oz., and 
m.any others were above Clbs. 
Mr. Bleo’s enclosure is divided only by slight wire net 
three feet high, which proves that the Cochin-Chinas have 
one great merit, viz., that of being retained within bounds 
by fences which would be altogetlier disregarded by other 
fowls. Opposite to this goodly bevy, and in full view, appear 
the cockerels and their sires, tho two latter being admir.able 
•specimens, the one bred by Mr. Sturgeon, and the other by 
Dr. Gwynn ; of blood, therefore, as pure as any fancier can 
desire. The birds of the year w'ould warrant exqiectations 
of their attaining even greater size than their parents ; for 
while the cocks, wliich are about l(i months old, weigh each 
lOj-lbs., a young cockerel hatched in Februuiy last had 
already reached 8|lbs. 
Some prettily marked golden spangled Polands, with 
capital tufts, and fortunately, as we think, vnhearded, iindvc 
an agreeable contrast to the lighter colours of tiie Cochin 
Cliinas. 
Mr. Blee has given great attention to the original .selec¬ 
tion and subsequent management of his stock, which pro¬ 
mises, however, .amply to repay all his care. The following 
list of tho respective weights of some of his Cochin-Chinas, 
cockerels and pullets, hatched on February 27th, in the 
present year, and otliers in Alarch, speaks favourably for 
their early maturity. 
COCKEUP.I.S. lbs. oz. 
. 8 :i 
. 8 0 
. 8 1 
. 8 8 
PUU.ETS. 
. 12 
. .0 8 
. 0 4 
. 7 2 
. (! 4 
. 7 12 
.. 7 0 
. 0 12 
A hen of last year was now taken off her nest, and put 
into the scales, which gave 711)s. as her weight. At Christ¬ 
mas last she was well up to bibs., and this would probably 
bo about an average loss after laying any considerable 
number of eggs and then sitting. 
A singular instance of the good qualities of the Cochin- 
Chinas as layers occurred in the. case of a Puuchard hen, 
sold by Mr. Blee. to a gentleman at Illoggan. Having 
reached her new home, she laid the next day, and continued 
to do so, till in ninety-six days she h.ad laid ninety-five eggs; 
in twenty more days she laid ten more eggs, making in all 
lO.A eggs in 120 days. She then took her nest, sat well, 
and reai’cd a large and healthy brood. 
About 100 head of poultry at present form Mr. Blee’s 
collection, aud this is in course of almost daily reduction, 
from a general de.sire of amateurs and others to avail them¬ 
selves of so good a stock. They are certainly well caiaA for, 
a four-roomed cottage, mth commodious lofts attached, being 
devoted to their accommodation, with a large exercising 
area railed off for them in an adjoining field. 
Mr. Blee gives it as his decided opinion that, in proportion 
to their weight, the Cochm-Chi)ias are not larger consumers 
of food than other fowls. 
Mr. Lawrence was another of the early members of the 
Penzance Society, and resolving to decide for himself on the 
competing claims to excellence of different varieties, he is 
now enabled to decide on their several merits from personal 
experience. His Cochin-Chinas came from the stock of Mr. 
Andrews, of Dorchester, a most successful exhibitor. Tho 
parent birds are certainly worthy of their origin, but their 
])rogcny wo think bid fair to surpass them. 
WEIGHTS AND 3IEASUEEMENTS.—COCHIN-CHINAS. 
lbs. oz. 
No. 1. Cockerel, hatched March 2Sth .... 8 0 
„ 2. Ditto, hatched April 8lh. 7 8 
„ .2. Light Cockerel, h.atched M.arch 28th !) 8 
,, 4. I’ullet, hatched April 8th. (i 8 
„ A Hen. 8 2 
Somewhat more compact in fonn than the larger varieties, 
Mr. Lawrence’s older birds are distinguished by great sym¬ 
metry, and a more prevailing tint of cinnamon in their 
irlumago; but the chickens from them have given colours 
as light as could be desired. It is a curious circumstance 
respecting Cochin-Chinas, that the offspring of a dark cock 
and light hen, or vice versa, constantly produce colours as 
light, or even liglUcr, than when tho parents are both of 
them light-coloured birds. 
No. 1 
;{ 
■1 
.b 
(i 
7 
8 
