December 33. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENEB. 
231 
VISITS TO SOIME OF THE CHIEF FOULTBV 
YARDS IN ENGLAND.—No. 5. 
(5rr.. PENCHARn's.) 
r “PjI.t'nt’s Haj.t.," the hospitable residence of ilr. Pun- 
chard, is situated at the extreme western part of the county 
of Suffolk, about a mile from the little market town of 
Haverhill, once famed for its manufactory of checks, 
cottons, and fustians. 
For liis poultry, iMr. Punchard has two establishments, 
one at Pdunt’s Hall, and another at an off-farm, at about 
half-a-mile distant. The accommodation afforded the poultry 
in each place is much the same. Mr. Punchard confines 
himself entirely to two kinds, namely, Cochin-Chinas, and 
Ducks of the Rouen and Aylesbury breed. Of the Cochins, 
or Shanghaes, by which name, T suppose, we shall soon be 
obliged to distinguisb them, ho has from about five to six 
hundred, all of the pui-est breed, bred by himself, and 
chiefly, 1 believe, from imported birds. In a corner, T 
observed a few pairs, very recently from Shanghae, which 
he has not yet had time to breed from. In respect to ' 
colour, the different shades of buff very nnrch preponderate [ 
over the brown and partridge; but, in my opinion, breeders i 
have drvelt too much on colour, the brown and partridge I 
being less esteemed, but, as far as my experience has led | 
me, they are the largest birds, and produce the greatest i 
weight of eggs. 
The accompairying sketch will serve to give a pretty i 
correct idea of the accommodation afforded by IMr. Punchard | 
to his fowls, and may be interesting to many of the readers 
of The Cottage UAurrEXEi;, ! 
s }9 30 30 
a This copper heats the chicken houses by hot-water pipes during the winter, which can be extended to the roost and nest houses. 
b Wall four feet high. 
c Wire fence three feet high, 
d Perches arranged in a sloping form. 
e Windows running on cast-iron rollers, the openings being wired inside to admit air at pleasure. 
f Ventilators with moveable louvre boarding. A perforated zinc tube from each end of the building communicates with the ventilator and gives 
any degree of coolness. In winter they are closed. The roof of this building is slate nailed on boarding, 
g Space pale fencing. 
As regards feeding, I observed that the fowls are never 
without a supply of food, which consists of a mixture of 
wheat, crushed barley, and peas. The feeding-troughs are 
upon the same principle as the hopper of a mill. The 
trough itself is live feet long, and three or four indies 
deep, and, as the fowls take the food from the trough, it is 
supplied from a reservoir above, which holds two or three 
bushels, the supply being alike on both sides, making 
together a length of ten feet in each feeder. Fresh water 
is supplied to them every morning in Bailey’s registered 
fountains. An air of the most perfect cleanliness pervades 1 
every part of the above; the sleeping-places being cleaned 
out eveiy morning, and fresh dry gravel or sand strewed 
upon the floors. Considering the very great attention 
given by Mr. I’unchard in selecting his fowls for breeding, 
I need hardly say, that their progeny is first-rate, and that 
amongst the brown and partridge, as well as the buffs, 
there are a number of birds of exquisite symmetry and form. 
-\nd in this I am borne out by the opinion of a gentleman 
from the west of England, who is one of our greatest 
amateur breeders, whom I consider myself most fortunate 
in meeting at Blunt’s Hall. The birds, about two 
hundred in number, selected by Mr. I’unchard for his 
forthcoming auction, which I hear will take place on 
Tuesday, the 4th of .lanuary, at IMr. Stevens’s (ireat- 
room. King-street, Govent-garden, arc, as a whole, a selec¬ 
tion of a very choice and superior kind.—.1. H. B. 
[.'Another excellent judge of poultry has also favoured us 
with the following notes upon Mr. i’unchard’s poulby 
establishment.] 
Many, in Mr. Punchard’.s situation, would have been i 
content with the laurels won at Bh-minghaiu in 1850, and I 
with him, however; for, carrying out tlia true principles on 
which alone excellence in poultry, or any other stock, can 
be maintained, several importations of fresh birds from the 
northern pails of China have been selected for him by 
intelligent correspondents, and been added to his collection 
at Blunt’s Hall. 
“An imported bird” is now a common term, especially in 
advertisements, to denote some specimen of new' and great 
excellence, and of increased value. The accuracy of this 
we greatly doubt; for, hitherto, no recently-imported spe¬ 
cimen has come before us equal to the occupants of many 
a pen at any of our recent exhibitions. Sir. Sturgeon’s 
observations led to the same conclusions as we have our¬ 
selves formed, from what has happened in Mr. Punchard’s, 
and some other cases. It is precisely the same with other 
fowls, and with Spanish, perhaps, partiularly; for we know 
of more than one instance wherein poultry-keepers, desiring 
to shine with especial lustre in that beautiful class, have 
had large cousigments from Spain, at considerable cost, 
without in the remotest degree increasing their chances of 
success. Whether Europe or Asia be their locality, the 
habits of poultiy are identical, and mongrelism is found 
predominant. How zealously do we guard against it in 
our own well-wired yards; and liow needful is our watch- 
fiflness. Thus, wherever similar precautions are altogether 
neglected, we must always have a large number to select 
from, where imrity of race, and excellence in colour and 
form, are the objects of our ambition: and not even then 
must we calculate on success. 
Mr. Punchard, therefore, deserves our best thanks for 
continuing wliat becomes a very expensive, however 
necessary a practice; for, if one bird in tw'elve possesses 
points of sufficient merit to warrant its introduction into 
our yard, the cost of the other eleven must be added, and 
this is, probably, a favourable estimate. We can only 
hope, therefore, that the now rapidly-increasing numbers 
of poultry-keepers will have the sound sense and discretion 
to select stocks from such a sourJe as Mr. Punchard’s, and 
I of those other breeders who, like him, disregard cost, that 
the most perfect specimens of the Shanghae breed, from 
their native country, may gradually effect improvement in 
those few points, wliere the best English-bred birds may be 
