202 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
December 25. 
COCHIN CHINA FOWLS. 
Such of your readers as, like myself, have been accustomed 
to regard The Cottage Gardener as a standard authority 
on the subject of poultry, must have been somewhat “ taken 
aback ” by Mr. Payne’s letter on Cochin China fowls in your 
Number of the 27tli of November last. His account of 
Mr. Punchard’s fowls is most interesting, and very asto¬ 
nishing ; but those who have, with me, taken “ Anster 
Bonn ” for their guide, and paid handsomely for true- 
bred (?) Cochins, as well as those who, as I, have had 
presented to them chicken, the parent birds of which we 
were informed, and fondly believed, were imported direct 
from Shanghai, and who were pluming themselves on having 
“ something out of the common,” will comprehend the 
annoyance of being told, as I was last week—“ Your’s are 
not pure-bred Cochins; there is but one true bi’eed in 
England, for I have read it in The Cottage Gardener.” 
“ So have I read it,” I replied, “ but do not understand it; 
for I cannot believe that Mr.-, who was many years a 
resident in China, would have sent my friend anything but 
the pure breed.” However The Cottage Gardener was 
again hurled at me ; and I quietly resolved, if possible, “to 
kill my enemy with his own sword.” 
This has led me, contrary to my habit, to pen a few 
remarks on this very interesting and highly fashionable 
subject; and if Mr. Payne, Mr. Punchard, or his manager, 
or our old friend “ Anster Bonn,” will supply the further 
information which I seek to elicit, they will confer a favour 
not only on myself, but I also think on all your readers who 
are amateurs in poultry. 
According to Mr. Payne’s statement, the average produce 
of Mr. Punchard’s thirty-five hens during the spring and 
summer months, is 111) eggs and 15 chickens—that is, each 
hen must have laid an egg a day for seventeen weeks, and 
hatched two broods of chicken between January and Sep¬ 
tember. The Cockerels, also, he tells us, “ as they run in 
the yard,” weigh from Dibs, to 10-^lbs. Tt will not be an 
extravagant conclusion to arrive at, that the full-grown cock 
must weigh 15 lbs. 
This account, as to the weight of the cocks and fecundity 
of the hens, so far exceeds anything that I have hitherto 
seen, heal’d, or read, of this beautiful breed of fowls, that, 
could I see them, 1 am sure I should exclaim, with Mr. 
Payne, that “ I had never before seen ( anything worthy to 
he called) a true-bred Cochin fowl.” 
Before, however, I consign my own favourites to the rath- 
less hands of the cook (for if there is a better breed I must 
have it, having the peculiar taste of being satisfied with 
nothing short of the best of whatever bird or beast I keep, 
so far as my means reach) I should like to obtain every 
information respecting Mr. Punchard’s breed of Cochins, 
which are now for the first time heard of in The Cottage 
Gardener, after many of its readers have paid from one to 
two guineas each for fowls which, comparatively speaking, 
must be worthless substitutes. 
We know the difficulty of getting even a pair of fowls 
from China, and I therefore conclude that Mr. Punchard’s 
stock of thirty five hens, was principally bred in England, 
from imported birds, prior to 1850, when they obtained the 
three silver medals at Birmingham. In breeding and select¬ 
ing such a number, it is probable that the owner would have 
many chicken, as well as eggs, to spare. Now, did Mr. 
Punchard dispose of chicken or eggs, prior to the exhibition 
of 1850, and if so, may we not reasonably conclude that 
the breed is this year to be found even as far west as the 
county of Cornwall ? Again, what is become, or to become, 
of the 4,000 eggs, and 500 chicken, this year’s produce, of 
which Mr. Payne speaks ? The eggs are too valuable for 
the pastry-cook, and the chicken (killed) for the poulterer. 
I do not ask these questions idly or inquisitively, but when 
we read of such an extensive store, sufficient to stock the 
United Kingdom, with this superlative breed of fowls, and 
introduce them into every farm-yard, the subject becomes 
one of public importance, and any additional information 
thereon, will, I feel assured, be acceptable to the readers of 
The Cottage Gardener. —H. B. 
P. S.—Did Mr. Punchard carry off all the prizes at Bir¬ 
mingham in 1850, or were there any other pure-bred 
Cochins then exhibited ? 
[If we understand the facts correctly, there are two 
breeds of fowls kept in China, just as there arc more than 
one variety in our own poultry-yards. One of the China 
breeds, we gave portraits of in our third volume, page 172, 
and of the other in our present volume, page 127. These 
seem to be more prolific, and in all other respects superior 
to the others, though the first pourtrayed are very good. 
We hope to receive answers to all of our correspondent’s 
queries ? Some of the information he requires will be in 
our reports of the Birmingham show. Mr. Sturgeon, of 
Manor House, Greys, Essex, who obtained the first prize 
this year, supplied Mr. Punchard with the fowls from which 
the latter has raised his stock.—E d. C. G.] 
DrjYING BEES. 
I beg to thank “A Country Curate ” for the readiness 
with which he answered my inquiries. I am afraid that liis 
first reason is conclusive. It does not appear, however, that 
lie has ever attempted fumigation with the top hole open; 
in fact, the contrary may be inferred, and he takes it for 
granted that the bees will not, on the introduction of the 
smoke, pass round or through the passages in the combs. 
It will not be necessary to drive up all the bees, if the queen, 
who is usually about the breeding combs (that is, in the 
centre of the hive, and, consequently, in direct communica¬ 
tion with the top hole), will herself run with a moderate 
portion of her followers. The plan of shifting the hive will 
have the effect of soon strengthening the swarm. Uncer¬ 
tainty as to the whereabouts of the queen will be the chief 
drawback. The second reason I do not think so much of; 
the bees do rise, and that quickly; and I think that by 
slowly introducing the smoke, a sufficient number might be 
drawn up before it began to take effect. I am not very san¬ 
guine of success, but shall try the plan if my hives get well 
through the winter. 
'Whatever may be the result, I rejoice greatly even now at 
having committed my ideas to paper, since my doing so has 
been the means of drawing from “ The Country Curate," not 
only the result of his enlarged experience, but a more prac¬ 
tical view of the whole art of artificial swarming than, to the 
best of my recollection, lias yet appeared in your pages. 
With reference to the latter part of “ The Country Curate’s ” 
paper, in which he seems to think that the jackets I have 
mentioned may be too hot in summer, I beg to assure him 
that I have not found such to be the case ; my great diffi¬ 
culty has been to keep the glasses, which I work inside 
them, sufficiently warm. Should they be found too hot, a 
few holes, cut just below the upper rim of the jacket, and 
acting in connection with the entrance, would, perhaps, 
create a kind of Bolmaise action, and cause a current of air 
to circulate witbin. I like very much the appearance of 
straw hackles, but they take up considerable room ; and 
where the joining system is adopted, it is as well to have the 
hives as close together as possible. R. 
THE DOMESTIC TIGEON. 
{Continued from paye 120.) 
CARE TO BE TAKEN OF THE AVIARY. 
In the country, pigeons almost always have the liberty 
of leaving their aviary to exercise and divert themselves 
abroad. All the races of pigeons are fond of liberty, but 
none abuse it, and wherever it can be procured for them we 
there certainly see them more healthy and more productive; 
this, however, is not the opinion of M. Yitry. He thinks, 
“that, in general, those pigeons that are confined in a 
spacious aviary are much more productive than those which 
are allowed to ramble about at their pleasure.” Several 
races cannot remain entirely prisoners without losing all 
then’ charms, and their names (Tumbler, Carrier, Ac.) 
sufficiently indicate this. All these when confined are dirty, 
and more easily attacked by vermin, which they cannot 
destroy by stretching themselves out in the rain, which they 
are very fond of, nor can they invigorate themselves in the 
sun. They are also deprived of the pleasure of seeking for 
their young such food as they know instinctively to be very 
wholesome for them; and, lastly, their moulting is very 
difficult. The aviary, then, should be as much as possible 
