TH?: COTTAGE GAliDENEIi. 
])ECE>inKr. 4. 
IT'2 
and so known, for very many years, by the late Sir John 
Sebright, and a company of gentlemen amateurs, belonging 
to the “ Feather Club,” and to whom we are indebted for its 
production, and the lacing to the feather was obtained in the 
tirst instance from the Spangled Poland in question—a fact 
that may be easily verifled by applying to any of the mem¬ 
bers of the Club, whose meetings Avere held at the Gray’s 
Inn Colfee House (where I have often had the pleasure of 
attending), and proving that the Polands are not only a 
laced, but the only onii'innl laced breed that we have—a 
strong argument in favour of preserving it. The miscon¬ 
ception is not with tlie amateur and breeder of Polands; 
he knows, from e.^perience, that most of his best birds are 
laced; and if he can select a few, for the requirements of the 
Judge, sufficiently free from it in the body, he still finds 
it in wing and tail feathers. The mischief comes from 
those who have formed their opinion from the Hamburgh 
Polands, many of which were at one time sent over, but 
they will not bear comparison to the others in sii:e, form, 
carriage, or constitution; lacing Avith them is the excep¬ 
tion, either in the body or the crest—tlie latter is mostly 
white, or baA-iug enlire dark feathers intermixed—not laced 
ones—hanging down one side of the head, and obstruct¬ 
ing the sight—in fact, exactly like the engraving on the 
cover of Richardson’s Poultry Rook, and Avhich ho calls 
the Hamburgh fowl—evidently alluding to the Dutch breed ; 
they are, like their congeners, tlie black AAuth Avhite crests, 
weakly, and much liable to the roup —• a disease from 
which our spangled or laced variety is singularly exempt; 
and I do hope that those Avho object to lacing will Avell 
consider if they have any reasonable ground for so doing. 
I conclude, being unwilling to trespass further on your 
space.~B. 
ANSWERS TO A QUESTION OR TWO. 
Ix the number of the PoitUnj Chronicle for November 
Cth, my friend “Walter” (?) enquires “What birds are 
best adaiited to a small enclosure; ” and “ What is the 
rule in bargaining for birds from strangers, etc. ? ” I fully 
agree with my friend in most of his remarks relative to 
Dliuorcas, Malays, Dorkings, GaiAie, Hamburghs, &c., but 
my experience of I'olauds leads me to differ Avith him in 
some slight degree. If the Gold-spangled Hamburgh has 
been termed, by some amateurs, an aviary bird, much more 
has the noble-crested Poland tribe been considered to be. 
I liave for some years kept every known colour of this 
beautiful variety, such as Gold, Silver, Ruff, Rlue, Grey, 
Rlack-crested Rlack, White-crested Rlack, White, &c., and 
have invariably found them as hardy, if not more hardy 
than almost any other kind, saving the Cochin ; and as for 
laying, I think they are not a whit behind the major part of 
the feathered tribe. 
Mine generally commence laying about the latter end of 
February, and keep it up until Avell nigh Novembei’, and as 
they rarely Avaut to sit (though, by-the-by, I have had two 
or three Poland hens sit well this season, In-ing off and rear 
an average number of chicks, and prove themselves the very 
best of mothers), of course, the quantity of eggs laid 
during the season amounts to no despicable number. Dly 
Polands have the full range of a large.yard, and a couple 
of acres of grass laud, and are by no means better sheltered 
than other sorts. 
I should recommend my friend “ W. H.,” in dealing Avith 
slranr/ers at a distance, to send for the birds he Avishes to 
purchase, remitting a post-ofiic(A order on receipt of t/oods. 
Rut if the distant lAarty be one Avho is known in the poultry 
world, or accustomed, from time to time, to advertise his 
surplus stock in The CoTT.ntE Gaudener, then I think 
j “ W. H.” would not be wrong in fii-st remitting bis i)OSt- 
! office order for the birds he Avishes to purchase, stipulating 
that the birds, if not approved, shall be returned to the 
seller y'/re of expense, his money, of course, to be returned. 
This I have myself done, and in this Avay have I myself 
been fairly dealt Avith, in repeated instances. 
On referring to the number for November Cth, I find my 
remarks on the Polands corroborated by “ One in tlie Ring,” 
who says~“ They are, and have been proverbially, good 
layers, Avliich point is the greatest desideratum for parties 
Avho Avish to make poultry remunei’ative. I keep a large 
number of this class of birds, and find they pi'oduce quite 
above the average quantity of eggs.”—G eorge Roothrv, 
Holme Cotliuje, Lonth. 
THE HOUSEHOLD. 
(We shall be much obliged by any of our renders 
sending us approved receipts in cookery, bints for house- 
liold management, or any other domestic utilities, for 
insertion in this department of our columns.) 
The only aa’.a.y to Pickle S.vlmon.—T ake a whole fish, 
bone it, and cut it in pieces (good-sized square ones), place 
them in ajar A\'ith salt, allspice, and Avhole pepper; then tie 
a bladder on the top to prevent any water getting in, put it 
into a saucepan of boiling w'ater, let it keep so for tAvo hours, 
then take it out, and Avhen quite cold, add as much cold 
vinegar as there is liquor, and the salmon Avill be delicious. 
—21. W. 
Tomato Catsup.— G.L. C. recommends this receipt, Avhich 
Avill be found excellent: —I quart best vinegar, \ oz. mace, 
1 oz. cloves, 3 oz. black pepper, 3 oz. Jamaica pepper, ^ oz. 
long pepper, ^ oz. ginger, ) oz. mustard seed, 2 o capsicums, 
50 tomatoes, (i heads of garlic, I stick of horseradish. On 
the 50 tomatoes throAv ^ lb. of salt, and let them stand three 
days. Boil the above ingredients (except the tomatoes) 
half-an-hour, then peel tlie tomatoes, and add them to it, 
boil them together half-an-hour, strain them through a 
seive, and when cokl bottle it. 
Racon Curing. —In answer to your “ Old Subscriber, 
Morayshire,” I must state that it is as difficult to tell him 
hoAv to cure bacon, as it is how to cook a potato. Most 
persons think that because a side of bacon turns out good 
Aiith one particular pickle, that another should do the same 
in the like manner ; because one potato is good av hen boiled 
one Avay, another should be equally as good Avhen boiled in 
the same Avay; although your correspondent “ S,” in page 
414 of your last volume, says, that for thirty years, in one 
family, all sorts liave been tried by one plan of steaming. I 
should like to knoAv his address, so as to send him some, by 
Avhich he Avould find out that there are some “ sorts ” that 
will not cook by steam. I have bad great expeidence in 
experimentalizing on hams and bacon, and, in the first 
place, I must state that the same pickle is not good for 
hams and bacon, Avith any kiMd of pig. This is Avell kiiOAvn 
to the large bacon curers both in England and Ireland, 
and they act accordingly. I am noAV residing in a county 
(Yorksliire) famous for its bams, but it cannot cure bacon ; 
and Avliy? Because the fanner’s Avife aaRI cure both Avith j 
the same pickle ; and it is a common saying amongst them 
that they never can cure bams of tlie pigs fed on another 
farm. In fact, IheAvhole dift’erence consists in the feeding of 
the animal, the same as the potato groAvn on different 
soils, or Avheat soAvn in the south or north of Euroiie. I 
have been in some of our largest curing houses: I Avill 
mention tAvo;—the Russell’s, of Limerick, and there the 
men kiioAv, by expeidence and touch, the moment the 
pig is cut open, the quantity of salt it requires, or soda; 
and if it is to be applied Avhen the flesh is Avarm, or cold; 
or hoAv long it should bang before the salt is applied. 
One of these houses, some years since, sent some of 
the most experienced curers to the United States, to 
cure, and send the goods over here, but it proved a failure; 
they could not cure fit for the English market, although 
there, are plenty in the States that cure bacon quite equal to 
the Irish; this is only resulting from the difference in the 
feed.- I have fed pigs on the American plan, Avith plenty of 
Indian meal, which CA-ery one Avho has partaken of American 
pork knoAvs produces plenty of soft, oily, and unpleasant 
fat. I have, by a plan of pickling, hardened that fat equal 
to the best Wiltshire, but could never succeed Avith it Avhen 
once pickled, although I understand some have succeeded in 
doing so, and sell it as best Irish bacon. To give recipes for 
the different kinds of pickle for the different kinds of pigs, 
fed in as many different m.anners is impossible; but one 
I’ule is a good one, but not often followed,—that is, as soon 
