64 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
April 28. 
with great advantage to the sheep, during the month of 
May, and, in some seasons, it has been continued as late as 
the last week in June, by which means a large stock of 
sheep has been kept, without feeding any grass ^upon the 
arable land until the hay crop has been cleared oft. 
There are different methods of storing roots lor winter 
consumption; some parties advocating the plan of pitting 
in the field, by casting into heaps, covered with straw and 
earth; and others, that of pulling the roots, and setting them 
up in rows without covering; but either of these modes, 
although they answer very well until the month of April, 
yet, after that time, they will either sprout or rot; and, it 
left uncovered, will become so dry and shrivelled as to lose 
a great portion of nutriment. It is, therefore, quite evident, 
that the preservation of roots for winter and spring consump¬ 
tion will each require separate and distinct modes of ma¬ 
nagement, according to the time of year they are intended 
for use. 
The heaps of Mangold, Carrots, or Swedes, which may 
have been stored for the purpose of feeding cattle, pigs, &c, 
during the spring months, should now be examined; and, 
as soon as sprouting has proceeded to some extent, the 
heaps should be turned, the yellow sprouted greens rubbed 
off, and the heap reformed. If required for summer use, 
as is often the case with Mangold, a north aspect should be 
chosen, if possible under trees, or by the side of hedges. 
After being treated in this way, the roots will prove good for 
a lengthened period; but in case they are allowed to remain 
in the heap after sprouting has taken place, and warm 
weather ensues, heating is produced, the decaying of the 
sprouts quickly extend, communicating rottenness to the 
roots, and if not moved in time, general decomposition and 
loss will be the result,— Joseph Blundell. 
SUDDEN DEATHS AMONG THE SHANGIIAE RACE. 
Not a number of The Cottage Gardener, and hardly 
indeed a day’s post, that does not announce the occurrence 
of the calamity that heads this present paper. Whether 
limited to narrow enclosures, or indulged with a good 
country run, mortality has of late been busy with the 
Slianghae race; but happily its predisposing causes do not 
appear to be altogether beyond our controul, so far as I 
may judge from the cases that have been communicated to 
me. Birds apparently in good health, without any gradual 
or perceptible occurrence of disease, meet with such sudden 
ends, that post mortem examinations and coroner's inquests 
seem essential. A friend, whose knowledge and experience 
in poultry is second to none, tells us of four such cases in 
the past week; and he adds, “a first-rate white hen thus 
died last week, with another that was apparently in perfect 
health.” Captain Hornby also tells me “ a Slianghae hen, 
half-an-liour after he had seen her in perfect health, to all 
appearance, was found in her nest dead.” Now, such catas¬ 
trophes have been referred to in The Poultry Book, and 
confirm my opinion that an unwise anxiety to stimulate the 
bird’s growth by extra feeding has more to do with it than 
any natural tendency to disease in the fowl itself. Captain 
Hornby found the ovarium of the bird alluded to above in a 
state of mortification, and containing a lump of egg-iuatter 
of the consistency of putty. The other gentleman, in exa¬ 
mining a Slianghae after a similar case of most sudden 
death, “ found large lumps of undigested liver in the 
stomach: the poor bird had picked up pieces of tobacco 
pipe, broken china, bones, everything in fact which might 
increase the power of its anatomical mill to grind or crush 
the offending masses, but the task was beyond its powers, 
and the sufferer died.” Now, mark what follows from the 
same pen—“ I feed on nothing but corn and meal, and have 
not lost one.” 
On the latter diet, no fowls will probably be found more 
generally free from disease than the Shanghae birds ; while, 
if what I believe, to be a most pernicious system of feeding 
is persevered in, few, I imagine, are more likely to suffer 
from its evil consequences. With many other recommenda¬ 
tions, the Slianghae race have undoubted good appetites; 
and their present value, from the newly-awakened interest 
that has been generally taken in their race, too often proves 
a temptation to their owner to endeavour to aid growth, and 
the production of eggs, by an excessive allowance of food, 
as regards either quality, quantity, or both. Less danger, 
indeed, may be apprehended lrom the latter than the former; 
for extensive as may be the capacity of a fowl’s stomach, 
the time still arrives when it is forced to exclaim, “Hold, 
enough!" and however large the portion, provided only it 
be of wholesome description, their naturally vigorous 
constitution usually prevents the evil consequences ot such 
occasional excess. But it is altogether a different matter 
if the contents of the over-charged stomach are such as 
were not designed to test the powers of the bird’s gizzard. 
Grain, the hardest and the toughest, would have yielded to 
the combined infiuence of tobacco-pipe, broken china, and 
bones ; but not these large masses of liver, against which 
Nature never intended to direct their powers; and which, 
consequently, proved fatal to the rash indulger of a vigorous 
appetite. 
I was earnestly cautioning a neighbour on the hazard 
of such a system of feeding, when the answer came, “ You 
find fault with fiesli, but how great is the quantity of animal 
food that Nature, who best knows what is suited to all her 
creatures, supplies for our poultry when allowed to cater tor 
themselves.” Yes, a large amount of animal food is, doubt¬ 
less, thus supplied, and good reasons are at once apparent 
why it should be afforded them, and why also it has no 
injurious effect. 'Worms, insects, and even a stray bone, are 
dainties of a very different character to those junks of oilal 
and carrion that we have ourselves seen allotted to the 
inmates of the poultry-yard, but which were far better 
suited for the kennel. Even when perfectly fresh, it is well 
known that the entrails of an animal are more often found 
injurious to health, when taken as food, than any other part 
of the body ; and such portions, the liver especially, are too 
commonly the usual selections for the poultry larder. 
I have often expressed my firm conviction, that if fowls 
are to have fiesli given them at all, beyond the exceptional 
case of illness, or where, from any other cause, a bird is in 
evident need of highly-nourishing food, it should be cooked, 
chopped fine, and given in very small quantities. 
Thus far had I written over night, when, at an early hour 
this morning, intimation was conveyed to me that “ The Cin¬ 
namon pullet was dead on her nest;” and the report proved 
unfortunately but too correct. Now, this said pullet was a 
great favourite, that bad been most kindly sent to me by 
my friend Mr. Andrews, of Dorchester. Her hatching-time 
was out this morning, and yesterday, when the poultry- 
woman examined the nest, several of the eggs were billed; 
but, thinking the bird did not look as well as usual, she 
gave it a small portion of beef dressed and minced ; there 
were no signs, however, of dangerous illness; but this - 
morning, cm entering the hen-house, she was at her last 
gasp, and died forthwith. One of the chickens had left its 
shell in the night, but was dead, and every other egg had 
a live, fully-formed bird in it, many of which are doing well, 
, so it is improbable that there could have been illness of any 
long-standing but unobserved, since, in such cases, the | 
inability of the bird to maintain the required heat for its 
eggs is manifested in their weakly or even defunct state 
when hatching-time arrives. Be it remembered, however, 
that I am not quoting this catastrophe as a parallel case to 
those before mentioned, but simply to show the dangerous 
tendency of a flesh-diet eaten in cases where it may seem 
most required. The following is the post mortem examina¬ 
tion :—No external appearance of disease or emaciation ; on 
opening the craw, it, was found distended with pieces of 
meat, small, but in the same state as when swallowed twelve 
hours before death; the rest of the body was apparently 
healthy. The bird was, probably, somewhat exhausted, this 
being the first time of its sitting. The proper treatment 
would have been a small quantity of toast steeped in ale. 
In her weakened state the stomach was incapable of digest¬ 
ing the meat, though not given in any excessive quantity. 
Now, many are already speculating on their chances of 
honours at Birmingham, or elsewhere, and too commonly is 
it imagined that one great element of success consists in 
forcing on their young birds by highly-stimulating food. 
But not only do i believe that such a practice constantly 
deteriorates from the ultimate vigour of the bird’s constitu¬ 
tion, even supposing it escapes the hazards of such con¬ 
tinued repletion, but that frame and figure are thus both 
