May 12. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
10 ' 
pigeons, during the months of March, was, each day—one 
quartern of barley (or dross wheat), at 8 a.m. ; three pounds 
of rice (boiled), two quarterns of grains, and one quartern 
of Is. pollard, all mixed together and given in the after¬ 
noon, the cost for which is something under eight-pence. 
They also got two good-sized Mangold Wurtzel roots cut up 
into small squares. I reckon a duck or fowl to cost sixpence 
a month. Now the days are longer they are fed three times 
a daj', but much in the same proportion, with the exception 
of the Mangold Wurtzel, which I do not think they require 
at this season. 
My hen-house is at the back of my kitchen fireplace, and 
is about nine feet by five feet, built partly of brick, one end 
being wood. 
I had a crowing hen all last year, but she laid as many 
eggs as any of the others. 
I have twice, during the past year, performed, with perfect 
success, the operation for “ crop-bound,” exactly as described 
in The Cottage Gardener, at page 48, having found out 
how to perform it from a work on “ Domestic Animals,” 
published in the New Library of Useful Knowledge, by 
Cradock and Co. 
In all works upon ducks, the time of incubation is laid down 
at thirty days; I, however, find that it never exceeds twenty- 
six days, and some have hatched in twenty-five. 
My chickens have all done well since following the advice | 
you gave me at page 4f>‘4 of The Cottage Gardener. i 
° . 
U-t 
° - 
Egg s - 
GO 
'o J 
3 £ 
Chickens. 
Ducks. 
1853. 
Numbei 
Hens 
Numbei 
Ducks 
Hens. 
1 
Ducks. 1 
i 
Hens & E 
eat in 
the mon 
Hatched. 
Died, j 
Hatched. \ 
Died. 
January .. 
24 
4 
268 
56 
5 hens 
8 
8 
_ 
. 
February . 
22 
4 
264 
64 
2 ditto 
32 
13 
8 
3 
March .. 
28 
4 
302 
98 
10 ditto 
8 
13 
8 
1 
April .... 
26 
4 
287 
111 
8 ditto 
2 ducks 
21 
7 
29 
2 
Three cocks and one drake not included in the above. 
The large number of hens sitting during the four months 
must be taken into consideration in calculating the average 
number of eggs laid. During the severe cold not an egg 
hatched; all the chickens died in the shell at half maturity, i 
—S. P. 
[We wish many of our friends would send us similar 
reports. Such records of facts are most valuable. We I 
cannot have too many.—E d. C. G.] 
WHAT SHALL I DO WITH THE CABBAGE- | 
STALKS? 
There is a best way to do everything—even to get rid of 
a Cabbage-stalk. The best way to deal with the old stems 
of the Cabbage worts, as they are taken up from the various 
quarters when done with, is to collect them together, and 
chop them up into short pieces; the shorter the better. ! 
Then anything may be done with them. They may be 
| thrown into the pigstye, if convenient, or they will do to j 
mix with the hotbed manure, or to be placed all at the j 
! bottom of a hotbed. Indeed, they really become manage¬ 
able and useful after being chopped up like chaff, as it were, 
j This is our method of dealing with these long, hard, woody 
! stems, which are usually in the way otherwise. It is true, 
■ they are often placed at the bottom of hotbeds, where they i 
are out of sight for a time, but it often happens when the 
hotbed comes to be broken up again, there are “ those 
Cabbage stalks,” not half rotten, and one can neither shovel 
them up into the barrow, nor chop them through with the 
spade, to move them that way. “ Confound those Cabbage- 
stalks ! ” Every one must be picked up with the hand. 
Then they are sometimes thrown at whole length into the 
pigstye, but they will not rot there; and then is heard again, 
“ Confound those Cabbage-stalks ! ” what a nasty job it is to 
throw them out again, in particular if the stye be not a 
specimen of neatness. Then they are wheeled on to the 
dung-heap, but the dung is soon wanted in the garden, and 
long before the stems are half decayed, and again confusion 
is wished to the Cabbage-stalks, for they have to be hand¬ 
picked out of the dung again; at least, a tidy workman 
will do so, though a slovenly person will manage to put 
them in the barrow with the manure rather than soil his 
fingers, and though even if he should fear he should have 
to dig the ground on which the manure is placed. If he 
has to dig the ground, or even to hoe it, “ Confound those 
Cabbage-stalks!” will again and again be heard. 
Some of the industrious cottagers who happen to keep a 
pig, will strip oft’ all the leaves for their pigs, and lay out the 
i stems to dry for the fire ; this is very well in its place ; but 
) to whatever purpose these stick-like stems may be applied 
in the garden, the best way is to chop them up into 
short pieces as soon as they are pulled up, when they will 
occupy so much less space, and will soon decay, whether 
dug into the ground, or consigned either to the hotbed or 
the dunghill.— T. Weaver. 
CROSS BETWEEN THE SHANGHAE AND 
SPANISH FOWL. 
Having noticed a communication from one of your corres¬ 
pondents, “ A. S. W.,” in the December number of The 
Cottage Gardener, in reference to crossing Shaughae and 
Spanish fowls, I am induced to relate my experience in a 
similar experiment. 
I last year crossed a Partridge coloured Shangliae cock with 
two Spanish hens, and reared about a score of chickens, 
three only of which 1 selected to keep (all pullets), one 
quite black, the other two black, slightly spangled round 
the throat. They were hatched in June, and are ex¬ 
ceedingly fine liens. They commenced laying in December, 
and continued till March. Two of them hatched chickens 
in April, and I gave both broods to one hen; the other hen 
commenced laying again in twelve days, and still continues 
daily; the third hen is now sitting, and I expect her to 
hatch in a few days. Their good qualities (not a few) are— 
very fine fowls, good layers, sitters, and mothers, and very 
quiet, their eggs between a Shangliae and Spanish, both in 
colour and size, and quite as numerous as the former. 
I am this year crossing these hens with a black Spanish 
cock, and have no doubt the result will prove satisfactory.— 
Cochin-Spanish. 
BRITISH CAGE BIRDS. 
THE REDWING, 
Terdus Iijaces. Merula Iliaces. 
Synonymies .—The Nightingale of Norway; Wind Thrush ; 
Red-sided Thrush; Swinepipe. 
This is another of our winter migratory birds, in appear¬ 
ance much like the Song Thrush, but distinguished par¬ 
ticularly by a white mark over the eyes, and the deep red colour 
of the feathers under the wings. This bird is readily kept 
in confinement, but requires being fed at first on worms, 
snails, and insects; it will, however, feed on berries also, 
but not so readily as the Fieldfare. Although I have kept 
them several years, they have never shown any desire to 
breed with me. Why it should have the appellative of 
“ Nightingale of Norway,” I cannot imagine, for its song, if 
song it can be called, is one continuous jarring note, without 
any variation, which it will keep up for the hour together; 
and when my birds generally have been in full song, the 
Redwing’s note was easily distinguishable, and resembled, 
to my mind, the tuneful notes of a street Hurdy-yurdey. 
Nevertheless, in a collection of birds he makes a pleasing 
variety, and lives very well on the oatmeal paste.—W. 
Rayner. 
[It seems, that though in confinement the Redwing is not 
melodious, yet it is otherwise when in a state of nature in 
more northern latitudes. Mr. Macgillivray says, “ In fine 
weather, while perched on the trees, they often sing in a 
