416 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
September 1. 
is of fair average quality as compared with nine-tenths 
of the fowls procurable at country markets. The fault, 
indeed, is in the fact, that they produce meat on inferior 
parts; thus; the breast is too often prominent, while the 
leg is unusually developed; the latter, however, is by 
no means so apt to prove tough as in other fowls. The 
limit above referred to must, however, he kept in view, 
or our advocacy falls to the ground. 
But let us here anticipate another objection that may 
be taken to this advice—“ You say that such persons 
as you now refer to will, probably, be willing to pay 
something extra for the superior character of his 
poultry, from having them bred by Dorking rather than 
Shanghae cocks; why, therefore, do you not recommend 
that the male birds should be of the ‘ Game' family, as 
you have placed these birds at the head of the list for 
culinary excellence, and term the Dorkings constitu¬ 
tionally delicate?” To those whose experience has 
rendered them familiar with Game fowls the answer 
may seem unnecessary, but they form but a small 
portion of those into whose hands this paper may fall; 
we reply, therefore, that in localities such as we have 
now described, Game fowls would be too troublesome, 
and thus, not merely the male birds, but as to avoid the 
production of mongrels only we should have to sub¬ 
stitute Game hens for those of the Dorking breed, these 
latter would never consent to be at peace with them¬ 
selves or their neighbours; they cannot, in fact, be kept 
in large numbers; and though an old Game cock will 
certainly preserve a certain degree of order in his walk, 
there will still exist so jealous a feeling, that combats, 
to the detriment of old and young alike, will ever be 
recurring. A well-fed Game chicken is, unquestionably, 
the best of all poultry, but, then, although when allowed 
a wide range, and kept in small numbers, their con¬ 
stant activity procures so large a quantity of their food 
without cost to their owner, they attain no great size; 
and without such advantages in their run, the calcula¬ 
tion of comparative “ cost and produce” would finally 
be against them. No; however suitable in some cases 
for “ farm” stock, they are not calculated for the econo¬ 
mical production of eggs and chickens under the cir¬ 
cumstances that are now before us. 
But, says the objector, all this may be very true, and 
the Game fowl may be unsuitable for the wants of those 
who have solicited your advice, but still, since you 
declare the Dorking to be a delicate bird, why not then 
take some other breed? For the sound reason, that we 
do not yet know where to lay our hand on a better bird 
for our purpose. This year has, certainly, been un¬ 
usually destructive to them, and north, south, east, and 
west, wherever, indeed, curiosity on poultry matters has 
led us, do we hear the reiteration of the same complaints, 
i Fowls, indeed, of all kinds, have suffered from the low 
temperature and continued wet of this summer, and 
Shanghacs have evinced their hardy nature by sustaining 
these trials with far less mortality than other races; but 
such conditions as to weather are exceptions to the 
general course of the seasons, and it cannot be supposed 
that it could have been found profitable to rear Dor¬ 
kings for the London, and other markets, throughout 
the long period that it has been done, if, on the average, 
they had proved so commonly deficient in vigour of con¬ 
stitution as would be indicated by the recent records of 
so many yards throughout the whole of the United 
Kingdom. We may even allow the Dorking race to be 
somewhat deficient in constitutional strength, and this 
we believe to be the case, but when the Dorking 
chicken does grow, it grows fast, lays on meat in the 
right place, and, after death, seldom fails, under fail- 
treatment, of proving both tender and well-flavoured. 
If their owner may wish to breed pure chickens only, 
the eggs of the Dorkings only may be taken for the 
purposes of incubation, the difference of colour proving 
a sure means of distinction. If, again, on the other 
hand, it may be desired to test the merits of the half- 
bred race, there is great encouragement in the large¬ 
sized, useful fowls that have been lately exhibited as the 
produce of a similar union. Hitherto, the members of 
the different families of fowls, of pure descent and un¬ 
stained lineage, have appeared to us as best calculated 
for the several purposes of poultry-keepers, but these 
experiments on crossing the different races, even if they 
fail to guide us to any improved composite race, may 
still serve to confirm the merits of the several distinct 
varieties. 
“ Where 'should we get our birds to start with ? ” 
may now be asked. In respect of Dorkings, wherever 
obtained, we should certainly advise as near an approach 
as possible to the character of Captain Hornby’s birds, 
their excellence, in an economical point of view, being 
equal to the beauty of their appearance. In Shanghaes, 
as no exhibition display is intended, a purchase may 
easily be effected at small cost; for there are few yards 
where, at this season, pullets of indifferent feather, but, 
in other respects, possessing all the good qualities of 
their family, may not be obtained at a very reason¬ 
able rate. 
It will be necessary to provide yearly a supply of 
pullets equal to one-third of the whole-number of hens, 
to supply casualties, and replace those that are become 
too aged for profit. The Dorkings may be reared, sup¬ 
posing that every second year a cock of fresh blood is 
introduced ; and an annual purchase of a nest of 
Shanghae eggs would supply the requisite number of 
those birds. For management, &c., reference may be 
made to the pages of The Poultry Book. 
Many points, we are aware, have been very cursorily 
glanced at in these observations, and very many matters 
which would materially influence the success of the 
exhibitor have met with comparatively little attention. 
All that we had in view was how to recommend a plan 
by which the query that caused these notes may best 
bo answered—that is, how an individual, in the circum¬ 
stances that we have pre-supposed, may most econo¬ 
mically provide his household with eggs and chickens. 
— W. 
