313 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 23, 1359. 
trusses and foliage carefully packed, or exhibit it at a horticultural so¬ 
ciety, where its qualities can he compared and tested. 
Lopping Forest Trees [A .).—There is no art so little understood as the 
pruning, or, as you call it, “ lopping” of forest trees. In former numbers 
of Tiie Cottage Oaroenep. full instructions have been given how to per¬ 
form this necessary, but oft-neglected, operation. However, we may briefly 
•state, in answer to you, that the best season is when the trees are at rest. 
Many trees this year have already made their growth, and may, in that 
case, be pruned now ; but in general it is advisable to defer the operation 
till the leaves have fallen off. Pruning of forest trees should be done whilst 
they are young, and no other instrument used than a good, strong, sharp 
knife. If, however, the trees have been neglected pruning in their youth, 
then large branches must be cut off with a saw, the teeth of which are set 
wide enough to cut green wood easily. In all cases we would advise 
pruning close to the stem, leaving year-old shoots to draw up the sap. 
Make the cuts smooth, and when the branches are large, and the wounds 
consequently large, cover the cut with good paint the same colour as the 
branches. This will keep out the wet till the new bark grows over the 
place, and the trees will then suffer less by the severe operation. 
POULTRY AND BEE-KEEPER’S CHRONICLE. 
OVER-REEDING. 
Tile queries we constantly receive and answer, and the result 
of much poultry correspondence, only confirm us in a long- 
formed opinion, that nothing is so fatal to poultry as over¬ 
feeding, and the constant endeavour to moet requirements, 
and to supply wants that exist only in the imaginations of the 
owners. 
Nature after all should be our guide ; and we should, as much 
as possible, assimilate our treatment to the probable condition of 
our proteges, if they ran wild. As fowls have long since ceased 
to do so in this country, wc must look to game. They seek long 
for their food, they find it grain by grain, morsel by morsel. A 
keeper who rears hundreds of tame pheasants feeds them but 
sparingly after they are grown up and have left the hen. But he 
feeds a little, night and morning ; and when his whistle is heard, 
they come with such certainty, that ho can count them day after 
day, without missing one. When the weather becomes severe, 
and the stubbles are bare, ho places food in convenient spots for 
them, if necessary. The necessity is, if it is certain there is 
nothing for them to get. These birds are always in high con¬ 
dition, and disease is seldom known among them. The fact is, 
they are obliged to depend partly on themselves, and they are 
not over-fed. In the search for food, they find numerous things, 
insects, scraps of herbage, small stones, &c., that are essential to 
health, and a little pricking of appetite makes them diligent in 
seeking. 
Now, most poultry-run3 have a little grass, some have shrub¬ 
beries or plantations, all have a few shrubs. Keep your fowls so 
huugry that they will seek food here, turn over dead leaves, 
scratch every inch of soil, and scan every blade of grass with the 
eye of an epicure. When there is no visible cause for the refusal 
of food, it is because they are over-fed. 
Instead of tempting with novelties, withhold all feeding until 
they meet you at the door in the morning. 
We should like to write up in every poultry-yard— 
“ No fowls are healthy unless they are hungry.” 
“ No fowls should be fed unless they flock around the feeder, 
and jump to the vessel that holds the meal.” 
“No more should he given when two or three cease to run after 
the same piece.” 
CRYSTAL PALACE POULTRY SHOW. 
Before our next number appears the Crystal Palace Show 
will be almost concluded. We feel it our duty to remind our 
readers of the fact. We are happy to inform them the entries 
are 109 in exeoss of any previous Summer Show. The most 
numerous classes are Dorking, Game, arid Hamburgh, each 
numbering more than sixty. 
We hope the attendance will keep pace with the increase of 
exhibitors, and the praiseworthy exertions of the managers. 
PLUMAGE OF SILVER-GREY DORKINGS. 
“ I see in the last number of The Cottage Gardener, that, 
in speaking of the proper colours of the Silver-grey Dorkings, 
you say, ‘The cock should have a perfectly black breast and tail ’ 
Now, i find in a very excellent authority—none other than in 
• Fowls,’ by Baily—these words, in giving the proper colours of 
Dorking:—‘Black breast, or black spotted with white. Black 
tail, or mixed with white.’ ”—J. B. 
[The Silver-grey Dorking did not exist as a class when Baily’s 
book was written. It is a recent introduction into the prizo 
sheet. It is a class intended only for colour , and was formed 
because those birds, fitted for competition in it, and previously 
known as Lord Hill’s colour, lacked the size necessary to success 
in the open classes. Any colour is admissible in general compe¬ 
tition, and the largest birds will mostly be found to be those 
that are speckled on the breast. In this class size is essential. In 
the Silver-grey class it is most desirable, but it must bo joined 
to perfect purity of colour and feather, which are more important.] 
SELECTING AND DEEDING SPANISH 
CHICKENS. 
“ I have a brood of Spanish chickens from some of Mr. 
Fowler’s best eggs, ten in number. I do not wish to keep the 
lot, but only a few of the best. They were, hatched on the 7 th of 
June. Your kind assistance for me to select the best will oblige. 
“What food should they have now? and what is the best 
treatment for them ? "—W. H. Green. 
[Your chickens are too young for the most experienced in 
the breed to give you an opinion ns to their merits. The only 
safe weeding will be to draft any cocks that show fulling combs, 
whiob they often do even at two months old. Y T on cannot 
judge your pullots wit,it any hope of doing so judiciously till 
they are six months old, and even then you are liable to error. 
The cocks will show what they will be at twenty weeks. 
Feed them well with ground oats, slaked with water—or milk 
if you have it. If they are safe, let them roost out, and watch 
them that they never go back. If they appear to do so, give 
them some bread and strong ale twice every day.] 
CHICKENS CROP-BOUND. 
“ My Dorking chickens have become affected with a disease for 
which I should feel obliged if you would suggest a cure. The 
first appearance of disease consisted in the comb becoming of a 
dark purple colour, shortly followed by dullness of the bird, 
which refused all food, gradual weakness, and death. The 
crop, in one or two instances, was hard, hut in others softish ; 
hut when pressed appeared to retain the impression of tije fingers 
as if it were filled with putty. In some cases the legs became 
much the same colour as the comb ; and the disease appears to he 
infectious, as each morning fresh cases make their appearance. 
Three died this morning, and on being opened the gall and liver 
were considerably enlarged, and the latter of a dark, unhealthy 
appearance. The bowels were completely empty, hut seemed 
somewhat distended. I may mention that oatmeal and bran are 
what they have for some time been fed upon. A few days since, 
however, I found some raw rice thrown down to them, which I 
forbad, and, I can hardly believe, could account for so malignant 
a disease.”—A. F. 
[There can be no doubt that your fowls all die erop-bound, and 
that would explain every symptom you describe. These are, 
again, accounted for by the food. There is no power in the crop 
of a fowl to empty itsplf if over filled. Oatmeal is good food, 
but the bran is unnecessary, and, therefore, hurtful. Raw rice is 
worse. When the fowl has been tempted to over-feed, it seeks 
relief in drink, and then rice, bran, and meal, form a paste the 
crop cannot discharge. Consequently, nothing passes into the 
bowels, the unnaturally distended crop interferes with all circu¬ 
lation, and causes the blackness of the comb. 
Take such as are least affected, pour warm water copiously 
down the throat into the crop. Loosen the contents gently witli 
the thumb and finger, and when they are softened give a table- 
spoonful of castor oil; continue this treatment till the crop is 
empty. Then feed for a day or two on gruel, or meal mixed very 
slack, and the recovery will be rapid. 
In any apparently hopeless case, you can, if you will, perform 
a very simple operation. Pull off a few of the feathers in front 
of the crop, make an incision with a sharp, small knife, and take 
out the contents. Wash the crop with warm water. Then sew 
up the crop with coarse thread. Afterwards draw the outer skin 
together in the same way. Rub the suture with healing ointment, 
and give the patient gruel, adding thereto a little strong beer 
for the first three days, in the proportion of one table-spoonful of 
beer to four of gruel. A fortnight generally makes a perfect cure. 
We are also bound to tell you, there is no doubt your fowls are 
very much overfed .] 
