£he cottage gardener and 
Second-prize birds ; and in all probability the Judges will find it 
no easy matter to distinguish between them.—J. B. 
NORTHERN COUNTIES FAT STOCK AND 
POULTRY SOCIETY. 
Sl’CH is the new title to the flourishing Society which lias 
improvingly held its own for the last seven years, as “The South 
Durham and North Yorkshire Eat Stock and Poultry Society.’’ 
The name has been changed to dissipate, if possible, even the 
shadow of a waning jealousy to which the old title unfortunately 
gave rise, though merely identifying the “ cradle of the southern” 
with the birthplace of a Society for the encouragement of early 
maturity in food and its increased supply for the enlarged 
demand entailed by many-mouthed commerce, and a prosperous 
population in the district; the classes being at the same time 
open to all the kingdom. As hitherto, Darlington, for obvious 
reasons of convenience, will be the central point of management, 
and the site of the Christinas Exhibitions, which year by year 
become more and more a prominent feature in the north. 
In the poultry schedule a vast improvement lias been adopted 
in all classes. For old birds, the prizes are £2 and £1, except 
White Dorkings and Ilamburghs, for which there is not much 
competition, and they remain £1 and 15s., while the young birds 
of every variety have three prizes of £3, £2*, and £1, and the 
“any other variety” has three prizes, of 30s., 15s., and 10s. 
The rage for Dorkings and Game has become thoroughly esta¬ 
blished throughout the kingdom. The Society, wisely taking 
advantage of a preference certain to lead to remunerative entries, 
give, in “ the Single Game Cock ” (of any variety) three prizes 
of £10, £3, and £1, adding also a sweepstakes of 7s. 6d. each, 
for “ Game Cockerels,” to be divided into three prizes, after 
deducting Is. per pen towards expenses ; and another sweep- 
stakes of 5s. each for “ Game Bantam Cocks, of any age or 
colour,” on the same conditions. To enliven the exhibition, and 
afford purchasers an opportunity of judicious crossing, classes 
are opened for “ Pairs of Pullets,” in any variety of Dorking and 
Game, in each of which two prizes of 20 s. and 10s. are set down; 
in like manner, for “ Single Dorking Cocks of any variety,” 
similar amounts will be given; and Mr. Richard Benson gives 
£1 for a single Cochin-China cock (Cinnamon or Buff’), and 
another £1 for a single cock (Brown or Partridge). For Bantams 
generally, £1 and 10s. will be given in each class, excepting in 
“Game,” for which three prizes of £1 10s., 15s., and 10s., will 
be offered. In the Duck classes, £1 and 10s. are given ; and 
for “Ducklings” three prizes of £3, £2, and £1. In Geese and 
Turkeys,£land 10.?. will be given respectively; but for “Goslings,” 
£1 and 10s., with £1 added to the first prize, and 10s. to the 
second, by Arthur Pease, Esq., of Darlington. For “Turkey 
Poults,” the Society gives £2 and £1, Mr. Pease making a f imilar 
addition to these classes ; so that “ Goslings ” will be entitled to 
1 £2 and £1, and young Turkeys, £3, and £1 10s., which will 
i insure a fine show of these useful birds. Guinea Fowls remain 
as before, 10s. The Pigeon classes are put down at 15s. first 
prize, and 5s. second; but the “any variety class” has three 
prizes, of 15s., 5s., and 2s. 6 d., F. Mewburn, jun., Esq., adding 
20s. to the best pen of Carriers, Pouters, or Almonds, and the 
same amount to the best pen amongst all the other classes. 
The Council remain the same, but the stewards are changed, 
owing to death and absence, and iucreased for further efficiency; 
that body now being composed of Messrs. Joseph Stevenson, C.E., 
Robert Emmerson, William Watkin, David Thomas, William 
Thomas Robinson, and Robert Thornton, jun. Mr. John Hodgson 
continues his gratuitous and indefatigable services as honorary 
secretary. 
The Exhibition this year will be on the 12th, 13th, and 14th 
of December. 
PHEASANT MALAY FOWLS. 
I have received so many inquiries respecting the properties, 
plumage, and other characteristics of Pheasant Malay fowls, 
from persons residing in different parts of England, and even 
Ireland, that I am induced to ask you to allow me to answer 
these inquiries through your paper. 
The Pheasant Malays are fine largo birds, good layers, good 
sitters, very handsome in plumage, and of excellent flavour 
when on the table. Their eggs vary in size, though they 
generally measure from six to seven inches in circumference, 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, May 8, 1860. 93 
and are of rich flavour. The cock is a large-sized bird, of a 
dark-red colour, with a small comb and white legs. The hen is 
a beautiful bird, just like a cock Pheasant in all parts of the 
body, with a velvety-glossy daik neck, and with an appearance 
far superior, in my opinion, to other fowls. The legs are white, 
and also the skin. Those chickens hatched in June are always 
the best. I never wish to have any hatched before the SOtlr of 
that month. I find the Pheasant Malays are always very much 
admired by persons who have never seen the breed before, and 
they seem to belittle known in many districts.— Ranger. 
[The other part of your letter is an advertisement.] 
DETECTING UNFERTILE EGGS. 
A correspondent states in a recent number of The Cottage 
v Gardener that he has only nine chickens alive out of forty- 
seven eggs put under four hens. He and others would, perhaps, 
be glad to know how disappointment on the day of hatching 
may in a great measure be avoided, as well as eggs preserved 
instead of being wasted under hens. In other words, how it may 
be known for a certainty, at the end of the first week of sitting, 
which eggs have chickens forming in them, and which have not. 
The knowledge is of some value, for supposing you have two 
or three hens sitting at the same time, the fertile eggs can be put 
under one hen, and fresh eggs supplied to the others, and the 
unfertile ones even after they have been sat upon for a week, will 
be perfectly good for cooking purposes, though, probably, no 
persons will believe the fact until they have themselves made the 
trial. Last year, I put thirteen duck’s eggs under a hen. At the 
end of the first week I judged seven to be all right, and six not. 
The latter were removed and used, and six hen’s eggs put in their 
place ; and, in the end, I had a mixed brood of thirteen. This 
year I have removed at least a score of eggs without making a 
single mistake, and all I left had chickens. My plan is very 
simple. 
You must hold up the egg be¬ 
tween the forefinger and thumb 
i to the light of the sun or a candle ; 
when, if there is a chicken form- 
ing, you will observe a line, as in 
the annexed diagram, and the 
larger portion below the line will 
be dark. Whereas if it be an 
unfertile egg it will be light, 
almost as much so as when first 
put under the hen. If the shell 
be very clear and thin, you may 
observe the difference, even at the 
end of three days ; but at the 
end of a week you will be able 
to pass judgment unhesitatingly 
after a very little practice.— G. 
Montagu. 
EGGS FOR ONE SITTING. 
Having seen it stated in your columns that seven eggs are 
j enough for one hen, if I may bo allowed to give my opinion 
on the subject, I should say that as many as the hen can cover 
is the proper quantity. 
For example: I had two hens sit on the 3rd of April, one on 
seven, and the other on fifteen eggs. One chick was hatched from 
the seven, and fifteen from the other, every egg being good. I 
have another hen that is hatching whilst I am writing; there are 
sixteen good eggs out of seventeen.—A. F., An Amateur. 
[We said that in cold weather seven eggs at the most, are 
usually the most prolific, and we repeat that statement, because it 
is sustained by the general experience of poultry-keepers. In 
warm seasons, or if the hen is sitting in a very warm place during 
cold weather, a larger number of eggs may prove fertile.—E ds. 
C. G.] _ 
AILMENTS OF SPANISH FOWLS MOULTING. 
I keep two kinds of fowls, Dorkings and Spanish ; their 
roosts are in the same building but separate. One day the 
Spanish have a run in a small yard of rough-dug earth, and the 
next day they have a run in the fields,—a good grass run of 
twenty acres. Their roosts have asphalte floors, the perches 
