Th<  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
1057 
The  Henyard 
The  Black  Cochin  Fowl 
Below  is  a  picture  of  Black  Cochins 
■ — a  bird  not  very  familiar  to  most 
American  poultrymen.  This  picture  was 
sent  us  by  Stanley  L.  Adler  of  New  Jer¬ 
sey,  and  when  we  asked  him  to  tell  us 
something  about  this  breed,  Mr.  Adler  re¬ 
plied  : 
If  you  had  asked  me  for  information 
about  Buff  Cochins,  I  "would  have  been 
glad  to  howl  with  the  best  of  ’em,  but 
when  it  comes  to  the  Blacks,  I  feel  like 
the  African  farmer  in  the  story.  An 
American  was  presented  to  a  large  Afri¬ 
can  landowner  who  was  visiting  the 
country. 
“Tell  me  something  about  your  farm  in 
Africa,”  said  the  American. 
“Have  you  ever  been  in  Africa?”  asked 
the  visitor. 
“No,  I  never  have,”  said  the  American. 
“Well,  then  I  can  talk  freely,”  com¬ 
mented  the  African,  and  got  down  to  busi¬ 
ness. 
Still,  since  there  seem  to  be  so  few 
qualified  to  discuss  Black  Cochins,  I  will 
give  an  opinion  for  what  it  is  worth  and 
let  it  go  at  that. 
You  say  you  assume  that  as  far  as 
shape  and  general  character  is  concerned 
the  Blacks  are  much  like  the  Buffs.  Yet 
I  hardly  think  that  you  would  find  many 
breeders  of  the  Blacks  so  sanguine.  The 
Black  Cochin  is  essentially  a  smaller  bird 
and  tends  to  tight  feathering  and  erect, 
high-chested  bearing.  This  may  be  partly 
due  to  the  fact  that  most  of  the  breeding 
stock  of  this  variety  comes  from  England, 
where  they  breed  for  vulture  hocks  and 
tall,  leggy  station  ;  but  I  believe  that  it  is 
the  inherent  nature  of  the  variety,  and 
that  it  is  impossible  to  get  the  massive¬ 
ness  and  looseness  of  feather  in  the 
Blacks  that  is  so  characteristic  of  the 
Buffs.  There  are  also  complications  in 
attaining  the  desirable  color.  When  thc- 
Blaeks  are  bred  for  extreme  looseness  of 
feather,  there  seems  to  be  a  tendency  to¬ 
wards  light  under-color,  and  when  solid 
black  under-color  is  obtained  the  birds 
run  to  tight  feathering  and  the  concomi¬ 
tant  tall,  heggy  appearance.  The  most 
massive  Blacks  I  have  seen  were  a  kind 
of  dirty  gray  even  in  surface  color.  When 
the  Blacks  have  the  desirable  green  black 
exhibition  sheen  that  my  birds  show7,  the 
males  seem  to  run  only  fairly  fluffy  and 
rather  tall.  The  hens  are  very  loose- 
feathered  and  true  to  type,  but  rather 
small  in  size. 
In  regard  to  the  origin  of  the  black 
color,  it  seems  that  the  original  Cochin 
fowls  ran  in  all  combs  and  all  colors.  The 
predecessors  of  the  Buffs  were  brought  to 
England  in  1843,  and  the  Blacks  were 
not  introduced  until  several  years  later. 
They  seem  to  have  been  an  original  va¬ 
riety  of  the  Cochin  fowl.  Due  to  the  dif¬ 
ficulty  of  breeding  them  true  to  type, 
they  were  later  largely  supplanted  by  the 
Black  Langshans  when  that  breed  was 
developed. 
As  to  the  characteristics  of  the  Black 
Cochins,  they  are  good  Winter  layers  of 
eggs  not  quite  so  large  as  those  of  the 
Buffs.  They  are  friendly  and  easy  to 
handle.  Like  all  Cochins,  they  are  un¬ 
usual  sitters  and  rearers  of  broods.  Even 
on  the  coldest  mornings  I  have  failed  to 
see  any  signs  of  frostbite  on  their  head- 
gear,  though  their  combs  are  finer  in  tex¬ 
ture  and  less  coarse  than  many  breeds  of 
fowls  bred  to  withstand  exposure.  •  It  is 
interesting  to  note  that,  according  to  the 
standard,  the  most  popular  American 
utility  breed — the  Barred  Plymouth  Rock 
— is  derived  from  the  Black  Cochin. 
STANLEY  t.  ADLER. 
Forcing  a  Molt 
We  are  engaged  in  the  poultry  business 
for  egg  production,  and  want  to  have  our 
chickens  lay  extra  well  in  the  Fall  when 
eggs  hover  around  top-notch  quotations. 
In  order  to  accomplish  this  result,  some 
of  our  poultrymen  around  here  argue  that 
the  only  way  to  do  it  is  to  force  entire 
flock  into  an  early  molt,  and  not  wait  for 
the,  natural  process;  thereby  the  flock 
will  go  through  the  molt  early  and  begin 
to  lay  when  eggs  are  extremely  high. 
While  this  is  theoretically  true,  the  ques¬ 
tion  is  how  this  unnatural  forced  molt 
will  affect  the  hens  in  time  to  come.  I 
personally  believe  that  anybody  who  vio¬ 
lates  the  laws  of  nature  is  bound  to  pay 
for  it  in  the  end.  One  of  our  neighbors 
had  his  entire  flock  of  1.000  birds  in  a 
molt  in  early  July.  He  .claims  it  is  the 
only  w7ay  to  make  money  in  the  chicken 
business.  (Will  you  give  us  your  large 
experience  on  that  point?  j.  n.  l. 
Pennsylvania. 
The  best  test  of  any  method  is  trying  it 
out  over  a  sufficiently  long  period  of  time 
to  avoid  the  errors  in  conclusions  that 
are  sure  to  arise  from  insufficient  data. 
If  your  neighbors  have  succeded  in  pro¬ 
ducing  greater  profits  over  a  period  of 
years  by  forcing  a  molt,  it  is  pretty 
good  evidence  that  the  method  may  be 
used  to  advantage,  but,  before  trying  it, 
we  should  want  to  be  pretty  sure  that 
better  results  had  been  obtained. 
The  only  data  that  we  have  on  the  sub¬ 
ject  are  the  published  conclusions  of  an 
experiment  station  where  this  was  tried 
out  some  years  ago  and  abandoned  as  im¬ 
practicable  and  unprofitable.  The  tests 
of  this  station  showed  that  any  effort  to 
control  molting  and  vary  the  period  of 
its  occurrence  resulted  unfavorably  when 
the  year’s  production  was  considered,  and 
the  practice  was  abandoned. 
Such  questions  need  never  be  consid¬ 
ered  irrevocably  settled,  however,  and 
your  neighbors  who  have  tried  this  one 
out  may  be  justified  in  their  conclusions. 
We  can’t  recommend  the  practice,  or  any 
other  method  than  temporary  “starva¬ 
tion”  in  bringing  it  about.  If  you  wish 
to  try  it,  it  will  have  to  be  at  your  own 
risk.  m.  b.  D. 
Ailing  Pullets 
I  have  100  Black  (liants  three  months 
old ;  weight  3  lbs.  The  past  week  they 
seem  to  be  going  light,  feathers  rough, 
combs  turn  black,  just  a  little  red  show¬ 
ing  through.  Droppings  are  from  a  dark 
yellow  and  brown  to  white  liquid.  They 
crave  water,  try  to  pick,  but  do  not  eat 
anything.  Crop  seems  full  of  watery 
pus.  They  lie  down  most  of  the  time ; 
when  they  walk,  take  a  step,  hesitate, 
and  drag  their  toes  as  if  too  weak  to  lift 
the  foot.  They  have  a  new  house ;  have 
changed  yard  three  times.  They  have 
fine  water  all  the  time.  I  bought  some 
feeds  from  a  neighbor  who  had  finished 
with  chickens ;  meat  scraps,  oats,  bran 
and  ground  oats,  and  have  fed  them  that 
for  the  past  three  weeks  as  a  dry  mash. 
Waterbury,  Conn.  j.  j. 
This  looks  as  though  the  flock  had  got 
hold  of  some  spoiled  food,  though,  of 
course,  there  may  be  some  other  cause 
of  trouble.  Three-months-old  chicks  that 
have  always  been  apparently  healthy  and 
thrifty  should  not  suddenly  become  sick, 
and  there  must  be  some  good  reason  for 
it.  Examine  the  food  given  carefully.  See 
that  the  meat  scrap  in  the  mash,  or  some 
other  ingredient,  has  not  become  spoiled 
or  musty.  Warm  a  little  in  the  palm  of 
the  closed  hand  and  smell  of  it.  it 
should  not  have  the  odor  of  decaying  or 
musty  meat.  Examine  the  whole  grains 
fed,  also,  and  see  to  it  that  the  flock  has 
not  obtained  access  to  putrid  drinking 
water  or  some  decaying  carcass  of  a  rat 
or  other  vermin.  Only  an  examination 
of  your  surroundings  is  likely  to  disclose 
the  cause  of  the  trouble.  It  may  be  well 
to  give  this  flock  a  cleaning  out  dose  of 
Epsom  salts.  For  this  purpose,  dissolve 
Vi  lb.  of  salts  in  a  little  water  and  mix 
with  a  moist  mash,  taking  care  that  each 
bird  gets  its  share.  Then  feed  lightly  for 
a  time  upon  soft  food  that  you  know  is 
free  from  any  taint.  M.  B.  D. 
She  (seated  in  park)  :  “Oh,  Bob,  we’d 
better  be  going.  I’m  sure  I  felt  a  rain¬ 
drop.”  He :  “Nonsense,  dear ;  we  are 
under  a  weeping  willow.” — Boston  Even¬ 
ing.  Transcript. 
DO  YOU  NEED  FARM  HELP? 
We  have  able-bodied  Jewish  youngmen,  most¬ 
ly  without  experience,  who  wish  to  work  on 
farms.  If  you  need  a  good,  steady  man,  write 
for  an  order  blank.  Ours  is  not  a  commercial 
employment  agency,  and  we  make  no  charge 
to  employer  or  employee. 
THE  JEWISH  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY, INC. 
176  Second  Avenue  New  York  City 
Subscribers’  Exchange 
Other  Advertisements  of  Subscribers 
Exchange  will  be  found  on  page  1059. 
FOR  SALE— Higgins  homestead  on  Fire  Hill 
road,  one  mile  soutli  of  Spencertown,  Colum¬ 
bia  County,  N.  Y.;  135  acres;  valuable  wood- 
lot;  large  house  and  barns;  unfailing  spring 
water;  a  productive  farm  or  would  make  fine 
country  estate.  L.  R.  HIGGINS,  R.F.D.  I, 
Chatham,  N.  Y. 
WANTED — Commuter’s  home  in  country  in 
New  Jersey;  must  be  on  main  auto  road; 
state  price.  C.  PRETJSS,  415  Charlotte  Place, 
Glendale,  L.  I.,  N.  Y. 
FARM  FOR  SALE,  160  acres,  in  good  fertility, 
30  acres  woodland,  balance  in  tillable  land; 
young  apple  orchard,  120  trees,  other  fruit; 
price  $3,500.  CLOSSON  BROS.,  Hillsdale,  Col. 
Co.,  N.  Y. 
FOR  SALE — Two  farms  containing  170  acres, 
some  woodland,  20  good  cow's,  crops  and 
tools;  silo  on  each  farm;  farms  adjoining; 
cement  floor  in  stable;  plenty  of  water;  good 
orchard;  hen  house;  3  miles  to  a  beautiful  vil¬ 
lage,  population  3,000;  one  house  large  enough 
for  two  families,  cost  $5,000  to  duplicate;  if 
interested  direct  LOCK  BOX  687,  Sidney,  N.  Y. 
EQUIPPED  poultry  farm,  edge  of  town,  on  ce¬ 
ment  boulevard;  housing  capacity  3.500  hens, 
4,000  chicks;  6,400-egg  Wishbone  Incubator; 
electric  lights,  complete  milling  machinery; 
mild  climate;  thickly  settled  poultry  com¬ 
munity;  large  well-built  residence;  near  beau¬ 
tiful  lake;  nine  acres  set  to  apple  trees;  a 
money-maker;  $11,000,  $5,000  cash.  W.  HEEB- 
NEIt,  Milford,  Del. 
DAIRY  and  truck  farm,  70  acres,  20  head  stock, 
good  team;  milk  $4.50  per  hundred;  best  of 
markets,  established  trade;  good  income  from 
the  start.  ADVERTISER  3777,  care  Rural 
New-Yorker. 
V/ANTED — Small  farm  near  markets;  cheap 
price;  description.  JONES,  085  Fulton  St., 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
WANTED — Free  rent  and  division  of  proceeds 
from  small  place;  8-room  house,  running  water, 
etc.;  State  road;  to  middle-aged  couple  who 
know  country  life,  have  limited  means  and  do 
not  want  to  work  hard  for  boarding  owner.  W, 
IIANDEL,  R.F.D.  1,  Seymour,  Conn. 
MONMOUTH  COUNTY  FARM  —  A  little  over 
200  acres,  half  tillable,  pasture  meadow,  good 
deal  of  timber,  including  hard  woods,  abund¬ 
ance  of  water  near  all  fields;  soil  superior  for 
potatoes,  corn  and  grass,  some  for  trucking; 
about  900  apple  trees,  the  majority  of  them 
choicest  varieties  lately  come  into  bearing,  now 
carrying  heavy  crop;  dwelling  house  old,  but  in 
fair  condition;  barns  and  other  farm  buildings; 
market  for  potatoes  at  shipping  station  two 
miles  distant;  would  make  excellent  stock  farm; 
now  leased  on  shares  till  next  March;  farm 
has  been  in  possession  of  family  over  100  years; 
will  sacrifice  for  $7,600  cash,  balance  on  mort¬ 
gage  at  5  per  cent:  price  includes  growing 
crops.  B.  C.  TAYLOR,  Red  Rank,  N.  J. 
WANTED  TO  RENT  with  option  of  purchase, 
small  farm — fruit,  poultry,  pasture,  fuel, 
suitable  buildings,  desirable  location,  healthy, 
cheap.  TENANT,  Box  2,  R.F.D.,  New’  City, 
N.  Y, 
FOR  SALE — My  farm  of  87  acres  In  Western 
New  York,  2  miles  from  good  market  on 
State  road;  well  adapted  for  berries  and  gar¬ 
dening;  good  buildings,  good  wells,  beautiful 
location;  fruit  and  wood;  a  very  choice  place; 
write  for  particulars;  price  $11,000.  JESSE  I.. 
MOREHOUSE,  R.F.D.  1,  Seneca  Falls,  N.  Y. 
GENTLEMAN’S  farm  for  rent  or  sale;  Mon- 
tauk  Highway;  30  acres,  cleared,  good  land; 
nine  rooms,  furnished,  all  improvements;  barn, 
garage,  chicken  house;  rent  $75  a  month.  MRS. 
W.  B.  HOTCHKISS,  Brookfiaven,  L.  I.,  N.  Y. 
WIDOW  with  daughter  18  years,  son  8,  daugh¬ 
ter  6  and  baby  9  months,  old  wants  farm 
boarding  house  where  everything  is  furnished; 
close  to  school;  give  full  particulars  and  wages 
in  first  letter.  ADVERTISER  3787,  care  Rural 
New-Yorker. 
LARGE  FRUIT  FARM — 180  acres,  30  acres 
grapes,  apple  orchards,  pears,  small  fruit, 
berries;  5  acres  asparagus;  fine  hay  and  grain 
field;  good  timber;  excellent  water  supply; 
12-room  house  with  improvements;  good  out¬ 
buildings;  near  State  road;  1  mile  to  station; 
good  markets;  real  money  making  farm;  price 
including  crops,  live  stock  and  farm  imple¬ 
ments,  $28,000.  Address  OWNER,  Box  23, 
Ulster  Park,  N.  Y. 
WANTED — One  man  farm,  about  50  acres;  SO 
acres  good  tillable  soil,  no  stones  and  not 
very  hilly,  rest  woods  and  pasture;  fair  build¬ 
ings;  good  water;  fruit  for  family  use;  adapted 
to  strawberries  and  poultry;  near  high  school 
and  State  road;  possession  October  1;  want 
equipment;  cash  deal.  Address  ADVERTISER 
3789,  care  Rural  New-Yorker, 
Miscellaneous 
HONEY — Pure,  extracted,  postpaid  first  three 
zones;  clover.  5  lbs.,  $1.25;  10  lbs.,  $2.15; 
buckwheat,  5  lbs.,  $1;  10  lbs..  $1.80;  satisfac¬ 
tion  guaranteed.  WALNUT  ORCHARD.  FARM, 
Ithaca,  N.  Y. 
HOMES  WANTED — There  is  no  greater  charity 
than  to  offer  a  home  to  a  friendless,  deserving 
boy  between  the  ages  of  7  and  12  years;  this 
is  real  charity,  and  we  earnestly  solicit  the  co¬ 
operation  of  Catholic  families  (New  York  State 
only.)  Address  PLACING  OUT  BUREAU,  415 
Broome  St.,  New  York  City. 
FOR  SALE  —  Keystone  traction  driller,  full 
equipment,  cheap;  good  all  around  practical 
operator  wanted  for  No.  5  machine;  references. 
T.  S.  MOORE,  Stockton,  N.  J. 
SLEEP  on  Adirondack  balsam  pillow;  soothing, 
refreshing,  invigorating;  pleasing  gift  for 
shut-in  friends  or  well  ones;  packed  fresh,  cre¬ 
tonne  cover,  3  lbs.,  $1.25,  prepaid;  check  with 
order.  HANNAH  PAYNE,  No.  2,  Raquette 
Lake,  N.  Y. 
NEW  HONEY — Fine  1923  clover,  one  60-lb.  can 
here,  $8.40;  two,  $15.60;  10  lbs.  prepaid  with¬ 
in  3d  zone,  $2.15;  attractive  prices  on  large 
lots,  especially  5-lb.  pails.  RAY  C.  WILCOX, 
Odessa,  N.  Y. 
AVOCADOS,  10  lbs.  net,  delivered,  $3;  5  lbs 
net,  delivered,  $1.75.  J.  M.  BAUER,  Grower 
Redland,  Fla. 
CHEMICAL  ANALYSES — -Soil,  water,  minerals, 
foodstuffs — all  sorts  of  agricultural  products 
analyzed;  write  for  prices,  estimates,  etc.  C. 
WINCIIELL,  16%  Glenwood  Ave.,  Jersey  City, 
N.  J. 
HONEY— New  clover  honey,  postpaid,  5  lbs. 
$1.10;  10  lbs.,  $2.  M.  BALLARD,  Roxbury, 
N.  Y. 
BOARDERS  WANTED  —  Near  New  Paltz, 
adults:  fresh  eggs,  milk,  vegetables.  AD¬ 
VERTISER  3753,  care  Rural  New-Yorker. 
STANDARD  varieties  apples,  cider,  etc.  BU¬ 
CHAN  FRUIT  CO.,  Waterville,  Nova  Scotia. 
CIDER  JELLY,  $1  per  5-lb.  pail,  delivered,  first 
two  zones;  $1.06,  third  zone;  maple 
sugar  sold  also.  AUGUSTUS  ALDRICH,  R.F.D. 
3,  Springfield,  Vt. 
FOR  SALE — Choice  white  clover  extracted 
honey,  5-lb.  pail  $1.15;  10-lb.  pail  $2.15;  de¬ 
livered  to  third  postal  zone.  NOAH  BORD- 
NER,  Holgate,  Ohio. 
WANTED — -100  fence  posts,  eight  feet  long 
oak,  locust,  chestnut.  WEEKS,  532,  Cedar 
hurst,  N.  Y. 
BOARDERS  WANTED — Riverside  Farm  House, 
in  heart  of  the  Catskills:  fishing,  swimming, 
own  vegetables,  home  cooking;  Catholic  church 
four  miles,  Methodist  one-fourth  of  a  mile. 
HERBERT  G.  SHAVER,  Pepacton,  Del.  Co., 
N.  Y. 
FOR  SALE  —  31,200-egg  Wishbone  incubator, 
used  two  seasons,  guaranteed  in  A1  condition, 
will  sell  all  or  part;  also  Candee,  2,400-egg  size, 
incubator  in  good  condition,  will  sell  cheap  to 
quick  buyer.  J.  N.  NACE,  Richfield,  Pa. 
NEW  clover  honey,  fine  quality;  in  60-lb.  cans, 
$7.50:  20-lb.,  $3.60,  f.o.b.  G.  W.  BELDEN, 
Berkshire,  N.  Y. 
FOR  SALE — Store  and  stock ;  no  chain  store 
competition;  information  on  request.  BOX 
210,  Lexington,  N.  Y. 
FOR  SALE — Deleo  electric  light  plant,  32  volts, 
in  perfect  condition,  with  exception  of  bat¬ 
tery;  price  reasonable.  R.  HEALY,  Cold  Spring, 
Putnam  County,  N.  Y. 
WANTED — Home  for  six  horses  in  Orange 
County;  1,500  to  1,600  pounds;  all  kind, 
sound  and  good  wind;  average  age  12  years; 
parties  taking  same  must  furnish  responsible 
references,  as  horses  are  not  to  be  sold  or 
disposed  of:  horses  will  be  given  to  those  who 
will  use  them  on  farm  work  exclusively  and 
be  subject  to  inspection  at  any  time;  should 
horses  become  unfit  for  service  at  any  time 
donor  to  be  notified  at  once.  JAMES  PEOPLES 
211  West.  St.,  New  York  City. 
WANTED — Buckeye  incubator  No.  0  or  8.  Ad¬ 
dress  ADVERTISER  3776,  care  Rural  New- 
Yorker. 
WANTED — One  second-hand  saw  dust  blower 
and  one  saw  mill  gauge  roller:  must  be  in 
good  condition.  J.  LYNNE  GOODING,  Clemons, 
N.  Y. 
WANTED — Ensilage  cutter  including  blowpipe; 
must  be  in  good  condition,  ready  for  opera¬ 
tion:  state  make,  capacity,  w'eight,  and  how 
mounted.  ADVERTISER  3779,  care  Rural  New- 
Yorker. 
DELICIOUS  CARAMELS — Pure  and  wholesome 
made  after  a  famous  recipe;  pound  box  post¬ 
paid.  $1.  IDLEWOOD  CARAMELS,  Hillsdale, 
N.  J. 
CROCHETED  pillow  cases,  good  muslin,  18x33, 
$3  pair  delivered.  MRS.  R.  A,  BROWN, 
Riverbead,  N.  Y. 
