FANCIERS JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 

195 




(For Fanciers’ Journal.) 
BLACK HAMBURGS. 
. THESE fowls are as yet, perhaps, less known than any of 
their class, and a few words may therefore be in place as to 
their merits, which will no doubt make them popular when 
recognized. They combine great utility with extraordinary 
beauty, being unsurpassed as continuous layers of large eggs 
(not as large as the Spanish, as some have said), which they 
yield almost all the year round, and standing first of all 
black fowls for grace of shape and brillianey of plumage. 
As table birds they are excellent, plump, juicy, and, like 
Games, always fat enough to kill as they run. They also 
resemble Games in looking lighter than they weigh; their 
neat plumage and compact shape accounting for this. 
Cocks weigh five and a half to six pounds, and hens aver- 
age four, fully matured. The chicks of this breed are easily 
raised, feathering evenly and in proportion to their strength ; 
neither running naked for weeks, like Spanish, or putting 
all their strength into wings, like young Games. May pul- 
lets will lay in November, and all winter with proper care; 
i. e., plenty to eat and good shelter. They, in common with 
all fowls, have a high appreciation of full liberty; but I 
have found them bear confinement as well as any but Asiatics, 
and better than Games and the other varieties of Hamburgs. 
In this vicinity I have found them better layers than 
Spanish in the very hot and very cold months. They have 
the fault of being great flyers, and liking to lay astray; but 
I have found mine easy to make tame, and by making nests 
in barrels, &c., near their houses, and leaving nest eggs in 
them, I manage to persuade them to select my choice of 
nests. Rose Comp. 
New York, March 7, 1874. 

(For Fanciers’ Journal.) 
UTILITY AND PROFIT OF FOWLS. 
WHEN the very interesting subject of fowls is broached, 
the following remark, or something similar to it, is often 
heard: ‘ Fowlsare of no use; they are dirty, require care, and, 
above all, do not pay.’’? In fact, this seems to be the pre- 
vailing opinion among “‘non-fanciers.”” The remark comes, 
perhaps, from one who has never kept fowls, or it may be 
from one who has kept them; but from whichever of these 
the remark emanates, it is useless to say it is substantially 
incorrect. In the first place, he contends, ‘‘ Fowls are of no 
use.’’ Now, for a man to say this is absurd, to say the least. 
Hardly a day passes without our friend partaking of some 
article of food partially composed of the products of poultry, 
and as for the fowls themselves, they are invaluable for the 
table; this, combined with the fact that, if our friend has 
‘leisure time to examine his stock, or is surrounded by children 

who have leisure time to examine it, he or they may learn 
a great many lessons of value from the poultry, makes it 
plain that fowls are of some use, and we may proceed. 
Again, he says, ‘‘ They are dirty.” Now, that all animals 
are dirty to a greater or less extent it is needless to remind 
our readers; but how absurd it would be for a farmer to give 
up his sheep or cattle because they ‘‘are dirty.” 
Fowls, with a little attention every day (mark the words), 
are as clean as any of our domestic animals, if not cleaner. 
The fowl, when in good health, will keep bim or herself 
cleaner than any mortal could keep him or herself, so that 
all the birds want is to have their pen or inclosure cleaned 
every day. But some say we cannot spare the time every 
day to clean our hen-houses. Let me tell them that ten 
minutes or a quarter of an hour will suffice to clean a 
very large hen-house, provided it is done actually every day. 
Where the. floors are covered with sand or earth, it is 
perhaps unnecessary to clean your house out so often. But 
our uninitiated friends make another objection, viz.: ‘‘ Fowls 
require care.’’ Now, in the first place, it is perfectly use- 
less for a man to keep fowls unless he has a natural love for 
e : 
pets, for the reason that such a man is almost sure to leave 
the care of his fowls to some servant, who takes no special 
interest in the fowls, and then his birds are a most miserable 
failure; so that unless the care bestowed on his fowls is a 
pleasure, he can derive no profit, and must give them up 
at once. But when the management of his birds becomes 
a pleasure, as it does to an ardent fancier, then the care 
ceases, so the argument of our antagonist is done away 
with, and instead of being a care, they become a great and 
ever-increasing amusement. 
Lastly, he says, ‘‘ Fowls do not pay.’’ There is very little 
to be added to the substantial proofs on this subject; let our 
friend look at the poultry papers and read the accounts of the 
profits on fowls. There are plenty of men who have made 
them pay, we should judge as well, if not better, than sheep, 
pigs or cattle, with far less trouble. 
Let no one therefore make the excuse for not keeping 
poultry that they ‘“‘do not pay,’’ when such tremendous 
prices are realized from sales of first-class birds and their 
eggs. Our friend may keep any breed, or he may keep 
dunghills, but whatever he keeps, if he keeps them right, 
they will pay; if he does not keep them right they will not 
pay, but will become an unnecessary evil, costing more than 
they come to, and doing more harm than good, 
If a man procures a dozen hens and a cock, and puts them 
ina yard, leaving them to the care of an uriinterested servant, 
they become a burden and expense to him; whereas, if he 
looks after them a little himself, the little trouble it costs 
him is nothing compared to the satisfaction he will have on 
seeing that his profits have been much more than his losses. 
Hoping that we have not trespassed too much on your 
valuable and successful Jowrnal, I remain, yours truly, 
Bruack Rep. 
New York, March 13, 1874. 
—____+ 2. om +______ 
(For Fanciers’ Journal.) 
SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT FOWLS AND “FOWL” 
MATTERS. 
FRIEND WADE. 
Dear Srr: AsI try to keep posted on all matters per- 
taining to fancy fowls and pigeons, I would like to ask a few 
questions, and have you or some of your many readers answer 
them through the Fanciers’ Journal 
