August 1, 1907 
In mating, it is better to mate up two 
separate pens for pullet and cockerel 
breeding, taking for the pullet breeding 
pens hens as near perfection as obtain- 
able. mated with a cock of pullet breeding 
strain, inclined to be laced rather than 
stripped on top, and possessing a soundly 
laced breast He should also have perfect 
wing bar, and he laced on the edge of 
every flig t feather. 
For the cockerel breeding pen procure 
a cockerel as near the ideal as possible, 
and mate with big good-shaped hens, 
good in head points, big and shapely. 
soundly laced on breast, with well striked 
hackle and black tail. A little mossiness 
in cushion is no detriment. 
We have not as yet had the perfect 
bird (although some of the best in the 
old country come very near it), so I will 
point out what I consider the most serious 
and prevalent faults, and those to be 
guarded against by breeders, In_ the 
male, one of the chief failures is bad top 
colour and sootiness in saddle and hackle. 
This is one of the most difficult points to 
breed out, and fanciers should pay more 
attention to this, as nine out of every ,en 
Silver cocks I have seen failed more o 
less in this respect. The back should be 
pure silver, and the hackle and sickles 
silvery white, with a black stripe down 
centre. A bird with black tipped or 
spangled hackle is to be avoided. Many 
cocks fail in breast, and a bird with a 
breast full of sound lacing from throat 
down to thighs and hocks is hard to get. 
Many that are sound up into throat run 
out at bottom of breast, and others, again, 
sound at bottom of breast, and well li ced 
on to thighs and hocks, are black in throat, 
Most of these defects apply equally in the 
female, but the wors, fault, and one that 
is very prevalent, is mossiness on cushion. 
Here, again, breeders will find a difficulty 
in producing birds entirely free from this. 
THe Gotpen WYANDOTTE. 
The origin of the Golden Wyandotte is 
somewhat uncertain, and as it was some 
five years after the Silver that it was 
brought out, some say that it was pro- 
duced by crossing Silvers with a breed 
known in America as Winnebagoes. 
Whatever their origin, there is no doubt 
that they are one of the most useful and 
popular varieties, and a more useful all- 
round fowl uno fancier need wish for. In 
England there is always a ready market 
for good binds of this color, and as the 
advantages to be derived from breeding 
pure bred stock are more generally recog- 
nised, I think Golds will take one of the 
leading places, as the hot sun has not 
such a damaging effect on the plumage of 
the exhibition birds as on that of some 
other colors. The hens are first class, all 
the yevrr round layers, and good ‘sitters 
and mothers. The chicks ar3 hardy and 
grow quickly, and the cockerels when fat 
are excellent table birds. The pullets 
mature quickly, and commence laying at 
from five to six months old. The eggs 
are a nice shade of brown, and although 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
some people complain that they are none 
too big. what is lacking in size is made 
up in quantity. It is not necessary to go 
over the ground again in all details, as if 
a rich golden bay ground color is substi 
tuted for the white ground color in the 
Silver, the general characteristics are the 
same. The cock should have rich golden 
bay neck hackle, with distinct black stripe 
as in the Silver, and saddle hackle should 
correspond in shade. The wing bow and 
shoulder color should be a rich goideu 
bay. bars and flights same color as breast, 
with lustaous black lacing; tail black ; 
breast bright rich bay, with lacing as in 
Silvers; shanks bright yellow, free from 
dark shade or spots. The same descrip- 
tion applies to female, with allowance for 
difference in sex, with back and cushion 
laced game as breast, and centres of 
feathers free from mossiness. A little 
latitude as to depth of color is allowed, 
providing it is the same shade all through, 
and the lacing clear and well defined. A 
yreat defect that appears in many of the 
strrins of Golds is a comb deficient in 
spike or pea comb, which I think was 
introduced by the breed being crossed 
with Indian Game to obtain depth of 
color. In selecting birds for the breeding 
pens, the same remarks apply in Silvers 
as regards laciny, but in Golds care 
should be taken that the ground color is 
rich, bright and even all through, and 
hens for cockerel breeding hould be good 
in hackles, lacing on cushion haavy, giving 
rather a dark appearance, and a little 
mossiness in feathers is no detriment. 
(To be continued). 
—_—_—_—$———— 
Chicken Pox. 
(Ashe IEE WY, Hawxrns.) 
Numerous enquiries are reaching ma 
concerning a.disease not uncommon at 
this time of year—Pouitry Favus—or 
what is usually known amongst poultry 
keepers as Chicken Pox. As the out- 
break this year is apparently so wide- 
spread, it would appear opportune to 
briefly describe the symptoms and methods 
of treatment, as by neglecting the disease 
in its early stages the birds become emaci 
ated and fail to respond to treatment, 
One of the principal causes of this com- 
plaint is that of over-crowding in damp 
or filthy runs and houses. The disease 
usually attacks young birds, especially 
those hatched late. It rarely affects adult 
birds, and the breeds most subject to it 
are:—The Cochin, Brahma, Orpington, 
and Wyandotte, and very often those 
breeds which carry heavy combs, such as 
the Leghorn, Minorca, and Dorking. 
Many fine specimens of the latter breeds 
lose the tip of the spike, especially if the 
affected birds are not hobbled. ‘The 
disease is one that greatly irritates, and 
the more the birds scratch the parts 
affected, the more rapidly do the spores 
spread, until the birds become a mass of 
sores, or, what appears to the casual 
observer, warts. The first. symptoms 
I5 
which every amateur may detect are loss. 
of appetite and a great thirst. The birds. 
should at once be isolated ahd allowed no 
water for two days at least, and be given 
only soft food (pollard and bran moistened 
with skim milk) and plenty of finely cut 
raw onion, 
Minute, pale yellowish spots, cup-like- 
but irregular in form, appear on the 
comb, often on the wattles aud at times 
on the eyelids. The latter are the most 
troublesome to deal with, and it is abso- 
lutely necessary that the birds should be 
hobbled. This can be done by tying a 
piece of tape around the ankle—the joint — 
above the foot, and below the fourth toe 
—except those breeds having five toes 
such. as the Favorelle, Dorking, and 
Houdan breeds ; in these cases the tying 
should be between fourth and fifth toes 
so as to prevent the tape slipplng up the 
shank. 
Remedy.—Bathe the head and face 
with a weak solusion of permanganate of 
potash. Make a paste of the following 
and apply to al. parts affected :—Sufficient 
sulphur to fill a small pill box, enough 
boracic acid that will go ou a threepenny- 
piece and five drops of eucalyptus oil with 
sufficient soft soap or vaseline to make a 
paste, mix thoronghly together and apply 
with a small camel hair brush. Do not 
allow the hands if cut or scratched to 
come in contact with the crusty wart, A 
good and safe preventive from contagion 
is to uso an antiseptic, consisting of either 
a 3 per cent. solution of phenyle or lysol, 
in which the hands should be rinsed. All 
houses should be thoroughly fumigated 
with buri.t sulphur and floors sprinkled 
with lime. With care there need be little 
to fear, but children should cn no account 
be allowed to handle the fowls so affected, 
neither should any person with an in,ured 
finger, as the disease is far from pleasant. 
The irritation and sudden sickness which 
follow are very disiressing. Four to five 
days will effect a cura when it will be 
seen that the crusts will fall off and the 
birds’ appetites will return. A tonic-in 
the water should at once be given, viz. :— 
To 2 gallons of water add 80 to 90 drops 
of sulphuric acid (poison) and 1} to 2 ozs, 
sulphate of iron: allow same to remain a 
few hours, after which stir well and give 
all the birds on the farm as much as they 
will readily drink. This will prevent the 
disease spreading and wll tone up the 
flock. 
Although the complaint is not serious, 
yet if neglected it is sure to turn to that 
dreaded disease—roup—attacks of which 
ase more often fatal than any other ail. 
ment nf poultry in Australia. Damp 
houses are the primary cause: crowded 
yards, such as are often noticeable in our © 
suburban aaeas, are also responsible for 
serious complaints, especially at this time 
of year. I would again remind cottagers 
of the absolute necessity of sweeping up 
the droppings daily ann of the urgent 
necessity of sprinkling lime about the 
yards ;: not more than twenty birds should 
be kept in a yard of less than 50 x 25 at 
