428 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  31,  1895, 
Op  table  poultry  we  have  had  most  difficulty  in  obtaining 
anything  like  a  full  supply  of  really  first-class  chickens. 
There  may  be  plenty  of  healthy  cockerels  and  pullets,  but  the 
difficulty  is  to  have  them  with  white  flesh,  fine  white  skin,  deep 
fleshy  breasts,  straight  breast-bones,  small  legs,  well  fatted,  and 
of  an  attractive,  refined  appearance.  It  is  not  large,  coarse 
birds  that  are  wanted,  but  rather  birds  of  medium  size  and  high 
quality.  Of  pure  breeds  we  prefer  White  and  Silver-grey 
Dorkings,  neat  and  plump  if  smallish  birds  ;  they  are  satisfactory 
when  selected  with  care  and  skilfufiy  fattened. 
Indian  Game  under  similar  treatment  are  often  excellent, 
especially  when  so  fattened  as  to  get  rid  of  very  much  of  the 
objectionable  yellow  skin.  They  are  always  plump,  excellent 
eating,  and  well  repay  one  for  all  the  care  that  can  be  bestowed 
on  them.  Ground  Oats  mixed  with  milk  should  be  given 
them  early,  before  they  are  large  enough  for  the  actual  fattening, 
which  is  usually  done  when  they  are  in  confinement,  by  cramming 
them  with  a  mixture  of  ground  Oats,  milk,  and  mutton  fat.  If 
only  due  care  is  exercised  with  the  food  we  do  not  usually  shut 
them  up  for  fattening,  recourse  only  being  had  to  fattening 
coops  to  bring  on  special  batches  of  birds  to  keep  up  the  supply. 
Some  of  the  best  table  birds  are  cross-bred  Indian  Game- 
Dorkings  that  were  never  confined. 
In  cross-breeding  for  table  we  have  found  it  of  especial 
importance  to  select  the  hens  very  carefully,  as  they  undoubtedly 
do  affect  the  chickens  very  materially.  A  hen  with  coarse  skin, 
or  skin  of  bad  colour,  or  blemish  of  any  sort,  should  never  be 
reserved  for  breeding  It  is  only  by  the  exercise  of  much  care 
and  a  resolute  discarding  of  every  faulty  hen  that  high-class 
chickens  can  be  bred  How  difficult  this  is  may  be  realised  best, 
perhaps,  at  such  fn  exhibition  of  table  poultry  as  that  at  the 
recent  London  Dairy  show.  Cross-bred  poultry  were  largely 
exhibited,  but  even  among  Indian  Game  Dorkings  there  was 
much  coarseness  of  skin,  the  first  prize  birds  being  faulty  in 
this  respect.  Brahma-Dorkings  were  mostly  coarse  in  skin  and 
heavy  in  leg — not  at  all  the  sort  of  cross  for  home  farm  require¬ 
ments.  Indian  Game  Langshan  were  so  good  in  colour,  form, 
and  plumpness  that  this  cross  under  good  management  is  likely 
to  prove  very  useful. 
Let  it  be  clearly  understood  that  the  objects  in  breeding 
table  poultry  of  the  home  farmer  and  tenant  are  totally  distinct. 
“  Give  me  Brahmas  for  choice.  1  have  a  large  family,  and  size 
tells  with  me  for  table  use  more  than  anything  else,”  said  a 
tenant  farmer  to  us.  Evidently  our  small,  though  plump,  birds 
would  find  no  favour  with  him,  nor  could  we  accept  his  views  in 
the  selection  and  breeding  of  table  poultry. 
It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  large  birds  are  useful  at  the 
home  farm  for  festive  occasions,  and  for  entrees  and  other  dishes. 
For  this  purpose  we  place  the  cockerels  in  a  separate  run  or 
yard  alone,  never  allowing  them  to  be  with  the  hens.  They 
then  grow  to  a  large  size,  are  much  liked,  and  an  occasional 
pair  of  them  sent  to  table  has  quite  a  sensational  effect. 
Though  large,  they  are  not  necessarily  coarse,  and  the  flesh  on 
the  deep  plump  breasts  is  delicious  eating.  In  the  hands  of  a 
skilful  cook  they  are  made  very  attractive  ;  generally  we  think 
they  are  most  liked  as  boiled  fowls.  Anything  like  an  approach 
to  perfection  cannot  be  reasonably  expected  at  the  outset  In 
this,  as  in  most  other  things,  it  answers  best  to  become  first  of 
all  thoroughly  acquainted  with  what  is  required,  and  what  is 
possible,  to  take  the  highest  possible  standard  of  excellence  for 
our  aim  ;  and  though  our  endeavour  will  at  first,  and  for  some 
time,  fall  short  of  it,  by  persistent  effort,  by  grasping  the  reason 
of  every  failure,  seeing  what  to  avoid  in  the  future,  paying  close 
attention  to  detail,  we  are  bound  to  succeed  sooner  or  later. 
Of  other  table  poultry  early  ducklings  are  much  in  request. 
To  have  them  early  there  must  be  means  of  keeping  them  from 
going  much  into  water  and  very  damp  grass  ;  careful  feeding 
and  a  dry  floor  keeps  them  going  If  exposed  to  cold  and  damp 
they  suffer  from  cramp,  and  there  are  losses.  Of  sorts  we  have 
found  the  small,  plump  pintail  most  liked;  large,  coarse  breeds- 
are  avoided  A  first  brood  should  be  ready  for  table  by  the 
third  or  fourth  week  in  May,  as  ducklings  are  always  in  request 
with  the  first  early  Peas.  Early  Turkey  poults  and  plenty  of 
them  are  even  more  important.  We  do  not  allow  Turkey  hens 
to  sit,  but  use  any  broody  chicken  hens. 
WOEK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
The  value  of  our  reminder  early  in  October  to  clear  and  store  root 
crops  before  there  was  risk  of  harm  from,  or  hindrance  to,  the  work,  from 
heavy  rain,  was  shown  by  the  severe  weather  which  set  in  on  the  22od 
of  that  month.  Frequent  snow  S'orms,  with  15°  of  frost  after  some 
heavy  rainfall,  not  only  hindered  the  work,  but  must  have  done  harm  to 
Mangolds  and  Potatoes  still  oat  on  the  land,  many  a  farmer  from  mere 
habit  being  accustomed  to  leave  the  Mangolds  out  till  November. 
On  Saturday,  October  19th,  we  had  a  long  round  by  road  and  rail  in 
Nottinghamshire,  and  were  agreeably  impressed  by  the  sight  of  much 
brisk  work  in  progress  on  the  land.  Corn  drills  and  harrows  were  in 
full  activity  ;  Mangolds  were  being  pulled,  topped,  cleaned  and  carted — 
in  one  instance,  at  least,  by  the  acre,  for  never  have  we  seen  better 
evidence  of  work  being  done  with  a  will,  the  strenuous  efforts  of  the 
men  seemed  as  though  they  had  some  premonition  of  the  change  so  soon 
to  come.  A  noble  crop  of  Potatoes  was  also  being  lifted  on  many  a 
group  of  allotments,  affording  evidence  that  the  men  turned  the  golden 
opportunity  of  free  Saturday  afternoons  to  good  account.  On  some 
farms  an  aftermath  of  marvellous  abundance  was  being  mowed  and 
carted  off  the  meadows. 
On  the  following  Saturday  we  came  on  a  remarkable  example — a. 
simple  and  efficient  silo  in  the  Peak  of  Derbyshire.  It  was  made  of 
corrugated  iron  sheeting  fastened  to  a  timber  frame,  had  just  been  filled 
with  aftermath  herbage  similar  to  that  on  the  Notts  pastures.  The  silo 
had  been  in  use  for  many  years.  It  had  been  a  success  from  the  first, 
and  was  still  preferred  to  the  stack  system  because  there  is  no  waste, 
every  particle  of  the  silage  being  sweet  and  wholesome.  The  filling  is 
gradual,  extending  over  two  or  three  weeks.  Pressure  by  weighting  i& 
applied,  the  result  being  such  nutritious  silage  that  in  some  winters  the 
dairy  cows  have  been  fed  with  it  entirely  for  a  time,  all  other  food 
being  withheld,  without  any  falling  off  in  the  quantity  or  quality  of  the 
milk  yield. 
In  one  instance  a  decided  improvement  was  perceptible.  The  cost 
of  the  construction  of  a  silage  with  such  materials  is  so  little  as  to  be 
soon  repaid  by  the  saving  in  silage,  no  musty  outsides  being  possible. 
For  districts  with  so  heavy  an  annual  rainfall  as  the  Peak  it  must  be 
invaluable. 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Oamden  Square,  London. 
Lat.Sl®  32' 40"  N. ;  Long.  O'"  8'  0"  W.:  Altitude  111  feet. 
Date. 
9  A.M. 
IN  THE  Day. 
.3 
1896, 
October. 
i  Barometer 
at  32'",  and 
1  Sea  Level. 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion  of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of  soil 
at 
1  foot. 
Shade  Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
G-rass. 
Inchs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg 
Inchs. 
Sunday  , .  20 
31-267 
48-8 
46-0 
N. 
50-0 
52-2 
4C-0 
57-9 
45-7 
— 
Monday  .,  21 
30-07^ 
44  9 
44-2 
K. 
49-2 
51-9 
38-3 
63-3 
34-6 
0-036 
Tuesday  . .  22 
29-728 
43-2 
ira 
N.E. 
49-1 
44-3 
42-5 
48-7 
41-1 
0-360 
Wednesday  23 
29-593 
39-8 
37-8 
N, 
47  9 
44-4 
38  7 
51-3 
38-1 
— 
Thursday . .  24 
29-549 
31-9 
3U-4 
N.W. 
46-0 
46-1 
27  2 
70-1 
24-9 
— 
Friday  ..  25 
29-546 
i)3-7 
.32-4 
W. 
44-8 
47-2 
29-1 
79-3 
26-1 
— 
Saturday  . .  26 
29-575 
32-6 
32-0 
W. 
43-5 
4/3 
27-9 
51-4 
25-6 
— 
29-76! 
39-3 
37-9 
47-2 
46-6 
35-7 
60-3 
33  7 
0-39S 
REMARKS. 
20tli.— Fine,  but  almost  sunless. 
21st. — Fog  early,  gradually  c'eariug,  and  fair  after  11  A.M.  :  but  no  bright  sunshine. 
22rid. — A  little  snow  about  i>  .4...\l. ;  incessant  rain  from  9.30  A..\I.  to  8  I'.M. 
23rd. — Dull  and  damp  early  ;  lair  oay. 
2  ith. — Bright  sunshine  almost  throughout,  but  cloudy  at  times  in  afternoon. 
25th.— Bright  sunshine  ali  day  ;  clear  night. 
26th. — Cloudy  morning  ;  gleams  of  sun  in  afternoon. 
A  very  coll  week  lor  October,  and  especially  remarkable  in  contrast  with  the 
extremely  hot  week  ending  September  28th.  The  figures  being  as  under  :  — 
‘  Mean  at  Shade  Temperature. 
Week  ending.  g 
September  28th  ..  ..  61-6^  ..  78-8°  51'9° 
October  26th  ,.  ..  39-3°  ..  46-6°  35-7° 
Decrease  ..  ..  22'3'’  ..  32'2°  16-2'" 
The  one  week  had  a  mean  temperature  above  the  average  for  July,  the  other  below 
the  average  for  the  first  week  in  December.— G.  J.  Stmoxs. 
