310  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  April  i3, 1899. 
2nd,  the  high  price  obtained  for  the  eggs;  3rd,  the  very  slight 
variation  in  number  of  eggs  produced  in  certain  of  the  months  ;  and, 
4th,  by  the  fact  that  no  account  whatever  was  taken  of  the  food 
supplied  to  the  fowls  from  the  house.  This  to  us  seemed  a  serious 
omission.  Our  liousehold  is  not  a  large  one,  and  we  think  domestic 
affairs  are  economically  managed,  and  yet  every  day  there  are  many 
valuable  odds  and  ends  that  go  to  greatly  improve  the  menu  of  our 
fowls. 
We  have  great  faith  in  the  value  of  house  waste  as  fowls’  food. 
It  is  generally  served  warm,  there  is  variety — fat,  starch,  and  sugar, 
and  the  pickings  of  bones  from  the  stock  pot  are  not  to  be  despised  ; 
and  yet  all  this  is  counted  as  of  no  value.  We  wonder  what  a  pig- 
keeper  would  give  for  the  waste  of  a  gentleman’s  house  per  week  ? 
This  is  an  item  that  needs  consideration. 
This  week  we  have  come  across  an  account  of  similar  trials  ot 
fowls  in  the  States.  We  found  it  of  interest  to  ourselves,  and  can 
only  hope  it  may  prove  equally  interesting  to  our  readers.  At  any 
rate,  an  account  of  these  experiments  is  deemed  worthy  of  a  place  in 
the  repwrt  issued  by  the  Board  of  Agriculture  for  Kansas. 
The  good  folks  of  the  States  have  a  pull  over  us,  as  food  of  all 
sorts  is  so  wonderfully  cheap,  and  it  is  the  food  that  makes  the  egg. 
We  are  rather  surprised  to  find  that  the  first  porize  winners  were 
white  Plymouth  Bocks.  They  are  good  birds,  but  we  did  not  think 
they  would  thus  come  to  the  fore  as  egg  producers.  They  are  inclined 
in  England  to  get  a  bit  broody  as  the  summer  goes  on,  and  they 
certainly  make  excellent  mothers.  The  second  prize  birds  were  cross¬ 
bred  Leghorn  pullets  (rosecomb  brown  Leghorn  cock,  white  Leghorn 
prullet).  The  third  prize  went  to  white  Plymouth  Bocks.  We  cannot 
find  a  record  of  the  variety  that  obtained  fourth  pjrize,  but  the  fifth 
were  all  brown  Leghorns,  and  the  sixth  barred  Plymouth  Bocks. 
There  were  224  entries,  so  one  may  suppose  there  was  great  variety 
in  the  breeds  engaged  in  this  contest.  The  eggs  of  all  competitors 
were  valued  at  the  current  market  price  obtainable  in  Pittsburg 
market.  Now  this  seems  to  us  a  capital  idea.  In  all  competitions  of 
this  sort  there  should  be  a  fixed  egg  value,  or  it  is  not  fair  to  those 
who  live  far  from  good  markets.  Why  should  we  only  get  Is.  for 
sixteen  eggs  in  our  local  market  when  another  man  near  a  great  centre 
sells  identically  the  same  eggs  at  fourteen  for  Is.  ?  There  must  be 
equality,  or  the  test  is  of  no  value. 
The  first  p)r’z0  birds  (white  Plymouths)  averaged  289  eggs  each. 
These  eight  hens  with  a  cockerel  lived  in  house  12  feet  by  20.  The 
house  faced  south,  was  well  built  and  well  lighted.  There  was  a 
small  outside  run,  but  during  the  months  of  December  and  January 
the  birds  were  kept  confined.  They  had  grit  and  oystershell,  and 
twice  a  week  granulated  bone.  The  morning  meal  was  an  equal 
mixture  of  crushed  maize,  oats  with  middlings  and  bran,  and  fine  beef 
meal.  This  was  served  hot.  For  midday  the  ration  was  a  little 
wheat,  and  at  night  maize. 
As  the  season  got  warmer  the  morning’s  meal  was  mixed  cold, 
and  wheat  took  the  place  of  maize,  as  being,  we  suppose,  less  heating 
in  its  nature.  In  the  winter  the  house  was  cleaned  out  twice  a 
week,  in  summer  every  day. 
The  second  prize  birds  (Leghorns)  produced  283  eggs,  and 
were  kept  in  a  warm,  comfortable  draught-proof  house.  The  food 
was  very  much  the  same  as  in  the  first  example ;  for  the  sake  of  the 
exercise  entailed  the  corn  was  thrown  among  straw,  the  search  for 
hidden  treasure  keeping  the  birds  occupied  and  amused.  These  birds 
got  a  certain  quantity  of  barley  and  buckwheat,  and  milk  or  butter¬ 
milk.  They,  too,  had  a  good  supply  of  coal  ashes  and  road  dust  for  a 
bath,  and  sea  shell  and  limestone  for  digestive  purposes. 
The  first  six  lots  of  birds  were  curiously  near  in  point  of  eggs, 
being  respectively  289,  283,  280,  275,  277,  and  262.  Twenty  lotSt.of 
birds  averaged  over  200  eggs  per  hen  per  annum.  We  fancy  these 
good  results  were  brought  about  as  much  by  comfortable  w'arm  quarters 
as  by  the  good  feeding. 
Nothing  thrives  or  does  well  if  cold  or  chilled,  and  to  see  some  of 
our  fowl  houses  in  England,  one  is  led  to  ask.  What  redeeming 
feature  have  they  ?  Cold,  draughty,  dark,  and  therefore  dirty.  Any 
ifiace  seems  to  do  for  hens — tiles  off,  doors  unhinged,'  and  general 
discomfort.  We  do  not  believe  in  pampering,  but  w’e  do  believe  in  a 
little  comfort  and  cleanliness  ;  some  place  wdiere  in  cold,  wet  weather 
the  poor  things  may  stand  the  chance  of  a  good  dry  dust  bath,  where 
all  the  food  eaten  need  not  be  used  up  just  to  keep  a  little  warmth  in 
the  poor  shivering  frame.  A  box  of  grit  or  flints  to  help  in  mastication, 
and  some  lime  or  mortar  scraps  to  provide  material  for  the  egg-shell  is 
valuable.  A  warm  morning’s  meal  is  not  difficult  to  attain  ;  a  saucepan 
of  boiling  w^ater  will  mix  up  a  good  deal  of  meal,  and  make  a  very 
comtorting  dish.  We  enlist  the  sympathies  of  the  kitchen  deity, 
who  if  propitiated  can  do  much  in  the  way  of  saving  scraps  of  fat  and 
skin,  and  so  on,  from  plates  and  dislies.  It  is  wonderful  how  bits  will 
accumulate,  and  how  valuable  all  those  bits  are  no  one  but  an  ardent 
poultry  man  knows. 
Warmth,  cleanliness,  variety  in  food  are  the  main  factors  in  egg 
production,  but  remember  that  as  every  dog  has  his  day,  so  has 
every  hen,  and  it  is  only  the  young  and  lusty  that  will  fill  the  egg 
basket. 
Sentiment  must  have  no  place  in  the  hen  yard ;  it  is  a  case  of 
the  survival  of  the  fittest,  and  the  old  must  make  way  for  the  young, 
A  hen’s  life  of  usefulness  is  short;  with  proper  preparation  she  may 
make  on  her  owners  dinner  table  a  good  end  to  a  useful  life. 
^  WOBK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
The  cold  snap  is  over  and  almost  forgotten,  its  effect  on  farm  work 
having  been  almost  nil,  for  drilling  was  well  up  to  date,  and  can  now  be 
quickly  finished.  Turnips  are  almost  if  not  quite  consumed,  exception¬ 
ally  so,  and  there  is  nothing  to  hinder  a  very  early  completion  of  spring 
sowing.  This  is  as  it  should  be,  for  although  late-sown  Barley  occasion¬ 
ally  does  well,  the  chances  are  strongly  in  favour  of  that  sown  before 
old  Lady  Day. 
Cattle  are  being  gradually  hardened,  but  the  weather  is  quite  cold 
enough  for  them,  and  with  plenty  of  straw'  and  hay  for  them  there  is  no 
necessity  to  run  risks,  as  grass  has  stid  to  grow.  Sheep  prices  are  bette* 
for  the  milder  weather,  but  the  movement  is  a  slow  one. 
Everyone  complains  of  the  seed  pastures  having  gone  off,  and  it  is  not 
surprising,  for  where  they  were  stocked,  and  early  stocking  has  been  very- 
general  this  spring,  every  animal  during  the  frost  would  be  carrying  five 
mouths  instead  of  one. 
Spring  tares  sown  now  will  come  in  very  useful  about  harvest  time 
lor  the  horses,  or  any  time  they  may  be  ready  for  tho  dairy  cows.  Grass 
diminishes  both  in  quantity  and  quality  after  midsummer,  and  the  tares, 
which  are  not  much  affected  by  dry  weather  when  they  have  once  got 
a  start,  are  invaluable  during  a  drought.  They  must  be  well  treated,  and 
there  is  nothing  for  them  like  good  spit  muck.  It  does  not  matter 
whether  they  are  drilled  or  sown  broadcast,  as  long  as  they  are  well 
covered.  i 
Books  have  been  more  troublesome  than  usual  on  the  early  sown 
Barley,  perhaps  because  it  has  been  slow  in  coming  up.  They  have  also 
been  a  great  nuisance  about  the  home  yards,  having  taken  very  seriously 
to  stealing  eggs.  Shooting  a  few  malefactors  and  hanging  them  in  chains 
has  apparently  little  effect ;  we  shall  perhaps  try  the  effect  of  a  dead  one 
or  two  placed  in  traps,  as  if  caught  therein.  This  has  been  previously 
tried  in  corn  fields  with  success. 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden  Square,  London. 
Lat.  51°  32’  40"  N.;  Long.  0°  8'  0"  W.;  Altitude  111  feet. 
Date. 
9  A.M. 
In  the  Day. 
1899. 
yl-s 
go 
Hygrometer 
Direc¬ 
tion  of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of  soil 
at 
Shade  Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Tempera¬ 
ture. 
d 
d 
April. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
1  foot 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun 
On 
Grass 
Sunday  .... 
Monday  .... 
Tuesday  .... 
Wednesday 
Thursday  . . 
Friday . 
Saturday . . . . 
0 
inchs 
30-131 
deg. 
49-2 
deg. 
48-3 
S.W. 
deg. 
46-3 
deg. 
58-5 
deg. 
47-2 
deg. 
75-2 
deg. 
42-8 
inchs. 
0-027 
3 
30-098 
49-4 
47-2 
W. 
46-7 
60-8 
47-5 
98-9 
46-7 
— 
4 
30-145 
52-2 
48-4 
S.W. 
47-0 
55-6 
45-7 
83-8 
41-2 
0-053. 
5 
30-214,  51-1 
44-9 
AV. 
46-3 
60-0 
42-7 
99-3 
37-3 
0-055. 
iSO-lOOi  51-7 
47-6 
AV. 
47  -1 
62-9 
47-2 
104-9 
42-1 
0-112- 
7 
'29-107 
46-9 
45-1 
S.AV. 
47-9 
52-4 
45-2 
86-8 
40-7 
0-113. 
8 
129-585 
45-8 
40-1 
AV. 
46-2 
49-2 
40-3 
98-3 
35-9 
0-149* 
'29*921 
49-5 
45-9 
46-8 
57-1 
45-1 
92-5 
41-0 
0-509 
2nd. — Fair,  but  almost  sunless. 
3rd.— Slight  rain  in  small  hours  ;  overcast  morning  occassional  sun  after. 
4th.— Overcast  day,  with  rain  from  noon  to  3  p.m.  ;  fine  night. 
5th.— Brilliant  early  ;  sunny  morning  ;  cloudy  afternoon  ;  rain  from  11  p.m. 
6th.— Rain  till  1  A.M.  ;  generally  sunny  in  morning  ;  showery  from  3  p.m. 
7th.— Gale  all  day,  with  frequent  heavy  showers,  and  an  occasional  gleam  of  sun. 
Sth.— Brilliant  early  ;  wild  day;  shower  of  large  conical  hailballs  at  10.5a.m.„ 
many  exceeding  quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter  ;  rain  and  snow  ac  0. 25  p.m. 
heavy  rain  and  snow  at  2.45  p.m.,  and  other  showers. 
A  mild  and  rainy  week,  with  little  sunshine  ;  the  latter  pari,  stonny. — 
G.  J.  Symons. 
