The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-12-09
AGRICULTURAL.
The Black spanish Fowl.


The Black Spanish Fowl.
Many persons keep fowls almost entirely
lor the profit to be obtained from the sale OF
sneir eggs. In many respects poultry pays
better than any other stock on the farm, as
Lney obtain quite large proportion of their
1000 by their own exertions; and, as part of
tnelr food consists of insects, they become in
That respect BENEFICIAL to the farmer, besides
the profit obtained from their eggs and flesh.
Inc definite cash returns are measured.
however, by the number of eggs laid aud
chickens marketed. For this reason the
non-sitters, as they are called, are preferred
by many, as their production of eggs is
more or less continuous, and can in meas
ure be calculated beforehand by any judicious
and skillful poulterer. Singularly enough, all
or nearly all, the non sitting breeds of poul-
try originated in the south of Europe. or on
the shores OF the Mediterranean. Mr., Lew
is Wright states that an indigenous race of
fowls is fonnd in Spain, Italy, and in some
parts OF North Africa, which has large single
COMBS and large deaf-ears, With neat and
sprightly body, and that sit never, or almost
never, sits, and it laws a large number of
eggs. The most highly-bred variety of this
fowl is called Black Spanish, which accord
ing to Mr.. Durham, was brought to its pres
ent perfection by Holland poulterers. There
are two varieties of the Black Spanish no.
tlced in the poultry books the Whitehead
ond the Redfaced, or Minorcas. The latter
Is the heavier fowl and in some cases appears
to be harder, but the Whitehead laws as
large and as many eggs, and having been tue
result OF great care and skill in breeding, is
the more beautiful variety of the two, AS
now bred, the Whitehead Black Spanish is a
very beautiful bird, the lustrous black color
OF the piumage contrasting wildly with the
scarlet OF the very large comb and wattles.
ana the peculiarly shining white OF the ear
lobes and face.
The principal value of the breed is its lay
ing propensity. The eggs are a pure
breed of fowls probably, that will Law more
pounds OF eggs in a year. With the excep-
ton of the moulting season, and an occa-
sional cold snap, Black Spanish hens will Law
veery week during the year. Or course il
eggs are expected in the winter, warm, COM
Portable quarters, warm drink and suitable
food must be provided, and if this is done,
very few weeks will pass without more or
less eggs from flock OF these fowls. If in
tended for exhibition, as wells as for the pro
dactlon OF eggs, warmth in winter is Impera-
tive, as the least frosting of the comb would
disqualify the bird. The standard by which
poultry Is usually judged is very particular
on this point, and by that standard the head,
comb and wattles, and face cover nearly half
the 100 points necessary to perfection. The
comb must be absolutely upright in the cock
and must fall to one side in the hen.
Owing to the very high breeding of this va
riety OF fowls. great care must be exercised in
introducing new blood, which often becomes
necessary to prevent loss from in.breeding too
closely. When carefully bred, so that the
combs, faces, color and carriage are kept up
to the present high standard, there is no
fowl that presents finer appearance on the
lawn, or which is more profitable in the way
OF egg production. 1t is also fine table
fowl, resembling in this respect the French
breeds. The only drawback to keeping Span
ism fowls is the fact that few Dominique
hens must be kept to hatch aud raise the
chickens, as the Spanish hens seldom offer to
sit.-Corr. Country Gentleman.
Corn fer Fowls,
Indian corn is thought to be especially pre-.
Judicial to the health of fowls, on account of
its high heat-producing and fattening charac-
ter, and Its relative and comparative poverty
in those elements of food out of which bone,
muscle, flesh, nerves and tissues generally,
are made, and the matters which are notably
present IN the egg, namely, albumen and phos-
phate of lime.
There are, however, conditions under which
corn, as the only cereal, can be fed to fowls
with comparative safety, and that is where IL
makes part only of the daily ration, the other
parts being animal food of some kind, cooked
or otherwise. and ground oyster shells, or
broken, calcined bones, for tie other part.
One OF the most successful producers of eggs
know, feeds his hens corn exclusively for the
grain portion of their daily ration, but supple
ments 1t with as regular daily ration of flesh
and bone, and in that way supplies the defic-
iency of an Indian corn diet.
But am satisfied that fowls on going to
roost, especially in cold weather, when corn
is abundant and gravel scarce, fiji their crops
with the former, when, if they had the oppor.
tunity, they would choose gravel. or what
answers just as well, if not better purpose,
coarsely broken calcined bones. Now this
bone not only acts in the same way as gravel
IN the trituration OF food within the gizzard,
ic acid for all or nearly all the vital processes
assisting digestion and assimilation and
stimulating egg productiveness to an
extent which must be observed to be
comprehended or believed. II those who
doubt the correctness Of these state.
ments and conclusions, will, choosing
lot OF healthy non-sitters of any common
breed, offer them regularly daily towards eve
ming, to the extent OF an ounce each of coarse
ly broken calcined bone, so they can, if they
will, Till their crop just before going to roost.
giving the fowls strong food and perfect libety.
am confident the result in increased egg pro-
ductiveness will bring great majority of ex-
perimenters to my way of living and thinking.
Exchange.
Some liens About Sugar.
On an average, every man, women and
child in the United States consumes each
year about ~ pounds of cane sugar, and
nearly gallons of molasses, beside maple
sugar, honey, and other sweets. 10 lbs. of
pure cane sugar is actually made up of. and
can be changed into lbs. of charcoal and
II lbs. OF water! Pure white starch is made
up OF 8 lbs. of charcoal (carbon) and 1Olbs. of
water. ANY boy can demonstrate this
roughly by putting small quantity of sugar
on piece OF thin iron over hot lamp or
Goals, and hold over it a glass jar bottom up,
The sugar will change to pure charcoal,
while the water will rise up and condense on
the inside of the jar if it be kept cool.
and he will get nothing from the sugar but
coal and water. The chemist can easily take
the 10 lbs. OF sugar and change it into 8 lbs.
OF pure water, though he has no. vet learned
how to put the coal aud the elements of
water together to produce the sugar, That
requires the action of the living plant. Our
sugar comes mainly from the sugar cane
grown In the Southern States (most from
Louisiana), and from the West India Islands.
The canes are somewhat like corn-stalk. but
larger, taller, with narrower leaves. The SAP
or juice OF the cane is pressed out between
iron rollers, then boiled down to syrup,
which crystallizes into sugar grams in large
watts. Most of the sugar used In Europe is
from the juice of the sugar-beet. It it Similar
to our cane sugar. The raw sugar is refined
chiefly in Northern cities, by desolving it,
straining it through cloth, and through
burned bones, after which it is boiled down
until thick enough to crystalline in grains
American Agriculturist for December.
Bread Making.
The following letter from Mrs. Conrad Will
son furnishes instruction for making the wheat
and corn bread, samples of which were recent
" on exhibition at the first annual fair of the
Farmers Clubs recently held In Boston:
In making wheat bread set my sponge In
the morning as early as possible, using half
cake of compressed yeast to about seven
pounds of -four. Make a stiff batter of about
one pound of -four with the water quite warm.
Nhor iU1,f T,,nsx 1~,ac