The Brecon Radnor Express Carmarthen and Swansea Valley Gazette and Brynmawr District Advertiser

The Prudential Assurance Co. I No success, however prodigious, that is an- nounced in a report of the Prudential Assurance Company is likely to surprise anyone who has studied its achievements in the past. When many of our life offices find the conditions unfavourable to progress and are unable to show results which compare well with those of former years, that— experience has told us-is the very time when the Prudential Assurance company is most likely to beat all previous records. We can only describe the results to which we have the pleasure of draw- ing attention as wonderful, even for the Pruden- tial. Reviewing the report, it will be seen that in the ordinary branch the directors issued 68,785 polic- ies for the total assurance of X6,619,218 produc- ing a new annual premium income of X457,217, and the total premium income was £ 5,157,516. These figures, so far from showing any falling off, indicate a great advance on the results of the pre- vious year, the increases effected being as follows —In number of policies, 3,034; in new sums as- sured, £ 300,375; in new premiums, £ 32,864; and in premium revenue for the year, £ 121,891. In the industrial branch the premiums received amounted to R8,506,063, surpassing the corres- ponding total for 1914 by £ 329,861. These fig- ures might well be permitted to tell their own tale without comment. Passing to the entries which show the amount paid out in claims last year, we find a truly im- pressive demonstration of the value of the Pruden- tial to the community as a distributing agency. In the ordinary branch the payments amounted to X4,330,768 (of which E145,536 represents war claims) in respect of 11,385 deaths and 25,559 en- dowments that matured. In the industrial branch the claims of the year entailed at dis- bursement of X3,938,596, of which X425,499 was in respect of 25,379 war claims. Thus over 8! millions sterling was distributed by the company in 1915, either among the bereaved or those who had put by for old age. What the Prudential report discloses is that it could undoubtedly have distributed a very large bonus to its Ordinary Policy-holders, but it ha-s decided, more wisely, to hold over all such distri- bution. By so acting it offers not a less but a much greater attraction to intending policyholders who can confidently look forward to much greater bonuses in the future. The patriotic spirit manifested by the control of the Prudential during the war is well known to all insurance men, and has evoked approbation far and wide. As regards the splendid financial services rendered to the State by the company, we need merely refer readers to that section of the re- port which deals with the balance sheet; but we must draw particular attention to the statement that no fewer than 9,221 of the Prudential's staff are either serving with the colours or have been rejected for service—1,305 from the indoor staff and 7,916 from the outdoor staff. It must be a most gratifying reflection to every one con- nected with the company to know that while its army of working representatives in the field at home are maintaining the reputation and prestige of the Prudential, so also there is a Prudential army abroad fighting for their country, and, in- cidentally, writing a new chapter in the history of the Prudential Assurance Company which will assuredly be not the least interesting and import- ant in its annals.

Sir Alfred Newton (says the "Outfitter"), re- plying to a war-time economy suggestion that Harrod's should .cease to advertise, said in his view it would be absolutely suicidal to do any- thing which would cut off their communication with customers.

THE UNIVE R S A L C A Big cars eat up your income. I It takes power to move and carry weight. The Ford Vana- dium Steel Chassis—strongest yet lightest in the world—re- I duces fuel consurr ption and tyre wear to a minimum. Its simplicity, light weight and economy have made the Ford the Universal Car. I Runabouts £ 125. Five-passenger Tour- ing Car R135. Town Car R186. 20 h.p. efficiently equipped. All Prices at Works, Manchester. Full particulars from- RICH & SONS, Motor Engineers, Tel. 23, BRECON, THE Welsh Insurance Corporation, Ltd. Head Office HIGH STREET, CARDIFF. BRECON AGENTS-Mr W. H. Grimson. United Counties Bank Mr Jas. R. Probert, Cilwhybart; Mr Howell Powell, 8 Castle Street; Mr H. E J. Rich, 41, Watton; Mr W. Williams, 6, Bulwark; Mr I W. Lewis Pritchard, Harddfan. I Fire, Consequential Loss Following Fire. All Sickness and Accidents. Burglary. I Motor Car, Plate Glass, Workmen's Compensation, Boiler Explosion, etc. etc. brass 1 TEETH PAINLESSLY EXTRACTED by Patent Process. I TEETH of the best materials made under per- sonal supervision. Bad Teeth are not only very unsightly, but extremely unhealthy. J. WARD gives hid personal atteution. to all Dental matters. Advice Free. Artificial Teeth, perfect in colour and shape; mounted on Gold, Platina, Vulcanite, etc. Fillings with any material. Old plates remodelled. Children's Teeth need careful watching. Let J. WARD offer you advice. Charges Moderate. Full particulara given on first visit. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED J. WARD, M.P.S., 8, High St., BUILTH WELLS. To preserve Teeth, use J. WARD'S Antiseptic Formaline asui Mint Tooth Paste, large takes 7 £ d., by post, 8ld.1 ° b7 I NO PRELIMINARY FEES. j^JOMEY LENT pRIVATELY In large or small Sums (not less than L 10), ON BORROWER'S OWN PROMISSORY NOTE. ESTABLISHED 46 YEARS, And now Lending UPWARDS OF £ 80,000 ANNUALLY. Prospectuses, Terms for Advances, or any information desired, will be supplied, freo of charge, on application either personally or by letter to GEORCE pAYNE & SONS. 7, KING STREET, HEREFORD; or 5, TOWN WALLS, SHREWSBURY. Established 1870. Mr Justice Atkin, who received his early edu- cation at Christ College, Brecon, has an attrac- tive personality. The quiet, logical manner in which he sums up a case is masterful. THE GREAT SKIN CURE. B UDDEN'S S.R. SKIN OINTMENT will cure I Itehing after one application, destroys every form of Eczema; beals old Wounds and Sores.; acts like a charm on Bad Legs; is infallible for Piles; Prevents Cuts from Festering will cure Ringworm in a few days; removes the most obsti- nate Eruptions and Scurvy. Boxes 9d and 1/3. —Agents for Brecon, Mr Stanton and Mr Morris, High Street, Chemists; Builth Wells, W. Price & Co., T. A. Coltman; Llandovery, J. Nicholas, Chemist; Hay, J. L. Davies and Son; Talgarth, J. j Parry, Chemist; Crickhowell, Mr Kirkland, Cheui- ftt; Brynmawr, Mr A. M. Jonea, Chemist; Knigh- ton, Mr Perkins, Chemist; Pontardulais, Mr Jones, i Chemist. b987 LOANS. £ 10 TO £ 100 LENT on note of hand ??SI?O T? O ? ??11 UnU n to Trademes, FM mere, Business-men, and others, worthy of credit, with or without sureties or securities. (Busineei completed immediately without any delay). Po- payments arranged to suit applicants convenience. £100 TO Zlooo ADVANCED TO enable persons to buy the houses they occupy or other property. Loans also made upon property already in possess- ion of applicants, existing mortgages paid off and more money advanced if required. Interest from 4* to 5 per cent. per annum, on all mortg.- j Apply, J. L. CUNNINGHAM, j 19, Glebeland Street, b r476 Tel. 70. Merthyr Tydfil. LONDON & PROVINCES DISCOUNT Co., Ltd. Immediate Cash Advances. £10 to £ 1,000 are privately completed at 24 hours' notice on your simple promise to pay without preliminary fees. Call or wirte to the Manager, W. HHIRLKT, Stokes Oroft, Bristol, or to 101, East Street. -Hereford. 306D 5% LOANS. If you have a private income or are entitled to money or property under a Will of Settlement we can arrange for you a Cash Advance at five per cent. per annum, and Principal can remain out- standing over a number of years. NOTE OF HAND LOANS (without any other Security) also advanced a6 very modai-at-e rates extended over long or short periods. No charge unless business done. Apply:- CHARLES STEVENS, Ltd. (TEL. 467), Hayes, Buildings, CARDIFF. -N(ITE.-We shall be pleased to advise you free of all cost. No expense of any description unl-61 business done.

Pawned Pulpit Bible. BRYNMAWR WOMAN'S ADMISSION. At Brynmawr, on the 6th inst., George John- son, tailor, Hereford was summoned by his wife, Margaret Johnson, for desertion. Mr D. Gibson Harris, Brynmawr, was for complainant, and Mr T. A. Matthews, Hereford, defended. Complainant said that seven years ago, while living at Hereford, defendant turned her out and said he was determined she should leave him. There had been some unpleasantness owing to a girl with whom he was intimate. The girl was at his house up to a week or so ago, and there 'was also a child there. Cross-examined, complainant admitted pledcr- ing certain things to get money for food. Her husband had been the caretaker of a Congrega- tional Church, and she had pawned the pulpit Bible, and also, the green baize used for covering the platform. Defendant stated that his wife went away of her own accord when he discovered that she had pawned articles belonging to the church. He ac- companied her to the station and took her ticket for Brynmawr. He also gave her all the money be had, and had to be short for the week himself. He had not kept her short of money. There was no secret about his living with a young woman who had a baby, but she did not live with him until some years after his wife went away. Thomas Drefus Johnson (son) and Alice Maud Johnson (daughter) also gave evidence for the defendant, the daughter stating that her mother sent her to the pawnshop day after day, ^and week after week, until she became known as "Pawnshop Alice." Witness had helped her mother to carry the pulpit Bible to the pawn- shop, and had also carried coal and coke from the chapel to the house. At the instigation of her mother, witness had forged a book showing the rent to be clear, whereas there were arrears. An order of 12/6 a week with costs and ad- vocate's fee was made.

Churches dedicated to St. David are to be found in Tasmania, British Columbia, Bar- bados, Bahama Islands, Windward Islands, and Radnor Valley, Delaware County, Pa. The last- named was built in 1715 by settlers from Rad- norshire. Another church dedicated to the patron saint in New York was erected for negro worship- pers. Eighty years ago North Wales could not claim one church dedicated to the memory of St. David, whilst South Wales had over sixty, and there were forty in English counties. Time and a deeper appreciation of the life of St. David have brought about great changes since then.

WELL-KNOWN AT FAIRS. i, DEATH OF FAMOUS BOXER. A LINE WITH THE PAST. The announcement of the death of William Samuels, the famous exponent of "the noble art" will recall to many of our readers the days when the boxing booth was among the most attractive of the shows at our pleasure fairs. Ever popular with the young sports "Bill" Samuels was the beau ideal of the old-fashioned "bruiser" and when "sparring" he was wonderfully quick in action and "used his head" to the disadvantage of his opponent. He died at his residence in New Orchard street, Swansea, where he had lived for very many years. His early days were spent in Merthyr Tydfil, then noted as a popular centre for members of the boxing fraternity, and al- though he was rightly considered to be one of the "old school" of boxers "Billie" Samuels was al- ways treated with respect by opponents. In his booth, promising lads were coached, aspiring champions were often licked into shape, and, proudly boasting that he would stay in the ring for the customary three rounds with the best man in the country, he continued until well on in years to issue the usual challenge of "no one barred" and take on all comers. There were no big purses in those days, and "Billie" contented himself mainly with his work in the booth, but he frequently took on the "top notchers. On one occasion, shortly after Tom Allen, Birmingham, bad met Jem Mace at Marsh- field, a bout was arranged between Samuels and Alien at Merthyr, and the Midlander, who had been acclaimed champion of England, was made to look a third-rater. r On another occasion, at a fete and gala at I Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, Dublin Tom, a noted fighter of those days, opposed "Billie." The lat- ter was not showing quite his best form, and by way of encouragement his wife, who was standing on the stage outside the booth, shouted, "Now, Billie, final this round," and the next moment Dublin Tom described an arc as he collapsed from the effects of a terrific body blow. The world-famed John L. Sullivan once had Samuels as an opponent in a bout at the Philhar- monic Hall, Cardiff, and it was at Cardiff that Toff Wall also found the local man too clever to beat. In his long career Billie Samuels did much in the direction of training promising boxers, and included in the list of those he helped considerably in making headway were Dai St. John and John I O'Brien.

■ C=3«l=r^TI Tl imi !■! !■ BeecljamsPills f n may be relied upon, at all times, to exercise a tonic, n U cleansing, healing influence upon the digestive organs. 1—1 A sensible use of this well-known specific is generally. j all that is needed to relieve and remove those disorders F! j of the stomach liver and bowels, which are always j j associated with dyspepsia in any form. Beecham's Pills )J are unfailing as a corrective and invaluable as a safe  stimulant of that important organ, the liver, upon the fl □ efficient action of which so much depends. As a cure ) ) ? for constipation and for removing its attendant discom- }J -| forts and dangers there is no more reliable remedy. In ? t fact, as an aid to health 'generW]y, the judicious use of ) j Beecham's Pills is strongly recommended. They are ) j ] H Boon to All Õ Sold everywhere in boxes price Is 3d and 3s Od. t EZZJBl. IBI iMi i T imi im

War and Politics. 1 Colonel Churchill's dramatic intervention in the debate on the Navy Estimates supplied the Par- liamentary sensation of the week. There was something extremely piquant and not a little puzzling in the attitude of an ex-First Lord of the Admiralty who came forward to demand the re- instatement of an ex-First Sea Lord whose return to the Admiralty a few months ago he confessed that he "would have resisted on public grounds." There was a general feeling that Colonel Churchill's plea for the recall of Lord Fisher, to his former post was not only incongruous, but likely to place Lord Fisher in an invidious light. And when Commander Bellairs protested that it was "an intolerable situation" for one who had been First Lord of the Admiralty himself to urge the Prime Minister over the head of the present First Lord to discard his naval advisers, Mr Balfour signified an audible assent. The really important part of Colonel Churchill's speech was that in which he fastened on Mr Bal- four's admission that, while there was a most no- table augumentation proceeding continuously in every type of ship except armoured cruisers—and here our superiority is enormous and uncontested —the naval authorities would desire to have t; larger supply of labour to accelerate ship-build- ing still further. "There should be no limit to labour," Colonel Churchill exclaimed, "where the Navy is concerned." But to get this and the other kindred problems with which we are faced in this war into true perspective, it is necessary to keep ever in mind the multiple role which this country has to discharge in the alliance of nations who are fighting for civilisation and freedom. As Mr Balfour very justly said, it is now understood and recognised by the whole world—(though there are adepts in national depreciation, at home here, who belittle our contribution to the common cause)—that on the British Fleet the whole al- liance depends. But our Allies also depend upon us largely for financial aid, and without the maintenance of our trade and our credit, which ultimately rests upon our productive capacity, our Allies would suffer a fatal deprivation of the sinews of war. There is at the same time a tre- mendous call upon our mercantile marine for the transport of supplies, stores, munitions, men, and animals to our own and our Allies' armies engaged in the various theatres of war. And all the while we are occupied with the task of con- verting ourselves into a military power on a con- tinental scale. It is easy to declaim against "lack of driving power," and to assert that "there can be no competing needs when the needs of the State are paramount." But it requires an almost superhuman balance of judgment so to apportion the paramount needs, which in our case are numerous and diverse, that none shall be neglected and none extravagantly provided for at the expense of the others. The panic-mongering section of the Press which one day clamours that we can end the war merely by "leaving it (the blockade) to the Navy," another day that it is in the air that the final decision must be effected, and all the time that every able-bodied man ought to be taken for a soldier, is not calculated to help that precise adjustment and elaborate or- ganisation of interdependent activities which is essential to any efficient conduct of the war. Mr Balfour's review of the naval situation set out some astonishing achievements and develop- ments. (1) There is a distance of some 5000 miles guarded by the British Fleet. (2) There is the transport, under the guardian- ship of the British Fleet, of four million combatants, one million horses and other animals, 2,500,000 tons of stores, and 22,000,000 gallons of oil, for ourselves and our Allies. (3) The personnel of the Navy has been doubled since the war broke out, and power has been taken to increase the total num- ber to 350,000. (4) The tonnage of the Navy, including all 4ships used for war purposes, has been in- creased by well over a million tons. (5) Since August, 1914, the strength of the air forces of the Navy has grown tenfold. As to the suggestion that under the present Board there has been a sudden stoppage of naval activity under the head of ship-building, Mr Bal- four said caustically :— "Never was there a more curious invention, even in these days, when every morning brings its own particular lie with it." Lord Derby, in a speech at Manchester, re- plied to the insinuation that his pledge and the Prime Minister's had been broken. Lord Derby said that he regretted that the married men had had to be called up much sooner than he anti- cipated. But he did not believe that the patriot- ism of the married man was so merely skin-deep that he was not prepared to come forward, even at the greatest sacrifice, to play his part in his country's crisis. Lord Derby announced that he ? ? receiving the assistance of all the Govern- h.nt Departments, and he had no doubt'that they would succeed in producing what was essen- tial for a country like this—a<n army sufficient for our defence, made up for the most part of single men, and at the same time leaving behind the men essential to the carrying cn of all the indus- tries of the country. Mr Asquith made the announcement, in reply to a deputation of influential business men, that a conference in Paris has been arranged, and will take place in the course of the next fortnight or so, at which representatives of all the Allies will con- sider the whole question of commercial and economic relations after the war, and discuss concerted action. Mr Asquith added that the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Hughes, has come here with very definite ideas regarding the interests of the Dominions in the future trade re- j lations of the Empire. It is desirable that Minis- ters should be prepared to act in any conference on the subject as spokesmen not merely of the United Kingdom but of the Empire as a whole. The Government hopes to have prepared before the end of the war a "peace book" which will en- able the various commercial and other interests in this country to meet the new state of things at the termination of the war with adequate prepar- ation and examination. Sir Edward Grey's reply to Berlin's denial of the charges against the German Navy, and re- petition of the slander that the commander of the "Baralong" shot the crew of a submarine, is firm, calm and crushing. It points out that, of the witnesses cited by the German Government to the alleged "Baralong" incident, the only one whose antecedents could be investigated is prov- ed not to have been at sea at all when the sub- marine was sunk. The German statement that the captain of the submarine who sank the "Arabic" had reason to believe she intended to ram, is contradicted by a large number of inde- pendent and trustworthy witnesses. The German Government produces no counter-evidence. The shooting by machine-guns and shrapnel at the defenceless crew of a. British submarine, aground in Danish waters, took place in the presence of Danish destroyers and can be proved by super- abundant testimony, neutral as well as British. The crew of the "Ruel," a merchant vessel, was fired at in the boats. One man was killed, and the captain and seven men severely wounded, Germany refuses to submit these cases, along with her allegations against the "Baralong," to a neutral tribunal. Sir Edward Grey concludes "To destroy an enemy who surrenders has never been the practice of the British Navy; nor do they now propose to vary their methods of warfare merely because they find themselves in conflict with opponents whose views of hon- our and humanity are different from their own. There is only space here for a passing allusion to the victory which President Wilson has won, last week in the Senate, and now in Congress, over the unsparing efforts of German intriguers in the United States to carry a resolution warning Americans off British ships. President Wilson has the American nation behind him in his en- deavour to make Germany admit the elementary obligations of humanity in her conduct of the war.

British Ptoscribad by the Medical Profession for if ? anan. If Foods were placed in orcrar of merit you would 'place Benger's Food first because it supplies life's requirements from infancy to advanced old-age. With a tin of Benger's, mothers are always prepared for family ailments for anybody who is out-of-sorts, unwell, or seriously ill. differs entirely from other foods. You realise how distinct it is the moment you read the directions. While you make Benger's Food always using fresh new milk, it undergoes the iiii stages of digestion, and by the time you serve it, both the milk and the Food are soluble—ready for bodily nutrition. Benger's Food is etyoyed when other foods disagree. Descriptive Booklet sent post free on request. Bengrer's Food is British made, and sold ia tins tf Chemists, etc., everywhere. BENGER'S FOOD, Ltd., MANCHESTER. Branch Officii: NEW YORK (U.&A.): 900 Beekman St. SYDNEY (n.S.W): 117, Pitt St., and Depots throughout CAftnt. xa)

Brecknocks in India. I BATTALION DISTRIBUTED. I Sergt.-Major Green writes from Mhow, Febru- ary 19th Owing to the battalion being distributed ove" a very large area, the Hegirnental Football League is at a standstill. The Soldier Gymkhana Cup Tournament cannot commence until the return of "A" double company from Erinpura. As "A" Brecon Company are tw-meet the 1st Devon Bat- tery (R.F.A.) and "F" (Talgarth) Company are drawn to meet "c" Company (Crickhowell) III the first round. We have only one company now at headquarters, one in camp at Bircha, one at Indore, and the other at Erinpura. Still, we get a little sport of sorts. A friendly match was played on Tuesday 15/2/16, on the Regimental Ground, between teams from E" Company and details of "A" Company. The game was clean and evenly contested, and resulted in a draw of one goal each. This result represented the run of the play. A. Jones scored for "E" Company and Cherry Davies for the details. The league table remiains unchanged. --—————

Gas In the Stomach is Dangerous. PHYSICIANS RECOMMEND THE USE OF MAGNESIA. Sufferers from indigestion or dyspepsia should remember that the ptflsence of gas or wind in the stomach invariably indicates that the stomach is troubled by excessive acidity. This acid causes the food to ferment, and the fermenting food in turn gives rise to noxious gases which distend the stomach, hamper the normal functions of vital internal organs, cause acute headaches, interfere with the action of the heart, and charge the blood stream with deadly poisons which in time must ruin the health. Physicians say that to quickly dispel a dangerous accumula- tion of wind in the stomach and to stop the food fermentation which creates the gas, the acid in the stomach must be neutralised, and that for this purpose there is nothing quite so good as half a teaspoonfuJ of pure bisurated magnesia. taken in a little water immediately after meals. This in- stantly neutralises the acid, thus stopping fer- mentation and the formation of gas, and enabling the inflamed, distended stomach to proceed with its work under natural conditions. Biaurated magnesia. is obtainable in powder or tablet form from Charles and Gwillim (late R. E. Charles), Medical Hall, Brecon, T. A. Coltman, Builth Wells, W. W. Johnson, High Street, Llandrin- dod Wells, and other high-class chemists and stores everywhere, but as there are many dif- ferent forms of magnesia it is important that the bisurated which the physicians prescribe should be distinctly asked for.

I 1 I "Convictions of a Coward." I OUTBURST AT LLANDOVERY TRIBUNAL. At Llandovery Rural Tribunal recently, a large number of appeals were dealt with, the ap- plicants being mainly farmers' sons and men employed on farms. In many of the claims con- ditional exemptions were granted. A timber merchant, applying on behalf of a timber feller in his employ, said it was ttapossible to secure men over military age in the district. He had large contracts on hand and required a far greater '=> number of hauliers and timber- fellers than he could secure. Exemption was granted. Captain Cremlyn (military representative), during the hearing of farmers' applications, said that farmers ought to avail themselves to a greater extent of the services of industrial school- boys. When they were employed they had proved very useful. Mr Daniel Lewis (& member of the tribunal) said a lot of them were wasters. Captain Cremlyn Some of them work jolly harder than some of you fellows do. Convictions of a Coward. There was one conscientious objector, a tailor, who said his conscience rendered him tempera- mentally unfit to discharge military duties. Replying to Col. Lloyd Harries, he said he would have no objection to making clothes for men for home service or for members of the R.A.M.C. He did not object to soldiers defending their homes. Col. Lloyd Harries (warmly) Your convic- tions are those of a coward. Applicant was exempted from combatant ser- vice.

Cease old day wask way. r SIMPLE SIMON can show you a simple plan and wBffljHy better way. y Ask your grocer; he knows. Costs zid. Worth £ s. 11 —' A

FROM THE FOWL RUN. I (By "BOOSTER. ") I i Whenever people take up poultry-keeping they always want plenty of winter eggs. That is the first thought, and, if the birds fill the egg-basket at Christmas time, they are forgiven If they rest most of the other months. When you find a hen which lays 200 eggs in a. year, it goes without saying that some of these must be laid in the winter time, though I am prepared to say that the best records are made when the sun is shin- ing both sides of the hedges. Any birds which lays a dozen eggs at 3d each is equal to another which prdllcfl double the quantity at half price. In poultry-keeping there are many things to be considered besides just the eggs. It is not alone how many are produced, but whether they come at a time when they make most money. If a fowl will lay all November, December and Janu- ary, she can easily be forgiven if she rests from May to July. There is no need to point out which is the iiiost profitable, and, while during the summer there may be a glut even at a. low price, there is never any trouble in finding cus- tomers during the winter-at. least that is my ex- I perience. It is a well-accepted theory that the heavy breeds lay better during the winter than the lighter varieties. The Leghorn is not a good winter layer, and, though it has been improved upon the past few years, it will never keep pace with some of the heavy breeds when the snow is on the ground. In the South of England we do not get much snow, but farther north conditions are different, and the more feathery fowls give the best results. Of oOur, one cannot class a breed as being all alike, nor yet even a colour, for White Leghorns do not all turn out good lay- I ers. because there is a vast difference in the type I i) nd character of the birds, though all called by the same name. Just the same with Orpingtons. I have known some Buffs turn out excellent lay- ers, but they are not the big birds with a. great quantity of feathers, but specimens of medium size with moderate feathers and sharp clean fea- tures. There are many advantages to be gained by the heavier fowl, for all the cockerels can soon be turned in to money for table, whereas the Leg- horn never makes a good table bird, no iirl ?tt?,r how long it is kept. Then, again, they are not so flighty and can be kept in a small run with equal success, and, should you want to show II them to your friends, they are not nervous, and do not fly all over the place like the Leghorn. Those who have heavy breeds should begin to get some chicks on the run soon now, for the season is going apace. The most patriotic breeders will have been hatching for some time, for every chicken produced means so much more I value in the country. It is a fatal policy to leave I hatching late, because a little bad luck and the season can never be caught up. There is nothing like making a good start, for you can I always leave off when there is enough, though you can never make up lost time. Orpington and ¡ Rock breeders will have been busy the past few weeks, for these varieties are slow growing, and, to get them to perfection, there is nothing like a March hatch. Now, as all the stock cannot be hatched then. the more careful ones will have been busy ere this, so that as soon as the fine weather arrives they will have a n;ce stock to put out on the fresh grass. Indian game and Dork- ings are both slow growers and need to be hatched early if wanted in good feather before the autumn, while the Sussex and WyanJotte are birds which make up much quicker and come ready for table anytime after the first four months. There is always a great difference in the way breeders raise their chickens. Two men may have a sitting of eggs from the same pen, set and hatch at the same time, and one will produce a chicken at ten weeks lilbs. heavier than the other. Food just now is dear, but it is the great- est fallacy possible to underfeed chickens to cut down expenses, for you had better give plenty and grow them well, so as to get them off hand and turned into money. Cheap food is false economy and no good can result. What I would strongly recommend is to use the best and plenty of it, so as to get some stock off to bring back something in return. It is much the same with eggs. Bran, potato peelings and middlings will not, and cannot, make eggs, and, under such a diet, how can you expect good results. It is not the. lack which means profit, but a careful use of judicious foods to produce the desired result, and which brings in grist to the mill and shows a; profit when the balance-sheet is made out. Continuing, "Rooster" writes :—"I have lately been asked if breeding poultry for table can be made to pay. It is quite easy to say yes, but not so easy for many people V work it out. Certainly there is far too much mixture in the birds meant for this job, that they never make much of a size, and this results in far too many of the rough looking birds which one can find on the poulterer's bench. The thing is to get a nice plump chicken about 3i to: 4 lbs. in weight which has been quickly grown, and thus will be sweet and juicy. There are many ways of entering the fattening branch of the íbusiness, but so many only take the half-grown bird and finish it off, while never making the slightest at- tempt to rear a chick. Thousands of chicks are bred in Ireland and sold like this, and most of those come into England. In some parts of Corn- wall this raising chicks for the fattener is prac- tised, while Kent also supplies a lot of the same kind. There is no attempt to put on flesh, but only to grow the frame and let someone else finish them off. Now I know that some of these people make a very good thing out of it, and what one can do others ought to be able to do, hence it would appear that the fattener should do well by raising his own birds for fattening. If a place were taken where land was cheap and in a fairly accessible place for railway facilities, there should be a good return even on this side ,alone, thus the fattener should take the whole of the profits and need not share anything with the middle-men. This is what the higgler becomes, for he collects such stuff and then just passes it on to the other man. In buying up a lot of mixed stuff it is impossible always to get the right kind of birds to work upon, hence the finished article is not so good all round aa the buyer could reasonably expect, while if he rais- ed his own stock not more than 5 per cent. should fail to reach a saleable standard. Unfortunate- ly, in a mixed consignment of, say, a hundred chickens, there are some which resemble the Leghorn type, and these can never make much weight, no matter how well 'fed, whereas by breeding only from specially selected pens every chicken will be of a certain type and character, and the producer can rely upon a flock to turn out as he expects. So many people who start poul- try-keeping, no matter for what purpose, must have a variety of breeds. Now one man may find the Light Sussex an ideal fowl for table, and this is his business. Why should he not keep to the one variety and produce nothing else? He may find it necessary to keep two hundred head of breeding stock-well, why not all Sussex or Faverolles? He could buy what cokerels he wants for crossing, and get those 'fresh each year, thus ensuring greater fertility by the changing and a strong vigorous chick. It is not the man who keeps every 'breed who makes the most money, for, though a customer may come along who needs something you have not got, it is the man who specialises who usually finds the best sales, and the outside public soon know where to send. The question of profit is not always affected by the turnover, for often from a small business, with small expenses, there are greater results than from a big business with al- most endless expenses. I have said repeatedly that in the poultry business it is not so much what ft. man earns as what he saves which tells at the year's end. When raising chickens do not resort to cheap food, for this only spells trouble right from the first. Poor food never raised a good chicken, And what every table fowl breeder must aim for is to get a bird ready for market at the earliest pos- sible opportunity. The table side will show something coming in quicker than any other, because from the shell to the finished article should not be more than twenty weeks. I know the way that some people feed their stock it takes twenty months, and then the birds do not seem to have reached the adult stage. To make a fowl eat short and sweet, the latter food must at least be fairly rich, and the birds often refuse this if not accustomed to some portion of it right from the first. The weeks towards the end, meals should consist of fat and milk in the soft food, and, when used with ground oats, it makes a- whiter flesh. Barley meal -and middlings may be used in moderation by way of a change, but there is nothing like the oat in the form of meal for putting on flesh of the right quality."