The great drawback to the value of this most useful breed is in the delicacy of the chicken; in spite of every care they too often exhibit the evil effects of a constitutional delicacy when about three weeks old, when their wings droop, and they die without any evident cause, whilst other birds hatched at the same time, and under the same treatment, are running about full of health and vigour. There is a very erroneous opinion, in many parts of the country, that Dorkings can only be successfully reared in Kent or Surrey; the absurdity of this statement is evident from the fact that the best Dorkings, those that have carried off the first prizes at the various poultry shows, have not, with few exceptions, been natives of Surrey. The opinion has evidently arisen from their delicacy when chicken, and the fact that persons at a distance have often obtained a stock of Dorkings, and then without any introduction of fresh blood, they have continued breeding “in and in” until the breed has degenerated, not only in size, but in constitutional vigour; there is however no doubt but that on the dry chalky soil of Kent and Surrey they are more likely to do well than in any situation where the ground is wet or clayey. Dorkings do not bear confinement well, requiring a good range; to attain a large size, and make good table birds, they must be liberally fed at every period of their lives, hence, and from the fact that they do not forage for themselves as well as the smaller varieties, they are not the best fowls for the cottager, especially as their egg producing powers are not remarkable. I have found that pullets hatched in April and May usually, if well fed, begin to lay about Christmas, and there is no difficulty in hatching in the beginning of February, although there is always some uncertainty about rearing the chicken in cold weather; but I have found that by cooping the hens in a shed open to the south they have done much better than in an enclosed room.