66 



JOUENAl OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE G AEDENEB. [ Ja °°a^ 18, 1872. 



the poor cocks and hens is too bad. I beheve one way m 

 which it can be checked is by a more rigid system of judgmg ; 

 and I tlnnk all honest exhibitors ^ill hail auythmg that tends 

 to make esMbitmg something different to what it now is.— 

 D., Deal. 



DOEKINGS-HOW SHOULD FOWLS BE FED 



AT SHOWS? 

 Some few weeks back I receiTed two letters from different 

 quarters, each written in the same strain " The Dorking 

 cockerel of yours which I claimed at the Crystal Palace is 

 dead," said one correspondent. " The two Dorking cockerels 

 which I showed at the Crystal Palace are dead,' said the other. 

 " I have also heard that the cup cockerel, you will remember 

 the grand black bird as sooty as the king of the sweeps may be 

 supposed to be, is also dying." Here was a fine catalogue, but 

 worse was to foUow. I had been foolish enough to buy a pair 

 of pullets which had won high honours at Birmingham, and 

 gave £10 for the two, although I had bu-ds at home nearly if 

 Sot enuaUy good. ^Yhen they arrived I, of course, expected 

 something grand ; £10 wiU do a great many things. It wiU 

 take you to Paris ; keep you ten days there, and bring you back 

 a-'ain. It will take you up the Ehine almost into Switzerland, 

 and bring you home again with enough left to pay your railway 

 fare first-class to your house if you only know how to manage 

 matters. It wiU almost keep you in clothes for a year, if you 

 are not too particular about the cut of your coat and the colour 

 of your gloves. It wUl insure the payment of £500 after your 

 death, if you will only begin in good time. In fact, £10 will 

 do a vast deal more than most people imagine. Well, my 

 precious pullets I found to be very dark (I had bought by deputy 

 and desired dark birds), a very good match with very good feet, 

 but theh- weight was nothing compared with what I have seen 

 described in the "Journal," as neither of them weighed, 1 

 believe, over 7 lbs. Their Ught weight reminded me of a 

 friend of mine who gave £10 for a first-prize cockerel (I thmk 

 he was first) at the Crystal Palace, in 1870, and found when 

 the bird arrived home that he weighed only 7i lbs. He, how- 

 ever, who deals in Dorkings must be prepared for any amount of 

 disappointment, so that I was not much concerned. But, then, 

 the wretched creatures would not eat ! They were not actually 

 roupy, but roup or something worse seemed certain to ensue. 

 My careful hen^'ife, however, fed them noJens volens, or more 

 strictly speaking, nolentes volentes, with warm bread and milk, 

 gin, port wine, and raw meat, so that they have survived to be 

 highly commended at a large show, and adorn the triumph of 

 others. 



Now my chief purpose in writing this is to ask some of your 

 learned correspondents to state what they consider the best 

 method of feeding fowls at shows. I am told that at Birming- 

 ham they strew the pens with a quantity of sand, which is 

 consequently mixed with their soft food, and so cannot do them 

 much good. At a show recently where I happened to win two 

 first prizes and a £5 5.5. cup, I found the attendant feedmg 

 the bu-ds in the most reckless and profuse manner, while this 

 abominable sand was thrown down as at Birmingham and else- 

 where. He seemed to know nothing of what was done at other 

 shows, or what ought to be done, and I could not undertake to 

 teach him. Some of your readers, however, are certain to have 

 opinions on the subject. I, for one, should be glad to hear 

 them. — A Winner of Fouk Cups. 



Yellows from Mr. F. Graham, of Birkenhead, and Mr. Betty ; 

 Beds, Blues, Whites, and Silvers from such well-known names 

 as Te'getmeier, Jones Percivall, South, Martin, Feltham, Green- 

 field, and Jones. Barbs were well shown by Messrs. Hedley 

 and Jones. Mr. Tegetmeier had a beautiful pen of Piping 

 Pouters. EngUsh Owls were shown by Messrs. Esquilant and 

 Jones, and the latter gentleman had two pairs of charimng little 

 foreigners. Blue and White. Mr. B. E. M. Eoyds, of Manches- 

 ter sent a pen of Jacobins, which fuUy sustained that gentle- 

 man's reputation. Mr. Jones had a beautiful pen of Black- and 

 Mottled Trumpeters, including two or three of great excellence. 

 Mr South and Mr. Jones had good pens of Turbits ; Mr. Teget- 

 meier and Mr. H. Little a very fine collection of Antwerps, 

 showing aU the characteristics of this famous class of birds. 

 Magpies, Nuns, and various other Toys were shown by Messrs. 

 South, Jones PercivaU, P. H. Jones, and others, and the Show- 

 may be described as fairly representing most of the usual 



' We are pleased to hear that the Society is very floiu-ishing, 

 several new members having been recently elected. The place of 

 meeting now is the Covent Garden Hotel, King Street, Covent 

 Garden, instead of the Freemasons' Tavern as heretofore. 



BRISTOL POULTEY AND PIGEON SHOW. 

 Pbior to the holding of this Show last week, a somewhat 

 general opinion was expressed that the newly adopted rule of 

 enforcing in all cases a twenty-sHlUng subscription, independent 

 of entry fees, would so much limit the numbers at the Bristol 

 Exhibition as to make it comparatively a failure compared with 

 those shows that preceded it. We are very glad to say, that not 

 only was there an entry of nearly a thousand pens, but also that 

 a very strong feature of the Show was the general exceUejice oj 

 the birds on view ; and the meeting was equaUy remarkable for 

 the very few empty pens compared -with those on foi-mer occa- 

 sions The result, therefore, appears to be this : the number of 

 individual exhibitors is considerably lessened, but the quahty 

 of the birds shown in the aggregate is vastly improved. Wo 

 may safely add that the Rifle Drill HaU is admirably calculated 

 to show such specimens to the greatest advantage. "The only 

 drawback was that many of the very best pens of birds were 

 quite oversho-wn, and instances were not wantmg m whion Urst- 

 class well-known birds could scarcely stand at all. . . -, 



There was a very grand display of Dorkings, the principal 

 winners being birds that had not been shown for many months 

 nast CertaiSly one of the best collections of Buff and White 

 Cochins ever seen were present, the hens being particularly 

 fine, and ako the younger birds of both sexes ; but the old 

 cocks were as yet barely through their moult. Dark Brahmas 

 were exceedingly good, and there were also a few superior ones 

 among the Light sort; but the faUing-off in quahty among the 

 majority of these classes was very apparent. The Spanish 

 classes were as might be anticipated at Bristol, of first-rate 

 character ; and the whole of the Game fowls were equally worthy 

 of the highest praise. Twenty-six pens of the best Malays we 

 have seen for some years past were ou view, and proved a very 

 interesting portion of the coUection. Ducks, Turkeys, and 

 Geese were capital throughout; and the Buenos Ayrean class 

 was as near peifection as possible. The Cayniga Ducks, shown 

 here as a novelty, have been generaUy known, and that for a 

 long -series of years past, in both Lanca^shire and Yorkshire. 

 ThI Committee were evidently determined individually to pay 

 every possible attention to the wants of the poultiy exhibited, 

 and they certainly left no cause for complaint by anyone. The 

 meeting of 1872, therefore, augurs weU to insure a long suc- 

 cesssion of similar annual reunions. 



THE ANNUAL SHOW OF PIGEONS 



BY THE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL PERISTEBONIC SOCIETY. 



This was held on the 9th inst., in the tropical department of 

 the Crj-stal Palace, and comprised nearly one thousand choice 

 birds, and almost every variety. Pouters were not numerous, 

 Mr. P. H. Jones being the only exhibitor. A l m onds were many 

 and good; the pen shown by Mr. Merck was deserving of 

 special mention for the beautiful colour and the natural state in 

 ■which the birds were sho-wn, proving that it is not necessary to 

 manipulate and deform the beak to produce a beautiful bird. Mr. 

 Jayne and Mr. Ford, as may be supposed, showed splendid pairs 

 of birds. Mr. Esden's Black Mottles were much admired, as 

 were Mr. South's and Mr. Ford's Beards. Carriers were a fine 

 show, including some magnificent birds from Messrs. Ord, 

 Hedley, Greenfield, Martin, Tegetmeier (Blues), Feltham, W. B. 

 Ford, of Weymouth, and Square, of Plymouth. Dragoons were 

 a show in themselves, and it is quite impossible to do justice to 

 this variety in a short article ; nearly two himdred of this rapidly 

 impro-ring pubUc favourite were penned, including splendid 



THE PIGEONS. 

 Once more m dear, dirty, interesting Bristol. Dear, because 

 long known-not dear, certainly, in regard to purchases that 

 can be made, for there is no cheaper shoppmg-placein England, 

 dirty in summer often, in winter always ; and interesting from 

 its history and associations. Bristol and Chfton-curiously con- 

 joined to-Jvns, Crissy-MiUie fashion, but one dark, the o her fan 

 This singular combination gives to Bristol a speciahty. In 

 its streetrtmlike Bath streets, heavy-laden business waggons 

 ostlint against CUfton well-appointed carriages. It is a mingle 

 if fashion and business aU through. After a tX?^r,' ^^sence 

 I mark a great improvement the moment after I leave the 

 station. Instead of crawUng along narrow, ^f ^«"tv.^^"^^^[^°S 

 Temple Street, there is a new, wide, straight shaft-hke^ street 

 riS2ig direct from the station to the bridge, hke Victoria 

 StieVt Westminster. This cuts through two or three narrow 

 streets, up either end of which we peep in passmg-a cunous 

 proof o'f the march of improvement. .But what do I^ee there ? 

 A new spire in progress ! Is it possible that can be St, Mary 

 BedcUffr? 'Tis^soSutthe St. Mary RedcUffe of long associ- 

 ation no more. Generations of Bristol boys have watched the 

 broken or stunted spire as they saUed to make their fortune 



