February 8, 1872. ] 



JOUENAi OJ? HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



135 



I merely mention this as an instance, but it is not half so 

 glaring as many awai'ds that I haTe seen in Dorkings the last 

 season. They hare been so peculiar, to say the least, that I 

 have made up my miiul that if next season they are as bad, I 

 shall retire from exhibiting entirely, though I hope never from 

 breeding. I have heard breeders of other lands express them- 

 selves in similar terms as to the judgment of those kinds, but 

 I speak of the only kind that I profess thoroughly to imder- 

 stand. 



As to amateurs exliibiting by themselves, all I can say is that 

 I shoiild consider I disgraced myself if I could not compete, 

 and successfully (of course, not always so), with the best breeder 

 or exhibitor in the kingdom, be he amateur or dealer ; and I 

 am sxu'e if any amateur will only use a little judgment and 

 keep to one breed alone, he will soon find that he can van in 

 any company. But there is also another consideration wliich 

 I think of very great importance — namel.y, that were it not for 

 dealers buying birds from amateui's to exhibit, many ama- 

 teurs, who at the end of the year find a nice little balance in 

 their favour in their poultry account, would find themselves 

 debtor to cash. In my own case dealers are amongst my best 

 customers, and I find they give as good a price as anyone, and 

 I invariably send birds on approval to them, but unless I 

 know the amateur I always decline. Dealers know the value 

 of birds ; many amateurs do not. If we debar dealers from 

 exhibiting their custom will soon cease. 



I like free trade in the poultry exMbition as well as any- 

 where else ; but I do ask for and expect good decisions, which 

 certainly have not been the rule during the past season. I 

 write with the best intention, and without wishing in any way 

 to hurt the feelings of any of our Judges ; but I hear so many 

 complaints expressed, and that from many of our most emi- 

 nent breeders and exhibitors, that I hope the subject may be 

 thoroughly ventilated, and some means adopted to improve 

 the present system of judging, which is deterring, and will, 

 unless improved, deter many of our best breeders from exhibit- 

 ing at all. I know I am treading on very delicate ground, and 

 should not have touched upon the subject at all but for the 

 complaints that have appeared in your Journal, which 1 con- 

 sider are just, and require the immediate attention of the 

 committees of our shows. — T. E. Kell. 



T\rBL\T SHOULD EEGULATE CLASSES? 

 POLANDS' CEESTS. 



A FEW weeks ago the secretary to one of om poultiy shows 

 made a remark which I humbly think requires a rejoinder. 

 Of classes which are badly represented at some shows, he re- 

 marked that fanciers of those sorts of bh-ds should exhibit 

 then- fowls in strong numbers if they wish them to have more 

 classes allotted to them. Now I cannot help thinking that 

 this is rather more than can be expected of the generality of 

 exhibitors. Suppose a case at a certain show. There are four if 

 not five classes for Hamburghs ; at the same show there is one 

 class for Polands, of all ages and of all colours. Now, is it fair 

 to expect so numerous an entiy, or of such good quahty, in the 

 one class of Polands, which would include White-crested Black, 

 Golden, Silver and any other colour, as in the four or five 

 classes of Hamburghs? I certainly cannot persuade myself 

 that it is. In my opinion Polish fowls at all our first-class 

 shows should have at any rate six classes allotted to them — 

 viz., two classes for Goldens, adults and chickens, the same 

 for Silvers, and the same for any other colour. Then, and not 

 until then, will PoUsh fowls have justice done them. If with 

 this classification they still came up in small numbers, I should 

 say such hberal treatment ought not to be expected in future. 

 If "it be said that it has been tried and has proved a failure, I 

 answer. Yes, but several years ago whenPolish fowls were scarce, 

 and when they were supposed to be only an ornamental fowl, 

 and a very tender and delicate breed too. Now they are much 

 more extensively kept than formerly, and I think my brother 

 fanciers will coiToborate what I say when I aflirm, as I do 

 most fe.arlessly, that the Pohsh fowl is extremely hardy, and 

 one that is very easily reared. 



I will now just advert for a moment to a point on which I 

 expect a little contradiction ; that is, whether the largest- 

 crested PoUsh fowls ought, on account of their immensecrests, 

 to take prizes in preference to smaller-crested birds which are 

 more con-ect in their markings and richer in colour. I think 

 that they should not, if the smaUer-crested bii'ds are much 

 superior iu marking and colour, and have decent crests ; for, 

 although the crest is the principal feature in the Polish fowl, 



yet I do think that brilliancy of colour and correctness of mark- 

 ing are very important points, and I should certainly prefer 

 to sacrifice a Uttle in crest, if by so doing we could gain tu the 

 other points named. — G. W. Booihby. 



ANY OTHER VAEIETY OF BANTAMS. 



In answer to your correspondent " Faik Plat," it has long 

 been my opinion that it was time to have separate classes for 

 Black and for Any other variety of Bantams. Further, a well- 

 known breeder and exhibitor of Black Bantams said to me at 

 Birmingham Show, that he never would show any more unless 

 there were a separate class for Black Bantams, and I nearly 

 made up my mind to do the same. If I so resolve, I think 

 committees of shows will miss my name iu the Bantam classes, 

 as I show about seventy pens of Black Bantams in the year. 

 I consider that the extraorilinai-y merits of the Black Bantams 

 entitle them to a separate class, and the same may be said of 

 the White and Laced Bantams, though the latter two are 

 not shown in such large numbers, but they would be if 

 encouraged the same as some of the large breeds — for instance 

 at Birmingham and Wolverhampton Shows in 1870 and 1871, 

 of White Bantams there was an entry of fourteen and fifteen 

 pens respectively, and I am certain there will be a large entry 

 of Whites this year at Wolverhampton. Why ? Because good 

 prizes are offered. 



If committees will only offer good prizes, I think o-miers wfll 

 make plenty of entries, and I hope that the committees of our 

 shows will follow the example of Birmingham, Leeds, and New- 

 port. I win send to all shows where there are separate 

 classes. If there are two or three shows on the same day, I 

 cannot, of course, exhibit at all of them, but I wiU send to those 

 with the most liberal prize list. I do not like to see exlubitors 

 iu the Variety class for Bantams paying an euti-y fee of 5s. to 

 compete for a prize of £1, whUe exhibitors of other breedscan 

 compete for a £2 prize for the same entrance fee. When 

 classed by themselves these Bantams always muster a good 

 entry, indeed I never saw a Black Bantam class a failure. 

 Our leading Black Bantam breeders should do then- best to 

 have separate classes for our petsi— the prettiest of all fowls. — ■ 



B. H. ASHTON. 



W0L\T3EHAMPT0N POULTEY SHOW. 



The sixth annual Meeting of this Society took place iu the 

 Agi-icultural Hall, Wolverhampton, on the 2nd, 3rd, aud 5th inst., 

 and was a most extraordinary success. The Show was of gi-eat 

 excellence, and the first bright beams of simshine that have been 

 noted in this district for five or six weeks placed beyond ques- 

 tion the pecuniary success of the \mdertaking. Considering 

 that the earUest moment the Hall can be placed at the disposal 

 of the Directors of the Shaw is after the Wednesday's market is 

 closed, and that the whole of the fittings have to be erected, and 

 the specimens all penned and ready for the Judges early on the 

 Friday morning, the public being admitted at 2 p.ji., it must be 

 admitted that the aiTangements have to be made most expe- 

 ditiously ; and they were most effectually carried out under the 

 able superintendance of the Hon. Secretary, Mr. Barnett. 



The Show embraced collections from most of the prnicipal 

 Enghsh breeders of poultry, and prizes were awarded to Pigeons 

 that had actually been sent from Amsterdam. These birds 

 proved to be of varieties never before seen in the United King- 

 dom, and as a matter of course from then- great novelty excited, 

 much attention. The number of entries of all descriptions 

 nearly reached 1200, or three hundred more than last year. There 

 was the customary display of the best of Cochins, Brahmas, 

 Dorldngs, and waterfowl in the empire ; many very valuable 

 lots were, however, breaking up very rapidly in constitution 

 from constant exhibition. It was stated in the Exhibition that 

 some of the very best birds had actually never passed three 

 nights together at their owners' for some months past, "but 

 had been traveUing constantly from show to show, and had 

 earned tor their owners tenfold their cost price, though it ap- 

 peared at the time of purchase so large." Some of these birds 

 were evidently so emaciated as to suggest the probabihty ot 

 their never being able to last out the season. 



In the Gayne classes, on the contrary, the most brilhant con- 

 dition and robust health prevailed in almost every instance, m 

 the majority of cases the Game fowls shown bemg quite unac- 

 customed to the exhibition pen, and they were such as are rarely 

 equalled for tightness of feather aud robust constitution. Jn. 

 these classes, by referring to oiu- appended prize Ust it -nill be 

 seen Mr. James Fletcher, of Stoneclough, ahnost monopohsed 

 the prizes with gi-and exhibits, worthy of the successful issues 

 of that gentleman's varibs in their most palmy days. It is evi- 

 dent by then- attractiveness at Wolverhampton that Game towls 



