202 



JOUENAL OF HOKTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. [ l''il"™'7 29^1872. 



early on Saturilay " for somebody," who lias a holiday then. 

 So i do not woiider, considermg all thmgs, that the houses 

 greatly resemble each other m the many uew streets of New 

 Cross. " Can you tell me where Union Crescent, Brockley 

 Eoad, is ?" said I to one of the many masons, who, pausmg 

 in his chipping, answered, " Brockley Eoad I know, but I never 

 heard of Union Terrace. Brockley Eoad— keep on past two 

 tui-nings, then first to the right, and thii'dto the left down the 

 Talley," &c. " Why, it must be miles," gasped I. " Oh ! no ; 

 only ten minutes' walk." Well, I do reach Brockley Eoad, 

 which seemed a comparatively old part of New Cross, for the 

 road is a street clean and firm, a pavement to walk on, gas 

 lamps, tidy shops, and the same, only six months older, neat 

 houses, with neat blinds, \vith baby at the windows, and per- 

 ambulators in the little gardens in front. "Where's Union 

 Terrace?" asked I of a poUceman. N.B.— Always ask a police- 

 man if you don't see a postman. " Don't know, sir," said the 

 gentleman in blue; " but, then, I'm almost a stranger here ; 

 but there's Paul's Terrace." I then asked a little maid 

 washing the steps at a house in VnnVA T( ir c lli. sviine ques- 

 tion. " Don't know, SU-." Then I ;i-l.r,l ;i jm1,I,iii;/ -ardeuer. 

 "Don't exactly know, sir, but I think ii's nut iar .ili." N.B.— 

 He was making a new garden in front of a house burn an hour 

 before, so very new it seemed. Oh ! how new New Cross is ! 

 at is spick-and-span new ; it is bran new. I daresay it was all 

 green hUl the year before last. Names are not on the houses 

 jet, save at Paul's Terrace. I was now getting hopeless, and 

 meditated returning to London, and writing an article entitled 

 ■" A Fruitless Jom-ney to New Cross," when close by Paul's 

 Terrace, close to that stupid servant girl's pail and mop, hard 

 by that stupid gardener, and that fooUsh-faced poUceman look- 

 ing on, I peeped through a gate and saw the legs of a White 

 Pouter in a pigeonry very new, indeed, at the bottom of a new 

 garden, behind a new house. The house had no name on it 

 (improve this, E. Fulton), no number on it, no " Union Terrace" 

 on the end of the row. Well, I mounted the steps of that 

 aiameless, numberless house — a nice., clean, pretty house, and 

 nice fresh air to be enjoyed on the top of the steps. If I were 

 but a single curate I should wish to lodge there. Eobert 

 Fulton did Uve there, said a tidy little maid. She was right, 

 for in the room are pictures of Pigeons, too accurate to be in 

 .any but the house of a good fancier. All right at List, thought 

 I, and here came in Eobert Fulton. 



To the Pigeons, for time presses. First, I am shown, in 

 passing, a zinc hopper of Mr. Fulton's invention, the neatest 

 and best made for supplying the birds with food, and keeping 

 it from aU impurity, that I ever saw. With the hopper was 

 also a specimen fountain, made of the same material, and of 

 like excellence. Then I pass a round pond, where fancy Ducks 

 are to be when Mr. Fulton gets settled. Straight before me, 

 ,at the bottom of the garden, in the bright sunlight (for, strange 

 to say, it was a fine day^a treat, indeed, after two months' 

 xaui)i stand the long row of Pigeon pens. They are built— 

 sides, back, and ends, as well as the roof— ^of corrugated gal- 

 vanised iron. A good plan this, for rats cannot get through 

 ii'on, and in case of removal they could be easily transferred 

 to another place. Iron also puzzles thieves. The row of pens 

 ai-e divided into six compartments, each compartment being 

 11 feet square. A large window, heavily barred for fear, doubt- 

 less, of improper Pigeon-fanciers, is in the front of each pen. 

 The window shutter removed, out came the birds into then- 

 place of exercise, this being exactly the same size as the pen 

 within. It is well suppUed with resting-boards and perches, 

 on which the Pigeons can enjoy themselves, and on the floor 

 in each a bath. 



Entering, I come into the first division to the left contain- 

 ing the Pouters, some of which have done wonders at various 

 shows. Mr. Fulton is at this time strong in all the varieties 

 except Black Pieds. Some arc wonders for shape and length. 

 I measured a Blue Pied cock ; 20J inches good in length, and 

 73 in limb. Such lengths are often talked about, and people 

 imagine they possess such birds, but they usually fail when 

 the 2-feet rule comes out, and two persons measure the bird 

 impartially. I measured Mealy bu'ds and found them the 

 same. Before me stood Wiiite Pouters of extreme elegance of 

 form, and Yellow birds of wonderful soundness of colour. 

 Indeed, such a number of such goodness was a rare treat to 

 see. Pen No. 2 contained the choicest Carriers, some of them 

 remarkable in head and contour. There were Blacks, Duns, 

 and Blues. Pen No. 3 contained more Carriers. Nos. 4 and 5 

 were full of various classes. Mr. Fulton is very strong in 

 Jacobins, some having then hoods flat to then- heads. He had 



White Jacobins with peari eyes. Barbs of various colours 

 Turbits, Owls, Fans, &c. Lastly came pen No. G full of 

 Short-faced Tumblers; Almonds of various shades, 4he dark, 

 the rich the lighter. Some wonderful in colour, others in 

 head and beak. Two (hen bh-ds both, unfortunately) were 

 Golden Duns. Then there were Short-faced Balds and Beards. 

 This pen was to me particulariy pleasmg. The day had be- 

 come warm as weU as sunny, and as these damty-shaped, 

 sprightly little birds flew to the various aUghting-boards m the 

 outer aviary, and as then- many-coloured plumage and bright 

 hackles guttered in the sun, they formed a charming sight to 

 one who has an eye for a high-class Tumbler. Their flights 

 and taUs were, too, remarkably clean ; and as no feeders or 

 other coarse birds were with them, there was nothing to take 

 oS their beauty. , .. , -, 



Such is Mr. FuUon's pigeonry and its inhabitants, and may 

 both he and they prosper in then: new abode. Truly he has 

 high-class birds. For my own part I could have spent many 

 hours in those pens. The buikUngs themselves are weU ar- 

 ranged. In each pen are the aforenamed hoppers and foimtauis. 

 Mr Fulton is giving up those rickety Bhmmgham triangles, 

 neither good for foot nor wings, and is adoptmg Mr. Noye s 

 roosts, as described and pictured in vol. xvm., page 399, ot tins 

 Journal (.June 2nd, 1870), with this improvement instead of 

 round perches, flat pieces of deal 2 inches or so wide I have 

 done the same, and find the birds prefer them. I ^^•lll also add 

 that the slanting board should be a foot wide, to secure the dung 

 from dropping below. Mr. Fulton has abundance of sawdust 

 on the floors, which certainly gives a clean appearance. In the 

 outer a^-iaries are the baths, flat zinc pans, 2 or 3 inches deep 

 and with a large margm ; indeed they look like a flat pan set 

 in a larger pan, the latter catching aU the splash, and saving 

 the floor from damp, .and the birds' wings and tails from be- 

 coming draggled and dirty. , ^ n i t 

 A peep at some Pigeon portraits in-doors, and a talk about 

 Glasgow fanciers, and then a hasty good-bye, for my tune 



^^I was pleased with all I saw at New Cross, and I am glad 

 that the Pigeon-fancy has so advanced as to make it worth 

 whUe for Mr. Fulton to get together a grand lot of high-class 

 Pigeons of all the varieties ; so that the better fanciers know 

 where to put their hands upon such birds as from time to 

 time they may require.— Wiltshiee Eectoe. 



BLACK HAMBUEGHS. 



I HIVE often wondered why, except at some few of oui- leading 

 shows, this beautiful variety is not aUotted a separate class but 

 has to be shown either in the Any other variety or the Selling 

 class I should like to ask the committees of shows the question, 

 and receive a answer, why the variety is thus treated. 



They are one of the handsomest and best varieties of fowls 

 we have. They are lovely in plumage ; in their egg-producmg 

 quaUties they equal any other breed; they are smaU eaters; 

 thev do not figure badly on the table ; and if they are assigned 

 a separate class at a show they seldom fail to appear m sufficient 

 numbers to justify the pecuniaiy outlay. If any individual 

 should say that they are not shown m sufficient nunibers to 

 warrant committees' in giving them a separate class, 1 would 

 iust refer him to Wolverhampton, where a ±3 3s. first prize 

 brought out the very respectable entry of nineteen pens ; whereas 

 in neither of the other classes of Hambuighs did they surpass 

 and onlv in one instance— viz.. Golden-pencilled, did they equal 

 this number. Some may say that the reason of this hes m the 

 fact that instead of a £3 3s. first prize there was only i2 for any 

 of the other varieties; but stiU my opinion holds good, and shows 

 that if thev receive from committees that encom-agement to 

 which they are justly entitled, they will not fail to make satis- 



*''l*''cInnorunderstand why some classes should be aUotted 

 £B M2 and £1, and others only £2, £1 and 10s. Should not all 

 be 'equally treated? as in most instances the entry fees are the 

 same for one as the other.— TnoM.is Bush. 



TRIMMING BIRDS FOE EXHIBITION. 



EioHT "lad was I to see the remarks you made in last week's 

 Journal on trimming, and I trust that the committee of every 

 future show will adopt the clause you suggest. , , ,^, , , 



I have been very fond of poultry from my boyhood (the almond 

 tree has begun to blossom now), and have somehow drifted into 

 the "Fancy" a little of late, and have also indulged m the 

 luxury of exhibiting a few pens with a fair amount of success. 

 But reaUv when I read so mnch about paint, pins, needles, 

 scissors t^lue &c., in connection with shows, it makes me feei 



