JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ Febraary 29, 1872. 



FoBEiGX- Birds (Aiy variety) -1. E. Holmes, Colchester (King Parrot). 2, 

 Mjs?-Webi, JJlcLste/wusllJusnParroquets). vhc. O. Bawtree, Colchester. 



TopTARFD (Any TarielT) -1, C.^KScl^'st. J.hn's Wood. 2. H. Cawood, 

 Thorat 3. A. H Fasten, Ml. hc.B. Thurlow. Barnham Market ;C. King. 

 "EEobbit^nT Kettering; J. C. GarrinBton, West Bromwrch ; G. Stace, 

 °H™Xyan.-1, a. L. Peace. Doncaster. 2, W. Donkin, Driffield. S. H. G. 



°aITo't?1r'variett-:, a. H. Easten (White Anirnra). 2. E. H Gilbert, 

 EMby rX Wriiht! iuE , Colchester (Angoral. o. Master H. E. Manthorp, 

 cSste'; (Ang"ri):'c. King (Angora); W. HTomlinson Newark (Angora) 

 Sriling CLiss— 1 and 8, J. Farrow, Romford (Lop-eared), i. J. l. Later 

 Aigora). 'rc,C.KJng (Tortiiseshell); A. H. Easten (Lop eared, Spanish); F. 

 Harwood, jun. (Tortoiseshell). 



JvDG^s.— Pigeons andBahhits : Mr. W. B. Tegetmeier. Cage 

 Birds : Mr. G. Moore, Park Street, Northampton. Foultnj : Mr. 

 E. Hewitt, Sparktrook, Birmingham. 



CAREIER PIGEONS— CONSTRUCTING A 

 BREEDING LOFT. 

 I HATE been several times requested to give my ideas with re- 

 spect to the construction of a loft for breeding Carriers and 

 thinking they may be of service to yom- readers I forward them 



I heiieve non-success inbreeding this noble variety of Pigeon 

 is chiefly o-ning to several pairs being crowded together in a 

 small space, the result being a gi-eat amount of damage to the 

 adult birds by fighting— so frequently the cause of wmg cUsease 

 and canker— and the loss of numbers of eggs and young ones m 

 the nest. Carriers are a proUfic varietv, and a good proportion 

 of young birds may easily be reared. By adopting the plan 1 

 recommend, these misfortunes are entirely avoided, and, so lar 

 as I have myself practised it, I found it answer remarkably weU. 

 The building may be erected at a very moderate cost. Ihe 

 erection is like an ordinary shed. A wall 9 or 10 feet high, with a 

 south aspect, wiU'answer for the back. The front of the shed 

 should be 6 feet high, -which allows of a 3-feet fall m the roof to 

 carry off wet. The roof should be boarded flat with l-mch deals 

 (I mean of course -nith the above-mentioned inclination), felted, 

 ■well tarred, and spouted. The ends of the shed, and the back, if 

 there is no waU to work on, should be double-boarded, leaving 

 about 3 inches between the inner and outer boards, and the 

 vacancy well filled with sawdust. Such walls retain a more 

 even temperature than brick or stone, being neither so cold m 

 ■winter nor so hot in summer, and are, besides, less expensive. 

 In ividth the loft may be 12 or 14 feet ; the front boarded-up 

 from the gi-ound 3 feet high, the remainder to the roof wire 

 netting. Inside under the roof shutters should hang on hinges, 

 to fall do^wn and cover the wire ft-ont during the cold mghts, 

 and at other times ■when necessai-v. "ft hen out of use thev 

 swing up and Ue flat to the roof, v.Lcre they are fastened, and 

 are then quite out of the way. - . 



At the back of the loft (there is no limit to the length except in 

 the number of breeding pens required), is a platform 4 feet rn 

 ■width, haU way bet-n-een the floor and roof, to form the bottom of 

 the pens. Thiniron rods, 1 inch apart, i-unning from the platform 

 up to the roof, foi-m the front of the pens, each pen being 4 or 

 5 feet long (the longer the bettei-) furnished ■with door, nest-box, 

 &c. The loft at the length of every three pens should be 

 divided, so that the occupants of every three pens may have 

 their flight, bath, itc, in the area in front in turns. Thus the 

 pairs are r-l- -iv- ■ri-nrntp, mid breed undisturbed. Under these 

 threebr. ■ I' ' 'i i. '. ^ institute one section of the loft, the 

 frontfr.' i i > i i he platform to the ground should 



be -wired.! ,1, :, ,!,<,r. n i<l tiitid with perches ; so that ■will form 

 a most convenient place to draft the young ones into as they are 

 fit to leave their parents. As there -will be two or three such 

 compartments in a loft of any pretensions, the sexes can he 

 separated -when desired. In this arrangement the birds are 

 always vmder command, and easily caught ■n'hen requii-ed. 



The finish of such a building is, of course, a matter of taste and 

 outlay. The exterior may be planed and painted, or only in the 

 rough and tairred, the inside in either case being well Umewashed 

 annually, at the commencement and close of the breeding season. 

 —W. Masset, Spalding. 



broad chest; but, however good in other points, I should 

 pass them in the show pen if the carriage were not good. I 

 think the Game cock is the best model in point of carriage for 

 a Dragoon -with its proud defiant look, ■with head erect, and ever 

 on the ■watch. The blue rump is now universally acknowledged 

 as being correct. The very broad bars I dislike ; they should be 

 jet black, weU defined, and not exhibit the slightest approach to 

 a sooty character, ■n-hich so many Blues have at the edge of the 

 bars. The birds should be of a good sound colour ; hght thighs 

 I consider a great defect. . 



I hope some large breeders ■wiU take the matter up, and give 

 us their experience, to see if we cannot set up a standard of 

 excellence to aim at.— F. Ge.vham. 



P.S.— As if still further to increase the difficulty, I have re- 

 ceived -word from a correspondent of mine, since -writing the 

 above that at a local sho-w held last week the first prize was 

 awarded to a pair of Blue Dragoons -with hght rump and white 

 beaks, and by an eminent Judge too. — F. G. 



THE DRAGOON PIGEON. 



Mb. Misson does not like the stout beak I advocate, nor yet 

 the spinate, but the happy medium. I think, however, from his 

 letter that he does not exactly understand my meaning. I do not 

 ■wish it to be thought that t am in favom- of the heavy coarse- 

 -wattled bird. „,,.,,, _, , , 



My idea of a Dragoon is as follows :— The bul shoiUd be strong 

 from the base, and slightly curved at the end ; the eye wattle 

 neat, circular, and not pinched; alight-coloured beakinadmis- 

 sable; the -wattle on the beak shoiild be fine and lie close. The 

 eye should be fidl and bright. The bird should be very hard- 

 feathered, with shoulders well out in front and have a good 



CRYSTAL PALACE BIRD SHOW. 

 (Concluded from page 184.) 

 Among Silver Lizards, No. 467, Mr. T. W. Fairbrass, was grand. 

 There was size, colour, spangle, cap, and all the quabhcations ot 

 a good bird. I just missed it, my friend, Mr. Hooke, having 

 visited the green baize table before me. Mr. Harrison s 4W, se- 

 cond prize, was another splendid bird, paUsh m colom-, but a 

 beauty, and Mr. Tuck-wood's, 480, third prize, did not belie his 

 iud<nnent of what is requisite to constitute a high-class Lizard. 



Amonf the Jonque Cinnamons were some unusually good 

 birds Mr Etherington's 489 and 488, first and second, being 

 stars,' while Mr. Waller's hen. No. 505, well earned her third 

 place. Someone on the look-out for a good thing secured her 

 at £1 Northampton was in force in this class too, and in Biitts 

 took all three prizes, Barwell & Golby's immense bird standing 

 first. No. 537, Wallace & Beloe, very highly commended, was a 

 gem of a hen. . ^. . ^^ 



Variegated Cinnamons were few m number, and nothing extra 

 in ciuaUty. Something must be done to save this class of 

 Canaries from becoming defunct. The north-countrymen who 

 breed'forsize, shape, and marks, altogetherirrespectiye ol colour, 

 though glad to get it when they can -without sacrificing exact 

 marking grumble when a broken bird, rich in colour and quahty, 

 stands before a long, sKm, halt-washed-out bird, having nothing 

 to recommend it but its marks, -which, however, from want ot 

 colour frequently scarcely show themselves ; and the southern 

 school, -which beUeves ia colour-, grumbles in its turn when its 

 bright specimens are passed over in favour of a bird it repu- 

 diates. Each should have its own class, or the class mtendea 

 should be distinctly described on the schedule. ■ , • 



There was nothing very striking m the Any other -variety, in 

 ■which a Manchester Coppy, a Don, and a Crested Cinnamon 

 shared the honours. .^ .,. , 



\ word about the classification of the Mules. When I sbu- 

 mitted my suggestions as to the improvement of the schedule, 

 I had no idea of my rough copy being accepted in detail; in 

 fact I knew nothing of its being accepted at all tdl I received a 

 nriuted copv. But it appears there is a misdirected letter 

 somewhere in its travels, which, if I had received it m time, 

 would have given me an opportunity of -working out in detail 

 what I had intended as a suggestion merely. _ 



Mv impression was that the fact of the existence of Clear 

 Mules being kmown militates against large; entries m the Clear 

 for choice" classes. There can be no doubt of it. Last year 

 there were but two entries in Jonques and fom- m Buffs in the 

 " Clear for choice " classes. Besides, the old arrangement was 

 devised to meet the claims of Mules which, though not abso- 

 lutelv Clear, are nearly so, and have at the same time no pre- 

 tensions to be placed among Variegated specimens Tlje feal 

 of a Mule for a " Clear for choice " class is (next to Clear) one 

 which at aU events must, at the most, have no more decided 

 marks than mere ticks ; indeed, the "lateral extension of the 

 frSthisewas accorded to these ticked birds as a premium for 

 honesty. It was argued that to make a class for positively Clear 

 Wswasto offer a%remiimi for 'l^j'^""'^-*^! ^" V'^/.'^^.^^f J^" 

 " Clear for choice " clause was inserted. But look at the difli- 

 cultv which arises out of its adoption! It dnves eveiy other 

 class of Pied Mule into the one pen "Variegated, a position m 

 which it is sunply an impossibility for mne-teuths of them to 

 have a ghost of a chance of winning, because the Evenly-marked 

 among them must bear the bell. I am qmte awai-e that the 

 whole difficulty can be swept away at once by making three 

 classes instead of two — i.e., 



A—TeUow Goldflncli Mnle (Clear lor choice), 

 B — Evenly-marked ditto, 

 C — Any other class of ditto, 

 always bearing in mind that the Dark Mules form a class by 

 themselves, aSd that the three above-mentioned apply only to 

 I Pied Mules, and also bearing in mind that there ought to be 



