222 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUKE AKD COTTAGE GAIIDE\-EE. 



[ Marcli 7, 1872 



the first-prize pair at Portemouth ; I visited the Show on the 

 last day, and two more miserable objects could not be, tne 

 crests of both birds hanging over in front soaked with water. 

 The second and third-prize birds were not soiled, and yet ail 

 diank from the same kind of water-vessel. This must speak 

 for itself. Although the first-prize birds had the largest crests 

 they had certainly not the best-shaped ones, otherwise they woiUd 

 never have been in such a state ; therefore, why should we take 

 such hh-ds as sta,ndards ? You can easily see what keeps some 

 of us from exhibiting. ^ -, ^ j 



As to Pohsh being hardy, I bred sixty-four last year and 

 never had a death except in the case of one which met with an 

 accident. Thev feather-up very quickly, and require bttle care. 

 Mv birds were' hatched in May, and at just twelve weeks old i 

 commeuced kiUing-off the cockerels, and selling them for the 

 table The puUets began to lay one week after Christmas, arid 

 wiU continue to do so until moulting time without wanting to 

 sit. NoWj we cannot expect much more than this from any 

 other variety we have.— A. Cruttenden, Haijward's Heath. 



THE HAMBUEGH COCK WITH PIN THRUST 



THBOUGH HIS COMB. 



We have had the following correspondence on this sirbject. 



" Castle Yard, Knaresbrongh, 1st March, 1872. 



" Sir,— As solicitor and friend of Mr. Joseph Walker, of Birst- 



^rith, I ask for an opportunity of denying, ou his part, any 



compUcity in the placing the pin in the comb of the Hamburgn 



cock shown at Whitehaven, which has been so freely, and m 



some respects justly, commented upon m your Journal during 



the last three weeks. The bird was undoubtedly Mi-. Walker s, 



but had only very lately been purchased by him; and I have 



now lying before me the letter of the person from whom the 



cock was purchased, m which he says, ' I am wiUing to confess 



that it was me, and not him that turned the bird. It was not 



done at his place at all ; I do not like to see Mr. Walker wrongly 



"After this statement by the pai-ty committing the offence, 

 and Mr. Walker's statement that he dii-ected only the bird s head 

 and feet to be be washed in the usual way, I trust that aU re- 

 marks, so far as Mr. Walker is concerned, will be withdrawn ; 

 for anyone who knows him will feel sure that he would be the 

 last person so cruelly to treat either bird or animal. 



^ "I am, &c., Feed. Powell. 



" The Editor of ' The Jom-nal of Horticulture andPoultry 



Chronicle. ' " 



To this we replied— -, „ ,o-r, 



" March 2, 1872. 

 "The Editors most readily will insert Mr. PoweU's note, but 

 they consider it would be much more satisfactory if the name ot 

 the cruel offender be pubUshed. He should be held up to the 

 pubhc as a warning. The Editors would pubUsh the name m 

 connection with Mr. PoweU's note, aiid such pubUcation is due 

 to Mr. Walker, as it would satisfy the public more than the 

 extract from the offender's note." 

 Mr. Powell's answer is this : — 



" Castle Yard, Knaresbrongh, 4th March, 1872. 

 " Whitehaven Show. 

 " Gentlemen,— I am sorry that I may not furnish you with 

 the name of tlie offender against Mr. Joseph Walker and the 

 pubhc Mr. Walker, erroneously I think, but out of consider- 

 ation for the poor man's futm-e weUare, promised him not to 

 make his name pubUc, birt insisted upon his statement being 

 made by himself in writing. If you require to see the letter 1 

 would ask for permission to send it to you, but it would have to 

 be on the condition of the name not being made public. 



" I am, &e.. Feed. Po-b-ell. 

 " To the Editors of ' The Journal of Horticulture,' 



171, Fleet Street, London." 

 We have not asked to see the letter, for we do not doubt its 

 airthenticity, but we consider that it is due to the public to 

 publish the offender's name, that he might be punished by the 

 aid of the Society for the Suppression of Cruelty to Animals. 

 We refrain from other remarks. — Eds. 



JUDGING AT POULTEY SHOWS. 

 The man who sends to a show his pen or two of birds, bred 

 with what care and trouble he and his feUow fanciers alone know, 

 and chosen from the numerous promising birds that have gone 

 wrong and been killed or parted with, naturally wishes to win ; 

 but f aihng, his desire— nay, perhaps his sole reason for exhibiting, 

 is to get the best possible opinion upon his birds, and to see or 

 hear how they stand in comparison with others. With the 

 present system of judging it is almost impossible for him to do 

 this. He may go to the show, he may catch the much-badgered 

 judge dm-ing the short time he remains to be blowu-up 0)y the 

 way, some do not remain at all), but thisis a difficult thing to 



accomplish, and one that many object to on principle. Eailing 

 this, he is ch-iven to use his own judgment, or that of sympa- 

 thising friends, and the probability is that he returns home 

 with the fixed idea that his birds ought to have done better, he 

 can see they were not so good in some points as those that won, 

 but then these are not perfect, and therefore m others he thinks 

 them better, and striking a balance, with his natural bias thro-^-u 

 in as a makeweight, he declares that he has been haVdly dealt 

 with, though he has seldom anything tangible to prove. 11 ue 

 does not get to the show he sees by the catalogue that he i» no- 

 where, or, worse, H.c, and cannot understand how it is. 



I would suggest that this difficulty be got over by the adoption 

 by the judges of numberedandperforatedbooks,hke those lecom. 

 mended for dog shows ; the judge then makes his remarks on every 

 pen (inmost instances a few words are sufiicieut to condemn , and 

 gives the secretary the torn-out half, which is numbered and 

 Sopied from the other, which he retains f"!' l^f^.f^ ^'t^^f^f,: 

 Tlie secretary prints the remarks after the exhibitor s name ma 

 column set apart for that purpose in the catalogue, and tne 

 exhibitor would then be satisfied, I think. The sale of cata ogues 

 and entry of birds would greatly increase, and ^?;^'l t™.^ ™: 

 able poultry societies to engage more judges, which would be 

 better than^giving more time for judging ; because l^^^s could 

 then be assifned to the classes they understand, for very few aie 



^°Thu^ at thesmaller shows the secretary and commttee need 

 not be so dependant on the large and Proff^siiional exhibitois 

 as to overlook trimmmg or other faiUngs on their part, 

 whilst visiting with a heavy hand the i"«^.P«"^f <='} ^^PP"ll°s 

 the small man ; nor need they allow these '-^Vori^fj^T^^f^^ 

 to pen their own birds five minutes before the judges entei 

 whilst tho?e of thesmaller exhibitors have been ^^^i^S,!! 

 the pens all night, and at that moment are standing with ruffled 

 eathers and orlops well distended, by the ^-^o^l^^J.^^^'J^l-^^ 

 determined they shaU be weU fed at "our show, yhat«ver el^e 

 hannens A little more printing, a httle more trouble to tire 

 secieteiT (I do apologise to him, for I know he has always plenty 

 of thatc^ommodity, and deserves all the gratitude we exhibitors 

 can bestow), and aiother judge, would in most cases secui-emoie 

 equity. — Ginger Hackle. 



COLCHESTEE POULTEY SHOW. 



(From another Reporter) 



The Committee, though few in number, were always at their 



pott and the most perfect order prevailed. Scarcely a pen even 



approaching inferiority of quaUty was to be met w^th, and it is 



long since we have seen a show with so few empty pens 



The Grey Dorkings were of a very high character, Mr. Lionel 

 Patton taMng with a grand well-shown pen, not only the first 

 prize, but also the Dorkingsaver cup. T^ie competation foi- t^s 

 Jup was gi-eat both among the Greys and also White Dorkings, 

 ?he coUeftion of the latter variety being partic^darly good. 

 Lady Gwydvi-'s cup pen of Buff Cochim, and Mr. Horace Lmg- 

 wood's Parti-idge-colom-ed, were such as woiild greatly add to 

 ttie interest of any show, but the combined Cochin classes con- 

 tafned an entiy of only eight pens. There was, a large compe- 

 tion of Dark Bra7,m«s, molt of the pens receiving more or less 

 fav^iSable notice. The Light Brahmas were few but generaUy 

 good The class of Spanish fowls was one of the most meri- 

 torious we have seen this season. Samhurghs m all the varie- 

 ty were well shown, and seldom has a better collection been 

 seen in this country. Game fowls were shown by many of om- 

 leadini breeders ; the silver cup for Game was awarded to a 

 wonde?fuUy perfect pair of Duckwings, though the competition 

 Tnthe part of the Black and Brown Reds pressed them closely. 

 The wai-known Red Pile cock of Mr. Samuel Mathews, that 

 has perhaps, received as many prizes as any Game cock 

 eristing, was completely thrown out, having become, gouty in 

 tTe feet otherwisF this old stager e™tinues as hard in eaAer 

 and clever in hand as <»n be desn^ed *^'''^/ .f^ '"/",'". fj^'^i 

 a couple of first-rate classes Mr. Jeffnes, of Iid» idi as usual 

 in this neighbourhood, standing far ahead m the P.la k Ixexls, 

 wliiUt the ?lass for Duckwings was one of the gems of the Show. 

 ?h re wa'safi? a goorentry in the class ^^l^^^^^^^^^Z 

 nf Bantams • Silver-laced, White, and Black Bantams taking the 

 p-Sestthe order nam'ed. A heavy entry of French breeds 

 calsed general attention. Creve-Coem-s were lirst and second 

 »fidHoudans third. The Variety class for any breed not before 

 TamSl was'unquestionably goodT Malays, Sultans and Cuckoo 

 ■Rnsv combed Dorkings of great merit being the winners. _ 



There™ afagood'fhow of Rouen Duchs, but of Aylesbuiies 

 onlv a single pern the latter good enough, however, to obtain a 

 first pri^e^. The Variety Duck class contained many really 

 valua&e breeds, and the^Selling classes (d^^^^et prizes being 

 offered for each sex) were a great success, containing many fiist- 



'^Among'the Figeom were many of the best birds in the king- 

 dom some of them competing openly enough m the names of 

 S- owners, and some pens were lent for the occasion, a practice 



