JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUEE AUD COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



[ Juno 30, 1872. 



TmnLlers. Passing by the Carriers, -n-hich -n-ere good, I came 

 to the Pouter cocks— only four pens, and the first-prize bird the 

 only really good one. Three pens of Hunts, a class of birds 

 scarcely kept as generally as they deserve to be. 



The Dragoons were more numerous, indeed they are clearly 

 becoming very popular, and kept in colour and points as unlike 

 as possible to Carriers, are very interesting; the first prize a 

 pair of beautiful SUvers with proper coloured bars — I mean, of 

 course, broira bars— belonging to Mr. WiUiam Bishop, of Dor- 

 chester. Their light and elegant frame pleased me much. Mr. 

 Allsop's second-pi-i2e birds were, on the contrary, much heavier 

 and more Carrier sized and shaped birds ; they also Silvers with 

 u ^"^ ^''rs. I notice that a correspondent recently suggests 

 that the Birmingham Columbarian Society should decide as to 

 the colours of the bars. I wiU remark that their decision has 

 been already made, and in favour of brown bars— ride their 

 article on the Dragoon Pigeon, vol. xviii., pagt 208, of this 

 Journal, being the number for April 21st, 1870. As even the 

 colour of silver is not well known, it being thought to be whitish, 

 and that black must be a good contrast to white, whereas on 

 the contrary it is light drab, I wiU reproduce the passage from 

 the article—" Silvers are frequently bred from and crossed with 

 Blues ; but it is better not to do so, for, as a consequence, too 

 often the produce of such a mixture is a muddle of both, result- 

 ing chiefly m the production of birds of a silver colour with 

 black bars and dark flights, which are, therefore, not regarded 

 as Silvers but as washed-out Blues. True SUvers are as follows 

 —Colour whity-brown or very hght di-ab, "n-ith darkerdrab bars, 

 ?,«f K and flights. They should have light homy bills and naik. 

 The hackle is not so beautifully resplendent as in the Blues, the 

 indescence being greatly diminished by the drab tint of which 

 their colour consists. The eyes of this variety partake of a rich 

 pearhsh kind, without a particle of yellow observable iu them. 

 Ihey ai-e a %'ery attractive variety," as undoubtedly they are. 



The pretty Fantails were, as usual, numerous, and so good 

 that nearly all were noticed. Among the three pens of Trum- 

 peters was a beautiful pair of Blacks belonging to Mr. Jones, of 

 iulham. Barbs good, so likewise Archangels. Turbits too few, 

 likewise Tumblers— only three pairs to contest for four prizes. 

 Uwls only two pairs. Jacobins, on the contrary, mustered 

 strongly. Any other distinct variety, five pens only. I hope, 

 wherever the Show be held nest year, there will be many more 



Having satisfied myself with my survey, I proceeded to see 

 how the Bath and West of England Show looked in sunshine. 

 " Blest power of sunshine, genial day, 

 "WTiat power, what life, is in thy ray ! " 



Power and life indeed. Before there was nothing but misery, 

 but now pleasure seen on every face. Proceeding to the band, 

 around which were abundance of seats, and I thank you, excel- 

 lent Council not only seats but boards for the feet— very neces- 

 sai7 this cold June, I took my seat ivith my face towards Dor- 

 cJiester, so that the whole park and Show were before me ; I on 

 tne top of the slope and the park gradually sloping townways, 

 lor m the valley is the town. A couple of spires rose above 

 the avenues, and one tower, that of St. Peter's church, the only 

 church which escaped the great fire of 1613, when three hundred 

 nouses and two churches were burnt, very few houses escaping. 

 But neither man nor woman perished, saith the old history ; 

 owing, perhaps, to the fire beginning at two o'clock in the day. 

 -ice town of Dorchester seems to lie almost in a square, and on 

 three sides has spacious avenues, pknted in 1700, of sycamore, 

 horse chestnut, and ehns. The streets are rectangulai- and 

 regularly built, hence squareness and its results are marked 

 upon the place. A view over a wide valley is always pleasing, 

 especially ^^^th dovrns beyond it: In wandering through the 

 bhowl could but think what a useful and pleasure-giving thing 

 if ^"SJS 5 ■^' ^^ ^^ * I'etter edition of a Urge old fair— 



oeautUul horses and cattle, without the noisy rogues of dealers 

 and the screws, and in addition many things which an old fair had 

 not. V enly this is an improving age ; indeed each age is in tm-n 

 an improvement upon its predecessor— less coarse in manner, 

 ana with additional comforts and conveniences for all. Upon 

 the highe.st ground of all stood Suttons' and Carter's seed tents. 

 It chanced that I had never been in them before, bo I entered 

 nrst button and Sons' and then Carter's. Both are very im- 

 posing-looking structures, with a lengthy and ornate frontage, 

 lintemig Sutton & Sons' at the end, I could not fail being struck 

 with the elegance of the arrangements. Seeds, especially agri- 

 cultural, are not picturesque, but good taste made a picturesque 

 tent. Une looked on the samples, and then, arranged at the 

 DacK, were specimens of the Grasses, each bxmch formed into a 

 lau-snape. bo there were the Urge sample-bags, and, behind, 

 gi-own specimens. Indeed the arrangements were tasty in the 

 ^JS"^!? "' ^/Itlie whole weU bore out the high tone and character 

 dis la ■'^'^ading. The same may be said of Messrs. Carter's 



Passing down the slope of the park viewing carriages, ma- 

 cmneiy 01 aU sorts and sizes, I essay to enter the cattle sheds, 

 out could not venture, especially when one had been wet-footed 



for hours. Still I will and do see the horses, and have the con- 

 fiding noses of pet ponies thrust into my palm, hoping for 

 biscuit or bread. " Bless you, sir, no money would hny that 

 pony. The young ladies drive it and make an awful pet of 

 him." N.B. — I pat that pony again and again, and allow him to 

 thrust his soft nose again and again into my palm. 



But my train starts at 7.10, so I must go, and I mount an 

 omnibus, one among a hundred conveyances, and the hundred 

 drivers struggling for places, and shouting for passengers, in 

 the quagmire outside the entrance. Slowly we move on through 

 a crowd that appears to like being run over. The avenues and 

 the streets are now bright with sunshine and holiday-makers. 

 What a nice old place I What capital avenues ! " My bosom's 

 lord again sat lightly on his throne." I viewed all things under 

 a different aspect to that of the morning. I admired the jollity 

 of an English agricultural crowd. I saw little druiikenness ; 

 that, I fear, would be a later exhibition. Slowly, very slowly, 

 we threaded our way, at length reached the station ; saw Bristol 

 and Yeovil trains off, heavily laden, then stepped into my own, 

 which was not inconveniently crowded, and saw opposite me 

 my friend of the morning — quite friends now, having been to 

 the same place and seen the same sights, and by midnight I was 

 in my own rectory. — Wiltshibe Eectoh. 



MANAGEMENT OF POTJLTET AT EXHIBITIONS. 



It is very amusing to me to learn that the omission of a word 

 or two causes Mr. Wright to be so hilarious as to grin at such a 

 simple thing, and he need not fear my begrudging him his 

 laugh. Probably he enjoyed the fun as much as I did when he 

 some time ago seriously advisedBrahma breeders to •' cut neatly 

 round with a pair of shears " the vulture hocks of a bird intended 

 for breeding purposes, and you would then be able to breed 

 birds with hocks which would please any good judge! What 

 I intended to say, and what I fancy most of my readers inferred 

 from my previous remai'ks, was, that birds cannot at first and 

 without water eat too much food to be injurious to them. But 

 when the water-can is filled while the pen is empty, a bird after 

 a long journey will, on being put into the pen, at once rush to 

 the water, and before touching a bit of food satisfy its thirst, 

 and then commences the mischief. 



When Mr. Wright has had some experience in the rnanage- 

 ment of shows and has seen the letters which follow every show, 

 he will, I think, come to a different conclusion about the possi- 

 bility of the starvation of birds. 



After the second Crystal Palace Show, two gentlemen living 

 at Bristol, and well known to Mr. Wright, wrote to us stating 

 that through the delay in the delivery by the railway company, 

 their birds had been killed from want of food and from cold. 

 One bird was a Brahma and the other a White Cochin, and I 

 fancy neither of these birds was quite so long as a week without 

 foci. With regard to the an-ival of the dead Brahma he was, 

 when taken out of the basket, warm, and another bird which 

 was delivered at the same time was so exhausted that he could 

 not stand, and had he been detained a little longer there is no 

 doubt he too would have died fi-om starvation. 



A friend sent me a week ago a pair of Spanish pullets to pre- 

 pare for him for the Bath and West of England Show. They 

 were put into a pen and fed three times a-day. Their first meal 

 consisted of wheat with a little hempseed at midday, barleymeal 

 mixed with milk, and at night the same food as that given in 

 the morning. Every grain was eaten up at once, and they were 

 always ready for more food, and yet these birds in seven days, 

 with such simple fare, and with a mn every alternate day for an 

 hour, increased in weight more than half a pound, and I main- 

 tain this must always be the case. 



I am afraid we might continue discussing these matters for 

 some time ; this will therefore be my last communication on 

 this subject. But before concluding I must congratulate Mr. 

 Wright on the splendid work he is now pubUshing. It certainly 

 enters very minutely and fully into all poultry matters. The 

 engravings, both coloured and plain, are excellent, and I have 

 read each part published with great interest. — W. J. Nichols. 



CEOSS-BEED FOWLS— USE OF FAKM FOWLS. 



As in your columns I often see the Brahma-Dorking recom- 

 mended as the best cross, I will state my experience of it for 

 the benefit of those who have not yet tried it. I am no lover of 

 cross-bred fowls, having proved by experience that pure breeds 

 are more profitable and prolific. I have tried the Brahma- 

 Dorking cross several times and both ways — viz., with a Dorking 

 cock and Brahma hens, and with a Brahma cock and Dorking 

 hens, and have always found it unsatisfactory-. I have also 

 found that the chickens hatched from this cross are as delicate 

 as pure Dorkings, that the pullets are bad and late layers, and 

 that they are not equal to pure Erahmas as table fowls. The 

 Houdan-Brahma and Houdan-Dorki ng crosses I have also found 

 unsatisfactory. 



The most satisfactory cross I have yet seen is between a Duck- 



