July 17, 187S. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



53 



G. Barnell, 10s. ; Mr. J. S. Booth, 10s. ; Eev. G. S. Cruwya 

 and Mr. Hemeff kiadly giving one guinea eacli for a cup for 

 Clean-legged Black Bantams, not forgetting Mr. Billett's snb- 

 6criptiou for the same. Thirty-four silver cups or pieces of 

 plate will be awarded. The number of classes is increased from 

 lorty-uine to sixty-three, inclading a class for local fanciers. 



MANAGEMENT OF SITTING HENS. 



The sitting hens should be very clean and free from vermin, 

 which is one of the great secrets of successful poultry-rearing. 

 It is impossible for a hen to sit well if she is tormented in this 

 way, and the little chicks get infested with them and cannot 

 thrive, sometimes dying off by whole broods. As a proof of 

 this being the cause. Cochins or Brahmas rarely die off in this 

 manner, because the young chicks have not feathers enough to 

 harbour vermin. I have also been very often asked to call and 

 see a lot of chickens that have been doing badly, though fed 

 upon the best food money could buy ; and on taking them up 

 have generally found thera covered with lice, which all quickly- 

 feathering breeds are subject to. The best thiug I know of in 

 such a case is to mix a very few drops of carbolic acid with 

 powdered brimstone, mixing or rubbing well together, and put- 

 ting no more of the acid than will mix up dry with th^brimstone ; 

 give them a few dustings of this, and you will not see any 

 more of the little plagues for some time, while the chicks will 

 recover as if by magic. I also find it a good plan to water the 

 house all over with water in which a little of the acid has been 

 mixed, which purifies it as weU as destroys all insect life. 



I prefer to set my own hens out of doors in the same covered 

 coop I mean the bird with her chickens to occupy after hatching, 

 and allow her to come off at pleasure. I do not believe in their 

 needing to come off every day, as many people make a practice 

 of taking them off — the food they eat lasts much longer than 

 when they are taking plenty of exercise, and if Dorking hens at 

 least be left to their own wiU, they will only come off once in 

 two or three days. If you put a feeding hopper there will al- 

 ways be food ready for them. If the weather is very dry do not 

 forget to sprinkle the eggs a few times, and pour plenty of water 

 round the nest when the hen is hatcliing. I never take the 

 chickens away, not being partial to chickens roasted on the hob 

 or before the fire at that tender age. As soon, however, as all 

 the chickens are out of the shell and are quite dry they should 

 be pat into a clean nest, though this is still better done the day 

 before hatching ; but they are better for not being fed till twenty- 

 four hours old. — (Colonial Farmer.) 



[We are always glad to get information from every source, and 

 therefore gladly cull from our transatlantic brethren, and venture 

 to make such remarks as seem called for. One of the most cer- 

 tain plans to avoid vermin in nests is to let hens sit on the 

 ground. A butter-tub cut in half, and the top and bottom knocked 

 out, makes two good sitting boxes. As the birds do not sit out- 

 doors let a large sod of growing grass be cut, on which place the 

 half tub, give a little clean straw, on which place the hen, putting 

 the eggs under her. Let the top be covered with a frame of 

 wire netting. All hens should sit in a house where they are 

 ooiet and secure from interruption from other fowls. The hens 

 snonld have access to dust or road grit when they are off. When 

 fowls have plenty of dust and road grit they will have no vermin. 

 When a hen comes off her nest, all except the tub or box should 

 be destroyed, and the tub thoroughly cleansed with boiling water, 

 and carbolic soap if desired. We do not at all approve of the 

 hens sitting in the rips in which the chickens are to live. We 

 keep them fresh and thoroughly cleansed to receive the chickens. 

 Nor do we approve of the plan of leaving the hens two or three 

 days on their eggs without comiu" off. We take ours off regu- 

 larly every morning, and they look for the attention. — Eds.] 



LINCOLN POULTRY SHOW. 



This Show, although the first that has taken place in the 

 locality, obtained an exceedingly good entry as to numbers, and 

 comprised pens from most of the celebrated breeders both of 

 poultry and Pigeons. There was also a very good collection of 

 eggs and butter exhibited in the tent, besides which a large 

 nnmber of excellent Rabbits competed for the special prizes 

 allotted to that division of the Show. The tent was imusuaUy 

 spacious, and very well arranged throughout. Messrs. Turner 

 supplied their wcU-known exhibition pens, and every specimen 

 was seen to the greatest advantage. The Committee, a well- 

 appointed body, worked with a mil, evidently determined by 

 personal 8uper\-i8ion to enforce the regulations of the Show to 

 the very letter. No small portion of the success of this meeting 

 was attributable to the courtesy and methodical promptitude 

 with which the whole of the correspondence was carried out by 

 the Honorary Secretary. 



During the whole of the present season Dorkings have not be- 

 fore shown as strong an entry as they did at Lincoln, Mr. White 

 standing first in cocks, and Mr. Lingwood first with a weU- 

 showu hen. In the classes for Buff Cochina Mr. Taylor, of Man- 



chester, took precedence in both cock and hen classes, the hen 

 taking also the silver cup. lu the variety Cochin class, Mr. 

 Woodgate's grand White cock stood first, and Mr. Darby's splen- 

 did Black hen was easily first in her clsss. In Dark Brahmas 

 Mr. AnsdeU had it pretty much his own way with birds now so 

 generally successful. The Light Brahmas were not nearly so 

 good as the Dark ones, but the Spanish classes were such as to 

 tax severely the discrimination of the Judges; at this season 

 such excellent classes throughout are exceedingly rare. For this 

 breed Mr. Powell took the cup with a most extraordinary young 

 hen, in admirable form for competition. ' Creve-Ca?urs were 

 most extraordinary classes, some of the cocks being as well built 

 as Dorkings. Golden-spangled were the best of the Hamburgh 

 classes ; the Golden-pencilled and Black were also of high merit. 

 Both Game fowls and Game Bantams were well represented. 

 In the Variety class Golden Polish stood first, Black Hamburghs 

 second, and Malays third. Among the Bantams we noticed 

 some Silver-laced that were conspicuous for the purity of the 

 ground colour, but wanting the rich iridescent character of the 

 lacing that marked the breed as shown some twenty years back. 



Aylesbury Ducks were remarkably good both as to the entry 

 and their general good quality ; the Duck cup being given to this 

 variety. Gccse were decidedly superior ; but, as may always be 

 fairly anticipated at this season of the year, the Turkey entry 

 consisted of only a single pen. 



A glorious rivalry prevailed throughout the Pigeons^ Messrs . 

 Harvey, Fulton, Loversidge, Watts, and Yardley sending their 

 choicest show birds. 



The weather, we are glad to say, was satisfactory, and the 

 arboretum grounds tended much to enhance the satisfaction of 

 visitors. 



The Poultrij Judges were Messrs. Hewitt and Teebay ; and 

 Mr. Esquilant awarded the Babbit and Pj;/eo« prizes. We pub- 

 lished the prize list last week. 



OUNDLE POULTRY SHOW. 



This meeting, which was held on the 11th inst., was very satis- 

 factory, and, as the weather was exceedingly fine, the visitors 

 were more numerous than on any previous occasion. It will be 

 remembered by many of our readers that the last year's show 

 was, on the contrary, marked by severe thunderstorms, and 

 consequently the receipts were comparatively small. We can 

 also congratulate the Committee not only on an increase of 

 entries, but also on the quality of the poultry and Pigeons ex- 

 hibited being such as is rarely surpassed even at exhibitions 

 with double the number of specimens. An excellent tent fitted 

 with Messrs. Turner's well-known exhibition pens placed all the 

 birds on an equal tooting for inspection. 



All the classes of Grey Dorkings were well filled, and the 

 competition, as is usual at Oundle, was very close in these 

 breeds. It was a matter of regret to find that many of the 

 Grey Dorking chickens, though very early hatched and well 

 grown, were intolerably sooty-footed — a feature that necessarily 

 prevents position in the prize list. Though fast getting into 

 moult, many of the Game fowls were of great merit, and it may 

 be safely said such a numerous and first-class collection of 

 Spanish hens is very rarely to be met with. Cochins were 

 large classes, and the birds were excellent. In Cochin cooks 

 the first prize went to a Buff, and the second to Partridge-co- 

 loured ; and in the hen class Whites of high quality stood first, 

 the Buffs taking the remaining prizes. lu a capital class of 

 Cochin chickens,, at once well grown and in first-rate condition, 

 the first and second prizes went to Whites, and the third to 

 Partridge-feathered. Brahmas were few, and some so exhausted 

 by over-exhibition as to enforce rest if they are intended for 

 future competition. The Spangled proved much better than the 

 Pencilled Hamburghs, the Golden-spangled being especially 

 fine. In Game Bantams a pen of superior Red Piles was suc- 

 cessful, closely pressed, however, by Black Reds. A single pen 

 of Golden-laced Sebrights constituted the whole of the entries 

 in the Variety Bantam class ! In an especially good class for 

 Any other breed, Silver Polauds, Creve Ca;urs, and Golden- 

 spangled Polands took the prizes in the order named. Geese, 

 Turkegs, and Ducks were well shown ; in the first-named class 

 a pen of Canada Geese in extremely good feather stood first. 

 The Aylesbury Ducks proved unusually good. 



The Babbits were of fair quality throughout. 



In Pigeons the competition was far greater than on any pre- 

 vious occasion. A peculiarity of this Show is that in Pigeons 

 each entry has to consist of three pens, the varieties being left 

 entirely to the discretion of the exhibitors. It certainly gives 

 considerable scope for entries, and contributes much to the 

 interest of this portion of the Show. The first prize was taken 

 by White Pouters, Black Barbs, and foreign White Owls. The 

 second prize was given to White Pouters, Red Barbs, and White 

 Fantails. An extra prize, a silver cup, for the exhibitor winning 

 most poultry prizes, was very warmly contested, the principal 

 competitors being Mrs. Deacon, of Polebrook Hall, and Mr. 

 Yardley, of Birmingham. Mrs. Deacon secui'ed three first and 

 four second prizes, Mr. Yardley taking four first, three second, 



