232 



THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



chiefly brings its developments to light. That 

 many birds win which ought not to win, because 

 their faults are removed by faking, and that some 

 of these cases are practically impossible cf de- 

 tection, is true. That the majority of winners 

 are so faked, or that faking has produced any 

 standard of perfection which would not have 

 existed otherwise, or which the honest breeder 

 cannot breed up to, is not true; and winners are 

 honest in the majority of cases, in the majority 

 of classes ; one or two exceptions there certainly 

 are. It is also the fact that the worst cases are 

 gciierally brought to light sooner or later, and 

 that there now exists recognised machinery for 

 dealing with them, which is able to exert more 

 and more steady pressure in that direction. 

 While there is probably more skill in faking to- 

 day than ever, the state of things on the whole 

 is certainly better and not worse than formerly, 

 owing to the circumstances above indicated. 



There was a time, years ago, when energetic 

 agitation was required, and about the year 1870 

 we organised and obtained numerous signatures 



to a written protest against the then 

 Agitation tacit toleration of these practices, 

 against which was printed and sent to the 



Trimming. executives of the principal shows. 



This had some perceptible effect, 

 chiefly in the wide adoption of our proposed 

 rule, to the effect that at the show adopting the 

 rule all cases detected by the judges would be 

 marked " Disqualified," and the prizes, if any, 

 withheld. That was something, but it did not 

 prove nearly enough ; for it was found over and 

 over again, that even when the judges had done 

 their duty, committees would not do theirs. 

 At the then principal English show of the year, 

 Messrs. Hewitt and Teebay had their attention 

 specially drawn to this rule. As stated by Mr. 

 Hewitt himself in the Illustrated Book of Poultry, 

 they found it necessary to disqualify nearly one- 

 third of the class of Dark Brahma pullets for 

 gross plucking of vulture-hocks, and reported 

 accordingly. The committee would, however, do 

 nothing, and when remonstrated with replied, as 

 Mr. Hewitt stated, that they had declined to re- 

 cord the penalty in any way, " as it might injure 

 future shows." We remonstrated personally in the 

 very same case, and were told that " as the guilty 

 parties had taken no prizes with the trimmed 

 birds, no harm had been done," so low was the 

 general tone of feeling at that time. Such is 

 obviously not true; for whereas, if punished, a 

 faker may be deterred from trying again, and is 

 at least debarred from immediately selling his 

 faked stock, while the public are warned of him, 

 impunity even if unsuccessful emboldens him 

 to renew the attempt elsewhere. However, it 



became necessary to set on foot yet another 

 press campaign for the " Suppression of Fraud," 

 the object of which was to provide some 

 machinery for action. This was steadily main- 

 tained, the chief burden falling upon us for 

 a year or two, until at length the personal 

 exertions of the late Mr. Alexander Comyns, 

 aided by a few leading exhibitors who collected 

 around him, especially the late Mr. O. E. 

 Cresswell, resulted in the establishment of the 

 Poultry Club, which made the systematic sup- 

 pression of fraud one of its cardinal objects. 



For some time the progress of this body was 

 slow, and lack of power compelled it to be 

 cautious ; but as it gradually grew in member- 

 ship and influence (numbering now 

 Poultry Club ov^'^ 3. thousand) it became better 

 and able to carry out its consistent policy 



Suppression of inducing committees, by more or 

 ° ^^" less of its support, to hold their shows 



under its rules. The number of shows 

 so held is now very great, and the influence thus 

 e.xerted has compelled even the few larger shows 

 which refuse formal adherence, to adopt as 

 their own rules very similar in form and object 

 to the Poultry Club's rules. These provide that 

 no person under present disqualification by the 

 club shall be allowed either to judge or exhibit 

 at the show ; that no exhibitors or their servants 

 may pen their own birds, or be admitted before 

 the public ; that entries may be returned or 

 refused (which is chiefly enforced to prevent 

 disqualified persons from exhibiting under false 

 or altered names); that no exhibitor shall act as 

 judge ; that the judges shall disqualify for any 

 detected fraudulent treatment, or for being over 

 the proper age ; that anyone may lodge a protest 

 against an exhibit with a fee of i^i is., which shall 

 be, however, only retained if it is held that the 

 protest was without reasonable ground ; and 

 the case protested shall be carefully examined, 

 and if necessary be disqualified ; that any 

 exhibitor disqualified for fraud, either by the 

 original judge or upon protest, shall forfeit all 

 other prizes won at the show as well, and 

 may be either temporarily or permanently pro- 

 hibited from exhibiting at all shoius held under 

 Poultry Club rules ; that any so disqualified pens 

 shall be detained by the show committee for 

 three days after the close, within which time the 

 exhibitor, who is notified of the penalty, may 

 appeal to the council of the Club, in which case 

 the exhibit is sent direct to the Club offices, 

 and the case again examined and finally deter- 

 mined. At many shows thus held under its 

 rules an accredited representative of the Club, 

 wearing a badge, attends to direct any necessary 

 proceedings ; and cases brought before it are 



