JUDGING DORKINGS. 



389 



Light Sussex Cockerel. 



and later on, and the hen a very good layer. 

 She is also a capital mother, and can shelter a 

 very large brood, twenty or more chicks being 

 often committed to one bird in its native county. 

 But the commanding merit of this old British 

 strain is as a table fowl, in which it surpasses 

 every other breed on earth, even the Uorking 

 itself. Both have white meat, and plenty of it ; 

 but the Sussex is by almost universal testimony 

 superior in tenderness and juiciness whenever 

 compared with the Dorking of to-day. Meall 

 in 1854 is evidence that it was so at that date, 

 when the race was plentiful ; and it is note- 

 worthy that since its remnants have been 

 gathered together, Mr. Haffenden has won al 

 Smithfield (December, 1904) first and cup in 

 the class for any variety, with a pair of dead 

 pullets of this breed. Many chickens will 

 fatten in three weeks. 



Mr. Lewis Wright's observations in our last 

 edition we are now fortunately able to supple- 

 ment by the following notes from Mr. S. C. 

 Sharpe, hon. secretary of the Sussex Poultry 

 Club : — 



" Specialist clubs should have ex'ery possible 

 support from all who are interested in the wel- 

 fare of poultry, for the progress of the Sussex 

 shows the eood work that such bodies can 



accomplish, and yet only a few short years 

 ago this most useful breed was scarcely known 

 outside its own county, and not even there as 

 an exhibition bird. 



"The Sussex Poultry Club, with which I 

 have been connected since its inception, now 

 has two sister clubs affiliated with the British 

 Club, one in Ouedlinburg, Germany, Herr 

 Heumann being the hon. secretary, and 

 another club in America, at Hackensack, New 

 [ersey, Mr. W. H. Bratt being the hon. secre- 

 tary. Both of these clubs are doing good 

 work, and at the shows held in their respective 

 countries some very good specimens may be 

 seen. 



" Of the three varieties of Sussex, the Light 

 is my favourite — we have a standard for three 

 varieties, viz. Light, Red, and Speckled — and 

 there is no doubt whatever that these birds 

 have been bred in the county of Sussex for a 

 number of years before the Club was formed, 

 and bred true to colour and type, too, and now 

 that they are more widely known they have be- 

 come a very popular fowl both in the show 

 pen and as a useful utility bird. 



" The Lights are capital winter layers ; in 

 fact for three consecutive years they have 

 proved themselves best out of fourteen breeds 



Liqht Sussex Pullet. 



