November 8, 18«3. ] JOURNAL OF HOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



361 



Names op Pl*nis.— Some of our correspondents are in the habit of 

 sending small fragments of plants fcr us to name. 'I'his requires from us 

 such a great expeuditure ni time that we are comptUed to say that we 

 cannot attempt to name any plant unless the specimen is perfect iii leaves 

 and flowers. ( I/'. K. Ji".).— 1, Athyrium Filix-foemina, var., perhaps 

 laxum or pyramidale, but not in condition ; 2, 4, Lastrea dilalata, var. ; 

 3, Lastrea te'mula ; .5, Scoloper.drium vu'grare. 



POULTEY, bee, and HOUSEHOLD, CHEONICLE. 



PENS AT BIBMES'GHAM POULTEY SHOW. 



I SHOULD esteem it a great favoiu- if yourself or any of 

 your readers could state on autliority, whether it is the 

 inteiltion of the Managers of the forthcoming Exhibition of 

 poultry at Bu-mingham to enlarge the pens devoted to the 

 principal varieties of ibwls that ■svill then enter into compe- 

 tition. Even to the most casual observer it must have been 

 -evident at first sight that the show-pens latterly appointed 

 at Bii-mingham for the reception of Cochins, Dorkings, 

 Brahmas, Malays — in short, for every variety of the large 

 breeds of fowls, have been decidedly too cramped in their 

 dimensions, and without doubt a sotu-ce of irrecoverable 

 injury to the unfortunate birds, that for six or seven days 

 and nights have barely room even to alter their respective 

 positions without difficulty and great inconvenience to each 

 otner. 



It is cun-ently reported among poultry-fanciers that the 

 Committee are resolved to confine the poulti-y exclusively 

 to the " poultry bay," regardless of the amount of entries 

 that may be obtained for next show within a few days of 

 the time I am now writing. UntU very recently such was 

 aot the regxilation pm-sued — as Turkeys, Geese, Ducks, and 

 some other classes enjoyed ample space in close contiguity 

 to their (at that time) weU-provided-for neighbours. It is 

 admitted that the pens were actually taken so much smaller 

 than they were originally designed, to give greater space 

 for the display of agricultui-al implements, and, I am sorry 

 to add with perfect truth, to the exhibition and sale of a 

 Tarietj- of shop goods also, not at aU connected with agri- 

 cultural pursuits. The poUoy of so doing is open to the 

 gravest doiibts. None but those personally interested can 

 surely deny it was the poultry, and that alone, that has 

 always been the object of most interest to the visitors at 

 the Birmingham meetings, from the vei-y commencement 

 even to this day. To " see the poultry " and to meet fi-iends 

 has always brought together a number of lady visitors im- 

 parallelled ia most of such meetings ; and if this depart- 

 ment of the Show is to be crippled and rendered less inter- 

 esting simply to " make room " for the sale of goods, the 

 legitimate position of which unquestiona)>ly is the shop of 

 the salesman, it is not an idle conjectm-e to state that the 

 very keystone to the success in future yeai's of the Birming- 

 ham Show is thus worse than jeopardised. 



It seems strange to pooh-pooh the poxiltry at Birmingham 

 and UteraUj' thus show the cold shoulder to the Society's 

 best supporters, but so it is ; and in the hope that the 

 remonstrances of others who exhibit large-sized varieties of 

 fowls may be heard through the expressed opinions of such 

 parties, and thus, conjoined with my own, bring about 

 simply a retirrn to the first-sized allotments given to the 

 more weighty fowls at oui- mother Show, has caused these 

 aptly-timed remarks li-om a very repeatedly exhibited — 

 Old Cochin. 



[We can endorse what oirr correspondent says relative to 

 the too-limited size of the pens for the lar'ger varieties of 

 poultry. They are not only injurious to the birds, but 

 diminish the pleasure of inspecting them. — Eds.] 



Spakkows and Poultst Food.— I thinlc if your corre- 

 spondent, who coirsplains of the sparrows eating the poultry 

 food, were to adopt the plan so often recommended in The 

 JouKXAL OF HoRTicrLTUEE — that is, feeding by hand, and 

 only giving the fowls just as much as they will eagerly 

 clear up, there would be none left for the bu-ds. To leave 

 any lying about is wasteful; nor is such feeding so good 

 for the health of the fowls. I have never suliered from 

 birds myself, and always feed them in hard frosts or snowy 

 weather on account of the good they do in summer. — 

 B. P. Beent. 



WEIGHT OF POULTRY. 



In your remarks on the Crystal Palace Poultry Show in 

 yom- last Number, you quote the weight of Mr. Fowler's 

 Aylesbury Ducks, 22-2- lbs. ; and Sir St. G. Gore's Eouens, 

 181 !bs. per pen. 



Will you please say whether these weights are for one drake 

 and two Ducks ? I presume I am correct in this ; but stOl 

 my impression was, that first-prize bu-ds would weigh more 

 than the above. What do you consider a first-rate weight 

 for drakes and Ducks of both breeds ? 



I have bred a good number of Kouens this year, and have 

 this week weighed six drakes and twelve Ducks. The whole 

 eighteen birds weighed 108 lbs. — an average of 6 lbs. for 

 each bird. These were taken du-ect from our pond without 

 any extra feeding of any kind ; in fact, they are on the water 

 night and day, and have only had the rim of the farmyard 

 with a large number of other poultry. What I wish to know 

 is, whether you would consider such birds first-class as to 

 weight, and what is the usual heaviest weight of both breeds 

 at om- principal exhibitions ? 



I may add, that last season I bred one lot of Aylesburys 

 (nine in the brood), which weighed just 45 lbs. for the nine 

 birds when fifty-eight days old. One drake weighed 5J lbs., 

 and another 54 lbs. — Eybukne. 



[You are correct. Each pen at the Crystal Palace con- 

 sisted of a drake and two Ducks. The weights are al^o 

 con-ect. We call 6 lbs. a capital weight for a Eouen drake, 

 and 5i lbs. for a Duck. Aylesbm-ys should weigh 1 lb. more 

 per head than Eouens. We once had the Aylesbui-ys at 

 Bfrmingham Si lbs. each, and we once saw a Piouen di-ake 

 belonging to ili: H. WorraU, of Liverpool, weighing 10 lbs. 

 The weight you mention is unusual at such an eaily age. 

 Aylesburys weigh from fat, Eouens from frame ; and when 

 we speak of capital weights, we do not speak of the first- 

 in-ize birds of great competitors, but those that are good 

 creditable inhabitants oi a yard where their growth is not 

 checked by want of food.] 



SALE OF POULTEY AT EXHIBITIONS. 



In your last Number you state with reference to the 

 Crystal Palace Poultry Show, that average birds at a mo- 

 derate price are sure to meet with a sale. I am afraid my 

 experience goes quite the other way, and I am much more 

 disposed to look upon keeping poultry for exhibition as a 

 very expensive and unsatisfactory amusement. From what 

 I have read in yotn- columns from time to time, I should 

 have been led to a different conclusion had not my own ex- 

 perience contradicted it ; and 1 am inclined to think, that 

 while poulti-y-exhibiting and breeding is a very profitable 

 business for a few well-known names, and does very well for 

 others who can afi"ord to buy stock regardless of price, for 

 the general run of smaller exhibitors it is not only unremime- 

 rative, but absolutely entails a loss. I shall be glad if any of 

 yotir readers can prove that I am wrong, or teach me how to 

 set about the business in a profitable way, for I certainly 

 have not found it hitherto. I sent some bu-ds to the late 

 Crystal Pahice Show, certainly of average merit, and mode- 

 rate price compai-ed -with the general run of prices there. 

 They were returned unsold. I have had birds at other shows 

 that took prizes and commendations, and only on one occasion 

 effected a sale. This is not encoxuraging, to say the least, as 

 the cost of sending bii-ds to a show cannot be estimated at 

 much less than 9s. a-pen. 



I am always at a loss how to dispose of my surplus stock. 

 I have now several good cockerels which I am annous to 

 part with. I cannot find buyers in my own neighbourhood, 

 and they are too good to kill. If I send them up to Mr. 

 Stevens for sale the chances are that they would not realise 

 enough to make it worth the expense. What am I to do ? 

 If I want birds myself, I must give a good price for them, 

 but when I come to sell my own, it is quite a difierent thmg. 

 In fact, it is all outgoing and no incommg. I think it would 

 not be a bad plan if you were to set apai-t a column ot your 

 paper, in which your subscribers could for a smaU fee msert 

 theii- wants, whether in the way of buying, selling, or ez- 

 chano-ing, without the formality of an advertisement. 



Perhaps you may have had similar- complaints before, but 



