December 15, 1363. ] JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 



479 



Paintino Consertatokt (W. TT.).— It will not injure tha plants. 



Names op Plants (if. B. if.).— The Fern is Asplenium flabellifoUum, 

 and the othera are— 2, Tortula muralis ; 3, Evernia prunaatri; 4, Parmelia 

 parietaria; 6, Kamglina fraiinea ; 6, Parmelia aaxatilis. (J. L. C.).— 

 1, appears to be top of frond of Aaplenium Belan^eri ; 2, Adiantum pu- 

 bescens; 3, Celsia sublanata. {Ignoramus).— \, Erica hyemalia ; 2, Erica 

 persolata; 3, Erica pubescens ; 4, Epacris impreasa. {A Constant. Sub- 

 scriber). —Uypnwm fluitans. (J. B. B.).—l, Abutilon venosum; 2, One of 

 the AloDsoas, but too much perished to say which— probably urticifolia. 



POULTRY, BEE. and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



BUYEE AND SELLEE. 



Having observed lately in your Journal many complaints 

 and disappointments recorded by purchasers of poultry from 

 private individuals, such purchases in no way answering 

 their expectations, I think I can propound a scheme of the 

 simplest character by which the interests of both purchasers 

 and sellers would be entirely sewired — that is, every one 

 pai'ting from their valuable birds may be sure of either re- 

 ceiving them back, or their money value when sent on 

 approval, and need have no uneasy visions of the " Long 

 Firm " while the negociation is pending. 



As an old poultry and pigeon fancier, I have been com- 

 pelled at di8Ferent times to purchase birds without seeing 

 them, a plan I would recommend no one to adopt, and I 

 cannot say that I have had reason to be satisfied with that 

 mode. In more than one instance I have not received any- 

 thing at all for money sent in prepayment, and I certainly 

 think in most cases the pviTchasers may be considered quite 

 as honest as the sellers — this is said in reference to the now 

 general practice of demanding prepayment. 



I do not think with the " Wiltshire Rector " that the 

 public generally distrust advertisements, witness the daily 

 supplement to the Times; nor do I think that any good 

 could come from " a column set apai't, &c., &c." (at a reduced 

 price of course), vigilantly excluding all dealers, as sug- 

 gested by the " Exhibitor (and no doubt dealer) in a Small 

 Wat." Who, indeed, shall decide who is a dealer when 

 every one deals more or less if he can ? Why, what are the 

 people who would fill that half-priced column but persons 

 anxious to buy or dispose of their surplus stock ? No, what 

 the public require is some guai-antee or security, where 

 prepayment is required, that they will not be deceived by 

 misrepresentations, and that they may be sure of receiving a 

 fair value for their outlay. 



This could be very easily carried out by establishing in 

 London, as most central, a "poultry protective agent," to 

 act for both buyer and seller, and to whom all payments, as 

 a sort of stakeholder, could be made. Then, when a buyer 

 required a lot of birds to be sent on approval, he would 

 forward to the agent the amount of their value ; the agent 

 would then acknowledge the receipt of the money, and re- 

 quest the owner to forward the birds direct to the purchaser 

 (this would save trouble to the agent). If the birds were 

 approved the purchaser would inform the agent, who would 

 pay over the money to the seller, making such deductions 

 for carriage, &c., as might be previously agreed on. If the 

 birds were not approved of the same form would be gone 

 thi-ough, only that the birds would be sent back to the 

 owner, and, after their safe arrival, the agent would return the 

 money to the proposed buyer, deducting such fees as might 

 be agreed on. This would terminate the transaction, and no 

 one would have to complaiu that he had been deceived in the 

 quality or defrauded of his property. 



It may appear on paper a troublesome process, but in 

 reality could be carried out very easily ; and I think when 

 the amount is considerable, few would object to take this 

 trouble, any more than they do to the "formality of an 

 advertisement " to obtain anything of choice quality. 



I think if the subject were fairly gone into, others might 

 offer their opinions on this much-vexed question, and some 

 arrangement speedily come to. The only person I know of 

 in London, who would be suitable for such an agency, 

 is Mr. Stevens, the poultry auctioneer, who probably would 

 be wOling to undertake it if suitably remunerated for the 

 trouble, &o. This would not entail more than writing two 

 Or three notes with postage, and which a fee of 3s. with 

 5 per cent, on the purchase money, whether sold or not, 

 would cover. — Once Bit Twice Shy. 



[Another correspondent, " A. N. B.," makes a similar sug- 

 gestion, but proposes that the Editors of this Journal shall 

 be the protective agents. It would involve more writing 

 and occupation of time than the Editors could sacrifice.] 



CAPTAIN HEATON'S COCHIN-CHINA FOWLS 

 AT THE BIEMINCtHAM SHOW. 

 Allow me to correct an error made by your correspondent, 

 " Small Fry." He asks :— " How the astounding fact 

 arose that Captain Heaton, to whom both the Silver Buff 

 Cochin cups were awarded on the Saturday, and his friend, 

 Mr. Kelleway, the breeder of the greater portion of the 

 Cochin fowls the Captain then exhibited, were permitted to 

 view the Poultry Show on the Saturday, in flagrant violation 

 of such arrangements ?" Your correspondent would evidently 

 deprive me of a great part of the honour of my victory. I 

 beg to state, for his especial benefit, that out of the fifty 

 Cochins exhibited by me at Birmingham, only thirteen were 

 from Mr. Kellewa/s yard, the remainder from my own. As 

 to his charge against the Birmingham Committee, I will 

 leave the matter in better hands than mine ; I can only say, 

 that I am not aware that any favour was granted to me or 

 Mr. KeUeway, we merely followed many others who entered 

 the poultry department before we did.— Henrt Heaton. 



EAILWAY AEEANGEMENTS AND POULTEY 

 EXHIBITIONS. 

 Amongst the many suggestions lately made by "Egomet " 

 and others as to poultry shows and poultry, the following, 

 inter alia, will not be out of place :— I think one of the largest 

 items connected with the expenses of exhibiting is cairiage 

 of poultry to and from shows. Some Secretaries have, with 

 commendable foresight, obtained fr-om the respective railway 

 companies connected with their exhibition a free transit for 

 the poultry to and fro, and, I think, they have added by 

 doing so a great attraction to their prize schedules — in fact, 

 at once lessening distance between north and south, east 

 and west, and giving opportunities to those who otherwise 

 could not show. I feel sure that did Secretaries of shows 

 secure this privilege, even of returning poultry from exMbi- 

 tions free, they would find the number of entries increased ; 

 and through the medium of your Journal I beg to offer this 

 suggestion to them, which I hope will be received, approved, 

 and acted upon. — Meipsum. 



DARLINGTON EXHIBITION OF POULTEY. 



We can with the most perfect confidence assure our 

 readers, that the Darlington Show just closed has not only 

 very far exceeded all others hitherto held under the auspices 

 of this Society, but also proved itself quite able to hold equal 

 rank with the most noted of our poultry meetmgs elsewhere. 

 The earnest determination of the managers "to do every- 

 thing' they possibly can for the benefit of each exhibitor, but 

 to show no partiality to any of them above their fellows 

 has doubtlessly contributed very materially to produce the 

 amount of public confidence now so freely given to this great 

 Exhibition. Scarcely a county exists that did not this season 

 send admfrable specimens of poulti-y to Darlington, iirst- 

 prize birds from all oui- most noted shows stood here side by 

 side. Such pens having previously secm-edtheu- local honours, 

 the owners, now wishing to determine their actual pertections, 

 brought them together as antagonists, in many instances tor 

 the first time ; a whole host of silver cups of the actual value 

 represented being the coveted objects of their ambition. 

 From these especial causes not only were the classes heavy 

 as to the numbers exliibited, but abnost without exception ot 

 so perfect a character, that the Judges had a duty to tuJUl 

 the very opposite of a sinecure. This year the poultry were 

 exhibited in the recently erected Market Hall, at Daa-bng- 

 ton, which proved itself a most suitable building and con- 

 sequently far in advance of the temporary erections that 

 hitherto have been the only ones available to the Darbngton 

 Committee. Mr. Turner, of SheflSeld, provided the Society 

 with his weU-known eidiibition pens, so that a better oppor- 



