NoTcmbet 14, 1867. ; 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



375 



if the; made no use of the elder-berries the fowls wonld eat 

 them greedily." 



As 1 hai)pen to be just fitting up a place in the country 

 especially (or the rearini; of poultry, I at once determined, after 

 reaJint; the above, that I would have an elder fence. My wife 

 cordially supported the motion, and, " on hospitable thoughts 

 intent," indulged in pleasing visions of the time when she 

 oonld regale her friends with the spice-warmed cup of home- 

 made elderwino. Those delightful anticipations were of short 

 duration, for, reading Loudon's " Encyclopiedia of Gardening," 

 I found, at page 93.'), the foUowiuR remark:— "The elder 

 flowers are reported to bo fatal to Turkeys, and the berries 

 to poultry ia general." Now, " Who shall decide when doctors 

 disagree.'" Can yon adduce any evidence on either side of 

 this vexed question V An ounce of experience is worth a pound 

 of theory. There arc, doubtless, Uumlreds of faruisteada where 

 the " bourteoe bush " grows in abundance, and to which the 

 fowls have free access, and I should like to ask some of your 

 readers, who can speak from actual observation, whether the 

 flowers and berries of the elder tree are really injurious to 

 poultrj- ;' — W. Stonehouse, M'hithy. 



[Wo can testify that the berries are not fatal to fowls, for we 

 formerly had a poultry yard with numerous elder trees around 

 it. The ripe berries fell in largo numbers into the yard, but the 

 fowls were never poisoned by them. It was as successful a 

 yard as we ever possessed. — Ens.] 



BRISTOL AND CLIFTON POULTRY SHOW. 



At tlin e.irly part of 1S(',7, the Kristol mid Cliflon Hhow was held 

 in weather dangeroas alike to biped and qnadrupcd. I um afraid that 

 frost and snow told a sorry talo for its ehaucellor oi the exchequer. 

 The early part of November might have been considered proof against 

 very severe weather; but as I started from home at 5.;iO A.M., on the 

 (Jth, with a live. mile ride before me to catch the early tmio. the clear 

 starlit sky above, the crisp and anything but green herbage under foot, 

 I could not help thinking that Bristol people delighted in frosty weather. 

 The day, however, proved remarkably boantilul for foggy November ; 

 *' Ponltry and Pigeons open this day," on all sides meeting the eye of 

 many who care uothin<; for cocks and hens, and who marvel at the 

 excitement manifested by those affected by the " mania." Yet, I ap- 

 prehend, verj' few even of utilitarian fanciers could euter the Show 

 and not admire the size of birds that were not even " in their teeus," 

 for, with the exception of the liantams, the Show was confined to 18G7 

 produce. As I looked iit many of the pens, I could not help meditat- 

 ing on the wisdom of Mr. Hewitt's remarks in a late number, as to 

 chicken classes, for many of these birds would have been taken for 

 fldnlts by nu unpractised eye, whdst some few by keen thoroughly 

 practised men were reco-^uised as such 1 



The Uifle Drill Hall as a place of exhibition may hold its own with 

 nny other building. Floods of light equally thrown over the contents, 

 lofty, well-veutilated, it can scarcely bo improved. I thought the 

 birds too well cared for as to food, and that too hard to please me, but 

 I did not notice any green food in the pens ; this would have been a 

 boon. But to the birds themselves. 



" Lightly tread, 'tis hallowed ground." 



I waver at the threshold. "Whoso nose, aUan beak, must I put ont ? 

 so let mo crave pardon first. I write as I have said before, simply my 

 own impressions without any bias, and without any wish to injure bird 

 or owuer. 



Class I. Dorl-inf/, cockerel and pullet, had a largo entry and con- 

 tained some wonderful birds ; notably, Jlrs. Arkwright's first-prize 

 <5up birds, they were marked six months and were said to weigh 18 lbs. 

 They deserved their position. Not a few, probably, will think that it 

 might have been bettor, and that they mi^ht have been considered the 

 best pen in the Show. Well, 1 should be one of these. 'Ihey were 

 most beautiful birds, and if really only six mouths old marvellous 

 specimens, for so far as X could judge them, there was the frame- 

 work of grand size without extra fat. Their condition, too, was first- 

 rate. The socond-pri/.e pen I did not like, the cock was a fiue bird, 

 but quite sooty in colour, he might have roosted the previous night up 

 & chimney : his companion had an air of antiquity about her iu the 

 feot and jowl which was not becoming. The third. prize birds were 

 rose-combed, and not equal in my judgment to several of the other 

 competing siwcimens. The class was a very good collection, mark- 

 odlv contrasting with the White, where the first and third prizes were 

 withheld, and the hccoud-pri/e cockerel had no tail and was small. 

 The single cockerels were beaufifnl, especially the first-prize bird of 

 Dr. Campbell's. The decision for the best cockerel must have wavered 

 over this pen. Lastly, the pallets I thought specially good ; very, very 

 largo ; but the fashionable colour in the eyes of the Judges is not 

 that which takes my fancy. Until Bristol. I bad bolioved that a good 

 Dorking, like a good horse, could never bo of a Iwd colonr ; but it 

 would seem that the fancy is tending to dark hens, setting aside the 

 beautiful old grey colour. I thought that in many of the birds, both 

 <50ckerel9 and piUlets, there was a greater tendency to a meeting of 



the hocks than I should prefer. I apprehend that this is caosed bj 

 the murvcllouB rapidity of growth. 



Corkins were not so numerous as I expected, and by some error I 

 wholly missed the white birds. There was a most splendid pallet in 

 pen bS (Duke of Newcastle's), but the companion bird was not eqnal 

 to her. The first-prize cockerel in the Buffs did not carry his se- 

 condaries well, and his tail spread open. The Bro^vn and Partridge 

 class carried off the Cochin cup. As far as regards size, these birds 

 left nothing to bo desired ; but the pnllct appeared to have lost ber 

 tail, and what was left of it was dreadfully onesided. This appeared 

 to mo and to several other persons, who know more of Cochins than I 

 do, one of tho mistakes that will happen. Strangely tnoogh No. 2 

 had tho same tendency, but by no meaus so developed. Tho first-prize 

 single cock was " iu tlie .same line," peiverscly so. One of tho Judges 

 told me they were over this pen for a quarter of an hour, and he 

 wonld look them in tho face and put his tail straight. He seemed to 

 do as ho liked with it, but preferred to carry it on one side; tho bird 

 was otherwise legs}- to my eye. The pnliels were beautiful. Ono 

 pen, tho best, lostlheir chance from both tails having disappeared ; 

 the first-prize pen pressed on theso closely. Had the Cochin cup been 

 open to tho pullets, these two pairs wonld have satisfied me for that 

 honour. Tho Cochins generally were splendidly feathered. Many 

 had well-covired hocks, projecting freely, and I was delighted to see 

 in these, as iu Brahmas, less fear of vulture hocks. 



Gitmc contained llie pen of the Show. To Mr. Fletcher's first-prize 

 Black Keds was awarded Mr. Lan-j's beautiful cup. Faultless in con- 

 dition, as Mr. Fletcher's birds always arc. The cock was very beauti- 

 ful ; but he failed to carry his wings as closely as I fancied was neces- 

 sary ; the hen appeared very dark in colonr. They may have looked 

 better on the day of judging, hut for the post of best pen in the Show 

 thev did not take my fancv as much as tho Spanish or Dorking cup 

 pen's. In the third- prize pen the pullet's comb had a decided twist. 

 Tho first-prize Duckwing cock had a beautiful carriage. He was all 

 over a Game cock, and would have enjoyed a set-to with any other 

 bird just for the pleasure of the thing. The second-prize single 

 cockerel was a very large bird, and I should fancy will be too large 

 before long. In this class an old bird was disqualified, that somehow 

 was entered iu en-or. In the pullet class several were very dark, al- 

 most black, and one commended bird had a terribly twisted comb. 



In Januaiy tho class j«ir exctVcucc was the Spaninh, and at Bnstol, 

 where they are the rage, we should expect them still to bo. Generally 

 I thought their condition ver^- inferior to tho January collection. 

 Many of them were in moult, and tails were suffering in many of the 

 pens. Not a few, though young birds, had faces that promised blind- 

 ness very shortlv. The face had a puckered wrinkled appearance; 

 not the beautiful Md-glove face, which is such .an ornament. The 

 early blindness wiU, I expect, become a serious matter ; and if it in- 

 crcasos at the rate it has done during the last few years Spanish will 

 have to be shown in the egg ! Tho cup birds were very deserving the 

 honour bestowed on them, and it is, indeed, a grand success that Mr. 

 Parsley achieved— first and second in two classes, silver cup for best 

 peu of Spanish, and the honour of having run the winning birds very 

 closelv for the champion cup. Tho first-prize pair of pullets was in 

 splendid condition, the gloss on the plumage was magnificent ; and, 

 priced at only £.5 oa., it need scarcely bo added that the birds changed 

 hands immediately. ^ 



In Brahmas all tho first prizes and the silver cup, as a matter of 

 course, went to the Sister Isle. All Mr. Boyle's birds were in beantifnl 

 condition ; they were heavilv feathered, 'fhe cockerel in the Brahma 

 cup pen was a very largo bird. lie has had several rictoncs. and bis 

 comb rather indicated the need of rest. The birds iu tho prize pen of 

 Mr. Ilargreaves were magnificently feathered, and his highly-com- 

 mended pen decidedly " hockT." I was very glad to see it ; there are 

 far worse features in Brahma's or Cochins than vnlture hocks. Mrs. 

 Hurt's highly-commended pullet in this class bad a string tied round 

 tho leg, which ought, in my humble opinion, to disqualify. The Light 

 birds mustered verv creditably as to numbers. The first-prize cock was 

 verj- good, and the feathering in several pens decidedly unproved. 

 The general feathering of this class was inferior as compared to the 

 Dark. Iu ono or two pens there were single-combed specimens, 

 coupled in one case with three-inch hock feathers. The singlo comb 

 cannot be tolerated in Brahmas now, whatever it might have been m 

 years gone by, when at Hereford, tho Judge disqualified two of my 

 pens because they were pea. combed ! ■, a ^ 



Tho Cockerel class. Aye, to bo sore, let mo panse and reflect ; 

 honour, so unheard of, so unexpected '. The sdver cap for the best 

 cockerel in tho Show was awarded to Brtdimas ! Cock-a-djodle- 

 doo-o-o-o ! The despised and dcRraded mongrel, that has step by step, 

 through evil report proved its sterling value and made lUclf a posiUon 

 araouRst onr domestic ponltry it is never likely to lose again, achieved 

 this unprecedented foat. All honour to Mr. Boyle. In colonr, mark- 

 ings, form, and condition, a more beautiful bird has rarely been seen. 

 Mr. Wraps told mo it was his first appearance m pnbuc. and ho bag 

 ccrtoinlv made a verv qood hegiunins. 1 am so pleased at the result, 

 that I siiall show mv pavtialitv this time and net pick a feather out of 

 him. though I should have liked to alter one part of tho bird. Mr. 

 Bnvle's pullets were also verv beautiful. 



'i'ho Spanslod Ilainhurrilw beat the Pencilled, the cnp going to a 

 pen of Gold-spancled bclouRing to Mr. Hyde, and which were entered 

 at £6 &s., and inimediatelv bought in : and for some hours before tho 



