76 



JOURNAL OP HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENEE. 



[ Jaauary 24, 1867. 



hot blood often Latch at the end of nineteen days in -warm 

 weather. Eed wheat and dry stale Iread crumbs are the best 

 food for young chickens ; for fowls, Ijarley in winter, and oats, 

 peas, rye, and buckwheat at ether times. Grass and clean 

 water are great necessaiies. Young chickens must have no 

 damp food at all. Game are very hardy, and being hot in 

 blood stand dry cold well. Poultry-houses should be of brick 

 and tiled, not slated, and not too warm. Slate is bad. — New- 

 MABEEI. 



BRAHMA POOTPaS AT THE BPJSTOL SHOW, 

 As an old friend, " Y. E. A. Z.," has virtually questioned the 

 decision which gave to me the first prize for Dark Brahma 

 chickens at Bristol, and, in fact, gone out of his way to depre- 

 ciate my birds wholesale, perhaps I may in justice ask room 

 for a Une in defence of my pen, the more so, as I am, though 

 a very old lover of fowls, comparatively a beginner in this 

 breed, and exhibited Brahmas for the lirst time. 



That our '• Persian friend " is an admirer of vulture hocks 

 both in theory and practice is well known ; and most Brahma 

 breeders also know that he has carried his hobby so far, as, in 

 the opinion of all but those who share his views, nearly to ruin 

 his own yard and some others crossed from it. ^Vbile this 

 point was yet undecided, while there was a chance of his gain- 

 ing over the judges to his opinion, he, perhaps, did right to 

 persevere ; but now that the matter appears finally disposed of, 

 and it is evident the judges will not have the hock he admires, 

 it is rather hard that he should subject others who have shown 

 more judgment to such one-sided criticism. Certainly any one 

 reading his " Dottings " would suppose the first-prize pen was 

 nearly bare on the shanks ! whereas it is the fact that all 

 three birds (which had very good combs indeed), were, and are 

 BtUl, well and fully feathered from hocks to toes ! 



Here I might stop, the simple fact that two such eminent 

 Judges as Mr. Hewitt and Mr. Douglas placed my birds before 

 a remarkably good and successful pen of Mr. Boyle's, which 

 gained a first prize elsewhere a few days after, being, I should 

 think, quite sufficient answer even to our Persian oracle. To 

 say that I consider myself a good judge of Brahmas, and that 

 I selected this pen with the greatest care, may also be beside 

 the mark, but I will just state in addition to both that several 

 of the most eminent Brahma breeders have complimented me 

 on this my first success, and pronounced the pen by far the best 

 shown this season in the chicken classes, especially in the dark 

 colour of the breasts, which surpassed any birds" I have ever 



I -will only add that " Y. B. A. Z." himself had made several 

 entries, and it was a subject of general inquiry why he did not 

 send his birds. Had he done so we might have seen his 

 notion of a perfect pen. A single cock he did send, but the 

 bird had the misfortune to remain unnoticed. 



With regard to the management of the Show generally, I 

 would hke to draw attention to the system of judging, which 

 cauld not be too " highly commended," and which deserves to 

 be universally known and followed. The two Judges were 

 shown into the hall, and the feeder placed at their service to 

 put together for comparison any pens they desired ; but no 

 one else, not even the Committee, was allowed. Thus they 

 were enabled to make their awards in peace and quietness, and 

 totally ignorant of and uninfluenced by all local interests. 

 Every judge could testify how his arduous, and often thankless, 

 labour would be facilitated were this admirable plan generally 

 and rigidly adopted.— L. Wbioht, Soutlmell Street, Kiiiusdown. 

 Bristol. 



THE SECRETARY OF THE POULTRY CLUB. 



ConTKAKY to my intention I have a word or two further to 

 say concerning Mr. Zurhorst's attack upon me. It is a perfect 

 matter of indifference what notice I had, or what assertions the 

 Secretary may make, regarding my conduct as Honorary Trea- 

 Bttrer to the Poultry Club. As I had nothing to clear 1 wanted 

 no opportunity to clear myself. I asked none, and by what 

 authority Mr. Zurhorst assumes that I had anything to clear I 

 am at a loss to know. Had the resolution at Birmingham 

 been brought forward by any other than a servant of the Club, 

 I might probably have replied to it ; but as it was done with no 

 other intention than to annoy and insult me, I declined to 

 notice it. Mr. Zurhorst, when he proposed the resolution, well 

 understood the whole of the aitair in question, which, with 



other matters he has for some time past been writing about, 

 are, I believe, of as great indifference to the members of the 

 Club as they are to me. 



To reply further to Mr. Zurhorst's misstatements would take 

 up more space than I choose to ask, and more time than I am 

 agreeable to give. He, Mr. Zurhorst, has now got the Club 

 into the hands he wished. — Edwd. Tudman, Axh Grove, Whit- 

 church, Salop. 



[We cannot spare any more space for this controversy. It 

 has been throughout one otficial of the Club insulting the other 

 — "each willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike" — without 

 leading to any result either beneficial to the Club or useful to 

 our readers. — Ens.] 



THE DISQUALIFIED GOLDEN-SPANGLED 

 HAMBURGH AT WHITEHAVEN. 



I HOPE you will do us the justice to inform your readers all 

 about the disqualified cock at Whitehaven. The cock shown 

 by us never had a hollow in his comb, he never had a large or 

 small piece actually cut out of his comb designedly or other- 

 wise, nor was the place ever sewn up again. Either of the 

 Judges cannot but know, that the cock had never a hollow 

 comb, for Mr. E. Hewitt has judged him seven times, and Mr'. 

 E. Teebay six times. To show your readers that the cock 

 could not have had a hollow in the centre of his comb, or any- 

 thing else to hinder him from prizetaking, we will just mention 

 his career since August, 1806. 



The first time he was shown was August 20th, 1866, at Mot- 

 tram Show, where he took the first prize and premium prize 

 for best pen in the Show, and was pronoimced splendid by the 

 Judges, Messrs. Dixon and Hutton. On August 2.5th at Halifax 

 he was again first, and was pronounced by Mr. Teebay remark- 

 ably fine and well meriting the position ; August 30th, Peni- 

 stone, first prize again ; September 1st, Keighley, first prize ; 

 September 4th, Earnsley, first prize ; September 18th, Morley, 

 first prize. Here he was eaUed very good, and pressed closely 

 for the cup. September 20th, Jliddleton, here to one of the 

 pullets happened a misfortune, and the pen was passed over 

 by the Judges. September 24th, Eadclifi'e, Jirst prize ; Octo- 

 ber 4th, Farnworth, highly commended, the pullet being out of 

 condition ; October 5th, Oswestry, first prize ; October 10th, 

 Long Sutton, second prize. Gold and Silver competing together; 

 October 22ud, Wolverhampton, second prize. Some days after 

 this he was sent on approval to Great Malvern, and on his 

 return was on the railway from Saturday morning till Monday 

 at noon without food or water, and was sent on the following 

 morning, November 8th, to Ipswich Show as a single cock, and 

 took the first prize. On December 12th and 13th at Ulverston 

 Show he took the first prize, beating those that had beaten 

 him at Farnworth ; December 18th and 19th, Newport, highly 

 commended ; January 2nd, Bristol, highly commended ; then 

 Whitehaven, disqualified. Thus he made a total of eighteen 

 journeys by rail, having travelled since he was first shown 

 3050 rniles without a day's illness, so we will leave you to judge 

 whether he is a mean bird or not. 



As we are charged with having cruelly cut a large piece out 

 of his comb, we shall make our defence, not by falsehood, as 

 your correspondent has done, but by truth, and truth alone. 

 All poultry exhibitors of any experience must knew a biid'8 

 having travelled upwards of 3000 miles in a hned hamper, 

 and being placed in heated exhibition-rooms, would spring 

 his comb, and give it a tendency to fall over : this was the 

 case, and before sending him to Newpoii his comb was a little 

 inclined to one side, which we suppose was the cause of his 

 non-success at that Show. On arriving home we put a stitch 

 or two in his comb to hold it in its place whilst it got firm on 

 his head again, and in the hurry he was sent to Bristol Show 

 with the stitches in, and was not disquahfied ; they were 

 allowed to remain in his comb, and he was sent to Whitehaven 

 as he was, and disquahfied. We must, however, say he waB 

 not sent to Whitehaven with the stitches in his comb with any 

 intent to defraud or obtain a prize without having merited it, 

 but by mere carelessness or neglect ; but we feel hurt when we 

 read that the cock's comb had either been " hollow or too wide, 

 the poor bird's comb had actually had a large piece cut com- 

 pletely out of the centre of it." We wonder what a novice one 

 must be to think of the idea of cutting a large piece out of a 

 cock's comb that had already a hollow in the centre ! and it 

 must have been madness on our part to spoil a nice comb by 

 taking a piece out of the centre. The cock is quite good 



