286 



JOUBNAL OF HOHTICDLTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



f April 18, 1867- 



simply because the cliief ground of complaint being against 

 the Great Western Baihvay, I gathoreil from their localities that 

 they were fortunate enough to escape its tender mercies. These 

 exhibitors are credited with between forty and forty-five entries. 



Thirty exhibitors have signed the memorial ; these exhibitors 

 made one hundred entries. It follows from this, that of the 

 one hundred and fifty entries out of Newport no less than one 

 hundred entries were made by individuals who, in the matter 

 of the railway charges, feel themselves to have been unfairly 

 treated, and who have pledged themselves not to exhibit again 

 at this Show unless some more satisfactory arrangement is 

 made with the railway authorities. Of those to whom the 

 memorial was forwarded only five or six exhibitors declined to 

 sign. Amongst those who did sign are names most familiar 

 in our prize-lists ; indeed, in the actual prize-list of the New- 

 port Exhibition twenty-seven out of the thirty signatures may 

 be found ; it cannot, therefore, be said that it has been signed 

 only by disappointed exhibitors. 



In conclusion, I must remind all those interested in getting 

 up exhibitions, that this is with them a vital question. Quite 

 in this light must Mr. Palling, the Honorary Secretary to the 

 Newport Show, regard it, for a few days after the receipt of 

 the memorial I had the following reply : — 



"My Dear Sir, — Yonr favour with enclosures, dated '29th nit., 

 reached mo yesterday. I promise that no pains, influence, or argu- 

 ment that can be brought to bear shall be wanting in urging the Great 

 Western Railway to accede to the most reasonable request of the 

 memorial. They have been asted before and declined. I hope, how- 

 ever, we shall this year succeed, and be able to prmt the concession 

 with the schedule. — Faithfully yours, J. G. PAiLrao." 



My advice to those who do get up exhibitions is simply this : 

 Appeal to respective railways and say it is our intention to 

 hold a show at such a date. The show, however, will be car- 

 ried out only on condition of your reducing the rates of car- 

 riage of specimens. Now, if our dear old grandmother (for in 

 spite of mistakes in judging and other matters, still we all 

 like her), I say, it our dear old grandmother Birmingham 

 would only just try this on — no reduction, no show of poultry, 

 would she still be obliged to print that insult to all poultry 

 exhibitors, that " all unsold specimens, except poultry, will be 

 conveyed free on return journey '?" We owe a great deal to 

 Birmingham ; we should be vastly more iu her debt if she 

 would try this plan, and in default of a successful answer 

 carry out the threat. It is far from improbable that at Bir- 

 mingham in 1868 we should have the railways offering a £20 

 cup and free carriage both ways. — Y. B. A. Z. 



BREEDING GAME FOWLS. 



In reference to " Newmarket's " remarks in No. 300, page 

 492, and in No. 302, page .33, I have to say, that breeding in- 

 and-in too much is objectiouable. I have invariably fotmd the 

 following method answer well. After the selection of your 

 brood stock, if on due consideration you find the birds meet your 

 approbation, put them early together so that they may become 

 friendly one with the other. I would also keep the eggs of 

 each hen separate and marked ; by so doing you can dis- 

 tinguish which hen produces the most perfect progeny ; indeed, 

 some breeders are so particular that they will not allow more 

 than one hen to each cock. Attention should be paid every 

 day to ijrevent errors, and to see that your brood stock is not 

 suffering from bad health, as deviations will occur be as par- 

 ticular as we will. 



Should the produce meet my expectations, I would not retain 

 the brood cock for more than four or five seasons ; some 

 breeders substitute another when he is three years old. I would 

 then select a fine young cockerel, perfect in every respect, and 

 breed from him and his two-year-old sisters, or from mother 

 and son. This cross you might use to advantage for four or 

 five years, and then substitute a fresh cross from some noted 

 yard, but great caution ought to be used in the selection. 

 Choose him with every essential property, otherwise you may 

 undo all your previous care. I would then keep a cockerel 

 from this cross and breed from him and my old hens ; by this 

 means I would not sacrifice the old blood. I should only adopt 

 this method as a rule when my strain of brood fowls was as 

 near perfection as good breeding could bring them. It is often 

 the case that, notwithstanding every care in the introduction 

 of a cross, the produce may be defective, and the defects diffi- 

 cult to eradicate, such as deformed backs, crooked breasts, and 

 duck-foot. 



With every respect for " Newmarket's " opinion, I rqust still 



adhere to what I previously expressed in regard to the form of 

 tail. I think when a bird has a good neck, ample shoulders, 

 and tapering behind, a neat whip-tail very much improves the 

 contom-, and gives a more graceful appearance. On the con- 

 trary, when a bird has a short cocked tail and the curve, of 

 the sickle feathers is short and quick, the tail has rather a 

 broomy appearance and does not show the shoulders so finely. 

 Light extremities I much admire, but I do not appreciate a tail 

 that droops too much. Under excitement Game fowls will 

 erect their tails more, and the attitude and general appearance 

 will be more spirited. Some will also carry the tail in a very 

 erect position when not under excitement ; but I think this 

 does not justify me in saying they are any deeper Game. I have 

 had both kinds, but never found the cocked-tailed birds^ of 

 greater courage, nor do I like them so well as the whip-tailed 

 ones. 



As regards spurred hens, I do not think the spurs produce 

 more courage or improve the appearance of Game hens. Oc- 

 casionally barndoor fowls will be found spurred, but I can see 

 no special advantage in this. About thirty-five years ago my 

 brother had two G.ame hens, one a Black aiid well spurred, the 

 other a Spangle without spurs. These hens during the breed- 

 ing season and when nursing their progeny would generally 

 have their battles, and although the darker hen was the more 

 powerful, she on several occasions had to succumb to the 

 prowess of her more agile rival. The battles were of a deter- 

 mined nature, and the sufferings of these poor birds from loss 

 of sight, swollen and skinless heads, must have been severe 

 indeed. Numbers of cocks descended from both these hens 

 were fought, and singular to say, those bred by the Spangled hen 

 were better spurrers and superior fighters. The cocks from the 

 dark hen weighed in fighting trim from 4 lbs. 12 ozs. to 6 lbs., 

 and those from the Spangled hen from 4 lbs. to 5 lbs., and both 

 were nudoubtcd Game. 



I think the weights in the mains of the present day are upon 

 a higher scale than formerly. An old cocker has just informed 

 me that several mains have been fought recently, and that the 

 weights have been from 4 lbs. 6 ozs. up to 5 lbs. 14 ozs., indeed 

 a few weeks ago some birds were fought at 8 lbs. He also 

 told me that in Lancashire cocks are taken off their walks 

 weighing C lbs. and fought at 5 lbs. The Shakebags or Duke 

 of Leeds birds weighed 8 lbs. or 10 ibs., and were deep Game. 

 The origin of this breed is not exactly known, but I should 

 fancy the birds from their large size to be of foreign extraction. 

 In " Sporting Annals " for November, 1827, 1 find that " Lieut.- 

 Colonel Mordaunt," an ardent cocker, resolved to transport 

 some English Game fowls to India, in order to test the 

 courage of the foreigners in their own country. These birds 

 had been described to him as being as bold, if not bolder, than 

 ours, and of more strength. Lieut. -Colonel Mordaimt accom- 

 panied his cocks to India and saw them defeated. 



Does " Newmarket" or any of your readers know anything 

 of the Muscovite Black Game hen mentioned by Buffon ? The 

 large size which sume, or a great portion of our Game fowls 

 have attained is undoubtedly inherited from imported birds, 

 and I think iu some instances this cross has been indulged in 

 too freely. Several birds which I noticed at the Halifax Show, 

 held February 2nd, had a very stilted, gawky appearance ; in- 

 deed, as I heard a gentleman remark, they had too much day- 

 light under them. The seemingly growing propensity on the 

 part of some breeders to exhibit such birds might be easily 

 arrested if our leading judges would discard such ungainly 

 specimens. 



It is a pleasure to an.iexperienced breeder to see his parent 

 stock produce a clutch of chickens nearly equal in size, close- 

 ness, and shortness of feather, and free from any deviation in 

 colour ; also when grown to maturity for them to be weU 

 balanced in shape and contour. All the parties whom " New- 

 market " mentions exhibit good birds, but whether they breed 

 or purchase them I cannot say. In my previous articles on 

 Game fowls I omitted the name of a successful breeder, al- 

 though not a prominent exhibitor. I allude to Mr. B. Scrim- 

 minger. I should think most breeders have been greatly in- 

 debted to his stock as a cross. — Yorkshire. 



FOOD FOR CHICKENS. 



An advertisement appeared on the 2l3t of last month from 



a person signing himself " A. Le Cheminant, Foulon Vale, 



Guernsey," recommending food for chicks ; the method of pre- 



, paring it would be sent for seven stamps. I sent them on the 



