Jimo 20, 1887. T 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



49ft 



prizes ; bnt to this point I will retaru. The enti-ies of Spanish were 

 certainly meagre in numbers, and excepting the Bristol pens, which 

 were easily first and second, I should call them equally so in Quality. 

 In the first-prize pen there was already a divorce, the gentleman be- 

 having very badly. Something of the same Idud, I presume, had hap- 

 pened to the first-prize JJurkinf/ pen, Lady Holmesdale's, as the hen 

 alone occupied the pen, and I could not see the cock. The hen. if I 

 mistake not, was one out of the pen with which her ladyship obtained 

 the prize, ;-»((/• ("j.vv7/c'7?ct', at the Clifton Show, in Jauuaiy last. The 

 hen is certainly splendid in build, and, I expect, in weight, but in my 

 eyea, without the pendulous comb that a siugle-combed Dorking hen 

 ought to have. Several of the Dorking cocks had their fourth and 

 fifth claws some distance up the leg, so high up that as the birds stood 

 erect, they rested only three claws on the ground, the hinder claw 

 being in some cases half an inch from the gi'ound ; this I canuot con- 

 sider any improvement to a Dorking foot. In White Dorldngs, Mr. 

 T. P. Edwards lost all chance, as he did also in the Whitd-crested 

 Black Polands, by sending two heus instead of one in each pen. Other 

 exhibitors committed the same error, aud a pen in the Buff Cochin 

 class would certainly have been placed, but for a similar mistake. 



The Cochin classes, especially the Buffs, were better filled than last 

 year, when five entries contested precedence, and three prizes were 

 oflfered. I liked the Partridge Cochin birds of Mr. Stephens much the 

 best, they were to my fancy among the gems of the Exhibition. The 

 White Cochins have degenerated, or else my mental visions of the 

 past do not agree with the examples shown at Salisbuiy. 



I scanned myo^vupets, the Brahma iuefra classes, somewhat closely. 

 The Dark headed the poll as to numbers, with the exception of the 

 variety class — twenty entries — the Light made twelve more — thirty- 

 two pens, but only eight were iu the prize list. Mr. Boyle headed the 

 Dark class with a large, well-coloured and feathered peu, but the cock 

 was very stilty ; as a friend remarked to me, you might drive a coach 

 and four between his leg'!. It appeared to me that the bird was deficient 

 in depth of chest, and this made his legs appear objectionably long. I 

 greatly preferred Jlr. J. K. Fowler's sepoud-px"ize pen. Mr. Fowler 

 had also a pretty pair of chickens unnoticed, the pullet a beautiful bird. 

 Another pair of chickens was shown in this class, that ought to have 

 been amongst the Light Brahmas. These were perfectly white, and 

 but for the pea-comb might have passed well for White Cochins. They 

 would probably have received some notice in their proper class. The 

 Dark class generally I conaidereu weak in leg-feathering ; but with this 

 verdict ay to the Dark, what shall I say as regards the Light ? There 

 was only one peu that I noticed fairly feathered, the colour very non- 

 descript, as the breast of the cock was black, or nearly so, and the 

 back of the hen brownish. This pen was fairly feathered, especially 

 the hen ; the other pens were lamentably deficient in this, to me. most 

 impoi-tant point. Seiiously, less trimming of the legs than some of 

 the Game exhibited had endured about their faces, would have ren- 

 dered the shanks of many birds, even those noticed by the Judges, per- 

 fectly bare. The length, too, of some of the shanks in this class, if 

 bare, would have helped to show that our friend, " Tkevor, other- 

 ^^SE NE^V3IARKET," might be right as to the Malay origin. Again I 

 lift the warning linger against the naked hock, as certain nUimattly to 

 develope the naked shank. I write most impartially. I did not ex- 

 hibit Brahmas, possibly I shall not do so again, until this extreme 

 horror of the covered hock has somewhat moderated ; but if the class 

 of Light Brahmas is to be taken at all as a type of those from which 

 the light birds are bred, and be it remembered some of our most 

 successful exhibitors showed, deterioration has thoroughly set in, and 

 the naked hock is rapidly fulfilling my prophecy. 



The Game classes were well filled, iind contained some beautiful 

 specimens, so I thought; but, perhaps, " our Game critic" was there, 

 and I forbear to say more than that the tweezers had been diligently 

 used in many of the. pens, and those in which this precaution had 

 been neglected had not the ghost of a chance. I think the Bath and 

 West of England Society has a rule against trimming, too ! 



Mr. F. Pittis, jun., was first and second in Golden- pencilled Ham- 

 bimjlis. Both the cocks had good earlobes ; but both, especially the 

 first-prize bii-d, had stains of white over the red face in patches ; this, 

 certainly, is no improvement to the breed. Many of the combs in 

 this class wero large and coarse, and not a few earlobes blushed. I 

 presume at my impudence in remarking them. I thought the Spangled 

 birds the best, rdands were few, alas ! too few ; but they were very 

 beautiful. I preferred Mr. Beldon's Silvers ; nearly every pen was 

 decorated. 



Shall I say that I regretted the paucity of entries iu the next class 

 — Malays :' I might certainly have been diUerently placed ; as it was, 

 I thrashed evei-ybody there, only there was nobody to thrash ! Both 

 Mr. Cooper, of Limerick, and the Rev. A. G. Brooke showed other 

 birds, and I regi-et they did not enter their Malays. Bath and West 

 of England folk have stuck to this class for a long time. Can Malay 

 fanciers — alas, their name is not legion, expect this to go on when 

 they refrain from entering the lists ? 



The Any other distinct variety class gave the Judges very great trouble, 

 so report says. It is quite uecessaiy that an alteration should be made 

 here. The Houdans, La Fleche, Creve Cceurs, »tc., might be grouped 

 toRflther, as I have before suggested, into a class under the heading of 

 *' French Fowls." At Salisbury with such a class there would have 

 been a dozen entries. I greatly admired the Creve — no ; what am I 

 writing ? I do not think I ever can — no I it was the Cuckoo Cochins. 



They were awarded second, or extra second prize, and very beaatifal 



I thought they looked. 



The single cock Spanish were very poor ; one or two had been good, 

 and one or two never would be. In the Dorking class was a beantifol 

 unnoticed white bird, very large, but with a single comb. He had th*^ 

 deformed spur, now so often seen, the spur growing outside the leg ; 

 still, I thought him the best bird in the class. The noticed Cochins 

 were very good. Mr.. Boyle was first in Brahmas ; again a goodly 

 number of entries. The first-prize cock, a beautiful bird, was Tery 

 nearly blind. I noticed a cock in pen 57, I thinlc, that was also in the 

 same comlition. The Game, as I have said before, was headed by a 

 bird in beautiful condition, belonging to the Ilev. A. G. Brooke. Silrer 

 Polands were first in the Any other variety, Creve Ca^ur second. 



J)tuh'i were good, I shoiild imagine. The first and secoud-priza 

 pens iu the Any other variety class were charming specimens ; but what 

 they were the catalogue failed to inform us. 



The Bantmn classes I only glanced at. Gold or Silver-laced, truly, 

 — Ciesar and Pompey very much alike, especially Caesar ; it really was 

 hard to say which was which. It is very sad to think that this beauti- 

 ful mongrel, if you will, but still most beautiful breed, should fad« 

 away ; but it appears by no means improbable. 



As I have already remarked, the Brahmas eutered in largest num- 

 bers. I only deduce from this fact that great shows should offer the 

 same prizes iu amount to all the classes that generally till fairly. The 

 promoters do not know, aud cannot possibly fathom the eccentricities 

 of entries. AVho could foresee the position of Brahmas this year ? 

 And who, remembering that last year Malays beat Buif Cochin and 

 some other classes, who, I repeat, could foresee the solitaiy entry ? I 

 do not intend to argue from this that Malays should have as largo 

 prizes as Buff Cochin and the more useful classes : they do not deserve 

 it, I am soriy to say. The change from two hens to one — a point I 

 have constantly advocated in these pages, was tried for the first time. 

 How delighted the poor birds must have been, for the glorious summer 

 so nrayed for by us mortals did not certainly add to the comforts of 

 our poor prisoners. Nearly every class showed this more or less : the 

 open beak, the panting chest, the extended wings, told how they suf- 

 fered. The birds were most carefully attended to — too much food, if 

 anything, being given ; but the hard barley — not the finest specimen, 

 by-the-by, that strewed the pens which were untenanted, showed the 

 great error committed in the first meal offered to the birds. It is well 

 known now, and frequently is acted on, that soft food, and that 

 sparingly given, should be the first meal ; if this precaution is neces- 

 sary at Christmas, it is doubly imperative at this season of the year. 

 I did not notice a single peu ticketed "sold." This was strange, I 

 think ; but Tuesday was my day of visiting the Show. The catalogue, 

 as I purchased it, was minus the prize list. — Y. B. A. Z. 



VITALITY RETAINED IN CHILLED EGGS. 



I SAT a ben on eleven Duck eggs on May 13tb. The nest 

 was iu a tea-chest, and there was a row of such for other hens 

 to lay iu, and the position being high and, as I thought, too 

 dry, considering the habits of the Duck, I used generally to 

 sprinkle the eggs when the hen was oil". After she had sat a 

 fortnight, however, more effectually to moisten the eggs I put 

 under them some damp short grass half made into hay, and 

 to my surprise twenty-four hours afterwards I found the old 

 favourite Game hen (which had always been so good a sitter and 

 mother), on a chalk egg in the next box — the eggs as cold as 

 stones, and damp too. I put her on them, hoping against 

 hope that tbey might hatch, and determined that she should 

 have her sit out. Her time was up on the 10th of June, and 

 to my surpii.se nearly all the eggs were chipped on the 9th, 

 and she hatched the whole of the eleven eggs, which are now 

 fine healthy little ducklings. I am sure she was ofi her eggs 

 quite twenty-four hours.-— Pbter Hammokd. 



BAR- FRAME HIVES. 



In the latter part of the last paragraph hut one of " Our 

 Letter Box," page 402, I find the bar-frame system of hive re- 

 ferred to as " of German and American invention." Perhaps 

 you will do me the favour tq allow me to state that the bar- 

 frame hive (or skeleton hive within a hive or box), which has 

 been found to he the only approach to the natural "habitat" 

 of tlie honey bee, may he used in nil climates, and has super- 

 seded the advantafres that straw hives had previously held over 

 wooden boxes as non-conductors of heat and absorbents of 

 moisture, was originally the invention of an Enplishman, and 

 was first introduced by Major Munn in his bar-frame hive, or 

 skeleton hive within a hive, many years ago. I therefore beg 

 to state that the invention of the bar-frame hive is due to this 

 country (England), and it is not either of Geiman or American 

 origin, — Sudbury. 



[The rudiments of the modem rectangular frame hivea may 



