March 24, 1670. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



eye, as well as purity of Hood and courage for the pit.— Black should have seen them wipe their beaks and try to scratch it 

 Red. out. Since then they have left off eating eggs. — A. E. 



I have no desire to be anyone's counsellor in judging Game 

 fowls, but, unless they are handled, to decide on their merits 

 out of hand is the shadow and not the substance. Short round 

 body ; substance forward in the shoulders and chest ; firm and 

 hard to handle ; tight, short, close feather ; erect, clean, clever 

 carnage ; snake-like, neat head ; long neck and shanks, are my 

 ideal of excellence. It would be both instructive and encourag- 

 ing to exhibitors, if each pen had its meiits and demerits made 

 known as a guide for future improvement. — Thoiias 'Whitakeb, 

 JUcltuii Mowbray. 



HOUDAKS FEATHER-EATERS. 



If the fowls are confined on Email runs, some portion of each 

 run should be dug over at least once a-day to afford the birds 

 scratch. I do not find any amount of grass run a preventive 

 of feather-eating ; but I have observed that birds confined in a 

 small farmyard, where di-ee-ing was constantly accumulating 

 and being turned, were without the morbid appetite upon a 

 variety of diets. Houdans being my hobby, and notoriously 

 feather-eater3, I have been at great paina to discover the cause 

 and cure of feather-eating. After a variety of experiments 

 daring the last eighteen months, I have formed the conjecture 

 that feather-eating is produced by an unnatural state of the 

 ovary which disorders the whole system, and my theory is 

 that the fowls eat feathers as a substitute for some sort of 

 medicine which is obtainable in a farmyard. — H. Seyaioub 

 Fkasek. 



[We have omitted all about patent foods, because your treat- 

 ment without them would have been jast as effectual. The 

 book from which you obligingly sent a leaf is no authority. — 

 Eds.] 



NORTHAMPTON POULTRY SHOW. 



There were upwards of two hundred entries at this Show, held on 

 the 15th and 16th inst. The Cochin- Chinas, Game, Game Bantams, 

 and Bantams of any other variety, were especially good. The Selling 

 class and the "Variety" class for poultrv were good. The Pigeon 

 classes were not numerous, but good in quality. 



Dorkings. -1, W. Bearp3rk, Ainderby Steeple. 2, E. Wood, Clapton, Thrap- 

 stone. e, Hon. J. Massy. Husband's Bosworth. Cochin-China.— 1, J. N. 

 Beasley, PitsJord Hall. Northampton. 2, W. F. Checklev, Moulton. he, W. A. 

 Bnmell, Southwell, c, L. H. Rickette, Banwell; J. N. Beaslev. Game— 2, H. 

 Wyman, AbMoh. Towcester. r, B. Cox, Moulton ; R.Hall. Cambridge; —Page, 

 Northampton ; H. Wvman : J. N. Beasley. SPANisn.— 1, J. Parker, North- 

 ampton. 2. Miss H. Nieholla, Peckham. Brahma Pootra — 1, J. S. Booth, 

 Chesterfield. 2, Key. N. J. Bidley, Newbury. Hamecrghs.— Si 

 Bearpark. 2, B. Cox. Pencilled.— 1, B. Mollett, Whitehall Yard, London. 

 2, Hon. J. Massy, he, W. Bearpaik. Any other Variety.— 1. W. Barford. Ayles- 

 bury (Creve-Cfflor). 2. C. H. Smith. Radclifle-on-Trent (Creve-Cceur). he, J.N. 

 Beasley (Hondan). c, Hon. J. Massy iHoudan). Game Bantams— l.T.Bogers, 

 Walsal. 2, H. Wyman. he. Bellirit-'bam & GUI. Woodfield. Burnley; T. Se- 

 bridge. Northampton, e. W. H. T'imhnson. Newark-on-Trect. Any other 

 Vanety. — l, Maater A. Frc-.v. Sinclair Town. Kirkcaldy (Silver-laced Se- 

 bright). 2. Mrs. F. Worley. Northampton (Gobi-laced), he, P. Collins, 

 Daventry (Silver-laced Sebrightl. e, E. Winwood, Worcester (White-booted); 

 W. H. Tomlinson. Ducks.-), Hon. J. Massy (Aylesbury). 2, J. N. Beasley 

 (East Indian), c, W. Grant, Far Cotton, Northampton (Aylesbury); H. Wyman 

 (Aylesbury). Selling Class.— t, J. Dove, Moulton (Buff Cochin-China). 2,W. 

 Nottarre. Northampton [Silver-spangled Hamburgh), he, H. Pratt. Mear's 

 Ashby (Golden pencilled Hamburgh): W. Nottage, Northampton (Partridge 

 Cochin-china), e, H. Thorneymoft, Floore, Weedon (Silver-spangled Ham- 

 burgh); P. Collins, Daventry (Golden-spangled Hamburgh). 



PIGEONS. 

 Pouters.— 1, H. Yardlev, Birmingham. 2, J. Chester, Nantwich. Carriers 

 —1, J. Chester. 2, J. Spence, Kettering. Tumelers.— 1, J. Chester. 2, J. 

 Holland. <-, W. Barwell. Northampton: T. Adams, St. James' End, North- 

 ampton. Fantails.— 1. H. Yardlev. 2. J. Chester, e, J. Spence. Jacorins — 

 1, H. Yardley. 2, J. Adams. Owls.— 1, F. Barwell. 2, H. Yardley. e, W. 

 Lepper, Northampton. Barrs.— 1, H. Yardley, 2, J. Spence. Kdnts.— 1, H. 

 yardley. 2, 0. Tassell. Northampton. Teimpfters— 1, H. Y'ardlev. 2, J. 

 Chester. Ant other Variety.— 1. P. Grosse (Blue Skinnums). 2. W. Lepper 

 (White Dragoon). Any Distinct Variety (Three pairs).— Jup, J. F. While, 

 Birmingham, he, O. E. cr> s^v.-.ilt, llanworth Rectory (Tnrbzts); J. Spence 

 (White Pouters, Black Carriers, and Bine Owls). Selling Class.— 1, J. Spenca 

 (Dun Carriers). 2, H. Yardlev. c, H. Yardley (3) ; F. Barwell (Elack Carriers) 

 W. Nottage (Blue Turbits) ; W. Green (Blue skinnums) ; J. Spence (Silver Owls; 



BABBITS. 

 LOP-EAR.—1, R. Kirby, Northampton. 2, T. Adams. Any Vasiety.— Equal) 



1, R. Watts, Daventry (Lup-ear); 1;. Bradehaw. Heaviest.— 1, T. Adams. 



2, W. Nottage. 



Judges. — Poultry: Mr. J. K. Fowler, Aylesbnry. Pigeons and 

 Sabbits: Mr. YV. 1!. Tegetmeier, Finchley, London. 



Egg-eating Hens. — I have some Black Spanish which ate 

 their eggs, so that I was obliged to look very sharply after them. 

 One day I thought I would try what effect mustard and Cayenne 

 pepper would have, so I filled an egg full of the mixture, and 

 pot it in the pen. The hens directly attacked it, and you 



WOLVERHAMPTON POULTRY SHOW. 



" Your. Correspondent," in answer to Mr. H. Yardlev, says his 

 notes -were written after a careful scrutiny of the birds ; I think it 

 must have been foggy at the time, for how he can say that the Dra- 

 goons which I showed were far too coarse in skull I cannot under- 

 stand, as all who have hitherto seen them declare them to be perfect 

 iu head and other points. I wiJ challenge " Your. Coertil-pondent " 

 to show a pair against them for £10, the loser to pay the amount to 

 any charity cither in this town or his own, as may be agreed upon, 

 and I willleave the decision to J. Percivall, Esq., whom I believe to 

 be one of the best judges in England of a Diagoou. I must also 

 clear Mr. H. Yardley. as far as I am concerned, from the imputation 

 made against him by " Your. Correspondent "• — that of having sold 

 the birds which he eulogised. He did not sell me the birds, nor bad 

 he ever anything to do with them ; nor did he, I believe, sell either of 

 the pairs shown by Messrs. While and Tomlinson. — Frank Grahaai, 

 Birfcnhtad. 



PRESERVING EGGS. 



My methoj is to have a pan that will hold about three or four pail- 

 fulB of water, put into it a shovelful of fresh lime lumps, pour on 

 enough water to slack them, and when slacked, to three-fourths fill the 

 pan with water. When settled and clear I drop in the eggs gently, 

 and then they will not crack each other. You may fill the pan with 

 eggs to the top, only let the water cover all. I begin tbns pickling 

 eggs in May, and continue until I have some hundreds. When the 

 hens cease laying I begin supplying the pickled eggs, and I took the 

 last in to the cook at the end of January. They were all good but 

 one, and that was cracked. They are used for cooking purposes, but 

 they can be boiled for breakfast, only they must be boiled gently or 

 they will crack. 



Our bens are Golden-spangled Hamburghs. I had sixteen last 

 year, and they laid in eleven months upwards of 2,500 eggs, and they 

 have only a yard '20 yards long by 12 yards wide, where the manure 

 from two horses is put. They have green stuff from the garden, and 

 are fed on barley the first tiing in the morning ; about nine o'clock 

 they have some hot barleymeal, and barley again about two o'clock. 

 —A. B. 



TRUMPETERS. 



I have been much pleased with the remarks of Mr. J. Firth, 

 Jan., in reply to my short introduction of the subject of Trum- 

 peters, and quite agree with him as to the proper set of rose 

 and hood ; but with regard to feet, it appears to me that great 

 length of feather ought not to be the principal point looked for ; 

 a gentle rounding of the feaftiers from the hock downwards, in 

 my opinion, is requisite in the perfect bird. Some of the best 

 rosed and hooded Trumpeters in the fancy have feet the 

 feathers of which grow out quite straight, sometimes meeting 

 at a point ; this certainly detracts from their appearance. Mr. 

 Firth must recollect that a booted Boiler or Horseman may 

 have well-roughed limb3, but in no Pigeon but a Trumpeter, or 

 some ramification of the Trumpeter breed, do we find the rose ; 

 therefore, limb cannot be considered as nearly so important a 

 point as rose — not that the former should in any way be neg- 

 lected, as a good Trumpeter without good feet is like a highly 

 wattled Carrier with a short beak. 



Mr. Firth is quite correct in speaking of the importance and 

 difficulty of matching correctly, for no variety requires more 

 scientific breeding to obtain with any degree of certainty than 

 Mottled Trumpeters, the points to be looked to are so nu- 

 merous ; and no variety can become so fascinating (if I may 

 use the word) to a fancier. 



The squeakers should be black, or with the exception of 

 perhaps a very minute feather or two on the limb entirely 

 black. At two months old a little greyness appears usually 

 under the beak, and the bird, if it progresses as it should do, 

 gradually developes by slow degrees into the perfect mottle, 

 which in my opinion it should not quite attain until after its 

 second moult. 



The tendency of the breed is to become light, so that a bird 

 which may be a medal-winner this year, will, perhaps, be 

 passed over as a splash in two years more. 



The colour of a Mottle's beak should neither he quite black 

 nor quite light, though I am aware that some consider a white 

 beak in a black bird no detriment; but as Pigeons' beaks almost 

 invariably assimilate themselves in colour to feather, I should 

 be inclined to look upon a light beak as a disqualification to a 

 black bird, but it is useful to know that it Btamps the strain 

 as a mottled one. As I am on the subject, perhaps Mr. Firtb, 



