March SI, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



251 



The next point I would mention is the only one hinted at by 

 Mr. Hewitt — it ia, the difference between mere profession and 

 practice. The Torquay exhibitor who brought upon himself 

 such a humiliating exposure, last season signed the " protest " 

 against trimming, and accompanied his signature by some 

 observations on the subject quite as strong as any I would care 

 to use. I regret I cannot find his note, or I should have much 

 pleasure in quoting from it. And now that honest " protestant " 

 has himself been detected in a very flagrant act of trimming ! 

 That others who signed have done the same I know, and 

 though I knew it would probably be so, the proof of it is pain- 

 ful none the less. 



But further : What are we to say of committees ? There 

 are many of them who actually will not permit a judge to affix 

 an honest card of disqualification. If even the few cases 

 detected were thus posted up and reported in the Journal, the 

 effect of this comparatively mild measure would be far greater 

 than it is ; but at present, by the cowardly shrinking of com- 

 mittees, even these detected cases often pass unpunished. 



I quite agree with Mr. Hewitt in the penalty he proposes, 

 and would carry it rather further still. I would not only have 

 all other prizes detained, but would affix on every other pen of 

 the same exhibitor a " dis." card, stating that the pen was 

 "Disqualified, the exhibitor being guilty of fraudulent de- 

 ception in Class 00." I would do this because some fanciers 

 only look at their own special classes, and would thus be more 

 ILkely to see the fraud, by its beiog posted in different quarters 

 of the Bhow. Thus extended, I think the idea the best which 

 has been yet mooted, and very far superior to a prohibition 

 against showing in future, which I have never liked, as pre- 

 cluding all future opportunity for reformation. 



But it cannot be too plaiuly and fully understood, that the 

 adoption of this or any other effective measure rests entirely 

 with committees. The judges, as Mr. Hewitt says, have no 

 power to enforce such a penalty as he suggests, unless it be a 

 condition of the schedule. He has frankly and fairly suggested 

 an effectual remedy, and laid the onus of providing it upon 

 them. He and other judges, to my personal knowledge, are 

 willing to take the responsibility and to do their duty. It only 

 remains to be seen if the committees will do theirs. Let it be 

 understood clearly, no personal ill-feeling or personal responsi- 

 bility will fall upon them. This the judges will take upon 

 themselves, if only the committees are willing to give them 

 power. That is now the simple issue, and I wait the result 

 with much anxiety. 



I had wished to add a few words further on a subject I men- 

 tioned a short time ago — viz., betting on the awards, which is 

 stealing into the " fancy " unawares to many ; but I have not 

 time now, and I understand Mr. Hewitt, whose knowledge of 

 the matter must be greater than mine, intends to ventilate the 

 subject himself. I do not know any subject, not even trim- 

 ming, which ought to give such painful solicitude to all real 

 poultry- fanciers. — L. Wright. 



leisure hours in rerfectiDg what is often at first a mere freak 

 of nature to the pleanrjg of the eye, and also in a more sub- 

 stantial way to the bent fit of mankind. I fear I shall tread on 

 the corns of Eome in thus writing, but I wish to state dis- 

 tinctly that I do not allude to anyone, nor is anything further 

 from my wish than to indu'ge in personalities, but as an old 

 exhibitor I am desirous of weeding out the evil which has 

 been caused by overdoing a good thing, and helping, if pos- 

 sible, live-stock exhibitions in their honest endeavours to 

 benefit the country. — Hawthorn. 



I was very glad to see Mr. Hewitt's very proper and tem- 

 perate reminder in re trimming. In trying to devise a cure, 

 it may, perhaps, be as well to examine the cause of the 

 disease ; this will, I think, chiefly be found arising from three 

 sources : — Firstly, The belief that "you must trim to win " — 

 how often have I heard this expression ! — and that the largest 

 winners are the most scientific trimmers. Secondly, The 

 vanity, which I will allow is harmless in itself, of seeing 

 some attention paid to the exhibitor's name by the editor of 

 one or more local papers. Thin ly, The pursuit of £ s. <?., 

 not so much, perhaps, by the actual receipt of piize money, 

 though that is Bometimes a consideration, as by improving the 

 value of the bird from its having been a prize-winner. To 

 eradicate the evil in toto is, I am afraid, impossible, but my 

 belief is very strong that if the secretaries of shows would 

 treat the matter with a firmer hand, communicate to each 

 other the names of offending exhibitors, and through their 

 committees refuse the entries for a time of anyone guilty of 

 such practices, it would operate beneficially on all the three 

 causes I have enumerated, and encourage more particularly 

 young exhibitors in a right course. Let them see that the true 

 object of competitive exhibitions is not to afford an oppor- 

 tunity for givirg prizes to men who are able to command money 

 enough to buy specimens that have won before and are pretty 

 certain to win again, but rather to encourage those who keep 

 birds from a true love for nature, and one of the most delight- 

 ful and innocent of all recreations, and who employ their 



ON JUDGING AT POULTRY SHOWS. 

 Although I have only lately resumed the keeping of poultry, 

 and for the first time in my life have become an exhibitor, I 

 am not a stranger to poultry shows, and my experience has led 

 me to see that there is a radical defect in most of the shows of 

 which I know anything. It may seem presumptuous in me to 

 write anything about a matter which I have only so recently 

 entered upon, but I submit my views in all humility to those 

 of longer experience. 



I have been perfectly astonished at the correspondence which 

 I have from time to time seen in the " Poultry Chronicle " of 

 the Journal of Horticulture. I have been used to hear 

 charges of foul play on the part of exhibitors at flower shows, 

 and also to hear both myself and olhus loudly condemned for 

 our judging ; but I confess the statements made on both these 

 points, and apparently on good anthoiity as regards poultry 

 6hows, would be, unless thus made, ul'erly incredible. I know 

 that scmetimes (but very rarely) Dahlias aro plugged, and other 

 such malpractices committed ; but it must be borne in mind 

 that the dressing of Carnations and Pinks, the manipulating of 

 Chrysanthemums, are recognised as fair practices, and one 

 who can dress Carnations well is quite as much valued as one 

 who can grow them well ; but the charges as to tampering with 

 poultry, and the tortures to which the poor birds are subjected, 

 are a disgrace to the followers of any hobby. Apart from 

 this, there are constant charges brought against the judges. 

 They are accused of incompetency and of partiality — supposed 

 to be influenced by local considerations, so that it is not con- 

 sidered by some persons desirable that committeemen should 

 exhibit. Now, I do not believe in these charges. I have seen 

 a good deal of judging at flower shows, I know judges may 

 make mistakes, but I am quite sure that, except in very few 

 instances, they are solely influenced by a desire to act up to the 

 best of their ability ; but there is a limit to knowledge even of 

 feathered fowls, and there is also a limit to both physical and 

 mental power, and it is the forgetfulness of these two things 

 that has led to a great many of the complaints, at least so I 

 imagine. 



We all have heard the story of the wine committee of a great 

 dinner, who met to abjudicate on the kind of port and sherry 

 that were to be used ; various samples of both were tried, the 

 daylight faded, they were still at their tasting, but a decision 

 had to be come to. At last a bottle of each was selected, bnt 

 lo ! the port chosen turned out to be a sherry, and vice versa. 

 This has come into my mind as I have seen judges, tired and 

 worn out, still going on with their work, conscientiously en- 

 deavouring to fulfil it, but evidently the weakness of the flesh 

 was beating them, and I am pretty sure that the worst acts of 

 wrong judgment have been those which have been committed at 

 the end of their labour. I would therefore say to all managers 

 of flower shows, Increase the number of your judges; do not 

 lay upon men a burden they cannot bear; do not give them, if 

 possible, more than a couple of hours' work, ard depend upon it 

 your funds will not suffer from the additional outlay involved; 

 and there are so many fanciers of poultry now-a-dayB that 

 surely it is not necessary to keep within a narrow circle of a 

 few names in selecting your judges. 



There is one other point. I have said there is a limit to 

 knowledge, and I suppose, as a rule, few personR do really 

 understand the various properties and qualifications of both 

 fowls and Pigeons. Do not have, I would again sny, the same 

 person to judge both ; he may be thoroughly conscientious, but 

 his fancy does not probably lie in both directions. Let him 

 take that in which he is himself conscious he is most likely to 

 give satisfaction. I know something of flowers, but I should 

 be sorry to have to be a judge of fruits, and, indeed, of some 

 classes of flowers — Orchids, for instance ; and I believe if judges 

 were themselves asked, they would very much like to have their 

 labours lightened and their responsibilities lessened. 



