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JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ April 11, 1870. 



of the winter I dispensed with the two little Bantams, and one 

 of my Hamburgh hens having died, my stock at the commence- 

 ment of the ensuing year consisted of fourteen head. My 

 debit and credit account stood thus : — 



Dlt. £ s. 



8— Stock of poultry at be- 

 ginning of year valued 



1». 6<f 12 



10 lbs. of malt 2 



120 lbs. of barloy 10 



Oatmeal 5 



1 9 



Cr. £ 8. 



11 Chickens killed, at Is. Ed. 16 

 1170 Eggs at fifteen to Is., 

 less forty-five used for 



setting 3 15 



14— Stock of poultry in hand 

 at end of year, valued at 

 1.*. Ed. each 1 1 



£5 12 6 £o 12 6 



This result looks most satisfactory on paper, and is fully 

 accounted for in this way. The very small quantity of food 

 bought is owing to the fowls being principally fed on scraps 

 from the house (given warm in winter). In any house of six 

 or seven people there will always be scraps which even the 

 most economical housewife could not put into bread-puddings, 

 and jet are too good to degrade indiscriminately to the swill- 

 tub. Though I have annually increased my stock far beyond 

 the supplies of scraps, and have each year been able to show 

 some profit, however small, I have never siuce been able to 

 reach so high a rate of interest on my outlay as this, which 

 you will see is nearly 300 per cent. I assuredly never had 

 more pleasure and interest in each bird, individually, than I had 

 then ; but next year must be left till next week.— W. W. B. H. 



POULTRY-SHOW -GAMBLING. 



A highly objectionable feature in poultry shows has of late 

 unfortunately rapidly developed itself, and it is at the same 

 time one that I believe will prove more difficult to eradicate 

 than has been the case with most former failings. I allude to 

 heavy betting on the awards. This practice most commonly 

 leads by the hand its own twin sister— viz., borrowing bird3, for 

 very high sums, to be temporarily exhibited by the gamester as 

 his own absolute property. This, it must not be lost sight of, 

 is not done with the single view of securing the well-known 

 legitimate honours, whatever they may be, publicly offered in 

 the committee's prize schedule, for such an exhibitor cares 

 nothing at all for poultry itself, but simply to ensure the cer- 

 tain success of winning other far larger amounts of money 

 staked by himself on the issue. This pretty clearly accounts 

 for circumstances that have again and again occurred, and 

 which at first sight appeared paradoxical, where several pounds 

 more than the actual value of the show prize have been freely 

 given for the mere temporary loan of a pen of birds where- 

 with to win it ; or, as is sometimes the case, the money is 

 absolutely paid beforehand, and roceived under the specified 

 arrangement between both of the contracting parties, " whether 

 the pen of birds win or not," a stipulation on the part of the 

 real owner made to ensure a certainty of payment whatever 

 may be the ultimate decision. 



This to my mind assumes far more of the character of a 

 gambling transaction than of honourable emulation and laud- 

 able competition— the only and original intention of the first 

 promoters of our public poultry shows. Those individuals 

 who are at all intimate with these matters full well know 

 that, as a rule, the depression or exultation consequent on the 

 decisions at a poultry exhibition among those most interested 

 is influenced in a very considerable degree by the relative 

 amount of loss or gain involved in the awards ; and my own 

 personal experience proves that heavy betting as invariably 

 adds bile to defeat— in short, makes acrimony the order of the 

 day. Again, not uafrequently the sudden disappointment gives 

 rapid birth to expressions that, even by the parties using 

 them, would iu cooler moments be repudiated altogether. All 

 this adds its share to much that cannot be otherwise than 

 unseemly in poultry shows, for, in case of an adverse though 

 correct decision, judges receive, from the influences referred 

 to, much less consideration ; or efforts may be attempted before- 

 hand, as a solitary instance or two of exposure have already 

 proved, to propitiate arbitrators, and thus covertly seduce them 

 from the path of rectitude and duty. As to the act of betting 

 itself, I presume there ever has been, and always will be° 

 persons who look upon the practice as one in which no other 

 individual has any right to interfere, for I was once blankly 

 told, " Mr. Hewitt, let those who like to bet alone— that award 

 of yours has lost me £20." 

 I will here say, were it not for my own heartfelt conviction 



that poultry-culture (which is one of the most pleasurable pur- 

 suits of country life, combined as it is with those happy annual 

 reunions at local meetings, where so many respected poultry- 

 breeders look anxiously forward with commendable emulation 

 to test against all comers the superiority of their carefully 

 reared stock), is thus absolutely imperilled by receiving a heavy 

 blow affecting vitality itself, I would never have broached the 

 subject at all. 



Perhaps, however, by the united action of those amaiaur3 

 who may consider, as I do, that the " professional betting 

 man " is a most undesirable adjo.net to a poultry exhibition, 

 something might be done that would hold in check a practice, 

 that if much confirmed would most probably tend in a very 

 considerable degree to drive away altogether from the pursuit 

 many of the most consistent and conscientious of our poultry 

 amateurs. Few of your readers, I think, will question that 

 continuous betting on poultry prizs-winnings, totally irre- 

 spective of any personal interest in poultry itself, but with the 

 sole view of gaining money, is a dark feature, and one for which 

 I willingly confess my own inability to suggest an effective 

 remedy; still I hope that by some of the many practical in- 

 dividuals who compose so importaut a section of the best 

 supporters of our poultry shows, there may be proposed some 

 restrictive measure which at least will hold this unlooked-for 

 plague-spot in comparative abeyance. — Edward Hewitt. 



TRIMMING. 



Unquestionably committees of poultry shows, in justice to 

 honest exhibitors and the public in general (as many specimens 

 exhibited are purchased by complete novices), ought unhesi- 

 tatingly to discountenance the corrupt system of trimming. 

 Some committees maintain that stringent regulations are cal- 

 culated to limit the number of entries — perhaps so, on the 

 part of dishonest exhibitors ; but justice ought to govern the 

 actions of committees as well as profit, and honest exhibitors 

 and intending purchasers are entitled to some consideration. 

 If those committees are under the impresi-ion that stringent 

 regulations are likely to militate against the success of their 

 exhibitions in a pecuniary point of view, by all means let them 

 discontinue holding them ; but I submit that they have no 

 occasion to apprehend any diminution iu the number of 

 entries, for, although fraudulent exhibitors might decline to 

 enter, the entries of honest exhibitors would become more 

 numerous in proportion. 



In order to detect and punish cases of trimming, I would 

 suggest to committees that they employ to receive and pen speci- 

 mens such reliable persons as are conversant with the points 

 of poultry, and it be an instruction to those persons to care- 

 fully scrutinise the birds, and report to the judges (whose 

 duties in consequence would become less onerous) any cases of 

 trimming they may have discovered; and no doubt between the 

 vigilance of the judges and scrutineers, most cases of tiimming 

 would be detected. I would also suggest as a method ef dis- 

 couraging fraud and as a source of profit, that committees make 

 it a binding condition in their forms of entry, that, in addition 

 to prizes being withheld for trimming, all birds iu the exhi- 

 bition pronounced by the judges to have been tampered with 

 shall become forfeited, and committees shall possess power to 

 dispose of the same by private contract or public auction, and 

 apply the proceeds of the sale in any manner the-y may elect. 

 There should be no appeal from the decision of the judges, who 

 should, I am convinced, be invested with more extended powers, 

 especially such high-minded, competent, impartial, discrimi- 

 nating, and intelligent judges as Mr. Hewitt, for instance. 



I trust my suggestions may be deamed worthy of the con- 

 sideration of committees, who should be unanimous in the 

 adoption of vigorous measures to check the reprehensible prac- 

 tice of trimming. — D. C. E. W. 



I have waited week after week since Mr. Hewitt's article 

 against trimming, in the hope that one voice, at least, would be 

 raised to bring forward what seems to me a most important 

 objection to leniency in any case where trimming is discovered. 

 All breeders of poultry know from bitter experience how surely 

 defects, and particularly those of plumage, are transmitted. 

 How serious, then, must be the consequences to many an 

 honest fancier of " the abstraction of a body feather or two." 

 For instance, I bought last season a very pretty showy Houdan 

 cock, good in colour particularly, and my hopes were not less 

 sanguine than those of the milkmaid in the fable. Alas ! a 



