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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



5th and fith of October, and the liberal prizes offered justify | Amongst the cariosities of poultry-breeding may be men- 

 the expectation of a firBt-rate show. Eight silver cups of five tioned the adoption, in several parts of France, of perambn- 

 guineas each, and four of three guineas each, are allotted, lating fowl houses ; these are constructed like omnibuses, the 



besides most liberal money prizes, to the best pens in various 

 classes. There are classes for single cocks, and also for pairs 

 of hens or pullets, so that the competition is open to nearly all 

 who have valuable specimens of poultry or Pigeons at com- 

 mand. There are also classes for the best table fowls to be 

 shown alive, any pure breed or cross breed being equally avail- 

 able ; likewise silver cups for both Pigeons and Babbits. Though 

 not so interesting to the general public, there are heavy classes 

 confined strictly to the neighbourhood. It is announced, " A 

 catalogue and prize list will be forwarded to all prize-taking ex- 

 hibitors by the Thursday's post (October 6th), free of charge." 



FRENCH POULTRY. 



The annual exhibition of fat animals, poultry alive and pre- 

 pared for market, seeds, grain, and agricultural implements, took 

 place in Paris last month (April), andno Englishman who visited 

 it could fail to be struck with the great attention paid to the 

 rearing, feeding, and preparing poultry for sale. France in 

 past years was not famous for either beef, mutton, or pork ; 

 good fish was difficult to procure in Paris and other places far 

 from the sea ; and, consequently, farmers turned their thoughts 

 to poultry, which is a much more common article of food in 

 Fran:e than with us, partly, perhaps, on account of climate, 

 and partly aB the result of study and practice, which have pro- 

 duced the best races of poultry by economical methods. In- 

 cluding Pigeons and Rabbits, there were no less than seven | ['^' 



hundred lots of live poultry at the exhibition, the males bein 

 shown singly, and the females by twos, threes, and fours ; 

 amongst the most remarkable were the black-tufted Creve- 

 Cceur, the Houdan, La Fleche, Maas, and Bresse fowls, and 

 the Turkeys. The lots of dead poultry, two birds in each, 

 amounted to four hundred, each kind being prepared for 

 market in the usnal way. In the case of the choicer sorts, 

 the care bestowed in the rearing showed itself in a remarkable 

 manner; the wing bones were curious, from their smallness, 

 while the amount of flesh was in inverse proportion, and the 

 general appearance of the skin delicate and smooth ; in some 

 cases the appearance was improved by wrapping the fowls in 

 cloths dipped iu milk, but this refinement may be set down 

 amongst the fancies, or, as our neighbours would say, the 

 eometteri.es of a special market. 



Fowls are sent to market in France in three conditions — 

 ordinary, half-fatted, and fully-fatted. The fattening is carried 

 on in a very systematic manner, the cramming being performed 

 by hand, as with us, and the food being composed of mixed 

 meal — Indian corn, barley, &c. In some cases the fowls are 

 kept on perches, to which they are fastened by the leg, and 

 which are supported by a central iron stem, the whole turning 

 easily on its centre, so as to save as much timo as possible to 

 the feeders, The importance of the poultry-rearers' business 

 may be indicated by the high prices which fattened capons and 

 pullets fetch in the markets. In the quotations at the Halles 

 centrales, the great market of Paris, we find the following : — 

 Fowls, common, from If. 20c. to 3f. 52c. ; ditto, ordinary, from 

 2f. to 4f. ; ditto, fat, from 31. 50c. to 6f. ; fat capons, 5f. to 

 7f. ; Ducks, If. 80c. to 3f. 25c. ; ditto, fat, from 3f. 50c. to of. ; 

 Turkeys, ordinary, 4f. to 7f. 25c. ; ditto, fat, from 8f. to 

 12f. 50c. ; Geese, ordinary, 3f. to 5f. 75c. ; ditto, fat, from 6f. to 

 Sf. One positive proof, however, is worth a dozen general 

 assertions. A poultry show took place the other day at Lou- 

 hans, in La Bresse, famous for its fowls, when 400f. in money, 

 and a large number of silver and bronze medals, were awarded, 

 the Minister of Agriculture presenting the society with 300f. 

 and ten medals. The capons that won the prizes averaged 

 nearly 9 lbs. each in weight, and the pullets 5* lbs., the prices 

 being 12f. and 7f. respectively. Extra fine fatted capons often ) jj 

 sell for 12f. to 15f. In our opinion the very fat fowls of France 

 are inferior in delicacy to the half-fatted ; the actual appear- 

 ance of fat in fowls detracts in our estimation from the delicacy 

 of the food, but this is only a matter of ta6te. The essential 

 point is, that the breeding of poultry is carried on so as to 

 serve all tastes, and create a very large demand, and a business 

 of considerable importance ; while, better still, the production 

 of this expensive poultry causes an improvement both of the 

 race and of the methods of rearing and feeding, so that the 

 middle and lower classes have a positive interest in the subject. 

 This attention to poultry-breeding also gives rise to an abundant 

 supply of eggs, and a very large export trade. 



interior being fitted up as a fowl house, and taken on to 

 ploughed or other land where there is a plentiful supply of 

 insects ; thus the fowls obtain food which they enjoy, and the 

 farmer has the aid of valuable assistants without charge. 

 With a little care during the first day or two, the fowls become 

 quite accustomed to their travelling home. — G. W. Yapp. 

 — (Food Journal) 



HANTS AND BERKS AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY'S 



POULTRY SHOW. 



We know not whether it is that subjects are dull in common with 

 trade, but we fancy our great papers have taken more notice of agri- 

 cultural shows of late than they used to do. "We are glad of it. We 

 have noted another thing. For a Ion? time all sorts of writing, and, 

 consequently, of reading, have been dull, and if anything cheerful 

 was said, it was almost apologised for. We were pleased to find 

 " Vi'n.: -hike Rector," in his report of the Taunton Show, had broken 

 through the rule of merely saying that in the Dorkings Mr. C's first- 

 prize pen was better than Mr. W s second ; and among the Spanish, 

 that Miss N F's third-prize pen should have been second, &c. A 

 visit to a poultry show, when it forms part of an agricultural meeting 

 especially, should be an outing. The varied objects and classes should 

 each bring admirers, till the whole tells well in numbers and in 

 receipts. The Hants and Berks Society did wisely when they decided 

 on moving their Show from town to town. There are few places that 

 have not some special attractions that help to make-up the day's 

 pleasure. Wu are rich in the neighbourhood of this Show in things 

 of general interest — there are the remains of Basm? House ; old 



Basin? church ; the noble Basingstoke church with its rare escutcheons, 

 its fine old bequests ; the Chapel Lytton in the cemetery ; if disposed 

 to go a little farther afield, the unique Eoraan town at Silchester, 

 now being gradually brought to light and the s lr'ace. 



It would seem that the young men of Basingstoke, when they left 

 their good town and sought their fortunes in the metropolis, were not 

 umniudhil of their county or their town. There used to be many 

 such good deeds registered on the walls, but in the "improvements" 

 that have recently taken place, they have, doubtless, been consigned to 

 the lumber department. We have a recollection of one who, having 

 prospered in London, bequeathed a sum of money for ever, the in- 

 terest to Ite applied to the use of yonn? men entering the cloth- 

 mercer's trade, who were to be supplied with loans amounting to so 

 many rose nobles each, to be repaid, A:e. We rind now only one of 

 these records. " Sir James Lancaster, Knight, gave this town an 

 annuity of £113 6s. Srf. yearly for ever, to be paid by the Company 

 of Skinners, London." This was for lectures, for those who went to 

 hear, and those who stood in need. 



This is really an increasing Show. It treads in the footsteps of the 

 largo meetings ; and this year, when we saw the double rows of sheds 

 all covered wit 1 1 stout cloth, the comfortable stalls for the cattle, the 

 preparations for the hunters' leaps, the implements, the floral show, 

 when we heard the strains of the music, the puffing and hissing of the 

 machinery in motion, and saw the space occupied by the Exhibition, 

 we could not help admiring the enterprise and perseverance that have 

 been shown, and congratulating the promoters on their deserved success. 

 It is meet in an agricultural district that the Dorkings should come 

 first. The prizes did not, however, stay at home. As will be seen in 

 our list, they went to Chippenham and Petworth. It was a good class. 

 Mr. Lingwood and Miss Julia Milward will be warrant that the 

 Cochins were good, especially the Grouse, but we regret the prevalence 

 of vulture hocks. The Game were excellent birds, and shown in 

 capital condition. Messrs. Cruwys and Matthews are not novices. 

 The improvement that has been so often noted in the Poland classes 

 was visible here. The prize birds left nothing to desire. Spanish 

 were good, but seemed to be moulting early. The Golden-pencilled 

 Samourghs were quite average specimens, but neither they nor their 

 Silver brethren ever appear in force at these shows. The Golden and 

 Silver-spangled made amends, and but for some coloured deaf ears, 

 we should say we have seldom seen better birds. Both Light and Dark 

 Bran as were well represented in numbers, and in quality with one 

 exception. Many, indeed we may say the majority, of the Dark birds 

 ltnre-hocked. Mr. Pares well deserved the prizes he took with 

 ht birds. We believe we have seen the Game Bantams better 

 than they were as a class. They had, however, good birds in the 

 prize pens. There were excellent birds among the Bantams of " Any 

 other variety," and more prizes could have been worthily bestowed. 

 The same may be said of the French breeds, which were excellent. 

 The " Variety class " held its own with Malays, Silkies, Andalusians, 

 &c. Mr. Fowler took both the prizes for Ducks. The competition 

 was not great, but had it been greater, the result, we believe, would 

 have been the same. We must refer our readers to our list for the 

 Pigeons and Rabbits, which were of high quality. 



Dorking.— 1, Rev. J. D. Hoystead. Eradenstoke, Chippenham. 2. J. Smith, 

 Shillin^lee Park, Epwortli. hr. J. H. Clark.-, Maidenhead ; Mi^s J. Milward, 

 Newton St. Loe, Bristol, c, J. K. Fowler, Aylesbury. Cocnc.— 1. H. Lingwood, 

 Greeting, Needham Markat. 2. Miss J. Milliard, c, A. Curtis, Staines; H.J. 

 G'.dfrev, Hammersmith ; W. Couptr, Eurp-hfleld. Gascs.— Black-breasted and 



