March 1, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



I65 



past years ? It can be only done by all true fanciers working 

 together. Secretaries, exhibitors, judges, pen proprietors, com- 

 mittees — all should enrol themselves members of one body and 

 guarantee, come what may, as a body to oppofe malpractices. 

 When such a company is formed and a protest has to be made, 

 or something to be exposed, the name of no one individual must 

 be given to expose him or her to the merciless attacks of the 

 foe, but it must be done in the name of all and carried out by 

 all. Once this is done and fairly started troubles would so 

 diminish, and disqualifications would become so few, that the 

 society would merely have to look out against their reneiral, for 

 in the face of a mighty party of all the loyal fanciers of Great 

 Britain the opposing party would be crushed. A dozen names 

 of gentlemen have been mentioned to carry out such a scheme. 

 We give their names here in alphabetical order : Messrs. Atkins, 

 Boiseier, T. C. and W. A. Burntll, Cresswell, Button, Lingwood, 

 Manby, Matthew, Pritchard, Tudman, and Wood. Among them 

 are breeders of Polands, Cochins, Dorkings, Game, Brahmas, 

 and French, in fact all of our chief breeds. We ask fanciers 

 who have the intere&ts of the poultry world in their hearts to 

 come forward and make these twelve gentlemen a committee. 

 They were originally selected at random from a catalogue, and 

 are members of no clique or party, consequentlj they are in 

 every way suitable for the purpose. We repeat, let them be the 

 commiltee and organise a meeting, arrange for the balloting of 

 members, leaving out all they deem ineligible for any good 

 reason, and let them try to take the matter into their own hands. 

 They are geutlt men ef the fiirest fame, and no one can object 

 to join their army under them as generals. Editors and pro- 

 prietors of journals or managers of exhibitions cannot themselves 

 do these things, for the world is ever ready to ascribe to them 

 private or selfish motives; but exhibitors can themselves do it, 

 and we hope to see it done. What is to be the peculiar badge 

 or mark of membership we will not pretend to propose, but we 

 do say the entrance fee should be small, for the expenses could 

 not be great and all should be enrolled — everyone who has an 

 interest in the cultivation of our feathered friends, from those 

 with the income of thousands to the recipient of a few shillings 

 a-week. 



We would especially recommend the committees of shows to 

 belong, even if they are holding only honorary positions aiid are 

 not themselves fanciers, for they would be able to ailord oppor- 

 tnnities of checking by discovery nefarious practices, and give 

 all the members aid in prosecuting inquiries at their shows. In 

 fact the committees of exhibitions would be of as much help as 

 anyone; for if orce they approved of the society, no matter if 

 it only consisted besides themselves of those twelve gentlemen 

 whose names we have given, they as a number would have the 

 law pretty much in their own hands. And we would even re- 

 commend that at shows where more than half of the committee, 

 or say a dozen members, were present, that they should have 



Sower to disqualify in the event of the judge having failed to 

 etectsome pinned comb, dyed hackle, plucked hocks, and so 

 on. We think this because we fancy when such a fraud is dis- 

 covered, and the judge subsequently recalled for his opinion, 

 he is inclined frequeiitly to differ with the protettors that he 

 may back up his previous decision. This may be natural, but 

 whether it is so or not we believe it is frequently done ; but for 

 members to be able to take such a step the committee must give 

 their consent, and, in fact, sanction the work of the association. 



Mr. Wallace Smith has done us a great good by getting all 

 fanciers who were in favour of the j udges' names being announced 

 in the Pcbertules to send him their names on a postcard; he 

 then arranged them in order and published them, and the benefit 

 has already begun to show gond frait. We should think some 

 inch arrangement could be done in this case. All in favour of 

 some such association as has been proposed could send in their 

 names and addresses on postcards to any one of the twelve 

 named gentlemen if they will only hold office; and they can j 

 after a certain date, which can be determined upon, also arrange 

 the names and publish them. And that all might know what 

 they were sending in their signatures for we should suggest I 

 SomethiDg like the following — " The undersigned are in favour 

 of all loyal fanciers forming themselves into an association for 

 the purpose of exposing, and consequently suppressing, frauds 

 at poultry exhibitions." Those then giving in their names could 

 be balloted for by the committee, and so the matter wonld 

 gradually be worked into shape. As we, however, said before, 

 the larger the number that join the more hope is there for re&l 

 and permanent success ; and consequently we ask all those who 

 have the interest of their hobby at heart to talk this matter 

 over very seriously and see if they cannot come to some deter- 

 minati'n to arrange the matter to the satisfaction of all, and to 

 }he exclusion of no genuine fancier whether it be of poultry or 

 ol Pigeons.— W. 



The FoBJtEB Bohrsemodth Show.— A lady exhibitor thus 

 writes to roe : — " The Bournemouth Show was held in Feb- 

 ruary, 1876, and I there took a second prize. After many months 

 had elapsed (quite six I shonld say) I wrote to the Secretary, 



but received no answer to any of my letters. I then wrote to 

 the Treasurer, and from him I received a most courteous reply, 

 saying that he was astonished I had not received my prize 

 money, and that he would write to the Secretary. My solicitor 

 also wrote. The answer then came that he had no money. 

 Doubtless there are many sufferers equally with myself, and I 

 think we should join together and get some redress. I certainly 

 think that before they get up another show, as I see they are 

 about to do from 'our Journal' of last week, they should pay 

 off old scores." So far the lady. Permit me to add that surely 

 this is a very disgraceful case. Nothing is mere calculated to 

 ruin shows than such proceedings. Exhibitors doubtless will 

 remember the proverb, " Once bitten twice shy," and be very 

 shy indeed of showing at Bournemoutb. Perhaps the Secretary 

 miy be able to clear up the matter and put all straight. — Wilt- 

 shire Rector. 



AQUABIUM POULTRY SHOW. 



Before criticising the classes we must speak of the fanltiness 

 in the arrangements. It is no good to cloak matters, and had 

 the Show been a local or country one long and loud would have 

 been the outcries. It seems hardly credible when the Show 

 opened on Tuesday at 2 p M., that on Wednesday at the same 

 hour, twenty. four hours afterwards, not only were the cards not 

 lip in very many classes, but it was impossible to find out the 

 winners. We had to send news to distant friends, and could 

 not find out who had won. It is ridiculous for the Cimmittee 

 to say that the push was so great that they could not get the 

 work done, for the Show after all was only a moderately- sized 

 one. We have had to help in the management of as large a 

 show, and we know that the cards could have been placed on 

 the pens at a much earlier hour. A regular hmdeversement 

 happened, too, among the clasaea each Judge was to adjudicate 

 upon, and after Mr. Tegetmeier was announced to jadge the 

 poultry we cannc t see why he was put to the Pigeons. Then 

 many birds fought terribly for want of proper pen divisions, and 

 exhibitors on Tuesday were seen running here and there with 

 food and water for their neglected birds. These things com- 

 bined will, we should thiuk.make many shy of sending to this 

 Show again under the same management. It is a sad pity, for 

 the room is so well and evenly lighted, and the place itseit so 

 convenient t^f access. We are sorry to have to grumble so much, 

 but the things we complain of were on everyone's lips. We 

 believe the birds were speedily dispatched at the close of the 

 Show — which was the redeeming point — as we hear of many 

 who received their birds home in excellent time. 



Beahjus.- i>(ir'.- (cocks).- This was a poor class. The third- 

 prize bird we considered in many points the best, but he has an 

 u^ly white patch on his breast, which doubtless lost him the 

 first honours. We were very much surprised that we did not 

 see Mr. Lingwood's name in the catalogue. Hens a much 

 better class. First a beautifully pencilled pullet, rather small 

 and deficient in cushion. Second and third large well-marked 

 hens. Light, in spite cf their four prizes and the good money 

 value, failed to make a better show than Dorkings, Spanish, r.r 

 any other less favoured breed. The cup went to Mr. Horsfall. 

 We candidly confess we did not care for the award, and we feel 

 sure he is not tbo champion bird, for he has neither the width, 

 shape, nor feather of that cock. Our own choice was for the 

 third prize bird, and if the fourth had even had the first prize 

 wo should not have said a word. These were two good birds, 

 shapely, large, and well feathered. Second we did not fancy 

 either. He had not the shape we like for the breed ; he had, 

 too, an immense tail, and we did net like his colour very much. 

 Hens we thought on the whole carefully placed. First was a 

 large bird but pale in head and looking a little out cf condition. 

 Second was the pullet which was protested against at Wolver- 

 hampton. She is undoubtedly a pullet, and a grand one to. 

 Third wcs an excellent hen, large and good in shape; while 

 fourth went to a capital bird, but too dark in hackles for our 

 taste, still a finely-shaped bird. Mr. Leno sent a beautiful 

 pullet which, perhaps, ought to have come in somewhere. Mrs. 

 Tiudal's bird, too, was shapely, but she seemed quite ill and out 

 of condition. In the i'.5 .5.s. class a well-shown pen came m 

 first, but we noticed no very striking pen, and should consider 

 the class a failure, there only being nine pens for the £0 wortti 

 of prizes. 



Si'ANisn made two excellent classes, and Mr. Howard was very 

 happy we thought in his selections. In cocks the winner was a 

 good bird; his comb was capital, and bis lobe fine and open. 

 The second also had a beautiful face, but he seemed a ht'le high 

 in the tail. We even thought he was a little round in the bacj, 

 but the Judge told us be had handled him, and that this was 

 not the case. Third went to a good cockerel, well shown and 

 large in lobe. The hens made a fine collection of two dozen 

 pens. The first was a superb bird, good in face and comb. She 

 was shown iu lovely form, and would probably have had the 

 cup had it not been for a small fold on one Bide of her face. 

 Second and third went to fine puUeta, well shown and well 



