Fcbruory 4, 1860. 1 



JOtBNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



89 



oriruea in rots in front. Iq a span-roofed houso, with troca pluiitod on 

 eiioh sldo, a find promemxde may bo m/ido by luiviun ii imtli down tho 

 •oontro. Such ii walk will be more ahady and pleasant in Bumiuor than 

 you could well have by trees In pota. 



CoLCUiAN Lavukl {S. W. A'.).— It ia only a variety ol tho common 



Laurel, or, na written in botanicnl volumoB, Ceraflus lanrociraBaH, var. 

 culchica. It wna introduced into Ent^hiud from UelKiuni in IHU. 



Namkh of Pr.ANTsi (C. Af.)-— Wo cannot undertake to identify plftntfl by 

 tboir leavoH only. (Mr. Gough, Clonnirl). — Oncidlum criapum. {It. II.).— 

 I, Aypleoium adiautum-uigrmu ; 'J, Ceterach olllcluarum. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS in the Suburbs of Londoa for the week ending February 2nd. 



GSHKS&L REUiBHS. 



Clear and frosty ; fine, uliKhtly overcast ; densely overcast. 

 Cloudy; very One and mild ; heavy rain at night. 

 Densely overcast ; boiHterons with rain ; heavy rain. 

 Rjiin; boisterous and stormy ; showery, high wind. 

 Boisterous with rain; very boisterous; heavy showers. 

 Exceedingly boisterous ; stormy ; rain at night. 

 Overcast, tine ; cloudy but fine; very high tide in Thames; cloar 

 and frosty. 



POUITEY, BEE. AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 



TRIMMING. 



With the publication of Mr. Hewitt's satisfactory letter upon trim- 

 ming the discnssion of the subject will probably close. It will, at all 

 <3veDts. do so as far as I am concerned when I have briefly stated what 

 is proposed to be done, and made a very few remarks upon such part 

 of that letter as appears to be personal to myself. 



Let me, then, assnre Mr. Hewitt that I did not ask his "individual " 

 opinion of trimming — the opinion of no honest man could be doubted. 

 1 asked his opinion and verdict as a judge, of the " que.stion " as now 

 practically existing. Neither was it correct for him to say that I had 

 " cast rejections upon himself by name for neglect of exposure of 

 trimming." Save in one case I have never mentioned him, except to 

 ask him to speak (in that one case I expressly stated that no blame 

 attached to him, for that the trimmed bird I was then speaking of 

 would probably have deceived me) . I have also stated that the practice 

 has been so insidiously and gradually increasing, that it was very easy 

 till quite lattly not to notice it, and that *' only in the improbable case 

 of judges deliberately refusing, now attention had been called to the 

 subject," to act justly, could any censure attach to them. More- 

 over, Mr. Hewitt's article on trimming, and the instances he quotes, 

 do not prove that the discussion of the question and publication of his 

 opinion now were not needed. M'ben that article was written he and 

 other judges would have disqualified a Spanish fowl if trimmed as at 

 present ; and as their practice, if not their opinion, has changed with 

 regard to that, it was utterly impossible to know whether it might not 

 ■with regard to the rest of the cases he quotes. I may also remark that 

 only one case (the Game Bantams at Beverley), is within the last two 

 years, during which very period it is that the evil has so increased ; 

 and further, they all belong, except the plucked Cochins, to the class 

 of " startling enonuities," which were net so much what I had in view 

 as the wholesale system of merely plucking feathers. No judge could 

 pass over a wired tail or dyed plumage if detected ; while Mr. Hewitt 

 will pardon my saying judges have of late almost uniformly passed 

 the grossest cases of mere plucking, whether bocks, hackles, or tails. 



I have oniy said this to justify my own position, for I do not wish, 

 and cannot aiiord, even the semblance of contention with uue whom I 

 have myself often spoken of as the best judge we have. With the 

 other portions of Mr. Hewitt's letter I almost entirely agree, and I 

 read with peculiar satisfaction what I understand to be his distinct 

 pledge — that, so far as be is concerned, any undoubted cases of trim- 

 ming which ho shall detect will be met with disqualifieation. It is 

 true, as he says, that many cases cannot be discovered ; and I agree 

 with him that it wonld be better far for half a dozen offenders to escape 

 than for one innocent person to have the disgraceful stigma attached 

 to him in error. It istrue, also, that judgesare sadly overworked. At 

 Bristol they were disgracefully so ; and when I found that only two 

 judges were to arbitrate between 1200 pens of fowls I protested against 

 the injustice quite as strongly, merely as an exhibitor, as Mr. Hewitt 

 can do as a judge, and quoted it to certain correspondents who com- 

 plained of several generally admitted errors as more than ample excuse. 

 . But on the one baud, the remedy for this is greatly in the judges' own 

 power ; and on the other, strange to say, at this very Show, where the 

 judges were more overworked than at any other within my knowledge, 

 there was confessedly more punishment dealt out to trimming than at 

 any other within the last four years ! That it was so is no discredit 

 to the Judges. Things must go on unnoticed till attention is drawn 

 to them ; and had the influential protest published in these columns, 

 with the many communications by which my own humble endeavours 

 to get the subject dealt with were supported, not led those gentlemen 

 to whom we owe so much to give more careful attention to the matter, 

 it would have been strange indeed. 



For mjself, the very first step I took at Birmingham proves that I 

 do not shrink from responsibility whenever I think personal action 



can bo of use. And I desire now briefly to state with regard to tho 

 future, that it is intended in the flrst place to bring the subject directly 

 under the notice of tho committees of our principal shows, and to ask 

 them to adopt some such clause as that suggested by the Editors in 

 this Jouiial, published .January til st. The necessity of reserving power 

 to the committee is evident, as Mr. Hewitt himself virtually admits, 

 that the judges cannot detect all even of the clearest cases. At the 

 same time I must remark, that only in tho very plainest instances 

 ought a committee so to act, and that for every private exhibitor to 

 make the matter a pretext for taking birds out of pens, wonld prove a 

 nuisance to be met with instant and prompt repression. Honour and 

 good sense will dictate the course for any exhibitor to follow in case of 

 just suspicion. 



Should our Birmingham friends or other committees thus provide 

 the means of justice, the worst cases (doubtful ones will not be meddled 

 with), will be protested against, and the result will then bo seen. If 

 they refuse even to insert a clause on the subject, it is my intention, 

 if i can obtain the help of a sufficient number to avoid charges of 

 personality, and to place facts beyond a doubt, to select some leading 

 show, and to publish myself the worst and most undoubted cases — 

 unless the judges themselves should so deal with them as to obviate 

 the necessity, or give us an opportunity of acting in concert with them ; 

 or unless, as I would fain hope, the recent discussion itself shall in a 

 great measure lead to a better state of things. Oh, that this might be 

 the case ! No personal action that I or any judge can take can be 

 taken without the deepest pain — void of honour, void of profit, void of 

 thanks, void of pleasure is the task. 



Is it quite hopeless to appeal to the peccant exhibitors ? Many are 

 the letters I have by me now from such, stating how they were driven 

 into the practice in sheer self-defence — found they could not win 

 without it— must do it because others did, but would gladly give it up. 

 Two clergymen have written thus ! At least a score have said they 

 would desist "if the judges would only speak out." Well might I 

 urge Mr. Hewitt to do so ! Many will laugh, but there is something 

 solemn in this to me. I would like to think the very worst of fraudu- 

 lent exhibitors are not altogether past remonstrance, and would ear- 

 nestly ask them. Is it a small thing thus to tempt and cause fraud in 

 others who would be honest but for them '! Is it a small thing to take 

 one of the most innocent, genial, and useful recreations that can be 

 found on earth and degrade it to the level of the betting-ring :' They 

 are one with us in our love of fowls ; must we thank heaven that we 

 as yet have been kept from falling by it, and feel that in all else there 

 ia between us and them an insuperable barrier '/ They are nearly all 

 skilled breeders, who can win fairly and honourably their share of 

 prizes— is it worth casting honour and conscience into the ditch for 

 the sake of a few more'/ I appeal to them as to " brother fanciers," 

 not to degrade our pursuit to mere gambling and deception. 



But I must conclude ; and with earnest and hearty thanks to the 

 many who have aided me, and by their powerful support brought about 

 the present measure of success, I leave the subject till time shall 

 render it necessary briefly to state further results. — Nemo. 



P.S.— In reply to my good friend, " Y. B. A. Z.," let me just add 

 that I did not say no one objected to the practice of trimming Spanish, 

 but that no one ever now objected to a pen for being trimmed, mean- 

 ing, of course, simply that no formal protest was ever made no-w 

 against au award on that ground. To the practice itself I object as 

 strongly as he does. 



As an occasional exhibitor I confess that I have, years ago, been 

 guilty of the enormity of trimming fowls— to a very slight extent, but 

 sufficiently to be considered " mere scum " by Mr. Manning ; and it 

 is more than probable that I may again be guilty of a similar misde- 

 meanour, inasmuch as I hold with your correspondent "Bkown Bed,' 

 with whose remarks I entirely concur, that moderato trimming, such 

 as he alludes to, is allowable and even advisable. 



Were the standard of morality among exhibitors so high that each 

 would scoia ta take advantage of his neighbour by the reaioval even 



