483 



JOURNAL OP HOETICULTTJBE 'iW6b¥¥XBE GAKDENEB. 



[ December ^'i.'is^. 



a farce is juclging, and wbat a lottery must be exhibiting, -when 

 saceess turns upon Buch things as tliese ! Show a bird with 

 vulture hocks, he ia disqualified. Pluck the hook, do it so 

 clumsily that the gi-eatest ignoramus in the world can see it, 

 and you shall win the first prize ! This is what judges and 

 committees have brought us to, and thia ia what exhibitora 

 have come to, in the year of grace ISfJS. — Nemo. 



DECEPTIONS AT POULTRY SHOWS. 

 I WAS glad to observe from an advertisement in this Journal, 

 that a meeting had been held at Birmingham for the purpose 

 of adopting riiles respecting the belter arrangement of ponltry 

 exhibitions, which I hope will give honest men a better chance 

 of obtaining prizes. I know perfectly well that many exhi- 

 bitors borrow birds for the purpose of showing them. This 

 should not be allowed, and every exhibitor ought to make a de- 

 claration that the birds are his property. Some judges make 

 blind decisions. I myself exhibited a pen of French birds 

 last year, and the judge told me that they were not worth above 

 Is. (jd. each. The same birds were shown at Preston, won the 

 first prize, and were sold for £3. I think I stated in your 

 Journal some time ago, that I would not exhibit my birds ex- 

 cept where I could ascertain who were appointed jadge^i—jiJ^S,. 

 Milneh, Bcllerh;/ Vicararje. .!. ,i,ns?;. 



PKOLIFIC HENS. 



In " Our Letter Box" of November ifith, yon say you once 

 knew a hen which laid 210 eggs in one year, but she never laid 

 again, and died soon afterwards. Now my old Brahma laid 

 403 in two years, and up to to-day the number has reached 432, 

 I weighed her myself this morning, and she was just 7J lbs. 

 She is in perfect health and plumage. I quite agree with you 

 that people had much better count their eggs than guess at them. 



Our arrangement for a fowl house is, that every fowl we 

 possess has to come or go through a part of onr dwelling- 

 house to a small backyard to roost, where also boxes are placed 

 for them to lay in, therefore there can be no mistake, as every ' 

 hen ifl under the eye of the matron herself ; but were we to ; 

 guess, we would unhesitatingly give the palm to one of the old 

 hen's progeny, but, unfortunately, her register was lost after 

 she was twelve mouths old, but we are certain she beat her 

 mother in her first year's laying by seven. i 



You say again in a back number that no food will make old i 

 fowls lay in winter. I have a correct account of all the eggs i 

 laid for the last three months of the year. On examining the ' 

 book I find we had 204 in October, 141 in November, and seven ' 

 yesterday (December Isl), from eleven old fowls, bred in ISCG ; 

 and 1807, and two pullets of this year, one of which laid four j 

 eggs before she was five months old. 



I think May is quite soon enough for hatching. I had some | 

 early birds last year, when, after laying their first batch of eggs, i 

 all moulted, which throws them back materially in winter. It 

 would certainly be very interesting to have from keepers of 

 various breeds of poultry accounts as to their adaptability for 

 laying and other good points. Some poultrykeepers prefer 

 one sort, others auother, and so on. The Erahmas which we 

 have are dark ones, with black or brown heads, I am told not 

 fit for show birds, but what we want are laying capabilities. — 

 J. P. 



LEEDS POULTRY SHOW. 



This year's meetiug bns been most successful ; and we cfinnot bnt 

 congratnlate the Committee on the greatly improved armngements. 

 It is worthy of especial notice, that, though the number of shows 

 oocurticg about the same date might have been expected to diminish 

 the number of entries, and render the quality of the birds shown not 

 60 good, nothing of tlie liind has resulted ; on the contraiy, never was 

 a Leeds Show so well supported on every hand. Tbc Leeds Com- 

 mittee not only issued a very liberal prize schedule, but found the 

 most ready response from e^lubitora in geueml. An inspection of the 

 piize list will prove that hut very few indeed of the principal yards in 

 the kingdom were unrepresented. 



The Game fowls, as a rule, were remarkably good : the silver cup 

 for the best pen of Game of any variety, beint; secured by an excellent 

 pen of Brown Heds, birds of this season. Of iM'rhh'jfi the Coloured 

 varieties were very excellent, but in the Silver- Greys" the bulk of the 

 prizes were withheld. A first-rate pen of Dorkings, capable in all 

 other respects of prize-taking almost at any exhibition, were "dis- 

 qualified," from one of the hons being ruptured, no doubt the result of 

 misapplied care and over-fcetling. Sjiani^h fowls wore very well shown, 

 and the Cochin classes were excellent, a pen of first-rate Partridge 



chickens taking the Cochin cup. In BnOuna'i, the birds of ISGS were 

 also pucccssf nl in securing the silver cup, many of the adult birds being 

 scarcely in full condition and feather. ILn'thnn/hs, as might be ex- 

 pected in this district, were of first-rate quality, the chickens of the 

 Goldtjn-Rpangled variety receiving the silver cup prize for the best pen 

 of Hnmburghs of any variety. The Black Hamburgbs were osppcially 

 worthy of favourable notice. The Selling class was very largo, Black 

 Spanish taking the first prize ; White Cochins the second; and Dark 

 Brahmas the third position. The Game breed of hmdams was the 

 best variety of those popnlar " poultry pets," and the silver Bantam^ 

 cup was awarded to it. As to the Tiirlri/, Cn'^sc, and Duel: classes, 

 perhaps there wag never anything nearly so good seen before in Leeds. 

 The " Variety class " of Dncks was also especially good. 



The class for dressed poultry was remarkable for its cxeellencet. 

 Mr. Dowsett. of Chelmsford, taking the prize for the best " dressed'*- 

 chickens, with a pair of cockerels of this year, nearly 17 lbs. in weight. 

 This gentleman seems now to have this class of premiums altogether in 

 bis own hands, and competitors seem to fear entering the lists against 

 him. There were, however, at Leeds, some exceedingly good speci- 

 mens shown by his opponents. M'e \\ill here oi^cr a hint worthy of 

 attention — the Turkeys were not only dressed — that is, plucked, but 

 also drawn, ready for cooking. This is a mistake, as any poultry if 

 "drawn" five or six days before cooking, invariably loses its flavour, 

 consequently all "dressed" poultry should be shown " plucked," but 

 not drawn. 



Another hint to the Leeds Committee, and if acted npon we fancy. , 

 their arrangements ■\vill he vci-}- near perfection. It is, not to place. j 

 the empty baskets on the tops of the pens ; it obstructs the light, SQ^_ 

 necessary for the inspection of the birds, and at tho same time it:. 

 detracts from tho appearance of the exhibition generally. The Piijcons ; 

 constituted a vtry large portion of the Show, comparatively with the 

 entries of former years. 



We published the names of the Judges and their awards last week. 



LIVERPOOL POULTRY SHOW. 



In all our experience of sliotv.'^, we have never seen f5uc1i a plocft^"*' 

 as that st4c*i-teil for this. "We liave been in a Eoyal Hiding School-' 

 at Brighton; in the County Court at Derby; in Corn Exchongoa 

 everywhere. Tents have been pressed iuto the service. We hftve ' 

 known the gijisy queen's caravan used ns a Cummittee-room. We' - 

 have never before seen a place where ;^58 pens of cattle, 1047 cntriea 

 of poultry, .-lud ;>7U entries of dopts could be aoeommodated under 

 the same roof, with ample light and air, and tho poultry enjoying thai 

 i-are luxury of bein^ shown in one even r»w — no upper, no lower: ' 

 tiers. The place covers two acres. 'The roof is very hi^'h, and it is 

 slioltered from drauf^hts, being open on one side only. Fall space was 

 allowed for cvciythilig exhibited, and there -was room for a free circu- 

 lation between tho rows of jieus. We do not speak of the decorations 

 of the showyard, although the number of iiags that found emjilovment - 

 must have laid nautical providers under contribution to a large extent ; 

 the effect was good, and when the place was lighted with gas the ap- 

 pearance was very cliecrful. The Committee, however, did not con- 

 fine themselves to the decorative part alone. In tlie afternoon and 

 eveuing immense tarjiaulings formed curtains wiiich were raised and 

 lowered at pleasure, comjik-telv closing the only open side of the space 

 used for the Show. An immeuse advantage is, that the greater part 

 of tho roof is glass ; this admits the light to a most desirable extent 

 at this season of the year. Oar friends at Bingley Hall may copy 

 this with advantage. 



In the refreshment department Liverpool has gone far a-head of all 

 competition. In elegance of decoration, in excellence of viands and 

 liquids, and in the general mana,!»emeiit of the first-class rooms, it 

 was unlike, because infinitely superior to anvthm^ we ha\ e ever before 

 seen. Instead of crowding in front of a bar where nothing is to be 

 had without a struggle, and all uusatisfactoi7 in quality when obtained, 

 the first-chiss refreshment-rooms were approached through a wide and 

 long corridor tastefully draped with alternate pink and white drapery. 

 It was lighted by figures the size of lite, five or six on each side, bear- 

 ing gas lights. "This led to a large room or hall decorated -yvith equal 

 taste, with the addition of mirrors and medallions, and containing 

 numbers of long tables covered with clean cloths. In fact, it had tl»a 

 appearance of a first-rate and well-managed cnfe. 



The prize list gives such full details of the different classca, witli 

 their numerous commendations, that we must be content with such 

 remarks as they may call forth, and that do not appear in the list of 

 honours. - ,".;": 



Mrs. Arkwright repeated her Birmingham victory, and took^' < 

 deserved prize and cup with her adult DurUnrj cock. She was bawl.- 

 run by .Vdmiral Hornby, who defeated her by taking the first prize in 

 the class for birds of "the year. These classes were excellent. The 

 hens and pullets were w >rthy of their- predecessors, and we have sel- 

 dom seen two birds tliat pleased us more than those belonging to Dr. 

 Campbell, which most deservedly took the cup. Tbirteeu pens only 

 in theso two classes were passed by the Judges. The Silver-Greya 

 were not bo numerous as their Coloured brethren, but they were very 

 true indeed to colour. White Dorkings were large and good. 



Tho iirst-prize Cuchiyi-Cliinn cock was a grand bird, and we are not 

 sure he is not the same bird that won at Birmingham. If he can he 

 kept in the same form and condition be will be very hard to beat at 



