362 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTIOULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



[ Ma; 1, 1873. 



now the ball is fairly set rolling, some of our poultry friends 

 may be induced to give us, in print, their views and experiences 

 on this really important subject. 



Your talented correspondent, " Shropshiee Eector," gives a 

 very cogent hint to the judges as to the necessity of following 

 the popular feature of the day, " by striking and leaving in the 

 lurch such committees," as by negligence and delay abridge the 

 time appointed for judging. No doubt the effect would be as 

 conclusive as it is merited, but I am glad to say this short- 

 coming is far less frequent of late than heretofore. Another 

 good cause for " a strike " among poultry judges, however, arises 

 from the fact of non-payment of absolute out-paid travelling ex- 

 penses, even where the services were as gratuitously as willingly 

 rendered, under the specious excuse their funds were entirely 

 exhausted, or the secretary had " bolted," and suchlike apo- 

 logies for not paying what honour and justice alike demanded. 

 Several cases of pounds expended in such journeys I can easily 

 recall to mind, as can also one of my general colleagues. We 

 know the County Court is most likely a sufficient cure, though 

 another was hinted to me lately by an experienced hand, when 

 he said, " I never will go away now till they give me my money, 

 but dodge about until they pay me." It is at best an unpleasant 

 way of reinstatement of out-of-pocket railway expenses, and cer- 

 tainly suggests " a strike." — Edw.ibd Hewitt. 



EXHIBITOES AT POULTRY SHOWS. 

 So much has been written of late about the discouragement 

 given to amateurs at our shows, that previous to reading a 

 grumble in your issue of the 10th ult. signed " Pickwick," I had 

 almost begun to think that there was something in the manage- 

 ment of our shows that demanded alteration, but the run of 

 thought which, though mostly skilfully concealed in the context, 

 can so easily be read between the hues of many of the grumblers' 

 letters was openly avowed by " Pickwick," with a frankness that 

 does him credit. The grievance of which he so bitterly com- 

 plains is simply this, if a man's means wiU admit only second or 

 third-class birds into his loft, the prize lists ought to be so 

 arranged that with them he may secure first prizes. 



Mr. A. is a man with ample means for fancies and indulgencies ; 

 he decides to keep birds, say Carriers ; he knows the value of the 

 old saying, that " like begets like," and therefore determines to 

 lay a good foundation to his loft by commencing with birds of 

 unquestionable reputation. Innumerable ways are open to such 

 a man, so armed, to secure his ends ; without trusting too much 

 to the human nature of either dealer or breeder he resorts to 

 the leading shows and claims the best birds, or he goes to the 

 lofts of renowned breeders and buys there. To such an one, with 

 a fair knowledge of the laws of breeding and general habits and 

 requirements of the birds, success in some degi'ee is certain, 

 and if he be inclined to exhibit he will not be frightened from so 

 doing, because a dealer's bird may be in the next competing pen 

 to his, in fact, the dealer can only beat with birds bought from 

 his or similar lofts, and we cannot sell the pie and eat it too. 



Mr. B. is a poor man with an available sum of cash not ex- 

 ceeding .£10, he catches the " Pigeon fever," and though without 

 any practical experience decides to invest his capital in "the 

 fancy," with what results everyone who has bought good birds 

 must know. I do not wish to imply that ±'10 will be insufficient 

 to lay the foundation of a good loft, but the process of expansion 

 from such a beginning would require too much patience for 

 nine-tenths of our amateurs. They want a shorter cut, flounder- 

 ing in which ninety-nine out of a hundred find themselves in 

 the hopelsss position of " Pickwick." Acting upon the idea of 

 getting as much for money as possible, cheered with the hope 

 of suddenly becoming "wholesale prizetakers," they buy with 

 the said ±'10 several pairs of different varieties, always carefully 

 extracting from the seller the remark that they are either "prize 

 birds or prize bred," fortified with which assurance they rush 

 to enter their birds at the next show. The disastrous effects of 

 this investment prompts them to find solace in attacking not 

 only the show committee but the most successful exhibitors. 



Now, I ask, have such persons any real grievance ? Are not 

 the majority of the grumblers such-like fanciers ? They build 

 upon the sand, but blame others for the collapse, it is, in short, 

 inexperience and want of capital complaining that e.xperience 

 and capital beat them. 



To remedy this " Pickwick," " Miles," and Co., propose to 

 banish the results of experience and capital from our sliows, 

 which would be simply carrying out the ironical suggestion of 

 " S.vpiENTissiMus " — viz., that our shows be conducted upon the 

 donkey-racing system, by awarding the prizes to the worst birds. 

 It may, and undoubtedly frequently does, seem hard to such-like 

 amateurs that they should buy so many prize birds, and yet 

 never succeed in netting anything better than " commenda- 

 tions " with which to furnish the loft, but there are two ways to 

 reverse such a hardship, the first is the one with which " P., M., 

 and Co." try to accomplish the reformation — viz., to induce 

 show committees to adopt a set of rules, that will necessarily ex- 

 clude first-class birds. " Miles " argues that such birds ought to 



be found at shows where the prices are limited to ilO, but that 

 argument is quickly disposed of by the well-known fact that 

 they won't be there, as proved at Dublin ; and is it desirable they 

 should ? If the prices of rare specimens which cost the breeder 

 so much patience and perseverance are to be " levelled down " 

 to those of birds that can be bred in grosses by the greatest 

 novice, will not one great goad to perseverance be withdrawn 

 from the breeder '? and will not the quality deteriorate '? Re- 

 markable birds cannot be bred every year, even by those who 

 can afford to recruit their breeding studs in the expensive way 

 Capt. Heaton has done his this season. Can it then be expected 

 that that which cost so much will be freely offered at our shows 

 for so small a sum ? and if not, will not the primary object of 

 shows be annulled by excluding them ? 



But supposing this novel method of " levelling down " become 

 an accomplished fact, will " Pickwick," " Miles," and Go's., 

 grievance vanish into thin air ? If all amateurs could afford to 

 give 4"10 for a bird, all could not have a Palace or Birmingham 

 cup bird, and those that had would avail themselves at the re- 

 duced risks to extend their operations as " wholesale prize- 

 takers," and still there would remain as now those who never 

 get beyond a commendation to complain that those who have 

 better birds receive the prizes. This remedy, then, I agree 

 is undesirable, though it would undoubtedly accomplish the end 

 for which so many wiite in your Journal. The second one to 

 which I refer rests with the amateur himself ; it is this, instead 

 of trying to "level down "other lofts to "level up" his own. 

 Am I far wrong in my oonjectm-e, that most of the would-be re- 

 formers who have written so much of late on this subject are 

 dabblers in many kinds instead of excelling in one ? and is not 

 this the root of half the failures '? I am surrounded with fanciers 

 of this stamp, and I find them subject to frequent attacks of 

 disgust at the fancy. I say. But why don't you keep one good 

 pair instead of so many inferior ? The idea is at once acceptable, 

 but they say the price of good birds prevents them can-ying it 

 out, but look in their lofts, you see ten pairs, the average cost 

 of which is 30s. a pair, total ±'1.5, with which they might have 

 secured the foundation of a loft that in a year or two would pro- 

 duce feeling's the opposite of disgust.— -Willlam Minson, St. lues, 

 Hunts. 



BEAHMAS. 



As several have given you their opinion of Brahmas, I will 

 tell you what I think of them and how I like them after several 

 years' acquaintance. The Light variety, which I have only kept, 

 are undoubtedly taking in appearance, especially so, if judged 

 from most specimens seen at shows ; but the pure white colour 

 soon turns to yellow if exposed to the sun, particularly in the 

 cocks, and both they and the hens soon look dirty if not scru- 

 pulously attended to. As to their useful qualities I have found 

 them fair layers of smallish eggs, with rather too frequent a 

 tendency to sit. For rearing chickens I find them docile enough 

 but dreadfully clumsy, and although I have set dozens of them 

 I have never yet got them over the twenty-one days without a 

 smash among the eggs ; this same clumsiness miUtates very much 

 against them when in charge of a brood, as if at all flurried they 

 are pretty sure to tread down some one of their young charge. 

 Apart from this awkwardness they are well enough to rear 

 chickens if size is not required, but if it should be, it is useless 

 to try and obtain it with them as they invariably desert their 

 chickens when the mother's warmth is mostrequirod. A Brahma 

 chicken on the table is veritably all legs ; it certainly may be 

 improved by the Dorking cross, but after all it is but a bad sub- 

 stitute for the Dorking pure. Brahmas wiU do in a small space, 

 and this is their great point, but if the birds can have their 

 liberty they cannot compare to the Dark Coloured Dorkings ; 

 the latter lay an equal number of eggs of large size, cannot be 

 beaten as mothers, and are unequalled on the table. What more 

 can you desire or expect'?— Miles. 



BLACK COCHINS. 



The Committee of the Great London Show have promised to 

 give a second and third prize and a class to themselves if a three- 

 guinea cup be offered. I shall be happy to receive subscriptions 

 to further the same, which will be duly acknowledged. — F, C. 

 H.^ss.vBD, Silverness. 



I quite endorse Col. F. C. Hassard's opinion respecting Black 

 Cochins. I have myself been a breeder of this splendid variety 

 for the last seven years, and admire them not only for the 

 beauty of tlieir plumage but also for their good properties as 

 layers and mothers. They do better in a small place than any 

 other variety I ever kept, and do not show dirt in London as all 

 other lighter-coloured sorts do. I shall be the first to offer my 

 guinea towards a prize at the next Great London Show and I 

 am convinced that some excellent specimens wiU be brought 

 forward. They certainly do not stand the least chance against 

 Wliites or Partridge, and therefore I never show mine. I have 



