May 22, 1873. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



421 



and must be to be renumerative, bear confinement remarkably 

 well. Of course a few sitting hens must be kept for hatching 

 Houdans' eggs. The chickens are hardy and grow very fast. 

 The eggs are very fertile. From three hatches I have had this 

 year every egg has proved a chick. 



In conclusion I would add, that if fowls are wanted for the 

 production of eggs only, and for a small space, Light Brahmas are 

 the best of all ; but if wanted for the table as well as for eggs, 

 and a moderate space be allowed to keep them on, with an occa- 

 sional run in the yard or kitchen garden in the winter, when they 

 cannot do much mischief, Houdans are the fowls to keep. — 

 John Ssow, Barrow-on-Soar, Loughborough. 



EXHIBITING SINGLE BIRDS. 



After reading the number of letters your columns bave of 

 late contained respecting the single-bird system of exhibiting, 

 and noticing also how unanimous the opinion is on the subject, 

 I write to keep the matter before the eyes of committees who 

 have not yet adopted the principle, and liope my remarks will 

 show how much more profitable it is to the funds of a society, 

 how advantageous it is to exhibitors, and making judging easier 

 and more satisfactory to the judges. In 1871 I resolved to try 

 the plan at our show, and the result was moat satisfactory, and 

 since the Birmingham Summer Show, which was an immense 

 success, there have been at least half a dozen of the largest ex- 

 hibitions — viz., Croydon, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Durham, 

 Glasgow, and Bradford, held on the same system, and each give 

 sufficient proof of the beneficial results to be derived in com- 

 parison to an exhibition on the pair system. The advantages to 

 exhibitors are the opportunity of exhibiting a good bird when not 

 having a suitable match, as no doubt every exbibitor experiences 

 at times. There is also the inclination to enter as many good 

 birds as a person thinks have a chance of winning, in order to 

 give judges their choice of colour. Sec. In addition there is not 

 the danger of one bird damaging the other, as is the risk when 

 two birds are put into a pen that have not been breeding to- 

 gether. It is also an advantage to those who keep only limited 

 stock, which fact may be learned from the following conversation 

 I had with one of the largest exhibitors at the Newcastle No- 

 vember Show. After the judging he said, " I don't like your 

 single-bird system." " Why not ? " " Because the classes are 

 too large." Need I add that he was unsuccessful in many 

 classes I When exhibitors have the advantage of making more 

 entries it must follow that the funds of the exhibition will reap 

 the benefit, not only in the entry fees, but also in commissions 

 on the sale of more bh-ds, itc. 



I will only add a few remarks on the advantages to judges, of 

 whom I wonder that there are so many ready to take that very 

 responsible ofBoe, knowing well that there is always a certain 

 amount of anuoyauce and unjust remarks in store for them. In 

 sjngle-bird classes a judge may see at once which pens can 

 deserve the prizes, for he has not the perplexing; fact, often the 

 case with pairs, of one good bird associated with a poor one. 

 Neither have they the unpleasant question of deciding whether 

 each pen contains a cock and a hen. When such, the single- 

 ■ bird system prevents the too frequent occurrence of two cocks 

 or two hens as a pair. 



I need hardly say more, since it is evident that the system 

 promotes the committee's interests, most assuredly renders a 

 great service to exhibitors at large, and enables the judging to be 

 done much quiclter and more efficiently, and the doors opened 

 at the stated time. My next notes will be on limiting the value 

 <rf exhibition birds. — IsipiBTiiLL. 



The Coming Oxfobd Show. — The Committee intend having 

 a class for Malays at their second annual Show in October next, 

 several fanciers of this variety having promised subscriptions, 

 the whole of which will be devoted to the purchase of a cup or 

 piece of plate at the option of the winner, the Committee giving 

 second and third prizes. Black Cochins will have prizes awarded 

 them; A. Darby, Esq., having offered to guarantee from loss, 

 should the class not fill sufficiently to pay expenses. If the 

 fanciers of these useful fowls would contribute, a cup would be 

 allotted to them. Black Bantams will again have a separate 

 class, the Rev. G. S. Cruwys assisting with a handsome donation. 

 Black Hamburghs will on this occasion compete in a separate 

 class. The Secretary will be glad to hear from anyone desirous 

 of contributing towaids a cup for either of the above, or any 

 other class, which sums will be duly acknowledged in this 

 Journal. — Joseph King, Hon. Secretar)/. 



The Van Haanbbbrgen Testimonial. — Mr. James Watts begs 

 to acknowledge the following ^subscriptions to the testimonial to 

 W. B. Van Haansbergen, Esq., on his resignation of the honorary 

 secretaryship of the Northern Columbarian Society : — Messrs. 

 W. R. & H. O. BlenMnsop, £1 1«. ; Mr. W. H. JGtchell, £1 Is. ; 

 Mr. Frank Graham, £1 Is.; Mr. Nathaniel Dunn, £lls.; Mr. 

 J. Towerson, £1 Is.; Mr. Joseph Firth, £1 Is.; Mr. J. E. 



Palmer, £1 Is.; Mr. J. Watts, £1 1«. ; Mr. 0. E. Cresswell, 

 103. (id. ; Mr. C. T. Copeman, 10s. 6d. ; Mr. N. Ridley, 10s. G<7. ; 

 Mr. J. G. Dunn, 10s. iid. ; Mr. Blanchard, IDs. iid. ; Mr. John 

 Guthrie, 10s. 6d. ; Mr. Thomas Gallon, 10s. Gd. ; Mr. P. H. 

 Taylor, 10s. (id. ; Mr. W. H. TomUnson, 6». ; Mr. J. F. Lover- 

 sidge, 5s. ; Mr. W. Gamon, 5s., and Mr. Thomas Waddingtou, 

 £1 Is. promised. We have no doubt, thou<'h we have no rela- 

 tive information, that J. Watts, Esq., Hazlewell Hall, King's 

 Heath, Birmingham, will gladly receive any contributions to 

 this testimonial to a gentleman who is described in a circular 

 before us as, "if not the best,, one of the best secretaries, 

 honorary or otherwise." 



SILVEE-GREY DORKINGS. 



It is a pleasure to hear anyone praising Silver-Grey Dorkings. 

 I should like to add my testimony in favour of them, as I think I 

 have been even more successful this year than your correspondent 

 the Rev. E. S. Tiddeman. My hens and pullets began to lay before 

 Christmas. My first chicks were hatched on January 17th. I 

 have no stove or any way of warming my fowl houses and nest 

 places, which are only wooden buildings, but during the severe 

 weather the hen and her chicks were put into a hamper at night 

 and kept in the gardener's cottage. I have weighed these two 

 chicks, both cockerels; one weighs IJ lbs., the other 4 lbs. 5ozs. 

 My next chicks were hatched February 4th, so will do to compare 

 with the Bev. E. S. Tiddeman's of February 1st. My cockerel 

 weighs H lbs., a pullet of the same brood 3 lbs. G ozs. I have 

 now thirty-four well grown Silver-Grey Dorking chicks; I have 

 not lost one from sickness this year, and in colour they promise 

 to be as good as in size. My great difficulty with SUver-Greys 

 has hitherto been to get size, but from the weight of those I 

 have mentioned, it seems as if I were succeeding at last. I have 

 never had a single bird with bumble foot for the four years I 

 have kept Dorkings in this country. 



I must say one word in favour of Dark Brahmas, which I also 

 keep. The pullets began to lay in November, and the hens 

 early in January ; they" are still laying well and very few have 

 been inclined to sit.— G. S. Paslev, Moorhill, Fareham, Hants. 



ACCRINGTON POULTRY, PIGEON, AND RABBIT 



SHOW. 



The Show of the Accrington Agi-icultm-al Society was held on 

 the 15th, and, as at all such meetings in the county of Lanca- 

 shire, the number of visitors was large. The poultry were 

 arranged in single tiers on two sides of the field, and the pens 

 were of a substantial character. The first prize competed for 

 was a sUver cup or £5 for Game cocks, and was won by a superior 

 Brown Red ; the second going to a good Black Red, and the 

 third to a Brown Red. In single Game hens there were but two 

 entries, but these were well worthy the award. In the local 

 class for Game cocks the first was a capital Black-breasted Red, 

 the second Brown Red, and the third a POe ; and in the open 

 class for cock and hen. Black or Brown Reds, all the winners were 

 of the latter colour. In Game cock and hen of any other variety 

 there was a solitary entry, but a first prize was awarded, the 

 birds being fit for any competition. Dorkings were a very good 

 class, and the winners large and in good form. Of Buff Cochins 

 there were but three entries, but the quality all that can be 

 desired. On the contrary, the entries for Any other variety were 

 good. Partridge being first and second, and Whites third. Black 

 Spanish were one of the best classes in the Show, scarcely a pen 

 but what was deserving of notice, the winners being very fine. 

 In Brahmas the competition was very close among the birds 

 that were noticed, but there were some bad pens. There were 

 five classes of Hamburgh^, and the entries good in all, and the 

 competition very keen in most. In Golden-pencils there were 

 some capital cocks, but the hens, as a rule, were best ; and in 

 the saver-pencils every pen was noticed. In the Gold-spangles 

 the hens were somewhat faulty, if we except the first-prize bird; 

 but the cooks were pretty regular in quality. The cup for Ham- 

 burghs was won by a pair of SUver-spangles of rare merit, both 

 birds being about perfect, and in the best possible plumage ; and 

 there were also several other capital pairs. The three winning 

 pens of Black Hamburghs were very close upon each other, and 

 the class very good as a whole. In French fowls the winners 

 were all Creve-Cceurs, and these were much better in point of 

 character than the Houdans, which were more numerous. Of 

 Polands there were but four entries. The Selling class con- 

 tained some good and cheap lots, the first being Spanish, the 

 second Cochins, and thii-d a Brown Bed Game cock. The first 

 in the Variety class was a splendid pair of Red Malays. There 

 were six classes for BatUams, five of which were devoted to 

 Game. In single Bantam cocks the contest was very close, the 

 winners being all Black Reds, the first of which embodied all 

 the properties of a high-class Game cock, the second being quite 

 equal in all respects except length of wing, both being birds not 

 less than two years old, the third being a cockerel of last year. 



