264 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 26, 1865. 



bitor sends a pen of poultry to an exhibition and taies a first 

 prize, and again in a few days sends the same birds to another 

 show where a pen that look a very inferior position at the pre- 

 vious show now occupies the " place of honour," and his own 

 does not even get " mentioned." Can this state of things be 

 remedied? — J. H. 



[I willingly reply that I maintain my previously expressed 

 opinion — that being "duck-footed " is reaUy a disqualification 

 in a Game fowl for exhibition. As regards the " Standard of 

 Excellence" "J. H." alludes to, as published by the Poulti-y 

 Club, its dictum on the " duck-foot " in Game fowls may, for 

 aught I know, be binding on those who compiled the work named : 

 but as I myself did not lay down those rules, nor comply with 

 the written request of the Poultry Club to revise such rules 

 before piiblication, I cannot hold myself responsible as one who 

 is invariably adherent to its standards. That many of the 

 characteristics of the various breeds are therein described with 

 precision I unreservedly admit, and also that in the generality 

 of cases much really useful information may be gleaned for the 

 guidance of an amateur as to the first selection of his poultry. 

 I have also frequently arbitrated, even so late as since the pub- 

 lication of the " Standard of Excellence," for members of the 

 Poultry Club, by appointment at public exhibitions, not in sub- 

 servience to the printed rules, but, on the contrary, exclusively 

 by my own opinions ; so that I think our views are not so 

 widely dissimilar as your correspondent would desire them to 

 appear to be. 



Since perusing the letter of " J. H." I have pm-posely ascer- 

 tained the private opinions of several of our principal poulti-y 

 arbitrators, and without any one exception their views are con- 

 clusive with my own, as to the " duck-foot " in Game fowls. As 

 in all other similar cases, there ever will be a difference of 

 opinion as to the comparative excellence of living stock. Look, 

 for instance, at the cattle awards at Birmingham and London 

 shows, held only within a few days of each other. Although 

 besides a " standard," such arbitrators have the additional ad- 

 vantage of a measuring-tape to determine girth. Sec, how 

 frequently have reversed decisions ensued, though they have 

 been as frankly admitted by the judges themselves as arising 

 altogether from alteration of condition alone, and yet in both 

 cases quite as justifiable ! 



It is not the formation of rules, but their after-application 

 that brings with it dilEculty and dissimilarity, especially when 

 the health, or even the Ufe of the objects of the awards, is 

 quite as precarious and open to sudden alteration as our own. 

 Even only a few weeks since, I gave a first j>rize to a bird in 

 apparently perfect health, yet which died in less than an hour 

 after, leaving both its companions as well as ever. In only ten 

 minutes after the award was given in, it could not then (under 

 my own arbitration) have gained a prize at all. 



As regards the statement of " J. H.," that some amateurs 

 cease to exhibit, simply on account of a contrariety of opinion 

 held by judges, no doubt exists ; there always are some few 

 persons who cease to exhibit whenever they are not certain of 

 personal success, and most probably in future days it will 

 always continue so to be. These declensions, however, seem 

 hardlj' reconcileable to the present general success of poultry 

 exhibitors, for despite the withdi-awal of the individuals alluded 

 to, the succession of new exhibitors is largely and continually 

 augmenting. The hopes expressed by your correspondent that 

 never-vai'ying decisions will be ultimately attained, I feel as- 

 sured are visionarj', and quite beyond imiversal realisation. 



I am sori-y to entirely differ from the statement of " J. H." 

 as to the colom- of the legs of the Black Bantams shown at 

 Keighley. They were dark lead colour, and might have been 

 made much deeper in hue, by simply oiUng them previous to 

 exhibition, which is admissible. "Light-coloured legs" in 

 this breed I repudiate as strongly as any one can do. I will 

 not myself venture to determine the motives for withholding 

 the greater portion of the paragi'aph extracted by " J. H." from 

 your report of the Keighley Show, in The Jouen-u, of Hokii- 

 CCLTUHE. He quotes, " Some veiy excellent Game Bantams 

 (Black-breasted Reds) were shown, and also some capital Brown 

 Beds;" here "J. H." stragetically stops short, though the 

 same sentence goes on to say, " the latter, however, were a 

 little too large for competition, though excellent specimens for 

 brood stock." The best pen of Black-breasted Reds shown in 

 this class was a hen short, consequently they were compulsorily 

 passed over. 



If your correspondent really only knew by experience how 

 much more easy a task it is for a disappointed exhibitor to 

 cavil at an award when made, and opposed to his interests, 



than to predetermine such premium'at the outset. I feel con- 

 fident I am doing him justice when I say, be would not then 

 have written as he has now done. — Edward Hewitt.] 



MEDDLETON (ne.ui MANCHESTER) EXHIBITION 

 OF POULTRY, riGEOXS, AND RABBITS. 



The seventh annual meeting of this Society was held on the '21st 

 instant, and, as regards both the numbers of specimens competing, 

 and also the quality of the birds themselves, proved a great advance 

 upon those of fonner exhibitions. 



This Show has many advantages — among the most prominent, the 

 place of exhibition is peculiarly pleasant and undulating, whilst the 

 dense population of the closely surrounding large to^\TJS ensures, 

 weather permitting, an attendance of visitors that few strangers 

 eould believe possible unless themselves eye-witnesses. Great num- 

 bers of persons availed themselves of omnibuses, that for the day plied 

 every half hour from Manchester. These, in all instances, were tilled 

 until not another individual eould be accommodated, whilst the rail- 

 ways put on " special trains every quarter of an hour," biinging such 

 a regxilar influx of sight-seers, that the parties in care of the admission 

 gates had actually to be changed eveiy hour from sheer fatigue. The 

 receipts must, therefore, have been of a very satisfactoiy nature indeed, 

 and, as the managing Committee state they intend to eventually make 

 the Middleton Exhibition second to none, a still fui-ther increase of 

 the prize schedule may confidently he looked forward to another 

 season. This year the entries of poultry alone were considerably above 

 five hundred pens, irrespective of an entry of more than one hundred 

 pens of Pigeons, and a good competition likewise in Rabbits also. 



The night previous to the Show was enough to quite damp the ardour 

 of even the most sangiune of the Managers, a dull, dark, leaden sky, 

 portending an unfavourable change of weather. Go where you might, 

 the fears of bad weather seemed the only theme of conversation. 

 "VVeather-glasses were examined minutely, and at ver)' brief intervals ; 

 long-indulged hopes now gave way altogether, for about eight the rain 

 began to fall in torrents, and without the least apparent prospect of a 

 change. This continued far- into the night, or, more truly, the early 

 moi-ning of the Show day. About daybreak, however, the storm (for 

 thunder had prevailed in the distance many hom-s I suddenly abated, 

 the sun began to gladden the tops of the hills, and it would be diiiicult 

 to say which rose the quicker, the bUghted hopes of all concerned, or 

 the mercui-y of the now utterly neglected barometers. Had the 

 weather continued as unfavourable as anticipated, not only wotdd it 

 have proved fatal to the best interests of the Society itself, but would, 

 without doubt, have resulted in frightful injury to the poultry exhi- 

 bited, for they were mostly shown in pens of bee-hive shape, entirely 

 open to every change of weather that might ensue. Nor is the con- 

 struction of this kind of pen as to want of shelter the only objection ; 

 another, and equally gi-ave one, is also inevitable. If fowls are 

 required to be examined in hand by the Arbitrators, prior to giving 

 their awards, the taking out of one bird from a pen gives almost 

 invaiiably the opportunity of escape to its companion, and the Game 

 pullets were not slow to avail themselves of the chance of so doing, 

 although several men were provided to obviate this difficulty, for each 

 pen had to be fairly lifted before any fowl could be got at without 

 injuring its plumage ; and of necessity at the close of the Show when 

 repac kin g, the same objection retarded operations verj" considerably. 

 Again, the water-can for fowls being fastened to the pen inside, at 

 every lift the contents were upset, causing a damp pen for some con- 

 siderable time. 



Now, on the subject of exhibition pens, it may be well to name a 

 fact that beyond dispute proved itself at Middleton — viz., that fowls 

 have as great a distaste for hot sunshine as they have to exposure in 

 sudden showers. Among a considerable length of pens that were con- 

 structed of wood with wire fronts only, containing more than a hun- 

 dred lots, without even a .solitary exception, each trio were closely 

 grouped npon one another in the shady comer, a relief impossible to 

 those fowls whose misforttme from open pens all round entailed con- 

 tinuous panting and discomfort. We are informed an improvement in 

 this direction will not be neglected. 



The tknne fowl classes were particularly good, and were evidently 

 the leading attraction of the Show. The Brown Reds were beyond 

 question the most successful as prize-winners, and the competition in 

 the class for pairs of pullets (the principal prize for which was a silver 

 cup) was undoubtedly as keen as could he refen'ed to at any of oilt 

 most noted poultry' meetings. The BraJimas were also remarkably 

 good, and none of the prizes to this variety were won without a hard 

 struggle. The general improvement in this breed during the last two 

 years is remarkable. Of Hamhiirghs the best class was the Silver- 

 spangled, in fact it is hopeless to wish for better. A very noted old 

 exhibitor, however, sent a pecuharly good pair of pullets with a hen- 

 feathered cock of this breed, now-a-days a novelty, and a fatal fault 

 we thou::;ht years back exploded. The Game Bantams were of ex- 

 ceedingly good quality, with a numerical entry that proves how qnicMy 

 they become favourites among poulti-y fanciers. Almost all breeders 

 expressed themselves disappointed in the Cochhi-Cfuiia classes, and it 

 was a positive fact one of the best, if not decidedly the very best, pens 

 shown of this breed was entered in the " selling class," where every 

 pen was claimable, as by rule, at an outside price of 305. the pen. 



