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JOUENAL OF HOETICULTDEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



r December 19, 1866. 



are indefatigable in fpreading their discontent, the numbers 

 who are satisfied trust to time and to others to espouse the 

 oause of the judges who made the awards that are favourable 

 to them. The old proverb says, " Let the losers laugh, the 

 winners are sure to do so." 



The truth is, the prizes at the Birmingham Show are so 

 important to all, and such a source of profit to many, that they 

 cannot bear to lose. The four or five discontented in a large 

 class congregate together and loudly make their complaints. 

 Too often, like Jlr. Primrose, they make up in clamour what 

 ihey lack in argument. I have no doubt they are very sincere 

 in their complaints, and, doubtless, believe they arc hardly 

 dealt by ; but they would do well to recollect that few men are 

 so happily constituted, or so capable of cool judgment in their 

 own matters, as to justify them in impugning the awards of ex- 

 perienced and honourable men. Fewer still are able to over- 

 come evil passions and prejudices, and to act dispassionately, 

 when smarting under disappointment. Many, I hope, when 

 they cool down, are sorry for the heat they have shown, and 

 the unkind things they have said. I attend few shows, but I 

 have often remarked when I have been at one, that the com- 

 plaints I heard all day long, proceeded always from the same 

 people. 



It is wonderfiil what even one pertinacious man can do 

 by perseveringly harping on one string. Nobody believes 

 Solomon Eagle was a prophet, or that he knew more than 

 others about the plague, yet by constantly running about the 

 streets and screaming his denunciations, he became associated 

 with the visitation ; and the same may be said of those who 

 run about a poultry show grumbUug. 



It is said in eastern tales, that sometimes an unpopular 

 Pasha is beheaded as soon as he is in disgrace ; at others he is 

 more gracefully disposed of with a cup of coffee. So the mal- 

 contents vary their attacks, while some deal in inucndoes, not 

 always delicate ones ; others disguise their charge by saying 

 there were mistakes, but the judges, poor men, had too much 

 to do. 



I am no exhibitor myself, and try to stand aloof from all in- 

 fluence. I have nothing to say about the Poultry Club, save 

 that many of its members are very honourable men ; but 1 can 

 tardly see what they purpose to accomplish, or how they mean 

 to do it, when thej' talk of having no confidence in any but 

 their ovm judges, and in blaming the conduct of every show 

 that is not subservient to their mandates. Some people venture 

 to douht whether if they succeeded in substituting themselves 

 for all other :;uthority, it would be any improvement. Nothing 

 they have yet done has been calculated to suggest improvement 

 or to inspire confidence. Their denimciation of Birmingham 

 is in bad taste. Poultry owes much to the men who have 

 carried that show from its dark and trj-ing days to its pros- 

 perity. Exhibitors cannot well do without Bh-mingham. Those 

 who exhibit in the present day for the love of exhibition are 

 tut few compared to those who show for profit. These latt-er 

 caimot afford to do without Bingley Hall. There is not only 

 the fame that attaches to the prizes taken there, and the futui-e 

 profit, but there is also the actual sale during the show, that 

 distributes hundreds of pounds taken by the sale of pens. — 



BrAH5I.\. 



FOREST FOWLS AND THE FLATS OF ESSEX. 



Thei:e is a popular belief that in the land of the East Saxons 

 the roads are raised between dykes, and that on Essex highways 

 posts and rails are placed to guide the 'xmwary during floods. 

 There is no less an authority than the Times for this state- 

 ment, and although the facts are to the contrary, yet as the 

 Times holds the opinion, so much the worse for the facts. It 

 must be admitted, however, that in the county of Essex are 

 many /ate, and that the neighbourhood of Chelmsford forms 

 no exception to the rule. 



At the recent poultry show held in the above county town, a 

 pen of so-caUed " Forest Fowls " was exliibited, which, putting 

 aside the first prize, a fine pen of La Fleche and a pen of Silver 

 Polands, gained the second prize in the Any variety class, as 

 the best of a mongrel lot. Your report described them as dwarfed 

 Black Hamburghs, an opinion shared by others with your 

 reporter. In yoiir answers to correspondents on November 

 28th, you tell '• Or.Nis " you do not doubt that be purchased his 

 so-called Forest Fowls from the party he names, and that they 

 may have come fiom Exmoor, but that they may also hftve 

 been Hamburghs originally, and that you are sure there is no 

 original breed there. These statements in your paper called 



from Mr. H. Leworthy another, that Mr. Warner purchased 

 from him birds, which he, Mr. Leworthy, calls Forest Fowls, 

 for the purpose of rearing Pheasants ; that he, Mr. Leworthy, 

 keeps blue birds of the kind for the hackle feathers, which he 

 uses for fishing-purposes ; that there is not any strain of the 

 Hamburgh breed in them, and that the original stock is taken 

 from the borders of the forest of E:anoor. 



It is evident that some one is wi-ong. The experience of 

 your re]iorter, and your own statement, deny the existence of 

 Forest Fowls. Opposed to these are Mr. Leworthy's statements. 

 As you are not bound to prove a negative, it rests with him to 

 bring forward satisfactory evidence that these birds are what 

 he professes them to be : his own unsupported statement, 

 however trustworthy, is not enough for proof. If a hitherto 

 unnoticed and original breed of fowls has come to general 

 notice, let us know all about them ; if a new and useful cross 

 has become accomplished let us adopt them, but not under a 

 false description. Neither common sense nor common honesty 

 will be served except by a straightforward statement of evi- 

 dence. It is not, as with Brahmas, a matter of distant history 

 difficult of proof. The proof can be obtained in our own 

 coimtry and at this time. It is the duty of Mr. Leworthy in 

 putting forward birds which he calls Forest Fowls, to prove the 

 truth of his statements before a mongrel race, may be of 

 Hamburgh or Andalusian blood, or of both, increase and 

 multiply. 



Without expressing an opinion either one way or the other 

 as to the origin of the Brahma, I will attest its usefulness and 

 admire the advocacy of that Alpha and Omega, &c., of initials 

 " T. B. A. Z." Nothing of the kind is needed here. A simple, 

 well-substantiated, honest statement will set the matter at rest, 

 and this, doubtless, Mr. Leworthy is prepared to give. At all 

 events, until this is done it is quite certain that Forest Fowls 

 wiE not thrive amongst Essex /I'afe. — One of the C.ilves. 



[ Since we received the above we have had the following sent 

 to us, which seems to settle the question : — 



"I see by the Journal, Mr. H. Leworthy takes exception to 

 the paragraph in the report of the Chelmsford Show, that 

 ' some dwarfed Black Hamburghs were shown as ' Forest Fowls 

 six months old. The cock ' had, without doubt, enjoyed ex- 

 istence for very many year's past, and possibly months was 

 simply a misprint for years.' This correspondent now states, 

 yom- reporter has given them a iieto name, ' dwarf Black Ham- 

 burghs.' I had no desire to express myself ambiguously, and 

 regret that by saying they were ' dwarfed ' Black Hamburghs, 

 the misconception should have arisen, that I considered these 

 fowls of any ' pure ' breed, of either Hamburghs or any other 

 variety, for I well knew to the contrary, and am equally aware 

 with Mr. Leworthy, that these so-caUed ' Forest Fowls,' are by 

 no means pure, but throw chickens of great irregularity of 

 colour, the ' blue '-feathered ones being, as he says, in consider- 

 able demand for the artificial-fly manufacturer ; but, on the 

 contrary, to that pui-pose the Black ones, as shown at Chelms- 

 ford, are altogether inapplicable. The writer himself exhibited 

 a very well matched pen of the ' Blues ' (that is s(a(c-coloured> 

 ones, bred from Black ones, at one of the earliest Binningham 

 shows, where they were uimoticed altogether by the Judges. 



" These fowls are commonly to be met with in the Welsh- 

 pool, Oswestry, and Ruabon markets, but are not favourites 

 among general dealers, simply because of their ' dwarfed ' 

 (stimted and degenerated) proportions, 'consequently except the 

 ' blue '-feathered ones among fishermen, such fowl? mostly 

 prove a heavy sale. I at once admit, like ail the smaller fowls, 

 they are excellent to rear Pheasants and Partridges, and sit 

 most assiduously, as nearly all crosses with Hambui'ghs will do. 

 though with 'pure' Hamburghs, it is well-known incubation 

 occurs only as an extremely rare exception. 



" The ' Forest Fowls ' of your correspondent have existed 

 for a long series of years, in the localities above named, being 

 more especially retained for their suitableness to the Game 

 breeder, hut have never settled down to regular traits of 

 character, or been looked upon simply on account of their 

 long standing, as a ' pure ' breed, for they continually ' sport ' 

 in both colom', combs, and markings. — Tour PvEpoktek."] 



PIGEON JUDGING AT BIRMINGHAM. 



I thi:;k it high time that some alteration should be made a£ 

 regards the awarding of prizes at our poultry shows, some 

 rules laid down for Judges to act up to in order that justice 

 may be done to exhibitors, and judges themselves be freed 



