Dcacmbor J6, 1865. ] 



JOTIRNAIi OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



531 



POULTRY. BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE- 



LABELS FOR EXlinUTlON J'OULTKY. 



I FEiiL quite cc-rtiiiu that the oiUcnal.-! of pi^ultry shows Imvc 

 no idea of the inoonveniencB crtimeil to exhibitors liy the ileliiy 

 in sendiug these labels. On one occasion I received them tlio 

 morning of tho show, and of course it was useless to soud 

 my birds, and I claiiuod the entries. Again : it often happens 

 that our " Fridays " are, like mine, careful over the poultry, 

 but quite ignorant of letters. The exhibitor may be leaving 

 home, and if tlio labels have not arrived he leaves in some 

 trepidation, fcarin',; that Friday, however willing, may perpe- 

 trate Rome error that ruins all prospect of prize-taking. Even 

 with the Iftte BiriuiuHliaia Show the labels did not arrive, I 

 think I am correct, until after the original day iixcd for the 

 opening. A fortnight, except in the largest shows, appears to 

 me ample time between the clixsing of entries and the opening 

 of the show. I fee! confident it would gi-eatly add to the com- 

 fort of exhibitors it the Secretary, immediately on the closing 

 of entries, settled the catalogue, and forwarded the labels. .\in 

 I asking too much if I say that in a show of five hundred entries 

 this might be accomplished within four days? It is a duty 

 which has to be ))6r{orjuud, and which, when over, mu.st be a 

 relief to the official. Any later entries the Secretary well 

 knows how to add to the list. 



Perhaps I am wrong iu believing that my brother and sister 

 exhibitor.s would bo glad of an alteration here, and the Com- 

 mittee may solace themselves with this belief. Possibly these 

 few lines may ventilate the subject, but I can say for myself 

 that it has often hefiu^au anaoyauce to^— T. B. A. Z. 



THE POULTKY CLUB AND THE BIRMINGHAM 

 AWARDS. 



The suggestion of " P." in your Number of December 12th, 

 that the Poultry Club shoidd institute a poultry show in op- 

 position to the Binglcy Hall Exhibition, together with bis 

 liberal offer of support, demand the warmest thanks of all 

 amateurs. 



There can be no doubt that very general dissatisfaction as 

 regards the Birmingham awards has long existed ; and the 

 manner iu which the expressed ^vishes of numerous exhibitors 

 on the appointment of .Judges have invariably been ignored, 

 I may say treated with contempt, is by no means calculated to 

 allay the prevailing distrust. In No. 218 of your New Series, 

 2, correspondent writes of Jlr. Hewitt, " Almost every show 

 that takes place is judged by him," and vrrges most earnestly 

 that his name should be added to the list of Birmingham 

 Judges ; and you, Messrs. Editors, in a foot note, seconded that 

 propo.sal, stating emphatically, " We know that the Council of 

 the Birmingham Show would gratify exhibitors generally, and 

 remove much obloquy from themselves, if they added Mr. 

 Hewitt to the .ludges of that Show." 



Another correspondent, in your columns of the 17th of Oc- 

 tober, sug|5;ests that exhibitore should address a letter to the 

 Coimcil praying them to add Mr. Hewitt's name to the list of 

 Judges. I followed this advice, as, to my certain knowledge, 

 did many others also ; but our prayer was not granted, and no 

 reason has been assigned for the refusal. Between January 

 and October of the present year, Mr. Hewitt's name appears 

 as .ludgo at twenty-one exhibitions of poultry and Pigeons ! 

 Assirredly, then, he must be at least as woU qualified for the 

 otBce of Judge as those gentlemen whose names appear on the 

 list of Judges of the Birmingham Show ! 



But, I think, we have a just right to demand a much larger 

 measure of reform than simply asking the addition of the name 

 of our most popular Judge. What are the facts of the case as 

 regards the judging? At the late Show there were 1G7.5 pens 

 of poultry. These, chvided equally between the five Judges, 

 would give 33.5 pens for each Judge ; and supposing the labours 

 of these gentlemen to commence at nine and end at three 

 o'clock, as much of daylight as can be expected during a dark 

 November day, there would remain fifty-five pens for each 

 Judge per hour, or a little more th.on one mmute to decide 

 iipon the merits of each pen! Will exbibitors, after paying 

 high entry-fees, submit to be treated thus ? 



I do not think " P.'s" suggestion, that the members of the 

 Poultry Club should jiledge themselves individuall.y not to 

 exhibit at Bingley Hall again, could be carried out, for various I 



reasons, and, doubtless, there are some who would refuse to 

 I'lcdgo themselves ; but there can be little doubt tljiit a show at 

 IJirmingham, conducted upon sound priuciple.s, with a liberal 

 prize list, under the auspices of the Club, and to be held about 

 the same time as, or a little earlier than, the present Bingley 

 Hall Show, would prove a most successful rival. I say Birming- 

 ham, because, from its midland position, its railways, &c., it 

 is letter adapted for a poultry show, where noilh and south 

 may meet in friendly competition, than almost any other town. 



Allow rao iu conclusion to suggest to the Committee of the 

 Club, that in caiTying out any show up(m a largo scale : — 



Ist. A Judge, or Judges if the entries require more than 

 one, be appointed for the several divisions of fowls, as for — Ist, 

 Game fowls and (iamo Bantams of all varieties ; 2nd, Spanish ; 

 3rd, Dorkings ; 4th, Brahma I'ootras and Cochin-t'hinas of all 

 varieties ; 5th, Hamburghs of all varietie.s; (ith, for fowls and 

 Bantams of any other variety than those named, &c. 



'2nd. Let the names of the Judges for each diWsion be pub- 

 lished on the schedule, so that an exhibitor may know, before 

 entering his fowls, who will be their .hidge. 



3i-d. Let it also be slated on the whedulo as an invariable 

 rale, in no case to be departed from, that the Judges shall not 

 be allowed to sec the address cards, nor in any way to ascertain 

 the ownership of the birds. 



If the Poultry Club will only act energetically, and take a 

 decided lead in poultry matters, instead of following its hitherto 

 do- nothing policy, it wiU, doubtless, become a large and flourish- 

 ing Society, and wUl obtain the hearty support o£ all classes ol 

 exhibitors. — A^ Essex Cukate. 



THE XEVvTORT (MOXJMOUTHSHIRE) POULTRY 



EXHIBITION. 



Although raany persona expressed their appreliensione tliat the 

 ponlti-^' exhibitiou held this 3'ear at Newport in connection with tlie 

 agricultural meeting would be a comparative failure, from the fact 

 thnt the portion of the show devoted exclnsivclT to cattle would be nn- 

 occnpied on account of the cattle plague, the result proved such fore- 

 bodings wore quite uncalled for. As to the poultry, the entries were 

 as numerous as ever, the competition iu mo;jt of the classes was really 

 cxccUeut, and the attendance of visitors waiting for tlie moment of 

 opening to the pubUc was, beyond question, without precedent. The 

 whole Show was sjieedily crowded, and continued so during the re- 

 mainder of the day. The general arrangements were exceedingly good, 

 but differed very little from those carried out in former years. 



The (Mone classes were well filled, and the quality of most of the 

 birds was such as to leave a very trilling hope of improvemeut. Mr. 

 J. H. WiUiams. of Spring Bant, AVelshpool, however, pretty nearly 

 mnuopolised all the principal Qanie premiums, by exhibiting fowls not 

 only of veiy iirst-class breeds, but also in so faultless a condition, that 

 several of those amateurs who competed with him were perfectly 

 astounded when permitted to test them by hand. Mi-. Williams, with 

 Game fowls alone, took not only the silver cup for Game, but also 

 sevei'al first prizes, many of his opponents also sending most excellent 

 birds. The sui^jle Brown Ked Game cock, and the Duelnrings ex- 

 hibited by Mr. AVilhams. became quite popular favourites at the New- 

 port Show. The Duckwiiigs were the winners of the stiver cup for the 

 best pen of any variety of Game exhibited. In S'jiauish fowls. Lord 

 Tredegar's Show, as it is called, was not by any means a meagre one, 

 Mr. Alfred Heath, of Calne, taldng the cup. clopely pressed by the pen 

 of Mr. George Lamb, of Compton, near Wolverhumpton. Grey DorJ:- 

 t'iif/fi were very well represented, ajid most numerously, a quite new name 

 taking precedence, Mr. Peacey, of Chelworth, Tetbuiy, Gloucestershire, 

 yingulaily enough, although Grey Dorkings were so numerous, not 

 even a single pen of White ones was shown. In IJoisliliis there were 

 some good Pai-tridge-coloured ones. Some really iirst-rnte White ones 

 were also present ; and as to the first-piTze Buffs, it would, indeed, be a 

 somewhat difficult task for any one to even imagine a better pen. For 

 the silver cup olTered for the best pen exiiibited of these popular fowls, 

 iiTespective of colour, there was a good competition, though not an ex- 

 tensive enti-y. A maj^uficent pen of adult Buffs, the property of that 

 so-long-experienced breeder, Mr. Heun,- Tomlinson. of Birmingham, 

 proved the plate-winner, and was one of the most marked objects of ad- 

 miration throuj^hout the whole of the Newport Show. The owner still 

 unhesitatingly declares them to be " by far the best pen he has ever 

 exhibited throughout his whole career." an opinion so generally con- 

 curred in by breeders, as to be universally endorsed by those Cochin 

 amateurs who examined them as exhibited for ih^Jirnt time at the late 

 Piirmingham Show ; yet at Bingley Hall, this pen was passed by 

 entirely unnoticed, although a very inferior lot, tent in by the same ex- 

 hibitor, with no other idea but '"for sale." appear iu the prize list. 

 .\t the Newq>ort .Show, the JJi-ahmu-s proved far better than have ever 

 been shown in tliis locality. 



In Hnvibitvtjhn there was a good entry, and every variety was well 

 sbo^vu. Mr. John Holland, of Worcester, succeeded in taking the 

 silver'cup given to the Hamburghs generally, with a pen of SUvcr- 



