September 11.1H6C. | 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE (iAIU)KNEH. 



M* 



adopted so long as some committees wilfully persist in carry- 

 ing out their shows without tonts or similar accommodation ? 

 I believe that exhibitors themselves have a power in their own 

 hands so coercive as to enforce better arrangements from the 

 committees of poultry shows for the future, and I know 

 several extensive exhibitors who intend " never to enter a pen 

 at any show in times to come that does not afford necessary 

 shelter to the competing poultry." Such a determination is a 

 very natural one when the fearful losses of a bird in this pen, 

 and perhaps the like in several other well-matched exhibition 

 pens, are considered ; but to take the higher ground of the in- 

 tolerable cruelty of exposing night and day tenderly-reared 

 birds to all the vicissitudes of our changeable climate without 

 any ihetttr whatever, is, I think, quite sufficient apology for 

 once more reproducing my opinion on the matter, though it 

 must be evident that the subject is far more important to tho 

 owners of show poultry than to an arbitrator. — Edward 

 Hewitt, Eden Cotta;it\ Sparkbrook, Birmingham. 



THE BIRMINGHAM PRIZE LIST. 



Your readers will, I have no doubt, hear with deep regret 

 the alterations which the Birmingham Council have decided to 

 make in their prize lists for next Show. The management 

 of the Poultry Committee of this great and important Show 

 has often been criticised in your pages, and frequently these 

 gentlemen have been blamed for the silent manner in which 

 they have listened to the appeal of not only exhibitors, but 

 some of the important members of the Council. Without 

 any appeal to exhibitors, but indirectly opposed to the opinion 

 of some of the leading poultry fanciers in Birmingham, the 

 Committee (although the majority of them know about as 

 much of a poultry show and its management as of a horse 

 show), have decided that the cock and hen classes shall be 

 entirely cut out of the list. Single cocks, hens, and pullets 

 will now form the Birmingham prize list. , 



Strange to say, although the prize list was decided on two 

 months ago, never has it yet been circulated. Doubtless the 

 object the Committee have in keeping it back is to avoid dis- 

 cussion, to allow as little time as possible for exhibitors to 

 express their opinions and to decide which now is the best 

 show to keep their best birds for. I will only ask, Why is this 

 strange change made ? Not to increase the number of entries, 

 for I have always understood that they would rather have less 

 than more. Perhaps it may be that the Committee are so 

 fixed against having different judges, and knowing the incapa- 

 bilities of the old staff, think they may perhaps be able with 

 rathermore correctness to award the prizes to single birds, and 

 that the best may then win, instead of the highest honours (as 

 at the last Show) being given to many of the worst pens. The 

 Committee of the Birmingham Show must not forget there are 

 other shows now treading very closely on the heels of Birming- 

 ham, and unless a little more judgment be exercised, it will 

 soon occupy a secondary position. — An Old Exhibitor. 



EXTRA PRIZES TO BUFF COCHINS AT 



BIRMINGHAM. 



Tue system of getting up the extra prizes for Buff Cochins 

 at our Birmingham Shows, I regret to say, does not prove 

 satisfactory. The Council object to add these extra prizes to 

 their prize list, unless a guarantee is given for the amount. 

 The prize lists are issued before the amount can be collected. 

 Last year Mr. Boucher and myself guaranteed the amount of the 

 extra prizes suggested by myself — viz., a £5 extra prize in each 

 of the five different classes— £25 in all, Captain Heaton most 

 liberally heading the list with £5 : and although I posted lircu- 

 larsto all the principal breeders of Buff Cochins, I am ashamed 

 to say the amount was never subscribed ; consequently Mr. 

 Boucher and myself were compelled to make up the deficiency. 

 One noted breeder replied to my circular saying he did not feel 

 disposed to subscribe towards the Captain Heaton cups, but in 

 case he should be fortunate enough to win one he would subscribe 

 — a liberality characteristic of a Yorkshireman. He did win a 

 cnp, and there being a deficiency, I applied to him to make 

 good his promise, but he never had the courtesy to reply to any 

 of my letters. This mode of treatment, after putting myself to 

 some trouble and expense in having circulars printed, postage, 

 etc., has quite disgusted me from ever subscribing or obtaining 

 subscriptions towards prizes for general competition. It|is 



therefore my intention to open sweepstakes of £2 2«., for next 

 Birmingham Show — the amount to be equally divided in an 

 extra prize to each of the Buff Cochin classes — the sweepstakes 

 to bo decided by the awards of the Judges. The highest position 

 a subscriber takes gains the sweepstake. If one or more obtain 

 tho same position, or should none of the subscribers obtain a 

 position at all, the services of Mr, Hewitt shall bo called in to 

 decide the sweepstakos. The individual I have referred to in 

 the early part of my circular, it is my intention not to allow 

 to enter for the sweepstakes, unless ho consent to pay up the 

 subscriptions promised last year. The amount shall then be 

 added to these sweepstakes and his name accepted. I need not, 

 I am sure, cull your attention to the great importance of these 

 extra prizes ; since these have been established Buff Cochins 

 have considerably increased in value, and I think I am quite 

 correct in stating that at the present time they roaliso much 

 higher prices than any other description of fowls. 



The entries for these sweepstakes will close on the 1st of 

 October next ; Mr. Lythall, Secretary of the Birmingham Show, 

 will receive all subscriptions. — Henry Tomlinson, Balaall 

 Heath Road, Birmingham, 



[ We recommend the foregoing to the attention of all exhibi- 

 tors of Buff Cochin-Chinas ; and at the same time to express 

 our opinion that if this offering of extra prizes were carried into 

 effect at other shows, and for other varieties of fowls, it would 

 add much to their attractions. The Birmingham Exhibition 

 is especially distinguished for the number and excellence of 

 the Buff Cochin-Chinas there exhibited, and this we believe is 

 attributable in no slight degree to the additional premiums to 

 be there contended for. — Eds.] 



VULTURE-HOCKED BRAHMAS. 



I have been a large importer, and a very large breeder of 

 Brahma Pootras for many years. I never imported a vulture- 

 hocked bird, nor did I ever breed one, except when I had used 

 birds of other strains for fresh blood. I have always either 

 killed such, or sold them at low prices as mere egg-producers. 

 I have never met with any one who wished to breed this appen- 

 dage, and the " Standard of Excellence," to which " Y. B. A. Z." 

 refers, says, " Vulture hocks are objectionable, but not a dis- 

 qualification." If they are correct, they cannot be objection- 

 able. When the Cochin mania was at its height, every ship 

 that sailed for China took out commissions for fowls, and no 

 ship returned without bringing some. These were not all of 

 necessity pure or good specimens of the birds known here as 

 Cochins ; but in the anxiety to possess some of the popular 

 breed, every fowl that had any pretension to it, or that possessed 

 some only of the characteristics, was eagerly purchased. The 

 evidence that was collected was from such breeders as Messrs. 

 Sturgeon, Punchard, Andrews, Steggall, and Gilbert. I perfectly 

 recollect the last-named gentleman showing me a Buff pullet, 

 offered to him by a sailor who brought it over, and lamenting 

 that he could not avail himself of the fresh blood because she 

 was vulture-hocked. I knew Mr. Sturgeon's birds from the 

 first, also Messrs. Andrews' and Gilbert's. They were not 

 vulture-hocked. If I were asked to define 'a vulture hock , I 

 should describe it as composed of stiff feathers, projecting be- 

 hind and below the knee. The existence of short fluffy feathers 

 that merely curl round the knee joint would hardly be called an 

 offence. 



If I were to exhibit. Brahmas I should not at all hesitate to 

 do so, leaving the vulture hock out of the question ; I believe 

 in almost every case those that have 'his point are the worst- 

 shaped birds, being stilly and long on the leg. The judges who 

 are Idamed by " Clkkicus " must fight their own battles. I 

 may, however, remark that our principal judges have not been 

 considered " arbitrary " or " narrow-minded." What, however, 

 docs he mean when he compares vulture-hocked Cochins of the 

 present day and those that were noi so in former times, with the 

 dower that has become double through forcing ? In this last 

 case a well-defined object finned the starting point ; but no one 

 will pretend that it was over sought by exhibitors to produce 

 the vulture hock, or that its appearance is the result of more 

 careful breeding or judicious crossing. I believe there is not a 

 breeder who would nut gladly get rid of it if ho could. I am 

 no partisan, seldom an exhibitor, sometimes act as judge, and 

 have been a close observer all my life of the properties and 

 points of fowls. I have noticed all through the poultry ques- 

 tion, that as old leaders withdraw from classes there is often a 

 Jisp.^ition on the part of their successors rather to bring tho 



