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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ September 11, 1866. 



standard down to their birds than to raise them to it. It is 

 said that when Mahomet was guilty of any little " eeart," he 

 wrote a chapter of the Koran to justify it ; so, I believe, if 

 fowls were produced with Dorking tails on Cochin bodies there 

 would not be wanting those who would honestly believe and 

 support the opinion that they were correct. — Brahma N. V. H. 



ECCENTRICITIES OF ENTRIES. 



Few exhibitors can have waded through catalogues of poul- 

 try exhibitions without being struck by this fact, that the 

 entries in the varions classes appear to be devoid of any rule. 

 It is perfectly true that these entries are dependent not only 

 on the will and whim of the exhibitor, but also on the con- 

 dition of his yards, yet it is difficult to understand the reasons 

 that explain the vast differences that take place. At Birming- 

 ham, for instance, Cochins numbered 277 pens, they stood Al 

 as payers in entry-money to the coffers of Birmingham ; true, 

 there were additional prizes offered, but this was also the case 

 in other classes. At Salisbury there were three classes for 

 Cochins, each with three prizes of £3, £2, and £1, and the 

 entries were respectively : Buff five, Brown and Partridge six, 

 White five ; Brahmas mustered seventeen entries in two 

 classes. At Reading Cochins were offered larger prizes ; two 

 pens contended for three prizes ! — being doubled, in fact, by 

 the Poland entries of all breeds for smaller prizes ! At Rochdale, 

 on the contrary. Cochins were far beyond Dorkings and Spanish 

 in number of entries. Birmingham showed Spanish beaten 

 by all the older varieties except Malays and Polands, possibly 

 accounted for by moulting ; but still, soon afterwards at Man- 

 chester they are the best payers, and this I think was the case I 

 two years ago when I examined the catalogue. Again at 

 Salisbury they mustered seventeen pens in one class, as against i 

 Cochins in three classes. At Cirencester they assembled six, | 

 all told, Cochins amounting to eighteen entries in two classes. | 

 At Epping in all the classes save Dorking the entries were ; 

 simply ridiculous, and I am quite at a loss to account for 

 this, as the prizes are liberal, and the show a one-day exhibi- 

 tion. True, two hens are still required at this show, and this 

 certainly limits entries, but it does not account for the short- 

 comings of entries both on this occasion at Epping and last 

 year at Brentwood. I regret it, for it discourages the promoters 

 of shows, and I cannot but think that this show is not known 

 as it deserves to be. 



At Salisbury, however, a still more extraordinary point in 

 the matter of entries occurred. In 1864 at Bristol three pens \ 

 of Malays competed for £3, £2, £1 prizes ! — so that at last the ! 

 Bath and West of England that had long remained stead- 

 fast to this old breed forsook it, and 1865 saw for the first 

 time for many years no Malay class. Owing to the increased 

 amount offered to poultry (no cattle being exhibited), a Malay 

 class with two prizes only was added in 1866. Well, who can 

 understand the enigma of entries? — the breed that was dis- 

 carded in 1865 equalled the highest entry for Cochins, which were 

 offered £6 against the £i to Malays ! It surpassed the other 

 classes for Cochins, and (I write fiom memory), it surpassed 

 some of the classes for Game to the best of my recollection. 



I think I have shown by these various quotations that the 

 entries do not depend so much on the amount of prizes 

 offered as on something not very tangible beyond the ken of 

 schedule-framers. What may schedule-framers leam from 

 this ? Why, that it is not politic to make extreme distinctions 

 in the amounts offered to various breeds, but rather apportion 

 the amount, especially at the smaller shows, pretty equally to 

 each. They are quite uncertain as to the breed that will in 

 any given show prove the most paying variety. The example 

 set by Darlington does not seem to be followed, yet it is strictly 

 fair, if smaller prizes are offered to certain varieties the entry 

 fee ought to be less. 



Then, again, in the Any other variety class there is great 

 need for improvement. Often the right to two prizes is dis- 

 puted by a motley group of all sorts ; many of them are equally 

 deserving, but the fancy of the judge decides. Here it would 

 certainly be a good plan to give an increased number of prizes 

 as was done at Islington, when two first, second, and third 

 prizes were offered. This is better than at Lord Tredegar's 

 Show, where the difficulty has been met by five or six prizes in 

 the class, decreasing in amount. Coupled with this class there 

 is another suggestion I would offer, it is not every exhibition 

 that can afford Creve Ceeur and La Flcche classes, but the 

 generality of shows could afford a class which, now-a-days, I 



ancy would pay for "French" fowls. This class would take 

 in Houdans and the two other breeds named, breeds which 

 certainly agree in one respect, they are terribly ferocious- 

 looking ! I am a family man and dare not keep them, afraid 

 that some of the juveniles might wander into the yards and be 

 frightened to death by the apparition of one or other of these 

 horrible-looking birds. I had once a Creve Cueur hen, every 

 other hen was afraid of her, gave in at once, as though the 

 sight of her were sufficient, and no proof of her prowess 

 necessary. 



Another point I would greatly urge on schedule-framers is 

 the adopting one hen instead of two. This will increase the 

 number of entries, lessen the amount of food consumed, lessen 

 the amount of time required for packing, &c, and reduce the 

 present exorbitant and unjust charges for carriage. It is also a 

 wise plan on the part of exhibitions to make the closing day 

 for entries as late as possible ; a month may be necessary for 

 Birmingham — I, for one, greatly doubt it, but a week or ten 

 days is ample time for the generality of exhibitions. — 

 Y. B. A. Z. 



WARNING. 



I wish to make known my grievance, and ask some of yom 

 correspondents to suggest a remedy for the sake of others who 

 may be fellow sufferers. A few weeks since an advertisement 

 appeared in your columns offering a number of chickens of a 

 certain breed, from the strain of a gentleman named, and who 

 took a first prize at Birmingham last year. They were said to 

 be from four to five months old, fit for exhibition, and were 

 offered at 5& each. I wrote to the party on the same day the 

 paper was published, giving him the name of a respectable 

 and well-known exhibitor in the county in which he resides as 

 reference, and requested him to send me at once on approval 

 six pullets and a cockerel, offering to pay the carriage both ways. 

 I received a reply by return stating that the four and five- 

 months birds were all sold, but there were plenty left at two 

 and three months, but they would not be sent on approval. I 

 then wrote for six three-months-old pullets to be forwarded. 

 More than a week passed and no fowls came, and my letter 

 was unanswered. I then wrote again requesting to know the 

 reason. I received a reply, stating that six pullets, two of 

 them ten weeks the rest sixteen weeks old, were set aside for 

 me, and would be sent on receipt of a post-office order for the 

 amount, at the same time assuring me that several birds had 

 been sold and all had given great satisfaction. I at once 

 forwarded an order made payable in a week. That time had 

 nearly elapsed before I heard anything more, when another 

 letter came stating that only four pullets were left, two at ten 

 weeks, and two at sixteen weeks old, and that two hens of 1865 

 would be sent if that would suit me. Being quite tired of 

 being trifled with nearly three weeks, I requested them to be 

 sent, and a cockerel into the bargain. I received two moderate 

 hens, the best of which and the cockerel were completely 

 scalped to the bone on the journey by the other hen, which 

 appears to have been a stranger to the rest. The four chickens 

 were the worst specimens of the breed I ever saw, and worth 

 at most Is. each, or the market value of common barndoor 

 fowls of the size. I at once understood how it was that the 

 birds would not be sent on approval, and why I did not receive 

 them until after the money was payable. From the appear- 

 ance of the advertisement I had every reason to expect some 

 decent birds, but imagine my disappointment. 



What is to be done to protect the public from this species of 

 swindling, and how are buyers and sellers to put faith in each 

 other whilst it continues ? — A Vicmt. 



[The remedy is obvious. Either do not buy of an unknown 

 seller, or do not part with your money until you have seen the 

 birds. — Eds.] 



POULTRY FANCIERS, AWAKE! 



Are ye asleep or in a torpid state that you allow yourselves 

 to be swindled so continuously ? I can truly sympathise with 

 your correspondent Mr. Howarth Ashton, for I have been similarly 

 victimised, hut so very often that it has at last aroused me out 

 of my lethargy ; and I would, if possible, arouse my brother 

 fanciers, and unite with them in trying to put down the swindlers 

 that are realising such a nice little fortune out of us. 



Last spring I was induced, by seeing an advertisement in The 

 Joi-rnal of Horticvltube representing a very well known 



