Ootobor 9, 1SG0. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



Lastly, I may add, that as according to " Bininn, N.V.H.'s" 

 own proving, it is not a recent introduction, but actually camo 

 in the heighl of the Cochin fever. Cochins and Bra 

 miglil pectivo of this addition and not dis- 



qualified beca i usta in a moderate degree, whioh seems 



to have been the fate of my old bird " Champion." 



If tlio moderate hock accompanies a leggy bird with poor 

 I ise bad, by all means let the bird go 



nnad d bvi n if he be the sole representative of the class; 

 but it ia bard, and on the face of it certainly appears unfair, 

 that on a judge should leave unnoticed a bird that numbers of 

 other judges, and even contending exhibitors, agroo in Baying 

 is worthy of some distinction. — Y. B. A. '/.. 



THE MIDDLETON POULTRY SHOW. 



I white to protest against the unfair and unwarranted 

 remark's contained in your report of our Show, held on the 

 20th in it. 



First. I complain of the misrepresentation as to the kind of 

 pens used for the poultry and Pigeons, your informant stating 

 that " tho poultry and Pigeons were in pens without covers." 

 Tho fact is, there was not a single Pigeon in an open pen, and 

 out of .untaining poultry, there were only fifty of the 



number in the kind of pens complained of. The 180 pens 

 were of the very best kind, and the whole would have been the 

 same but the joiner failed to have them ready in time for the 

 Show, although he had the order a fortnight before. 



With regard to the system of double numbers in use at our 

 Show, I must tell your reporter that it is from experience and 

 a due regard to the best interests of exhibitors, especially 

 those residing at a great distance, that we find the double- 

 number principle, in practice, to be the fairest and most im- 

 partial method that can possibly be adopted; and our con- 

 viction is, that its adoption here is the secret of the success 

 and fame which the Middleton Show has now attained. It is 

 neithjr intricate nor difficult in any sense, only requiring 

 ordinary care in its management. Where there are two or 

 three Stewards possessed of ordinary ability, the plan can be 

 easily carried out, and it is not very likely the double-number 

 system will be dispensed with at the Middleton Show. 



Perhaps the most serious matter to the writer is the allu- 

 sion to the non-despatch of labels to exhibitors, and I do 

 think that before your informant had committed himself, he 

 was certainly bound to ascertain the real merits of the case. 

 This he has not done, as in the case of the Game pullets, 

 which he says were entered but not inserted in the catalogue. 

 The fact is, they were not entered at all, as the Secretary never 

 received any communication whatever from the owner of the 

 pullets. Every, file, nook, and corner has been ransacked in 

 vain to find any trace of a letter or entry-form containing the 

 entry of these birds, hence it was not possible they could be in 

 our books. It is to my mind a clear case of misdirection, 

 miscarriage, or interception. 



You wil], I feel sure, agree with me that, in a Show of the 

 magnitude which ours has become, it is scarcely possible for 

 every matter of detail to be so complete as to escape some 

 small hitch or other to cause annoyance and additional trouble 

 to parties concerned. 



Again. Some exhibitors do not know what an amount of 

 personal discomfort and worry the officials of such societies 

 undergo on the eve of an exhibition, or they would be some- 

 what more reasonable and considerate than they are. Is it 

 not a fact that nearly all entries are delayed until the very 

 last moment, and arrive in every conceivable way, manner, 

 and form ? Some exhibitors quote wrong numbers, many en- 

 close no fees at all, whilst not a few send a portion only, and 

 not unfrequently entries are received with stamps, Ssc, en- 

 closed, without either the names or addresses of the parties 

 who seut them. A whole chapter could be written ou this 

 subject, clearly demonstrating that exhibitors might very con- 

 siderably facilitate the onerous and multifarious duties which 

 crowd upon a Secretary in the shortest possible space of time. 



I would suggest that in all cases exhibitors make duplicate 

 copies of their entries; the adoption of which, and the for- 

 warding of entries, say a week before the close, would do a 

 great deal to pi-event mistakes, and also be the means of cor- 

 recting any which might have occurred. 



In concluding this very hurried and imperfect letter, I can 

 only assure ycu, that all officials connected with the Middleton 

 Show are extremely desirous of doing all in their power (not 



in trying to please everybody, for they well know the conse- 

 quence of this folly), to give real, substantial, and as far aa 

 possible, perfect satisfaction, witli a single aim to make Middle- 

 ton Poultry Show what it is fast b< c of the foremost 

 shows in the kingdom. — Tuos. M cretarg, Midillctaii 

 Agricultural Society. 



Vol 1 will oblige me by correcting a mis-statement in the 

 report of the Middleton Agricultural Society's Show in your 

 Journal of the 26th nit. In the class for Black Hamburghs 

 your reporter placed Mr. Sedgwick first for single cockerel, 

 whereas it should have been Mr. John Holt, Little Green, 

 Middleton. 1 must give your reporter credit for his report, as 

 it was not his mistake, but that of the parties who punned the 

 bird. They placed it in the wrong pen, whereas the number 

 on the hamper was as plain a- possible. This was not the only 

 mistake made at this Show, as there was some mismanagement 

 somewhere. — John Hoi.t, Little Green, Middli ton. 



RAILWAY CHARGES FOE POULTRY. 



I sent to the Middleton Poultry Show four baskets of fowls, 

 for which I paid 4s. 3d., a charge I consider very reasonable, 

 the distance being rather over a hundred miles. On their 

 return, on inquiring the amount to pay, I was informed 7s. 8d. 

 I invariably find that my birds cost me nearly double the 

 amount of carriage on their return journey. What say other 

 exhibitors ? Is it so with them ? I should be glad to hear 

 their opinions, though I believe they will coincide with mine. 

 Cannot we adopt some remedy to get our fowls returned home 

 for the same price as we send ? Surely the secretaries of the 

 different shows can arrange for the carriage as well as we can. 



The fault of excessive carriage lies at the end where the 

 shows are held, and it is at that point that our worthy captain 

 " Y. B. A. Z." must make his next attack, as I am afraid 

 what we little folks say will have but little effect. — Matjkico. 



WHITE COCHIN-CHINAS. 



Breedeks of White Cochins will be glad to see the improved 

 position their favourites are to hold at Birmingham this year. 

 In 1864 there were only two classes for Whites, with but four 

 prizes amounting to £10. Last year the classes were the same, 

 but an additional prize was given in each class, raising the 

 amount to £14. Now, any person who has kept the catalogues 

 for these two years, and who will take the trouble to compare 

 the prizes offered to Partridge with those offered to White, and 

 then compare the number of entries in each variety, will at 

 once acknowledge the justice of the course pursued by the 

 Committee of I860 in making Whites equal in all respects to 

 Partridge. We can see no reason why this beautiful variety 

 should not be encouraged, or why it should not become as 

 popular as any other. Let those who live in smoky dirty 

 towns keep their Partridge, but let those whose happier lot it 

 is to live among green fields and in a pure atmosphere keep 

 their Whites. No variety looks so charming when kept in a 

 run out of sight of tall chimnies, and where the wash-tub is 

 unnecessary. We sincerely trust to see a splendid show of 

 White Cochin-Chinas at Birmingham, and hope they will main- 

 tain the high position they have gained. 



The extra prizes offered by two spirited breeders will also 

 help to insure success. We only wonder that the same has 

 not been done in the case of other varieties. Nothing tends 

 to make a good show like good prizes, and nothing tends to 

 make any variety popular like a good muster at great shows 

 like Birmingham. 



RESPONSIBILITY OF RAILWAY COMPANIES 



FOR POULTRY. 



It may be as well for poultry exhibitors to know that, in 

 addition to the grievance of having to pay carriage both to and 

 from exhibition, they may also have to suffer the loss of their 

 most valuable birds' without receiving any compensation from 

 the railway company. Such has been my experience with the 

 Midland Railwav. My pen of La Fleche was returned to me 

 from Halifax with the hamper partly crushed, the cock (first 

 prize at the Bath and West of England Show, 1866, and a 

 most valuable bird to me), dead, with every appearance of 



