302 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ October 16, 18SS. 



points, by the possession of which knowledge they can alone 

 insure a hope for success. These are days of clieap papers 

 and cheap books. I venture to hope, therefore, that we shall 

 soon see a new edition of " The Standard," better arranged, 

 more correct, much enlarged, and much cheaper. " The 

 Standard" is excellent, but not excellence itself. — Wiltshire 

 Eectob. 



RAILWAY CHARGES. 



THE ACCOUNT OF THE STEWARDS!! 1 P. 



In accordance with my promise a few weeks ago, I proceed 

 to give an account of the expenses, &c, incurred in this matter. 

 I may premise that the postage and parcel expenses are larger 

 than they would have been if exhibitors and officials of shows 

 had kindly answered my first applications, but in several cases 

 of well-known exhibitors I applied twice, and in some cases 

 three times, alas, without even the courtesy of a reply ! Then 

 as regarded the returns that did arrive, some were so late that 

 I had to write or send to the printer, altering matters,* &c. 

 I bav,e, however, gone to work as economically as I could, and 

 we have not yet " outrun the constable." It will be seen by 

 the lists of paid subscriptions which have already appeared, 

 that we had to open the campaign the sum of £24 14s. We 

 have expended, as under, the sum of £16 12s. (5,;., leaving us a 

 balance in hand of £8 Is. Gd. 



I am endeavouring to get the meeting of railway managers 

 to receive a deputation; the balance would help to pay the 

 expenses of such deputation. 



Meanwhile it appears to me we must throw the burthen of 

 agitation more on the committees of exhibitions ; it is a point 

 of vital importance to the great majority. Exhibitions cannot 

 be held if exhibitors stand aloof, and a great number of us 

 cannot go on at the present rates entering to the amount wo 

 otherwise should. One well-known successful exhibitor has 

 written me since the decision of the railway authorities, stating 

 that its effect on his entries would be to diminish them by one- 

 half. It is certain to have the same effect in a greater or less 

 degree on many others. It has already decided me against 

 some eight or ten entries during the past month. We must each 

 of us press this home on the committees of the shows. I have 

 already replied to the authorities of several exhibitions, where 

 I should have liked to have exhibited, that but for the railway 

 expenses I should have been a competitor. 



There is one plan open to all exhibitions, which I earnestly 

 commend, and I feel confident it would be successful. When 

 a show is proposed to be held, let the committee wait on the 

 railway authorities of the locality, stating that they meditate 

 holding a poultry exhibition, but that before the decision is 

 made they wish to know what alleviation of the heavy rail- 

 way charges the company intends to make, and that without 

 some reduction they will decide against holding any exhibition 

 at all. Does anybody doubt what the reply would be to the 

 Committee of the Birmingham Show if they adopted this plan ? 



To my fellow exhibitors I would say, tliat if they feel that 

 the present rates do prevent their entries, it is not much 

 trouble to press the point on the Secretary as a reason for not 

 entering ; it is no great trouble or expense, and the drop-by- 

 drop system must be felt in the long run. If we content our- 

 selves by muttering over our grievances, railways and show 

 committees will be no wiser, and certainly not more lenient 

 than they are now ; and some of us, especially those indebted (?) 

 to G. W. E., know something about what that leniency means 

 in the matter of poultry — very often 58 per cent, extra ! — 

 Joseph Hinton (Y. B. A. Z.). 



£ s. d. 



I Amount received from exhibitors, &c 24 14 o' 



Expenses incurred by Mr. Hinton 16 12 6 



Balance in hand 8 1 6 



G. TV. J., Treasurer.'] 



EXORBITANT CHARGES FOR PIGEONS ON 

 RETURN JOURNEY. 



I was glad to see the letter signed " Maurico," in reference 

 to the heavy charges of railway companies for poultry. I 

 sent six pens of Pigeons to the Keighley Show, paying 2s. Gd. 

 carriage ; on the return journey they were charged 10s. This 

 is far in excess of the charge your other correspondent com- 



* Since my last there has been a reply from one Association, with 

 Beveral signatures, kept nearly two months 1 



plains of. I have seen the railway authorities, and they admit 

 the overcharge, and up to the present moment they have not 

 refunded me one farthing, although several personal appli- 

 cations have been made. The amount I consider only nominal, 

 but upon principle we ought to have satisfaction upon these 

 matters for the public benefit.— F. Waitt, Richmond Villa, 

 (.'Hit, ,n Road, Sparkbrook, Birmingham. 



INFLATED SPANISH CHICKENS. 



I have read with some degree of interest the account given 

 at page 2G7, by "J. D. S.," respecting the formation of large 

 air-bladders in a Black Spanish cockerel. 



I have had a large number of Spanish chickens, and very 

 frequently had cases of a precisely similar character, and I 

 always found the air-bladders form when the chickens were 

 from three weeks to two months old. When so affected, I let 

 the air out with a fine-pointed needle ; this may require doing 

 two or three times, but I do not remember a single instance of 

 finding any fluid secreted under the skin. I am inclined to 

 believe that it arises from weakness, probably caused by over- 

 growth, and strongly recommend feeding on oatmeal-paste 

 made up with milk, and once during the day to give a feed of 

 whole barley, if the chicks are old enough ; if not, let bran and 

 barleymeal be well mixed together, using boiling water. Let 

 the chicks run out during the day, if fine, but care must be 

 taken that their house be kept dry, warm, and clean. I do not 

 recollect losing a single chicken from this extraordinary disease, 

 though great care is necessary. Spanish is the only breed I 

 ever found to suffer from it. — G. C. W. 



ORNAMENTAL AND NON-ORNAMENTAL 

 POULTRY. 



I will enumerate what are considered by some breeders as 

 the most ornamental poultry. 1st, Game fowls, the hand- 

 somest, and the best layers of all. 2nd, Bantams, especially 

 Game Bantams, prolific. 3rd, The Polish, handsome and pro- 

 lific. 4th, Peafowl, very beautiful, though not prolific. 5th, 

 Guinea Fowls, handsome and prolific. 6th, Pigeons, handsome 

 and prolific. 



Aquatic fowls, ornamental for water. — 1st, Swans, very orna- 

 mental, but not prolific. 2nd, Ducks, handsome and prolific. 



Peafowls are, perhaps, more beautiful than any ; and of the 

 smaller kinds Game are, of course, much the handsomest. 

 Bantams stand next to them in true beauty. Polish fowls 

 possess great beauty, being crested. Guinea Fowls are con- 

 sidered ornamental by a few. Pigeons are very beautiful in 

 some of their varieties. Of Swans, the large white Swan is most 

 ornamental. Ducks are very ornamental in some of the varieties. 



non-ornamental fowls, and their qualities. 



Dorkings. — These are said to be the best of all poultry for 

 table and for farmyard produce. They are certainly large, and 

 white-fleshed for table use, and these are really their only 

 good qualities. They are ugly, heavy, and clumsy birds. 

 Their flesh is insipid as compared to that of the Game fowls, 

 and, though superior in quantity, is far inferior in quality to 

 the Game. The Grey Dorkings are the largest, strongest, and 

 hardiest sort, but they are the worst layers of all. The White, 

 Speckled, and others are better layers, though smaller and 

 less hardy birds. Dorkings are all decidedly bad layers. The 

 White-legged breeds of the Game fowls, bred large, would far 

 surpass Dorkings as farmyard fowls, being far better layers, 

 and their flavour far superior for table. 



Spanish. — These are prolific, but possess no great beauty, 

 and are of a tender constitution. They lay the largest eggs 

 of any for their size. Flesh more insipid than that of the 

 Game fowls. 



Cochin-Chinas. Brahma Pootras, and Shangitaes stand next, 

 and are large, awkward, clumsy, ugly, heavy birds, and all of 

 Eastern origin. Shanghaes are the Cochin-Chinas of China 

 proper. Brahma Pootras are the Cochin-Chinas of India, 

 Cochin-Chinas, the Cochin-Chinese bird. Shanghaes, being 

 of more northern origin, are hardiest. Brahma Pootras are 

 rather the least hardy of the three. All these birds are prolific, 

 their only good quality. They also possess a certain hardiness, 

 but much dislike cold weather. They are quite unfit for table, 

 being coarse and yellow-fleshed, with too much offal, and too 

 large in their proportion of limbs for table fowls. They have 

 been, like Dorkings, too much cried up ; but the Dorking's- 



