December 25, 1866. J 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



493 



breeders of Cochins aftorwards saw him, and expressed an 

 opinion respecting him identical with my own, remarking that 

 his only defect was a slight stain iu the breast. But what has 

 the moult revealed'.' The whole of tho fluff on his legs and 

 thighs, instead of being, as before, perfectly black, consists now 

 throughout of feathers of a reddish buff colour pencilled with 

 black. You will agree with me that it took something more 

 than the native smoke of the region aforesaid to dye tho bird 

 to the standard colour, and that this is one more among the 

 many revelations of shameful dishonesty which have been 

 from time to time brought to light in your pages as a warning 

 to others. — Clericus. 



POULTRY SHOW NEGLECTS. 



Exhibitors of poultry have, I fear, frequent causo of com- 

 plaint against managers of shows. May I ask you to open your 

 columns to a grievance ? 



The Secretary of the Newport Poultry Show offers to send a 

 catalogue of entries and prizes to any one on receipt of eight 

 stamps. I forwarded the stamps on Monday, and Thursday's 

 post, even, has brought no catalogue. The Show was only open 

 Tuesday and Wednesday, and my birds will possibly return 

 home this evening, and the Secretary iias not the courtesy to 

 inform me, iu return for my eight stamps, whether I take any 

 prizes or not. 



May I suggest, that exhibitors would be glad if some liberal- 

 minded Secretary would announce in his schedule that every 

 prizetaker (or if really liberal, every exhibitor), should receive 

 a catalogue by the first post after they are printed, so as to 

 initiate the movement. 



I cannot ask for more space, or I would call attention to the 

 illiberality of the managers of some of the poultry shows in 

 refusing to exhibitors free tickets of admission. — An Exhibitor. 



NEW SHOREHAM POULTRY SHOW. 



It would have been more courteous if "Exhibitor" (page 

 437), had applied to me to have ascertained the reason of the 

 delay in receiving his fowls home. I can assure him they all 

 left the Shoreham station on the Friday, most of them before 

 twelve o'clock, and he must blame the railway officials and not 

 us for their detention. There can be no wonder at the birds 

 having been in a bad state if they were three days on the road, 

 with nothing to eat all the time. I enclose for your perusal 

 letters which I have received from exhibitors, all at a distance, 

 expressing their thanks for the care and attention their fowls 

 had evidently received, and I have also upwards of sixty letters 

 from exhibitors, acknowledging the receipt of prizes, &c, and 

 not a single complaint is contained in one of them. I can 

 only say that there was an unlimited supply of food, and that 

 Mr. Shockley, who superintended and had the sole control and 

 management of the birds, expressed his satisfaction, and said 

 that at no show which he had ever attended was there a more 

 liberal supply of food at his command. — Charles Cork, Hon. 

 Sec. 



[The letters enclosed by Mr. Cork were from Essex, War- 

 wickshire, Suffolk, Somerset, and elsewhere ; all expressive of 

 satisfaction. — Eds.j 



LEEDS POULTRY SHOW. 



(From a Correspondent.) 



The seventh annual Show of the Leeds Srnithfield Club was held in a 

 splendid new building In the Cattle Market. Owing to the restrictions of 

 the Cattle Plague Act the Show was this year confined to Pigs, Poultry, 

 Pigeons, and Kabbits. The building is very suitable for a show of 

 this kind, being extensive and only one storey in height, light entering 

 from the roof ; the rows of the pens were neatly arranged, the paths 

 between them were very wide, and the whole was both well lighted and 

 warmed with gas. 



In comparing the number of entries in the present year in the 

 poultry department with those made in 1864 and 1865, we find them 

 as follows : — 



Poultry. Pigeon j. Kabbits. 



1864 416 151 None. 



1865 702 158 49 



1866 437 181 40 



Although the prizes were in every respect much higher this year we 

 find a great falling off in the number of entries in the poultry de- 

 partment in comparison with last year's Show ; but in Pigeons we 

 find a slight increase, whilst Rabbits, again, point downwards. Next 



comes the quality, which from year to year is a fine point to touch 

 upon ; but several classes had improved, whilst others wero not so 

 good as could be desired. Among the former we find Huniburghs and 

 Black Bantams, and among tho Latter the classes for Game in particular. 



The 11th was fine and frosty, and the attendance meagre in the 

 extreme ; but after six o'clock the visitors seemed to be more nume- 

 rous and cheerful ; but the impression upon the writer was that it 

 would be a failure as regards money mattors, and every one Beemed to 

 participate in it whenever tho balance-sheet was brought in question. 



Class 11, for a single QiMM cock of any description, comprised 

 sixteen entries. Tho first prize was won by a Black lied, belonging to 

 Mr. Boyes, of Beverley, of fair quality, but rather striped in the 

 hackle, or, as Yorkshire men term it, " rawkey." Mr. Aykroyd was 

 second with a Black Red of good colour, whilst Mr. Hodgson was third 

 with a Brown Red, rather overgrown and weak, although we fancy he 

 will turn out good with a little time and proper care. In Black- 

 breasted and other Reds Mr. Aykroyd again took a very prominent 

 position, winning the cup for the best pen of Game. Mr. Pashley was 

 second, also with Black Reds ; the cock was a really good bird, and 

 had he been well supported with a hen most likely he would have won 

 the cup, as the hen in this pen was very coarse, particularly in the 

 head. This class was restricted to old birds, and contained thirteen 

 entries. Next came the class for Black-breasted and other Red chick- 

 ens, and again Mr. Aykroyd won, this time with Brown Reds, taking the 

 first prize with a good cockerel, very evenly marked on the breast. 

 This class consisted of twenty-seven entries, but no less than five 

 pens were vacant. Classes 14, 15, 16, audi" were for Whites and Piles, 

 and any other variety in the order named, and consisted of four, six, 

 eight, and twelve entries respectively. Messrs. Butcher, Pashley, 

 Boyes, and Firth were the principal winners, with birds of fair average 

 quality; but the most noteworthy bird was the third-prize Duckwing, 

 with such a tail as the keenest "Newmarket" critic, or the best 

 pencil of a Harrison Weir would sketch — such a tail as would have 

 pleased the most fastidious Dorking-fancier ; and the writer's opinion 

 is that a heavy, broad-feathered, bob-tail is one of the greatest faults 

 a Game bird can be possessed of, and cannot stand the slightest chance 

 of success against a neat and close switch tail, such as is generally met 

 with in such strains of Game as tho^e of Messrs. Williams, Ayk- 

 royd, and other Game exhibitors too numerous to mention. 



Classes 18 and IU represented the Dorking section, and here Mr. 

 Beldon was first in the class for old birds with a really splendid cock 

 and two hens of fair average merit. This pen won the cup as the 

 best pen of Dorkings, carried their triumph still higher by taking off 

 the silver cup for tho best pen of poultry in the Exhibition, and finally 

 ended their Leeds triumph by changing owners for £20. Mr. Bel- 

 don seems to be quite at home at Leeds, as last year he was equally 

 successful in winning a similar prize with a pen of Golden Polands. 

 We must not forget Mr. Albert Fenton's first-prize Dorking chickens. 



Classes 20 and 21 were for SjXLnish, old and young respectively, and 

 consisted of six and thirteen entries in both classes. Mr. Beldon took 

 the first prize and cup, and Messrs. Thresh, Teebay, and Cannan the 

 other prizes. 



Classes 22, 23, 24, and 25 were for Cochins, and Mr. Fenton was 

 successful in taking all four first prizes, besides two second and an 

 equal number of third prizes, and consequently the cup for the best 

 pen of Cochins, which fell to the Buffs ; but had the Judges given the 

 cup to their darker-coloured relatives, Mr. Fenton would have been 

 none the less gratified with the honour. Certainly eight prizes in four 

 classes, with thirty-seven entries, deserved the cup, even had they not 

 contained all the first prizes. 



Now for Mr. Beldon and the Hamburgks, which consisted of ten 

 classes, ranging from 26 to 35 inclusive, and in the whole of the 

 ten classes Mr. Beldon was first. The cup for the best pen of Ham- 

 burghs fell to his Silver-pencilled, and they well deserved it; but 

 such was the diversity of opinion, that had Mr. Henry Pickles been 

 so successful as to win the first prize in this class, it would not have 

 been disgraced. The opinions of adepts were freely given pro and 

 COn. with respect to the first and second-prize birds in this class; 

 some were in favour of Mr. Beldou's birds, but the writer believes that 

 the best judges were for the pen of Mr. Pickles. His pullets were a 

 perfect match, and both cockerels were slightly faulty in their combs, 

 and this point made it a neck-aud-neck race between two really good 

 pens, backed by every other competing pen being highly commended. 

 Ou the whole Hamburghs were well and worthily represented. 



Polands occupied Classes 36 and 37, and again Mr. Beldon won in 

 both classes with Silver : but the best Poland cock in these classes 

 was that exhibited by Mrs. Garnall in Class 36. His crest was really 

 something wonderful, and although mated with a bad hen he gained 

 from the Judges a high commendation. Several hens in these classes 

 were troubled with crooked tails, and particularly one of the first-prize 

 hens. 



In the class for farmyard crosses, or any other variety, Brahmas, 

 Sultans, and ' '>■■•■ ( 'o urs, won in the order named. 



The next class was for Black Bantams, and they were good — so 

 good that Birmingham firstvprize birds could not gain the Judges' 

 notice. Game Bantams occupied Class 41, aud consisted of twenty-nine 

 entries, and Master G. Croslaml won nil the three prizes, including the 

 cup for the best pen of Bantams in the Show ; he took the first and se- 

 cond prizes with Black Beds, and the third fell to his famous Duclrwings. 

 This class contained several first-rate birds, and Master Crosland must 



