Dacember 23, 18C9. 



JOUENAIi OF HOBTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



more time for examining and awarding prixoa, and that the 

 jndgt'S should not be inconvenient ed by the admission of the 

 public during the time thoy are going round. It is doing great 

 harm to our shows, for exhibitors are losing confidence in the 

 decisions made so hastily, in consequence of whirh many valu- 

 able specimens are not shown. Complaints are daily ti be heard 

 respecting birds having been overlooked, and inferior specimens 

 having obtained prizes or commendations. 



I djo not tliink the judges are to blame, for how can any 

 person, however experienced or qualified for the business, make a 

 tnie and impartial selection in so brief a space of time r 



In two shows lately, for example, supposing each pen of birds 

 to have received its allotment of the time taken by the judges in 

 their round, forty-five seconds were occupied ; and at another 

 recent show each pen on the average must have obtained twenty 

 seconds. Cannot some arrangement he made, so that the judges 

 may give more time and be quite undisturbed in making their 

 awards ? — ALiaos, Ohcsterfietd. 



ANNALS OF MY POULTRY YARD. 



Rbinette is dead ! and I have to mourn, not only the loss of 

 a beautiful Sebright hen, but over the barbarity of her com- 

 panions. The three spent last year in peace and harmonj- in one 

 pen, and were cherished and admired to their hearts' content, 

 which is saying much considering how much admiration is re- 

 quired tj content tho heart of a Bantam cock. Well, time went 

 on, and matronly cares occupied Reinette and Jeanette ; and 

 hough they were not fortunate in bringing up a large proportion 

 < the lov'ly chicks which were hatched by them, each was 

 exemplarv- m the fulfilment of all her duties of hen-life. Again 

 the seasons rolled on, and the Comte de Morny, Reinette, and 

 Jeanette were put into their old quarters ; but in lieu of peace 

 and harmony came -strife and persecution. Eeinetto was pecked 

 ;ind driven from her food, first by Jeanette and then by the 

 Comte, whose vanity I verily believe made him a ready follower 

 ■if Jeanette in her wicked practices. I was careful to give ihe 

 poor little queen a good meal whenever I had time to go to her, 

 but that was not always ; and her share of sorrow was so much 

 greater than her mede of kindness that she broke down, as others 

 of her sex have done under like trials. 



We returned from the world's groat poultry show (I and the 

 bird-fancying part of my family), and were shocked to hear, of 

 course before any pleasant news could reach us, " Reinette is 

 dead 1" Then my " man Friday " said, " There, nr.a'am, I found 

 her, standing like a poor penitent in the corner of the house, 

 dead." We were all sorrowful, and to some of us tears came, 

 because onlyon our journey homewards had we said, " To-morrow 

 Reinette shall be put into another house, for the Comte de Morny 

 and Jeanette will never be kind to her again." Alas, too late ! 

 And I marvel that a tiny bird, once gentle and loving to his 

 little hen, should have been weaned from his allegiance and 

 turned from his cherishing by the machinations of another, pre- 

 cisely as one has seen in bipeds of higher standing, though not 

 of higher Knrfiretanding, it may be. 



Cruelty I have ever held in abhorrence whether in man or 

 beast, and as long as I can remember I have waged war against 

 it. Hence I confess to feeling almost revengeful now, and to 

 wishing that I may "find a Tartar" to replace the poor little 

 murdered bird, for I am at a loss to devise other punishment for 

 the Comte de Momy and his wicked mate. — W. 



PRIZES FOR FRENCH VARIETIES OF FOWLS. 



Is a recent number of " our .Journal " I read that committees 

 of poultry .shows were willing in general to establish separate 

 classes for the French varieties, conditionally that fanciers of 

 those varieties would cither guarantee a certain number of entries 

 in such classes, or offer silver cups as first prizes. The guarantee 

 plan would not, I think, " take with the public," as it might be 

 ilifficult to ensure a sufficiency of entries unless the prizes C'ffered 

 were liberal, which has not usually been the case at those p.iultry 

 shows where classes for the French varieties are already esta- 

 blished, and there would certainly be a difficulty in finding 

 guarantors. The cnp scheme seems more likely to succeed if 

 exhibitors and breeders will but amalgamate, and endeavour 

 mutually to promote the common interests. I know that there 

 are at least fifty exhibitors of Houdans in Great Britain whose 

 names have appeared in the prize lists of "our Journal," and 

 supposing forty of them willing to subscribe 10s. a-piece, four 

 five-pound prizes might be offered, one at each of four poultry 



shows that might he selected, so as to suit the convenience of all 

 persons concerned. For instance, if Halifax, laverpool, Ipswich, 

 and Southampton were, with tin- sanction of the respective com- 

 mittees, the shows agreed upon, Scotch, north- countrymen, Irish, 

 Welsh, midlandcrs, southerners, together with the Isle of Wight 

 and Channel Island fanciers, would all have an opportunity of 

 competing for some one of the four prizes without having to send 

 their birds an unreasonable distance from home. — H. Seymour 

 Fn.iSEK, Headley, Hants. 



MALAYS. 



" Mal-iys ought to show belter in numbers and general merit," 

 such is your verdict on this breed at Birmingham. Is not this 

 rather harsh judgment » There were seven entries of old hens 

 — five of these were noticed by the Judges. I do not write 

 quite positively, but I do not think any other class of fowls at 

 that Exhibition received an equal amount of commendation ; 

 This is at least a feather in the cap of the despised Malay. 

 " These entries were more numerous years ago than they are 

 now." Of course they were years ago ; at almost every show 

 there was a Malay class. Where are those classes now? I 

 have often in your pages urged on the committees of our larger 

 shows the duty of making classes for every known breed of any 

 standing. I have urged this, because the variety of fowls is 

 one of the charms and attractions to visitors, and because the 

 plea of the entries not paying the prizes is not just, because in 

 many of the other classes the entries largely overpay. Poultry 

 shows profess to be for the encouragement of the improvement 

 of domestic poultry. Truth compels me to add that the en- 

 couragement offered to Malays has been mighty small— perfectly 

 microscopic. I think I am correct in writing that Birmingham 

 is the only place that now otfers the Malay a class— shall I call 

 it an asylum ? Bristol and Clifton, with its splendid prize list, 

 ignores them — does it, or rather did it contemptuously, for at 

 the show three years ago, when they opened them a class, there 

 were eight entries. Was this a reason for withdrawing the 

 prizes altogether the following year ? And what was the result ? 

 One miserable pen was entered in the " Variety " class. Take 

 again the new, and I trust permanent London show, where i3 

 the Malay class there ? 



In the face of these difficulties, and with the decreasing popu- 

 larity of the breed itself, is it wonderful if they deteriorate ? 

 Is it not more wonderful still that any admirers of the Malay 

 remain? I own there are difficulties in the way of keeping them. 

 I admit they are not the most beautiful of our feathered friends, 

 but certainly while the French breeds exist they are not the 

 ugliest. They are not the most profitable, but on this score 

 they deserve more credit than they obtain. They are in my 

 humble opinion second to none for flavour on the table; and 

 as to early laying, I have three out of six pullets this year now 

 laying, and we are still a fortnight before Christmas. 



A word on another subject— competing committeemen. I 

 wish to simply say that I regret " Eoomet's " strictures, and 

 think that "An Old CoMMrrxEF.jiAN" has much the best of 

 the argument. Having never acted in that capacity, and being 

 quite unwilling to try my hand, I say. Let them by all means 

 compete, and then let the best pen win. — Y. B. A. Z. 



MANCHESTER POULTRY SHOW. 



Although, most probably on accoout of the unmeroas exhibitions 

 now taking place, the Dumber of pens was a little short of that of last 

 year, the superior qnality of the generaUty of the classes has certainly 

 never been exceeded at any of the previons Manchester exhibitionB. 

 The same puuctnality and perfection that have marked all the arranfie- 

 ments of the former meetings were as fnlly carried ont on the present 

 occaaion, and the weather, thongh not so fine as cotild be desired, was 

 upon the whole as favonrable as could reasonably be expected at this 

 season. It would be naeless to enumerate the advantages of the Belle 

 Vne Music HaU for the purposes of a ponltry show, as few of o^ 

 promineut exhibitors have failed to see them for themselves. We 

 cannot, however, forbear to call attention to the excellence of the ven- 

 tilation, the diffusion of Ught thronghout, the liberal amoont of space 

 allotted to each pen, and last, thongh not least, the constant saper- 

 vision and care personally bestowed by Messrs. Jenmson on the very 

 valuable specimens entrusted to them. 



The Dorh'nrr^ were remarkably pood, tho classes for hens and 

 pallets especially so. Some remarkably ffood rosy-combcd (rroy 

 DorkinRS were on view, and the ent.7 of \\Tiite Dorlcings was far be- 

 voud common. In the Spanish classes no previons Manchester show 

 has equaUed the late one, and although many of the adult cocks of 

 this variety were scarcely in full condition, many of the best oirds in 

 the kingdom were easily recognisable. Most of the Spanish hens and 



