438 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



( June 8, 1875. 



and so was the second-prize bird. 17 (Mills) a most beautiful 

 youDg bird, and worthy of a notice certainly. The hens were 

 also a flood lot. "We liked the second aa well as the cup pair, 

 still there was not much wroug. 'Si (Woodhouse) a capital pair, 

 and 60 were 28 (Chilcott). 



Dorkings again made grand classes, all the varieties muster- 

 ing well. The cap Coloured cock was a beauty; he was im- 

 mense in size, and good all round. The second, too, was a 

 grand bird; one toe was a shade swollen, but he deserved his 

 place, and was a good second. 52 (Rice) a good bird. 48 (Cork) 

 large and nice in shape. In hens the cup pair were superb in 

 condition and of huge size, though hardly matching in colour. 

 Second were also in grand order, and a splendid pair of hens. 

 72 (Hodges) a nice pair. 03 (Darby) fine well-shaped birds, and 

 of good colour, but smaller than the winners. Silver-Greys 

 were two small but good classes. Mr. Cresswell brought a line 

 team, and should have had, we fancied, all four prizes, for we 

 preferred his 75 to the second-prize bird, the latter having 

 a swollen toe. The Silver hens were very line and in good con- 

 dition. White Dorking cocks were poor ; they were so very 

 yellow, or else the first cock was large, and good in comb and 

 toil. The first hens were very fine and well shown. The second 

 prize went to Cuckoos, a prettily-marked pen. 91 (Darby) had 

 one splendid White hen, but her companion was not equal to 

 her. 96 (Putney) a neat pair of Cuckoos. 



Cochins came next. There were nineteen Buff cocks. The 

 first was in beautiful condition and nice in colour, but rather 

 small. The second we did not care for so much. 97 (Alsopp) a 

 fair bird. 104 (Darby) a grandly shaped and feathered cock, but 

 too light. 102 (Harris) disqualified for broken tail feathers. 

 The Judge assured us he always meant to disqualify for broken 

 tail feathers in Cochins. We certainly think at this time of 

 year especially that broken tails should have the benefit of the 

 doubt, for they are more prolmbly the result of being confined 

 in a breeding pen than of being designedly tampered with. Im 

 this case we have seen the bird winning on many former occa- 

 sions with a splendid tail; but the Judge took him as he was 

 and disqualified him. The hens were not a good lot. The first 

 w«re rather destitute of leg feather, and rather white in the leg. 

 Second a fair pair. Partridge cocks were only middling. The 

 winner had a very full tail, but was iu nice order. Second a 

 good bird. There was only one pair of hens, and {miserabiJe 

 dictii .') these also had left their tails behind them, and were dis- 

 qualified. We could not help smiling at this, for their tails had 

 disappeared entirely, and a great many back feathers also, and 

 this is not the way Cochin hens are generally "faked-up." 

 White cocks were good. The winner was the only white bird 

 in the class; he had splendid hackles and fine carriage. The 

 second was very hocked and very yellow. We much preferred 

 13.5 (C. Bloodwortb). 143 (Burnell) the yellowest cockerel we 

 «ver saw. The winning hens were large and good in shape, but 

 rather bad in comb, still a good first. For second we should 

 have gone to 147 (Boissier) or 14S (Warde) ; the latter pen con- 

 tained one fine hen. 



Dark Brahmas made two large classes. The first was in lovely 

 condition and well first. We hope by seeing Mr. Lingwood's 

 name again in the catalogue he has recovered from his late ill- 

 ness. Second a small but pretty bird. 149 and 150 (L. Wright), 

 two nice cockerels, but they wanted a little more leg featner; 

 they were well shown and in splendid condition for the season. 

 There were one or two pens in this class we liked as well as the 

 second-prize bird. The first hens were well marked and nicely 

 leathered, as too were the second-prize pen. Light Brahmas 

 were very fair in qualify and good in quantity. The first was 

 well placed. 186 (Savile), we liked better than second. One or 

 two more birds should have been highly commended in our 

 opinion. 178 (Long), good ; 180 (Boissier), ditto. In hens one of 

 the first-prize pair was very grand, large, and heavily feathered ; 

 but her companion matched so badly that we should have been 

 inclined to put the second-prize pair over their heads. 194 

 (Haywood), a lovely pair of early pullets, the earliest we have 

 yet seen this season. 



Game were very good, and most of the best yards put in an 

 appearance. In Brown-breasted Red cocks we thought the best 

 bird was left out — viz., 2.33 (Matthew). The second-prize bird 

 ■was not nearly equal to him, and the first looked suspiciously 

 round in the back. The first Duckwing cock was an easy win. 

 248 (Winwood), out of condition. The first Duckwing hen was 

 a beauty. 



Hamburghs mnBteiei pretty well. The winning Gold cooks 

 (Spangled), were good. In hens, 270 (Beldon), were in best 

 feather, and we should have liked to have seen them higher. 

 The second Silver-spangled cock must have been a mistake, it 

 had such bad ears, its neighbour, 273 (Beldon), being much 

 superior to it. The first-prize bird had splendid wings, and 

 was well first. The Silver-spangled hens did not match well. 

 A grand pair could be made by taking one from each pen. The 

 Golden-pencilled cocks were good. The second was in best 

 condition. In the Golden-pencilled hens one was much superior 

 to the other. The second were a good pen. In Silver cocks 



Mr. Beldon walked his winner in, aud so he did his pa ir of hens 

 Second hens a neat pair. 



Polands were two grand classes. We were glad to see so 

 many good White-crested Blacks. The first in both classes 

 went to grand pens of Silvers, and second to Blacks. 300 

 (Bloodwortb), a good Silver cock. 



Houdans were good. The first cock a beauty of good colour 

 and fine carriage. 321 (Dring), a splendid fellow, and was, we 

 believe, first at Birmingham, but here unnoticed. The Houdan 

 hens were good and in fine order. Crcves were splendid. The 

 first cock very good all round. Second a nice bird, but we 

 almost preferred 333 (Fowler). The first Creve hens were very 

 fine, but we liked 341 (Dring) next best to them ; had they more 

 crest they would have been higher we conclude, for they were 

 very large aud good. 



The Variety classes were large and varied. First in cock 

 went to a fine La Fluohe. Second to a Black Indian Game in 

 grand condition. 352 (Beldon), a good Black Hamburgh. 348 

 (Fowler), a pretty Leghorn. White Minorcas won first in hens, 

 a fine pair but looking very antique, and second went to Blacks 

 Minorcas. 364 (Kitcbin), nice Brown Leghorns. 



Aylesbury Ducks were only three pens iu number, but the 

 winners were good. Ronens were rather out of feather, still 

 they were well judged. The Variety class only had three pens, 

 in It also. Turkeys were good, the winners really fine birds. 

 Mr. Fowler's winning Geese looked as grand as ever, and would 

 have won in any company. 



Bantams were good, but there were only two pens of Se- 

 brights ; wherever was Mr. Leno ? Blacks were good and 

 numerous. Game were all huddled into one mixed class, in 

 which it must be impossible to pick out the winners to give 

 satisfaction to all. 



Pic.Eo.Ns mustered about one hundred pens. Mr. Fulton and 

 Mr. Cresswell came to the front well. The first Carrier cock 

 was a grand Black. In hens the winners wero both Duns, two 

 cipital hens they were too. In Pouters there were but four 

 entries, and Mr. Fulton owned the lot. Bnnts were good; very 

 fine silver Duns first, aud nice Blues second. In Dragoons a 

 Blue and Dun were first and second respectively. Fantails 

 were a charming clans, the winners lovely. 469 (Dickinson), a 

 very pretty pair of Yellows. Archangels were middling. We 

 have seen the first-prize pair before, and in better condition 

 then than now. Twrhits were beautiful, the first-prize pen per- 

 fect gems. In Tumblers again Mr. Fulton walked his two 

 pairs over, for there was nothing to come near them. Nuns 

 and Owls were only fair. The winning Jacobins good; the first 

 a very beautiful pair of Reds. A pretty collection of fancy 

 Pigeons in the Variety class completed this department, and on 

 looking back on past shows we do not hesitate to say that on the 

 whole the show of poultry and Pigeons this year has surpassed 

 those held for the last five or six seasons. The improvement 

 too being especially observable in the useful classes. 



The Bath and West of England has never in my recollection 

 been in Bath, though it is to come, and also with a like delight- 

 ful contradictory spirit has moved from the west, for it is held 

 tbis year at Croydon, which means London, and London we all 

 know 18 nearer the east than the west. But that is not all its 

 feats; it has jumped over the back of " the Hants and Berks," 

 which I hope, however, will not " duck and go under," for the 

 Hants and Berks, though smaller than the Bath and West of 

 England, is still beautiful for its size. But though I wonder a 

 little to find my old friend B. & W. gone to London or almost 

 (perhaps it had better have gone nearer or kept further away, 

 for the sake of its exchequer), still it is the pleasantest of all 

 shows. Each year I think so, each year I find it to be so. The 

 first week in June is the very bloom and perfection of all the 

 summer — the early, early summer time, when the season has 

 come in its beauty, and as yet there has been no in-gathering, not 

 even of a blade of grass, no scythe has as yet invaded the grassy 

 sea, which this lovely breezy 1st of June is seen by me gently 

 moving in the sunlight. The waves of shadow are going over 

 the grassy slopes ; all is early summer — not a tinge of autumn, 

 nothing finished, nothing done with ; all so new, and green, and 

 clean. Such were some of my thoughts as I walked from Waddon 

 station to the Show yard, and albeit though my old friend 

 B. & W. has gone to London this year for the season (oh 1 

 gay B. & W. !), yet it has pitched its tents in a most perfect bit 

 of country. That winding lane from Waddon station is a per- 

 fect country lane, and the views around genuine Surrey views — 

 that is, open, and clear, and pleasant, with a healthy, sweet-tast- 

 ing air coming to one's lips, lor I hold we can taste the air. All 

 at Waddon village is "truly rural;" though from what I see 

 those testing words of the policeman to the drunkard would be 

 pronounced by many not " truly rural " but " tural lural." Oh ! 

 why will men drink without eating, and in hot weather too ? 



Well, I am at the Show ; click go the turnstiles, and I am in. 

 Whiz is going, as usual, the machinery in motion, making one 

 hotter than ever. There is the horse ring ; there the arts' depart- 

 ment; and then my old friend of many years' standing, the 



