600 



JOUBNAL OP HOBTICULTXJRE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[December 81, 1874. 



Selling Olas^.— Coefc or Two Bena,—1. Mrs. C. B. Taylor, Montrose. 2. A. 

 Bowie. 3, W. Smith, he, Mrs. A. G. DuDcan ; J. K. Speuce, Broughly Ferry ; 

 A. Bowie; O. H. Nicoll. 



Chobb.— 1, W. Crabb, Monifleth. Coci.— 1, Mrs. Chalmers. Hen.—l, A. Walker. 

 PIGEONS. 



PoOTEES.— Cocfc.— 1 and Cap. R. W. Bryco. E.linbargh. 2 and 8, G. Ure, 

 Bronshtv Ferrv. vltc. A.. R)bb, Alloa, /ic, G. Ure; W. S. M'.Al!i«ter, Lanark, 

 c. T. -Mullion, Perth. Hi'n — 1. K. W. Bryce. 2, A. Robb. 3, (i. Ure. vhc, G. 

 Ure; Major Thomson, Broogiitv Ferry, he, T. Mallioa; M4Jor Thomsoo. c. 

 G. Ure; Major Thomson; J. E. Spance. Yottno.—l and *i, G. Ure. 3. .T. C. 

 Lyell, Monifleth. ulic, R. W. Bryce; G. Ure. he, A. Itobb. c, J. E. Spence ; 

 E. Eeckwiih, Monkwearmouth ; J. C. Lyell. 



Carrieks.— Cocfc or Hen— land 8. A. Smith. Brou^hty Ferry. 2, E. Beck- 

 witb c'kt, P. R. Spencer ; J. C. Lyell. /ic. -I. E. .Speuce. c, P. K. Spencer. 



TUMBLER''.— Cocfc or H<'it.—i, E. Beckwitli. 2. J. Smart. 3. D. Brash, Edin- 

 burgh, he, J Smart; J. Kilgonr, Crossgntes. c, A. Duncan. CroSRSatea. 



Fantails.— Cocfc or Hen.— Onp and u'lC, J. Gait, Kilbimie. 2. J. E. Spence. 

 S, G. Ure. Extra 3, A Smith, he. J. E. Spence. c, J. Smart ; P. R. Spencer: 

 E. Btckwilh ; W. Baillie, Monifleth. 



jAC'iBisB.—Coek Of flen.— 1 and 3, R. W. Bryce. 2, J. Smart, 



TfcCMPETERs.— Cocfc or Ben.—\, J. Lederer. Liverpool. 2 and 3. G. Ure. 



TCRBITS OR Owls.— Cock or Hen.— I, R. W. Bryce. 2, T. Nicol. 8. W. cSi R. 

 David.^on, Montrose. 



Barbs.— Cocfc or Heiu~-\, S. and vhe, .T. E. Spence. ?, R W. Brvce. Extra 3. 

 p. R. Spencer, he, T. Nicbol; E. Beckwith. c, R. W. Bryce; J. Cowe, 

 Aberdeen. 



Variety Class.- Cocfe or H^n,—l, J. M. Rodtrers, Montrose. 2, W. M'Clive, 

 Ayr. 3, T. Nicol. he, R BrowQlie. e, J. M. Rodgers ; J. Eilgoar. 



TuMBLEEa.— 1, J. G. Orr. 2, D. Paton. 



CANARIES. 



Buff or Yellow.— focfc.—l. G. Crow. 2, A. Morris, Lnchoa. 

 poor; F. Batchelc-. c, D. M'Donald, F'orfar ; D, Wright. Dundee 

 Leitch. Ducdte. 2, A. Morris, he, J. Liveatou; A. Liveston. 

 Arbroath ; D Kilgour, Crossgates. 



Marebd.— Cocfc. — 1, W. M'Inally. Lochee. 2, J. Leitch. he, C. Ormond, 

 Forfar. Here.— 1, D. M'Donald. 2, J. Miller, Dundee. ?ic, D. Kilgour (2). c, J. 

 Lawson, Dundee ; D.Wright. 



ANy other Variety.— 1, J. Shanks, Arbroath. 2, A. Morris, c, J. M'Intyre; 

 0. Ormond. 



Jddqes. — Poultry 

 Hill, London. 



Rectok," I will give my idea of a Dragoon and the standard I 

 breed to. lu the first place, a Dragoon (aa I have just observed) 

 should possess size ; good carriage is another essential point. 

 The eye-wattle small, neat, and slightly pinched at the back, 

 with a tinge of black inside nearest the pupil of the eye, which 

 greatly increases the bold wild appearance of the bird. Colour 

 of eye bright deep orange or red. The beak stoat, black, and 

 measuring Ig inch from centre of eye, slightly curved at the 

 end. Beak- wattle peg-shaped, even on both sides ; there must 

 be no jew wattle. Shoulders broad and standing well out from, 

 the breast. Blues should be of an even and sound slaty-blue 

 colour throughout — i.e., back, rump, and thighs, with black and 

 narrow bars well defined. Silvers, brown bars. 



I am glad to see c.:)mmittee3 are providing classes for young 

 birds ; ttie awards will therefore appear (to the uninitiated) more 

 satisfactory, since only birds that have reached maturity will 

 appear in the classes for old birds.— E. W. C. P. 



he. D. Kil- 



Hen -I, J. 



;, W. Boyle, 



Mr. Pateraon, Airdrie. Pigeons : Capt. 



LIVERPOOL CANARY SHOW. 



The fifth annual Show of Cage Birds was held at Liverpool on 

 Friday and Saturday, December llth and 12th. There were 

 128 birds shown for competition, the greater portion of which 

 were Belgian-bred birds, exhibited in the first four classes, a 

 silver cup having been offered by Mr. Rogers, the Secretary, to 

 the winner of the most points in the Belgian classes. The 

 awards are as follow : — 



Belgians.— Ciear TelUiw.—l, E, Simpson, Welly. Wigan. 2, A. Duxbury 

 Over Darwen. 3 and c, T. M. Reid, Halifax, vhe, J. Martlew, Ormskirk; A 

 Dnxbnry. he, 3. Hughes. CU:ar Buff.—l, A. Duxbury. 2, E. Simpson. S, J 

 Hughes, vhc, T. M. Reid; E. Simpson, he, J. Foster, c, A. Macferson; J. 

 Martlew. 



Belgians.— TicfcetZ or Variegated Yellow.— 1, E. Simpson. 2. A. Duxbury. 

 3, J. Hughes, fftc and c, J. Martlew. /ic, W. H. Jacobs. Tieked or Variegated 

 Buff.—l and 2, J. Hughes. 3, Mrs. Rogers, vhe, 3. Coward, /ic, J. Martlew. 

 c, A. Duxbury. 



Tjizi-^xu^.— Golden-spangled.— 1, T. M. Roid. 2. Cleminson & Ellerton, Dar- 

 lington. 3, J. Grice, Everton. vlie, — Hardy, EccIestoD, St. Helen's, he, W 

 Lawton, Lis'erponl. c, J. H. Rogers. Siitier-spanpZerf.-l, J. McGregor. 2, T. 

 M. Reid. 3, J. H. Rogers, vitc, J. Grice. he, W. Rostron. e, W. Lawton. 



NOBWIOH.- C/car Yellow.— I, J. H. Rogers. 2. J. McGregor. 3, J. Hooley. 

 t'/tc, A. Macferson. ftc, W. Peers, e, R. Murray. Clfar BuJT.—l, R. Murray. 

 2, J. Grice. 3, ^. Macferson. he, F. Walker, c, W. Sturms. 



^nRVjica.—Hiiih Colour Yellow.—l, A. Dnxhury. 2 and 3,. 1. H.Rogers. High 

 Colour Buff.—l, A. Dnxbnry. 2 and 3, J. H. Rogers, c. T. M. Eeid 



Singing Canaries —1, W. Lawton, Bronte Street, La verpool. 2, J. H. Rogers. 

 S, J. Latham, Wigau. 

 Goldfinches.—!, W. Rostron. 2, C. Gibson. 3, T. Short. 



Judge. — Mr. Orrell, Bolton. 



RUSSIAN TRUMPETERS. 



I HAVE just read your report of the Belfast Poultry Show, and 

 venture to take up my pen in defence of the Russian Trum- 

 peters. It seeni^i to mf? that most of the Pigeon critics, including 

 " Wiltshire Rector," have a grudge against them ; and foot- 

 feathering being apparently their weak point, always abuse them 

 for that defect. Now, if these gentlemen would take the trouble 

 to examine the birds they would find that in fully half the birds 

 exhibited the feathers are broken and not half their real length. 

 Unless taken the greatest care of, it is almost impossible to pre- 

 vent this on account of the fragile nature of the feathering. 

 The first-prize Mottle at Belfast had in the show pen feathers 

 on his feet 5A inches long; the third-prize Black 4.\ inches. I 

 have now in my loft an imported hen with feathers 5J, and one 

 bred from imported birds 5 inches, so that I think I may assert 

 that they are not so deficient in feet feathers as is stated. They 

 are also usually spoken of as the new type of Trumpeters ; I 

 believe them to be simply a very pure and highly bred strain, 

 and that our so-called English Trumpeters are only a cross and 

 degenerate stock, perhaps bred from some previous importa- 

 tion before Pigeon shows were thought of. 



Would twenty years of careful breeding and selection from the 

 best English strain ever manufacture a bird equal to those im- 

 ported ? I think not. 



That extravagant foot-feathering is not an evidence of purity 

 of blood I am quite certain, as I bred a bird this year with stiff 

 feathers on his feet fuUy 6 inches long, and a good voice, one of 

 whose grandparents was a German Shielded Trumpeter with 

 bare feet and no voice ; in fact, you could not distinguish him 

 from his father, a common White Trumpeter, except by his 

 colour, a slaty Red. — Trumpeter. 



THE DRAGOON. 



Much as I admire " Wiltshike Rector's " ably written article 

 in last week's Journal on my pet the Dragoon, I, as a thorough 

 Dragoon fancier, beg to differ from him on one or two very 

 essential points. " Wiltshire Rector " says a Dragoon 

 " should not be a large bird ; the beak should not be short and 

 thick ; the eye-wattle should not be a little pinched at the back, 

 but as circular as possible." Now, not only I but every Dragoon 

 fancier of my acquaintance considers size a great desideratum, 

 and in selecting breeding stock choose birds (especially hens) 

 possessing size. I have carefully noted the awards at recent 

 exhibitions, and always found birds of good size to the front. 

 It should not be so large as a Carrier, but above the size of an 

 ordinary Pigeon. Next comes the beak. I believe we are all 

 agreed that the length should not exceed 1 J incli from centre of 

 eye, but by all means we must have a stout beak. I would not 

 have the spindle-beaked birds one occasionally sees at a local 

 exhibition. As a specimen of the stout beak I so much admire, 

 1 refer those of your readers who visited the recent Birmingham 

 Show to the cup pen of Blues. Why " Wiltshire Rector " 

 holds out that the eje-wattle should not be a little pinched at 

 the back I am at a loss to understand, since not only nearly 

 every pure Dragoon shows this point, but it is also an essential 

 difference from the eye-wattle of a Carrier. I quite agree with 

 yon- correspondent that the Dragoon should be a smart-looking 

 g a efully-formed bird, and as uulilws a Carrier in every respect 

 as possible, but cannot give way that it should be slightly built, 

 or we shall soon see this beautiful bird deteriorate into little 

 better than a common Skinnnm. 



Having pointed out where I disagree with " Wiltshire 



RABBIT-KEEPING.— No. 3. 



FEEDING. 

 First, as to the time of feeding. I find that twice a day is 

 snfiicient. The first feed is given about six o'clock a.m. in 

 summer, and about half-past seven in winter. This should 

 consist of wheat, buckwheat, or barley, with the addition of a 

 small pieci of turnip or carrot about the size of a hen's egg. 

 In summer I give a small handful of clover instead of the roots. 

 In feeding the above grains I alternate them; this gives the 

 Rabbits a better relish for their food. 



The night feed, which is given about six o'clock, is always 

 oats, with a handful of cut hay (clover, if to be had), and when 

 green food is scarce a small piece of turnip or carrot. If fresh 

 clover can be obtained it is better to dispense with both hay 

 and roots. In using green food never give it while wet. Cut 

 it and let it wilt before using. Cut it when dry, and keep one 

 day's supply ahead. Dry food, with privation of greens, water 

 to drink, and cold temperature, sometimes occasions obstinate 

 constipation. The warmer Rabbits are kept the better they 

 thrive. When vegetables are gathered fresh they should not 

 be given wet — unless very seldom, and when hay is given, which 

 will drink up the moisture, and keep them sound without danger. 

 Occasionally give for morning feed whole Indian corn. Peas 

 soaked a few hours and then drained make another good change 

 for the morning feed. In their season beet and carrot tops and 

 pea haulm are a safe and good feed when not used in excess, 

 and should not be given very often. The too free use of very 

 green or wet vegetable food will be certain to produce the 

 most disastrous results. Pot-belly, dropsy, and other di?easeB 

 are sure to follow. Dandelion tops are greedily devoured, and 

 are a most excellent feed. This is an almost certain cure of the 

 disease known as red-water, and is an excellent corrective of 

 other ills. Plantain leaves and sow thistle are also a safe and 

 good feed if not used in excess. 



A very little salt once a week mixed with their feed is bene- 

 ficial. For condiments to tempt the appetite u.»e fennel, sweet 

 marjoram, parsley, and tea leaves dried; but these should be 

 used in small quantities, and more as a tonic than a regular 



