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JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Much 16, 1876. 



tbeir strong local accent and peculiarities. Their county is far 

 away from the heart of England — on a spur, bo to speak, of the 

 island. No streams of people from various parts of England 

 and Scotland, as in the midland shires, are constantly passing 

 through it to the metropolis. No drawling Scotch or " burring " 

 Cnmherland, or, strangest of all, no Lancashire dialect is heard 

 by " Zommerset folk." Other habits from other parts are not 

 brought to them, for the Cornish miners remain at home, so do 

 the Devonians, and Somerset men are home-keepers as well. 

 It was only in a time of national need, snch as that of the 

 armada, that Macaulay could have written of them — 



" The fisher left hia skiff to rock on Tamar'a elittering waves, 

 The ragged miners poured to war from Mendip's sunless caves." 



Hence, I think, lies one great attraction of the western 

 counties. In natural beauties they are unsurpassed, and they 

 remain strong in the local peculiarities which have descended 

 from their ancestors. Somersetshire might take as her motto, 

 "Always the same." 



Thinking these thonghts, calling upon memory and former 

 reading, and trying to realise the times of James and poor Mon- 

 mouth and William of Orange, when Somersetshire saw great 

 Bights, I reach Bridgewater, and a short drive past a most pio- 

 turesque church tower, that of North Petherton, and the quick- 

 paced horses bring me to Mr. Hodsou's door, which I reached 

 by a pleasantly circuitous drive, so much better than a straight 

 one. "What a bright sunny house ! and what a capital croquet 

 lawn ! were my first thoughts. Luncheon over — for even 

 poultry jadges and poultry-show critics must eat— and I pro- 

 ceed with Mr. Hodson to inspect hia birds. A nice home and 

 plenty of land, lots of roomy old buildings, good west-country 

 orchard, telling of cider in plenty in parlour and kitchen; 

 apple trees, and such crops of apples ! and such healthy faces ! 

 enough to fill " our Doctor " with delight ; more buildings and 

 a couple of park-like fields. Verily, brother Hodson, thou hast 

 a charming home for one like thyself, able to enjoy the country 

 and appreciate aright horse, and dog, nnd fowl, and Pigeon. 

 But I am proceeding too rapidly. Imagine house and gardens, 

 and orchard and fields lying on a gentle, very gentle slope, and 

 beyond, in view from the higher parts, a regular Somersetshire 

 valley ; while far off, very far off, comes in a bit of a range of 

 Somersetshire hills. 



Now, good reader, we will trot back in thought to the house 

 and its sunny front. Walking away garden-wise first is a little 

 aviary where Canary and English Finches, and Java Sparrows, 

 Love Birds, and White Doves dwell at ease and in enjoyment ; 

 capital young ladies' pets, and here the pets of young ladies. 

 Crossing to the stable yard at one's feet run a number of Silver 

 Sebright Bantams. Mr. Hodson has, I believe, been a lifelong 

 breeder of Sebrights, and has been very successful with them ; 

 and many have gone from his yards straight to the prize pen. 

 He has the clear white Silvers which have in some recent in- 

 stances come to the front. At the same time I believe I am cor- 

 rect in stating that Mr. Hodson believes that the original Silver 

 birds of Sir John Sebright were not clear white silver, but creamy. 

 This agrees with my belief; for I remember, nearly forty years 

 ago, creamy Silvers, and not white Silvers, and Gold and Silver 

 coming in the same brood. I do not mention this to disparage 

 the new clear SUvers, but only to speak of the creamy birds 

 being the original as a fact in poultry lore ; and all facts, espe- 

 cially in poultry lineage, are valuable. I rejoice much at the 

 greater number of Sebrights now bred and shown ; for with no 

 wish to offend the lovers of other Bantams — Black, White, 

 Game, &o. — certainly the Sebrights must hold the first place. 

 Then there is none of that horrid dubbing among these Ban- 

 tams; and they are perhaps the most beautiful as to feather of 

 all poultry. I may notice in passing that Mr. Hodson grows a 

 great quantity of Jerusalem Artichokes, and iu these his Bantam 

 chicks run in the hot weather. 



Leaving a walled and apparently productive frnit and vege- 

 table garden to the left I proceed outwards to the Bantam houses 

 proper, passing that regular " Zomerzet" orchard. The Bantam 

 houses are old buildings adapted to a new purpose. Here let me 

 note that there is many a country house far away from London 

 which has long straggling premises, and many old offices, sheds, 

 &o. Now these with a little alteration, and good taste and know- 

 ledge of the subject, may with very little expense be made to 

 suit a poultry amateur. No need of new poultry houses badly 

 built and costly, as now masons and carpenters make them in 

 these days of high pay and hasty workmanship. Here I found 

 an old building turned into six poultry pens— cheap divisions 

 inside- wire netting outside for the separate runs. A part of 

 the back is made as a passage running the whole length, from 

 which passage the birds can be seen inside their pens without 

 the necessity of entering the pens, and the presence of a stranger 

 frightening and scaring wildly the inhabitants. 



First pen. Gold Sebrights, some very good birds. Second, 

 also Gold Sebrights. Third, Indian Game Bantams quite of the 

 Malay type, some Dark and somo Light. These birds might be 

 called miniature Malays or Malay-Bantams. Fourth, Gold Se- 

 brights. Fifth, Mauritius Sechelle Bantams, to me a new 



variety. Sixth, round the corner, a promising lot of Silver 

 Sebrights. The size of these Bantam houses inside is !> feet 

 by 7, with an unlimited supply of mould for flooring. Ob, the 

 advantage of having plenty of land ! The runs are 15 feet by 7. 

 These lovely Bantams are worth walking many miles to in- 

 spect, and what perfect pets Sebrights make with their sprightly 

 demeanour, neat form, shapely blue legs, and — their lovely 

 feathering ! 



Now, coming out of a sort of second kitchen garden in which 

 these Bantams dwell, many running loose there as well as in 

 the pens, I go along by that orchard red with cider apples, 

 straight from pigmies to giants ; for what do I find in the 

 orchard? — huge Eouen Docks paddling along with care and 

 caution, as even their big feet must turn aside from the large 

 apples. Aylesburys large too ; but oh, their bills ! Then I come 

 within a yard, a " barton " we should call it in Wilts, with 

 pavement eloping down to a stream of running water; and on 

 the south side more old buildings, once bullock pens, converted 

 into three pens for large fowls, with passage at the back as in 

 the Bantam houses, and a window in each, so that the poultry 

 boy may be watched if necessary, for how idle all young boys 

 are ! I often wonder how it happens there are so many indus- 

 trious men. Why ? Well, " happy thought," boys are taken 

 to work at an age when naturally they love play, and men have 

 wives and families to work for. Mr. Hodson keeps in this yard 

 and these pens Cochins, Dorkings, and Black Polish — the oldest, 

 and truest, and handsomest of the Polish varieties. I notice the 

 pens are thoroughly well whitewashed and frequently, their size 

 11 feet by 8, the runs 39 feet by 19. The Cochin pullets, some of 

 them prizetakers since I saw them, have a walk by themselves 

 in the field beyond; indeed, these larger fowls, what with suit- 

 able pens, runs, grass walk, and running water, have a good time 

 of it, and no wonder they do well and look well. 



From the poultry houses I go now to the dog pens, for Mr. 

 Hodson is as well known as a dog judge as a poultry judge. 

 Stately bloodhounds, every inch gentlemen and ladies, and wild- 

 looking, yet tame and coaxing; deerhounds, rough in coat as 

 their own native heathery bills, are Mr. Hodson's specialities. 

 Two marked and noble varieties. Grand style of dogs, perhaps 

 existing just the same in form and instinct when Csesar landed, 

 or William the Norman conquered at Hastings. I need scarcely 

 remark that Mr. Hodson's dogs were good of their kind. He 

 could not have any dogs which were not good. 



Lastly I go to see the Pigeons, kept in a spacious loft over an 

 outhouse. They have been shut-in for me to see. I handle as 

 well as see the famous Blue Dragoon cock which has done such 

 wonders in the show pen, and admire Barbs and Magpies. The 

 bulk of the Pigeons are of the Dragoon type. Having examined 

 them to my heart's content the trap ia opened, and away they 

 go, straight away " on end" as only Dragoons can go, far away 

 iu the blue expanse for miles over the Somerset valleys and 

 hills. I cannot wonder that Dragoons are so popular, and that 

 our forefathers, before the Antwerp and Homing Pigeon days, 

 delighted to fly them. Their naturalness and symmetry please so 

 much. They, unlike Carriers, can see to eat, and can they not 

 fly ? A walk in the afternoon to two verysmallbut very interest- 

 ing Somersetshire churches fills up fittingly this day, and a 

 poultry talk the evening. 



Next morning I have another view of the fowls, the second 

 peep, which I enjoy always quite as much as the first, when I 

 pick out my favourites, make quite sure which are the best, 

 when I look and linger over the birds, and have hard work to 

 keep from breaking the tenth commandment. 



Returning to the sunny front of Mr. Hodson's house, which 

 looks quite a home, I find a photographer in possession. By the 

 way, how unconscious of or indifferent to appearance those men 

 must be who can plunge their heads under a black cloth, and 

 lose in a moment all appearance of man save his legs, becoming 

 apparently a one-eyed monster with his head wrapped-up to 

 keep off the cold. There is the terrible photographer having " a 

 shot " at an cificer. Lucky man, with his hand resting on one 

 of the deerhounds, and a group of ladies in the background ! 

 Lucky officer in more respects than one. Luncheon, a drive 

 back to Bridgewater, and many a look back in thought then and 

 often since upon the pleasant hours spent with " Mr. Hodson 

 the poultry judge at his home."— -Wiltshike Kector, 



DUBBING GAME. 



Doubtless " WiLTSHrBE Rector" advocates the non-dnbbing 

 of Game cocks with the best intention, but I think he errs very 

 much when he says, "Pot a stop to dubbing and fighting will 

 be at an end." I feel sure it would not be the case, but on the 

 contrary gamesters would fight birds with the combs, &c., on. 

 The result would be shorter battles and more cocks killed in 

 the day's fighting. 



"Wiltshire Rector" says that Game cocks are bred to a 

 high state of courage by man's wickedness. If so, let us do our 

 best to prevent the birds from hurting each other so much when 

 they by chance meet, by cutting off the comb and wattles. 



