June 29, 1876. ) 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



517 



whole of a little bazel copse, and here the White Dorkiogs are 

 allowed to ruu fi)r shade. The lawn was bo beautifully kept 

 that it looked a paradise for Cochius, for there was nothing to 

 damage the longest foot-feathering. 



Passing through this yard we ciime to the Pigeons, and wo 

 could stay here an hour, for a more charming sight it is a diCti- 

 culty to imagine, for there at a whistle come out into the open 

 yard Turbits of all colours — peak-headed, crown-headed, and 

 plain-headed ; Turhits blue, Turbits red, Turbits yellow, Turbita 

 black — each one with a list of winnings, each one seeming more 

 elegant iu shape and more biautiful in beak and rose than 

 the last; and among them are Fantails of rare excellence, and 

 Archangels with the best sheen all over them, taking them as a 

 lot, as WB have seen for a long time; and then there is a Turbi- 

 teen or two, and a few more Toys. Altogether it was a lovely 

 eight. Each department alone was worth a visit; the speci- 

 men conifers and American shrubs, the poultry, and the Pigeons. 

 We were never tired of passing from tr< e to tree and yard to 

 yard. In the front of the stable is another lawn, and by its side 

 another little wood ; this is the baby nursery. Here the chicks 

 are cared for till three or four weeks old, wheu they are drafted- 

 ofT to the heathland in front of the range iu the illustration to 

 make room for younger broods. We must pass over the furni- 

 ture of the poultry room aud the pens put up there, and the 

 basket store, and come to the best h t of runs on the place. We 

 go through a wicket-gate and we fiud ourselves in au orchard 

 entirely divided up into runs, and they are about the best in 

 most ways we ever saw. They are boarded-up 4 feet high with 

 wire on the top, and planted against the wire are flowering 

 creepers and rose trees in pots. In each yard there were five or 

 sis fruit trees with low branches affording admirable shade, and 

 in each yard there was a moveable poultry house. The runs 

 were all laid down with closely-cut grass, and locked as perfect 

 places for prize pcuUry as can well be imagined. These runs 

 form a quadrangle, and the sides being boarded-np 4 feet high 

 the space in the centre is entirely free from draughts and cold 

 winds, and would make a glorious place for a January brood. 

 Iu tlieso runs we found the champion Silver- Greys (hens and 

 cock-), heroes and heroines over and over again, and birds which 

 since we saw them have performed the unprecedented act of 

 faking both the cups at the late Hereford Show against the 

 Coloured variety. Every bird had a history, every bird was the 

 father or mother of some well known winner. Aud then there 

 were Silkies here, aud among them a bird really Japanese, 

 direct from Jajft i, with all the required points; end theu there 

 were here the early Dorking cockerels, growing away and doing 

 well, and looking ready to keep up their owner's reputation. 

 Leaving here we pass more coups of young stock on another 

 lawn, and all the early pullets. Here too v.ere Hamburghs 

 (Gjlden-pencillcd), Silkies, Black Bantams, aud Nankins; and 

 then we come to a serpentine w*lk, at the end of which we find 

 another nursery, and the adult Gcdden-pencillcd Hamburghs, 

 some of which were peculiarly clear in pencilling, and with iiuo 

 natural combs. By this time we had been well nigh over the 

 whole establishment, only we went so slowly and had so many 

 objects of interest to look at at every turn that we were quite 

 sorry when we had seen them all, aud did not think we could 

 do better than begin again and go over the whole place once 

 more from the beginning, which we Accordingly did. 



This, then, is a tiny sketch of the Early Wood yards. We have 

 done no sr.rt of jiislice to anything. We have not described 

 individual birds, for Ihey are all well known. We have not told 

 of the little flock of Goats, or the Turkeys or the Ducks, or the 

 various kinds of coops, or of the beautifal cleanliness, or of all 

 the little methodical arrangements, because we havu no space. 

 We cannot think there can be 7 or 8 acres anywhere else bo full 

 of interest to a poultry and Pigeon fancier, and we cannot do 

 otherwise than recommend everyone who has the chance to 

 make au arrangement with Mr. Cresswell to go over his yards, 

 for that they will be amply repaid we know, that they will find 

 a hearty v, eleome we feel sure, that they will come away cdxfitd 

 wo are positive. We must not fcrgtt to mention that Mr. Cress- 

 WlU's poultry manager is Mr. Albert Clarke, a young man in 

 whom we take the greatest interest, for he was traiiied by us 

 and lived with us over three years, and wo were pleased to 

 pass ou such a well-disposed and industrious person to under- 

 take the charge cf the famous Early Wood birds. Aa we sold 

 we feel we have not done justice to a single breed which Mr. 

 Cresswell keep?, more especially to his Whit; Dorkings, which 

 are something quite beautifal to see feeding t^'gether; but to 

 describe fully a yard of this size, which contains so many speci- 

 mens of so many varieties, would fill up pretty much all the 

 pages of one nnuiber of " our Journal." — W. 



closely for weeks, but none of the eggs Latched out. I have a 

 Brahma cock which always delights in enticing the young broods 

 of chickens away from the hen, and collecting them under him- 

 self, and tending thtm and breaking up their food with all the 

 care of the mother.— K. H. M., ]]'cst Ilslcy. 



" R. S." asks if "Staines" will detail the method of giving 

 pollen to befs by means of a skep with shavings aa referred to 

 iu the last number of the Journal. 



POULTRY AND BEE NEWS AND QUERIES. 



Mb. E. K. K4Bsl.\ke's account of the cock Pheasant nursing 

 the chicks at tiie Znological Gardens reminds me of a Golden 

 cock Pheasant, now dead, which drove his mate off her nest and 

 insisted himself on sitting on the eggs, which he did most 



PORTSMOUTH POULTRY SHOW. 



To one who knew Porlsmouth twenty years since and bad 

 never seen it until this year, as was the case with me, the im- 

 provement in the town is wonderful. It looks as if Baron 

 Haussman, the renovator of Paris, had come to Portsmouth and 

 carried on his calling tbtre. The town is eo cleared of the dirty 

 and close streets, and all is so open, and clear, and clean, with 

 here and there trees planted, that it is a pleasant place to look 

 at and stsy in, so different to what it was formerly. 



I find the Shew (which resembled in miniature the Bath and 

 West of England without the machinery) in a grass square just 

 off High Street, iu a place called the Governor's Green. On 

 one side is the Garrison chapel, while the dome cf the church 

 in which Ilea buried the Duke of Buckingham of Charles I.'s 

 time, who was assassinated close by, comes in view. Within 

 the square, used I fancy as a drill gronnd, are cannon here and 

 there— curious adjuncts to a show of Doves and domestic birds 

 and animals. 



Entering I go straight across to a large circular tent of 

 enormous proportions ; I stepped in and found it 40 yards in 

 diameter. An officer near me said it resembled the tent of the 

 Governor-General of India. This splendid tent was lent by 

 some great official near, transported it could not be, for the lofty 

 mast in the centre forbad locomotion. Never were birds so 

 splendidly housed. The poultry pens (two tiers) were arranged 

 round. Mr. Billet told me he found it somewhat difScult in 

 forming his square pens in a circle, but it was done and well 

 done. The Pigeon pens ran across, while on a large open space 

 near the centre pole, flag-adorned, were roomy enclosures for 

 the Peafowl and Pheasants. When I remembered how often 

 my hat had been endangered by low tents it was pleasant indeed 

 to look upward into that lofty canvas dome, and on that ground 

 where a regiment of soldiers might repose. I need not tell 

 poultry readers that it is a bad time for exhibition, that the 

 birds are not iu the hard feather of winter ; but still, such is the 

 skill of exhibitors, that as a rule their pets did look wonderfully 

 well. 



The Game classes headed the list. They were not large; in- 

 deed, in one class, Brown-breasted Red hena, there was no entry. 

 The first Black-breasted Red hen was a remarkably pleasing 

 bird, very choice and tight, and carrying no lumber. The entry 

 of Piles was good, but the Duckwing prize bens were the choicest. 

 The dear old fatherly and motherly-looking Buff Cochins had 

 large classee, and quite half were good birds ; still, these were 

 beaten by the Whitts. The first hen (Capt. Talbot's) was ad- 

 mirably shown, and a highly commended of Mr. Woodgate's 

 might have had a very highly commended. The Dark Bra'7nas 

 had specially large classes. The firttand-cup cock (Mr. Ling- 

 wood's bird) eclipsed all. The Brahma hens had no cards, though 

 eight were their due. I asked an attendant where they were, 

 he told me the hens had eaten them, and singularly only the 

 hens in this clasa and another class had done so. "Ah! bow 

 mischievous girls are!" or was it to prevent jealousy ? "Now, 

 dears, we are all alike, so no bad feelings." In this the county 

 of Light Brahmaa the birds were not equal to what I looked for, 

 though the first cock was most excellent. Among the Dorkings 

 the second (Mr. Burnell's) was a grand bird, but as a rule 

 the hena were the best. I was extremely pleased to see the 

 Silver-Gieys were so numerous, aud the hens of this variety 

 were particularly good. They were large and well marked, and 

 the beauty of these birds is so much greater than their darker 

 sisters ; indeed, they look fancy fowls. The Sjinniih, of course, 

 were but few — few but good, and the first hen (M tea E.Browne's) 

 was such a bird as is rarely seen. Hambn>-ghs were, aa to the 

 Pencilled, in no way remarkable; but the Spangled made up 

 for it. First Silver-spangled cock a very beautiful bird but 

 delicate-looking, and the third also excellent. The hen spangled 

 still better, tolands only six pens, so every bird won. The 

 French classes were well fiili d, also the Any variety. In the 

 latter, for cocks, a fine Andalusian was first, aud a thoroughly 

 good Black Hamburgh second, and another Black Hamburgh 

 fourth. This class of cocks was throughout deserving. The 

 hens, save tbe winners, were not bo meritorious. First Mr. Wood- 

 gate's Silky, a neat, nice, good bird— certainly the best in the 

 class. Tbe Selling classes were extremely large. 



Diichs only a few. Rouens first (Mr. Oj^ilvie's), second Aylea- 

 burys (Mr. Staples); while Mrs. Dresing's noted prize pair of 

 Rouens were not noticed. Such is the fate of war and — Ducks. 



Now for the little Bantams. These, save the Black Beds, were 

 almost non-existent. A.mcng the Black Reda the first cock was 



