Febraary 5, 1874. ] 



JOtJBNAIj OP HOETICDLTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



131 



Eimilar, and by the same artist. Of the text it is statel that 

 the subject matter will be supplied by Mr. R. Fulton, the well- 

 kuown dealer, assisted by various of the " fancy " fraternity, 

 edited and arranged by Mr. Lewis Wright, the author of the 

 "Poultry Book." 



DOEEINGS AT THE KENDAL SHOW. 



[From a Corresponcient.) 



I AM fond of Dorkings, coloured ones particularly ; and in my 

 estimation they are the fowl of all others. Tliis is my excuse 

 for troubling you with the following remarks upon them at the 

 Kendal Show. 



Class 7, eleven entries (coloured cook any age), contained some 

 very good birds. The first prize went to a remarkably well- 

 feathered bird, shown in first-rate condition, but not large, and 

 rather light— nothing like the first-prize birds of Mrs. .\rkwright 

 and Mr. White of some two or three years ago. The second 

 prize was taken by a bird of a nice colour, smaller than the first, 

 and with rather a twisted comb— in fact, pen 53, highly com- 

 mended, should have exchanged places with him. Third-prize 

 a very fine bird — about the best in the class, but for one fault — 

 viz., his tail (what remained of it) having a strong inclination to 

 touch the back of his head. 



In class 8 (Silver-Grey cock, any age), seven entries, the first 

 prize and cup went to a bird of very good colour and fair size, 

 the second pressing very closely for first honours ; third, a nice 

 bird. The rest of the class only moderate. 



Class (coloured hens), eleven entries, one of the best in the 

 Show. The first prize went to a beautiful pair of hens, well 

 matched, good in colour and in every way, and they certainly 

 should have had the cup awarded them. The second-prize pen 

 contained two very good hens, a fair match in colour, but quite 

 different in shape and style. The third-prize pen consisted of 

 one very good hen and a middling one, rather light in colour. 

 The unnoticed pen, belonging to the same gentleman, was, 

 perhaps, the best in the class as regards size and shape ; but 

 unfortunately both birds had very affectionate hocks, which is 

 a bad fault, and must in this instance have thrown them out of 

 the prize list. The highly-commended pen, 69, will in time be 

 heard of. They were a pair of beauties, only a little short of 

 size, which, as they appeared young, they may gain. 



Class 10, eight entries. The awards in this class were not at 

 all pleasing, the first-prize pen showing no breeding whatever — 

 scarcely any comb, and nothing to commend them but their good 

 condition. Pen 82, a capital pair of hens, should have been first, 

 No. 75 second, and the third as it was. 



In the class for Dorkings, any colour (cockerel aud pullet), 

 confined to the county of Westmoreland, were some splendid 

 specimens — notably, the first-prize and cup pen, which were of 

 the fashionable dark colour and immense size, weighing over 

 20 lbs. They were also awarded the extra three-guinea cup for 

 the best pen in all the local classes. The second-prize pen, 

 belonging to the same lady, were equally good in colour, but the 

 cockerel not quite so large. The third prize went to a pen of 

 excellent Silvers, good in all points, and capable of holding their 

 own in any company. Good sound feet prevailed in all classes. 



King's Lynn Poultby Show. — This includes Pigeons and 

 Babbits. Entries close on the 12th. There is one prize con- 

 fined to Norfolk residents in each poultry class. 



SHOWING VERSUS BREEDING. 

 I WAS very much struck with the justice of your correspon- 

 dent's remarks, in his report of the Dorking Poultry Show, on the 

 evil practice of continuing the exhibition season into January, 

 February, and even March. I quite agree with all he says on this 

 subject, and for my own part have long given up exhibiting 

 during this time, which I consider should be a close season, not 

 only for the sake of the birds, which I fear receive very little 

 consideration at some hands, but also for the sake of their pro- 

 geny. I have but little hopes that an appeal on this subject will 

 have any good effect, as there are dozens of exhibitors who never 

 bred a prize chicken in their life, who have invested in a prize 

 pen at the Palace or Birmingham, and hawk it about from show 

 to show, thus endeavouring by false pretences to dispose of their 

 own indifferent stock at an enhanced price. Buyers of eggs and 

 birds should not be deceived by so shallow an artifice, but shomd 

 find out who were the winners at the autumn shows, where 

 nearly all must be exhibiting birds of their own breeding. As 

 an enthusiast and keen lover of the feathered tribe, I have often 

 been grieved beyond measure to see noble birds reduced to utter 

 ruin by this continued overshowing, which is little less than 

 cruelty to animals. "Me turn jjrimum scTviim circumstetit 

 horror." Then, for the first time, I almost regretted that 1 was 

 an exhibitor. I am sure all fanciers who are so from inclination 

 and not from love of gain, wiU agree with me in saying that 



February and March Bhows would be better stamped out.— 



VlATOH. 



DORKING POULTRY SHOW. 



Althoogh many of the classes were open to all England, wa 

 could find few exhibitors residing beyond the immediate neigh- 

 bourhood of Dorking, and the Show was in effect almost a local 

 one. We believe no positive connection can bo traced between 

 the town of Dorking and the fowls that bear its name ; but the 

 Committee appear to have adopted them, and out of thirty-two 

 classes, twenty, with a great majority of the prizes, were devoted 

 to this variety. The people of Dorking also appear equally in- 

 terested in maintaining the purity of this breed of fowls, for on 

 our journey from the railway station to the Public Hall, in which 

 the Exhibition was held, we observed several poultry runs, and 

 we were much gratified with the way in which the respective 

 varieties appeared be be preserved. First we saw some Whites, 

 so good that few fanciers would pass them without desiring a 

 close inspection; further on another lot, from which we thought 

 a selection might be made equal to any in the Show ; then some 

 good Cuckoos— or Blues, as our Dorking friends describe them — 

 caught our eye, succeeded by others of a similar description, and 

 in every case the particular variety appeared to be kept carefully 

 select, and we could not find one example of the miscellaneous 

 groups of birds that are seen elsewhere at every turn, and are 

 usually included in the very comprehensive category of "Barn- 

 doors." 



But to return to the Show. The coloured Dorkings were an 

 admirable lot, and we were particularly pleased with the pens 

 exhibited by Mr. Ellis, and his birds throughout showed that 

 they had come from a stock that has been judiciously selected. 

 Some good birds were also shown by Col. Lane, Mr. Greenhill, 

 Mr. Cheesman, and Mr. Clift. The latter gentleman exhibited 

 two pens that were not an acquisition to the Show. The cock 

 in one pen was so weak on his legs it was painful to see him 

 attempt to stand ; the other was swollen, and very diseased in 

 the toe. The White Dorkings were inferior to the Coloured in 

 the class for "cock and two hens." The third prize was 

 judiciously withheld. The Blue or Cuckoo classes surprised us ; 

 in numbers they greatly exceeded our expectations, and the 

 quality assiires us that this variety is not so much neglected as 

 is generally imagined. Pen 171 that took the first prize in the 

 single cock class contained a magnificent specimen — rich in 

 colour, very evenly-marked, a good-shaped rose-comb well set 

 upon the head, no trace of white in the earlobe, and thoroughly 

 sound on the feet; a little white was to be found in the sickles, 

 otherwise we should have called him a perfect bird. A few 

 classes for other varieties followed, but as in the larger nurnber 

 of them only a single prize of i'l was offered for competition, 

 the entries were very limited. 



In the Brahma class a good pen of Darks, containing a beauti- 

 ful pair of pullets very evenly marked, were first; the rest, with 

 the exception of a pen of Lights belonging to Mr. Pares, were a 

 poor lot. 



The Spanish class was a very inferior one, but we liked pens 

 219 and 228 better than the winners. Classes for Game, Bantams, 

 Hamburgks, Ducks, &c., followed, but they were only moderate, 

 and call for no special notice. The total number of entries 

 was 323. We published the prize list last week, together with 

 a report from a correspondent. 



BRIDGNORTH POULTRY SHOW. 



This was held on the 21st and 22nd ult., and the entries of 

 poultry and Pigeons were very good both in numbers and quality. 

 The following are the awards ; — 



Bradmas fLight).— Cocfc.— 1, T. A. Dean. 3, J. Bloodwortb. 3, M. Leno. 4, 

 Mrs. H. J. Baily. vhc, Mrs. A. WUIiamaon. he, A. O. Worthington ; — Crai- 

 tree. c, W. Tedd; Rev. N. O. Ridley, ifen.— 1, J. R. Rodbard. 2 and S. Mrs. A. 

 Williamson. 4, H. M. Maynard. 5. J. Mitchell, he, \V. Tedd ; W. H. Crabtree ; 

 J. Bloodworth ; A. O. Worthington. c, J. R. Kodbard. 



Brahmas (Dark).— Cocfc —1, A. Taylor. 2, F. Bennett. S. R. B. Wood. 4, W. 

 H. Crabtree. uftc, A. Bamtord. ftc, J. Walker; H. Lingwood; J. Watts, c, H. 

 B. Morrell ; W. G. Cnmming ; W. Beyan. Hen.—l, T. F. Ansdell. 2, W. H. 

 Crabtree. 3, E. Pritchard. 4. T. F. Ansdell. 5, J. Watts. C. W. Bevan. vhc, 

 T. F. AnsdeU ; J. Watts, he, H. B. Morrell (2) ; Rev. J. D. Peake ; Dr. J. Holmes ; 

 J. H. Kemp, c, H. Lingwood ; — Wbitehouse (2). 



CocHi.vs (Cinnamon or Buff) —Cock— I, T. Stretch. 2, A. Taylor. 3, W. A. 

 Burnell. vhc, H. Feast, he, T. A. Dean ; H. Lingwood : J. Bloodworth ; J. K. 

 Fowler; S. K. Harris. Hen.-l. A. Taylor. 2, Dr. W. K. Bullmore. S, W. A. 

 Barnell. 4. J. Wyse. vhc, J. Bloodworth ; T. F. Ansdell ; A. Taylor, lie, W. 

 Shaw : D. Barry. 



CocHiN3(White).— Cock.— lands. W.Whitworth.Jun. 2, R. W. Beachy. vhc, 

 W. A. Burnell. he, R. S. S. Woodgate ; Mrs A.. Williamson ; C. Bloodworth; B. 

 Chase. Hen.— 1. K. W. Beachy. 2, Mrs. A. Williamson. 3, W. Wlutworth, Jan. 

 he, W. Whitworth, juu. ; C. Bloodworth. 



Cochins (Partridge).— Cocfc.—l and 2, A. Taylor. 3, T. Stretch, he, H. Tom- 

 linaon. Hen.—l and 8, E. Tudman. 2, T. Aspden. vhc, T. Stretch, he, I. 

 Aspden; A.Taylor. „ . , „ 



DoRKi.vos (Coloured).— Cocfc.—l and 8, A. Darby. 2, H. Lmgwood. H«B.— 

 1 and 3. A. Darby. 2, U. Lingwood. 



Dorkings (Any other varietyi.— Cocfc.— 1, A. Darby. 2. Countess of Dart, 

 mouth. 3 and he, O. E. CressweU. Hen.—l and S, L. Wren. 2, A. Darby. 4, 

 0. E. CressweU. 



Game (Black-Red).— CocS.-I, S. Field. 2, H. Horton. 3 and he, A. B. Dyas; 

 Hcii.- 1, W. J. Pope. 2, S. Field. 3, J. Mason. Ac, P. A. Beck ; J. Newdigate . 

 H. Browne. 



