192 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ February 2G, 1874. 



waBhing, but a clean handkerchief held in the steam of boiling 

 water and smoothed over the feathers whUe eUghtly damp will 

 remove much dirt, and the rest wiU, in most cases, disappear 

 during a week's confinement in the pen, which should be 

 littered with either sawdust or clean strmv-chcdi finely cut, and 

 cleaned out regularly every morning and evening. Those who 

 have never tried it will wonder how rapidly a fowl gets clean 

 when thus penned-up for a short time in a clean place. But 

 white birds, or which have white about them, or buffs, will need 

 washing. Now here again the mistake of most amateurs is that 

 they never attempt to wash a fowl till they want to send it to a 

 show, when they are pretty sure to " make a mess " of it. They 

 should try once or twice on their commoner birds first, by which 

 they would get experience and confidence, and come out all 

 right. I would begin with a cock, which is much easier to wash 

 than a hen, as his narrow hackle feathers do not need to web 

 again so perfectly in order to look well ; and moreover, in many 

 breeds, it is only needed to wash part of him, such as hackle, 

 saddle, back, and wings. In such cases a good, solid, rather 

 rounded nail-brush is the thing. If the bird is white, first blue 

 the water. I do not consider this " dyeing " — in fact, if there 

 be enough blue to dye the bird at all, the white is spoilt, of 

 which there were some curious examples in the Silky class at 

 the last Palace Show : but a little blue (and even that little looks 

 mry blue in the pan) gives a wonderful brilliancy to a good 

 white bird, and every exhibitor is considered to have a perfect 

 right to use it, as all the good " washers " certainly do. Make 

 the water comfortably warm, and first of all scrub the head and 

 comb well and briskly with soap and water. Then with the 

 sponge wet as much as you can the hackle, back, and saddle, 

 after which pass the soap over it a few times, and then after 

 well soaping your nail-brush, rub it sideways repeatedly over 

 every part till you judge all the dirt is off, always brushing 

 straight down the feather, and taking no pains either to wet 

 down to the skin or to avoid doing so. When you have done, 

 while your assistant (to thus partially wash a bird requires one, 

 though not to wash him wholly) holds him over the pan, you 

 must sponge the soap off plentifully, letting the water stream 

 out of the sponge till you are sure all the soap is out ; after 

 which you have no more to do than wipe-off as much as you 

 can with the sponge squeezed dry, and put the bird in an ordi- 

 nary show-basket, lined with linen or canvas, close by the fire 

 till he is dry. A show-basket lined is best, because it keeps off 

 and equalises the heat of the fire. 



If you can have no assistant you may do very weU by making 

 in the middle of a jack-towel two cross-lits — thus, -\ |-, with 

 alput 4 inches between them. You pass the bird's legs and 

 thighs through these holes, and then hang the towel by the 

 ends to a hook in the ceiling or a joist overhead. You only need 

 take care all the fluff feathers are nicely through the holes, and 

 the bird, being helpless, is generally very quiet. 



But hens, or birds light-coloured all over, need a thorough 

 washing. Here, again, some of the directions given are at 

 fault, for so long as you try to wet only the "surface of the 

 feather," as I often see stated, you will never wash a fowl 

 decently. I know, for I tried that plan myself till I was sick 

 of it. No, you must stand your bird in the water. In fact, you 

 had better have two pans, one full of good strong suds. Any- 

 way, you must wash thoroughly, but in this case with a sponge, 

 not using the brush, which woidd prevent all but hackle feathers 

 webbing again. You only need take care not to rub the wrong 

 way; with this exception, wash as much as you like, and be 

 sure the plumage is wet through. The water being warm, the 

 bird may faint, in which case there is no cause for alarm, as a 

 dip in cold water will almost always revive it. The head should 

 always be well scrubbed with the brush, however, as nothing 

 sets off a bird more than a nice bright comb and clean head. 

 When clean all soap must be washed thoroughly out as before, 

 for which two distinct tubs or " waters" are much the best and 

 most certain, while a little borax in the water also assists to get 

 the soap thoroughly out. This is the essential point, for if any, 

 even the least soap remain, the feather in that part will appear 

 draggled, and will not web properly ; but if well cleaned, by next 

 morning, or when dry, all wiU be right again, with the exception 

 that the gloss will have been removed by the washing. That is 

 just the reason why the operation should be performed some 

 days before the show; for in that time, with the help of the lin- 

 seed, there will be a fresh secretion of oil, and the birds being 

 kept perfectly clean in the pen, will be in the verj- height of 

 condition. For white or buff fowls gloss is of less importance, 

 and these are very often washed the day before showing. 

 Many birds, if kept in proper hard plumage, would not need 

 washing ; but a loose-feathered bird always becomes compara- 

 tively dirty. On the other hand, such birds as Cochins, even 

 though clean, are often washed merely to increase the apparent 

 size, as washing causes the fluff, and, indeed, the whole plumage, 

 to " stand out " more than it did before. 



Birds bred in confinement cannot be shown often with suc- 

 cess, or even safety; once in three weeks or a month is enough. 

 I know a contrary opinion popularly prevaUs ; but I also know 



that while many exhibitors do exceed this rule, they suffer the 

 penalty. One well-known exhibitor has had several birds re- 

 turned to him dead this season, and I have many times seen 

 beautiful birds which could barely stand, while the barrenness 

 of celebrated hens has become almost proverbial. Short of 

 this, the pale flabby comb and listless air tell sad tales ; and 

 so far from agreeing with the correspondent I referred to at the 

 commencement, that judges lay too much stress upon condition, 

 I think they would do well to lay more — so far, at least, as to 

 disquaUfy far earlier than they now do for evident signs of over- 

 showing. They might by this offend one or two, but I believe 

 they would give satisfaction to the great body of exhibitors and 

 to all real breeders of fowls ; and though I can never join in tha 

 outcry against people " winning everywhere " with birds they 

 have " bought at any price," and never have joined in it, beUev- 

 ing that by their spirited purchases they are one of the great 

 supports of " the fancy," I do think that so far as I have now 

 suggested the judges might and ought to go in mere humanity, 

 and that as soon as their intention to do so was clearly understood 

 the whole body of fanciers would feel grateful. I must say 

 that I have seen prizes won this season by birds whose "con- 

 dition " did not deserve it, and which was to a humane man or 

 true fancier really pitiable ; that birds have, in fact, won prizes 

 no bird could win and remain in health ; and I need hardly point 

 out that this might be checked without any chaugo in the 

 wholesome maxim, " Let the best bird" win, and that so doing 

 would open the doors of the prize lists to a larger number of 

 really good birds, and so encourage other fanciers. I do not 

 complain of any particular judge. The line between fair con- 

 dition and " overshown " condition cannot be a very marked 

 one, and all I suggest or ask is that the judges draw it rather 

 tighter. I believe that in so doing they would be serving the 

 best interests of all. — L. Wbight. 



THE BROMLEY PRIZE CARDS. 



A QUESTION was asked some time ago in the Journal previous 

 to the Bromley Show whether it was a hond-fide concern, and a 

 prompt reply given that it was. Doubtless the answer was 

 correct. The Show has been held, and the prizes paid ; hut on. 

 receiving my money I found that I had been mulcted of Is. for 

 each prize — and for what ? For my prize card ! Now when the 

 Society issued its schedule, amongst other inducements held 

 out to exhibitors was one that their cards would be printed in 

 gold on leather, and with a rejtresentatiou of the particular breed 

 for which the prize was given. I do not suppose that any person 

 was induced to exhibit by such a tempting bait ; but neither do 

 I suppose that anyone imagined that this wonderful gift was to 

 be had at the exhibitors' expense. But the Committee of the 

 Bromley Show are an ingenious body; they have had these cards 

 printed on American cloth, and have, I have no doubt, turned 

 an honest (?) penny by the transaction. Now I look upon this as 

 a regular " do," and were the matter worth it I would resist 

 vi et artnis. I should add that the card is a most trumpery 

 affair, the gilding very faint and rapidly vanishing away. Might 

 it not be well to ask the Bromley Committee whether they 

 would object to receiving them back, and wear them whenever 

 they meet for consultation ? It might be regarded as a deUcate 

 compliment paid by the exhibitors. — D., Deal. 



Claim for Shooting a Pigeon. — Blackburn County Court, 

 before W. A. Hulton, Esq., Judge. Fish v. Bury. — The plaintiff 

 sought to recover the sum of tlO for a Pigeon. The plaintiff 

 said about four years ago he bought a Pigeon, and gave £5 for it. 

 It was a Black Dragoon. It was the best Pigeon in Darwen for 

 flying matches. He had won about i'lOO in matches since he 

 had it. On the 19th of January it was matched to fly for £15 a 

 side. He had paid i,'l for training it for the match. He had 

 also paid £i as a deposit. He had lost that money in conse- 

 quence of the Pigeon not flying. He had been offered i'lO 

 several times for it, and would not take it. J. Howarth said 

 that he was requested to watch which way the Pigeon flew. 

 He went to the top of a hill near at hand, and he saw the de- 

 fendant shoot the Pigeon, and he then waved his hand, and his 

 dog brought the bird to him. Witnesses gave evidence to show 

 that the bird was worth X'lO, that it had cost over £'25 in train- 

 ing, that it had flown over one hundred matches during the last 

 four years, and that it had beaten every Pigeon in Darwen, and 

 had flown matches at Bolton, Horridge, Bury, aud other places. 

 His Honour gave a verdict for the plaintiff for the full amount. 



Cochin-Spanish Hen. — It is a first cross between a Cochin 

 and Black Spanish. She commenced to lay on December 24th, 

 and, with few exceptions, has laid a larger than an average-sized 

 egg every morning. On Friday morning (February 13th) she 

 laid an egg measuring 8 inches longitudinally, 6J inches in cir- 

 cumference, and weighing -JJ ozs., and has laid every morning 

 since up to the time of writing (February lOth). She is also an 

 excellent sitter and mother, having brought up two broods of 



