168 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Au^st 19, 1875. 



remedy this growing eTil. If the secretary or one of his myr- 

 midons cannot personally see to the dispatch of the catalogaea 

 by the first post, let the printer or someone else do it, and the 

 fact stated in the echednle ; stamps could then be sent to this 

 vendor, and be would be responsible for the dispatch of the 

 catalogues. We know from experience that it needs a super- 

 human effort almost on the first day of a large ehow to see to 

 the catalogues; but the matter being really so important, we do 

 hope secretaries will try somehow to send them, or else, as we 

 said, appoint some other responsible person to do it, and so stop 

 the great inconvenience to exhibitors and consequent annoyance 

 to everyone connected with the show. We know, of course, full 

 well some do send the catalogues off at the proper time, and 

 many of those from large and important show-s ; so, surely what 

 one can do all can do. We always make a note of the exhibition 

 which sends its catalogues and prize list regularly, and for 

 regularity in doing so for the last five years we give the palm to 

 Aylesbury, Royal Counties Association, and Northampton. We 

 do not intend to be invidious in naming these, for doubtless 

 there are many exhibitions with which we have had nothing to 

 do have kept their faith as far as catalogues go with exhibi- 

 tors, but those three shows named above have, so far as we are 

 personally concerned, been the most regular during the past 

 five seasons. 



Then as to the printing of the awards in the margin of the 

 catalogue in the line with the exhibits ; we do not hesitate to 

 say we would gladly give 3d. each, or even 6d. more for every 

 catalogue so printed. We know it cannot always be managed, 

 but when it can be possibly we do hope no effort will be spared 

 to manage it. We are sure gladly would exhibitors and pur- 

 chasers give 3d. or -id. more to have them so. When this cannot 

 be done anyhow, then the next best way is to have a list printed 

 of the winners' names and inserted in the catalogue, so that the 

 names of the prizewinners and those getting commendations 

 can easily be seen. The slovenly way of merely printing a list 

 of numbers on a sheet of paper is horrible in the extreme, and 

 we cannot say too much against it. The numbers, too, are so 

 often wrong, as of course it is much easier for mistakes to occur 

 among a list of numbers than when we have the names in full ; 

 but apart from this, to have to find first the number and then 

 search it out in the catalogue is worrying and tiresome. 



There is, however, one thing worse in connection with cata- 

 logues which we have often experienced ; we allude to the 

 system of sending catalogues with no awards at all. This is 

 especially done at the one-day northern shows, and is positively 

 intolerable. Whatever use can secretaries imagine a catalogue 

 without awards is to a person at a distance ? and yet time after 

 time from Lancashire, Yorkshire, and even the more midland 

 shows we have had them. Surely if the show funds do not 

 allow of a prize list to be printed, or there is no time for doing 

 it, the secretaries or officials should have the sense to mark at 

 least the awards in the classes their patrons from a distance are 

 interested in, and not send them a catalogue which makes them 

 DO wiser than they were before. Even if the local paper, which 

 always somehow crops up on the evening of the show day, was 

 sent, it would be much more useful than an empty catalogue. 

 We hope we may never have to allude to this agaiu, and that 

 this ridiculous plan may at once be discontinued. 



Next one word as to the quality and price of a catalogue. We 

 said above we would gladly pay more to make the dispatch of a 

 catalogue by a fixed post certain, or to have the awards printed 

 in the margin, and so we would; but when this is not done we 

 think Qd. an ample sum for a catalogue of a moderate-sized 

 show, especially as some — eg., St. Austell, Oandle, &c., only 

 charge 3^. and id. The Palace, Manchester, and those large 

 exhibitions who get up the whole thing well are, we consider, 

 warranted to charge Is. ; but a catalogue we had last winter 

 from Kendal certainly was the dearest shilling's worth we ever 

 had in the catalogue way. 



Talking of the price of catalogues reminds ua of an incident 

 which happened this year at the Bath and West of England 

 Meeting at Croydon, which we may as well set our readers on 

 guard against. We got out at Waddon station, and immediately 

 saw a man with a pile of catalogues on sale. *' How much ?" we 

 cried. " One shilling each," answered the man, and we bought 

 the book and went to the Show. When we got there we saw the 

 catalogues selling at Gd. each, the price being plainly printed 

 on each wrapper. We looked at ours, and lo and behold the 

 " price sixpence " had been beautifully erased and no signs of 

 it left. We sorrowfully wondered how many sixpences the man 

 made by his dodge. 



Then one word about the A and B entries — e.g., 9a or 9b, and 

 BO on. These should never be used if possible, for beyond show- 

 ing the entries have been slovenly kept, or that entries have 

 been received beyond the proper time, they often are the cause 

 of much confusion and annoyance, for the pen man comes, 

 erects his pens and numbers them, and the birds arrive. Pre- 

 fiently, say, 9a comes in; pen 9, and next to it pen 10 are found, 

 but 9a appeareth not. Then a pen is erected in some out-of- 

 the-way corner, hastily numbered 9a, and the contents of the 



basket put in, or, perhaps, they are placed in some empty pen 

 where the proper inhabitants have not turned-up. The Judge 

 comes round and judges, and not seeing 9a they get nihil, and 

 yet, may be, are the best birds in the class ; while the unhappy 

 owner at h"rae, knowing not the reason, uses unpleasant words 

 about the Judge which passed over his birds, which perhaps, 

 too, are champion winners. This is not always the case, but 

 we have known it happen more than once, and it must be 

 guarded against. 



Perhaps some will consider this a long article on a very 

 trifling subject. We think otherwise, for we are certain that 

 nothing connected with our shows wants attention more than 

 the present system of the dispatch of catalogues; and, more- 

 over, that there is nothing so valued by the majority of exhibi- 

 tors as a well-got-up catalogue with clearly-printed prize list 

 arriving by first possible post after the awards are made. 

 Having said thus much, we leave the matter in the hands of 

 the secretaries, and do hope the present season may be marked 

 by an improvement in this respect; so that as we called last 

 year the "triumph of the double baskets," ao this year may 

 be known as the one chronicling the improvement in the cata- 

 logue arrangements of our shows. — W. 



"BLACKS" IN FOWLS. 



A FEW years ago the north of England was noted for its cock 

 fights, mains being fought on all public occasions. Speaking to 

 an old "pitter" the other day, he remarked that one-half of 

 the diseases to which fowls are now subject would be avoided if 

 the owners would but resort to a remedy which, in his young 

 days, was about the only one used when the birds were noticed 

 to be unhealthy. For what is locally known here as " blacks " 

 in birds no other specific has been found so salutary. Take a 

 little rue fresh from the plant, pound it, and mix into a pill 

 with soot, open the bill of the bird, and shove it into the crop. 

 If given occasionally when the birds are in ordinary health it ia 

 a capital preventive of disease. — Beta. 



MANCHESTER AND LIVERPOOL POULTRY 

 SHOW. 



This was held at Preston, August 10th, 11th, and 12th. The 

 chickens were unusually good. 



In Dorkings first and third were good pairs of large build and 

 good in claws, second a fine cockerel, as was the same owner's 

 unnoticed birds. This was a capital class. In Spanish the 

 winners were a very old-looking pair, and it was the general 

 opinion that they could not possibly be birds of 1375; second 

 were good though coarse; third a nice neat pen of promise; 

 the remainder also good. In Buff Cochins the winners were 

 superb, the pullets especially being grand in size, colour, and 

 shape ; third a grand pullet, and a nice cock not so good in colour. 

 Partridge were more numerous. First, a fine cockerel of good 

 colour, the pullet was a real gem of splendid quality ; third not 

 so nice a pullet, but a very Cochin-like cockerel of great merit; 

 second were a nice pair but hardly so perfect as the others. 

 Dark Brahmas were good, though, perhaps, not so perfect as 

 last year. First and second cockerels were beautiful in colour, but 

 a little wanting in symmetry. Third cockerel too heavy in leg 

 feather; pullets all nice. Light Brahmas were very moderate, 

 and a poor entry. Game were poor throughout, the only pens 

 deserving notice being the first Brown Reds and the first 

 yellow-leg Piles; both pairs being good in colour, head, and 

 shape. Hamhurghs were certainly a grand lot, and the com- 

 petition severe. In Golden-pencils, first went to a pair, the 

 cockerel rather a plain bird, but the pullet one of those beauties 

 which come out so seldom ; second a neat pair, the cockerel 

 light in colour, both good otherwise ; third a moderate cockerel 

 and a fair pullet. Some of the other pens contained one good 

 bird. Silver-pencils were a grand lot ; first and second showy in 

 tail and neat in head, but inclining to be yellow; third a grand 

 tail and nice colour, but the cockerel too full of marking. Mr. 

 Beldou's were two capital pairs. In Golden-spangles the first 

 and second were capital in colour and marking; third too 

 patchy in spangling and lacing, and the cock rather light. In 

 Silver-spangles the first cockerel was not our fancy, a fine bird, 

 but plain pullet verv finely spangled in the body; second was a 

 beautiful cockerel too dark in the neck, but splendidly marked, 

 pullet good ; third a fair cockerel, but pullet light in neck. Mr. 

 Fielding's pair were the best throughout, but the cockerel too 

 light in his legs for the Judge. In Blacks, first a capital cockerel 

 indeed, but the pullet minus any point but ears, which were 

 good; second and third were capital all round, and must have 

 been close upon the first. In Polish first and third were fair 

 White-crested ; second. Golden-spangled of great merit, but the 

 pullet was rather high in the back or they must have won. In 

 French first went to Houdans, the pullet a beauty, but the cock- 

 erel decidedly poor ; second were Crtives, the cockerel also very 

 poor, and the pullet though good in b'izq was poor in crest ; 



