September 2, 1875. J 



JOURNAL OF HORTlOULTUaB AND COTTAQB GABDENEB. 



217 



age merit, several of the departmeuts beiDg well furnished, the 

 fruits and vegetables more especially. To comment on the 

 great attractions of the fete would be to refer to the military 

 concert sustained by the band of Her Majesty's Ist Life Guards 

 and the Burton Rifle band, and to the exhibition of poultry. 

 Pigeons, cage birds. Rabbits, and Cats, and the coopers' compe- 

 tition with casks. The former was a musical treat of high 

 character, and was much appreciated ; whilst the coopers' con- 

 test, representing one of the chief industries of the town, was 

 a capital speculation, and served the purpose of the Committee 

 most snccessfully. The poultry, bird. Rabbit, and Cat Show 

 was a "great draw" on the visitors, and the Committee of the 

 Society would do well to make this and the coopers' competition 

 an established institution in connection with one of their fetes 

 every year. It would then be looked forward to, and intending 

 coiupetitors would consult the arrangement when deciding upon 

 their fixtures ; indeed, tbis is a point worthy of the Committee's 

 notice, the financial result of the late fi'te— more than i:80 in 

 advance of any previous year, being a consideration of no mean 

 importance. 



Cage Birds, of which there were ten classes, brought about 

 fifty entries, and formed an attractive feature of the Exhibition. 

 Here and there were promising specimens, which, as the season 

 advances, may very likely be heard of again. The Lizard and 

 Mule classes were good iu quality, but in the former the number 

 was limited, three entries only having been effected, whilst 

 Mules had eight, some of which were fit for any company. 

 There was a class for Goldfinches and another for " British," as 

 the catalogue specified, which was a strange way of naming the 

 classes. In the Crystal Palace catalogue a Nightingale is 

 eligible for entry under the heading of " Birds of Passage and 

 Migratory Birds;" but at Burton-upon-Trent matters differ 

 somewhat, for Thrushes and a Bullfinch (British birds proper) 

 had to stand back for a Nightingale, which was awarded first 

 honours in the "British" class! There was a Thrush in the 

 class well worthy of a first prize. 



„ 5°,",? ■i'^" "■• ^"^ E. B. Charlton. LichfleM. 2, W. H. Crewe, Etwall, Derby 

 S, S. W. Hallam, n hitwick. Leicester 



Cocmss.— White -1, F. Holbrook. Derbv. Cinnamon or BniT.-l, T. Henry, 

 Birmingham. 2 and 3, E. J. Draper, Burton-on-Trent. he, Mrs. AUaopp, 

 Worcester. 



BaiHMi Poo-TRk.— Light —\ and 2. T. M. Skarrat. Worcester. DaTk.—\, W. 

 Whiteley. Sheffield. 2, E. Pritchard, Tettenhal), Wolverhamptnn. 8, Bridge- 

 water & Yoxall, Wednesbury. he, J. Holmes. Chesterlield ; E. Kendrick, jun., 

 Lichfield. 'J ' 



Spanish.— 1, R. Hill, Nottingham. 2,Mra. Allsopp. S.E.Winwood. Worcester. 



Polish^!. J. Robinson, Garstang. 2, R. Hall, ion.. Waltonon-Trent. 3, H. 

 iardley. Birmingham. 



Fbbnch.-i, Mrs. Miller, Fakenham, Norfolk. 2, a. W. Hibbert, Godley. 

 Manchester 



G^az —Black or Broxm-brenf-ted flcd.t— 1, G. Bamesbv, Derby. 2. E. Bell, 

 Horninglow Wharf, s, E. Winwood. he. S. Hollins, tutbury. Any oth^r 

 iwiripfj.-l, G. Baniesby. 8. E. Winwnod. S and c, R Bell. 



H«MBtJRGm.—(3oW or. Siirfr-«p(i>wifiZ.-l. S. W. Hallam. 2. J. Robinson. S. 

 r'm """en.jao.. Fiikenham. Ooldor HUver-penciUed.—\.S.yi Hallam. 2, 

 J. Ward, Ashby-de-li-ZoQch. 3. Smith & Taylor, Lincoln, e, H. Yardley. 



V,"^,??"^" ViKiETV.-l, J. Croote, Dodington, Brii^gewater. 2, E. Winwood. 

 3, H. Kidger, Owston Oakham. 



BiNTiMs.-l, E. Bell. 2, D. C. Wingfleld, Sidbury, Worcester. 3 and c, A. C. 

 Bradbnry, Nnttall, Nottingham. 



1 *^'-V.'"iCL»8s.-l, Mrs. Allsopp. 2. E. Kendrick, jnn. 3. A. C. Bradbnry. 

 /if. G. M. Cooper, Burtonon-Trent. c, D. Hicks. Burton-on-Trent 



IJUCK8.— iJouen -I, T. Mills. Seacombe. Birkenhead. 2, R Kendrick, jun. 

 ov « ,i'"'^'^y- Stapenhill. White Aylesbury. -1 and 2, J. Denton, Pitmoor, 

 Sheffield. 3, T. Milis. 



PIGEONS 



CiERlERS -1, w. Miller. Walsall. 2, H Yardley. 3. B. Hudson. Driffield. 



POOTEBS — 1, J. Pratt, Hampton-in-ArdPH, Birmingham. 2, J. Stiles, Jan., 

 Knshton, Kettering, 3, G. Destener, Driffield, he. H. Yardley. 



IDM8LERS.— 1 and 3. H. Yardley. 2, J. Peace, Burton.on-Trent. 



UEionoNs.— 1, H. Yardley. 2 and 3, R. Woods. Mansfield. 



Antwebps.— 1 and 2, H. Y'ardley. 3. W. Morris, Derby. 



fiXTiiLH.— 1 and 2, J. F. Loycrsidge, Newark. 3, H. Vaidley. 



Am OTHER ViKiEir.-I and 3, H. Yardley. 2, B. Hudson, Driffield. 



„ CAGE BIRDS. 



BKLGiiNs.— 1, T. Moore, Thringatone, Leicester. 2, H. Dayiei, Wolver- 

 hampton, o > 



Norwich.— Clear Yellow-]. Brown & Dickinson, Leicester. 2, A. Utton, 

 Derby. Eqnal 2. C. J. Salt, Stapen HilL Clear Buff.— I and he, A. UJton. 2, 

 W. Bowyer, Leek. 



NORWicH.-F(irie(m(<'ii, Tellom, or Buff.— i, 3. Watson, Burton-on-Trent. 2. 

 A. Curtis, Burtonon-Trent. Ac, W. Bowyer. c, J. Torr. Derby. Crested, any 

 cotour.-l, A.Ufton. 2 and e, C. J. Salt. Ac. W Bowyer. 



CiNNiMoN.-l. T. Newbold, Bmton-on-Trent. 2 and he, C. J. Salt. 



LIZARDS.- Gold or Hilver-spangled.—\ and 2. S. Bunting, Derby. 



U\ii,^e.--Any variety.— 1 and 2, S. Bunting. Equal 2, A. Curtis, he, J. 

 Bexson, Derby. » h . 



GoLDFiscn.-l and 2, A. Cnrtis. he, H. Davies. 



BRiTisH.-l, P. Nachtigall, Burtonon-Tren'. 2, J. Lacy, he, T. Peck, Burton- 

 on. I rent. 



T„„ , RABBITS. 



1 LOP EARED.— I and 2, T. Schofleld, Jun., Cheetham. 3. T. H. Jones, Banbnry. 

 he. J. Mann, Bnrtonon.Trent. 

 gjj^o""-— 1 and 2, H. Swetman, Fulford, York. 3, B.Hudson. Ac. W. Kimber, 



HiMiLATAN.— 1, C. G. Mason, Rochdale. 2, R. A. Boissier, Penshurat. 8, J. 

 Tebbntt, Northampton. 



Silver-Grei.-i, T. Schofleld, jun. 2 and e, J. Quick. Seymour Place, London. 

 3, B. (jreaves. Cleethorpea. he, J. H. Watkins, Bvford. 



Any Vabiett.- 1, W. H. Crewe. Etwall. 2, Mrs. H. Pickworth, Spalding. 

 8 and c, B. Greayes. he, T. Schofleld, jun. 



CATS. 



loRTOiSESHELL OR Tobtoisebhf.ll-and-White — 1, C. Graves, Boythorpp, 

 ( hesterfield. 2, S. 3. Johnson, Burton.on-Trent. 3, E. Vincent, Buiton-on- 

 Trent. 



Tabbieb.-I, C. A. Shcrwin. 2. O Nichols, Lichfield. S, Brown, Burton-on- 

 Trent he. W. T Slretton. Stapenhill. 



Lo.\a HAiE.-Jl/aie.— 1, T. Weighlman, Warren Wood, Halfleld. 2, Miss G. 



Taylor, Burton-on-Trent. 2, W. Kimber. Female.-\. R. Hall, jun..Bor>uBh 

 Fields, WaltononTrent. i, S. A. Pocock, Great Berkhampsload. 8, T. 

 Weighlman. 



Any OTIIKR Vabiktv —1, Mrs. T. W. Mioton, Newcaslle-undor-Lync. 2, H. 

 Hudson, Burlon-on Trent. 3, J. Upton, Ultoxeter. he. W. Jones, Stapenhill. 



JoDOES.— Poit/^ry, Pigeons, and liabhits : Mr. A. O. Worth- 

 ington, and Mr. Tegetmeier. BiriU : Mr. E. Bemrose, Derby. 

 Cats : Mr. Thomas Wortbingtou, Derby. 



GOOD EGG?. 



The old notion that " eggs is eggs " no matter of what variety 

 or how produced, is fast dying out; still there are a great many 

 persons among those who should know better who do not realise 

 the effect of feed upon the quality of the egg. 



There is just as much difference between the eggs of fowls 

 allowed to roam and forage for themselves, and those which are 

 fed regularly on good nutritious food, as there is between a leg 

 of good Southdown mutton and that of a common half-starved 

 sheep. 



Fowls roaming over the farm and through the stable, ex- 

 pected through the summer months to pick up a living for them- 

 selves, eat many things they would not otherwise touch; and 

 this strong rank food affects the taste of the eggs. The same 

 as when a cow eals onions, cabbage or turnips, the milk at once 

 receiving the bad flavour. 



Eggs thus taiuted in flavour have not the same keeping quali- 

 ties as those from better-kept fowls. The richer the food the 

 better flavoured and higher coloured the eggs. Wheat and corn, 

 with a little animal food — scraps or cooked lights — twice or 

 three times a week, if the fowls are on a grass run, will produce 

 the best quality of eggs for the table. 



If the fowls are confined in a small yard with no access to 

 grass, green food must be provided for them. A small feed daily 

 of chopped grass or clover, with occasionally a head of lettuce or 

 cabbage, will be a great benefit. Buckwheat is good to promote 

 the increase of eggs, but it does not add to their richness. The 

 yolk becomes pale, and if much of this grain is used the eggs are 

 not desirable for pastry, and are unfit for some kinds of confec- 

 tionery. 



Oatmeal and Indian meal mixed and scalded add both to the 

 production and quality of the eggs, but care must be taken not 

 to feed too liberally, or the increase of fat will check the produc- 

 tion of eggs. — {American Pet Stock Bulletin.) 



A CARRIER PIGEON CAUGHT AT SEA. 



Capt. Holljes. of the German ship Duisberg, lying at Com- 

 mercial Wharf, Fell's Point, has on board a Carrier Pigeon 

 which was caught at sea, the ship being on the voyage from 

 Europe for Baltimore. When ten days outside the British 

 Channel, and seven hundred miles from the nearest land, on an 

 afternoon, the captain's attention was attracted to the Pigeon 

 flying near the ship, seemingly quite exhausted. Some food was 

 placed on the deck near the cabin, when the Pigeon came on 

 hoard and ate greedily. At nightfall it nestled in the shrouds 

 far up on the mainmast, and was taken prisoner by the captain 

 himself. The bird is of the pure Carrier Pigeon breed, with 

 rainbow-hued plumage and a mnsoular development of body and 

 wings not known to the more common varieties. Beneath the 

 left wing, on one of the large feathers, are imprinted in very 

 plain characters the words, "Du Siege de Paris" (The Sieg>j 

 of Paris). 



The letters were evidently put on with a stencil and brush 

 and are one-third of an inch in length. It is possible that this 

 was one of the many Carrier Pigeons employed by the French 

 to take flying trips with packets of information outside the walls 

 of Paris during the memorable siege of that city by tbe German 

 army. But it is not probable that, becoming lost, it has in all 

 the years since been a fugitive over the land and sea, seeking an 

 abiding place. Capt. Holljes thinks it may have been turned 

 loose from a French mail steamship out on the ocean and started 

 back to Paris, but, becoming tired and hungry, sought food and 

 rest on the Duisberg. The captain holds it by right of capture, 

 and prizes his pet more highly than did its French owner, for 

 he will not part with it. The words stamped on the wing may 

 have been placed there during the siege of Paris. All govern- 

 ment Carrier Pigeons have a stamp of some kind, and this may 

 have been one of them. 



LIGDRIAN BEES. 



"A TouNG Apiarian" wishes some bee-keeper " woiild give 

 us his experience of the comparative honey-collecting capacities 

 of the pure Ligurians and the common black bees this season, 

 as it would be especially valuable and interesting ju'^t now. If 

 it is true that the Ligurian bees collect a third more honey thsn 

 the common bees in season like this when my bees (the ordi- 

 nary black bees) have not coUtrCted more than enough to keep 

 the hives from losing iu weight since the middle of June, wa 



