408 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ XoTember 4, 1875. 



most approved stiains, liviog in a set of snbstantial kenneU ; 

 and there are, too, " Royal" winners in the stable, and silver- 

 cap foals in the fields, and highly-bred cattle of all kinds in 

 the stalls, while a first-prize Crystal Palace cat is found in the 

 hameesroom. Bat we mnst tnrn to the poultry yards. 



The farmyard here is what a farmyard should be — long rows 

 of shedding for feeding cattle, bams and granaries of huge 

 dimensions, and such stacks ! Xo little round dumpling affairs, 

 or brick-loai-looking erections, but rows of stacks like miniatnre 

 mountains, covering we dare not venture to say how much 

 space, and all raised up on iron stands ; consequently the dry 

 runs under them are quite grand, and chickens should really 

 do wonders. But it was October when we were there, and we 

 found this fine farmyard given up to a miscellaneous collection 

 of birds, consistitig principally of Buff Cochin, Spanish, and 

 Dorking hens. These birds should moult out well here and 

 come in useful, for they had everything in their favour. 



Coming from this stackyard we pass through a little gate 

 and enter the poultry field where the long row of runs are. We 

 can safely say we never saw such a grand row of poultry pens. 

 They were built regardless of cost, and we will try to describe 

 them. They comprise twelve or fourteen houses, built in one 

 long row. The whole range is thatched, the roof being very 

 deep and thick, which keeps the temperature perfect. Each 

 house is about 16 feet square, and is fitted with a large dust 

 bath and all necessary poultry furniture. Each house has a 

 huge run laid down in grass and planted with shrubs. The 

 pens are loarded-up to about 4 feet, and then have 6 feet of 

 wire netting, while there is at the bottom of each yard a small 

 door to let the inmates of the pen into the field at any time. 

 Iron guttering runs along the whole roof, and each door has 

 spring hinges, in fact it is the most complete range of houses 

 we ever saw. It is impossible to give any fair conception of 

 them on paper. 



But to pass to the inmates. In No. 1 we found half a dozen 

 BnS cocks moulting well, one or two especially of great promise. 

 In the next we found a lot of Silkies, many of them perfect 

 and fit to win. In the third was a grand old coloured Dorking 

 hero coming on well in his solitary retirement. In the next 

 was a fine White-crested Poland cock also doing well. In the 

 fiflh were half a dozen Black Ccchin hens, one of which while 

 we were there was sent oS to Edenbridge Show, and brought 

 home the first-prize card. In the next were Cochin hens, and 

 here we paused some time, for many of them were of great 

 merit. Two Bufia and a White we were immensely taken with, 

 and shall expect to hear of their doing great things. In the 

 seventh pen was a beautiful old Spanish cock, good in face 

 and promising well. In the next were White-Crested Poland 

 chickens, one of them the grand pallet that so much has been 

 said about. We found adult Polish in the next, and so on 

 throughout the whole range, while Pigeons flew about every- 

 where, and built their nests in any of the houses at pleasure. 



From this field we passed on to a very pretty spot. It was to 

 oar mind the nicest of the runs, for it was sheltered on all sides, 

 and had a little pool of water close to it. The grass here was 

 kept short and well rolled, for it was, as well, the lawn tennis 

 ground. Here were the Cochin cockerels, and a very good lot 

 they were. Among them we saw the Aylesbury and Oswestry 

 w innin g Buffs and the Blacks which won at Aylesbury, Eden- 

 bridge, Alexandra Palace, &c. The Palace cap cockerel was 

 one of the best Blacks we ever saw, and we prophesy a good 

 career for him. All the birds were in beautifol condition and 

 in perfect bloom. 



We bad now seen all the birds which were up at Little Ness, 

 and walked on to Vale Wood, a charming spot about a mile oS, 

 covered with fine oaks and beeches, under which grass and 

 ferns grew in wild luxuriance. On our way we passed a pad- 

 dock with a big poultry house in a comer, and here were 

 cockerels of all ages — Dorkings, Cochins, and Spanish — all 

 living together in perfect harmony, and many of them very 

 promisicg; in fact, we believe since we saw them one or two 

 have come to the front in the prize lists. 



It is at Vale Wood that the foxes trouble Mr. Darby so 

 much, but we foond here a most ingenious contrivance of 

 Martin's the manager ; a space 100 yards square had been 

 cleared round the poultry houses, in each corner a strong post 

 had been sunk into the ground, and a stout wire strained from 

 poet to post. In each comer was a dog kennel, and each dog 

 had a chain which was fastened to the wire by a ring. By this 

 means each dog had to guard 100 yards, and he cculd run up 

 and down this space at pleasure, so keeping oft all intruders, 

 whether two-legged or four-legged, from this square which con- 

 tained the houses and roosting sheds. 



We found here Coloured Dorking hens, rose-combed and 

 single — great-bodied birds, and most of them well through the 

 moult. We were shown many a champion here, and very grand 

 they looked. Here, too, were troops of Game Bantams, a grand 

 rose-combed Dorking cock, some splendid White Dorking hens, 

 a good Coloured Dorking pallet or two, besides a miscellaneous 

 collection of young growing stock which had aothing to do but 



to grow, basking lazily in the thick bracken, and picking about 

 under those fine forest trees. 



Opposite the manager's hoase was a little paddock with a 

 nice thatched shed in the comer. Here were the Cochin 

 pallets — Buffs, Blacks, and Whites. The former were very 

 good, two or three of them being in colour equal to any we have 

 seen this season, and we since have learned that one of them was 

 the pullet so much admired at the Aston Park Show. These 

 pullets, especially the Buffs and Blacks, must come to the front 

 sooner or later. 



As we walked back we passed some cottages where a nice 

 Game cock or two were out at walk, and when we once more 

 reached Little Ness we went to the poultry room, where in small 

 straw-littered pens we found various old cocks in process of 

 changing their summer clothing. We took a great fancy to a 

 Black cock, and a White bird was coming out a good colour, and 

 will make a winner we should think. We only had to see the 

 Spanish now, and then we had finished the whole yard. These 

 we found in a large covered-iu manure-yard, and a capital col- 

 lection they seemed to be, nearly fifty of them, hens, pallets, 

 and cockerels. We thought the place warm and singularly 

 adapted for bringing-out their faces and developing their combs. 



This, then, was the Baschurch establishment. We have had 

 to go over it rapidly, as it is large and the number of birds 

 great ; but we have given, we hope, some idea of the place, and 

 leave it wishing Mr. Darby every success, for he is a genuine 

 fancier and an honest one, and well deserves every card his 

 birds bring home. — W. 



ALEXANDRA PALACE POULTRY SHOW. 



TocB contributor says that Mr. BUlett had the birds speedily 

 packed at the close of the Show. We are at a loss to know 

 whence the information was derived, for Mr. BUlett had nothing 

 whatever to do with repacking the birds, which was done by the 

 Secretaries and a numerous staff of assistants ; and with about a 

 dozen exceptions every bird was in the hands of the railway 

 people before four o'clock on Friday morning. We may add 

 that Mr. BUlett executed his contract for the pens in an emi- 

 nently satisfactory manner. 



The next misstatement in your report is that the birds while 

 at the Show were fed by the Messrs. Spratt i Co. On the con- 

 trary, the birds were fed and attended to during the Show by 

 Mr. H. Brown and several feeders ; and with the exception of 

 two or three cwt. of Spratt's meal the whole of the food stuS 

 was supplied by Mr. K. Pratt. 



We cannot help remarking also that in the report on the 

 Pigeon Show your reporter should have altogether ignored such 

 important varieties as Carriers, Pouters, and Dragoons, which 

 all had large and well-filled classes, and we think were deserving 

 of some notice. — W. J. Nichols, P. H. Jones, Sees. 



[The only reason that no comments on the C£irriers, Pouters, 

 and Dragoons were published is, that the report on them was 

 [ confided to a gentleman who did not send his notes. — Eds.] 



MALAYS. 



Is your report of Alexandra Palace Show I see you have 

 favoured the Malay fancy with fuller notes on this class than is 

 generally the case with other papers that devote space for 

 poultry matters. I am led to believe, like more of the fancy, 

 that Malays are a breed which few know how to describe, not 

 knowing their true character. You specially name the Cream 

 colour, as if they ought to be either White or Piles. Now as 

 there is no standard colour for Malay hens, I maintain that 

 colour should not have too much weight, but style and size, and 

 the neck or hackle scant of feathers, with plenty of leg. — 

 K. Ha\^"Kins, Seahani. 



THE FRENCH CLASSES. 



It shows the increasing popularity of these breeds, especially 

 of the Houdans, that in a season so confessedly bad for chickens 

 such birds could have been brought together as at the Alex- 

 andra Palace Show; and those who like myself have watched the 

 progress of the breeders must admire the energy and intelli- 

 gence by which they have effected so vast an improvement — an 

 improvement which would, I believe, make our neighbours open 

 their eyes as wide as did the rose-growers when they saw the 

 magnificent pot roses at the Great International Exhibition. 

 Not merely the size, but the quality of the birds was wonderful. 

 But must not some people give great latitude to the interpreta- 

 tion of chickens ? I saw pullets with scaly legs, and in all my 

 breeding experience I have never met with that in birds under 

 twelve months. 



Of the four classes I think the Houdan cockerels were the 

 weakest in point of quality, and there was hardly a bird in it with 

 which some fault might not be found. The cup bird, which 

 belonged to my friend Mr. Dring, was a very large fine bird, 

 good in colour, but with too scanty a crest ; legs light in colonr. 



