6G6 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



( December 23, 1875. 



attending exbilitors the possibility of suspecting that foul play 

 may be used, and that they have not the same chance of being 

 able to see to their birds' v?elfare, and to their being smartened- 

 up before placed iu their pens. Now this is all truo, and we 

 would strongly advise all societies who insert this rule into their 

 schedules to be more careful in observing it. Of course the 

 rule is optional, conseciuently those committees who like to let 

 in exhibitors and others before the judging can do so in all fair- 

 ness by not inserting the rule at all, and ihen the fanciers coald 

 please themselves about sending or not. But to those who do 

 think well to use such a rule let it, we say, in future be more 

 ttrictly kept. Among many other societies, Aylesbury, Bristol, 

 and Dorchester keep this regulation, we believe, to the letter, 

 and yet we never heard they lost entries from it. So far from 

 such being the case, we know of some who at inconvenience 

 support these exhibitions for the very reason that they do ob- 

 serve so firmly this rule, and keep out all who are not the ollicera 

 of the show. We are quite certain that if the regulation was 

 impartially adhered to no one would grumble ; but to admit 

 some favoured friendandkeepout a stranger is very bad manage- 

 ment. Let it be stated iu the schedule that anyone may 

 pen their birds that likes to bring them, provided they keep to 

 the other rules of the show, which could then be drawn-up at 

 the discretion of the committee; or, on the other hand, let it be 

 stated that no one will be able to gain entrance ; so that it may 

 be known that when a rule is made it will be carried out, and 

 then one species of grumbling will be knocked on the head. As 

 the rule is now used it fails utterly, for we ourselves have per- 

 sonally attended a show and taken our birds, gaining admission 

 to the building, and then on the next occasion been refused, 

 while the rules stood the same iu both years ; and not at one 

 show only, but at show after show and year after year is this 

 the cine. If only the non-attending exhibitor knew the rule 

 would be enforced he would send his birds with a much happier 

 heart, supposing, of course, the regulation existed, for if it did 

 not he should have found that out before entering. And again, 

 how often it would prevent an exhibitor coming a long distance, 

 to find only when he reached the show that he could not get in 

 for perhaps twenty four hours or more. 



Wo do not enter into the late cises of grievance, for it would 

 do no one any good, but we do feel that if the poultry world 

 conld only put more implicit confidence in the officers of our 

 exhibitions it would be so much better. They must not be too 

 ready to suspect and impute base designs on the gentlemen 

 who so often at such great expense and labour get up and 

 manage these shows, for we all know that without them the 

 poultry fancy would soon begin to wane. It is the friendly 

 rivalry and competition at these shows which cements so closely 

 onr vast poultry fabric. The committees, however, should 

 never give a vestige of suspicion by allowing any one rule being 

 disregarded; and as this one to which we have alluded is itself 

 BO important and so frequently broken, we hope managers will 

 henceforth try to put things on a fairer and more straightforward 

 basis. This they can do by making their rules and regulations 

 as they like, but when it comes to the case of admitting anyone 

 before the judging, let no favour be shown to anyone. Let the 

 point be clearly known, so that we may know a society by the 

 fact of its regulations being impartially observed. So that re- 

 garding the question we have been writing about, it may always 

 be a case of all in, or all out, before the judging. — W. 



GUILDFORD POULTET SHOW. 



This Show grows apace, and instead of being relegated to 

 queer little places, now fills a large drill-hall, so far as the 

 walls are concerned, the centre of the hall being devoted to 

 roots. For many years we have been the advocates of poultry 

 forming part of every agricultural meeting, especially when 

 they are held iu connection with the approaching Christmas 

 markets. If, however, we advocate this as a general rule, it 

 applies with greater force to Surrey. This county was always 

 tie home of the best poultry, and to this day to speak of a fowl 

 as a Surrey fowl is to give the assurance that it is one of the best 

 the country affords. It has long been said poultry must at last 

 receive the altention it deserves. We were never more con- 

 vinced of this than we were when, going to this Show on Tuesday 

 last, we saw the numbers of Geese and Turkeys that were 

 shown. We shall have to speak of them later. Poultry must 

 some day play a more important part in feeding the nation 

 than it does now, and some of the hundreds of thousands sent 

 abroad annually must be kept at home. This cannot be done 

 by the mass of amateurs. With few exceptions they have not 

 the space or the conveniences for rearing chickens. That which 

 can be attained only by a great outlay by amateurs, is already 

 provided gratuitously for those who are engaged in agricultural 

 pursuits. They have space, shelter, and food all available iu a 

 farmyard. Good judges have said if as much attention were 

 paid to poultry as to sheep they would pay as well, and we 

 believe it. 



With these thoughts running in our minds we were glad to 



begin with thirty-three pens of DorJciiigs, and to find the cup 

 and other prizes went to Dorking ; thus showing, that although 

 it may be a bootless errand to go to Stilton for cheese, the same 

 cannot be said of Dorking. This Show is remarkable for a 

 eood class of Cuckoo Dorkings, the present was no exception 

 The White Dorkings were also excellent. Had not the cup for 

 the best pen in the four first classes been given to the Coloured, 

 it would have gone to the Whites. They were very superior 

 birds. There is, however, one remark we must make, and that 

 is the prevalence of spurs on the outer part of the leg. This is 

 a recent complaint, but it is on the increase. This has never 

 been a Cochin show, the present was no exception. There was 

 not a pen of Buff. There were some good Whites, and a young 

 pen of Grouse that will improve with age. There was a good 

 display of Brahmas, but wo suppose some of the Darks had 

 been bred purposely for vulture hocks. They were more than 

 exaggerated, reaching nearly to the ground. The Lights were 

 much better than the Darks ; accounted for by Mr. Pares having 

 formerly lived in the neighbourhood, and showing what may be 

 done by disseminating good birds. The Spanish were not 

 numerous; some of them were good, but these and the Cochins 

 were the weak classes. The show of Game was excellent, a cup 

 given for the best pen in nine classes was taken by a pair of 

 Brown Beds. There were few Iloudans and Crcve-Cceurs: they 

 were, however, good, especially the latter. The rule of larger 

 shows was observed here. The Golden-pencilled were the best 

 of all the Hamburghs. There were excellent specimens. The 

 show of Game Bantams was good. 



Rouen and Aylesbury Duchs met in competition. The Rouens 

 were the heavier, but the Aylesburies were worthy of great 

 praise. We have never seen better-bred or better-shaped 

 Ducks. We here made the acquaintance of a novelty. We 

 have known hen-cocks for years, but we here saw that which 

 we must call a Duck-drake— the plumage so far as the body 

 was concerned, and the voice of a Duck; the curly tail, and 

 the green head and neck of the drake. As when similar 

 anomalies are met with in Pheasants, the colours were dull as 

 compared with the male. There were sixteen pens of first-rate 

 Tiirkei/s, we can vouch for their breed and their condition, 

 their weights will speak for themselves. A cock and hen were 

 shown iu each class, and the weights were for old birds -13 lbs., 

 47 lbs., and 41 lbs. ; for birds of the year 35 lbs., 33J lbs., and 

 32J lbs. There were two classes of Geese. Two birds constituted 

 a pen, and the prizetakers weighed 42* lbs., 42, and 37 lbs. 

 Among the young ones, 32 lbs., 31 lbs., and 30i lbs. ; of old a 

 poultry show was always held under the auspices of "a society 

 for the improvement of domestic poultry." In most instances 

 it has signally and totally failed. Birds have been bred and 

 sold for large prices for exhibition, but the supply of table 

 poultry in most places has bacome smaller and worse. Let the 

 Geese and Turkeys speak for the success that has attended 

 Guildford. It is more than likely these birds eat no more than 

 their predecessors did in the days when a Goose or hen Turkey 

 of 9 lbs. was well spoken of, and anything above that weight was 

 an exploit. To those who, travelling from Woking to Guildford, 

 and notice the hundreds of Geese by the side of the small stream, 

 and others " seeking their fortunes " on the common, it becomes 

 an interesting question to ask one's self if, owing to the 

 encouragement given by these societies, every Goose is 3 lbs. 

 heavier than its fellow was twelve years ago, and if the same 

 may be said of Turkeys, what is the gain in the actual amount 

 of food available for the people? It is in this respect that one 

 of these shows does more practical good than twenty cf those 

 held only for the purpose of showing birds bred to a point 

 or a feather which are attained at the cost of more valuable 

 properties. 



Mr. Baily was the Judge. We published the awards last 

 week. 



WOOLWICH, PLUMSTEAD, AND CHAELTON 

 POULTEY SHOW. 



This was held in the Alexandra Hall, Woolwich, and was 

 creditable to the exhibitors and supporters, who are chiefly 

 working men, who started and sustain the Society from the 

 pure love of the fancy. 



The exhibitors were mostly dwellers in the neighbourhood, 

 although Norfolk and Faversham, &c., put in an appearance 

 with success. The pens were arranged by Mr. Billet, and from 

 the light only coming from the roof, and the pens being in two 

 tiers, the lower pens were in darkness, which must have been 

 perplexing to the Arbitrator; but with the number of pens — 

 nearly two hundred — we do not think this could be avoided. A 

 larger room will be required with the increasing progress of the 

 Society. 



Brahmas, Darks, headed the list, followed by Lights. Some 

 good birds were shown, but in many cases (being iu pairs), two 

 good birds were not iu same pen, and matching was somewhat 

 detective. This, in fact, was the case in many classes, causing 

 much trouble in making the awards. The classes also were 



