PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 383 



some cases exercise the birds. Such attention is naturally 

 beneficial on extended or prolonged trips. 



Many appreciable and obvious benefits accrue if you are 

 with your birds and watch them every waking hour. Small 

 advantages tell in the long run and more likely than not, these 

 small advantages, just the barely appreciable things, will turn 

 the scale in your favor. 



CHAPTER IV. 



CARE IN THE SHOW ROOM. 



The largest and most prominent exhibitors accompany 

 their birds to the show room and remain with them through- 

 out the show or hire a competent man to do so. The smaller 

 exhibitors do not usually accompany the birds except at 

 their respective local shows. It often occurs that many birds 

 are shipped a great many miles to important shows and en- 

 trusted to the care of individuals employed by the show 

 management. Very often these employees are incompetent 

 because inexperienced in either handling or caring for birds. 

 Undoubtedly, the greatest harm is done by the handling of 

 assistants that are inexperienced and, very often, even un- 

 instructed. Experienced help is always hard to obtain for 

 temporary positions, and no exception to this statement can 

 be made when poultrymen or even men competent to handle 

 show specimens, perhaps only for a few brief minutes, are 

 required. Because of the effect upon their value of even the 

 slightest injury, perhaps merely the breaking of a single 

 feather, particularly, if such is affected by a disqualifying 

 clause and on this account open to suspicion, it is very de- 

 sirable for an exhibitor to go with, stay with, care for and 

 come home with his birds when it is possible for him to do 

 so without too great a sacrifice on his part. Besides the care- 

 ful handling that he can bestow, there are many precautions to 

 take against exposure and accident, and many things that one 

 can do to increase the chances of winning. That, to attend to 

 these things is worth while, may be soon proved to anyone's 

 satisfaction by watching closely the movements of the suc- 

 cessful and unsuccessful exhibitors. The time of the former 

 class is spent on their birds; that of the latter, generally in 

 social duties. 



