PART IV. THE POULTRY FANCY 



CHAPTER XXVII 



POULTRY EXHIBITIONS 



Primary poultry exhibitions. The beginnings of poultry exhibi- 

 tions are to be found in England and Scotland in little gatherings 

 of poultry fanciers in taverns, and in America in small exhibits 

 of poultry at agricultural fairs. It is altogether probable that in all 

 countries where any degree of attention has been given to the 

 development of special types, the bringing of fowls to semisocial 

 evening gatherings of persons interested in them has been for 

 centuries an irregular custom, but we have definite information only 

 of those in Britain, in which some of the veteran American fanciers 

 of British birth took part. In America so far as is known this 

 type of informal private show was not developed until after public 

 exhibitions became somewhat general. Since then it has been an 

 occasional feature in meetings of local poultry associations. Ex- 

 hibits of poultry were made at agricultural fairs in Massachusetts 

 at least two years before the first special poultry exhibition at Bos- 

 ton in 1849. It is quite possible that poultry was shown at earlier 

 fairs both in Massachusetts and other eastern states. 



The early informal evening exhibits brought together some of 

 the fancy fowls of a locality. The early exhibits at the fairs were 

 more in the practical line, representing the best poultry found on 

 farms. At these early agricultural poultry exhibits the exhibitor was 

 expected to furnish a written statement describing his stock and 

 giving an itemized list of his expenses for and receipts from his 

 poultry for a year preceding. Both the poultry and the report were 

 considered in awarding premiums, or bounties, as they were then 

 called, from the fact that the prize money was paid by the state. 1 



1 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts still pays an average of about $4000 a 

 year in poultry prizes at agricultural fairs. 



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