170 TiiF. Illvstrated Book of Poultry. 



some such notice as, "Disqualified on account of fraud in Pen — ," we should have a check on 

 these practices which, though not total, would be very generally effective ; and every honest 

 amateur should join in pressing this upon show committees. It is tlicy who now shrink from 

 their duty ; and one of the best- judges we have has gone so far as publicly to complain of the 

 supineness of these bodies in cases actually discovered and exposed by his exertions. We have 

 long ceased to hope for anything Utopian, and we ask for nothing unreasonable now ; but it is not 

 too much, surely, to demand that when fraud is detected by the vigilance of the judges, some 

 penalty should be enforced by those who are answerable for the conduct of a show. How far this 

 is the case, the following statement, for which we have again to thank Mr. Hewitt, will make plain ; 

 while it will show conclusively that the language wc have employed respecting the neglect of their 

 plain duty by many committees is by no means too strong : — 



" After the issue by committees of the customary printed rules against ' trimming,' and which 

 are usually expressed in language so simple, uniform, and stringent, it might fairly be anticipated 

 that where the judges have, in unpleasant fulfilment of their positive duty, disqualified pens for 

 gross violation of the rules thus set forth, the arbitrators might at least confidently rely on the 

 concurrence of the committee themselves in support of the decisions — the positive proof lying 

 exclusively with the judges. As experience proves, this ofttimes is directly contrary to the fact : 

 the committee do not consider their position even then as being obligatory ; they shrink from their 

 duty, and thus the disqualification is after all not enforced, or even publicly exposed. 



" Not long since, at one of the largest shows in the kingdom, my colleagues and myself 

 disqualified nearly one-third of the entries in a large class for Dark Brahma pullets, and these 

 disqualifications were duly announced by us, and recorded by the committee, at the time of giving 

 in the awards. No note whatever was made of any of them in the printed prize list, nor by posting 

 " disqualified cards" on the pens, although our especial attention had been, previously to judging, 

 directed by the committee to the rule against trimming, and an hour of valuable daylight actually 

 lost in the discovery and record of these malpractices. When asked the reason of this omission, 

 it was coolly stated, 'that the committee had just held a meeting on the subject, and it was 

 resolved not to make it public, as it might injure future shows' — adding they found 'it would be 

 far more sensible to bring forward some more modest proposal, than to commit themselves to so 

 large and impracticable a scheme.' A curious incident here followed worth naming. A gentleman 

 well-known for his fixed opposition to ' trimming,' in reporting on this very class, stated the best 

 pen of pullets \vas unnoticed ; a remark in which he was fully justified, as these birds were the 

 most cleverly though grossly trimmed in the hock-feathers (of both pullets) the judges had ever 

 seen, but so well carried out as to be not apparent in the show-pen. 



" I am quite aware that by some persons the opinion is entertained that if off"enders as to 

 trimming are dealt with too severely, it might estrange many amateurs who proposed exhibiting 

 from entering on the pursuit ; but my own fixed impression is simply this, that if committees 

 would be at the trouble of making a few unflinching examples of offenders, the raids of these 

 ' trimmers ' on the prize lists would no doubt be at the least very considerably controlled, if not 

 held in check altogether. 



"I have always been averse (as now) to 'trimming,' as being injurious to the just rights 

 of strictly conscientious exhibitors, and was myself the first party who publicly wrote against 

 trimming. Havmg narro\\ly watched its progress, I can say 'its advance towards perfection 

 is far greater than most persons accredit. Omitting the question of dyed plumage, pins in combs, 

 and many other schemes th^t trimrning gives rise to, I easily call to mind the very crude attempt 



