FANCIERS' JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION. 



Wohcester, Mass., November 15th, 1873. 

 Joseph M. Wade, Esq., 



Secretary American Poultry Association. 

 Dear Sir : In a recent number of the Poultry World, you 

 invite suggestions from any person upon the revision of our 

 standard of excellence for fowls. I feel somewhat diffident 

 in responding to your invitation, because I am aware that 

 the views which I entertain in relation to a standard are in 

 antagonism with the prevailing opinions of our poultry men, 

 and yet, having given considerable thought to this subject, 

 and having carefully noted the workings of our present sys- 

 tem of judging our exhibitions, I feel assured that my views 

 are not only well grounded in theory but also well sustained 

 by careful observation and actual experience. There seems 

 to be a very prevalent idea among poultry men, that the 

 standard has been made for the purpose of guiding the judges 

 in their arbitrations of our exhibitions. Now, it seems to 

 me that this idea has led to many serious errors, and given 

 rise to much dissatisfaction in regard to judging. My own 

 idea is, that a standard is made, or ought to be made for the 

 exclusive purpose of giving expression to our highest idea 

 of a perfect specimen in each variety of fowl, or whatever 

 the specimen may be. In order to produce perfect speci- 

 mens we must of necessity have a well-defined idea of what 

 shall constitute such specimens, and we must, of necessity, 

 lay down in some unmistakable form certain points as con- 

 ditions, style, form, and color; but in order to do this, it 

 does not become necessary that we should give any numeral 

 value to these points in order to judge them correctly. For 

 example, let us take the highest ideal which we have of 

 beauty of form, — the human figure. The Greeks, who have 

 given us our highest types, have also given us certain ideal 

 measurements for the several parts ; as for instance, so many 

 lengths of the head for the entire length of the body ; so 

 many for an arm, a leg, or a foot. Now if we follow the 

 measurements accurately and construct a drawing or a statue 

 of the human form, does it follow that our work is perfect 

 because it conforms to these measurements? By no means ; 

 for the beauty or the grace of the figure cannot be expressed 

 by numbers, and without these essentials our work would 

 prove a decided failure. The same rule will apply in form- 

 ing our ideal of a perfect bird. We can state what shall 

 constitute a perfect specimen in condition, style, shape, and 

 color ; but we cannot lay down any fixed number or num- 

 bers which shall express these points, because these points 

 can only be felt, they cannot be expressed. I would, there- 

 fore, respectfully suggest to the gentlemen who represent our 

 poultry interests at the coming convention, that they lay 

 down as perfect an ideal as is possible for the guidance of 

 those who would prepare for our exhibitions, but that the/y 

 would omit any fixed numeral values to any of the specified 

 points. 



In seems to me that in making this revision of our stand- 

 ard we should endeavor to make it as perfect as possible, and 

 in so doing we cannot ignore the fact, that after many years 

 of study upon this subject, and many efforts on the part of 

 such an authority as Mr. Wright, to get round the difficul- 

 ties which constantly present themselves, he has at last de- 

 cided that any numeral standard must of necessity be a 

 failure, and the additional fact that all the prominent judges 

 in England have decided against them as impractical and 

 unreliable. 



I have thus, in the limit of a letter to you, given a brief 

 sketch of my views of what a standard should be, and what 

 it should not be, or rather what it should not try to be ; and • 

 I trust 3'ou will see some force in my position. 



Tours, very truly, 



H. Woodward. 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



ON A SCALE OF POINTS FOR JUDGING 

 EXHIBITION POULTRY. 



I do not take up my pen with a view of dictating to the 

 American Poultry Association, to whom we brother fan- 

 ciers have wisely left the formation of a new and correct 

 " American Standard of Excellence," and I hope it will be 

 a correct and American standard. We have worked too long 

 in the dark already under that erroneous work, the existing 

 " Standard." We spend time and money to get a little finer 

 penciling, more perfect points or a purer color ; we get it 

 after much study and pains ; we exhibit our birds, confident 

 of their superiority over all others we have ever seen, and 

 anticipate getting the first or at least the second prize; we 

 wait for the prize cards to be placed on the winning coops, 

 and find we have taken fourth or perhaps no prize at all ; 

 and why is this? Because a faulty "Standard of Excel- 

 lence" allows to size in its "scale of points," a numerical 

 value inconsistent as regards the comparison of the same ; 

 with the value of other points and with the number given as 

 the standard of perfection ; in some breeds this value is as 

 high as one-quarter of the ideal number, and in one instance 

 over one-third; the consequence is, the man who has only 

 paid- attention to early hatching and inordinate feeding, 

 walks off with the highest honors with his " beefy," pam- 

 pered, and useless " meat machines." I think I can safely 

 affirm that they are not " egg machines." 



This is only one of the errors of the above-mentioned 

 work, but I will not enlarge on thorn ; the whole system of a 

 scale of points as there laid down is wrong. The best method 

 which has as yet been proposed or offered to the public, is 

 that originated by Mr. L. Wright, and published in his 

 Illustrated Book of Poultry; his theory of valuing defects 

 solely I consider correct, and upon trial have found his 

 scales remarkably easy of application and certain in their 

 results, except that in some of the scales as therein published 

 I do not agree with the comparative value as given to some 

 points in proportion to the value of other features, or rela- 

 tively to the ideal number. 



However, the principle is correct, as are also, in the main, 

 the scale or plan of comparative rank, and while I hope to 

 see them adopted in the new " Standard of Excellence," I 

 also hope that the scales will be modified where necessary to 

 represent American ideas. 



George F. Clarke. 

 Boston, November 26th, 1873. 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



MARYLAND POULTRY ASSOCIATIONS. 



We have made many attempts to accomplish a poultry 

 show in the Monumental City, as yet without success. In 

 the beginning of this year a number of gentlemen started the 

 Maryland State Poultry Association, and a grand exhibition 

 was to have been given, in conjunction with the State Fair 

 at Pimlico. An excellent premium list was arranged by the 



