FANCIERS' JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



89 



elements. Supposing I have reached a point where the type 

 maybe called a "strain," I acknowledge the bent of my 

 recreations by naming it, " The Parson's Blue Monday." 

 The French varieties, Houdan, Laflech, and Creveleur are 

 products of France. They have excellent qualities, but ex- 

 cept Houdans, are too delicate for this climate. The Hou- 

 dan is like the Dorking in size, -quality of flesh, and smallness 

 of bone, but is much hardier, matures more rapidly than 

 any other variety, and is said to be a good winter layer. 



I must in this paper forego to notice geese, ducks, tur- 

 keys, peafowl, and guinea-fowl ; not that they are unde- 

 serving, but that there is so much to be said in their behalf. 

 Our tame turkey is a native of Mexico. The wild turkey of 

 our own forests is a larger, finer, and more beautiful bird. 

 The Bronze Turkey is a cross of the Buff Turkey of South 

 America and our wild black variety. I have seen a bronze 

 said to weigh forty-five pounds, though we read of some yet 

 larger. 



Time will not admit of a treatment of the scientific phase 

 of poultry keeping here, although, to myself, this constitutes 

 its chief interest. " Brute psychology in its relations to 

 mental philosophy," "Selection of Species," with other 

 curious scientific queries, find a field of investigation easy to 

 observe, rapid in development, and full of pleasurable recre- 

 ation in the phenomena presented among these feathered 

 tribes. 



LIGHT BRAHMA CLASS. 



As judged at the Buffalo show, by I. K. Felch, Natick, 

 Mass ; E. P. Howlett, Syracuse, N. Y., and A. B. Estes, 

 New York City. 



Light Brahma Cocks. 



Entry No 



Owner. 



Points. 



Prize. 



133 



Wm. H. Todd, 



92 



First. 



232 



Purness, 



89 



Second. 



294 



Philander Williams, 



89 



Third. 



292 



ll II 



89 



Fourth. 



1189 



W. D. Cantillon, 



87 



Fifth. 





Light Brahma B 



ENS. 





428 



S. Merry, 



93 



First. 



293 



Philander Williams, 



88£ 



Second. 



285 



John W. Bush, 



87 



Third. 



295 



Philander Williams, 



87 



Fourth. 



1099 



Wm. Wright, 



82} 



Fifth. 





Light Brahma Cockerels 





431 • 



S Merry, 



90 



First. 



302 



Philander Williams, 



88 



Second. 



304 



ii a 



87 



Third. 



' 298 



ii <i 



87 



Fourth. 



137 



W. H. Todd, 



87 



Fifth. 





Light Brahma Pu 



LLETS. 





138 



W. H. Todd, 



90 



First. 



299 



Philander Williams, 



88} 



Second. 



596 



C. A. Sweet, 



88 



Third. 



140 



W. H. Todd, 



87 



Fourth. 



432 



S. Merry, 



82} 



Fifth. 



Philadelphia, January 30, 1874. 

 Mr. Jos. M. Wade. 



Dear Sir : I was informed on my return from the con- 

 vention at Buffalo, that I was proprietor of a poultry paper, 

 of which you are editor and publisher. 



I desire you to say to all whom it may concern, that such 

 is not the truth, as I do not own a dollar in "any poultry 

 paper," yet I wish success to all, and hope all fanciers will 

 give them a hearty support by subscriptions and as adver- 

 tisers. Yours truly, W. H. Churchman. 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



DO AS WE CONTRACT. 



We notice an article in the Journal, under date of Janu- 

 ary 1st, by Mr. Armstrong, of Trenton, N. J., in which he 

 writes of the " foolish idea of amateurs in not selecting the 

 best stock, and seeing what they get before paying for it." 



That breeders should select the best stock to start and 

 propagate their yards with, no one who is familiar with 

 fancy poultry will question for one moment; but too see 

 what they get before paying for it, is in most cases, with the 

 purchaser, an imposibility. 



For the buyer who wishes truly excellent stock, in nine 

 cases out of ten, has to order it through the mail, sent by 

 express, perhaps for hundreds or thousands of miles, and not 

 unfrequently have it imported. If we wished a trio of choice 

 Hamburgs from Mr. Armstrong's pens, our better way 

 would be to order them sent, rather than take two or three 

 days to go and see them before purchasing, and also pay our 

 traveling expenses, with board and lodging. 



Then, again, if a fancier starts a yard, as we have done, 

 among a select lot of old fogy farmers, who never believe in 

 any improvement among their domestic animals or poultry, 

 and more especially if a fine-bred fowl cost ten cents more 

 than the little " yellow hen," this fancier must expect to 

 sell his fine birds to those who appreciate his labors and 

 calling, hence, he must advertise, and send his poultry out 

 of his immediate neighborhood. Now the point we wish to 

 get at is this, — a fancier should not only breed first-class 

 stock, but should, in his Shipments, send the poultry just as 

 he represents them, every feather true in color, and every 

 pound in the bird as promised. A breeder can soon estab- 

 lish a reputation, but he can much quicker go under. 



Situated as we are among a class of men who appreciate 

 nothing that costs an extra penny, we are obliged to ship 

 most of our poultry to other vicinities, and hence we feel 

 the great necessity of doing just as we promised. 



We, too, like Mr. Armstrong, have been " set up " by un- 

 scrupulous breeders. 



Last March we wrote to a certain firm, asking them if 

 they could furnish us with a bronze turkey hen that would 



scale 20 pounds and over ; they replied they would for $ -, 



and we should remit immediately. We sent our check by 

 return mail, expecting in a few days an extra-fine large bird 

 to add to our flock ; after a delay of two weeks, we began to 

 inquire for our large turkey, — no answer came ; they were 

 not gentlemen enough to write us; why the delay even, 

 when we sent them a return stamp. As it was about 200 

 miles to go search for our long-looked-for bird and seek out 

 our victims, we did not feel like using more good money 

 after what we expected lost ; so after two months or more, 

 after writing to the postmaster of their town, and inquiring 

 of every one we were likely to receive any information 

 from, in regard to this large advertising firm, we wrote 

 them, if they did not return our money, or fulfil the con- 

 tract, we would expose them in every leading stock and 

 agricultural journal in the land, if it cost us five hundred 

 dollars. Now for the result ; instead of our 20-pound or 

 over turkey hen, they sent us a miserable, mean little squamy 

 gobbler, that just pulled down all of 14 pounds. 



This firm not only gulled us, but swindled hundreds of 

 others, and it got so hot for them, that the head monk, 

 " the high cockalorum " had to get up and get out of the 

 country, so the New York Tribune said. 



