196 



FANCIERS' JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



What is meant to be understood when wo see breeders 

 offering standard fowls for sale, and at prices varying so 

 much ? Now, I have some good fowls, and have paid good 

 prices for those that I have bought. I have dealt with men 

 that I thought were honest ; have had from them a descrip- 

 tion of the fowls that they had for sale, also their price for 

 the same, and oftentimes have I, after getting their descrip- 

 tion, claiming them to be standard birds and so. on, with 

 prices so low when compared with other dealers, been afraid 

 to order for fear something was wrong. 



Now, as I said, I have some good fowls ; but I have not, 

 .nor never had, what I call a standard bird, not in the mean- 

 ing of the word as I understand it. I understand the word 

 standard to mean one hundred points, and unless a bird can 

 figure this he or she is not a standard bird. 



One other question I would like to have answered, for I 

 feel somewhat interested. Is there not some way that a man 

 (if he is entitled to be called such), can be shown up when 

 he will stoop so low as to misrepresent his fowls, get a man's 

 money, and then send stock that is not as described ? I 

 know of parties that have received for their money fowls 

 that were not fit to be called by the name claimed for them, 

 and could they have been sent to some competent judges of 

 the same, they would have been willing to have given them 

 the fowls, and paid express charges, to have bad the parties 

 that sold them showed up in such a manner as they deserved. 



One more question and I am through. What is the use 

 of parties that have been defrauded to come out in a long 

 letter stating that A, B or C had cheated them in some " fowl 

 transaction," as I often have seen in poultry papers? After 

 reading the same I never have yet been able to see or learn 

 either party's name. There seems a disposition on the part 

 of poultry papers to suppress all such names, for fear some one 

 would be injured by publishing theni ; and I am free to con- 

 fess that it might, in some cases, where parties have received 

 what they claimed was not as it should be, at the same time 

 they had received their money's worth, having invested two 

 or three dollars, and had expected to receive a bird with one 

 hundred points, although they themselves could not count 

 the points even should the bird contain them. But there 

 are cases where, I believe, parties should be published, so 

 that others might not be caught by the same rascal. 



Having said more than I intended, and probably more 

 than I should, I will wait and see if the few questions will 

 be answered. Yours truly, A. K. Martin. 



Binghamton, March 9, 1874. 



on examination never found any other gravel in the gizzards 

 but small particles of coal. Since then I have used it for 

 floors, covering the ground with it about five inches deep, 

 and have found it to answer a good purpose. It being very 

 loose is easily raked up, and does not become tainted as soon 

 as dry earth, whilst at the same time it affords the desired 

 gravel and a number one dust-bath for dark colored fowls. 

 During stormy weather, when confined in the house, by scat- 

 tering whole grain on such a floor, they can have tall amuse- 

 ment in scratching it around, and keeps them from mischief 

 otherwise. Eespectfully, 



A. C. HUNSBKRGER.. 

 Portland, Pa., March 7, 1874. 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



FLOORS FOR FOWL HOUSES. 



Mr. Editor. 



During! the past three years I have been favorably im- 

 pressed with the idea of using anthracite coal-dust, or screen- 

 ings from coal-yards, for floors. Noticing the average good 

 health of my neighbor's fowls, whom I knew gave them but 

 little attention, I made it my business to watch the habits 

 of his flock. Sometimes he fed them, but as that depended 

 upon his convenience it was only an occasional luxury to 

 them, and they were compelled to forage or die. Near by 

 were the coal-yards where horses and mules are often fed 

 while loading, &c.,and considerable grain is dropped in the 

 coal-dust. Here they were obliged to scratch for their 

 living. As they were in good order, I bought several of 

 them for table use, thereby saving my own more valuable 

 ones. They were always found in a healthy condition, and 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



CENTRAL ILLINOIS POULTRY ASSOCIATION. 



Jos. M. Wade. Esq. 



I herewith send you a brief report of the first annual ex- 

 hibition of the Central Illinois Poultry Association, held in 

 Conservatory Hall, in this city, Thursday, Friday, and Sat- 

 urday, February 19th, 20th, and 21st, 1874, requesting its 

 publication in your valuable Journal. 



Our exhibition, I believe, is the first one exclusively for 

 poultry held in this State, and although it was a feeble 

 attempt compared with what we hope to attain to, yet we 

 think it very creditable, considering the fact that we are all 

 beginners and had such a brief space of time in which to 

 work the matter up since we organized. Many breeders 

 were prevented from coming because of the lateness of the 

 season, as they had made up their breeding-pens and did 

 not want to disturb them. The weather was very inclement 

 also (it rained almost constantly), which made the attend- 

 ance much less than it would otherwise have been. We are 

 very well satisfied with this our first attempt, but we hope 

 next season to at least treble both the number of entries, 

 variety on exhibition, number of visitors, and amount 

 offered in premiums, of this year. The time (which we 

 have not yet decided upon) will be announced in due season. 



Below I give a list of entries and awards : 



CLASS I— ASIATICS. 

 Light Brahmas. — Entries — C. Letters, two trios ; W. H. 

 Gilbert, one trio; B. R. Upham, one trio; James 0. Hamil- 

 ton, two trios; Thomas Mason, two trios ; J. M. Huckstep, 

 two trios. Awards— 1st, J. M. Huckstep; 2d, Thomas 

 Mason; 3d, J. M. Huckstep. Dark Brahmas. — Entries — 

 H. M. Pratt, two trios; T. P. Stacy, one trio; Bobt. Mason, 

 two trios ; J. S. Hilcher, one trio, imported ; J. M. Huck- 

 step, one' trio. Awards — 1st, J. M. Huckstep ; 2d and 3d, 

 H. M. Pratt. Buff Cochins. — Entries— J. M. Culley, two 

 trios; George W. Fox, one trio; P. A. Bartlett, one trio; 

 E. De Freitas, one trio. Awards — 1st, George W. Fox ; 2d, 

 P. A. Bartlett. Partridge Cochins.— Entries— J. M. Cully, 

 one trio; George W. Fox, three trios; T. P. Stacy, one 

 trio ; P. A. Bartlett, two trios ; Charles Cassell, one trio ; 

 Timothy Mason, three trios; 0. D. Fitzsimmons, one trio; 

 J. M. Huckstep, one trio. Awards — 1st,. Charles Cassell; 

 2d, P. A. Bartlett ; 3d, J. M. Cully. Black Cochins.— 1st, 

 T. H. Smaltz. 



CLASS II— DORKINGS. 



No Entries. 



CLASS III— GAMES. 



Black-breasted Red.— Entries— A. J. Taylor, three pairs ; 



Ira Ennis, one pair; J. L. Craven, one pair. Awards — 1st, 



Ira Ennis; 2d, A. J. Taylor. Brown Red — 1st, J. L. 



Craven. Duckwing. — 1st, J. L. Craven. Silver 6-ray. — 1st, 



J. L. Craven. 



CLASS IV. 

 White Leghorns.— 1st, William M. Buckingham. 



