274 



FANCIERS' JOUBNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



in this sort of dictation — which so manifestly points to cen- 

 tralization and power in the hands of a few managers. And 

 so, I repeat, it won't do I 



Upon the table before mo I have letters from six promi- 

 nent breeders, in different States — all members of this Amer- 

 ican Poultry Association — lately received, in which my 

 sentiments are urgently approved and seconded. The poul- 

 try journals everywhere, through their correspondents from 

 all directions, are criticising and condemning this standard 

 without stint, as you cannot fail to observe. Good men, 

 sound advisers, competent judges, careful breeders, lively 

 competitors, known friends to real improvement in fowl 

 raising, ambitious amateurs, and accomplished fanciers, far 

 and near, have entered the lists in opposition to the accept- 

 ance of this standard — and it is very clear that we must have 

 " a new deal " in this business. 



We do not claim your indorsement of these views, but we 

 desire, through your columns, to say simply to those inter- 

 ested in this matter, " Come, brethren, and let us reason 

 together." Let us inaugurate a new convention, as I have 

 already suggested. Let all the poultry breeders, fanciers, 

 and dealers, in the country, be invited to meet at some cen- 

 tral point, — as Albany, Hartford, New York, Philadelphia, 

 or elsewhere, during the coming summer — and at such a 

 general meeting, which the members of the National Asso- 

 ciation should attend, in common with the rest, let us fully 

 and freely reconsider this subject. 



No more undue haste ; no further clanning ; no display of 

 favoritism ; no tame acquiescence in the poor ideas of former 

 played-out standards ; no partiality to men, or breeds, or 

 crosses of fowls; no palpable omissions of known varieties 

 in the lists; no secret star-chamber conferences; no charge 

 of three dollars per head for permission to talk or vote in 

 said convention ; no Houdan " curved-up fifth-toe " non- 

 sense ; no stupid requirement that Light Brahmas shall not 

 have "middle toes feathered," while Dark Brahmas' toes 

 must be so feathered ; and, above all, no dictation, and no 

 foisting upon vis of " Instructions to Judges " at our shows, 

 in this convention. 



On the contrary, let us meet where it may be most gener- 

 ally convenient to the mass of American poultry men; where 

 we can have a free, fair interchange of our opinions, knowl- 

 edge, theories, and practices in breeding. Let us then and 

 there organize, and choose committees of honorable and 

 competent men, who will take into consideration, at their 

 leisure, the subjects embodied in framing a good standard of 

 excellence. Preserve from the old standards what is accept- 

 able ; through your committees add to this what is new and 

 desirable, after a full discussion ; take time to all this, well 

 and advisedly ; receive from those who attend such conven- 

 tion (or by mail from volunteers who do not) a moderate 

 sum — say one dollar, each — to defray expenses of hall rent, 

 advertising, posting, postage, and the printing of your 

 standard ; to every man so contributing his dollar, require 

 your Secretary to furnish one copy of said printed standard, 

 gratis ; to all breeders or others who want the book, after- 

 wards supply them at not exceeding $20 per hundred. (This 

 can be done at a profit for $15 per hundred, and at a less 

 price per thousand.) 



By such means, at such a general convention, the errors 

 of the past can be corrected, and an acceptable and popular 

 criterion for judges and societies can be decided upon, that 

 shall be worthy the title of an "American Standard of Ex- 

 cellence;" and which will De readily adopted by all United 



States associations, because it will be the mature work of the 



American poultry fraternity at large, and not the result of 



the hurried labors of the convocated few, who offer us their 



unfinished, erroneous, dictatorial, universally unacceptable, 



and misnamed " American " standard. These are the purely 



unselfish views of Yours, in the cause, 



Geo. P. Burnham. 

 Melrose, Mass., April 18, 1874. 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



THE EEVISED STANDARD REVISED. 



I have purchased a copy of the revised "Standard," 

 which is sold at " not less" than one dollar per copy. I 

 regret for the reputation of breeders that this unwise 

 measure has been adopted. One dollar is but a dollar, yet 

 it should purchase a v/el\-bound book of moderate size — and 

 it does, of course, except of the "Standard" style. Why 

 the " Standard " is rated at one dollar I cannot comprehend. 

 Prom my view of the matter, it ought to be sold at the 

 lowest possible price, instead of the highest. The more the 

 information it designs to alford is thoroughly disseminated, 

 the greater the attention paid, and more careful breeding of 

 poultry is the result. It is the guide-board to keep from going 

 astray. If an honest farmer should now conclude to invest 

 in an improved breed of poultry, in order to ascertain the 

 standard of the kind he may purchase, and to become posted 

 as to the requirements of the many pure breeds of poultry, 

 he orders a copy of the " new revised edition of the Stand- 

 ard," pays his "one dollar," and anxiously awaits the 

 coming of the book (?). It arrives, and to his surprise and 

 disappointment, he finds it smaller than Buist's Almanac, 

 Vick's Catalogue, and other annual publications sent him 

 gratis every season by the publishers. He considers him- 

 self cheated, and concludes it to be wisdom on his part to be 

 content with his "dunghills" lest he again becomes the 

 victim of misplaced confidence. There are many who 

 would not object to purchasing the " Standard " if placed at 

 a reasonable price. Why lock up the contents with a copy- 

 right? If it is not (as Mr. Burnham says) for monopoly, 

 then it is to compel the people to " come down " with that 

 dollar. Whichever it is, as Shakspeare says, "There's 

 small choice in rotten apples." There is evidently a screw 

 loose somewhere, or else the American Poultry Association 

 must be in training with the expectation of being elected to 

 Congress. " Pacts are stubborn things," and if we are re- 

 quired to pay a dollar for a book(?), we want something 

 "standard" with considerable "excellence" in it — at least 

 about a dollar's worth. G. 0. Brown. 



Brooklandville, Ml). 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



BUCKS COUNTY POULTRY ASSOCIATION. 



Jos. M. Wade, Esq. 



Dear Sir: At a meeting of the Executive Committee oi 

 the Bucks County Poultry Association, held the 13th inst., 

 a motion to adopt the new standard was lost by an over- 

 whelming vote. Also, a motion to condemn the new stand- 

 ard, and that the adoption of the old standard by this So- 

 ciety until a better one could be procured and adopted in 

 open council by the fanciers and breeders of the United 

 States, was, with hut one or two dissenting voices, carried. 

 Respectfully, T. H. Walton, 



Corresponding Secretary. 

 DoiriESiowN, Pa., April 18, 1874. 



