FANCIERS' JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



371 



rials had existed twenty years ago, as they do now, your boast- 

 ing would have been small. 



You owe the fancy a great deal. Suppose you spend your 

 remaining days in trying to make amends. As you have 

 such a cacoethes scribendi, I would suggest one way in which 

 you may do this. Let us have some of your secrets and ex- 

 perience in regard to breeding fowls. Take them up in turn, 

 avoid the beaten track, give us something really new ; and 

 when the next convention is called, we will have our lesson 

 by heart, and go to work understandingly. A great future 

 lies before us ; we may yet attain " cocks with spurs on their 

 heads," thou being our leader, Oh, Burnham ! In regard to 

 the members of the A. P. A., I would state that I have every 

 confidence in them, and have no doubt they will make all 

 necessary corrections in the standard, and ably acquit them- 

 selves of their thankless task. Yours, 

 New York. Geo. C. Athole. 



THE NEW STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE AND 

 THE AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION. 



At a meeting of the Western New York Poultry Society, 

 May 22d, the following preamble and resolutions were 

 unanimously adopted : 



Whereas, The American Poultry Association was called 

 into existence in consequence of an urgent demand on the 

 part of breeders and fanciers, from all parts of the country, 

 for a "new Standard of Excellence," to take the place of 

 the old one ; and 



Whereas, In obedience to the said demand for a "new 

 standard," the American Poultry Association did publish 

 and spread broadcast an invitation to all who felt an interest 

 in the work to come forward and unite with them in their 

 efforts to make a Standard of Excellence that should be 

 worthy to supersede the old one; and the said invitation 

 especially urged upon all interested not to stay away from 

 the Convention, and after it had finished its labors to find 

 fault with those who had spent their time, money, and 

 honest toil upon said work ; and 



Whereas, In pursuance to the said call of the American 

 Poultry Association, there did assemble, in the city of Buf- 

 falo, January 16th, 1874, the largest number of representa- 

 tive breeders and fanciers ever assembled together in this 

 country ; and 



Whereas, The said Convention of the American Poultry 

 Association did, as we believe, labor both faithfully and 

 honestly for the best interest of the whole poultry fraternity 

 in their endeavors to perfect a Standard of Excellence that 

 would, as nearly as possible, meet the diversified views and 

 prejudices of the large number of persons composing the 

 poultry breeders and fanciers of America ; and 



Whereas, We have examined the said new American 

 standard published by the American Poultry Association, 

 the result of which examination and comparison with the 

 old standard convinces this Society of the superiority of the 

 new standard as compared with the old. The same exami- 

 nation leads this Society to believe that the new standard 

 was hurried to press without that care that should attend 

 the publication of a work of so much importance. 



Resolved, That we recognize the American Poultry Asso- 

 ciation as being the only Society in this country composed 

 of well known representative breeders and fanciers from all 

 parts of the United States and Canadas, in whom the fra- 

 ternity at large have confidence, and by virtue of being so 

 composed, is eminently qualified and competent to compile, 



adopt, and publish a Standard of Excellence which should 

 be accepted by breeders and fanciers generally. 



Resolved, That we do adopt the said new American stan- 

 dard, as published by the American Poultry Association, as 

 being in every way better than the old one, and more in 

 consonance with the advanced views of poultry breeders 

 and fanciers of this age. 



Resolved, That as long as the American Poultry Asso- 

 ciation is composed of gentlemen who are competent, and 

 evince the same willing disposition to do justice to all and 

 to outrage none, as characterized their labors at the Buffalo 

 Convention, we shall look to said Association for a Standard 

 of Excellence which shall be our guide in judging and 

 awarding premiums, and in all of their undertakings to 

 improve the said standard they will have our hearty support. 



Resolved, That we recommend the said American Poultry 

 Association to inaugurate immediate measures to have all 

 errors in the present (first) edition of said standard corrected 

 with the least possible delay, in order that the corrected 

 edition may be ready for use at the coming fall and winter 

 exhibitions. 



Poultry papers please copy. Geo. W. White, 



Buffalo, May 23, 1874. Secretary. 



A NATIONAL STANDARD. 



" And no discerner 

 Durst wag his tongue in censure." 



I shall now call your attention to the Constitution of the 

 American Poultry Association. By examining its funda- 

 mental laws we shall better be able to understand the pur- 

 poses of its organization and the extent of its powers, since 

 its authority over all organizations of a like character 

 must be commensurate with the powers granted or delegated 

 by the representatives of these organizations respectively. 

 What now is the extent of the reserved powers of these so- 

 cieties? Examine and see how they have actually curtailed 

 their freedom and independence, or, in other words, how 

 much of their rights and privileges as separate and inde- 

 pendent societies they have endowed the Head Centre. You 

 will find it an interesting study — a matter of no trifling 

 moment. 



In Article 2, of the Constitution of this Association, we 

 shall find specified the objects of its founders. It declares 

 the perfection of the American standard to be one of its 

 purposes ; and so much value do they place upon this, that 

 they have incorporated in its organic law their right of 

 property in this standard and exclusive control over it, so 

 that no use can be made of said standard without the express 

 sanction of the American Poultry Association. The fanciers 

 of the country are no better off than they were prior to the 

 the meeting at Buffalo ; and as for the societies that were 

 there represented they are infinitely worse off, having been 

 shorn of much of the power they formerly possessed, and 

 become mere dependencies of their great Central Head. 



The American standard is an offshoot of the old English 

 standard, used for years in this country; and the miserable 

 additions were made by a member of the now defunct New 

 York State Poultry Society, in order to procure a copy- 

 right and turn an honest penny by its sale. But the poul- 

 trymen, having become disgusted with this kind of Siamese 

 twin standard, called a general Convention to be held in 

 the City of New York, to revise, correct, and make up a 

 standard suitable for their purposes, and this is the true 

 origin of the American Poultry standard. It was published 



