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FANCIERS' JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by Joseph M. 

 Wade, in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



£ 



ANCIERS' JOURNAL AND IpOULTRY (jpXCHANGE, 

 JOSEPH M. WADE, Editor and Proprietor. 

 Published Weekly at 39 North Ninth Street, Philadelphia. 



SUBSCRIPTION. 



Per Annum, $2 50 



Six Copies, one year 12 00 



Specimen Copies, by mail 10 



Per Annum to Canada, 2 70 



Per Annum to England, 3 54 



ADVERTISEMENTS 



From reliable parties, on any subject interesting to Fanciers, will be 

 inserted at 10 cents per line, set solid ; if displayed, 15 cents per line of 

 space will be charged ; about 12 words make a line, and 12 lines make an 

 inch of space. 



1 inch of space, set solid SI 20, displayed $1 80 



1 column, about 108 lines, set solid 10 80, " 16 20 



1 page, 216 lines, solid 21 60, " 32 40 



Advertisements from unknown parties must be paid for in advance. 



Sherman & Co., Printers, Philadelphia. 



In England, within a few years back, certain societies 

 and clubs have tried the experiment of hiring their exhibi- 

 tion judges, and the plan has been found to operate so satis- 

 factorily that it is growing largely in favor there, and from 

 the present outlook in that country all the leading shows 

 will soon adopt this course in selecting umpires to pro- 

 nounce upon the merits of the fowls entered annually for 

 competition in the exhibition rooms. 



It strikes us this is a good arrangement, and we should 

 be glad to see this plan adopted generally in America. In 

 Great Britain, it is true, they have a few leading experi- 

 enced breeders and fanciers (who are not dealers) whose 

 services can be availed of for this important purpose, and 

 whose decisions are now never questioned. In this respect 

 they have the advantage of us, since we have very few 

 such men in this country yet, if any, who would be con- 

 sidered qualified and competent j udges, who are not engaged 

 in the breeding and selling of some classes of fowls, and 

 who are thus inclined, upon occasions, to be prejudiced in 

 favor of their own or some other particular breeder's strain 

 of poultry. 



Mr. John Baily, Sr., of Mount Street, London, the pro- 

 prietor of the general poultry, pheasant, bird, and small 

 pet bazaar there, and who is an old breeder of many years' 

 experience with almost all varieties of fowls, is now or has 

 been one of the leading public judges in England, and Mr. 

 Hewitt, whose portrait we give in this number of the Fan- 

 ciers' Journal, is another. The latter gentleman is foremost 

 in the list of accomplished English judges, and has made 

 a reputation through his impartial and wise public decisions 

 at numerous principal shows of poultry that are always 

 popular, as well as enviable in their character for fairness. 



"We look upon this plan with great favor. If good men 

 could be found, who are not self-interested in any way, who 

 would undertake this duty at a fair remuneration for their 

 services, and who would give the necessary time to the duty 

 at our American exhibitions during the show season, socie- 

 ties and contributors would be large gainers through this 

 means ; because, if the right men can be secured, who know 



no fear of criticism and entertain no favor towards any par- 

 ticular men, breeds, or strains of stock — who should not be 

 informed beforehand to whom any contributions belong, 

 and who would thus (if duly qualified) be able to pronounce 

 fairly and equitably upon the entries made, upon their 

 merits strictly — everybody would be glad to have their 

 fowls so judged, and every one would be content with the 

 fiat of such independent judges. 



Eor each class of birds it would be necessary to employ 

 but one good arbiter, and, if the right man could be found, 

 this would be sufficient. Half a dozen paid judges would 

 be sufficient for any show, however large. Have we got the 

 men in this country ? If so, who are they that possess the 

 qualifications, who are not breeders or dealers, and who are 

 so situated that they can give their time to it, and who are 

 sufficiently experienced and disposed to undertake this 

 responsible task ? 



The propagation of anything short of pure bred full- 

 blooded fowls, true to feather, is not considered of sufficient 

 importance by most professional and amateur breeders, to 

 claim their attention by word or practice. 



For those who can find a market for all the pure bred 

 fowls and eggs they can raise, and for such as understand 

 the business, attention to pure breeds only is wise and most 

 profitable. For the masses, however, including the thou- 

 sands of farmers who can raise a few hundred fowls annually, 

 at so little cost, the question of crossing breeds judiciously to 

 produce any desired quality in fowls, is of great importance. 

 Some would breed for the egg-producing quality in their 

 fowls ; others keep a special eye to size, while the great de- 

 sideratum for all farmers should be a combination of these 

 good points, with another essential one, that of early matur- 

 ity. We are glad that many experiments, bearing on this 

 point, have already been made public, and we remember 

 the enthusiasm of some recent writer over a cross which he 

 was pleased to designate as "the farmer's breed," combin- 

 ing, as he sought to prove, a grand combination of almost 

 all desired points. This cross was obtained by mating a 

 Gray Dorking oock with Dark Brahma hens, and we agree 

 with him that the progency of such a " pen " is truly gratify- 

 ing. Other very valuable crosses can be had, however, by 

 judicious mating, it being always desirable in putting a light 

 and heavy breed together, to take the cock from a light 

 breed. The opposite plan is seldom if ever practiced. The 

 range for experiment is so wide, and the peculiar fancies of 

 different breeders vary so largely, that it would be unwise to 

 attempt even a brief synopsis of the number of valuable 

 crosses to be produced from peculiar breeds. The birds result- 

 ing from the cross alluded to above, will be good layers, large 

 in body, will mature early, and a large range is not essential. 



Cor\r\ESPOplDEfJCE. 



Mr. J. M. Wade : 



I have just received a postal card from you, wishing me 

 to write if I do not want the Fanciers' Journal. I do not 

 wish to take the paper. Tours, Wm. E. Wight. 



Whitewater, Wis., May 25th, 1874. 



Friend Wight : 



You must be a little mixed in this matter. We have 

 never yet solicited either subscription or advertisement by 

 postal card.— Ed. 



