October 12, 1871. 1 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTDEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



bright red. This is the Wheaten which breeds the richest- 

 coloured Black-breasted Bed cooks. There are Wheatens 

 having white necks, and in every other respect answering the 

 above description. These are exceedingly rare, but most useful 

 for breeding Dnckwing cocks. 



The class for Wheaten hens, made by the Crystal Palace 

 Committee at my suggestion, is for genuine Wheatens, and not 

 the half-bred birds. 



The answer to " Fab West " in the Journal for September 

 28th is rather apt to mislead. Many of the best-coloured 

 Black Bed cockerels, when they moult the second or third 

 time, grow some red feathers in the breast, either black feathers 

 laced with red, or red with black spangles. These could not, 

 however, be shown as Brown Beds, but are only faulty Black 

 Beds, the main differences between the two colours being — 



Black Bed Cock. Brown Red Cock. 



Head and face Red Dark purple. 



Eye Vermilion red Darkest brown. 



Hackle Clear orange red, free from 



black Orange, striped witb 



black underneath. 



Back and wing bow .. Rich red Orange. 



Wing bar Steel blue Dark green. 



Greater wing coverts,. Clear bay Black. 



Breasts and thighs.... Blue-black Dark brown, with a 



light brown shaft 

 and margin to each 

 feather. 



!Leg3 and feet Willow Dark bronze, willow, 



or black. 



The above is the standard of birds for exhibition.— W. F. E. 



[We thank " W. F. E." very much for his elaborate descrip- 

 tion of certain breeds of Game. Oar own long experience of 

 Game has taught us there are numerous varieties, many being 

 peculiar to certain localities, and the result of crosses. We 

 never think of or treat of Game without thinking of the 

 chameleon in our school days— 



" * Sirs,' cries the umpire, * cease your pother. 

 The creature's neither one nor t'other. 

 You all are right, and all are wrong, 

 Nor wonder if you find that none 

 Prefers your eyesight to his own.' " 



Certain birds are made for exhibition — " mauufac " as we read 

 in Smollett. Provided the actual bird is really fit to take a 

 prize, his origin is not important. Thus, a bird with more or 

 Jess of red in his breast is either Brown-breasted or is descended 

 from Black Beds that have had a cross of Brown. It is known 

 to many of the most successful Brown Bed exhibitors how 

 most of their birds were made. It is also known they are now 

 far superior to the Black Beds, but they have been made so by 

 a judicious mixture of breeds. In the original days of showing 

 there was but one class — " Black-breasted and other Beds," 

 now they are divided. The bird of which we spoke is not a 

 Black Bed because he has brown feathers, ergo he must show 

 in the Brown Beds. If, as our intelligent correspondent says, 

 the bird does not belong to them, he cannot be shown at all. 

 If, again, at the second or third moult it is common for many 

 of the best Black Reds to throw red feathers in the breast, the 

 birds will be only in the condition of the Silver-Grey Dorkings. 

 Hineteen cocks out of twenty, after their first moult, throw 

 white in the breast or tail. No longer Silver-Greys, they sink or 

 rise, as the opinion may be, into the general class. " W. P. E." 

 describes the Wheaten of a certain tinge as breeding the 

 richest-coloured Blaok-breasted Bed cocks, and others with 

 white necks, as most useful for breeding Dackwings. These 

 very facts argue for considerable latitude in treating of them. 

 We differ positively on one point only. " W. F. E." says the 

 legs must be willow ; we believe the colours of the legs in a 

 Crame fowl of these breeds are no more important than would 

 be the colour of a man's hair if he were competing with others 

 for height. — Eds.] 



COCKS SURELY MIGHT SIT IF WOMEN 

 MIGHT VOTE. 

 Being an uncommon case, I think it might interest some of 

 your readers to learn that there is here an old cook Turkey which 

 is unfortunately afSicted w'th a " strong weakness" — if I may 

 nao an Hibernian phrase — ^to sit upon any sitting hens' nests 

 that he may happen to find in the shrubberies or outhoases. 

 It was no longer ago than yesterday that I caught him in the 

 act of ejecting a Dorking hen from her nest at the foot of an 

 elm tree, and forthwith enthroning himself, much to the poor 

 hen's disgust and consternation, as well as danger to the newly- 

 iiatched chicks. Although chased away, he shortly returned. 



and after vainly trying to shift the hen, oeremonionsly sat upon 

 her back, where he continued his "peckings" at her head; 

 after which it was deemed expedient to remove her from his 

 importunities. 



Apparently this propensity is inherent in him, as about three 

 years ago he sat upon, for about a fortnight, a " set " of Duck's 

 eggs; but finding, I presume, that "nil" resulted from his 

 self-imposed undertaking, he consigned it to the care of the 

 legitimate owner — a Dorking hen — who eventually was rewarded 

 with a fair brood of ducklings. 



As a supplement to the above I may state that I have heard 

 of a Cochin cock hatching and rearing a brood of chickens. — 

 William Gaedinee, Lower Eatington Park, Stratford-on-Avon. 



PRODUCTIVE GOLDEN-PENCILLED 

 HAMBURGHS. 

 Up to the 7th of August I had eleven Golden-pencilled Ham- 

 burgh hens and one cock. On that date one hen died, reducing 

 my number to ten. I commenced keeping my list on the Ist of 

 March, and it is as follows : — 



March 214 



April 201 



May 204 



June 187 . 



July 169 



August 165 



Total 1140 



These fowls were kept in a run about 9 yards square, and fed 

 on kitchen refuse and barleymeal, with corn in the evening. 

 I should feel obliged if any of your readers would let me know 

 if this is fair laying. — Joseph Napiee, Bradford Peverell, 

 Dorchester. 



PRIZE FOR COCKERELS AND PULLETS AT 



THE CRYSTAL PALACE SHOW. 



Could it not be arranged that those exhibitors who may intend to es 

 hibit cocherels and pnllets at this Show and also at Birmingham, should 

 be allowed to pay an extra fee, say 10s., so as to make an extra prize 

 for the best cockerel and pair of pnilets ? It should be quite optional, 

 and would no doubt cause additional interest in the competition ; and 

 the honour of winning such a prize would be duly valued by every 

 exhibitor who might be fortunate enough to possess good birds of both 

 sexes. This would not involve the Committee in any risk in a pecu- 

 niai-y point of view ; and if the question could be entertained the Com- 

 mittee might, after the entries had closed, send a post-card to all ex- 

 hibitors who had made entries in both classes, inquiring whether they 

 were willing to compete for the extra prize, and if so, requesting them 

 to forward the fee by a certain date. I merely offer this as a sugges- 

 tion, thinking it might be an interesting feature in the Show, and 

 should be glad if it could be found practicable in this or any other 

 way.— W. F. 



ELLESIVIERE POULTRY AND PIGEON SHOW. 



The Oswestry Agi'icnltural Society lias now for some years been 

 noted for the excellence of that portion of the Show devoted to poultry, 

 and of late years, without exception, the arrangements have been of so 

 perfect a character as to leave no cause for complaint, for there has 

 heen a first-rate show-tent, also constant attendance on the wants of 

 both visitors and poultry. Unfortunately, however, for the interests 

 of this year's Show, a sudden gale not only prostrated the tent at the 

 last moment, but tore it to shreds from end to end. After this mishap 

 the Market Hall was immediately called into requisition, as the only 

 place available for the protection of the birds. So far it was a capital 

 maieshift, as the building afforded effective protection from the con- 

 tinuous downpour of rain, but with the exception of the few pens 

 opposite the entrance, almost every pen was veiled in darkness, and 

 not a few so much so that it was difficult for visitors to discrimi- 

 nate whether the pens were occupied or empty. Under these dis- 

 advantages the only resource of the Judge was to have almost every 

 bird taken out of its pen whilst judging, and brought forward into the 

 lifht of the doorway, the cock being first handled, and then the hen — 

 in fact, the Judge's conclusions were made almost entirely by pursuing 

 this plan. 



The Exhibition certainly contained an nnusually large number of 

 the best specimens. Game, .particularly the Brown Eeds, were re- 

 markably perfect. Grey and also White Dorldngs were such as can 

 rarely be seen. Some of the most noted prizetakers in the kingdom 

 were to he found among the Cocliins, hut theu' beauties were marred 

 by a Ught that even rendered doubtful the variety shown, mnch more 

 a favourable inspection of their excellence. Some good pens of both 

 Dark and Light Brahmas were entered ; and the Hamhurglis were 

 so good that Oswestry could never boast the like of them before at any 

 of its meetings. The French fowls were a superb collection ; but the 

 Game Bantams were not nearly so good as those shown in bygone 



