November 2, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



347 



is vrithont donbt the Hay-scented Fern, Lastrea Fcenisecii, and in very 

 good character. (Linda). — Cineraria maritima, otherwise Senecio Cine- 

 raria. Native of the shores of the Mediterranean. {Tom Brown).— ise- 

 phrodinm molle and Adiantum tenernm. 



POULTRY, BEE, AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 



LIGHT BRAHMAS. 



But for a fortnight's absence from home I should have 

 endeavoured earlier to make a few remarks upon the com- 

 plaint of Mr. James Long — that Light Brahmas do not get 

 their due from committees and judges. It is generally known 

 that I hare devoted much study and attention to Brahmas for 

 many years, and my more personal friends also know that only 

 my unfortunate " city " surroundings tie me at present to the 

 Dark variety. My preference would be for the Light, and if I 

 ever have the pleasure of a country run I hope to keep them. 

 Nevertheless, I cannot agree with Mr. Long s complaint ; he 

 puts the saddle on the wrong horse altogether, and the failure 

 to win prizes and cups is not owing to any undue partiality of 

 the judges for Dark birds, but because birds have not been 

 shown good enough to win. 



The simple fact is that Light Brahmas have lately very much 

 •deteriorated. I fear my plain statement will draw a hornet's 

 nest about my ears, but I have studied the Brahma fowl long 

 and closely, and make it advisedly. They have fallen off in 

 oolonr, leg-feather, shape, and size. So far from judges being 

 against them, I have heard the admittedly best judge we have, 

 not in conversation with me, but independently, express his 

 regret that such " miserable " Light Brahmas were shown ; 

 and on one occasion both he and his colleague observed that 

 the hens were regularly "duck-shaped." Looking at the class, 

 I saw at once how singularly appropriate the criticism was, the 

 " Aylesbury " type of body being most conspicuous, and the 

 exquisite neatness of the true Brahma shape completely gone. 

 That there are exceptions, I of course do not deny, and during 

 the last twelve months several cooks especially have been shown 

 of the true shape and colour, but mostly small in size. I may 

 mention the two winning Birmingham cockerels of last year for 

 instance, which were also good in leg-feather, for the purpose 

 ■of rebutting Mr. Long's imputation that the judges go by size 

 chiefly. It is rather singular, if his remarks are to be con- 

 sidered as shared by Light Brahma breeders generally, that 

 while both these awards were evidently made in favour of 

 colour and proportion as compared with mere size, I never 

 heard any complaint made by those disappointed on the 

 ground that the winning birds were so small ! Further still, 

 when at Plymouth I gave the cup (open there) to the Light 

 birds in preference to the Dark, showing that Light can win 

 sometimes. Mr. James Long, both verbally and in this Journal, 

 was the first to complain, stating to me that the Darks (a very 

 large but badly-shaped pen) ought to have won, and in these 

 columns that the cup bird was far inferior to another, larger 

 indeed in size, but much worse, both in true Brahma shape 

 and colour. 



It is not, then, that the judges have discouraged the Light 

 Brahmas, but that the Light Brahmas have " discouraged " the 

 judges. Let them be shown correct in shape, good in colour, 

 and well feathered, even if not large, and they will win. Not 

 many weeks ago I remember seeing it remarked in one of the 

 reports that they had beaten the Darks in fair fight. But they 

 can also be bred large, and whatever can make Mr. Long say as 

 he does, that to increase the size " cannot be done," I am at a 

 loss to conceive. Let Light breeders select their stock better, 

 and keep their chickens at home to grow instead of sending 

 them to the early shows, and they will soon improve. I do not 

 know why it is, but while the best Dark Brahmas are usually 

 kept back till matured, the Lights seem mostly to be early 

 shown, and this I am sure is one cause of the deterioration, 

 though want of knowledge in breeding and rearing does more. 

 At all events, if there is any difference in the two breeds, I 

 should say that decidedly the Light breed can be bred the larger. 

 To my certain knowledge, there are several cocks now in the 

 United States nearly 17 lbs. in weight ; and one lately dead made 

 a footprint 6i inches long. In hens 10 lbs. is a common weight 

 there, and 12 lbs. not so very rare. In fact the best Light 

 Brahmas now to be had must be sought in America, where they 

 are both larger and better in quality than here ; and there, if I 

 sought a strain for myself, would I select my stock. It might 

 be thought that the American climate is the cause of the dif- 

 ference, but if so the Darks also would be superior, whereas 



our Yankee friends' Dark birds cannot as yet compare with 

 Light ones. We had even in England far larger Light birds a 

 few years since than now, and they can be bred again to equal 

 and even surpass their Dark rivals. 



I lay stress on these things, because the ad misericordiam 

 style of argument always injures a breed. A good fowl, as the 

 Light Brahma is, if bred good enough, will command success, 

 and the bare idea that petting or artificial " encouragement " 

 is needed, is likely to stop all real effort in the right direction. 

 Let our exhibiting friends leave off this and " get to work," 

 and they will earn their just reward. The reference to prizes 

 given "by supporters" is not just. If birds are not good 

 enough to win on equal terms, which Light Brahmas lately 

 have certainly not been, any extra " support " must of course, 

 and rightly, come from private admirers ; hut the little real 

 good, or rather the real harm, done by such artificial treatment, 

 is seen by the small results produced by the " special " prizes 

 thus given at Southampton and other places. They bring 

 larger entries, but they do not bring pens to surpass, rarely 

 indeed to equal the Darks. Perseverance in fair and honest 

 competition can alone do this. I may here mention that by 

 the liberality of a member of the Committee, the Lights will at 

 Bristol have four cups (one to every class), against only two 

 for the Darks. There surely is a fair chance for our friends, 

 let us see what the result will be. I for one shall truly rejoice 

 if my real favourites come fairly to the front in size and quality, 

 but mere number of entries I care little for. 



I would give some practical help where possible, and hence 

 I remark on the general want of leg-feather in Light birds. 

 Their breeders have not used equal judgment with the Dark 

 fanciers in employing vulture hocks to restore it, which is very 

 easily done ^ith little bad result. There are various kinds of 

 hocked cocks. There may be a moderate hock with very heavy 

 leg-feather, and hea^y hocks with only moderate feather. The 

 latter class of bird has been often used by Light breeders, but 

 is useless. But further, there may be heavy leg-feather, but it 

 may spring perpendicularly, and hence not " tell " as it ought 

 to do. Such a bird also will work little improvement in a badly- 

 feathered strain. But select a few fine, long-backed, barely- 

 feathered hens, and mate them with a cock very short and 

 broad in the back, very high and broad in saddle, and with a 

 good strong vulture hock, but with leg-feather under which 

 stands well out in a horizontal direction. Cut his hocks neatly 

 round with a pair of shears (not plucking them, as the feathers 

 would soon grow again), and you will have at least three-fourths 

 beautifully feathered birds, with just the hocks a good judge 

 wishes to see. I say " Cut off the hocks " advisedly, having 

 found it make a marked difference to the progeny ; but I mean, 

 of course, for breeding solely. Indeed, a out hock is instantly 

 detected by the most inexperienced judge, but I do not wish 

 to be misunderstood as to the object of the proceeding. — 

 L. Wkight. 



EXHIBITION GRIEVANCES. 



I SEE in the Journal of the 26th ult. a short notice of the 

 schedule of the Bristol Poultry and Pigeon Show, and the 

 words, " As usual the prizes are very liberal ;" but it seems 

 that you have quite passed unnoticed the extreme liberality 

 (on the part of those who intend to pay them) of the entrance 

 fees. I had intended sending a pen or two, but as I find that 

 I must first subscribe £1 to entitle me to the privilege of paying 

 6s. per pen in addition — i e., £1 6s. for one pen, or £1 12s. for 

 two, and so on, I beg to decline ; and I fancy that the com- 

 petition for the liberal prizes will be confined to those who can 

 enter twelve or thirteen pens, when the £1 subscription will be 

 sufficiently distributed to bring the price of each entry down to 

 the old amount — 7s. Od., I think. There has lately been 

 something said of the ability of large dealers and breeders to 

 monopolise the prizes ; if anything is calculated to encourage 

 it it is such a rate of entry as this, where the exhibitors of two 

 or three pens are utterly discouraged, and yet they are the real 

 supporters of our shows. 



I may mention at the present time another growing mistake, 

 as I think, in the conduct of poultry shows — viz., the Secretary 

 entering his own birds for exhibition and competition, the 

 latter being the objectionable part. At a show to which I have 

 for several years sent some pens, I was last year beaten by the 

 Secretary, who carried off cup and second prizes, whilst my 

 birds came next with a very high commendation. I do not 

 question the fairness of the award, as I have sufficient confi- 

 dence in the Judge, but in entering I had not counted on the 

 Secretary as a competitor. This year I entered none, nor do I 



