December 7, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICaLTUSE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



455 



fonnd that when I obtained pea-oombsd chickens they either 

 had no hackle worth the name or were cream-colonred, and 

 frequently had white under feathers ; for I venture to lay down 

 as undeniable this trait in Light Brahmas — that if they are pure 

 all the feathers underneath are of a darkish grey or slate colour, 

 but if crossed with White Cochins, then they generally come 

 white underneath. This I believe is an unfailing test, and I 

 ask Judges when not satisfied as to the parity of a strain to 

 make this one of their tests. 



Your readers will now ask, " What does the writer want ? " 

 I ask Judges to declare that they will in future make no distinc- 

 tion between single and pea-combs in Light Brahmas; but that 

 they will jadge this class for colour, purity, size, and shape. 

 Por the last three years I have given up all my L'ght Brahmas, 

 and do not feel inclined to breed them any more until this 

 unfair favouritism of the pea-combed birds is relinquished, and 

 a test as to purity of blood frequently made use of. The Dark 

 Brahmas I still breed, and not alwaye unsuccessfully, as Mr. 

 Wright wiU testify.— F. P., Yorkshire. 



DEALERS EXHIBITING. 

 I HATE come to the donclnsion that exhibitions got np on the 

 present system will not long be successful. Fanciers may buy 

 the beet birds dealers have at very high prices, and at the next 

 ehcw the same dealers beat them completely. I suggest to all 

 secretaries and committees that, for the future welfare of their 

 shows, dealers be restricted to exhibiting in the Selling class. 

 Fanciers will then have a fair chance. It yon refer to many 

 3how3 of late, the prizetakers are confined to a few who really 

 have no right to compete with amateur fanciers. I should be 

 gUd if any of your readers could make any further suggestion 

 with the view of giving real fanciers a more open field amongst 

 themselves. — John Ashwokth, Blackburn. 



A FEW WORDS ON POULTRY-KEEPING. 



TniSKiNa I am unusually suocessfal in my management of 



fowls, and as I gained my knowledge from perusing your 



" Journal," I consider that I ought through it to inform other 



amateurs how to get a good many eggs from a small number of 



My poultry house consists of a wooden building with a 



fowls. 



slated roof, situated in a large garden, in an angle of a stone 

 wall 12 feet high, and facing south-west ; it is thus very warm. 

 The roosting place is in the corner, and has about 8 square yards 

 of floor ; next to this is a small yard of about the same extent ; 

 both are oovered-in and have a concrete floor. In the outer 

 jard is a box containing about halt a peek of sand, which is re- 

 plenished about once a-month. The outer run wired-in consists 

 of above 5 square yards, with ordinary soil for the floor. I 

 never let the fowls oat at any time, nor do I keep a cock, as I 

 do not care to breed, my object being only to find sufficient eggs 

 all the year round for my own house. 



I bought four pullets, two Spangled Hamburghs and two 

 Black Spanish, in October, 1870, and in February, 1871, they 

 began to lay. I then killed off my other fowls. One of the 

 Hamburghs died in August, thus I have only three hens at the 

 present time. The following is the result :— 

 la ilarch 



- 79 egas. 



In-^pril 68 eggs. 



In May 84 eggg. 



In June 71 eggs. 



In July 66 eggs. 



In Angast 23 eggs. 



In September 36 eggs. 



In October 50 egga. 



My system of feeding is as follows : — I feed twice a-day, at 

 "9 A.M. and 2 p.ir. ; at each meal I throw down in the yard above 

 a pound of paste made of barley flour or crushed oats mixed 

 with kitchen scraps, also two or three handfuls of barley. At 

 the same time I generally give them a four-tined forktull of 

 sods and with plenty of soil, which I dig up fresh out of the 

 garden. I vary this with a supply of cabbage leaves, lettuces, 

 or chickweed. About once a-month I break up very small 

 about sis oyster shells, which they soon pick up. If I find any 

 food not eaten, I at once reduce the quantity. Half a stone of 

 barley flour, or crushed oats, with the same quantity of barley, 

 lasts one month, costing If. Zd., whereas the value of the eggs 

 is at least 4s. I attribute my success principally to the warm 

 roosting place, the green stuS, and sand bath, and also par- 

 ticularly to not over-feeding. On taking stock for the present 

 month I have — November Ist, one egg ; 2nd, two eggs ; 3rd 

 three eggs ; 4fch, eggs. — J. F. M. ' ' 



Dublin National Pottltbt Show.— This Show isjto be held on 

 the 18jb, 19 .h and 20th of January next, under the auspices of 



the Ornithological Society of Ireland. The working Committee 

 comprise amongst them the same gentlemen who carried on 

 the large Show of 1870. The advance made by all English 

 shows has put Irish fanciers on their mettle. The best Jadges 

 in England will offiijiate ; the poultry will be superintended by 

 Mr. Shockley. When we mention this, and remember that at 

 the last Sbow no loss nor death occurred, exhibitors will probably 

 assist the Society. £550 are given in money, seventeen silver 

 cups for poultry, fourteen for Pigeons, and £15 for cage birds. 

 The entries close December 18ih. 



BIRMINGHAM FOR THE FUTURE. 



In a communication I addressed to the Secretary before the 

 entries closed, I explained my reasons for not entering, in the 

 alterations the prize list contained, and my conviction that the 

 Committee had taken measures this year that would lessen the 

 entries. The catalogue proves I was correct ; indeed, but for 

 the wonderful entries in Brahmas (how these mongrels have 

 held their ground !) the entries would have diminished very 

 perceptibly. It would seem that Creve-Coiars and Houdans do 

 not increase, whilst Malays have had a very great check. In 

 this class the mistaken parsimony of the Committee certainly 

 deterred me from entering four pens. 



Birmingham, our old grandmother, it seems to me, should 

 take warning from 1871. Sjme great alterations must be made 

 if she is to remain at the top of the tree. Reverse the dates, 

 and I fancy the Crystal Palace would have beaten her in entries, 

 and I cannot but think that the London Show will in a few 

 years outstrip her. What with darkness in the pens, and the 

 utter disregard of friendly suggestions, I feel certain that with- 

 out alteration Birmingham must soon resign " the pride of 

 place." The treatment of the Variety class is shabby in the 

 extreme, and this year it struck me that the prize list as regards 

 poultry was very meagre compared to past years. — Joseph 

 HiNTON, Warminster. 



PRIZE PIGEONS. 



I HEAKiiLT endorse the remarks of your correspondent with 



respect to the old diseased Carrier Pigeons shown at the Crystal 



I Palace. I really could not see the least chance of a young 



i exhibitor like myself ever attaining the honourable position of 



[ a prizewinner whUe such birds as the cup Black Carrier hen, 



diseased in her wing and eye, are to be specimens of high con- 



I dition and perfect health aa prescribed in the rules of the 



; Show. The first-prize Dan Carrier cook was also diseased in 



the wing, his owner remarking to me that they were all a little 



bit queer at times. 



Every bird that takes a prize should in my opinion be 

 handled by the judge and the wing joints tried, also the eye 

 well examined, as the grand object with most of our great 

 exhibitors is to get their birds into the pens aa short a time as 

 possible previous to the judging, and whilst the sedative ap- 

 plied to the disease retains its effect ; but an examination of 

 the bird two or three days after tells the tale. 1 think a few 

 exposures of this kind would put our shows in a more healthy 

 position. The jadges are, I believe, gentlemen of honour, and 

 above all suspicion of the existing evils when they make their 

 awards. Such a course would also give encouragement to young 

 exhibitors. — An Old Subsobiber. 



AMALGAMATION OF COLUMBARIAN 



SOCIETIES. 



The hint of " A Columbabian " (see page 401), is worth con- 

 sideration, were it only from the fact that a great many of the 

 best fanciers — fanciers in the truest sense of the word, who 

 now never exhibit, would make an annual appearance at such 

 a show as would practically be closed against all but the elite of 

 the fancy. One of the great objects, as I think, of colum- 

 barian societies, is to oppose trickery and dishonest showing, 

 and though it would be folly to expect to weed it out entirely, a 

 single yearly show under the auspices of the amalgamated 

 societies would do much for the fancy in that way, and bring to 

 the fore many men who shrink from coming out at our ordinary 

 shows, whose lofts contain the grandest specimens of their 

 special fancy. 



I would suggest here that at such an annual show, principally 

 for birds of the year bred by the exhibitor, the prizes should 

 be a gold and a silver medal, and that money prizes be not 



