312 



JOURNAL OP EOETICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



[ April 27, 1871. 



that a few years ago sneh birds were plentiful in Belgium and 

 Germanj-, and we occasionally hear of tbem now ; but as they 

 seldom or never make their appearanea at onr exhibition?, we 

 conclnde that they are net quite sueh as cocld be wished. 



Self-coloured, or Whole feathered White or Black Jacks are 

 often to be met with, but they fall short in their properties as 

 compared with their better-known brethren we have described, 

 being generally coarse in frill and hood, and the Whites, in the 

 mejority of instances, showing the black or bull eye ; and we 

 fear that till these deficiencies are overcome such biids will 

 always stand a very poor chance in the show pen. 



As regards breeding, they are prolific and good curses. In 

 matching, we strongly advise the crossing of no colours except 

 the ileds and Yellows. 



In conclutioH, we believe that there is no variety of Toys 

 thrit has of late been so neglected by the fancy. A perfect 

 pair is seldom to he met with at our shows, they being generally 

 ill-matched both in hize and marking: the cock as large again 

 as the hen, and coarse in every pciat, or one or the otter, foul 

 in flights, or verj' irregularly cut. 



Well may the qiiestion be asked, " Where are the Jacobins 

 gone ?" And pleased, indeed, should we be to see fanciers take 

 thetu np, and with careful selection and a certain amount of 

 iu-atid-in breeding restore tbem to what they have been and 

 s'loijld be. This we hope to see effected ere long. — BntjiKGHAii 

 CoLuiiEAitiAX Society. 



INFLUENCE OF EACH PAEENT. 



ilr.. L. Weight, in his remarks on the influence of the male 

 hiiiJ. takes up s, matter which will be very dilBsalt to decide, 

 and a great many opinions will, no doubt, be formed amongst 

 breeders as to its real foundation. The question is a very im- 

 portant one, and should have had the attention of breeders 

 years ago. 



I will quote two cases. Two Spanish pullets, a Spanish 

 cockerel, and a CjcVjin cock, had boen reared together in my 

 yard. After the y'lUets began to lay the Cochin was ret^oved, 

 and after the expi:ation of six clear weeks eggs from the two 

 pullets were taken up for sitting, but fealhei-Iegged Black 

 Spanish appeared ; the plumage was perfeclly bhick, aud so 

 were the leg feathers. 



Mr. Wright quotes a ease, that one visit to a Tariey cock 

 fertilises the whole batch of eggs. I agree with. him ; and so 

 with the common hen, as my experience will show. I had a 

 Black Eed hen : after being broody and laying one egg, she was 

 sent to visit a Brown Eud cock, was thrown down in the yard, 

 allowed to remain a few hours, was taken up and brought 

 home, and laid nine eggs: each egg produced a chicken, and 

 each like the male bird, which was Brown Eed. I may men- 

 tion that after the hen was brought home she was kept entirely 

 by herself. 



These facts would lead us to believe that we are not suffi- 

 ciently careful in mating for exhibition ; no doubt considerable 

 sums are spent in purchasing stock birds, which, after being 

 received, are turned inio the yard of the breeder, the eggs 

 taken up at once for sitting, and the result is unsatisfactory 

 produce, because the iofiuence of the previous male is left, and 

 in my opinion for ever will be mors or less. Here the seller I 

 daresay in many cases is blamed, and is probably told that his 

 prize-winning stock bird has produced nothing but rubbish, at 

 the same time the fault rests with the breeder. My opinion 

 is, that hens intended to be bred from should be kept in a 

 yard entirely by themselves, at the proper season to be mated 

 ■with the cock or cocks you wish to breed from. I believe 

 the inflLienee of the first union is never thoroughly erased. — 

 EoET. Patxe, Bricrfield. 



eleventh day brought forth a halt-bred. Strange to say, the 

 Brahma pullet never liked her Spangled mate, she did not 

 seem to flimrish, and ere long came to an untimeiy fate. — 

 Chan-ticleee. 



The letters on the influence of the male bird, &e., are very 

 interesting, and remind me of a somewhat similar controversy 

 relative to horses, which resulted, after some hundreds of letters 

 had been published, in the conviction that the male, as a rule, 

 stamped the progeny with outward form and colour, the most 

 decisive argument being used by a clergyman, who reminded 

 his opponents that the produce of the pony and female ass had 

 the ears aud shape of the horse, and hinnied like him, while 

 the produce of the ass and mare had the long ears and cross of 

 the ass, and brayed, ilence I think the male stamps the 

 progeny with form aud colour, and I believe the female gives 

 constitution; at least, in horse-breeding it is looked to above 

 all other things to have a sound constitution on the mare's 

 side. 



I believe " F. S. F." (see page 281) was nnwise in buying the 

 "handsome Buff Cochin pullet, weighing 9 lbs.," to breed 

 from, as fowls have their constitutions ruined by training or 

 feeding for shows. I recollect an anecdote of the F.oyal breed- 

 ing stud at Hampton Court which may illustrate some of the 

 views of your correspondents. A thorough-bred mare had a 

 foal by- a zebra, and for several seasons afterwards she bad 

 foals marked parliaUy and visibly in a similar manner to tho 

 mule foal striped like the zebra ; it was the action of her 

 imagination of course. I often thought that that myth in 

 poultry, the white fowl with black topknot, could be i>roduced 

 by sewing a. black crest on a white cock. I would try the ex- 

 periment had I the time. — Lyle. 



Not long ago I imported a trio of Dark B.-ahmos to Canada, 

 where I tben resided. Bt-ing tho first of the variety in the 

 country they were very much admired. A pair were shown 

 at the spring m-jeting of the Oatario Poultry Association, 

 their owner having been elected an honorary member of that 

 spirited and energetic Society. Having entered the birds at 

 what was considered a prohibitory price, I thought myself safe 

 to bring them home again, but to my great chagrin they were 

 claimed. Thus I was left without a Brahma cock, and the 

 short Canadian hutching season must be over before I conld 

 import another. iXy remaining pullet had not Jong been lay- 

 ing, and I tben allo'ved her to run with a Silvor-spangled Ham- 

 burgh rooster, anJ with five hen?. Every egg laid for ten days 

 produced a pure Dark Brahma chick ; iho egg laid on the 



WHAE-FEDALE POULTRY SHOW. 



The seventy -third annual meeting of the TVliarfedflle AgricnJtnra! 

 Society was Leld in n. large field on the noi-tliern bant of the river 

 "Wharfe, at Otley, on the 'list inst. Foi-tunately the weather was very 

 fine, although rain fell heavily on every other day of the week, and 

 the good old town of Otley, that favourite resort of pleasure-seeters 

 in early spring, put on a gay and. animated appearance. This was the 

 most successful of the Society's Exhibitions, through the able manaj^e- 

 ment of the Secretary, Sir. Lee. The number of entries was nearly 

 two hundred in excess of those in any previous year. There was an 

 excellent display of poultry, and in some of the classes the competition 

 was keen. 



Spanish came first in the schedule, but were not nearly so good as 

 last year. The Dorl:ings, which seldom excel in this locality, were 

 few in number, but the wiuners good. Amons the Cochirts were some 

 good birds, but few good pens, the first-prize hen suiiering from diseased 

 feet. Polish fowl were very fine, and the whole class commended. 

 Among the Gome were some birds exceediugly true to colour. Of the 

 Keds, Brown Keds were first and Black Eeds second, and in the con- 

 test for the Game cup, the second-prize pen was awarded the cup, a 

 separate entry beiuf; required to enable them to compete. These 

 birds were, however, very fine in all points. The Maui'mrf/Jis were, as 

 may be expected, the best gathering in the Show. Tvith the Gold- 

 spangled the contest was close, and the birds of high merit; but of 

 the Silver- spangled, the first-prize pen stood clear of all competition, 

 being perfect in snaugling aud rich in colour. The cup for Any 

 variety except Game was won hy this pen. The Pencilled Hamburghs 

 of both colours were veiy good, the first-prize Golden pen containing 

 a male bird of great beauty. The Black Hamburghs were good p.s a 

 class, though some of the birds were a little white on the face. The 

 Game Bantam class was not good, although the entries were numerous. 

 The first pi-ize was awarded to Black Reds, and the second to Brown 

 Beds. There were some good pens of Black Bantams, but mauy of 

 them were short-feathered, and we thought an unnoticed pen should 

 have been placed fiis^;. 



There was a class for single Game Bantam cocks, in which the birds 

 were much better tunn in the pens of that variety. The Variety class 

 ' contained Pekins and Silver Sebrights, which we thought very good. 



The Tuvhcys were large, and fine in plumage. The Aylesbury 

 Duch^ were i)oor, but in the Variety class for Ducks were some gootl 

 birds, Viduada Whistling Dncks being first, and Carolinas second. 

 The whole class was noticed. 



Some augmentation of the Pt'jcon schedule had been made, although 

 the prizes were still but poor ; yet the attempt to improve this section 

 met with a ready response. The quality of the birds was unex- 

 ceptionable, aud we hope the Committee wUl make a greater lecon- 

 struction of the prize iiit, as we feel quite confident that this deport- 

 ment can easily be mady more than self-supporting. 



In the Carrier class the birds were pretty evenly balanced, the first 

 being Blachs. and the second Duns, these and the rest of the birds 

 being all aged. The Pouters were also good as a whole, the first-prize 

 pen of Blues standing quite out in the Show, and securing the cap for 



