October 6, 1S70. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



275 



amount between first and second prize3 more equally, andl 

 had hoped this would have been done. I am certain that last 

 year entries were lost on this account. I am disposed to think 

 it will lessen my entries now. It seems now-a-days legitimate 

 to hit the poor Malays hard ; but my good friend, Mr. L. 

 Wright, would hardly have penned his few remarks about their 

 entries last year if he had studied the catalogue of 1869- For 

 instance, there are some classes of Malaya that paid the Com- 

 mittee far better than did some of the classes of other breeds ! 

 This is a monstrous thing for me to state ; perfectly untrue 

 some may probably think the statement, but let me come to 

 chapter and verse. Class 31, Malay hens over one year, had 

 seven entries ; or let me make the following table as a com- 

 parison : — 



No. of Amount at Prizes 



Class and Breed. Entries. 3s. per pen. offered. 



Class 17.— Cochin (White).— Cocks £ s. £ s. 



over one year S 1 4 5 



Class 27.— Brahma (Light).— Hens 



over one year 9 1 7 5 



Class 37.— La Fleche.— Cocks 4 12 4 



Class 38.— Ditto.— Hens 5 15 4 



Class 47.— Hamburghs (Silver-pen- 

 cilled).— Cocks 9 1 7 5 10 



Class 70.— Game (Duckwing).— Hens 7 1 1 4 



Class 74.— Game (White and Pile) 



Cocks 1 4 5 



Class 31. — Malay. — Hens over one 

 year 7 1 1 8 10* 



I may mention that there are one or two other classes that 

 only equal this Malay class — for instance, Class 19, White 

 Cochin hens. I have purposely omitted the Polish. Alas ! 

 like the Malay, they are no longer fashionable, and I have pre- 

 ferred taking the fashionable varieties. 



I will agree that the breed has deteriorated. Is it wonderful 

 when of late so little encouragement has been offered to it? — 

 Y. B. A. Z. 



paid to their fattening, from neglect of which we lose an im- 

 mense amount of good food ; and, as a commercial question, 

 it would amply repay any country gentleman to try the experi- 

 ment, as recently detailed in this Journal. Some years ago a 

 Mr. Brooke attended before the Food Committee of the Society 

 of Arts, and gave some very valuable information on the sub- 

 ject, which he offered to make known to the country at large, 

 by going down to various towns on their market days, and 

 instructing the small farmers and cottagers. But no action was 

 taken upon it, as ought to have been the case, and so a valuable 

 opportunity was allowed to slip away. — (Food Journal.) 



[It is stated by the City authorities that the piece of ground 

 referred to above affords double the area of the spacious Meat 

 Market, and it is even more conveniently situated for those 

 who are likely to be purchasers of poultry, being in the imme- 

 diate neighbourhood of the Farringdon Street Station of the 

 Metropolitan Railway. — Eds.] 



MALAYS— REVISION OF CLASSES. 



I was much pleased with the remarks made by Mr. Wright 

 in your last week's number about the Birmingham Show of 

 1870. Touching Malays, true it is that a few amateurs have 

 again this year subscribed each a guinea rather than have the 

 class expunged from the prize list ; but surely these amateurs 

 must feel disappointed at the manner in which the prizes have 

 been distributed in the four classes — viz., £3 the first prize 

 and 10s. the second prize. Without further comment, although 

 there is no accounting for taste, as an exhibitor I infinitely 

 prefer the first prize. Judging from what I have seen and 

 heard, I think that Malays this year will be better represented 

 than ever, and that, owing to recent importations, Mr. Wright 

 will have no reason to think that the breed is deteriorating. 

 Several amateurs have lately started Malays, and I trust that 

 they will enter them for competition at Birmingham, and let 

 the committees of other shows see that henceforth they will be 

 deserving of a class to themselves, and not be obliged to take 

 refuge in the "Variety class" to be beaten, as has often been 

 the case, by Silkies. 



It would indeed be a great boon if many committees would 

 revise their poultry prize lists, and not issue the same, as is 

 usually the case, year after year. Why should there not be 

 a class at every principal show for Black Hamburghs, one for 

 Polish of any variety, and one for French fowls of any variety ? 

 At the last three shows that I have attended Black Hamburghs 

 and Silver Polish have been first and second in the "Variety 

 class," and many really good pens of French fowls, Malays, 

 Gold-laced Bantams, &c, have been obliged to be content with 

 high commendations. I am satisfied that if these three classes 

 I have mentioned were to be found iu the prize lists for 1871 

 they would not only be well filled, and the show rendered far 

 more attractive, but greater encouragement would be given 

 to the breeders of these excellent varieties. — A. G. Bkooke, 

 Buyton XL-Towns, Salop. 



New Poultby. Mabket. — It is satisfactory to learn that a 

 Poultry Market is in contemplation, the proposed site being a 

 piece of vacant ground adjoining the Metropolitan Meat Market. 

 This would be a valuable addition to our already existing 

 organisation for the supply of animal food. Next, we should 

 like to see good and cheap vegetable markets, in which the 

 poorer districts of London are sadly deficient. Perhaps the 

 formation of one for poultry will cause more attention to be 



1 In this case amateurs assisted the Committee to offer the prizes. 



RULE AGAINST TRIMMING. 

 Can you, or any of your correspondents, inform me how it is 

 that the Committee of the Birmingham Poultry Show have not 

 a rule against trimmiDg ? I was quite surprised and disap- 

 pointed, when I looked over the rule3 for this year, to find that 

 they 6hould have omitted such an important one, more espe- 

 cially so, as the Birmingham Show is considered the leading 

 one of the day, and one which should set an example to the 

 smaller exhibitions. Honest exhibitors do not like to trim 

 their birds, neither do they like to be beaten with birds with 

 pickled feathers. I sincerely hope that the Manchester and 

 other leading shows will adopt a rule against such fraudulent 

 practices, or else honest exhibitors will give up exhibiting. — 

 A Disgusted Exhibitoe. 



SELLING EGGS BY WEIGHT. 



When eggs were worth from 6 to 12 cents per dozen, it was 

 a matter of no great importance whether they were large or 

 small, but now as they range from 20 to 40 cents per dozen, 

 there is an item worth looking after in selection. There is 

 nearly a difference of half in the amount of meat to be found 

 in different lots of eggs on the market, and justice can never 

 be done to the purchaser until they are sold by weight. Eggs 

 weigh usually l.J lb. per dozen, and at 40 cents per dozen 

 are expensive meat. When sold for breeding purposes, the 

 present custom of counting may be the best. There would be 

 an advantage to the producer resulting from a change as above 

 suggested as well as to the buyer, for then every keeper of 

 poultry would seek such breeds as would produce the greatest 

 number of pounds in eggs, while now a hen which is prolific is 

 profitable, let her eggs be as small as those of the Partridge ; 

 the object being to get number, not size or quality. — (Ohio 

 Farmer.) 



PRIZES FOR ANTWERP PIGEONS. 

 I have read in your pages various letters advising persons 

 about to purchase birds for forming a flock to have the Antwerp 

 on account of its usefulness, quick breeding, and numerous 

 other good properties. I quite agree with the writers, having 

 kept birds of that breed for some time ; Btill there is one great 

 drawback to persons who keep them as a hobby, and like to 

 show them now and then in order to know the merits of their 

 birds — it is that at few shows are prizes given for this class 

 of Pigeons. Now, I think this is a mistake, and I imagine if 

 the committees could only read the letters to which I have 

 referred, they would soon offer prizes, if not cups, for this 

 -H. P. Ryland. 



ECCLESFIELD (SHEFFIELD) POULTRY AND 

 PIGEON SHOW. 



This Show was held on the 29th nit. , and was one of the sections 

 of the Agricultural Exhibition, and although there was but one prize 

 offered in each class, yet the muster in point of both quantity and 

 quality was of a respectable character. 



The adult fowls were generally good, though most were in deep 

 moult. The Cochins, Spanish, and Folands were of high quality, 

 and shown in the very best of bloom and condition. The first- 

 prize Dorking chickens were dark Greys, of enormous frame and 

 good shape, and there were also several grand cockerels, with bad 

 pallets. The Spanish chickens were also of nice quality, bnt the 



