October 27, 1&70. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



337 



would do adrainbly against the back wall. The pipes would throw off 

 more heat if placed on the Bame level instead of above each other. 



American Blight (35. G., Leighton Buzzard). — Slake some l : me and 

 add some salt, and apply with a brush. Some people add a little cow 

 dung.— W. F. Radclyffe. 



Names or Plants (Rev. S. L. Wilson, Prestbury Vicarage). — Lycium 

 barbaram, very commonly known as the " Tea shrub " in cottage gardens. 

 (H.). — land 4 nre the Lady Fern, Athyrium Filis-fcemina ; 5. Lantrea 

 Filix-mas; S and 6 are L. dilatata ; 2, L spinulosa, a variety of dilatata. 

 (M.S.). — 1, Ptsris felosma ; 2, a small var. of Scolopendrinm vulgare ; 

 3, a Lastrea nor. recognised by us ; 4, Campyloneuron lapathifolium; 5, 

 possib y Cystopteris alpina. (G.P.). — We do not identify your Fern, as 

 it is not in fruit. Cannot you forward us part of a frond bearing sori? 

 (E. T.).— Campanula Portenschlagiana. (AT. H.). — 1, Aster lrevvs; 2, A. 

 Novi-Belgii. Iff. J., Foto Island) — 1, Clematis graveolens ; 2,AsterNovffi- 

 AsgHse : 8, A?t*r grandiflorus ; 4, Artemisia, apparentlv Abrotanum. 

 (T. B. W.).— 1, Pt-ria longifolia; 2, Platyloma (Peltffia) adiantifolia ; 3, 

 Adiantum hispidu'um ; 4, Pteria serrulata; 5, Polypodium vjilgare cam- 

 bric urn ; 6, NfDhrolepis cordifoHum (N. tuberosa) ; 7. Athyrium umbro- 

 sum ; 8, Davalla Novae-ZaelandiaB; 9. Polypodium anreum. (M. D.). — 

 Eucomis punctata, a Cape bulb. {Marlow Cottage). — The pupular name. 

 "Bottle Brush," is applied to the whole genua of the Horsetails, Equi- 

 setum of botanists. 



POULTRY, BSE, AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 



POULTRY SHOW REPORTS. 



I see that your correspondent, " Shropshire Rector," in 

 the number for October 13th, gives me a gentle "dig," not a 

 blow, still less an ill-tempered scratch, rather let me call it a 

 Bort of a pat, and then, fearing he has knocked off the skin, he 

 puts on a plaister. Thus he savs, "lam sure the value of ' our 

 Journal' in a poultry-fancier's eyes would be greatly increased 

 if we could have more detailed accounts of the poultry exhibited." 

 Then comes the gentle dig or pat, " I do not mean such an ac- 

 count as lhat of 'Wiltshire Hector's' journey to Stroud, in 

 which the j mrney occupies about ninety lines, the fowls thirty, 

 and the Pigeons eight." Then follows the plaister — " No 

 offence to our good friend, whose letters are always amusing, 

 and whose acquaintance I hope some day to make." These 

 remarks aff >rd me an opportunity of saying what I have been 

 wishing for some time to say. As to my brother of Shropshire, 

 I the more easily recover his pat, inasmuch as my opinion some 

 years ago was not wholly uulikehis. But now, after eight years' 

 experience as a writer in this Journal, my opinion is, that re- 

 ports to be readable, and especially to vary one from another, 

 must deal more with the surroundings than with the birds 

 themselves ; and for this reason, that the birds exhibited are 

 not only very much alike, but in many cases tbey are the very 

 same birds. Thus, as one comes to a pen one says, "Ah! 

 here are S >-and-so's old E>se-combed Dorkings; " or, "Well, 

 the Bristol Spanish are looking wonderfully well after so many 

 journeys ;" and so in a great measure it is throughout, ex- 

 cept with the awkward squad — the birds sent by persons living 

 near, and who do not understand poultry, and whioh birds are 

 utterly unworthy of a remark. But if this be true of the fowls, 

 it is even more true of the winning first-class PigeoDS. A few 

 fanciers have the best birds in the country, and win all or nearly 

 all the prizes, and these birds are almost as well known at a 

 show as their owners' names are known in the prize list. 



But, again, " Shropshire Rector " remarks upon the reports 

 of the judges (and by way, who so fit to report as those who 

 have studied every pen iu order to decide the prizes?), yet lean 

 tell him that the best judge in the world gives usually in his 

 reports but very few details, and he as well as 1 know the 

 reason why. 



Further, poultry in itself is not a very wide subject, and if 

 one wrote diffusely every time of the Dorking's fifth claw and 

 its position, or of twisted combs, or of removal of hairs from the 

 face, or of a duck foot, we should make each volume of this 

 Journal as alike as the covers, the dates only differing. Or as 

 it was said by the poet of a Dutch garden, where — 



" Eaoh alley has its brother, 



And half the garden juBt reflects the other." 



But there is a further reason still. There is an authoritative 

 " Standard of E scellence." at least one now received with great 

 respect by all poultry fanciers. Let "Shropshire Rector" 

 master that, and he will gain great knowledge of detail. But I 

 do not see that we should print it part by part; to do so would 

 be as great an error, to my mind, as to make the gardening de- 

 partment of the periodical an enlarged repetition of old Aber- 

 crombie brought down to the present time. I venture to think 

 that the complaint of " Shropshire Rector " is that of a be- 

 ginner. 



I can further illustrate my meaning in this way. Where, 

 until Mr. Blakston wrote, were Canaries ? We had indeed oc- 

 casionally an answer to an inquirer about long claws, or wheez- 

 ing, or moulting ; but how different now, when, during the last 

 few years, we have had lengthy and excellent articles on Cana- 

 ries. The reason is, 1 believe, because "W. A. B.'s" witty 

 and readable papers have pushed forward the fancy. 1 consider 

 that Mr. BlakBton's account of the Crystal Palace Show of last 

 February was one of the very best reports, if not the best, I 

 ever read, and yet he always deals as much at least, or even 

 more, with the surroundings than with the birds themselves. 

 If a report were extended to many papers (one I think was even 

 to six), and were it full of minutiae, I should break down in the 

 reading, and read scarcely half. 



"Shropshire Rector" mentions the Stroud report parti- 

 cularly. Now, I know the burden of care on the shoulders of 

 committeemen, and never make complaints, especially if it be 

 a first show. But as Stroud is specially mentioned, I must 

 remark that after having paid 5s. entrance I never got a prize 

 list at all. It was not printed by the time I left — viz., five 

 o'olook, and one was sent to me by post afterwards. Such a 

 state of things must cripple a reporter sadly. It is even a fact 

 that all the prize cards were not on the pen3 when I left, and 

 I should not have known which birds got the prizes in the 

 Game classes but for the courtesy of the Rev. Mr. Hodson the 

 Judge. Sad state of things indeed, but true nevertheless ! 



" Shropshire Rector" implies, unless I mistake him, that 

 I write only to amuse ; he will permit me to remark that I 

 have a far higher aim, which is, by writing readable articles 

 (readable by those who are not fanciers) to raise and enlarge 

 the fancy, to extend it to those who have not as yet learned to 

 love those beautiful birds which we love. But we must gain 

 ears before we gain hearts, and I am sure an Eaton or a Brent, 

 excellent in details though both were, never increased the 

 Pigeon fancy, while I have seen on many a bookcase " The 

 Dovecote," because its author knew how to write interestingly. 

 Of poultry simply and Bolely, and its details, it would be im- 

 possible to write year after year, and many years in succession 

 — the subject is not wide enough. Thus it is not unfrequently 

 the case that ardent young poultry fanciers say to me, " What 

 a pity there is no periodical for poultry only." I tell them it 

 was tried years ago, and failed, and would fail again ; the subject 

 is too narrow. "Our Journal," taking in so many pursuits, 

 fancies, and hobbies, sucoeeds, and for that reason. I have, 

 during the many years I have written, come to know from the 

 many private letters what class of papers readers are good 

 enough to be pleased with, and without the least wish to be 

 egotistical I must beg leave to add in conclusion this anecdote. 

 A Pigeon paper of mine, " A Day at Devizes, and What I Saw 

 There," written in the spring of 1865, happened to be copied 

 into the county paper. I met for the first time soon afterwards 

 a Wiltshire gentleman, who asked me " if it were true that I 

 was the writer of it." I did not deny the soft impeachment. 

 He replied, " Why you write so as to make people run off and 

 buy fowls and Pigeons." I 6aid, " That is just what I wish." 

 I repeat, that I Btate this from no egotistical feeling, but to 

 show that, although I am not "a dry detail dealer," yet I have, 

 I trust, done some little good to the poultry world. — Wiltshire 

 Rector. 



As " Shropshire Rector " remarks, a report should contain 

 something definite — something by which an abseEt exhibitor 

 or breeder may properly estimate the relative value of his own 

 and other birds. I have known cases where winning birds 

 have been claimed by post or purchased afterwards from great 

 distances, simply because they were winning birds, and upon 

 arrival they were found to be indifferent specimens after all, 

 thus annoying and disappointing the purchaser, and creating a 

 feeling of distrust against the seller. I sincerely hope, there- 

 fore, that next week we shall not read of the winning pens of 

 Light Brahmas at Southampton as being " a better lot than 

 those of previous years," or " as a whole not bo good as last 

 year." Let us have some idea of the size, perfection in mark- 

 ing, and other excellencies, relatively, of the leading birds. 



Mr. Wright's suggestion respecting commendations is well 

 worthy of adoption. I fully endorse his remarks upon the 

 entry fees at Birmingham. Let us hope that another year the 

 Committee will consider the advisability of a change, abolish- 

 ing the present subscription for a high entry fee. I can answer 

 for many firBt-clasB pens in the west which, but for the high 

 fees, would be sent singly, as both credit and the expense of 

 carriage would prevent middling pens being entered. 



