December 22, 1870. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



499 



at all, as I can well imagine his extensive correspondence. I 

 cannot accept his proposal to take his place and judge a show 

 of five hnudred pens, for reasons of which the following must 

 suffice : — 1, It is one of my peculiar opinions that no one 

 possibly can judge five hundred pens as they ought to be judged. 

 2, There are breeds which I do not, and never pretended to, 

 understand ; and there are many who might, perhaps (I do not 

 say they would), accept my judgment in regard to Brahmas, 

 Cochins, and some other breed?, who would feel justly nggiieved 

 were I called upon to pronounce upon their Hamburghs or 

 Game fowls. 3, While Mr. Hewitt's time is his own, mine is 

 not, and it is only on rare occasions that even my health would 

 allow of my performing such an office. Mr. Hewitt cannot 

 have known these things, or his appeal would bear an unworthy 

 aspect of which I know Mm to be iucapable; but he ought, 

 perhaps, to have sought a little information on them before 

 making it. 



I can assure him the difficulties of a judge are no mere myths 

 to me : I should get no new light on that subject, and all the 

 rest would remain where it was. Whether a certain point 

 raised by me is desirable or not to be adopted, is one general 

 question which should be argued solely on its own merits. 

 Whether, if adopted, it would further tax the judges ; and if 

 so, how overtaxing them can be avoided — that is another ques- 

 tion. The one is certainly related to the other — that I admit ; 

 but it does not settle it ; for the same argument would have 

 prevented the dividing the sexes at Birmingham, the giving of 

 four prizes (which Mr. Hewitt himself recommends) much less 

 six, and many other desirable reforms which all demanded 

 more time, hut have been adopted nevertheless. How the 

 increased labour may be lightened is a point on which I hope 

 to say more at a future time. 



Having thus disposed at once of his appeal to me, and of the 

 time objection, only one argument is left. He fays, if I " only 

 want a close idea of the state of the competition," this is " fullv 

 met by a glauce at the number of pens highly commended." 

 That is verily all I did want, or had in view ; but his assertion 

 a simple reference to a file of this Journal will show to be in- 

 correct. I have repeatedly remarked reports of show3 (sen>. by 

 the judges themselves) stating that classes were of unusual or 

 even " extraordinary " merit throughout, yet with only one or 

 two commendations ; while, on the other hand, instances occur 

 where the distinctions are thick, yet the class is pronounced 

 poor ! The reason seems to me to be, that merely " highly 

 commended " is too indefinite, and may mean almost anything ; 

 hence — and for no other reasons — I proposed some higher 

 award to have some definite value. The diploma I mentioned 

 in my stoond letter was not meant as a "Dew" proposal, and 

 Mr. Hesvitt Bhould not have so stated it. In fact, the name is 

 of little moment ; and to show that nearly everyone but Mr. 

 Hewitt seems to have understood me, and that my suggestion 

 did receive some little " favour at the hands of committees," 

 I received almost by next post several letters of high approval, 

 two of them from secretaires of shows, one of whom suggested 

 medals as better still. Since then I have had a schedule sent 

 me, iu which the last prize is an embossed card. I want i ome- 

 thing higher and more definite than mere " highly commended," 

 that is all. What it is, so it fulfil these conditions, I care 

 little ; and why, after I had for the present given up the point 

 of order of merit expressly on accnunt of his protest, Mr. 

 Hewitt should apparently fasten on this very acquiescence as a 

 fault on my part, and accuse me of changing my " ground," I 

 cannot quite understand. I can only say, now that several 

 weeks have passed, many letters of approval I have received 

 confirm my opinion that some intermediate award — whatever 

 it be called — is greatly needed, and already the prize lists in 

 the Journal show that one judge (at Newport) has adopted it. 



On the trimming matter my remarks will be very brief. I 

 have been shown, years ago, Bantam tails put in as cleverly as 

 any seen now, but they were not found out. Men were quite 

 as clever then as now, but oLly the ruder cases seem to have 

 been detected. I must add, however, that much of what I 

 wrote on trimming was directed more against shameless 

 plucking — whether of hoeks, hackles, body feathers, or tails — 

 which judges can deeet and punish if they choose, than 

 against the rarer cases of deeper art. Cases almost impossible 

 of detection, it is no discredit to the judges seldom to detect; 

 but since Mr. Hewitt so personally challenges me and my 

 opinions, I say deliberately and emphatically, that in my 

 opinion the judges should not have given prizes to birds like 

 many of the Cocbia cocks at Birmingham, with the whole of 

 the tails notoriously and shamelessly torn away. There was 



no concealment there. This, therefore, is a barefaced fraud, 

 for the toleration of which there is no excuse ; and when I 

 hinted at certain "results" of my labour, I had chiefly in 

 mind the notorious faot that plucked hocks used also to win 

 prizes with impunity, but very rarely do so now. I am confident 

 I shall see the time yet when plucked tails will share the same 

 fate. I was very glad to see Mr. Hewitt this season join in 

 giving prizes to decidedly hooked birds of merit when honestly 

 shown ; and he must allow me to believe that this and other 

 objects I have at heart are more likely to be realised by my 

 working in my own way than in that ho suggests for me. 



I quite admit the want of time to detect many of the " finer 

 branches" of trimming. My original proposal was, therefore, 

 that any such discoveries after judging should still disqualify. 

 1 yet believe this to be the only remedy. 



I have only to say in conclusion, that regarding the " pro- 

 testor" who was disqualified, I did not say it was an injustice 

 to " refer to such an enormity." The injustice I feared had 

 been done, was in a mistake as to the fact, not in referring to 

 the matter. In asking for the names, I had no thought of re- 

 questing their publication, but only that they might be given 

 me; but on reading over my own letter, I am bound to admit 

 that the language of the request will fairly bear the construction 

 Mr. Hewitt put upon it, and I cannot, therefore, complain. 



The remaining portion of his letter, on buying prize pens, 

 relates to a question not raised by me, and with which I have 

 nothing to do. I hope shortly, however, to say a few words 

 upon difficulties and mistakes in judging, and their remedies. 

 On these matters I truBt Mr. Hewitt and myself may find more 

 agreement, and I quite coincide with him in the opinion, that 

 on behalf of the judges also, who so kindly give their aid to the 

 fancy, mostly without charge, and too often without even 

 thanks, much, very much, indeed, needs alteration for the 

 better in the arrangement of our shows. — L. Weight. 



OILING THE PLUMAGE OF EXHIBITED BIRDS. 



Will people be never content to exhibit their birds fairly 

 without in some way or other tampering with their plumage? 

 In nine oases out of ten the dishonesty is at once detected, but 

 supposing it to be overlooked, and a prize gained, what a paltry 

 recompense when honour is endangered! One of the latest 

 " tips " in plumage-doctoring is to oil birds' hackles with intent 

 to make them appear darker than they actually are. The case 

 in point occurred not long ago at one of our leading showB. A 

 pair of Brahma pullets were noticeable for their dark hackles, 

 so much so that one of the judges on meeting the owner asked 

 what had been done to them. The reply was that they had 

 been oiled. Now, I will not mention our friend's name, as I 

 fear I should damage his reputation by so doiDg, and I merely 

 wish to give him a timely warning, which I hope he will take in 

 good part, to avoid such trickery for the future. If " Nemo " 

 had the handling of him I could not be answerable for the 

 consequences. — Nemesis. 



WHITE BANTAM CLASS AT MANCHESTER 

 SHOW. 



Having no more subscriptions to record, I beg to say that the 

 prizes in the above class will be— 1st, £2 ; 2nd, £1 ; 3rd, 10s. 

 Subscribers' names have already appeared in this Journal. 

 This sum is the amount of subscriptions received. — Saml. J. 

 Ashton. 



RAILWAY NEGLECTS. 

 I had been anxiously looking forward for the last three 

 months to the Crystal Palace Poultry Show, and at the proper 

 time I sent ten entries for Dragoons, for which I paid £2 15s. 

 The birds left here (Birkenhead), by the 11.40 train on the 

 Monday morning previous to the Sbow, and should have been 

 delivered the same evening. Almost every bird I sent had 

 won prizes at some of the principal bIiows, and I consequently 

 believed my chance to be second to none for at least one o 

 the cups; judge of my surprise on receiving a list of awards, 

 not to find my name even among the commended?. On Thurs- 

 day I accidentally heard my birds did not arrive until too late 

 for the judging, which took place late on Tuesday ; in fact, 

 they did not arrive until Wednesday. I do think the Secre- 

 tary of the Show is to blame in not writing me when he found 

 they had not arrived, even on the Tuesday, so as to allow me 

 to make some inquiries as to their whereabouts. 1 suppose if 



