500 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 22, 1870. 



they had never reached their destination I should have been 

 left in ignorance. I have good proof that if they had been 

 there in time I should have won one if not bo'.h of the cups 

 offered for Dragoon?. Have any of your readera been in the 

 same fix, and did they obtain any redress from the railway 

 company ? I shall be very glad of any experience on the 

 subjeot, as I intend sueing the railway company for my loss. — 

 Frank Geaham. 



CRYSTAL PALACE POULTRY SHOW. 



The birds were carefully tended, but I must express my own 

 opinion — not a solitary opinion — I am very certain that pens 

 with wire backs and fronts are an abomination. It was almost 

 impossible to make any bird face you, and thus, judging must 

 have been more difficult; or if the birds did face, they backed 

 against the wires to the great damage of their tails. Most of 

 the pens, however, had another serious fault ; for the large 

 breeds they were neither high enough nor large enough. 

 Many a D jrking cock looked as if he had a wry tail, simply be- 

 cause he had no room to carry it properly. So, again, one or 

 two of the Malay cockerels did not show themselves off from 

 want of height in the pen. I believe the pens used were those 

 of Mr. Biilett, and have been lauded in "our Journal, " but for 

 many breeds they are decidedly too small. I heard much 

 grumbling, and some talk of a protest being set on foot ; how- 

 ever, I trust that there will be no occasion for such a course. 



My chief object in noticing the Exhibition is to give a little 

 analysis of the entries, which may prove useful to sehedule- 

 framers and committees. I have often before in our pages 

 urged the desirability of making classes for all breeds at all 

 established shows ; tbey may not always fill, but they always 

 add an attraction to visitors, and make a variety. 



In the following table I have endeavoured to show the number 

 of entries in each class, the amount of prize money offered, 

 adding to each class a share of the silver cup offered between 

 them, and in the last column the amount that the entries pro- 

 duced. I put them in two divisions, in the order of the cata- 

 logue, the first division being those that repaid the exchequer 

 by entries, the second (hose that failed to do so. 

 FIRST DIVISION. 



Entries. Prizes offered 



Coloured Dorking 



Dark Brahma 



Light Brahtna 



Houdans 



Other French varieties 



Gold-spangled Hamburgh .. 

 Gold-pencilled Hrtmburgh .. 

 Silver- sp-maled Hamburgh.. 



Black Red Game 



Golden Polauds 



Silver Polands 



74 

 75 

 90 

 39 

 29 

 20 

 21 

 22 

 47 

 15 

 12 



S, s. 



16 in 



17 5 

 21 15 



10 

 8 

 6 

 6 

 6 



1« 15 

 3 10 

 3 10 



Amount entries 



produced. 



£ s. 



d. 



27 15 







28 2 



6 



S3 15 







14 2 



6 



10 17 



G 



7 10 



n 



7 17 



6 



8 5 







17 12 



6 



5 12 



li 



4 10 







SECO> 

 2. White Dorking 



D DIVI 

 40 

 14 

 27 

 2-1 

 15 

 70 

 14 

 15 

 19 

 25 



6 



9 



3ION. 



15 11 



6 1)0 



16 15 

 16 15 



6 .5 

 33 12 

 6 10 

 6 10 

 10 to 

 HI 15 

 8 10 

 3 10 



15 " 

 5 5 



3. Bnff Cochin 



10 2 6 





10 10 



5. White Cochin 



5 12 6 





26 5 



7. Silver-pencilled Hamburgh. . 

 S. Black Hamburgh 



5 5 

 5 12 6 





7 2 6 





9 7 6 



11. White-crested Black Polands 



12. Malay 



2 5 



3 7 6 







another mystery. Why Golden Polands, that a year or two 

 ago appeared " polled out," should come with a rush and dis- 

 tance the Silvers, is inexplicable. All this only proves that in 

 the outset of framing a schedule no Committee, however 

 Bhrewd, can declare which breed will enter beet. 



Ws have two other really grand shows coming off; we have 

 Bristol and Gifton, with no M-tlay class, and Polands all lumped 

 together. This, I contend, at such a show is most unfair, and 

 I trust it will be the last time such a course will be pursued. 

 Manchester is as bad in this respect, and is very peculiar in 

 one or two other points. What has happened to the prizes for 

 Hamburgbs? the division is most strange. No Malay class, 

 and Polands all lumped together ! I am far from desiring that 

 every little exhibition should sub-divide its classes to a great 

 extent, but I do contend that at grand shows, where a large 

 collection of poultry may be expected, the breeds I have 

 mentioned should be offered a separate class. The experience 

 of the great London show abundaatly proves that they will enter 

 fairly. 



One word more. I venture to say that for the shows them- 

 selves the division of sexes is a mistake, at any rate for the 

 less popular classes, and that for practical purposes the cock 

 and one hen will avoid the difficulties of matching, and give a 

 greater probability of entries, while causing a far smaller drain 

 on the exchequer. — T. B. A. Z. 



Now, can we gather anything for future arrangements from 

 the experience of the great Loudon show? Clearly the first 

 division de-erve every encouragement, not because they are 

 more useful, not because they are more beautiful, not because 

 they are the hardiest, but in the eyes of Committees, simply 

 because they return their prize money. Is this the end, the 

 one object of our poultry exhibitions, many of which are ssid 

 to be formed for the encouragement of the breeding and im- 

 provement of domestic poultry ? Or rather should not the 

 prize money be so meted out as to encourage as much as pos- 

 sible all the established breeds, that either for hardiness, 

 beauty, use, or special peculiarity, have more or less their 

 admirers ? I submit the latter is the right course. 



The eccentricities of entries are marvellous. Why Buff 

 Cochins should turn out in such miserable numbers at the 

 Crystal Palace, nobody knows or will know. Why Brown Red 

 Game should be eclipsed in numbers by the Duckwing tribe is 



THE USE OF STICKS AND UilBRELLAS AT 

 POULTRY SHOWS. 

 At the late Birmingham Show I exhibited four pens of birds, 

 and although they were not considered worthy of a place in the- 

 prize list, they were of sufficient merit to have taken prizes at 

 several shows. On Monday, November 28th, I saw them and 

 tbey were all right ; on Wednesday I again vhited the Show, 

 and was informed by a friend that one of my pullets could not 

 stand, and that my man had unsuccessfully endeavoured to 

 raise it. I immediately drew the attention of the attendants 

 to it, who did all they could, allowing me to send it home, 

 where it now is much in the same condition. I have little 

 doubt as to the cause, which would suggest itself to anyone 

 who saw, as I did, persons poking and stirting-up birds with a 

 slick with iron on the end. I believe, in the case of my bird, 

 a probe on the hip-joint is the cause of the lameness. I am 

 not alone, for one of our largest exhibitors and most frequent 

 prizetakers, has now a bird — a cock, with his comb injured 

 by a stab, whether wilfully done or otherwise, I cannot say. 

 At nearly all exhibitions the public are prohibited taking 

 sticks, umbrellas, &c, why not at poultry shows? I contend 

 that the value and comfort of the birds ought to be taken into- 

 consideration, rather than the gratification of spectators, many 

 of whom may ignorantly injure a bird, while others with a 

 better knowledge, but a worse spirit, may take the opportunity 

 of removing from the field of exhibition a bird which has been, 

 and would be, a successful competitor. — J. H. 



WEST OF ENGLAND POULTRY SHOT/. 

 (From a Correspondent.) 



This Show, held at Plymouth on the 13th, 14th, and 15th iu9t. ? 

 exceeded by far any of its predecessors both in nnmbers aud quality, 

 and it may be perhaps considered the best exhibition seen so far west 

 for many years. 



Game, Bl ack-brcastcd and other Beds. — First-prize a cock of beau- 

 tiful colour, ben not so good ; second-prize cock hardly larse enough, 

 but otherwise a most perfect bird — indeed, the Judge considered these 

 pens eqnal to anything shown at Birmingham. A very fair pen of 

 Brown Reds was shown in this class by mistake, otherwise it would 

 have been third. The remaining birds were fair average specimens. 



In the Any otlier Variety class the first three pens were of good colour, 

 and shown in perfect condition ; the rest were not so creditable. The 

 first-prize birds were certainly out of condition. 



Of Single Cocks the first-prize was a clean, tight, handsome bird, 

 shown marvellously well. Pen 52, shown by the same exhibitor, would 

 have stood higher had he not been too much spoiled by fighting. 



In Jndian Game the first and second-prize pens were creditable, 

 although the whole class exhibited strong traces of the Malay. 



Dorkings. — This class was first-rate throughout. The first-prize 

 winners were good in frame and feet ; the second uot so good as regards 

 the cock ; the third hardly so good as pen 94 (very highly commended). 

 The cock's comb had an excrescence on either side. All the noticed 

 pens were bad in the feet. 



Cochins. — Bvffs. — In this class the birds were badly matched 

 ' throughout, and in all cases the cocks were inferior to the hens, which 



