258 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 27, 1877. 



jaat an average of nine, and Bath was juat over that number. 

 In the ease of the last two mentioned shows, however, we must 

 state that there were other exhibitions of note going on in other 

 places, while besides London there is this week no other meet- 

 ing that we know of. We can gather from this that the rate of 

 entrance fees is considered too high, and we heard many at Ips- 

 wich commenting on the excessive sum charged for entering in 

 proportion to the prizes given at the London shows. We do not 

 suppose any more unfortunate year could have been chosen to 

 try to set four metropolitan shows afloat, for we are sure chickens 

 so far of any merit have been scarce and backward, and are 

 likely to be so for some weeks to come. It was a very late and 

 cold spring, and the chickens did not grow or thrive. We have 

 had opportunities of attending many of the best chicken shows 

 which have been so far held, and also have seen the yards of 

 many fanciers in the past few weeks, and we have found chickens 

 scarce and late. We allow that the specimens so far which 

 have come to the front have been good and quite worthy of 

 their places, but the classes have moBtly been Bmall, and some 

 birds would even have been better for a month or two more at 

 home. 



We believe there will be by the end of next month many 

 more good birds about, and we daresay Oxford may not find 

 itself with a much smaller number of entries, while at the 

 Palace all will be ready who have any hopes of coming to the 

 ront; but we are assured by many breeders that their March 

 and April chickens failed entirely, so that some will have to 

 wait for the old birds' classes and be non-exhibitors of chickens 

 at all this season, save in isolated oases where some chance 

 bird has come forward better than its mates. At Stoke Park 

 the other day we saw Black Cochin pullets, Light Brahmas, and 

 Buff Cochin pullets which will do, probably, great things one of 

 these days; but Mr. Wragg was as late as his friends, and his 

 chickens mostly want more time. And so again with Mr. Cress- 

 well : he has Silver Dorking pullets which we doubt at their age 

 we ever saw excelled, and so with his White Dorking cockerels ; 

 but the Crystal Palace will see them in their prime, and no show 

 before, though he may exhibit them at Oxford. The Little Ness 

 birds, too, are all late — Cochins of all colours and the Polands ; 

 and Mr. Darby has as yet been quite uuable to do the summer 

 and early autumn chicken shows in his usual style. Mrs. Holmes 

 has capital chickens coming on, and so has Mr. Norwood, and so 

 with very many more. From all sides we hear the same stories. 

 " So late." " All behind." " We must wait a bit." 



Now how much better would it have been if one or two of the 

 London shows had waited a while. Some time in December, after 

 Birmingham, would have afforded them a good opportunity, and 

 we still think there is a date then which could be taken by an 

 enterprising Committee and made much of. Chickens there 

 must be by then if there is ever to be a display, and after the 

 Palace and Birmingham meetings exhibitors would in all proba- 

 bility go in for one more great Bhow before settling down to the 

 busy time of breeding. Bristol is dead, we fear. The proprie- 

 tors of the Belle Vue Gardens at Manchester are no longer 

 caterers for the poultry fancy, so we should like to see some 

 party of fanciers in a large town seize upon the date we name, 

 and make a great exhibition on the ashes of the dead. They 

 will never have such another chance perhaps, for it may be 

 years again before the birds are generally so late. We have 

 heard rumours that the Agricultural Hall have in contemplation 

 a naonster exhibition of all sorts of fancy stock for that date, but 

 we believe nothing is yet definitely settled, and, as far as we are 

 concerned, we doubt if after the four in prospect it would be 

 wise to start another show in the metropolis. If this Poultry 

 Club which has now attained the management of so able a man 

 as Mr. Cresswell ever intends to hold a show, the Committae can 

 never lay hold of a better year to begin if they meet at the time 

 we name. But though we have in no way abated our interest 

 in this proposed body of fanciers amalgamating together, we do 

 not see that a show is at all necessary to be held by them. In 

 the full hopes of Beeing large classes of good quality at the 

 Alexandra, Oxford, and coming shows, we confidently look 

 forward. — W. 



WEYMOUTH POULTRY SHOW. 



This Exhibition offered good money prizes in eaoh class with 

 a low entry fee, and consequently they got together some of the 

 best chickens extant from the best yards. Mr Dixon awarded 

 the poultry prizes and gave satisfaction, and we only lament 

 that from the clashing of other exhibitions this Committee did 

 not obtain an even greater return for the prize money offered. 



The Dorkings were admirable. The Coloured of Mr. Burnell 

 and the Silvers of Mr. BoisBier were most praiseworthy, and in 

 these dayB when there is so much said against the honesty of 

 egg vendors it may be interesting to many to learn that all the 

 late winning Silvers of Mr. Boissier were hatched from pur- 

 chased eggs. Mr. Beachey's Dorkings are thoroughly up to the 

 mark, well grown and well shown. Cochins were of capital 

 quality, the Buffs and Whites more especially so. In the latter 



class the first pullet (Lang), was good, and also the first and 

 second cockerels (Tindal and Woodgate). In the other Cochin 

 clasa the Partridges excelled ; Black cockerels are, we are afraid, 

 few and late. Lanashans had two classes. Mr. Dixon gave Mrs. 

 Lang the cup. In Hamburghs the first Spangled (Long), and first 

 Black (also Long's) were good, and the Golden-pencilled of Mr. 

 Cresswell had many merits. In Polands the first went to superb 

 Blacks, the hen simply grand (Norwood), and clean through 

 her moult; third also were good Blacks (Darby); and second 

 to Golds (Burrell). Leghorns came well to the front, and we 

 thought the awards good. In Brahmas the Lights were ad- 

 mirable. Mrs. Drummond exhibited a cockerel, shapely and 

 good in comb, and the pullet of Mr. Crook was a finely-grown 

 chicken. Darks, too, made larger classes than usually they have 

 done of late. In French the first HoudanB contained a fine old 

 cock (Boissier) mated with a good all-round pullet,_ and the 

 winning Creves were Black and large. In the Variety class 

 Silkies were first and third, and Sultans second. The Bantams 

 and Waterfowls were of great merit, the Booted of Mrs. 

 Holmes being most promising. This lady seems to have quite 

 established the Black-booted, and to have bred out the brassy 

 hackles. We hope Mrs. Crook will be as fortunate with her 

 Light Brahma Bantams, which are journeying along the right 

 road. The Sale classes were well filled, and in Pigeons Mr. 

 Jones had a fairly large number to deal with, and performed his 

 work with success. The winning Pouters were good, as, too, 

 were the Turbits. In FanB good Whites came firBt, and the 

 Dragoons mustered well, and the winners were highly meri- 

 torious. The entries were chiefly made by amateurs, for the 

 great exhibitors were away in Suffolk. We hope this Society 

 will continue to thrive, and that next year they may meet with 

 even greater success than on the present occasion. 



THE WESTMINSTER AQUARIUM POULTRY 

 AND PIGEON SHOW. 



This Show, the second of the kind held in the Aquarium, 

 opened on Tuesday afternoon. The building is admirably 

 adapted to the purpose, and we looked forward to seeing a 

 splendid collection of both poultry and Pigeons. Our expect- 

 ations were heightened as we read in the train from the ad- 

 vertisement columns of the daily papers, " The greatest Show 

 ever held." We cannot say that the reality quite came up to 

 our anticipation, for neither numerically nor in point of quality 

 is the Poultry Show equal to many provincial Bhows, though the 

 Pigeons are, indeed, a large and magnificent collection. It is 

 most unfortunate that four great shows should be held in or 

 near London within a few weeks. The season has not been a 

 good one for early chickens, and we much wish that Borne of 

 these shows oould have been deferred to a time when birds of 

 the year can be seen in their proper state of development, 

 instead of being shown now when the pens are filled with a few 

 precociously forced birds and a great many immature chickens. 

 The Bristol Show is, we fear, a thing of the paBt, and the early 

 days of January in which it was formerly held would be a 

 capital time for an exhibition in London, then full of holiday- 

 makers. This, however, is a suggestion for another year ; we 

 muBt return to the preBent Show. Its management seems in 

 every respect good, a great improvement on last year. When 

 the doors were opened every bird was in its place, and many 

 classes had their prize cards up, and by five o'clock almost the 

 whole of the awards were announced. The poultry numbered 

 550 pens, about the number at IpBwich laBt week. 



Dorkings head the list, and are certainly better than the 

 Dorking classes at the latter Show. The cup goes to a huge 

 Dark cockerel of Mr. Beachey's, long on the leg, and with a 

 poor comb ; we prefer Mr. Burnell's Becond. Mr. Peel's third- 

 prize birds are square, full-breasted, true Dorkings. The pullet 

 cup goes to a good Coloured bird of Mrs. Lang's ; the second 

 Dark pullet looks very antique. The first and second cockerels 

 in the Any other variety Dorking class are both good Silver- 

 Greys ; the first iB the largest ; a weedy White is third. The 

 winning pullets are all Silver-Greys, the first very large, and, 

 as well as the Beoond, of the pale-breasted very soft colour. 



Cochins. — The cup here goes to Mr. Sidgwick's Bnff cookerel, 

 a real canary-coloured bird, young and still chicken-like; se- 

 cond is a very heavily-feathered bird of Mrs. Tindal's ; third a 

 rich and evenly-coloured bird, which we thought very good. 

 The first Buff pullet is of the canary hue and well shaped. 

 The cup for pullets goes to a beautiful Partridge belonging to 

 Mrs. A. Tindal. The Any other colour classes are poorly filled, 

 and the specimens by no means equal to Borne of those we saw 

 at Ipswich. All the winners are White Bave the third pullet, a 

 good Black. 



Brahmas.— The cup Dark cockerel is a massive heavily- 

 feathered bird, rather coarse in head ; second will quite be his 

 equal by-and-by. The first Dark pullet iB a grand bird, com- 

 bining exquisite pencilling with fine shape and size ; her leg- 

 feathering is a little deficient. The first Light cockerel is a 

 very matured bird, short-legged and of the Coohin type ; he 





