December 6, 1877. J 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



445 



Turkey cock hatched in 1877 weigha 23 lbs., the heaviest of Turkey 

 hens 20 lbs. 6 ozs. each, and the heaviest Turkey hens hatched in 

 the present year 17 lbs. 3 ozs. each. 

 PIOEOKS. 



As regards the general arrangements of the Pigeon depart- 

 ment of this great annual gathering we have nothing new 

 to add. The same extraordinary and inconvenient up-and- 

 down manner in which the pens are numbered is still carried 

 out, and consequently the same disagreeable amount of dodging 

 backwards and forwards and hunting up and down to follow the 

 numbers consecutively has still to be undergone. How heartily 

 we wished before we had done the Council would try to make 

 some improvement in this respect. One excellent arrangement, 

 however, we were very pleased to meet with again, and we 

 know that the exhibitors generally will share with ua in the 

 feeling, in finding the bird* again placed under the able and 

 assiduous care of Mr. J. W. Edge as Superintendent of this 

 department. He never seems tired of attending to their re- 

 quirements, and wherever one looks cleanliness and comfort is 

 everywhere perceptible. We know that the great length of time 

 which birds have to be away from home at this Show keeps 

 hundreds away which would otherwise be there, and we know 

 alBo that before a superintendent was specially appointed many 

 have buffered severely by sending their birds ; but we can now 

 aay that every care and attention which an old and experienced 

 fancier can possibly bestow upon them is bestowed, and beyond 

 the mere length of time the birds are awiy from home we think 

 exhibitors who would otherwise like to exhibit there have now 

 nothing to fear in sending to Bingley Hall. Several altera- 

 tions have been made this year in the schedule. The classes 

 for Short-faced Balds a"d Beards are again amalgamated, as the 

 change did not come up to the anticipations of the Committee. 

 An additional prize is given to the Tur=.blers of Any other variety, 

 and the Trumpeters are divided into two classes, Mottled and 

 Any other colour. The silver cup hitherto given to Runts, 

 Archangels, and Fantails is now competed for by the two former 

 breedB only, and an extra one is given to the Fantails, and a 

 third prize is also given to Fantails of any other colour. An 

 additional cup is given to Jacobins, and that hitherto competed 

 for by Jacobins, Turbits, and Owla is now devoted to the two 

 latter kinds. An extra silver cup is given to the Dragoons and 

 also to the Antwerps, and a Belling class is opened for a pair of 

 any variety of Pigeon with prizes of £2 and £1, the price of 

 each pen not to exceed £2 The entries this year number 

 629 pens against 670 last year, and in many of the classes we 

 fancied the quality was not quite up to the usual standard. 



Carriers, as usual, head the list, and here especially we noticed, 

 as in fact we did at the Palace, a great falling-off in the quality 

 of the specimens, and our opinion in this resp?ot in regard to 

 both Shows was coincided in by several well-known Carrier 

 breeders. We hope thatthis deolice is not generally perceptible 

 throughout the lofts of the country ;. but we fear that the innumer- 

 able shows which are now and have been held during the last 

 year or two, and the high prices which are offered to breeders 

 for their best specimens, are now beginning to tell sad tales. A 

 good young bird now, soon after he is reared, is hurried into the 

 show pen, and any experienced breeder knows that constant show- 

 ing and successful breeding are incompatible. But now to 

 the Show. Old Black cooks mustered nine, but beyond the 

 prize birds there was nothing in the class worthy of notice. 

 First was, we think, the Beond-prize Palace winner, a fine 

 bird with good properties generally, but a little wedge-shaped 

 in head, which rather detracted from his other good pointB ; 

 the second bird, belonging to the same owner, was better in 

 beak wattle and narrower in skull, but the birds were no doubt 

 rightly placed. Black hens only mustered Bix, Mr. Fulton 

 taking first and the cup and second, but in our opinion the two 

 birds Bhould have changed placeB, for beyond having good head 

 points we saw nothing in the cup hen to admire, while the 

 second hen was not only good in head but in all her other pro- 

 perties as well. We thought her a charming bird. We also ad- 

 mired 2086 (Maynard), and although not in the competition with 

 her heavier competitors, still a very handsome bird with youth 

 on her side. Dun cocks had only four entries. Fulton first with 

 an old and well-known winner, but which beyond his beak 

 wattle is not a bird to be admired. 2092 (Maynard) second, 

 though not so heavy very much more to our taste, a little 

 short in face, but a good stout beak, capital colour, and for 

 style a Carrier all over. Dun hens were a very good class in- 

 deed, most of the birds being large-bodied birds, stout in bill, 

 and with plenty of wattle and style. Mr. FultoD, however, was 

 an easy win with a very fine specimen which t >ok our fancy 

 immensely. Mr- Maynard's second, capital in her points, though 

 not so well developed as her mora successful rival, and grand 

 in colour. Mr. Fuitm's highly commended specimen will also 

 bear examination. Altogether we considered the Dun hens the 

 best class of the lot. Carriers any other colour were a fair class, 

 mostly Blues, first 'being Mr. Stretch's Palace cup-winner, and 

 no doubt in his right place here. 2106(Waterbouse) an excellent 

 bird, but out of condition. Second was a White, and as a White ' 



Carrier a very good bird indeed. Young Black cocks numbered 

 a dozen entries, first being the Palace winner, and both here 

 and there we heard many expressions of doubt as to his age, and 

 at Oxford, where he was shown, we understand he was passed 

 over with several others as being over age. Whether such is 

 the case or not we of course cannot say, but he certainly is as 

 well as one or two others in the class, remarkably well developed 

 for a bird of this year. We, however, liked 2117 (Billyeald), 

 highly commended, a good, long-faced, stout-billed, stylish bird, 

 capital in colour, plenty of distance between his eye and wattle, 

 both of which were good, and a genuine young one ; and 2120 

 (Mrs. Hallatn) also highly commended, also a fine large bird, 

 remarkably narrow in skull, and an excellent beaked Dird, as 

 well as any in the class. In young Carriers any other colour, 

 first and the cup a young Dun hen, undoubtedly remarkably 

 stylish, long in face, straight in beak, and stout for a hen, capital 

 in eye — in fact, we thought altogether a beautiful bird, but withal 

 a peculiar something about the shape of the back of the head we 

 did not quite like, but no doubt, considering all things, she was 

 in her right place. Second another Dun hen apparently, stylish, 

 but rather fine. Rest of the class very poor. 



Pouters taken as a whole were a very good show indeed, 

 although rather small in the entries in the respective classes 

 the class for any other coloured birds, which with one exception 

 were all Black, being undoubtedly the best of the lot. The 

 Whites were also exceedingly good. In Red or Yellow cocks 

 first was a Red, very good in colour but sadly out of condition ; 

 he, however, carries his flights much too low — quite under his 

 tail. No doubt when he was in condition he was a good bird, 

 but he looks past it now. Second also was a Red, not so good 

 in colour, but a fine cropped bird, his chief fault being too wide 

 in the limbs. 213-1 (Pratt), highly commended, we should have 

 put higher up, being a tall Btately bird with the most Pouter 

 properties of any bird in the class, but being rather badly 

 bishoped on one side no doubt threw him out. 2133 (Fulton), 

 a Yellow, rather thick in girth and short of toe-feathering. Red 

 or Yellow Hens. — First a Yellow, a very Btylish bird, but Bhort 

 of marking on the crop, but a good first for all that. Second 

 also a Yellow, the second bird at the Palace. 2138 (Fulton), 

 another good Yellow. Blue Cocks. — First a good cropped bird 

 with good limbs, and in fact a good bird throughout, but slightly 

 bishoped on one side. We could, however, see little to choose 

 between thiB bird and the one belonging to the same exhibitor in 

 pen 2146, both highly commended and both very Btylish birds. 

 The second-prize bird was very good in his marking but rather 

 too dirk in colour. Blue Hens. — First rather thick in girth and 

 droops her secondary feathers too much. We should have pre- 

 ferred the Becond-prize iu her Btead, being better in marking 

 and a more stylish bird throughout. White Cocks. — First a 

 very neat bird indeed, and we think the Palace winner. The 

 second-prize we consider should not have been in the list, cither 

 pen 2152 or 2160 (both Pratt) being far superior birds, the former 

 being the bird which was Becond at the Palace Show in the old 

 class, although it is a young bird of this season. 2161 (bang), 

 highly commended, rather a taking bird and upstanding, but 

 short of crop and limbs placed too wide apart on the body, 

 although they are near enough at the hocks. White Hens. — 

 First a very neat bird but Bhort of limb, the Oxford cup-winner, 

 we believe, and third at the Palace. Second also a good bird, 

 bat, like the former one, deficient in limb but a nice crop. 

 2166 (Fulton), highly commended, the hen which won so much 

 twelve months ago, but now we think a very ugly bird and 

 carrius herself like a Duok. 2167 (Pratt), a very neat stylish hen 

 in splendid condition; and 2169 (same owner), about the largest 

 hen in the class, but somewhat out of condition. 2170 (Lang), 

 a bird of this season, which promises to make a very good one. 

 Any other colour cocks were all Blacks. First (Fulton) a well- 

 known bird, but to our mind wanting in style. Second the best 

 marked bird in the class and good in colour. 2174 (Fulton), 

 highly commended, another good bird, but nearly swallow- 

 throated. 2171 (Pratt), highly commended, the old champion 

 Black now getting rather old for show. Any other colour Hens. 

 — Fiist-and-cup a stylish Black, excellent in colour and marking, 

 and limb also fairly covered. Second also Black, a very long- 

 limbed stylish hen, which we should prefer to the winner, 

 although not quite bo good in colour or marking. 2178, highly 

 commended, Fulton's well-known Black hen which won the cup 

 at the Palace, now altogether out of condition. To our mind 

 she is sadly too thick in girth, and limbs too wide apart. In 

 fact we cannot possibly see anything in her which in our opinion 

 justifies her former achievements in the show pen. 2176 (Fulton), 

 a very Btylish mealy hen and very well markeJ. 



Almond Tumblers were only a small class of some half-dozen 

 birds, but there was nothing to approach two such birds as were 

 shown by Mrs. Hallam. First and the cup was the charming 

 bird, which was unanimously selected by all the critics as 

 the bird which should have won the cup at the Palace. Second 

 a ra'.her larger bird, but beautiful in colour and spangling. 

 Mr. Yardley also showed a charming little hen, a well-known 

 winner; and a capital headed and well-coloured cock, which we 



