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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 3, 1872. 



Bos Ridley" has given us exactly the opposite — viz., that 

 house or ground tumbling is due to it. My experience is that 

 excellent results come from it, and equally good without it, and 

 I do not think it makes much difference provided the matching 

 is for tumbling properties, and the relationship not so close as 

 to deprive the offspring of a vigorous constitution. I would not, 

 however, expect much good to result from close breeding if the 

 matching be made merely with the view of producing some 

 other point than tumbling, such as a clean-cut head in a Bald, 

 or for smallness of size, &c. I would, on the other hand, be 

 inclined to think that plenty of fresh blood would increase the 

 frying propensities of Tumblers, but I cannot give the benefit of 

 actual experiment in the matter, and can only argue from 

 analogy. I know that if a Tumbler be crossed with another 

 breed, such as an Owl or a Nun, the offspring are often extra- 

 ordinary birds to fly, not perhaps for very long at a time, but 

 are continually at it of their own accord ; they do not, however, 

 soar or tumble, and soon spoil a flight of Tumblers. I think 

 this gives us an indication of the manner in wliieh it should be 

 sought to increase the flying property, not that I would under 

 any circumstances cross with a non-tumbling bird, but keep up 

 a frequent admixture of fresh blood of first-rate quality. My 

 idea may be a wrong one, and perhaps some of your readers 

 who know something of the matter will give us the benefit of 

 their experience. 



I have crossed the performing bird with the Short-faced 

 Tumbler more than once, and have found some of the first cross 

 tumble moderately in the air; they have not, however, been 

 pretty birds, being larger than either parent, and with what I 

 consider a very coarse head. Probably by crossing these birds 

 again with performing birds a better result might have been 

 obtained, but I never could feel inclined to keep them long 

 enough to try the effect. The continuation of these papers will 

 now be more of a prospective character than the past ones have 

 been, and the next will be devoted to the House Tumbler as a 

 bird suited for exhibition. — Scotch Thistle. 



FOSTER-PARENT PIGEONS. 



Fob several years my experience in the breeding of the higher- 

 class Pigeons, such as Pouters, Carriers, and Barbs, had been 

 very discouraging. I found them generally bad feeders. Some 

 would not feed at all ; others would get on pretty well till they 

 were going from the soft to the hard food, when they left off 

 feeding altogether and took to nesting again. Thus I was con- 

 tinually losing my young birds at the stage when they were 

 becoming most interesting. 



Last year I purchased several pairs of show Antwerps, which 

 I kept as feeders, and found them far superior to anything I 

 had ever tried. The very evening they were introduced to 

 my loft, one of thern, a sage-looking old hen, took to feeding a 

 starving young Pouter which had just been deserted by its un- 

 natural parents, and brought it up to a strong healthy bird. It 

 matters not what stage they may have reached with their incu- 

 bation, they will at once adopt young birds placed under them, 

 and prove first-rate foster-parents. I have given them young 

 birds ten days old when they had been only two days down on 

 their own eggs, and they took to them at once and brought them 

 up. Should the period of hatching have extended over twelve 

 or fourteen days the soft meet will come upon them ; but they 

 soon get quit of it, and the young birds do not seem to be any 

 the worse for it — in fact, in some cases it was found most ad- 

 vantageous, making a strong bird of one that was weakly. 



To those of your readers whose experience in breeding was 

 similar to mine, I would say that a few pairs of these interesting 

 birds are indispensable. Those I have are Silver Duns, and 

 are the admiration of my uninitiated friends, who invariably 

 pronounce them the handsomest birds I have, and looking at 

 them from their standpoint they are right. They are active, 

 strong, and vigorous, and from the formation of their beak are 

 admirably adapted for feeding anything, from the long-faced 

 Carrier down to the short-faced Barb.— Antwerp. 



NOTES ON WHITBY AND SCARBOROUGH 

 CANARY SHOWS. 

 Never, probably, did the exhibition year open under such a 

 promising aspect as it has done this year ; and the twin watering 

 places of the north have inaugurated the season with shows 

 which, in point of excellence, have seldom been surpassed, while, 

 in respect of numbers, they have never been equalled by any 

 exhibition held at this early period of the year. The number of 

 entries has been unpredecentedly large, Whitby securing 397, 

 and the " Queen of the North " 354 — numbers hitherto not often 

 reached even at a later period of the year when exhibition stock 

 is in its beauty. Such support speaks volumes in favour of the 

 confidence reposed in the executive of these Shows, while a 

 glance at the names in the prize list will give some idea of the 

 quality of the stuff sent into and bred in Yorkshire. 



Each Exhibition was rendered more attractive from being held 

 in connection with a flower show, that at Whitby being under 

 the direction of the Floral and Horticultural Society, an old in- 

 stitution of that town, while that at Scarborough was under the 

 auspices of a band of earnest workers who, under the leadership 

 of the Honorary Secretary Mr. J. B. Baker, are endeavouring to 

 attract the attention of the working man by sympathising with 

 him in his amusements, and encouraging him to seek recreation 

 in innocent and healthful pursuits as opposed to the seductive 

 and demoralising attractions of the tavern. The Scarborough 

 " Window Gardening and Song Bird Society ! " — I was charmed 

 with the title immediately I saw it, and I will just give " Wilt- 

 shire Rector " four texts taken from its modest broad sheet, in 

 the full hope that its promoters may, at no distant day, be en- 

 couraged by one of his hearty cheery sermons. 



" To any man or woman occuping a house not exceeding £12 

 a-year rent, and having no plot of ground capable of growing 

 plants, and to the children of the same." 



"To the children of the National, Lancasterian, Amicable, 

 Infant, Ragged and other public schools not having a plot of 

 ground capable of growing plants." 



" To the inmates of Hospitals, Almhouses, Free Dwellings, 

 and the Workhouse, and to the children of such not having a 

 plot of ground capable of growing plants." 



" For the best bouquet of wild flowers gathered by a boy or 

 girl." 



To each of these classes, prizes for various window-grown 

 plants were offered. I could myself almost moralise on the 

 kindly spirit which pervades the above. To my mind there is 

 something indescribably beautiful in it ; and to the generous 

 hearts who could think of the inmates of hospitals, almshouses* 

 free dwellings, the workhouse, and the children of the same, I 

 would only say, " Inasmuch as ye did it unto the least of these., 

 ye did it unto Me." 



Presuming that both prize lists will appear in this week's 

 issue I will review them side by side, which will make my 

 labour somewhat lighter, inasmuch as in many instances the 

 same birds were successful in the same classes at both place3. 

 At Whitby, Mr. H. Johnson, of Derby, eclipsed all comers in 

 the Clear Jonque Norwich class with a wonderful little bird, a 

 complete blaze of colour; and if Derby can afford to send out 

 such at the nominal figure of 25s. less entry fee, cage, travelling 

 expenses, and commission, what may we not expect by-and-by 

 when the greater stars appear above the horizon ? It is needless 

 to say it was quickly claimed. Messrs. Adams & Athersuch's 

 second-prize Jonque was a fine bird, very, as was also Messrs. 

 G. & J. Mackley's third, and Adams's extra third, and both were 

 very confident of having better at home and being able to beat 

 No. 16 at a future day; but if No. 16 trains on and not off, ifc 

 will require something out of the common to lower his colours. 

 The same birds won at Scarborough, but as Mr. Johnson's bird 

 was not there they moved up a step, Mr. Adams taking first 

 place. 



In Clear Buffs Mr. Marfleet King, of Scarborough, was first at 

 both places with a grand bird of his own breeding ; not quite 

 mealy enough to suit my taste, but a grand bird, all colour. He 

 was by no means as clean as he ought to have been, and if he is 

 destined to maintain his proud position he must go through the 

 laundry. There was not much to choose between it and No. 44, 

 second prize, shown by Mr. Caleb Worth, of Skelton, which was 

 caged in splendid condition. Exhibitors should bear in mind 

 that it is next to useless to show a dirty bird, especially a Buff, 

 for the colour is all outside, and so is the dirt, and very little of 

 the latter will hide all the former. Should this meet the eye of 

 Marfleet King let him " overhaul it carefully, and, when found, 

 make a note of." Mr. Irons, of Northampton, was third with a 

 high-coloured bird, which soon found a buyer at 30s., from which 

 I infer Mr. Irons, too, must have better at home. Messrs. 

 Prosser & Stokes, of Derby, were extra third with a specimen 

 worthy of the great midland Canary town. 



Adams & Athersuch seem to make their Evenly-Marked 1 

 Yellows and Buffs to order — I speak it respectfully, of course. 

 They are almost invincible. Their Jonque was good, but I have 

 seen better pencilled eyes. The bird, however, was not quite 

 " fine." Moore & Wynn's second has a pair of good wings, is 

 slightly but distinctly marked on each eye, but is short of colour 

 — a good bird nevertheless. Mr. Mill's third has size, fair colour, 

 even wings, but one eye more heavily marked than the other. 

 These three occupied the same relative position at both Shows. 

 Evenly-Marked Buffs were a splendid class, and many a bird 

 could have won if there had not been a better before him — a 

 great truth, though a seeming absurdity. But it very frequently 

 happens that when a " General Peel " appears, a " Blair Athol " 

 steps in and disappoints him. No doubt many a good bird goes 

 home to disappoint and surprise his owner when he sees only a 

 commendation where he anticipated nothing less than a first ar 

 second prize. The prizetakers fairly distanced all competitors, 

 and notably so the first, which stood alone. 



Ticked birds were splendid, Adams & Athersuch and G. & J. 

 Mackley dividing the chief honours between them, though in 



