October 17, 1872. ] 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



315 



any great quantity of stiff soil or clay to the surface. In spring we should 

 point over the ground frequently, especially in frosty weather, and if not in 

 good heart we should apply a further good dressing of very well-decayed manure, 

 and just point it in with a fork. The ground .being in good working order, 

 water it well with the ammonical water or liquor of the gas-works diluted with 

 four times its bulk of pure water ; in the course of a few hours again fork 

 the ground well, tread firmly, and sow in the usual way. Salt and soot are 

 good manures for Onions, two parts soot to one part salt mixed, and applied 

 in showery weather at the rate of one peck to 30 square yards as soon as the 

 Onions have arrived at the thinning state. We give ours a dressing of 

 guano and salt, in the proportion of two parts guano to one of salt, at the rate 

 of one peck to 30 square yards. 



Shrubs foe Centres of Flower-beds (F. I.).— Skimmia japonica is a 

 fine subject, bearing red berries, and may be kept to a foot or 18 inches. 

 Cotoneaster microphylla has red berries, dwarf prostrate habit ; Gaultheria 

 procumbens, scarlet berries, very dwarf; G. Shallon, purple berries, height 

 about 2 feet; Pernettya mucronata, purple hemes, about 2 feet; Aucuba 

 limbata and A. longifolia, .both fine, the former with variegated leaves; 

 Andromeda floribunda, white flowers; Thuja aurea, golden foliage; Laurus- 

 tinus, white flowers ; Berberis Darwinii, yellow flowers ; Osmanthus ilicifolius 

 variegatus, white variegation; Buxus aurea pendula, and B. nova argentea 

 margmata, the former golden, and the latter silver variegated. Tinea elegant- 

 issima has fine variegated foliage, and makes the best of centres. 



Fungi (Downie). — We are willing to name your Fungi. Buy Hardwicke's 

 *' Science Gossip " for September, for drying and preserving, id. 192, Picca- 

 dilly. 1, Agaricus mappa, nest to A. phalloides. If possible, send a fresh 

 specimen or two by post to air. W. G. Smith, 12, North Grove West, Mildmay 

 Park, London. 2, Agaricus squarrosus, young. 3, Marasmius peronatus, Dot 

 edible. 4, Agaricus maculatus, poisonous. 5, Agaricus jeruginosus, poisonous. 

 6, Jewelled Puff-ball (Lycoperdon gemmatum), elongated form. 7, Some 

 Pholiota, but cannot name from specimen sent ; perhaps A. mutabilis. 8, The 

 Chantarelle {Cautharellus cibarius), edible, but not liked by all. 9, Agaricus 

 rutilans. 10, Cortinarius varius. 11, Agaricus squarrosus, old. 



Names of Fruits (G. £.).—!, Millot de Nancy; 2, Beurred'Aremberg; 

 5, Easter Beurre ; 6, Due de Brabant ; 8, Baronne de Mello ; 9, Borovitski 

 Apple; 10, St. Michel Archange; 11, We cannot name Grapes from so small a 

 fragment of a bunch. Is it not Boyol Muscadine? The Bouvardia is that 

 named Hogarth. (Peter Campbell). — Beurre Ananas, (Chirk). — 1, Triomphe 

 de Jodoigne ; 2, Knight's Monarch ; 4, Couseiller de la Cour ; 5, Bergamotte 

 Cadette; 6, Belle de Noel; 9, Beurre Sterckmanns : 10, Adele de St. Denis; 

 (G. B.).—l 7 Braddick's Nonpareil; 2, Brabant Bellefleur; 3, Beauty of Kent. 

 The Pear is Elton. 



Names of Plants (W. Driver).—!, Abies Smithiana; 2, A. Douglasii; 

 3, Pinus excelsa. (M. H. M.). — Nigella damascena, commonly called Fennel- 

 Flower, and Love-in-a-mist. (E. L.). — The specimens were smashed and not 

 numbered. Send specimens numbered in a pasteboard box. (Mrs. Walker). 

 — It is Aristolochia gigantea, a native of Brazil. (A. Flint). — Polypodium 

 vulgare. (Signature illegible), — 1, Atriplex patula; 2, Achillea Millefolium; 

 3, Torilis Anthriscus; 4, Helichrysum sp. ; 5, Polygonum aviculare. 6, Nico- 

 tiana rustica. (J. H.). — 1, An Impatiens; 4, A Helianthus. Bemainder 

 shortly. (E. Payne). — 1, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ; 2, Indeterminable ; 3, Next 

 week. (P. G. J. Z.).— Ampelopsis quinquefolia. 



P0ULTKY, BEE, AND PIGE0U CHRONICLE. 



MANAGEMENT OF POULTRY SHOWS. 



I am myself, by long experience, perfectly convinced that the 

 so-called " open judging " is not the best adapted to promote the 

 success of poultry shows ; but that in order to obtain the most 

 reliable awards the judges ought to be screened from constant 

 " touting," and from the unseemly display of violence of temper 

 sometimes ensuing when awards unfavourable to the interests 

 of particular individual exhibitors then on the spot are recorded. 

 Nor is this the worst light in which open judging can he viewed, 

 as may be easily imagined from the following facts : — I have 

 judged " openly," when exhibitors, after posting themselves on 

 the opposite side of the pens then under examination, have said 

 audibly enough for anyone easily to hear, " I bred all my best 

 chickens this year from that hen;" or, as in another instance, 



'•That's the same cock I won with at show;" or (as 



occurred since this has been put in type), when judging with 

 Mr. John Martin, where an exhibitor actually came up to us and 

 stated directly, " Those are the best pens in the show, and win 

 wherever they go." They were at the time not judged, and I 

 am glad to say were fairly beaten. 



Another case quite as annoying to those on whose awards all 

 the responsibilty depended is worthy of mention. Since our 

 largest show has adopted " ojjen " judging, a person who had 

 obtained access by payment of the admission money for that 

 especial day — a sum, by-the-by, which, though large in amount, 

 most probably injures as much one way as it improves in the 

 other the general finances (so far as poultry is concerned) of the 

 show — when civilly remonstrated with by the arbitrators, urged 

 that he had just as much right there as we had, and purposely 

 continued listening to every private remark that emanated from 

 either of us. Findiug it simply impossible to go on in this way, 

 we courteously explained that " either he must go out or we 

 must." Although evidently a really well-educated man, and 

 replete with aptly-chosen arguments in defence of his paid-for 

 rights, he at length purposely turned his back against the fowls 

 in the nest class, to prevent our seeing them, and, in a way 

 more conspicuous and offensive than ever, defied our legal right 

 to remove him. On remonstrating with the committee, who 

 concurred with us that he was not under the influence of liquor, 



but was most probably trying to provoke others to some show of 

 temper, he was at length with his companion removed, but 

 certainly more by coercion than by coaxing. I may confidently 

 ask, Can judges be equally cool and collected under such circum- 

 stances as though nothing of the kind had transpired? 



I look upon " open judging" as a grave and serious blunder, 

 and I say it because, as in all other matters, so in the manage- 

 ment of poultry exhibitions by committees, perfection can alone 

 be obtained either by dearly-paid-for experience on the one 

 hand, or by availing themselves of the recorded conclusions of 

 those who have preceded them. My own impression is simply 

 that, in every case where it is possible to carry out the plan 

 (and excepting in an open field, this is easily managed), no 

 person beyond a careful man accustomed to handle poultry 

 should he admitted to the show at all, from the time the birds 

 are all penned until the awards are fully completed. This one 

 attendant (or one to each set of judges) should be a man well 

 practised in taking birds in and out of the show pens ; and 

 should the judges require his assistance to ascertain beyond 

 question, " by handling," any dubious point that may arise, he 

 should be always ready to take out any fowls selected for 

 especial examination, and then withdraw a few yards, beyond 

 earshot, during the time occupied in final consideration. 



This leads me on to another item not less deserving of atten- 

 tion — viz., the wilful injury of prize birds at exhibitions. A 

 brief anecdote will be my best explanation. Not long since I 

 ■was waiting to begin judging at a show, where the arrange- 

 ments, from a variety of mishaps, proved incomplete for more 

 than two hours after the time originally fixed. I had walked 

 about the field fully that time (or even more) " doing nothing," 

 when it suddenly commenced raining with great violence. I 

 was making off for shelter to the inn, about two hundred yards 

 away, but a committeeman called out, " Mr. Hewitt, come into 

 the tent, or you'll get soaked to the skin." I complied, and sat 

 myself down on an empty basket at the entrance. Shortly 

 afterwards, an exhibitor's man came into the tent, and spoke to 

 me as he passed as to the weather ; my eye naturally wandered 

 after him, as he took a basket he was carrying to a large class of 

 Asiatic fowls, many pens containing specimens at once ponderous 

 and characteristically perfect. After promptly penning the 

 birds with which he was entrusted, he hastily glanced along the 

 class, and seeing a pair he well knew must beat him, put his 

 hand through the door, abruptly grasped the hen by one leg, 

 and shook her violently. I was not long in leaving my seat ; 

 and getting alongside, abruptly asked, " What on earth did you 

 do that for ? " His reply was a lie — for it is quite as well to call 

 things by their proper names— "They were foighting."^ I 

 rejoined, " If you don't get off «t once, I'll fetch the two police- 

 men from the entrance-gate to foight you." The committee 

 were desirous to hush it up, rather than expose the delinquent, 

 for the sake of their show ; and consequently there was no 

 present punishment : still, I am glad to state, the injured hen, 

 though "scarcely able to make a stand of it," to use the words 

 of one of the committee, was eventually (with her companion) 

 the recipient of the first prize. We all know tails of winning 

 cocks have been purposely pulled out on their success being 

 first known at shows, and oft-times within even a few moments 

 of the awards being announced; by whom, of course, it was next 

 to impossible to establish. There stood the injured birds, as 

 reliable data it had been done certainly by some one, and not as 

 generally urged — by " nobody." 



I most willingly admit there are quite as honourable indi- 

 viduals among the poultrymen of those exhibitors who show 

 extensively as in any other classes of society; and I verily 

 believe as strictly conscientious feeling is often displayed by the 

 inmate of the cottage as of the castle : yet I cannot but urge that 

 as these black sheep do occasionally intrude themselves, let the 

 rule be, All out till opening time, and then, with such proviso, 

 no hurt to any fowls can ensue from the spleen and disappoint- 

 ment of competitors, be they whom they may; for when the 

 show is well filled with visitors such practices will rarely if ever 

 be attempted, conscience, as a general rule, making cowards of 

 the guilty. 



Again, another point. Birds, I am confident, have at times 

 been changed prior to, during, and immediately upon the com- 

 pletion of the judging, to obtain surreptitiously some much- 

 coveted premium. This, it appears to me, might also be check- 

 mated to some extent by committees refusing any one admission 

 until the awards are completed; and to obtain .this desirable 

 object also leads to another suggestion against these corrupt 

 practices, striking as they do at the very life-source of our 

 poultry shows, and which in some hands I am really at a loss to 

 characterise in words as strongly as deserved. It is this : — In- 

 dependently altogether of the judges doing so, let one of the com- 

 mittee go round and mark down all the empty pens in a note- 

 book before the judges commence their duties. It will always 

 be expedient to leave this " checking-off " to the last moment, 

 even if he and the arbitrators both begin together; but as he 

 would have nothing to do whatever with the awards or relative 

 excellence of the pens on exhibition, a minute or two would 



