November 21, 1872. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



417 



the managers and management is soon arrived at by exhibitors 

 who, ever willing to make a liberal discount for blunders avoid- 

 able and unavoidable, are always ready to support any com- 

 mittee whose antecedents insure care and attention to the 

 valuable property entrusted to their charge, and an earnest 

 desire to procure a clear stage and no favour for the combatants. 



In all that constitutes good management the Darlington 

 executive abounds, and the result of the experience of previous 

 years has eventuated in a completeness of plan and business- 

 like way of going to work which merits special commendation. 

 Order and method are stamped on all its proceedings, and con- 

 templating a slightly amended schedule and still more liberal 

 scale of prizes, the Darlington Ornithological Society has before 

 it a brilliant future. 



Mr. Barnesby and I commenced our judging by the very dull 

 light of a very dull morning. Thursday, the day set apart for the 

 work, was no exception to previous Thursdays. It rained when 

 it could, and when it could not it got ready for the next shower. 

 With the Belgians we had no difficulty, Mr. Rutter coming to 

 the front in great force. His No. 4, Clear Yellow, is one of his 

 marvels ; and No. 10, Clear Buff, is another. The third-prize 

 birds in either class were Belgians all over, but the quality of 

 Mr. Rutter's birds makes even high-class ones look inferior. His 

 No. 20, Ticked Yellow, distorted himself so much that it looked 

 asif he would never come right again. 



In Clear Jonque Norwich, Mr. "W. Holmes, of Nottingham, 

 was first with by far the highest-coloured bird out this year. 

 In the entire absence of, or ignoring any knowledge as to owner- 

 ship, the only thing a judge has to do is to consider the bird, 

 and I will just admit the readers of " our Journal " behind the 

 scenes for a moment, and say that this one was put in the tub 

 and passed the ordeal satisfactorily. The names of the other 

 winners in this and the remaining Norwich classes are by this 

 time familiar to all who take an interest in Canary Show re- 

 turns. Unless something wonderful turn up in variegation, 

 it seems as if it would be a saving of time to keep "Adams and 

 Athersuch first," " Adams & Athersuch second," get up in type 

 or stereotyped. Their evenly-marked birds, Jonque and Mealy, 

 underwent a rigid examination, and are strikingly exact in 

 the marks. One of them, No. 49, has thirteen feathers in its 

 tail. The classification of the Crested varieties was not cal- 

 culated to lead to any very satisfactory results, and I think 

 this part of an otherwise carefully digested schedule will bear 

 revision. In Class 10, where it was specified that the crest was 

 to be the chief feature, No. 95, Mr. Hurrell, distanced all comers in 

 this one respect, with a buff-green bird, which, however, showed 

 such extreme coarseness, and was so deficient in Norwich points 

 (for which variety the class was designed), that we were re- 

 luctantly obliged to pass over the largest-crested bird in the 

 Show, and possibly the largest crest in England. The crest is 

 not native to the Norwich variety, and when imported requires 

 long and careful crossing to be maintained in conjunction with 

 colour and quality of feather. 



The Lizards formed a splendid collection. Our decisions in 

 the Silver class do not appear to have given unqualified satis- 

 faction. Friends from Sunderland who visited the Show on 

 Saturday, tell me that the general impression was, that the 

 first-prize bird was not worthy of his position, but the account 

 they give seems to imply an oversight of such magnitude that 

 I can hardly bring myself to believe in it. Knowing that Dar- 

 lington has a giant among Lizard breeders, Mr. Ritchie, in its 

 midst, we were extremely careful to weigh well every pro and con. 

 in the Lizard classes, and if any oversight really has occurred, no 

 one can possibly regret it more than the Judges. My impression 

 of No. 152, Mr. J. N. Harrison, is that it was a great Lizard, 

 though the price placed upon 151, shown by the same gentle- 

 man (and which was only highly commended), being moire than 

 twice the figure of the first-prize bird, seems to indicate there 

 may have been some mistake, for Mr. Harrison is too good a 

 judge to value a superior bird at £i, and its inferior by some 

 degrees at £10. I am sure that neither Mr. Barnesby nor myself 

 suppose ourselves infallible, or that when we die all knowledge 

 ornithological will become extinct. It is more than probable 

 that the same birds may come into competition at Cheltenham, 

 when, if we see just grounds for reversing this or any other 

 decision, most assuredly it will be reversed, our wish being to 

 give a just and righteous verdict. Cinnamons were good. The 

 Yorkshire variety is gaining ground. There are two classes at 

 Cheltenham for these really splendid birds. They were insertsd 

 in that schedule at my request, and I think Cheltenham is the 

 first town in the south which has recognised these favourites of 

 the north. Though there are but two classes, Clear and Varie- 

 gated, they will, if supported, be extended to the usual limits, 

 and I do hope that all exhibitors of this handsome Canary will 

 see it to be almost a duty to acknowledge the liberality which 

 offers a higher prize for "their speciality than any show in the 

 kingdom. Mr. Bawnsley's Variegated birds are enough to drive 

 anyone wild ! Mr. Mills's Evenly-marked Cinnamon, first in 

 "Any other variety," is very neat. The Selling class was weU 

 supported, and the " Cages of six " were something excellent. 



Mules, as a whole, were nothing extra, but the winning birds 

 were magnificent. No. 306, Mr. B. Hawman, is a fine Jonque. 

 Mr. Mills's 303, though not absolutely exact enough to stand the 

 test of the words "Evenly-marked," is a bird of great promise 

 — a Jonque. Brown Linnet Mules took the honours in Class 27. 

 It is a pity the true meaning of the word " variety " is not more 

 considered when met with in a schedule. Alter providing 

 classes for Goldfinch and Canary Mules, and then a class for 

 Any other variety, it is absurd to enter any class of Goldfinch 

 and Canary Mule in this class, when this variety has already 

 been provided for. No. 320 in this class was a Clear Buff Gold- 

 finch and Canary Mule, ticked in front of each eye. 



Foreign birds were not numerous, but a " South American 

 Starling," exhibited by Mrs. Cross, Appleby Vicarage, Brigg, 

 was much admired. British birds were strong, of good quality, 

 and in excellent condition. The first Goldfinch and first Linnet 

 are nice birds. The miscellaneous collection of British birds 

 was very interesting, including fine specimens of Thrush, Black- 

 bird, Skylark, Starling, Jay, Yellowhammer, Chaffinch, Bramble- 

 finch, etc. "When will our ornithological societies offer prizes 

 for collections of British birds' eggs ? — \Y. A. Blakston. 



Bearing Ducks. — One mistake made by some admirers of 

 these fowls is to allow young Ducks too free access to such sup- 

 plies of water as afford gratification to the older ones. This 

 should never be done. The young should never be suffered to go 

 near a pond or creek, nor in wet grass, until from ten to fourteen 

 days old. Previous to that age they should be kept in a warm, 

 dry place, and be allowed no more water than might be sufficient 

 for them to dip their bills in. At the age of a fortnight let them 

 have access to the larger supply. — (Poultry Bulletin.) 



BEES AND HONEY AT HORTICULTURAL AND 

 AGRICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 



Mb. Fox wishes from others information about exhibiting bees, 

 and as I have been an exhibitor for many years, to encourage 

 the profitable and humane system of working bees I will make 

 a few remarks on the subject. 



"A South Lancashire Bee-keeper" is mistaken in saying 

 that he believes Middleton, near Manchester, Agricultural Show 

 was the first to introduce bees and offer prizes for honey and 

 bees, as it was only on September 22nd, 1864, that I exhi- 

 bited the first bees at that Show. The bees at work were such 

 a very great attraction, that the following year I gave some 

 prizes for bees, hives, and honey, and fixed the prizes to be 

 given — viz., For the best make of bar-frame hive containing bees 

 at work. For the best honeycombs in bar-frames collected in 

 1865. For the best honeycombs in any other make of hive col- 

 lected in 1806. For the best bell-glass filled with honey collected 

 in 1865. There were no less than thirteen entries for these 

 prizes, and the crowds of people surrounding them aD day was 

 so very great, that it required two men to be constantly asking 

 the people to be kind enough to move forward. The great 

 interest taken in this exhibition of bees at work by all classes of 

 society convinced the Committee of the Middleton Agricultural 

 Show of the large pecuniary benefit they would secure by re- 

 gularly offering prizes for bees, honey, &c. This is the eighth 

 year prizes have been given, the interest in them is greater 

 than evt r, and numbers go to the Show from a great distance on 

 purpose to see the bees. The prizes given amount to £8. I be- 

 lieve the Middleton Agricultural Show is the third in England, 

 and disiributes more than £1100 at the annual meeting. If 

 the Royal Agricultural Society would offer prizes for bees, &c, 

 I think they would do much good. 



In 1867, I exhibited my bees at work, honey, hives, &c, at the 

 Manchester and Liverpool Agricultural Society's centenary cele- 

 bration, held at Manchester, August 27th, 2Sth, and 29th. I had 

 my bees on a table in a tent in the centre of the show ground, 

 and allowed them to go out or in as they liked, and I did not 

 hear of a single person being stung. On the side of the tent 

 where the bees came out I put two posts about 3 yards from 

 the tent, and tied a rope from the tent round them, so that the 

 people did not pass close to the bees' alighting boards. The tent 

 was crowded by visitors all the three days, there was nothing 

 at the Show that was a greater source of attraction, and the 

 Society gave me their large silver medal. The receipts for ad- 

 mission to that Show for the three days amounted to £2,850. 



In 1869, the Royal Agricultural Society of England held their 

 meeting at Manchester from July 16th to 24th, and I exhibited 

 my bees at work, honey, hives, &c. They were in a tent the 

 same as at the Manchester and Liverpool Show, and in the 

 centre of the yard. The bees went in and out as they liked, and 

 one stock that I had there gained 153 ounces whilst at the Show. 

 I merely put two posts and a rope to keep the people from the 

 enrance to the hives, and I did not hear of anyone beiug stung 

 except a carter's boy, who with some others was looking at the 

 bees flying out, when he pulled off his cap and made a sweep at 

 a number of them, drawing the cap to his breast, when he ex- 



