482 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 12, 1872. 



other classes not ; in some classes few and choice, in others cer- 

 tainly inferior, as in Fantails, Turbits, and Pouters. Evening 

 is coming on, the gas is being lighted. "You will not be able 

 to stand the heat long," says one near me. And he spake truly. 

 First off came my great coat ; but still I am frying, the heat 

 does ascend so, and soon I give in and go off to the dog show. 

 As I pass out of Bingley Hall I notice, united in one large frame, 

 the original drawings in water colours by our Mr. Ludlow of 

 the illustrations of our Mr. Wright's new "Poultry Book." 

 Quite a feature this of the Show. Verily it is well for all fanciers 

 that an artist has been found who would take such great pains 

 as to represent carefully the various points. One thing also I 

 must notice — that I was glad to see large posters calling the 

 attention of all Birmingham's visitors to the fact that there is 

 such a periodical as the " Poultry Chronicle," which, being part 

 of The Journal of Horticulture, has, by being joined to its 

 larger partner, been apt to lose its identity. When a woman 

 marries she loses her maiden name ; but when Miss Poultry 

 Chronicle wedded Mr. J. or H. she was joined to him, but, 

 mark j 7 ou, has not lost her name, nor her nature, nor yet her 

 importance. 



I find the dog show wondrously improved since 1865. What 

 mastiffs ! what bloodhounds ! what pugs ! what Dalmatians ! 

 None too many of any kind except of those fancies of the hour 

 among young men, I mean, of course, fox terriers — not to be 

 compared, in my humble opinion, to the good old-fashioned bull 

 t3rrier, or English terrier, either white, or black and tan. I 

 chanced to witness an interesting scene of recognition. Mr. 

 Calf, of Devizes, exhibited and won a prize with a magnificent 

 rough-coated St. Bernard, age three years. His old feeder, who 

 had not seen him for two years, was brought in front of him. 

 The grand animal looked at him, knew him in a moment, put 

 into his eyes such beams of affection, then put up to his old 

 master his massive right paw — right hand one might call it, for 

 it was done so humanly — then gave the other paw to shake, like 

 a warm-hearted friend who grasps an old chum with both hands. 

 Truly it was a pretty scene, and I would not have missed it for 

 much. Evening, and almost night has now come, and I, tired 

 but not weary, give up sight-seeing until the morrow. 



December 3rd. Another fine morning. Verily that clerk of 

 the weather has learned better manners. In good time I am 

 again at Bingley Hall, and stand in front of the first class of the 

 Pigeons — viz., Almond Tumblers, eight pens. These are very 

 good, and the prizes go to those two terribly fortunate F's in the 

 Almond fancy, Messrs. Fulton and Ford. 



Carriers, all through — Blacks, Duns, and Any other colour — 

 though not very numerous, were as a rule picked specimens ; 

 and I was pleased to see that Birmingham men were numerous 

 among those who had their birds noticed, though the London 

 men got a good share of the actual prizes. 



Pouters. — These were much too few — iu three of the classes 

 only three birds in each class, and actually only two entries in 

 one class. There was a very large-cropped bird in Class 118. 

 Blue hens deservedly commended belong to Mr. Harvey. The 

 two prize Yellow cocks were grand birds. 



Barbs. — Blacks good, and the Red cock first prize, a bird with 

 a magnificent skull. 



Short-faced Balds or Beards. — A strong and good class, a great 

 improvement on the Crystal Palace; good Balds of all colours, 

 and good Yellow and Blue Beards. In more than one pen a 

 Silver and Blue were shown, which was a pity. No Pigeon is 

 prettier, nattier, and more sprightly than a good Short-faced 

 Baldhead. 



The Birmingham speciality, the Long Muffed Tumblers, were 

 shown in goodly numbers, the plumage for the most part re- 

 sembling their Short-faced brethren ; but they have a Trum- 

 peter look, and lack to my mind neatness. 

 Bunts. — Few as usual, and colours as usual. 

 Jacobins. — A very nice class. Good Yellows, Reds, Blacks, 

 and Whites. 



Fantails. — Not so strong and good a class as at the Palace. 

 Trumpeters. — Better in quality than numbers. 

 Foreign Owls very few. Among the English Owls, the Nuns, 

 and Turbits were some choice birds. 



Some of the Blue Dragoons revealed a touch of silver in their 

 feathering. The only two pairs of Silvers shown had blackish 

 bars. A pair of yellow Dragoons took first prize among several 

 of that colour and one pair of Reds. 



The Yellow Mamies, first prize, were charming; the second, 

 Black, were nice. 



Antwerps throughout were strong well-made birds, and looked 

 up to work. 



Among the Terns or Sea Swalloivs were a beautiful pair of 

 Yellows, first-prize, belonging to Mr. Beldon. 



The last class, Any other distinct or new variety, showed to 

 the looker-on many prettily feathered birds with pretty names 

 — Pencilled Blondinettes, Blue Blondinettes, Hyacinths, Bru- 

 nettes, &c. This class always reminds me of very pretty girls 

 without much expression or intellect. 



Such was Birmingham Pigeon Show. The arrangement of 



the classes was a puzzle, as the pens did not run according to 

 catalogue. This is provoking, and causes much extra walking. 



Lastly. Let me revert once more to my former visit. I have 

 said it was seven years ago. Now, much is forgotten in seven 

 years. Then a poor hut worthy gardener and rising writer 

 named Chitty had recently died and left a widow and half a 

 dozen children. I had done a little towards getting the widow 

 and orphans some pecuniary help. I thought the very name 

 had now become forgotten, until I saw a writer refer to Mr. 

 Chitty a few weeks since. Well, seven years ago I was the in- 

 vited guest of poor Chitty's master, Mr. T. Webley, of Selly Oak, 

 near Birmingham. I never forgot the host and hostess and the 

 pleasant visit, and intended to call upon them before I left 

 Birmingham. But in the dog show I met Mr. Webley, who 

 would and did carry me off from my hotel to his hospitable 

 home ; and although I, like Falstaff, can "take mine ease at 

 mine inn," still I need scarce say that a friend's house beats all 

 the inns in the world. A renewal of acquaintance is always 

 charming, and a warm welcome and a talk over past days serve 

 to cheer a drooping spirit, which, alas ! mine has lately become 

 from the saddest of all bereavements. How nice, how very 

 nice then, it was to he again with my cheery friends of The 

 Uplands, Selly Oak ! — another example, one of so many, of the 

 friendships made by me through "our Journal." — Wiltshire 

 Rector. 



Lowestoft Poultry Show. — There are twenty-three classes 

 for poultry with three prizes in each, and a local prize of 10s., 

 and there are eleven silver cups offered for competition. In 

 Pigeons, of which there are thirteen classes, there are also three 

 prizes in each class, and a cup is offered for the greatest number 

 of points. The Judges advertised are the Rev. Thomas Fellowes 

 and Mr. E. Hutton. 



APICULTURE IN AMERICA. 



The growth of interest in the management of bees among our 

 American cousins is evidenced by many facts, among which we 

 notice the following. 



This autumn a Mr. Dadant, agent of the Italian Bee Com- 

 pany, made an expedition across the Atlantic to Italy. After 

 spending a month in the effort to collect a sufficient number, 

 '■ all that he could purchase were 348 in number." We imagine 

 that our less enterprising people will have obtained but few this 

 year for the English market. Of these, however, only sixty-nine 

 reached New York alive, a number wholly inadequate to the 

 demand. Disastrous as was the result of Mr. Dadant's mission, 

 which cost not less than 1200 dollars (nearly £250) the Company 

 is not disheartened, but meditates another raid into Italy next 

 autumn, especially as the good result of this temporary failure 

 has been a discovery how to pack the Italian queens and bring 

 them over with \ery trifling loss. 



American Bee Hive. 



Another proof of the extent of improved apiculture iu the 

 States will be seen from the following notice in their " Bee 

 Journal." "Before the great fire we shipped several thousand 

 hives annually from our Chicago factory. Last year we were 

 compelled to ship from other points, or advance our pub- 

 lished prices. We have just returned from Chicago, and are 

 glad to announce the opening of a new factory under auspices 

 more favourable than ever before." Subjoined is a sketch of 

 the popular hive th is made at Chicago, which can be had in 



