246 THE IIISTOEY OF 



years, this was in nowise a matter of astonishment to the 

 " hard heads '-' in the business. The only wonder was that 

 the man who performed this trifling trick did not can-y out 

 the dodge more eflfectually, and bear away all the premiums 

 in a similar manner, as had been done by some of his 

 smarter predecessors i 



The editor of a New York journal undertook as follows 

 to ''inform the public ' (in 1854) of a little performance 

 in kind, which had been common for several years at these 

 fairs yhere " premiums " were awarded, and which proved 

 a very profitable mode of operation, almost from the very 

 beginning of fowl-shows in the United States. In an aitiole 

 upon a recent exhibition, under the caption - How the 

 CJards are Played, ^^ lie says: 



" A fowl-breeder, by extraordinary means, raises a few 

 specimens of fowls of grcut size, which he takes to the 

 exhibition ; and, on the iippearaiice and chaiacter of those 

 few specimens, he contracts to furnish fowls and egg.s of 

 the ' same stock.' He goes home with his pockets full of 

 orders, and with not a sinjle fowl, for sale, in his posses- 

 sion at th^irae, and hastens to purchase of A, B and C, 

 such fowls as he can find, say at $3, $5 to f 10 a pair, 

 whicji he sends to fill his orders at $20 to $50 a pair, and 

 no nearer in value to the stock that appeared on exhibition 

 th:iti a turkey is to a turkey buzzard ! The same of eggs. 

 Now,, there are exceptions tp this allegation, but we Kirnw 



