Poultry at the Noricich Show. 
719 
varieties. The giving, therefore, of separate classes to Blacks 
was a right step, and the eleven pens present made a decent 
show. The quality was, on the whole, good. The winning adults 
were real beauties. They were owned by Mr. Heath, and the 
second, Mr. E. Merrall's, though not so smart, were a useful lot, 
and, from their appearance, I should think they were good 
layers. The Black Chickens were rather backward. The 
entries in the Any Other Variety Class of Hamburghs were few, 
and the quality was not remarkable. For practical purposes 
the best of these other varieties are the Gold and Silver 
Spangled. 
The entries in the Table Fowl Section were very disap- 
pointing. Six classes were provided for Dorkings, and in these 
there were only nineteen entries, of which one was absent. The 
adults were the worst of all. Mrs. VVacher's winners in the Adult 
Coloured Class were the only really good pen therein. Size 
evidently decided the matter in coloured chickens, as I liked 
the second lot better, and think that they will prove to be 
the superior. In the Adult Silver-Grey Class, Mr. Roe's first- 
prize pen were decidedly the best, and were large, short-legged 
fowls, not perhaps such as we generally see in the Show-pen, 
but of a most useful type. Both lots of Silver-Grey Chickens 
were fair. In the Any Other Variety of Dorking (Adult) Class, 
all except the third prize-pen were Whites, and that was a lot 
of Cuckoos. Both pens of chickens were Whites. As to the 
merits of Dorkings nothing need be said. Their position as 
the best of all our English breeds of table fowl is undisputed, 
and it is greatly to be regretted that ? better display was not 
made at the Norwich Show. Dorkings can only be kept under 
favourable conditions, and it would be inadvisable for any one 
who cannot supply these conditions to attempt to keep them. 
They need a dry warm position, the latter being more necessary 
than the former, for Dorkings are kept very largely in Scotland, 
where cold predominates. All Dorkings are large, rich in 
flesh, and have the meat on the breast. The coloured are 
thought to be the best, and where they cannot be kept pure, 
i they may be crossed with a hardy breed to secure the needed 
l| stamina. They lay large eggs, but do not average more than 
90 per annum. 
I Classes were given for Crevecoeurs ; but there were only five 
j entries, one of which was absent. In adults, Mr. John Ains- 
. worth's winning pen were first-rate, large, massive, and in nice 
condition, altogether a very typical lot. After these the rest 
I were moderate in quality. There was only one pen of chickens, 
1 Mr. Calvert's, a good lot, well forward, to which the second prize 
was awarded. 
