Eeport'on the Horse-shoeing Competition at Nottivf/hcm. G47 
gestions for rendering this Poultry Show of the Royal Agricultural Society 
more popular another year, and therefore more widely useful, 
1. I would suggest that there should he classes for chickens of such 
first crosses as are found to be specially good for table or for laying purposes. 
I do not wish to be mistaken, or thought to encourage generally the keeping 
of mongrel fowls. I fully recognise the high use of distinctive breeds of 
poultry, as of other live stock, with strongly marked characteristics; and 
more than that, I believe that poultry fanciers have been of great use to 
the country by aiding in the production and perpetuation of such distinctive 
races. As in the case of horses, cattle, and sheep, it has in the first instance 
been the enthusiasm of the fancier which has attempted and drawn atten- 
tion to the improvement of breeds of poultry. But for the farmer, first 
crosses from these piu-e races are often the most advisable stock to raise, as 
coming to earlier maturity than the pure breeds themselves, and as being 
more hardy. It would therefore obviously be of use to set before those who 
regard poultry solely from a commercial point of view, examples of the size 
and excellence to which young birds from such crosses may be brought in a 
few months. 
2. I would suggest that all birds shown in such classes should be on 
sale at moderate prices to give purchasers an opportunity of testing the 
quality of the chickens ; indeed, it might be well to give additional classes 
for pure-bred chickens to be entered on the same conditions. 
3. I would lastly suggest that prizes should be given for hen's eggs. 
These are ueuallj- shown in collections of a dozen, each dozen necessarily 
coming from hens of one variety or of one cross. It is usual for eggs to be 
divided into two classes, one of white, the other of coloured eggs. I invariably 
fisd this classification popular, and accompanied by large entries. 
Oswald Ebnest Ckesswzu. 
XXXII. — Eejmi on the Horse-i^hoeing Competition at Nottingham. 
By Charles Clay, Walton Grange, Wakefield, Steward of 
Horse-Shoeing. 
As Steward of the Horse-Shoeing department it is my pleasing 
duty to present a second report for publication in the Journal. 
Speaking generally, the proceedings were a complete success, 
and the public interest in this question seems to be as keen 
as ever, the stand being besieged throughout the trials by an 
attentive crowd. Many influential ladies and gentlemen were 
kind enough to visit the yard in spite of the unavoidable smoke, 
and to take considerable pains to acquire a knowledge of the 
various operations then going on. This I look upon as one of 
the best features of these competitions. It is only when the 
public and those interested in horses awake to the fact that our 
present system of horse-shoeing is wretchedly bad that any 
hope of improvement can be looked for ; and nothing is better 
calculated to open their eyes than to watch a competition of 
this sort, and to witness the inferior work of some of the men, 
who, from no fault of their own, are under the fond delusion 
that their doings cannot be improved upon. 
