266 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March SI, 1881. 
increase alarmingly. People who buy eggs from prize yards have 
often nothing but dark-legged chickens ; but we are quietly told 
they eat as well! Possibly, but as dead fowls we cannot sell 
them. The higgler will not take them of us as long as he can get 
a white-legged one anywhere ; first-class poulterers will not have 
them at all, and yet we are told the Dorking is improved ! It 
is no such thing. In the “ Standard of Excellence ” laid down 
by the Poultry Club the one particular defect as a disqualifi¬ 
cation, apart from deformities, was dark legs ; but the modern 
Dorking is such a mongrel the dark feet cannot be got rid of. So 
no one who breeds for the markets will have anything to do with 
them. All eggs laid here are noted. Since I had the modern 
improved Dorking the number of eggs per fowl has much decreased. 
Colour of Ears .—As long as I can remember the Dorking fowl 
it has had light-coloured ears, and to my mind the red ear is a 
clear evidence of cross, and I shall buy none with such. When I 
see light-coloured ears, rich bright-coloured fowls of good size 
and quality I feel myself safe in buying, but no more very dark 
birds for me, and, I may add, for others too ; for hereabouts they 
are being disposed of—if I may use the expression—wholesale.— 
Harrison Weir. 
I have read with great interest the excellent and most im¬ 
partial article by Mr. Cresswell on the relative merits of Dorkings 
of the past and present, and quite agree with him that the 
Dorking of the present day is both hardier and sounder in feet. 
Possibly the greater attention which is now paid to poultry may 
to some extent account for their being hardier ; but my reason for 
believing they are sounder in feet than formerly is, that some 
fifteen years ago Dorkings of the highest quality were kept on 
the same farm where mine now are, and I well recollect how 
from time to time some of the best birds had to be killed owing to 
their feet being quite gone, while during the last five years I have 
only had to destroy one bird for this cause. Surely, then, if the 
modern Dorking is sounder in feet than formerly, it is a great 
point gained. 
Mr. Cresswell, I am glad to observe, does not consider a pale 
ear a bad fault, as some, especially Scotch fanciers, do. There is 
no doubt red ears give a nice set-off or finish to a Dorking, but I 
would be sorry to see an otherwise good bird condemned for 
merely having a pale ear or a moderate amount of white in the 
tail. Dark spots on the leg Mr. Cresswell considers a great 
blemish, which should exclude both from the prize list and the 
breeding pen. May I ask, Does he consider spots on the leg 
worse than dark feet ? I have seen a perfectly white-footed 
pullet show a dark spot or two on the leg. In my opinion 
nothing is more hereditary in stock, or more objectionable in the 
show pen, than a double nail or any malformation of the toes, such 
as a sixth toe. 
So far from finding fault with the gentlemen who have judged 
the Dorkings at our leading shows during the two past seasons, I 
think they deserve our best thanks for having set their faces so 
resolutely against the leggy breastless specimens that used to win. 
There is just one point to which I should like to see a little more 
attention paid than sometimes happens, and that is to a neatly 
shaped fifth toe nicely turned upwards. 
Much as I admire a hen or pullet of the so-called fashionable 
dark colour, showing the white shaft or watermark all down the 
back, I look upon colour as only a secondary matter, and during 
the last three years I have gained several prizes in good company 
with light-coloured birds of both sexes. One cockerel in par¬ 
ticular, which won under two of our best judges both in the 
north and south of England, was little darker than a Silver-Grey, 
and mottled on the breast. Breeders of the old-fashioned Dorking 
need not, I think, fear to exhibit their light-coloured favourites 
under any of our recognised Dorking judges ; provided they are 
good in size and shape with proper feet they are not likely to be 
passed unnoticed. If my memory does not deceive me, two of 
the prize pullets at the last Crystal Palace Show were decidedly 
light in colour, as was one of the winning cockerels at Birming¬ 
ham.—M. F. Smyth. 
POULTRY CLUB. 
A meeting of the Committee was held at Charing Cross Hotel on 
Monday, 28th March. There were present Messrs. H. It. Dugmore 
(in the chair), T. W. Anns, It. A. Boissier, A. Comyns, S. Lucas, and 
L. C. C. R. Norris. The Secretary reported that he had issued a 
circular to the members requesting nominations to the vacancy on 
the Committee; that the only candidate duly nominated was the 
Rev. E. H. Morgan ; that his nominators were Messrs. R. W. Brett, 
S. Lucas, and L. C. C. R. Norris ; and that he was willing to serve 
upon the Committee. The Rev. E. H. Morgan was accordingly declared 
duly elected. The following new members were elected—Mrs. Wilson, 
Watergate, Grantham, Lincolnshire; G. H. Maddison, the Rectory, 
Richards Castle, near Ludlow; and R. R. Godfrey, Watergate, 
Grantham. 
A complaint from Mr. T. W. Anns that the three-guinea silver cup 
awarded to him at the late Eastbourne Show for the best pen of 
poultry in the Show had not been sent to him, was considered. 
Several applications had been made both by Mr. Anns and the Secre¬ 
tary of the Club to the Secretary and Treasurer of the Eastbourne 
Show without obtaining a settlement of the claim. It was resolved 
that in the event of the cup or its value not being received by Mr. 
Anns before the 14th of April, the Club should guarantee Mr. Anns 
the expenses of a County Court summons to recover the cup or its 
value from the Eastbourne Committee. It was also resolved that a 
copy of the above resolution should be sent by the Secretary of the 
Club to the Secretary and Treasurer of the Eastbourne Show. 
A complaint from the Rev. E. H. Ricketts as to the management 
of the Builth Show held in November last was considered. Mr. 
Ricketts stated that the owners of birds entered in the Selling classes 
were openly allowed to bid, and did actually bid for and buy-in birds 
in these classes, thus preventing their sale to bona, fide purchasers, and 
that the Secretary had, in the case of four out of six pens knocked 
down to Mr. Ricketts at the auction at catalogue price, subsequently 
added Is. to the price of each pen, on the ground that the catalogue 
price was the vendor’s bid. A letter addressed by Mr. Cresswell to 
the Secretary of the Show had remained unanswered, and a subse¬ 
quent letter sent on the 8th of March by Mr. Comyns, asking for an 
explanation, was also unacknowledged. The Committee resolved 
that the case was not one in which they thought it desirable now to 
undertake the responsibility of legal proceedings, but that they 
desired to record their strong condemnation of the practice of owners 
being permitted by poultry show committees to bid for and buy-in 
their own exhibits—a proceeding in itself illegal. 
A draft circular to railway companies as to the rough handling of 
birds, &c. was approved, and directions for its issue given. 
The preparation of a standard of excellence was discussed, and 
Messrs. Anns, Boissier, Comyns, Fraser, and Lucas were appointed 
as a sub-committee to consider the best method of collecting the 
necessary data for the preparation of the standard, and to report to 
the Committee thereon. —Alex. Comyns, Hon. Sec. Poultry Club, 
47, Chancery Lane. March 29th , 1881. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Leghorns and Minorcas (E. P.). —We have had personal experience of 
the laying qualities both of Leghorns and Minorcas, and can recommend them. 
The Leghorns lay rather too small eggs to please some people. You will find 
classes for Leghorns at nearly all the leading shows, and classes for Minorcas at 
those in the south-west where they are most popular. We cannot recommend 
any particular exhibitor’s stock. 
Oilcake for Cows (II. M .).—Oilcake enriches the milk, but it does not 
increase the quantity. Brewers’ grains, soft mashes, or similar food tends to in¬ 
crease the daily yield of milk, but it becomes very poor. We have for some 
years given about one cake per day to half a dozen or more of our cows that 
seemed to require it most, and we have not experienced any bad results from its 
use either in the flavour of the milk or otherwise. Perhaps there is nothing to 
which an unpleasant taste is imparted so easily as milk, and very possibly an 
over-supply of oilcake might have this effect; but we have found less cause to 
complain of this than anything else given to the cows to improve their yield of 
milk. Good linseed cake should be obtained. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE,LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32'40"N.; Long. 0° 8'0” W.; Altitude,111 feet. 
hate. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
Rain, 
1 
1881. 
March. 
I Barome- 
! ter at 32° 
1 and Sea 
1 Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
Temp, of 
Soil at 
lfoot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sun. 20 
29.882 
46.3 
43.0 
S.W. 
44.0 
53.8 
38.5 
77.4 
34.4 
0.028 
Mon. 21 
29.711 
43.3 
39.0 
W. 
44.0 
46.3 
38.5 
95.8 
36.9 
0.112 
Tues. 22 
29.959 
34.4 
32.0 
N.W. 
42.3 
45.6 
29.4 
84.2 
25.4 
0.018 
Wed. 23 
29.916 
40.6 
37.6 
S.E. 
40.7 
48.0 
38.6 
68.6 
23.6 
0.278 
Thurs. 24 
29.326 
46.1 
42.6 
N.W. 
41.2 
51.2 
39.8 
95.0 
38.6 
0.010 
Friday 25 
29.419 
40.0 
35.4 
N.W. 
41.6 
47.7 
32.6 
112.6 
29.6 
— 
Satur. 26 
29.732 
37.5 
33.5 
N.W. 
40.4 
44.4 
29.4 
95.1 
25.3 
— 
Means. 
29.706 
41.2 
37.6 
42.0 
48.1 
35.3 
89.8 
30.5 
0.446 
REMARKS. 
20th,—Overcast; slight rain after 4.30 P.M. 
21st.—Early morning fine; snow shower 11 A.M.; darkness at 4.30 P.M. ; very 
heavy shower of snow from 4.35 to 4.45 p.M.; fine evening. 
22nd.—Snow showers during the morning ; afternoon fine and bright. 
23rd.—Pog in early morning ; dull day ; rain after 5 p.M. 
24th.—Pine, bright, and cold. 
25th.—Cold high wind ; very bright sunshine. 
26th.—Fine, bright, and cold ; few flakes of snow at 4.45 P.M. 
Temperature rather below the average; bright sun and cold wind.—G. J. 
Symons. 
