434 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 26, 1881. 
variety only. We know who originated the Mottled Java, and 
how he did it. Mr. Lattin had added to his fame as a fancier of 
Black Javas the honour of originating the Mottled birds. He 
writes us as follows concerning their origin :— 
“About nine years ago I had some white hens, known here at 
that time as White Brahmas, but without any feathers on their 
legs, which were smooth, and a bright orange colour ; beaks 
yellow, combs single, size about the same as the Javas. To com¬ 
mence with, a pair of Mottled Black and White chicks were 
hatched from these hens’ eggs. As I had no other cocks on the 
premises but Black Javas, these Mottled chicks must have been 
the result of a cross between a Black Java cock and the White 
hens. I kept the two Mottled chicks, and next year raised five 
more nicely Mottled ones; the rest were White, about the same 
number in each brood. The next year I bred the cock from the 
first pair to the last year’s pullets, and succeeded in getting a fine 
lot of Mottled chicks, a few White ones, and fewer Black. From 
that time I worked faithfully to improve them in breeding true 
to colour ; till I got them so a very small per cent, of White chicks 
appeared. It will, of course, take some time yet to breed them 
all uniformly alike, as no breed will do this, but they run very 
true and even, all things considered. The Mottles are not always 
evenly distributed, and for some time the legs would be black or 
willow, though some prefer them mottled yellow and black, but I 
now have no trouble in breeding legs yellow.” 
[We take the above account of the Java fowl, with the accom¬ 
panying illustration, from our New York contemporary, the 
Poultry Bulletin. In thus acknowledging the source from which 
our information is derived we do not follow the course adopted by 
our contemporary, in whose pages we were somewhat surprised 
to find a reproduction under a slightly altered title, and without 
the least hint as to their origin, of several of our articles upon 
“ Practical Scientific Breeding.” The taking of extracts or even 
single articles by seme of our American friends we are accus¬ 
tomed to, but we think this wholesale appropriation is not the 
common practice of journals of repute on either side of the 
Atlantic.—E d.] 
DOVERIDGE POULTRY SHOW. 
President —Lord Waterpark ; Treasurer —Rev. C. J. Hamilton ; 
Secretary —Mr. S. J. Adams, Doveridge, Derby. 
Uttoxeter, 28th April, 1881. 
Sir,—At a meeting of the Committee for promoting; the above 
named Poultry Show (to be held at Doveridge, near Uttoxeter, on 
Thursday, the 3rd November next), I was requested to send out cir¬ 
culars giving notice of this Exhibition, with the object of securing 
entries. 
There will be forty-one classes, of which twenty-two will be for 
single birds hatched in 1881. There will be a class for birds (cock 
and hen, or cockerel and pullet) not exceeding two years of age, first 
cross between any two distinct varieties of pure-bred exhibition fowls, 
to be judged for quality for table purposes. Entrance fee, 2s. G d. 
First prize, £2 ; second, £1; third, 10s. 
Also a Selling Class for pens of one or more specimens, not ex¬ 
ceeding three, of any variety of recognised exhibition poultry, pure 
bred, not exceeding two years old ; no limit as to prices. Entrance 
fee, 2s. No prize will be given for this class, as it is impossible to 
judge birds of different breeds against each other ; but cards, Y.H.C., 
H.C., and C., will be given for those pens which are of extra merit. 
The entrance fee on all classes except as above stated, and Classes 
40 and 41, will be 3s. G d. ; and for these classes exhibitors will be at 
liberty to affix a price on the birds, or enter them “Not for Sale,” at 
their option. 
Only 5 per cent, commission will be charged on sales of birds 
effected at this Show. 
Two prizes of £1 and 10s. will be given for the general classes, and 
more if the number of entries warrant an addition. 
The Show will be held under the usual rules, supplemented by the 
Poultry Club rules. Schedules of prizes and copies of the rules may 
be had, post free, on application, by card or otherwise. The entries 
will positively close on the 19th October. 
It will be observed that several of the arrangements are novel; 
these are believed to be improvements, and it is hoped that you will 
testify your approbation of them by a reply to this circular, promising 
entries. 
E. J. Blair, Honorary Superintendent. 
The above circular has been forwarded to many fanciers, and 
seems to us worthy of comment in more than one particular. 
To begin with, the plan of sending round a preliminary circular 
with the object of obtaining, if possible, some idea of the amount 
of support likely to be accorded to a poultry show, strikes us as 
being one worthy of imitation. Of course the eventual success 
of the scheme and its continuation in future years must entirely 
depend upon the way in w T hich the show is managed, and we may 
in a friendly way hint to its promoters, that as a rule somewhat 
more of a guarantee for the good management of a prospective 
show is required than the names of distinguished patrons and 
honourable treasurers—viz., that it should be regulated by prac¬ 
tical fanciers, but possibly in this case a list of the committee of 
management may follow with the schedule. 
The chief innovation on established custom in the Doveridge 
prize list will be the rule that in the selling class the prizes shall 
be merely honorary. Of this we unhesitatingly approve for two 
reasons : 1, Because according to the circular “ it is impossible to 
judge birds of different breeds against each other.” There may 
be some slight exaggeration in this statement, but in the main it 
is true. We well know how perplexed conscientious judges often 
are at the end of their long day’s work to place the prize birds 
properly in these classes, and how those troubled with fewer 
scruples award the honours in a somewhat happy-go-lucky fashion. 
The most careful judges usually pick out the best pen of each of 
three or four varieties for the three or four prizes, while perhaps 
the second or third best of one kind are really of that kind 
better than the best pen of one of the other breeds. 2, Because 
the custom of entering valuable birds just to win a money 
prize, the owner all the while intending to buy them back again, 
will be materially checked. The said practice has led to manifold 
controversies and dishonesty, and in spite of more than one legal 
decision to the effect that in a selling class an owner contracts to 
sell his birds, and therefore cannot bid for them or buy them back, 
is constantly resorted to either openly or through the quibbling 
medium of a purchase in another name or through an accomplice. 
Those who really wish to sell their birds will be equally able to 
do so from their intrinsic merit, and a doubtful purchaser will 
receive some aid from the commendations of the judge, bestowed 
in all probability more judiciously because it will not be neces¬ 
sary to place any pens in order of merit; those, on the other hand, 
who do not wish to sell will have no inducement to show in the 
class, and as at present defeat its very object. 
Another commendable point in this schedule will be that only 
5 per cent, commission will be charged on sale. It has often 
struck us that the customary 10 per cent, is in many cases very 
high and practically prevents sales by keeping up catalogue 
prices. Of course at such shows as the Crystal Palace and Bir¬ 
mingham the advantage of exhibiting birds is so great, the number 
of possible purchasers who must see them so enormous, that the 
commission is by no means excessive ; but at many a smaller or 
local show it is simply absurd to make so large a deduction from 
purchase money. The Poultry Club rules are, we observe, to be 
incorporated in those of the show. This is a wise move on the 
part of its promoters. These rules were drawn up with great 
care by those well experienced in the difficulties which com¬ 
mittees who wish to insist on fair and honourable competition 
frequently have to contend with, and will enable those less versed 
in such matters to steer clear of pitfalls into which they might 
otherwise fall. 
There is a somewhat monotonous uniformity in the regulations 
of most poultry sho ws, we are therefore specially glad to hail the 
originality of these, combined as it is with sound sense.—C. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden square,London. 
Lafc. 61® 32'40"N.; Long. 0° 8'O’’W.; Altitude.lll feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
Rain. 
1881. 
May. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 32° 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
Temp, of 
Soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
gra,ss. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sun. 1.5 
20.812 
55.0 
49.2 
S.W. 
54.4 
64.4 
48.6 
97.8 
45.2 
0.925 
Mon. 1(5 
24.474 
51.3 
47.4 
S.W. 
53.9 
58.6 
46.6 
103.3 
41.3 
0.027 
Tues. 17 
29.986 
56.7 
50.6 
S.W. 
52.3 
61.0 
36.6 
99.0 
29.6 
0.199 
Wed. 18 
29.606 
53.9 
.5395 
S.W. 
52.3 
64.5 
51.3 
116.0 
50.6 
0.217 
Thurs. 18 
29.620 
50.0 
49.6 
w. 
52.3 
62.5 
48.3 
114.4 
46.6 
— 
Friday 20 
29.878 
55.4 
49.6 
w. 
52.3 
63 6 
46.4 
121.6 
40.9 
0.016 
Satur. 21 
30.291 
57.7 
51.0 
w. 
52.4 
72.5 
39.6 
120.3 
34.3 
— 
Means. 
299110 
54.3 
50.1 
52.8 
63.9 
45.3 
110.3 
41.2 
0.484 
REMARKS. 
15th.—Overcast; high gusty wind and much dust. 
16th.—Cool and showery. 
17th.—Bright and fine early, afterwards high squally wind and showers. 
18th.—Wet morning ; fine with bright sunshine between noon and 3 P.M., then 
overcast and rain; fine after 8 P.M. 
19th.—Slight showers before noon, fine and bright afternoon and evening. 
20th.—Cool, but fine and bright generally, shower only at 1 P.M. 
21st.—Generally fine, bright and warm ; slightly overcast at intervals. 
Temperature almost exactly the average, the mean daily range less than last 
week, the maxima being lower and the minima higher. The air has also been 
less dry, and showers fell on five days.—G. J. Symons. 
