336 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 20, 1882. 
I I 
the true merits and winning attractions of this noble bird by seeing 
it at an exhibition caged in a narrow show pen. It must be seen 
stepping out majestically at home in the loft or aviary, ready and 
pleased to respond to the salutations of its master. This disposition 
renders it a most appropriate pet for the sedentary professional or 
mechanic whose occupation confines him at home. Whether liis 
labours be mental or physical, an hour in the loft with his Pouters 
brings complete change of thought, which, as an innocent and 
soothing recreation to the mind, must prove salutary, especially 
to brain-workers.” There is much advantage to a would-be, 
but as yet uninitiated, fancier in having the characteristic traits 
of a breed of Pigeons thus pleasantly described. For the more 
scientific breeder Captain Hill’s essay has much of interest. 
He considers that its essential properties cannot be reduced to 
fewer than nine—viz., 1, Slenderness of body. 2, Size and shape 
of pout. 3, Length of limb. 4, Length of feather. 5, Carriage 
with height. 6, Action with condition. 7, Symmetry of form. 
8, Markings. 9, Colour. Bound up with this paper is the report 
of a sub-committee of the National Peristeronic Society on the 
Pouter, a most scientific document, which is too terse and precise to 
bear analysis. 
Certainly the Pigeon fancy has many able devotees who pursue it 
in no half-hearted or haphazard way when we find a society of them 
publishing one by one such elaborate standards of excellence for 
various breeds. Fanciers outside the Society owe it and such 
members as Captain Norman Hill a deep debt of gratitude for 
making plain many things about the points of Pigeons which were 
before very perplexing to the uninitiated.—C. 
THE POULTRY CLUB. 
A meeting of the Committee of the Poultry Club was held at the 
Charing Cross Hotel on Monday, April 17th, at 2 p.m. There were 
present Messrs. H. Radclyffe Dugmore (in the chair), T. W. Anns, 
R. A. Boissier, G. B. C. Breeze, A. Comyns, S. Lucas, C. F. Montrdsor, 
and L. Norris. 
New Members. —The following new member was elected :—M. W. 
Wemyss-Colchester, The Wilderness, Mitcheldean, Gloucester. The 
following new Associate was elected :—R. Whitton, Hilton House, 
Lincoln. Rev. G. Y. S. Shaw, late an Associate, was elected a 
member. 
Disqualification at Gosforth Show. — The consideration of 
this case, which had been adjourned since the previous meeting, was 
resumed. At the Gosforth Show, held on the 17th and 18th of Feb¬ 
ruary, Mr. T. Dowell exhibited a Black Red Bantam cockerel and 
also a Brown Red hen. The Black Red cockerel took first prize, and 
also won the medal for the best in the Show ; but the Brown Red 
hen was disqualified by the Judge, who discovered staining matter 
on its face. As the result of this disqualification all prizes won by 
Mr. Dowell were forfeited, and a bird belonging to Mr. Elliott, one of 
the Secretaries of the Show, took the position consequently vacated 
by Mr. Dowell’s Black Red Bantam cockerel. The staining matter 
was removed from the hen’s face with a handkerchief, on which it 
produced a mark somewhat similar to an ink stain. Mr. Dowell on 
his arrival at the Show claimed to have the case investigated and the 
bird examined by the Committee of the Poultry Club, under whose 
rules the Show was held. This was agreed to be done, and the bird 
was retained by the Committee of the Show. On the 28th of Feb¬ 
ruary the Hon. Secretary of the Poultry Club received from Mr. F. 
Farr, Mr. Elliott’s Co-Secretary, a letter containing a pocket handker¬ 
chief, which he said was, on a part indicated, marked with the stuff 
which came off the head of the Bantam disqualified by the Judge. 
The letter contained no other particulars, and although the Hon. 
Secretary of the Poultry Club wrote at once for fuller information, 
his letter was not replied to. On the 3rd of March a letter from 
Mr. Dowell appeared in the Live Stock Journal, complaining that 
although the bird had been retained for the purpose of being for¬ 
warded to the Poultry Club Committee, it had not been so sent, and 
that he had on the 21st of February received a telegram from the 
Treasurer of the Gosforth Show, saying that the Committee had 
decided not to send the hen for inspection by the Committee of 
the Poultry Club. The hen was subsequently sent to Mr. Dowell, 
but the basket containing her was returned by him unopened. 
Mr. Dowell requested the Committee of the Poultry Club to take 
up the case, and statements were forwarded by each side to the Com¬ 
mittee of the Club. The Secretary of the Show alleged that the 
reason for neglecting to send the bird for inspection to the Committee 
of the Poultry Club in the first instance was that the bird had fre¬ 
quently been taken out of its pen by Mr. Dowell and his friends on 
the second day of the Show, and that consequently it was not in the 
same state as when disqualified by the Judge. The Secretary of the 
Show subsequently offered to send the bird to the Committee of 
the Poultry Club for inspection; but at the meeting held on the 
31st of March it was decided that after such a lapse of time this would 
be useless. The Secretary of the Club had several communications 
with Mr. Dixon, who officiated as Judge, as to the case. The follow¬ 
ing resolution was passed— 
“ After careful consideration of the subject and communication with Mr. Dixon, 
who officiated as Judge at Gosforth Show, it appears to the Committee of the 
Poultry Club that the evidence of Mr. Dowell’s having fraudulently coloured the 
Brown Red Game Bantam hen’s face is wholly insufficient, and they accordingly 
acquit him from any imputation on his character. At the same time they record 
their strong condemnation of the management of the Show, and of the practice 
of the Secretary of a Show being, as in this case, also a competitor.” 
Railway Charges for Conveyance of Poultry. —A letter 
which appeared in the Live Stock Journal, signed James Eley, sug¬ 
gesting that the Poultry Club should take the subject of railway 
charges in hand for the purpose of bringing it under the notice of the 
Parliamentary Committee appointed to inquire into the present rail¬ 
way charges of the United Kingdom, was read and the matter dis¬ 
cussed. The opinion of the Committee was, that in order to justify 
them in taking action in the matter it would be necessary for them 
to have evidence as to particular cases of overcharge, and the Secre¬ 
tary was directed to request those who had any ground of complaint 
to forward a statement of the same to the Club. 
Next Meeting. —The next meeting of the Committee was fixed 
for Wednesday, May 3rd, at the Charing Cross Hotel, at 2 P.M.— 
Alex. Comyns, lion. Sec. Poultry Club, 47, Chancery Lane, London, 
W.C. April 18th, 1882. 
CREVE-CCEURS. 
Among the celebrated Normandy table fowls one of the most 
esteemed by the French are the Crdve-Coeurs. This variety of 
fowl is quiet, domestic, great layers of large eggs, hardy, prolific, 
easily fattened, and of the first quality for the table. They are 
very precocious, since they may be put up to fatten at the age 
of three months, and they are ready for table in fifteen days after. 
At four months old a fowl of this breed has reached its full per¬ 
fection as to weight and quality. A full-grown pullet of five or 
six months attains the weight of 6^ lbs. when fattened, and weighs 
4 J lbs. dressed for the cook. They are very tame, ramble but little, 
and prefer seeking their food on the dunghill in the poultry-yard 
to wandering afar off. They are somewhat later in laying, and 
perhaps lay less frequently than the common French fowl, but 
their eggs are much larger, and they continue to lay a longer time. 
While there is no doubt of their value as table fowl, they lack that 
hardiness which is demanded in cold districts, and their chickens 
are not hatched and reared with facility where cold damp weather 
prevails .—(Amei ican Cultivator .) 
Epworth Poultry Show. —We have received the schedule of 
this Show, which includes seventeen classes for poultry, a silver cup 
being offered for the best pen of Game, and twelve classes for Pigeons. 
Prizes are also offered for cage birds, rabbits, butter, eggs, &c. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Renovating Pasture (Spencer Pratt ).—The present is a very good time 
for sowing grass seeds in your field, and the most practical advice we can give 
you is to state the present condition of the pasture, the nature of the soil, and 
the acreage to be renovated, to a seedsman or firm who pays special attention to 
this subject, and you may rely on receiving the right quantity of a suitable 
mixture for effecting your purpose. In sowing first disturb the surface with 
light sharp-toothed harrows, then sow, afterwards running the bush harrow over 
the ground, following with a roller. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 81* 32'40"N.; Long. 0° 8'0" W.; Altitude.lll feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
Rain, 
1882. 
April 
Barome¬ 
ter at 32° 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
Temp, of 
Soil at 
I foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg 
deg. 
In. 
Sun. 9 
30.273 
48.0 
44.0 
N. 
47.2 
61.6 
35.7 
114.2 
29.8 
— 
Mon. 10 
30.149 
42.9 
41.0 
N.E. 
47.6 
52.2 
36.2 
69.4 
30.4 
_ 
Tnes. 11 
29.932 
42.9 
41.7 
N. 
46.7 
60.6 
34.9 
105.9 
27.4 
— 
Wed. 12 
29.805 
51.0 
46.2 
S.E. 
47.3 
58.2 
36.9 
81.3 
29.1 
0.088 
Thurs. IS 
29.429 
49 .3 
48.5 
s. 
47.8 
54.4 
46.8 
70.5 
438 
0.375 
Friday 14 
29.273 
51.4 
47.1 
IV. 
47.8 
60.8 
45.3 
116.6 
39.9 
0.012 
Satur. 15 
29.370 
52.3 
50.0 
N.W. 
47.8 
58.5 
41.3 
115.2 
33.3 
1.043 
29.749 
48.3 
45.6 
47.5 
58.0 
39.6 
96.2 
33.4 
0.518 
REMARKS. 
9th.—Still fine with sunshine, but more cloud. 
10th.—Fair, but overcast and dull, with cold wind. 
11th.—Fine and bright. 
12th.—Fine, but more overcast. 
13th.—Morning showery ; rain continuing in afternoon ; fair, but damp evening. 
14th.—High wind and rain during night; showery morning ; fine afterwards. 
15th.—Calm and warmer morning ; colder and windy after part of day. 
Temperature rather lower than that of the preceding week, but still above the 
average. On the whole a fine and fairly bright week, but the weather was more 
unsettled than it had been for some time.—G. J. Symons. 
