488 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 24, 1881. 
one which may be of vital importance to some of the exhibitors. 
The floors of many of the pens were newly painted or coloured 
with some green fluid. They were partially covered with shell 
grit, but this did not prevent the green from coming off on the 
feet and breasts of the birds and being thence transferred to their 
heads and necks. This was bad enough, and would entail on the 
exhibitors much extra trouble in washing, but the risk of the 
birds swallowing some of the green matter with their food, and 
being thus perhaps seriously affected in health, is a more serious 
matter. We observed one very valuable hen much soiled with 
this green paint, and she has since her return home been suffering 
from diarrhoea. We suggested the paint as the cause of the 
mischief. We may be wrong as to this ; but in any case a word 
of friendly caution may put the committees of other shows on 
their guard, and render a repetition of the painting process 
improbable. _ 
The arrangements outside the Show for the delivery of the 
birds were this year much improved. The railway companies 
formerly loaded the hampers on large vans for the purpose of 
sending them a few yards across the road to the Palace. This 
entailed a good deal of unnecessary piling-up of hampers. This 
year the birds were delivered by hand by the railway companies 
at their respective passenger entrances to the Palace. We watched 
the process for some time at the high-level station, and it sug¬ 
gested two thoughts to us. One, that the railway company 
might well have provided a few extra luggage trucks of the 
three-wheeled pattern to facilitate the work. The porters were 
fairly careful, and one ingenious man had constructed a good 
four-wheeled truck by tying together two of the ordinary luggage 
trucks ; but in the majority of cases the baskets had to be wheeled 
on the ordinary trucks, and consequently tilted to a considerable 
extent. Our second thought was as to the general want of some 
means of taking hold of the hampers near the centre of the top, 
and thus carrying evenly two hampers, one in either hand. It is 
hardly to be expected that a railway porter having an enormous 
number of hampers to deal with should make a separate journey 
with each hamper ; and if there be no handle at the top of the 
hamper he is obliged to catch hold of the hamper on one side 
and thus tilt it over, to the manifest detriment of the birds inside. 
Exhibitors should see to this. 
THE CRYSTAL PALACE SHOW. 
We have of late years seemed to see some decline in the interest 
taken in the Palace Show. The entries for a year or two were some¬ 
what below what they had been, the sales were apparently less nume¬ 
rous, and undoubtedly the attendance of the general public, as dis¬ 
tinct from fanciers, was smaller. This year, however, all has again 
changed for the better. The Show was the largest ever held, and the 
Show was day after day crowded. The greatest interest, too, was 
shown in the multitudinous appliances exhibited—poultry houses of 
every kind and size, both ambulant and stationary ; aviaries and runs ; 
incubators and mothers, both “ hot” and “ cold drinking fountains 
and hoppers. Many of these contrivances were excellent, and offered 
at really moderate prices, and in consequence we saw “ sold ” tickets 
on a large proportion of them. Some of the incubators were of large 
size, and destined to hatch Ostriches in South Africa. Poultry-breed¬ 
ing is certainly not on the wane, and a healthy sign of its progress is 
that, as far as we could see, many of the purchasers of incubators and 
other appliances were not breeders of exhibition but only of table 
poultry. 
The adult Dark Dorkings struck us as particularly handsome and 
in good condition, the hens especially so, and as being nearly all birds 
from which we should ourselves be glad to breed. This is a distinct 
gain, for we have often seen in the prize list decrepit old creatures, 
solely placed there because they were “ the celebrated winners ” of 
some celebrated breeder. We regret to see dark feet on the increase 
just as we have got rid of long legs. We have never been captious 
grumblers at judging—only those who have tried the work know its 
difficulty ; at the same time we must say that only from great care¬ 
lessness or great ignorance could any judge give a prize to such a 
bird as is one of the Silver-Grey cockerels. Such awards do the 
utmost harm. Beginners spend much money, time, and pains in pro¬ 
ducing creditable specimens, pay 8s. a pen forentering them, and then 
find a prize given to such a bird as ought to be the first to be given 
to the cook. 
It is a great pity that the White and Black Cochins were mixed, 
the latter breed thereby being practically excluded from competition. 
The first White pullet, though pretty, struck us as being very small 
and generally inferior to the second. 
It is unfortunate that Hamburghs have got so entirely into the 
hands of one class who understand their “ improvement.” Those 
who scruple to practise it are being by degrees ousted from the Ham¬ 
burgh fancy. We hear a rumour that the Rev. W. Serjeantson is on 
this account giving up Black Hamburghs, and is likely to take up 
some breed of Dorkings. Some of the Silver-pencil cockerels at the 
Palace were very pretty. They would be a nice breed for some 
amateur to start, if only the trimming of combs could be stopped. 
In the class for “Any other variety ” Polish, were several good 
Padue Chamois, which, however, contend at great diadvantage with 
White-crested Blacks. Why one beautiful cock (Mrs. Ricketts’) was 
unnoticed, while an indifferent hen or two had cards, we did not 
understand. We hear that an admirer, though not hitherto an ex¬ 
hibitor of Polish, has guaranteed the prizes for a fourth class of 
Polish at the forthcoming great show of the Poultry Club. This will 
be a good chance for fanciers of Padue Cnamois, or any of less kno^vn 
kinds. 
The little cup Pile Game Bantam cockerel, shown by Mr. E. 
Watson, was the winner of a very handsome sum—viz., the ten- 
guinea special cup for the best Game Bantam, as well as the four- 
guinea cup for the best Duckvving or Pile cockerel. 
We were pleased to see that Mr. T. P. Lyon has added Game 
Bantams to his stock, and is at once as successful with them as with 
large Game. He won cup for his Black Red cock, and first for hen 
of the same breed. 
It is a long time since we have seen such small good clean-legged 
white Bantams as were the three winning pens. lapanese Bantams 
by no means showed so well as last year. The cup was most strangely 
awarded to a pair in nice condition, but wanting ail the distinctive 
characteristics of the breed. Their legs are comparatively long, and 
the cock has round sickles flowing back like a Hamburgh. Surely 
good Japanese should have almost straight tail feathers carried very 
high and in squirrel fashion close to the head. There were such 
birds in the class, and beauties too. How could the Judge leave un¬ 
noticed such a pair as Lady Dartmouth’s ? They are dark frizzled 
Japanese. We understood that his reason was that they ought to 
have been entered in the Any other variety class, but they have every 
characteristic of true Japanese in form, head, legs, and carriage. 
We preferred Mr. Tearle’s h.c. pair of Silver Sebrights to all the 
winners ; their size is small, and their general contour more like the 
older Sebrights. 
The class of Aylesbury Ducks was, as usual, small. The monopoly 
of prizes which a few breeders of this variety have long had prevents 
many who have really good specimens from showing them. Pekins 
had four classes, and numbered sixty birds. The cup drake was a 
simply gigantic bird. We could not help remarking that a Duck far 
beyond the rest in size, belonging to Mr. W. J. Kichols, was only h.c. 
Her colour, we understood, was not sufficiently yellow to satisfy the 
Judge’s fancy. As this lemon tinge seems to vary much with the 
time of year and character of the water, it is not a very satisfactory 
test of race and quality of the bird. Fancy Ducks made a very sorry 
appearance. The two winning pairs of Mandarins were excellent, 
and Miss Arnold’s Duclairs are portly, and no doubt profitable. We 
hope at Birmingham to see a far different display, where the beautiful 
varieties of fancy Ducks have proper classification. 
Turkeys formerly had three or four classes ; they are now cut 
down to one for cock and hen of any age. This is hard upon intend¬ 
ing purchasers who want a single fresh bird. The number of Turkeys 
sold at Birmingham, where four classes are provided for them, is pro¬ 
digious, and we should have thought that a like classification at the 
Palace would have been a paying concern. The winning pairs were 
very handsome. 
The public seem? attracted to the Palace Selling classes by some 
strange spell. Capital birds at very moderate prices in the open 
classes are passed, but the most antique and rubbishy specimens find 
ready purchasers in the Selling classes, simply because they are sell¬ 
ing classes. As we walked down some of the long rows there seemed 
hardly a pen not labelled “ sold.”—C. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE LONDON. 
Lat. 61° 32'40" N.; Long.O 0 8'0" W.; Altitude,111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAT. 
Hygrome- 
a . 
Shade Tern- 
Radiation 
a 
1881. 
ter. 
13 d 
SC 1 
9c: o 
perature. 
Temperature. 
s3 
November. 
Ti h a -3 
In 
On 
r—i *-» C3 
Dry. 
Wet. 
5 o 
Max. 
Min. 
sun. 
grass. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg 
deg. 
In. 
Sun. 13 
3 ".393 
56.0 
52.7 
w. 
40.2 
59.7 
40.2 
85.1 
43.3 
_ 
Mon. 14 
3 '.387 
50 7 
5 >.7 
w. 
49.6 
.54.2 
50.4 
56.2 
47.4 
_ 
Tues. 15 
30.0.57 
47.4 
45.4 
S.W. 
49.6 
54.4 
46.4 
85.6 
44.4 
_ 
Wed. 16 
30.036 
50.6 
47.9 
s.w. 
48.7 
5.5.6 
43.0 
65.7 
36.3 
0.290 
Tliurs. 17 
29.711 
48.6 
46.2 
w. 
41.1 
55.2 
47.6 
90.4 
42.6 
_ 
Friday 18 
30.300 
3S.6 
35.5 
V.. 
47.9 
47.6 
34.5 
49.6 
28 6 
0.012 
Satur. 19 
30.246 
49.5 
48.3 
s.w. 
46.7 
52.8 
34.1 
83.0 
31.7 
— 
80.106 
48.8 
47.1 
43.9 
54.2 
43.9 
73.7 
39.2 
0.302 
REMARKS. 
13th.—Fine and mild ; very cloudy sky with beautiful rose tints. 
14th.—Misty early, overcast throughout. 
15th.—Fine bright day ; starlight night. 
16th.— Fine morning ; afternoon and evening wild and stormy with rain. 
17th.—High wind in morning ; fine bright day ; calm evening. 
18th.—Fog in morning ; afternoon fine ; evening damp. 
19th.—Fine and mild ; bright sunshine. 
Temperature rather lower than in the previous week, but still much above 
the average.—G. J. Symons. 
