December i, 1881. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 509 
through his moult, sprightly, and in trim condition, and a Par¬ 
tridge Cochin deep and densely fluffy. Through a passage we 
came to another yard, and here in another wired enclosure were 
more cocks of many kinds, and hard by a most necessary adjunct 
to every large poultry establishment—the hospital. It is a dry 
building with lots of pens against the wall, and can be heated, 
when necessary, with a little gas stove. Next came the sitting- 
house, a room, as it should be, devoted entirely to its important 
purpose. We particularly liked the construction of some of the 
sitting nests. They are simply boxes without bottoms, perforated 
with holes to admit air, and one side opening on a hinge serves 
as a door. The hens thus sit on the ground. The advantage 
of such boxes is that they ensure moisture from below to the 
egg and absolute privacy to the hen, while they can easily be 
thoroughly purified. 
We must now attempt, however inadequately, to describe the 
other great range of nearly fifty runs, the special care of Mr. 
Ricketts, devoted to the larger breeds. We have said that on the 
right of the entrance a grass field is seen sloping away eastwards 
from the garden lawn. About this they are ranged. Most of them 
open into the field, but as at the time of our visit their inmates 
were moulting, when fowls require less range, the field was 
tenanted by troops of pullets of many kinds. Among them were 
a number of Buff Cochins, good in shape and fluff, chiefly of Tom¬ 
linson’s strain. We helped to select a promising half-dozen of these 
for next year’s stock. On the left, as one goes down the field, are 
a long double row of yards, the front ones opening into the field, 
the back line accessible from a path behind. Being intended for 
large fowls, these are, of course, far larger than the gravelled range 
before described, and all are of grass. They were once larger still, 
each having consisted of two of the present runs. We should have 
been inclined to have them so, knowing well the great difficulty 
of keeping small grass runs fresh and green, but the growth of 
the establishment and the multitudes of the breeds kept neces¬ 
sitated their division into two rows. In every one is a comfort¬ 
able dry house. Among their inmates were Cochins of all kinds, 
Dorkings of all kinds, and many others too, but our memory fails 
us to record the order of them all. Beyond this double row, still 
on the left, is a very large house ; in the back part of it roost the 
troop of several dozen pullets which we have seen running over 
the paddock. In front are some half dozen small runs, most 
useful places for single cocks and moulting birds, each with a 
separate roosting place inside the house. Hence at right angles 
to the double line of yards runs off towards the right another 
range, cutting off the smaller end of the paddock. All open 
into the front paddock for the daily exercise of the birds when 
necessary, but their grass runs are hardly so large as the others, 
and would, we think, be better gravelled. Here were Andalusians 
and Leghorns, Game of various kinds, and Hamburghs, and 
Derbyshire Redcaps, fine strong-looking birds and peculiarly rosy 
for the time of year, somewhat like large Golden-spangled Ham¬ 
burghs ; and a pen of curious Eastern fowls brought from Con¬ 
stantinople, of gold colour and brown with small dark crests. 
Through a gate near the large house, which we left on our left 
hand, is yet another row of houses and runs all on the same plan, 
and all opening into the other part of the paddock behind the 
last-named row. Here were Spanish, Langshans, and more 
Cochins. But we need not enumerate all the breeds ; to do so 
would simply be to catalogue the known breeds of larger fowls. 
We had seen cursorily the whole of this marvellous establishment; 
it remained to inspect more carefully the inmates of many a pen, 
especially some fine Buff Cochins in the back row of the double 
line of runs, so we turned our steps towards the garden by a 
pretty path between them and a shrubbery, whence rapidly 
descends a precipice towards (he river Teme below, called the Tees 
by a printer’s error in the former part of our description. We 
had had a charming sight, one not to be enjoyed elsewhere in 
England, we believe. We should advise our fancier friends, who 
have the chance, to ask the favour of a view of the famous 
Knighton yards.—C. 
THE POULTRY CLUB. 
A MEETING of the Committee of the Poultry Club was held at 
Bingiey Hall, Birmingham, on Monday, the 28th November. There 
were present the Hon. and Rev. F. G. Dutton (in the chair), the Rev. 
W. Serjeantson, and Messrs. A. Comyns, A. Darby, L. C. C. R. Norris, 
and E. Pritchard. 
Club Show. —The proof schedule was revised, and classes were 
added for Black Cochins, French (any other variety than Houdans 
or Creve Coeurs), and Duckwing Game. The list of Judges with the 
classes upon which they are to adjudicate, submitted by the Secretary, 
was revised and finally settled. 
Messrs. A. Comyns and H. Radclyffe Dugmore were appointed 
Poultry Club Stewards to be present and supervise the arrangements 
at the Show on behalf of the Club, and it was arranged that neither 
of these gentlemen should take part in the competition. 
The number of cups to be offered was also discussed, and it was 
decided that there should be thirteen for the poultry classes, varying 
in value from five guineas to two guineas, and to be given in ad¬ 
dition to the money prizes in all cases. 
Snows to be Held under Club Rules. —Communications from 
the Secretaries of the U ttoxeter, Hednesford, Waverley, and Gosforth 
(Newcastle-on-Tyne) Shows, stating that it was intended to hold these 
Shows under Club rules, were read, and subscriptions were granted in 
aid of their respective funds. 
Disqualifications. —Three cases of trimming were brought under 
the notice of the Committee. Directions were given to the Secretary 
to ascertain further particulars, and the consideration of these matters 
was postponed until the next meeting. 
Meetings of the Committee— It was decided that in order to 
facilitate the election of those desiring to avail themselves of the 
privileges of membership of the Club at the forthcoming Cambridge 
Show, two meetings of the Committee should be held in December, 
the first on Friday the 9th inst., and the second on Friday the 16th 
inst., the latter date being the latest at which an election would give 
the benefits of membership at the Club Show.— Alex. Comyns, Hon. 
Sec., 47, Chancery Lane, Dec. 1st. 
BIRMINGHAM SHOW. 
This great Show, which alone contests with the annual meeting at 
Sydenham for the premier position in importance and numbers, com¬ 
menced on Saturday last. The entries both in poultry and Pigeons 
were more numerous than ever, the former numbering 2412 pens, and 
the latter 903. Birmingham, being eminently a practical place, natur¬ 
ally gives more prominence to the poultry than to the Pigeon depart¬ 
ment, and it is chiefly in the latter that the numbers at Birmingham 
fall short of those at the Palace. 
At Bingiey Hall even a larger number of familiar faces are to be 
seen year after year than at the Palace ; and if some of the old ones 
are, alas ! wanting, there are many younger ones which are gradually 
becoming sufficiently familiar to fill up the blank. 
Never within our recollection has the quality of the birds in both 
sections been better than it is this year. There may be a falling-off 
in some classes, but the average taken over the whole Show is far 
above what we have been accustomed to. 
Brahmas still hold the first position, as they have now done for 
some years, Sir Henry Thompson’s champion £60 bird coming first 
among the cupwinners. The first prize for cockerels again goes to 
Stoke Park, though we can hardly say that we like the winner quite 
so much as his yard mates at the Palace, one'of which has here gained 
second for his new owner. Mr. Percival won the cup with a hen which 
we have not seen this season, but which much reminds us of his 
winner of last year. Mr. Norris’s winning hen at the Palace had here 
to take second place, although we much doubt whether she wall not 
regain her lost position when she has fully moulted out. In the 
pullet class public opinion has for once had its effect. Never before 
do we remember Mr. Teebay to have given way to the popular voice, 
but he seems here to have recognised the force of the familiar adage, 
and has completely upset his own awards at the Palace. The first- 
prize pullet came from the yards of the Rev. T. C. Peake, and is 
nicely pencilled and of clear grey colour ; but it seems to us that if 
Mr. Teebay desires to restore the Brahma hens to what they once 
were he must go more for size and shape, and not let pencilling, even 
though of so excellent a type as that we have here, have such undue 
weight. There were many excellent pullets in the class of good 
Brahma type, and amongst the prizewinners we especially noted the 
fourth of Mr. Norris as being large, shapely, good in colour, and 
nicely pencilled, though hardly quite out yet. She must surely have 
her revenge later. 
Mr. Leno’s awards in the Light Brahma classes were generally 
well received. Here Mr. G. H. Wood took premier position both in 
cocks and cockerels, closely pressed in the former, however, by 
Mr. Norris and Mr. Percival, and in the latter by Mr. Haines and 
Mr. F. S. Clarke. There seems to be some division of opinion as to 
the correct type of these birds, and in our views Mr. Leno’s inclines 
rather to give undue prominence to birds which are very short in leg 
and rather of a Cochiny stamp. In the hens and pullets Mr. Norris 
and Mr. Haines were respectively first, the former taking the cup 
with his well-known pullet of last year. Messrs. Birch and Mr. 
G. H. Wood respectively stood second in each class. Mr. Norris’s 
hen is a lovely bird, but even her owner pronounces her as rather 
too much of a Cochin for his fancy. You can hardly have a Brahma 
hen too short in the leg, but then so much roundness and extreme 
fluffiness which are characteristic of a Cochin are hardly desirable. 
We could not entirely agree with the pullet awards, and thought 
several in the class better than the first. 
The Dorkings were more numerous and better in quality than laff 
year. We think they are rather hardly treated in the matter of prize 
money, and would suggest to the Birmingham Committee the advisa¬ 
bility of increasing the number and amount of the prizes. A first 
prize of £2 and second of £1 is hardly adequate when the entry is 8s. 
per pen. In the Coloured birds Mr. Butler Smith, Mr. Cranston, the 
