JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. { September 28,ins. 
points of excellence, but very difficult to know where to look out 
for faults or tendencies to faults, the detection of which is one of 
the nice points of judgment, without a thorough acquaintance with 
each variety acquired by daily observance of the growth and 
development of birds in the home yard. At the same time, when 
once some experience and confidence in judging has been gained by 
one who begins with special breeds in which he is quite at home, 
his critical faculty improves in a wonderful manner. . He acquires 
a power of observing and appreciating distinctive points in other 
varieties, and of picking up information on them from other judges 
and breeders hardly comprehensible before. It is thus that good 
all-round judges are made, and we know that one or_two of the 
very ablest we now have, both in the poultry and Pigeon lines, 
have thus gained their skill and discrimination. 
Exhibitors are often too ready to exclaim loudly at any supposed 
mistake in judgment. With prize list in hand it is easy enough to 
pick holes in the awards, but we can assure our readers that the 
position of a young judge who for the first time finds himself before 
a Ion 0 * row of pens is by no means an enviable one. The birds look 
more'alike than any lot have ever looked before. He walks once 
down the line, and one or two seem to stand out a little before their 
neighbours; they change their positions, and on the second view 
others seem decidedly their superiors. Haste is almost certain to 
cause bewilderment. It is only after a quiet and undisturbed 
survey of the class from different points of view that the judging 
faculty asserts itself. It is quite enough for a beginner thus to be 
tiied in his own particular breeds. It is not long since the paucity 
of good Pigeon judges was specially deplored. The committees of 
two or three shows have gone to work in the most sensible manner 
to remedy this increasing difficulty. Mr. Bulley has once or twice 
been invited to judge the Toy varieties, of which he has been so 
successful a breeder and exhibitor; and quite lately at Bingley, 
where specially good classification was given to Turbits, Mr. (i. 
Webster adjudicated on them—his special fancy. We would gladly 
see these examples further followed, and feel sure that in the future 
only really well and carefully judged shows will continue to be 
popular and successful. It is hardly necessary to enlarge upon the 
advantages of employing so many judges that none may be over¬ 
taxed. We know well from experience the great evil of a judge 
being overworked. Only those who have undertaken the office fully 
realise the combination of bodily and mental fatigue entailed by 
continual pacing up and down long halls or tents for several hours, 
while every power of thought is exerted to carry at once in the 
mind’s eye many far-divided specimens, and to place them all in 
their proper order of merit. Only those who have experienced it 
know the great difference between the feeling that a certain number 
of awards must be made within a given time, and the contrary 
feeling that no awards must be made till there has been time 
thoroughly to study each class and to master it. The one makes 
judging an irksome task, the other to a real fancier a great 
pleasure. 
Practice makes perfect, and some judges become extremely quick 
in taking in a class, and extremely accurate in remembering each 
bird as they pass, and carrying it on in their mind’s eye for com¬ 
parison ; but there are limits to this rapidity. We are always sus¬ 
picious of the boasts we hear of those whose eyes comprehend a 
whole class at a glance, and who make their awards with a few 
dashes of the pencil. The quickest eye can at best only take in 
what the birds look at the moment. A class to be thoroughly well 
judged must be seen from various points of view—must almost be 
watched. A feed makes the greatest difference to some birds, or a 
little rest after a long journey. For many reasons we dislike a 
system pursued at some shows of starving all the exhibits till they 
have been judged. It gives an advantage to exhibitors who live 
near. The strong birds and last fed look best and show themselves 
to the most advantage ; while perhaps the best, just penned after a 
long journey, may be faint, ruffled, and peering eagerly about for 
food. It is the part of a good judge to observe the birds so care¬ 
fully as to take into account these almost unavoidable advantages 
and disadvantages of different exhibitors. We have often seen the 
prizes apparently well placed in the morning, but by the afternoon 
it appears that some decided mistake was made viz., one of the 
best birds passed over for want of condition, simply because it was 
tired or not at home in the pen. A little more time would have 
enabled the judge to recognise its merit. 
Such a real study of a class as we have described is only prac¬ 
ticable where the judges’ work is well and judiciously distributed. 
It requires, too, nerve and a clear head in the judge. An incom¬ 
petent and ignorant person generally becomes more puzzle-headed 
from delay. He had better place the birds as best he can from first 
impressions. However, only such a moderate and appropriate share 
of work as can thus be thoroughly done is now at most good shows 
given to each judge. We are greatly pleased to hail the change, 
and feel sure that nothing is more sure to please exhibitors and to 
extend the fancy. All must make occasional mistakes; for these 
all reasonable people mike full allowance. But after much care 
has been expended in bringing birds to perfection, or when large 
sums have been given for them, it is extremely provoking and dis¬ 
heartening to see their merits passed by solely because a judge is 
pressed for time and hurried and cannot do his best. We leally 
believe that it is possible for one who thoroughly understands the 
breed before him, and has plenty of time and confidence, so to make 
his awards in a class a q , barring particular fancies and idiosyn- 
cracies, almost to defy reasonable criticism and complaint. G. 
Chickens’ Faces Swollen. —Will any of your readers kindly 
state the cause of swollen faces in Turkeys and chickens, and what 
trentment they require to remedy the ailment ?—J. C. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Weeding a Hedge (Hortus ).—The bottom of the hedge to which you 
refer as producing weeds which spread to the adjoining roadside can be best 
kept within bounds by paring off the turf, or turning a sod from toe roadside to 
the bottom of the hedge, which will probably prevent any weeds or running 
grass spreading into the road. If the hedge is properly trimme 1 twice a year 
no manure or other application will be required, nor can any weeds seed and 
spread over the roadway. 
Farm Account Book (IK B. Butler ).—You can obtain Webb's Farming 
Account Book bv application to the office of W. H. Smith & Son, booksellers, 
&c., 186, Strand, London, W.C. 
Milking Cows (John Boss ).—The number of times a cow should be milked 
in four and twenty hours will depend, even during the first few weeks after 
calving, upon the quantity the cow gives. In the case of great milkers, when 
milked only twice a day they will sometimes drop and waste their milk between 
the periods of milking, in which case they may be milked three times during the 
twenty-four hours, otherwise it often leads to the cows being wasteful of tlieir 
milk ever afterwards more or less. In the event of cows not being milked dry 
each time, the milk, or cream rather, which may be left in the udder will coagu¬ 
late and form what are called can-bagged udders, and in such cases they frequently 
lose one or more teats; besides which they will not only not continue to yield 
milk for the full period, but will also be subject to the downfall in the udder, or 
puerperal fever, which not only endangers their life at calving time, but renders 
them useless as dairy cows ever after. In the case of a heifer with her first calt 
it is a good plan to keep the calf sucking the dam for two or three mottos, the 
calves being the best and cleanest milkers. This plan has an excellent effect on 
the milking value of the cow in the future. 
Cropping Land-Lucerne Culture (J. IK). -If you could find a ready 
sale for Lucerne you may grow it with profit in the following manner Plough 
and press the present Oat eddish, sow 3 cwt. Peruvian guano, or 4 cwt. dissolved 
bones per acre, and three bushels of Rye immediately after the presser, then 
work it in together by the harrows, and in the spring sow 20 lbs. per acre of 
Lucerne seed, and drag or harrow the land sufficient to bury the seed. I lie 
crop of Lucerne would be ready to cut several times the next year. If there 1S 
no sale for Lucerne as green fodder, which there is not in some districts, then 
Dlough and sow the Oat eddish next spring with four bushels of early field Peas 
per acre, drilled 14 inches apart, and sow behind the drill the same dressing as 
above stated and harrow in : the land will then, if clean, be in good order for a 
crop of Wheat or Barley. The next year, if not clean, make an autumn fallow 
after the Peas are off. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden square, London. 
Lat. 61° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAT. 
1882. 
i c* ci —i 
cwo© 
S +-»'D > 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
P . 
is a 
°'3-i 
s ° ■*- 
CH 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
0 
c3 
w 
September. 
£ 
c3 
as 3 
Dry. 
Wet. 
<v > 
5 o 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Sun. 17 
Mon. 18 
Tues. 19 
Wed. 20 
Thurs. 21 
Friday 22 
Satnr. 23 
Inches. 
30.009 
30.037 
20.976 
29.703 
29.805 
29.900 
30.034 
deg. 
53.6 
55.0 
50.4 
60.4 
56.3 
56.8 
47.8 
deg. 
49.5 
50.3 
48.8 
57.4 
55.2 
52.4 
47.8 
N.W. 
N. 
N. 
N.E. 
N. 
N. 
N.E. 
deg. 
53.8 
54.5 
54.4 
54 3 
54.3 
53.9 
53.4 
deg 
67.2 
63.8 
58.0 
63.0 
62.5 
65.9 
59.6 
deg. 
45.7 
47.8 
45.9 
50.1 
47.3 
47.2 
40.9 
deg 
105.4 
107.0 
58 5 
97.1 
93.8 
115.3 
66.0 
deg. 
42.0 
44.3 
40.8 
49.6 
40.8 
42.6 
35.7 
In. 
0-523 
0.021 
29.923 
54.3 
51.6 
541 
62.9 
43 4 
91.9 
42.3 
0.514 
REMARKS. 
17th—On the whole fine and bright, but cloudy at times. 
18th.—Bright and fine in the morning, afternoon rather cloudy. 
19th.—Wet all day, dry evening. 
20th.—Heavy rain early, dull cloudy day, but with some sunshine in morning 
aud a little rain in afternoon. 
21st—Dull showery morning, fair afternoon with some sunshine, fine evening. 
22nd.—Fine sunshiny day. 
23rd.—Fine, but rather foggy all day. 
A rather changeable week. Temperature rather above that of the preceding 
week, but still slightly below the average. Pressure also slightly above that of 
the preceding week.—G. J. STMONS. 
