514 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ November so. less 
connected with land and its seeding, the ploughing and pressing. 
Drilling simultaneously has also been done at intervals upon lea 
ground with the press drill, which is made to deposit the seed in the 
grooves made by the rings of the presser, and when the harrows 
follow immediately after the work is securely done, and in case of 
change of weather, may be left at any period of the day. It is some¬ 
times found to answer a good purpose in sowing by hand on the 
surface where the sheep have fed off roots, and plough it in shallow, 
and one advantage of this mode of seeding is that the corn does not 
become rootfallen and break down when in ear. The odd horse or 
mule will find full employment now to cart hay, straw, and roots for 
all the cattle and horses, they being now nearly all under cover 
except a few store stock. Earthing the cattle pens, pigsties, and 
similar work can now be done at odd times. 
Hand Labour .—Pulling Mangolds is still being continued, also 
making up and covering in the store heaps. The meadows must be 
trenched, and water meadows will now be in flood and must have 
attention. Work in woodlands, too, will be going on, such as plant¬ 
ing Eirs for Hop poles, cutting underwood, Elm, and Ash timber ; 
also hedging and ditching in the open districts. However, where dead 
fences are made of underwood and rods from the hedgerows creosote 
has been used with good effect by steeping the rods in liquid creo¬ 
sote, and the fence, it is said, will last double the time when so 
treated. 
Live Stock .—We are approaching so near to the Christmas markets 
that the bullocks which are forward enough should be sold, in order 
to participate in the high prices which are likely to prevail. The 
same may be said of sheep which are fat enough, either of ewes, 
wethers, or tegs ; they should all be sold, for they will very probably 
be dearer than we have ever known them. In the statement we 
made of the detail of feeding the early lambs last week we could not 
find space to finish our comments upon the subject as we wished to 
have done, and will now resume it by stating that first-class hay is 
of much more importance to this kind of stock than for wethers 
and older animals. We, therefore, in our practice always grew hay 
for the purpose, being composed of the finest and softest grasses, 
such as White Dutch and Yellow Trefoil Clover, without Rye"G-rass; 
for although the Trefoil comes into bloom earlier than the Dutch, 
that we do not regard, for when we have a full crop the Dutch makes 
the best hay when cut in grass just before it comes into bloom. We 
have obtained in a season or two the best hay made by Dutch alone, 
but it is too great a risk, as it takes much time in making, and we 
therefore mix Trefoil with it, enabling us to make the hay in three 
or four days’ less time, and we always like to make it during the May 
month, without so much regard as to quantity per acre, our object 
entirely being to secure the best possible quality. When we have 
been deficient in the quality of our lamb hay the quality of the lambs 
has generally been disappointing. We have always been very 
particular where the ewes were fed on Mangolds at the troughs. It 
was our usual practice to so manage as to prevent the lambs from 
eating with them, as our best lambs were always made whilst eating 
white Carrots or James’s Intermediate Red Carrot, because whenever 
the lambs are allowed to eat Mangold, especially after they are nearly 
fit for the butcher, the wether lambs are sure to suffer from stoppage 
of urine. We therefore always feed the lambs first in the morning; 
they will then draw away from the ewes into their own feeding fold 
in advance, and be shut in whilst the ewes are being fed. 
POULTRY NOTES AT BIRMINGHAM SHOW. 
The annual gathering at Bingley Hall is looked forward to by 
many fanciers as the event of the year. The old birds are better 
through their moult than at the Palace, and some old faces which are 
to be seen nowhere else turn up at Birmingham with a regularity 
which says much for their faith in this old-established institution. 
This faith is in nowise misplaced. Although the authorities at Bingley 
Hall are inclined to be conservative, one good result of this spirit is 
that improvements, though they may have been tardily introduced, 
are steadfastly maintained. All the good results of a long experience 
were thus reaped in the Exhibition which opened on Saturday last. 
The penning arrangements were admirable. The awards were speedily 
made known. The wants of the birds were carefully attended to. 
Saturday was a clear bright day, and the additional windows in the 
roof constructed previous to the last Show made the light thoroughly 
satisfactory for judging, except just in the first row of Class 1. As 
last year, the awards are printed throughout in the catalogue by the 
side of the entries, which is a great help to those who want to refer 
to them quickly. Formerly it was necessary to turn continually 
from the entries to a list of awards like an appendix at the end of 
the catalogue. 
Brahmas continue to head the list, from which position they some 
years ago displaced Dorkings ; they filled 429 pens. The prize birds 
in these varieties were almost in every case priced at prohibitory 
sums, but we heard of various private sales at which birds changed 
hands at high figures. The 10 per cent, commission charged on sales 
effected through the office causes many such private transactions to 
take place. Mr. Gibbins’ cup Dark pullet, priced at ten guineas, 
fell to the hammer for sixteen guineas. The selling class birds in 
very few cases fetched more than their catalogue prices, an excep¬ 
tion being the Rev. T. C. Peake’s pair of Dark pullets priced at two 
guineas, which fetched five guineas. In the Dark variety there was 
a curious reversal of the Palace awards. This may be partly accounted 
for by the fact that the position of some of the birds as to height of 
pens and light was different, but we cannot allow this as a sufficient 
explanation. The old cocks (3G) were on the lower tier, and looked 
much better. Lady G-wydyr’s bird, which looked yellow in the 
strong light at the Palace, and was there unnoticed, here had the 
benefit of a position in tbe first row, which, as we have already noted, 
was rather dark. His size and shape here carried him to the front, 
and he took the cup for cocks and cockerels. He was somewhat 
closely pressed by second (Comyns), a medium-sized bird with a very 
graceful outline and broad cushion. Third (Norris) occupied the 
same position at the Palace, and is a fine bird, but now shows a little 
white in tail : h.c. (McMorland), the Palace cup-winner, here shows a 
lack of cushion ; 1 (Sir H. Thompson), unnoticed on account, we 
believe, of a blind eye; and c (Norris) not quite fit yet, were also 
very first-class birds. Cockerels numbered fifty-one; they were a3 
a class much better than at Sydenham. First (Lady Gwydyr) was a 
fresh one, very good in most points, but slightly deficient in fluff and 
cushion, and a trifle narrow in tail. Second, the Palace winner, and 
fifth were both shown by Sir Henry Thompson ; w’e much preferred 
the latter. Third (Pritchard) we much liked at the Palace, where he 
was v.h.c. Fourth (Taylor) a large bird of good profile, but narrow¬ 
tailed and with slightly curved toes : h.c. (Adye) the Palace third, 
here looking a little brown on wingbow. Mrs. Bagshaw showed an 
extremely well-built cockerel, rather wild, and a shade too dark on 
wingbow. Mr. Norris’s two very young unnoticed chickens will be 
heard of hereafter. In hens, which were a fine class, there was 
another reversal of the Judge’s decisions at the Palace : Mr. Mitchell’s 
h.c. hen at Sydenham here went up to cup. She is a large bird of a 
good type, moderately feathered, but hardly as fine in markings as 
we like. Second at the Palace held the same position here. Third 
(Taylor) large and shapely, but wanting clearness of ground colour 
and distinctness of marking. The Palace first hen here descends 
to v.h.c.; the light being stronger brought the brown into relief, but 
the same cannot be said of the Palace third and fourth, which are 
here only h.c. and unnoticed ; they are grand in colour, with fine and 
clear markings. Pullets again seem to have struck the Judge very 
differently ; they were sixty-three in number. The winner (Gibbins) 
was but v.h.c. at the Palace, and that was about her true position. 
The Palace winner, on the other hand, came here undeservedly down 
to v.h.c. Second (Sir H. Thompson) stood sixth at the Palace, while 
second and fourth there (Lingwood) here became third and fourth. 
We doubt if fifth (Ashworth) was even amongst the forty-five noticed 
birds at the Palace, and we prefer the Sydenham award. There were 
many good pullets in the class. In the Light classes, though the 
Judges at Sydenham and here were different, the awards were much 
more uniform. Cup, second, and we think third for cocks, went to 
the Palace birds, all good ones and well placed. 91 (Norris) and 103 
(Percival) were also grand specimens : the former had a neater comb 
than most, and both had fine foot feather without a superfluity of 
hock ; 107 (While), the Palace winner of last year, grand in all points 
but comb. Bad combs seem to be rather abundant in the Light 
classes this season. In cockerels, which were a good class, the Palace 
award was confirmed as regards Sir H. Thompson’s cup bird; second 
(Lucas) very stylish, but far too long in leg ; third (Breeze) shapely, 
but rather small; fourth (Ive) good in all but comb, and too much 
black in hackle ; fifth we did not care for. Mr. While stood first and 
second with two very large well-feathered hens, not quite free from 
the prevailing fault of colour, which to a greater degree affected 
third (Lingwood), and more or less all the good birds in the class. 
The cup went undeniably to Mr. Nettlefold’s Palace winning pullet 
in fine form. Even this beautiful bird is not quite free from the 
shade of buff on wings. Second (Morgan) and third (Mitchell) held, 
we think, the same position at Sydenham, fourth there being fifth 
here, the intervening bird being a well-marked pullet from Mr. 
Lucas’s yard. 329 (Thorn) was a great bargain for six guineas, as if 
properly shown she could not fail to make her mark. 
Dorkings filled about 280 pens. The Judge evidently considers 
white feet a highly important point. The cup for cocks and cockerels 
fell to the lot of Mr. Butler Smith’s Dark cock, the cup bird claimed 
at the Palace for £20. Mr. Smith secured no less than five firsts in 
the Dorking classes—namely, the cup already referred to, first for 
Coloured cockerels, in the selling class, in the Coloured Dorking hen 
class, and in the Silver-Grey Dorking hen class. Mr. Cranston stood 
second for Coloured cockerels with a good all-round bird ; Messrs. 
Smyth being second in hens with a bird which we rather preferred 
to first. She was perfect in colour, feet, and legs. The Palace 
winner was in this class only very highly commended. The Rev. 
Herbert Peel took the cup for Coloured hens and pullets with the 
pullet which held the same position at the Palace. She is very good 
in colour, with white feet, but with rather small toes, and the fourth 
and fifth toes not very well divided. Mr. Hulse and Mr. Cranston 
were the other winners in this class. Neither bird is perfectly white 
in feet, but we thought the third best in this respect. We specially 
admired Mr. Cranston’s grand old Silver-Grey cock, a very model 
