584 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. t December 21 , 1882 . 
wings. The Bays were light red or speckled on the breast with 
light red hackles striped with black ; the saddle dark red. and 
the tail coverts orange, with the larger tail coverts black edged 
with red, and the tail black, with a green and purple sheen on it ; 
these had rose combs chiefly, and were very beautiful and for table 
excellent. The old Browns were much like the Black-breasted 
Red Game in colour, but not so bright. The Speckles were of 
three kinds—Red Speckles, Black Speckles, and the three colours 
mixed. The last were in great repute and were often seen at the 
Birmingham shows of five and twenty years ago, but the Judges 
have set up a standard of colour of their own, and the consequence 
has been the loss of the old breeds and the triumph of mongrelism. 
If for no other reason than this I for one am truly sorry that 
poultry shows ever existed ; but there are others which I do not 
care to mention and are quite beside the subject in hand. 
In choosing the Dorking cock be sure to bear in mind these 
things. Never buy to breed from a bird with the slightest tint or 
sootiness on the legs or feet—no, not even a dark toe nail , nor 
one with bright red sides to its legs : this is another sign of the 
mongrel. Nor ever buy one with a red earlobe. No true Dorking 
ever had one. An experience of fifty years teaches me this. My 
readers can be guided or not by me as they like, I only write 
what I should do myself. And now as I am writing I may say 
I feel sure that there will be, there must he, a reversion to the true 
old type of Dorking, and the present mongrel will be swept away 
as though it never existed. Already people think twice before 
they give the prices asked, and about here they decline altogether 
the show birds that breed these sooty-legged chickens. So it will 
be until this grand table fowl is purged from the crossings and 
intercrossings, and it again becomes the table bird it once was— 
the finest in the world.— Harrison Weir, December lltli, 1882. 
THE POULTRY CLUB. 
A MEETING of the Committee of the Poultry Club was held on 
Wednesday, December 13th, 1882, at the Charing Cross Hotel, at 
2 r.M. There were present Mr. 0. E. Cresswell (in the chair), the 
Earl of Winterton, and Messrs. A. Comyns, S. Lucas, and C. E. 
Montrdsor. 
Election op Members. — The following new members were 
elected :—Mrs. H. J. Goodall, Melton Mowbray; T. Raines, Bridge 
Haugh, Stirling. 
The Disqualification at the Palace. —The Secretary reported 
that he had heard from Mr. C. Davenport Jones, who stated that he 
would abide by the decision of the Committee. 
Dorchester Show.— A complaint as to the withholding of prizes 
at this Show, which had on several occasions previously been under 
the consideration of the Committee, was again brought forward. The 
Show was held under Poultry Club rules, and a subscription had 
been granted by the Committee in aid of the funds. It appeared that 
in the schedule published by the Committee of the Dorset County 
Poultry and Pigeon Society certain prizes were offered for compe¬ 
tition without any condition as to the withholding of the same in 
case the entries should be below any specified number, the only rule 
as to withholding of prizes being the ordinary one, providing that 
“ the Judge would be empowered to withhold a prize or prizes in any 
class in which there was not sufficient merit.” It further appeared 
that when the Show authorities ascertained that the entries in certain 
classes were but few they instructed the Judges, and entered such 
instructions in the judging books, to the effect that as to these classes 
certain prizes should be withheld. Some of the Judges declined to 
follow these instructions except in cases where there was not suffi¬ 
cient merit, but at least one Judge followed the instructions and 
withheld certain prizes. He, however, awarded v.h.c.’s and h.c.’s in 
nearly every class in which prizes were withheld, thus clearly indi¬ 
cating that the prizes were not in his opinion withheld for want of 
merit. When the official list of awards appeared it became apparent 
that these v.h.c.’s and h.c.’s had been suppressed by the Show autho¬ 
rities, the only awards published as to such classes being the prizes 
actually awarded. This would seem to have been done to give colour 
to the withholding of the prizes as having been so withheld for want 
of merit, when they were in reality withheld at the arbitrary dicta¬ 
tion of the Show authorities, acting in direct opposition to their own 
rules. 
The Secretary of the Club reported he had written several times 
to the Secretary of the Dorchester Show, and had at length received 
a reply in the following terms :— 
“ Dorchester, 7th Dec., 1882. 
“Sir,—I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letters, and to 
inform you in reply thereto that the reason the Judges were instructed to with¬ 
hold prizes in some of the poultry classes at the recent Show held in this town 
was owing to the very small number of entries. My Committee thought that 
as the competition was so very limited in some of the classes they were justified 
in curtailing some of the prizes, but upon further consideration they much 
regret having done so, as it has caused dissatisfaction amongst a few exhibitors, 
particularly with the President of your Club. 
“ I would respectfully remind those few exhibitors who have complained that, 
owing to the very heavy snowstorm during the Show held in January, 1881, 
my Committee had to pay no dess than £60 out of their own pockets over it, 
and had the poultry exhibitors responded better to the very liberal prize list 
offered them on the last occasion the Show would have been much more suc¬ 
cessful and satisfactory in every way.” 
The following resolution was passed :— 
“ That the Committee of the Poultry Club strongly condemn the action of 
the authorities of the Dorchester Show in directing the Judges, contrary to 
the rules published in the schedule, to withhold certain prizes irrespective of 
merit, and also in suppressing the v.h.c.’s and h.c.’s awarded by the Judge or 
Judges in these classes. That the Committee of the Club call upon the Com¬ 
mittee of the Dorchester Show to publish an amended prize list, according as 
far as is now practicable with the prize list offered in their schedule and the 
rules printed therein, and to include in such prize list all exhibits to which 
v.h.c.’s and h.c.’s were actually awarded by the Judges. That in such prize 
list all the prizes offered by the schedule be awarded to the exhibitors in each 
class in the order of merit in which they actually stand in the judging book 
as far as is practicable, and that where in consequence of two or more ex¬ 
hibitors having been awarded v.h.c.’s or h.c.’s they have an equal claim to 
any prize or prizes, such prize or prizes be equally divided between such ex¬ 
hibitors. That the exhibitors be forthwith paid the amounts due to them 
respectively on such amended list as aforesaid.” 
The Secretary was directed to communicate this decision to the 
President, Vice-President, Chairman of Committee, Secretary, and 
Treasurer of the Dorset County Poultry and Pigeon Society. 
Standard op Perfection.— The Secretary reported that a large 
meeting of leading Game fanciers had been held at Birmingham 
during the Show for the consideration of the portions of the Game 
standard left unfinished at the Palace meeting. The further con¬ 
sideration of some questions connected with the standard was post¬ 
poned. 
Election op Officers and Committeemen. —Instructions were 
given to the Secretary as to the annual election of officers and com¬ 
mitteemen in place of those retiring by rotation on 31st December. 
The day on or before which nominations to the vacant offices are to 
be made was fixed for Wednesday, January 3rd, 1883. The follow¬ 
ing gentlemen retire by rotation :—The *President, the Secretary, 
and Messrs. T. W. Anns, O. E. Creswell, *J. C. Eraser, Rev. H. C. 
Fellowes, R. E. Horsfall, Rev. E. H. Morgan, L. Norris, and G. 
Vigers. The President and those members of the Committee whose 
names are indicated by an asterisk do not desire to offer themselves 
for re-election. There will thus be several vacancies for which can¬ 
didates must be nominated. Candidates may also be nominated for 
other offices and for places on the Committee to compete with those 
retiring members who offer themselves for re-election. Candidates 
must be members of the Club, and must be nominated with their 
own consent by at least two members. Nominations to be sent to 
the Hon. Sec. on or before January 3rd, 1883. 
Next Meeting. —The date of the next meeting was fixed for 
Wednesday, January 17th, at Charing Cross Hotel at 2 P.M.— 
Alex. Comyns, Eon. Sec., 47, Chancery Lane, London, W.C. 
Watford Poultry Show.— The annual Poultry Show of the West 
Herts Agricultural Society was held in connection with the Exhi¬ 
bition of Fat Stock on December 12th and 13th at the Agricultural 
Hall at Watford. The building is one of the best in the kingdom for 
an exhibition of this kind. The cattle and stock are on the ground 
floor, while the poultry are arranged in tiers in the gallery which 
runs round the interior of the Hall. The number of entries was not 
quite so large as usual, but the quality of the birds exhibited was said 
to be superior to the entries at any previous show. The cup for the 
best pen in the show went to Light Brahmas of Mr. G. H. Wood : 
these, however, were closely pressed by Mr. Bartrum’s cup pen of 
Dorkings. The cup for Cochins was won by Mr. Breeze, for Game 
by Mr. Ross, for Hamburghs by Viscount Grimston, Bantams by Mr. 
Flitt, and Mr. Huish secured the cup in the Any other variety class 
with Polish. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40” N.; Long. 0° 8 0” W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
date. 
9 A.M. 
in the Day. 
£ 
« 
1882. 
December. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 32« 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
| Temp, of 
Soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
in 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
dec. 
deg 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sun. 10 
29.775 
27.6 
27.2 
— 
37.2 
31.8 
26.2 
87.2 
25.8 
_ 
Mon. 11 
29.780 
25.1 
25.1 
W. 
37.0 
31.7 
24.9 
29.1 
27.2 
_ 
Tues. 12 
20.737 
29.9 
29.5 
S.E. 
36.8 
33.2 
24 5 
32.1 
25.6 
0.019 
Wed. 13 
29.558 
37.7 
37.3 
N.E. 
36.5 
43.6 
29.8 
45.8 
30.0 
Thurs. 14 
29.718 
36.5 
36.5 
N.E. 
36.8 
40.0 
35.9 
41.7 
30.5 
_ 
Friday 15 
29.876 
36.9 
36.9 
N.E. 
37.0 
40.3 
35.7 
41.4 
35.1 
_ 
Satur. 16 
29.915 
42.6 
42.4 
S.E. 
37.9 
46.8 
36.5 
46.5 
32.0 
0.016 
29.766 
33.8 
33.6 
37.0 
382 
80.5 
39.1 
29.5 
0.035 
REMARKS. 
lCth.—Frost, thick fog throughout. 
11th.—Misty, dull, and very cold. 
12th.—Dull and cold. 
13th.—Dull and foggy; gleams of sunshine in forenoon ; warmer. 
14th.—Dull and damp ; fog in morning. 
15th.—Dull and foggy. 
16th.—Dull, but not much fog ; considerably wanner; rain after 9 P.M. 
An extremely uncomfortable week, sharp frost in the early part, almost con¬ 
stant cloud, and a great amount of very dirty fog.—G. J. Symons. 
