JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
64 
[ January 18, 1863. 
The only way to keep it under is by constant attention, having the 
sheep penned every day, and those which are attacked to be treated 
with the remedy the first day they are seen, for the difficulties in 
curing are consequent upon allowing the disease to extend under the 
hoof of the foot. It is, therefore, a question of immediate treatment, 
and let the labour of attention be freely supplied, for we have known 
the value of the cake consumed entirely lost by inattention at the 
proper time. 
THE POINTS OF JAPANESE BANTAMS. 
As fresh breeds of poultry come into popularity fanciers turn 
their attention to their points of beauty. It seems to us high time 
that admirers of Japanese Bantams should arrive at some under¬ 
standing as to what are the chief characteristics of their quaint 
favourites. We believe that a Sub-committee of the Poultry Club, 
which has with much labour been drawing up a “ standard of per¬ 
fection” for many of the larger breeds, will ere long be approaching 
Bantams. There is, we understand, likely to be a conference be¬ 
tween this Committee and the Bantam Club to arrive at a standard 
which may generally be received by judges and fanciers of Bantams. 
We do not here wish to anticipate them by drawing up a standard 
of our own, but merely to point out the fact that there is no breed 
of Bantams so well recognised as Japanese are, so well represented 
at almost every show, and so distinctly characterised, about which 
some of our generally best judges seem to have such vague ideas. 
Classes have for three or four years been given for them at the 
Crystal Palace, and they are well filled. We wonder that they con¬ 
tinue so to be, for we must confess that once if not twice about the 
worst pair in the w r hole class has been picked out for the cup, at 
least according to the consentient voice of three or four of their 
oldest admirers. 
Of course it is not very easy to arrive at the proper standard 
points of a breed which is imported from the ends of the earth, and 
with whose first producers or present breeders in their native land 
it is almost impossible for us to communicate. If a new variety 
were by selection perpetuated here, as were Laced Bantams by Sir 
John Sebright, the founder of the race would of course start with 
some ideal of what he wished to arrive at, and would make it known 
to those who followed him. In the case, however, of breeding a 
variety whose cradle is so very far off there seem to us only three 
possible courses—1, We may follow some standard either written 
or derived from pictures procured from the land whence the breed 
comes. 2, We may observe the points of apparently the most 
characteristic imported birds, and their general harmony, and breed 
up to them. 3, We may take a breed as it comes to us and arbi¬ 
trarily decide that we like this or that point and do not like the 
other. We will illustrate our distinctions by actual examples— 
1, Japanese Silkies were for a long time very far from a distinctly 
characteristic race. Were they to have four claws or five claws ? 
Were their combs to be double or single, their faces red or purple, 
their legs clean or feathered ? All these salient points were debated, 
and so an open question. By degrees their admirers gleaned what 
information they could from eastern travellers, and came to a general 
conclusion that a four-toed red-faced Silky was an Indian fowl, but 
that in Japan the Silky usually had a very dark double comb, dark 
face, and five claws. There was still a question as to whether the 
earlobes should be black or of a beautiful turquoise blue we some¬ 
times see. Wandering in the Japanese department of the great Paris 
Exhibition of 1878 we came upon an exquisitely painted screen, 
and there saw a trio of our favourite Silkies portrayed with evi¬ 
dently scrupulous accuracy; all their points agreed with the now 
received standard, and their earlobes were bright blue. Silkies, 
then, have in the main been bred on the first of these systems—viz., 
according to the ideal of their native fanciers. Possibly minor 
points, such as that vulture hocks are in them an eyesore, have been 
decided on the second—viz., because they do not harmonise with 
the general characteristics of the bird. 
2, Cochins and Pekin Ducks have, according to the second course 
we enumerated, been bred up to those points which seemed the 
most distinctive one of imported birds. The general rotundity and 
fluffiness of Cochins were the points which on their first importa¬ 
tion struck all beholders, and these have consequently been received 
as their most important characteristics. In the case of Pekin Ducks, 
their peculiar stilted gait and lemon tinge of plumage were some¬ 
thing quite different from other Ducks, and at once became, and 
reasonably so we think, characteristics to be sought. 
3, The third course open to breeders is one w’hich has also been 
followed, but which we think extremely undesirable in the case of 
imported breeds of well-marked features. When Leghorns were 
first brought to us from America, whither they had probably gone 
from Italy, they had as now yellow legs and corresponding yellow 
earlobes. Certainly the latter appendages were of a silky hue and 
not beautiful, but the best and finest birds had them, and probably 
they had long appertained to the breed. At once English fanciers 
set to work to get rid of them ; ihey crossed Leghorns with Minorcas, 
forgot about size, about colour of hackle, about brightness of legs — 
the great object was white earlobes. They have almost been ob¬ 
tained, but at great sacrifice. This is simply a puerile fancy, and 
not the breeding of true fanciers. 
We have instanced these cases to show the way in which we 
think a well-defined oriental breed like Japanese Bantams should be 
approached. Things in the east move slowly ; but if slow, easterns 
are very persevering. 11 is probable that all selection of particular 
specimens with the view of producing or perpetuating peculiarities 
originated in the east. It has doubtless been the cradle of our 
races of fancy poultry and fancy Pigeons as it has been of races of 
men. It is impossible not to admire the patience and perseverance 
of those who have produced the many curious types of oriental 
Pigeons, or distinctive miniature races like the Pekin or Japanese 
Bantam. When intelligent people have for generations been aim¬ 
ing at producing a bird with certain characteristics it is perfectly 
ridiculous for us, their inferiors in the skill and patience necessary 
for such a task, just to decide that this is and that is not to be a point 
of a breed without doing our best to discover what its producers and 
native fanciers consider to be its beauty. As in the case of J apanese 
Silkies, there is much probability that in these days when commu¬ 
nication, even in Japan, is ever becoming easier, travelling fanciers 
will give us some information, and some may be gained possibly 
from pictures, as to the true standard for these Bantams. At all 
events, we hope that those who have to draw up such a standard for 
the guidance of breeders will look to the points of those imported 
birds which are evidently highly bred. They will, we fancy, have 
little difficulty in seeing that short legs and long tails carried 
squirrel-wise are among their characteristics, and then we shall not 
see a cup card over a pair with long legs and small tails. It matters 
not so much who wins this or that prize, but it is a pity that by 
such an award unthinking English fanciers should be encouraged to 
try and spoil a beautiful type of bird which it has probably taken 
various intelligent Japanese a few generations to obtain.—C. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Silver-Laced Bantam ( Baltimore ).—If there is the slightest discharge 
from the nostrils do not let the bird run with the rest. Try effect of inject¬ 
ing dilute solution of chrorinated soda through the nostril, two parts water 
to one of the solution. If this does not answer you can only cut open the face 
and remove the cheesey formation. 
Fowls Pecking off Each Other’s Feathers (G. A.). —Your fowls 
lack something, or they are overfed. Supply them with growing sods of grass, 
and let plenty of fresh soil be taken up with these; let the birds also 
have lime and bricklayers’ rubbish in their run. If you have Lettuces, give 
some to the fowls. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 61° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
date. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
1883 
O C3 _ 
DM oi 4 ) 
9-^:0 > 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
P . 
P 
2? 
Qo 
0-9 . 
. CJ 
o — C 
e ■-jr O 
6 o*~ 
1 
Eh 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
6 
c3 
w 
January 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Sun. 7 
Mon. 8 
Tues. 9 
Wed. lo 
Thurs. 11 
Friday 12 
Satur. 13 
Inches. 
30.491 
30.262 
29.807 
2:1.645 
29.605 
29.611 
29.313 
dee:. 
39.6 
32.7 
35.4 
40.6 
40.1 
39.6 
40.4 
dee. 
37.7 
32.3 
32.4 
39.7 
39.7 
38.0 
39.9 
N.E. 
N.E. 
E. 
S.E. 
S.E. 
S.E. 
S.E. 
dee. 
43.0 
42.1 
40.8 
40.1 
4o.7 
41.0 
41.0 
dee 
40.8 
42.0 
39.8 
43.2 
41.4 
41.9 
44.3 
dee. 
38.2 
30.7 
32.1 
33.2 
39.0 
37.8 
38.5 
deg. 
47.9 
60.2 
58 8 
46.1 
42.3 
52.3 
47.9 
deg. 
35.4 
25.2 
31.9 
29 A 
33.5 
37.2 
37.0 
In. 
0.029 
0.019 
0.014 
0.038 
29.819 
38.3 
37.1 
41.2 
41.9 
85.6 
50.8 
32.8 
0.100 
REMARKS. 
7th.—Pine, bright, and cool. 
8th.—Pine with bright sunshine, rain at 8.30 P.M. 
9th.—Dry, very cold wind ; bright sunshine in forenoon. 
10th.—Cold and damp. 
11th.—Dull and overcast throughout. 
12th.—Dry, overcast, except for short interval at out noon. 
13th.—Dull and damp, with rain. 
The temperature has fallen rapidly to about its usual value, but accompanied 
by much damp and cloud, which has kept the range of temperature very sma’l.— 
G. J. SYMONS. 
