1869 .] 
175 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Here again Mr. Cooper, with close competition, j 
bore off the palm, ami the trio sold afterwards 
for $315 to the Messrs. Hodgson of Long Island. 
The best coops of Dark Brahmas and Cochins 
were of recent importation. They are rapidly 
rising in favor, from fashion and from real merit. 
The Society’s medals and diplomas are open 
to the competition of the whole world. Mr. 
James Cooper, already mentioned, was the only- 
foreign contributor. He showed nine coops of 
fowls, which were sold at the close of the exhi¬ 
bition with a large number of other fowls and 
animals. The good prices brought by these, and 
which are likely to be given for really fine 
foreign fowls, should induce other breeders to 
follow Mr. Cooper’s example. Mr. C’s. Gray 
Dorkings were very fine, his Creve Cceurs and 
La Fleche hard to beat; Black Spanish, above 
the average; his Sultans, the only ones 
shown ; and his Toulouse Geese, large and fine. 
The beautiful Ilamburghs were exhibited in 
all their varieties—Pencilled and Spangled, of 
Gold and of Silver, Black and While. Polish 
fowls were shown also in goodly’ numbers, of 
all allowable plumage, except white, and cer¬ 
tainly were worthy the admiration they received. 
Black Spanish fowls, with all the style 
and pomp of Castilian nobles, made a splen- | 
did show, though the frost had touched their 
combs a little, and reddened their faces. 
The Bantams challenged the admiration of all. 
The Dorkings, White and Gray, are a distinct 
English breed and as economical producers of 
flesh of superior quality have few equals. There 
was a very instructive sliow r of these birds, in¬ 
cluding the largest White Dorkings we have ever 
seen. At the same table Leghorns and White 
Spanish were grouped and shown in consider¬ 
able numbers, and some of them of great beauty. 
Turning from these breeds of homely utility 
or simple beauty'of form and plumage, we come 
to the Game Fowds, as we turn from cart and 
carriage horses, fancy saddle horses and ponies, 
to the Arabian or the thoroughbred. The 
largest exhibitor, Mr. R. Huntington, of New 
York, won a victory for his stock quite as marked 
as if it had been more sharply contested; for 
the very fact that his birds were present seems 
to have been enough to have kept the New York 
“sports” and their birds out of the arena. 
The game-cock exhibits all the traits and 
points of a cock in perfection. He is of good 
size, firm fleshed, close feathered, small boned, 
neat, and trim. The amount of meat compared 
with the weight of the carcass is greater than 
that borne by' any other breed of fowls. He 
fattens easily, and the flesh is white, tender, and 
high flavored. The game cross ennobles all the 
great flesh-producing breeds, especially the Asi¬ 
atics, and the finest Christmas market chickens 
and capons are thus produced. The hens are 
fair layers, excellent setters, and brave mothers. 
Aside, therefore, from his employment in the 
cock-pit, the game fowl has very high claims 
upon breeders. The show was rich in instruct¬ 
ive varieties. Several coops w’ere importations 
made a year or tw'o since, and held at high 
figures since the courage and good qualities of 
their stock have been put to the test of battle. 
The great native American fowl, the Turkey, 
was shown in great variety and beauty. Wild 
and Bronze, Black, White, Gray, and Buff, 
they' vied with each other in strutting and puff¬ 
ing, except the timorous wild ones, which 
vainly tried the bars of their cages for a place of 
escape. The heaviest Bronze turkey weighed 
36 pounds, but is said to have weighed 43 in 
December, which we do not doubt. 
There were several coops of Guinea fowls, 
only one of which was of the old, original, 
beautiful, uniform slate color, covered with 
pearly spots. Many were disfigured with white. 
-There were Geese in considerable numbers 
and of notable excellence in a few cases. The 
show of ducks was better, but those two most 
useful breeds, the Aylesbury and Rouen, made 
up the greater part of it in merit and value. 
The Pigeon show was not what it would have 
been at any other season, owing to Ihe justifiable 
refusal of fanciers to disturb the birds in the 
liight of the breeding season. Numerous pens 
of lop-eared rabbits were shown, some of which 
for size, perfection of ears and uniformity of 
lop, fullness of dewlap, and other valued points, 
were very meritorious. The dogs and ponies 
formed besides a very attractive feature. 
The unprecedented success of this exhibition 
was due to the enthusiastic efforts of a few indi¬ 
viduals. The high prices our breeders are ready 
and willing to pay for first-class fowls and the 
liberality’ of the public towards the Society con¬ 
vince us that the interest taken in the subject 
is not temporary but growing, and we anticipate 
a brilliant future for the Society' and its shows. 
It is too much to expect that no mistakes should 
be made, but as experience accumulates, no 
doubt there will be less reason for criticism. 
The time of holding the exhibition operated 
against the show, as few breeders were willing 
to disturb choice fowls in the midst of their 
breeding. It seemed hardly fair to insist upon 
taking the weights of fowls which had to be 
shipped on Friday to be received on Saturday 
in order to be exhibited on Monday' at 10 o’clock, 
and which were examined by the judges onTues- 
day afternoon. This will account for the fact 
that no weights can be published. It was, be¬ 
sides, a grave error that the names of exhibitors 
were not uniformly placed upon the coops; the 
public were thus kept in ignorance of the breed¬ 
ers of the fowls, and the fair failed in good part 
to accomplish the good it might. Another great 
mistake was in not announcing the awards until 
the afternoon of the last day—thus again de¬ 
priving the public of the privilege of examin¬ 
ing the prize fowls. The decisions of the 
judges in many classes may, and wiil, no doubt, 
be sharply criticized. The bad effect of an in¬ 
discreet award is in a great measure counter¬ 
acted by the free discussion of it, which takes 
place after the ribbons are distributed. 
■■ ■* > g - •.**** &9 gj. . i u 
Very Useful Fowls. 
The very great value of the feathered farm 
stock of the country, and the extraordinary ef¬ 
forts now made to improve it and increase its 
worth, warrant us in devoting considerable 
space this month to the late poultry fair, and 
the general subject. The introduction of the 
Asiatic breeds is clearly within the memory of 
the majority of poultry breeders now upon the 
stage. The effect upon the stock of the country, 
though at first deprecated, has been eminently 
salutary. The Shanghais and Chittagongs cer¬ 
tainly gave size and early maturity, as well as 
increased hardiness, to our common barn-door 
fowls; and there is scarcely a farm-yard in the 
country' with the stock of which this blood did 
not mingle. The Brahmas and Cochins of the 
present day retain the good characteristics of 
their not so -well-bred relatives, now rarely seen 
or heard of, and their effect when mingled with 
common fowls is more striking and more bene¬ 
ficial. Within a few years, English breeders of 
poultry have discovered the great excellences 
of the French breeds. They have been exten¬ 
sively introduced into Great Britain, and, within 
three or four years, have been known here. 
Three breeds have often been discussed in the 
Agriculturist , namely; the Creve Cceurs, Hou- 
dans, and La Fleche. The La Bresse is another 
breed, without marked peculiarities of plumage, 
but otherwise much like the “Creves ” and La 
Fleche. The Guelders, or Guelderland fowls, 
in some respects are strikingly like the La 
Fleche, but are not so large. They', too, are 
classed as French fowls, though longer known 
both to English and American breeders. All 
these breeds have double (not “rose”) combs, 
either top-knots or a tendency to crests, and 
wide, open nostrils connected by a horny ridge, 
frequently flattened into a spoon-shaped affair 
on the top of the bill. A little prong or branch 
ing bit of comb often appears in front of this, 
giving a very peculiar expression to the fowl. 
The Guelders have next to no comb at all, there 
being merely two small points, invisible at a 
short distance. The cocks have immense wat¬ 
tles, and both cocks and hens red ear-lobes, and 
a few erect feathers forming a crest, scarcely an 
eighth of an inch high. They are of medium 
size, of several colors, and feather-legged. The 
La Fieclie have two, rarely branching, spikes 
of combs, a sprig of coral appearing in 
front of the nostrils. They have ofien a slight 
crest, and always well developed, white ear-lobes. 
They are of a glossy black color and large size, 
but rather long-legged, firm, and solid. Tiie 
Houdans have combs which branch more or 
less, like the antlers of a stag, or are pal mated, 
which is a common form. An idea of tliis form 
is gained by placing the open hands together, 
wrist to wrist, as one does to catch a ball, i cy 
| have moderately full crests or top-knots, like the 
well-known Polish fowls, which have similar, 
but smaller comb3. The Houdans have full 
muffles or beards, irregularly spangled or blotch¬ 
ed, black and white plumage, and the general 
effect is quite comical. They are above medium 
size, five-toed, very active and hardy, yet quiet 
in disposition. Creve Cceurs are like Houdans 
in the garniture of their heads, but have more 
of a crest. They are black in color of plumage, 
of very large size, short-legged, and are remark¬ 
ably broad, deep, and solid fowls. 
Ail these breeds are persistent layers, and 
non-setters. They all have excellent flesh, and 
the young mature early. The Creve Cceurs, 
La Fleche, and La Bresse, are famous for fatten¬ 
ing heavily and quickly. They prove, however, 
rather delicate in a cold climate. The Houdan 
nearly equals the others in size, and is very 
hardy, laying freely even in the winter, and is 
subject to but few diseases. This will, we think, 
become at once a favorite fowl with the North¬ 
ern farmer, and w r e anticipate also that tiie 
Creves and La Fieclie will be equal!}' valued 
throughout the cotton belt, and will rapidly be¬ 
come acclimated at the North. We have, in 
fact, proof of this in the stock of Mr. Jas. P. 
Swain, which he imported as “French layers” 
some 20 years ago. These are doubtless Creve- 
Coeurs, though of less size, retaining their good 
points, and are as hardy as common dunghills. 
The pictures on the following page are accu¬ 
rate portraits of the heads of some French 
fowls imported for the Agriculturist premiums, 
and among the finest birds at the late 
show. The Dark Brahma pictures were taken 
from the trio sent out by Mr. Cooper, of Limer¬ 
ick, -which sold for $235. The head of tiie cock 
is a little faulty in having wattles much longer 
than the ear-lobes, but he was an admirable bird. 
