1S50 four prizes at Havre. In 1853, despite its 
advanced age, it found its way from Marseilles 
to Aachen, the home of its owner, a Mr. Fruhauf. 
In 1857 it. returned promptly from Bordeaux to 
the same place. In 1859 it was taken to Bayonne, 
from which it found its way home. In 1800 it 
returned from Santander in Spain; in 1801 it 
made the passage from Leghorn; in 1803 it was 
sent from Mont de Mordan; in 1805 from St. 
Sebastian, iti Spain; and in 1868 it came borne 
safely from Mar Mon de. 
What Ails My Chickens. ? 
Can any of your readers or poultry keepers 
tell me what ails my chickens. I have some of 
the Bark Brahmas, and last week one of the liens 
seemed to drop down behind, as though her back 
was broken ; she looks just as it' she was full of 
water; she 6ets up like a duck and eats all right. 
I feed corn and scraps from the table. It is a 
young pullet, not over seven mouths old, and 
weighs9#pounds—H. W„ Cleveland , 0. 
Iairite Eats*. 
D. Bennett, Painsvllle.O., writes us:—“I have 
a Light Brahma hen that laid three eggs last fall 
and t our thiswinter that measure in length 58# 
inches, and round 45# inches. I only weighed 
two of them and they were about an average. 
They weighed 7# ounces, First ogg measured 
6*. 8#; Bconrnl, fi#. 8* ; third. C#, Rif; fourth, 
6#, 8; fifth,7. 8* ; sixth. 6#. 8: seventh, 6#, 8# ■ 
average weight 3# ounces, making total 26# 
ounces. _ 
Pnre Brahma Ecg». 
Mrs. Jennie Wilson. Aurora, Portage Co. 0., 
wishes to procure from Borne honest breeder a 
few dozen Brahma oggs. Those having such for 
sale may find a customer by addressing her ns 
above, with price.&c. If the lady,however, will 
consult our advertising columns, sho will there 
find her question answered in full. 
The Best Breed of Turkeys. 
D. C. U.. Port Henry, N- Y„ wishes some of the 
renders of Mm Rural Nbw-Yobkeh to tell him 
which is the best and most profitable breed of 
turkeys for him to rear; and what is tlie best 
tiling to kill lice on poultry. If lie will consult 
former numbers of the Rural he will find his 
questions answered at length. 
How long should Fowls be Separated. 
How long should fowls be separated, that is, 
different breeds, before hatching time? would 
some of your readerapleaso answer thisquestion 
as I want to get tlio pure breeds.—M. W., Brady, 
Pa. _ 
White Leghorn Fowls. 
I have taken quite a fancy to the White Leg¬ 
horn fowl—will you answer, through the Rural 
New-Yorker, It there me any better laying 
fowl, and oblige—A Subscriber, Waonmcltet, 
Mass. __ 
Bull Cochins. 
Witt, ymi please inform mo through tlio col¬ 
umns of your paper, whether Buff Cochins do bet¬ 
ter confined in a yard or let to run anywhere, and 
what feed is best, when shut up for breeding, 
Greenwich. N. Y. 
Mr. Van Winkle.—You don’t want to make 
it a disqualification, because, in some very heavy 
fowls it will droop. 
Mr. Halstead— We ought not to breed from 
them. 
Mr. Van Winkle-O, yes; they breed very 
good birds. You can get them up to u very good 
size : but as you get a fowl up to that size, the 
bone becomes very heavy; that is not an in¬ 
herited quality; it comes from the artificial 
breeds. We acknowledge the Judgment of the 
English as better than ours, perhaps, because 
those breeds originated with them. 
The CHAIRMAN — I believe the Americans 
should have a standard of their own. 'V e can 
have an American standard and harmonize it 
with the English standard. 
Mr. Halstead—1 think a higher number would 
be better than 45: as far as a decimal system is 
concerned, at or 100 would be still better. For 
instance, Light Brahmas; as fur us my conver¬ 
sations have informed me. most people are iu 
favor of making nine different points; In such 
case 45 does noL give a multiple large enough; I 
should prefer It to be rnude 60. or 75; make it 
some multiple of 15, unless we adopt an Ameri¬ 
can standard. In view of the fact that we shall 
import fowls from England tor a number of 
years, perhaps, it maybe better to adopt some 
number that Is divisible by the English standard. 
We shall then conform to their standard. If we 
continue to import from England we, certainly, 
accept the English judgement as to the quality 
of fowls. As to the number of points, It has 
been my fortune, or misfortune, to act as judge 
at a number of fairs throughput the country; 
and I always found it very difficult to judge of 
Brahmas. Asiatics especially, under the present 
scalo of points. You go, perhaps, through thirty 
or forty pens; you select three or four coops as 
very nearly equal; they stand Tor the second or 
third premiums. You take No. 1 and you will 
find, perhaps, a bird with a good head and no- 
cording to the present standard it would be 
audit will deserve 1. You come to 
eggs; I have understood that tney nave nor miu 
any eggs, but that o te of them has laid itself 
low. feu 1 am very muoLi opposed to fattening 
fowls for show. They ought to be lu good con¬ 
dition ; and condition, to my mind, implies 
weight and appearance. If there is any dis¬ 
crimination to be made between two birds, I 
would not make it on the ground of fatness, for 
I think you can very easily distinguish that. In 
such a case weight would give the preference to 
Opie ||mtltrg-^arb 
POULTRY CONTENTION, 
To Fix an American Standard of Excel 
lencc. 
report is herewith presented. We do not sup¬ 
pose it will satisfy everybody as to the infalli¬ 
bility of the put ties who have thus attempted to 
establish na American Standard of Excellence, 
not even the participants themselves; but it. 
embraces so much in connection with this pre¬ 
tentious effort that will Interest every poultry 
fancier, that we have decided to give It. com¬ 
plete, as furnished us by our reporter. His notes 
aro ns follows: 
S. J. Bestok, Hartford, Conn., was chosen 
Chairman, and A. M. Halstead, Rye, N.Y., was 
chosen Secretary. 
Mr. DEBTOR, upon taking the chair, briefly ex¬ 
plained tlio object, of ttie Convention to be to 
remedy the mistakes and errors in the Ameri¬ 
can standard, and suggested the consideration 
of the standard as edited by Mr. Halstead, the 
Secretary. 
An English or American Scale «f Points. 
Col. Weld, of Now York, said I would like 
to inquire, in order to gel the opinion of gentle¬ 
men, if wo oanuot sett)© upon some general 
principles that are applicable to all the breeds, 
before wo take up the particular breeds In the 
order In which they stand in that standard. I 
think it an important question to settle, whether 
we shall be governed by t he decimal standard, 
and bring all fowls to it, or whether some 
other standard shall be taken. The number J5 
seems to be arbitrary, and very small in the 
English standard, and In the American standard, 
which follows the English. We are all familiar 
with the decimal system. The English are not. 
An Englishman remarked to mo, on one occa¬ 
sion:—“J oanuot soo why yon Americans don’t 
reckon money pounds, shillings and ponce; it is 
60 much more convenient." Ami the same wilh 
regard to their standard of 15; it is “ more con¬ 
venient" than 100; but 100 is something wo nil 
understand, nud we at once know what a hall' 
of it, or a third of it, or a sixth of It, is. 1 think 
100 would be much the simpler, and, therefore, 
the better, standard. 1 f there is ally reason why 
wo should not adopt that ns the standard, I am 
not aware of it. I have a letter from Mr. ‘J’. iv. 
Felcii of Illinois; he Is ill favor of a standard 
of 50, bcouuse it is the half of an hundred, but 
we can as well double the quantities with u 
standard of ouc hundred. 
Isaac Van Winkle, Greenville, N. J.—If we 
are going to ha ve an alteration, we should tend 
to simplicity. If I indicates a good point in a 
fowl, and H another point, and 5 another poiut, 
I soo no reason why those numbers should be 
doubled or trebled so as to make an average of 
100. We could as well, by similar reasoning, 
make the standard 500. A fowl is supposed to 
have certain points, which have been fixed and 
enumerated, and we want to indicate those 
points by certain numbers, and we can do it us 
well by 3,5 mid 0 as we can by 30, 30 and 40. To 
u certain extent, in my mind, the smaller the 
number t he greater the simplicity. If the Eng¬ 
lish choose to "double up" on you, it is the 
samo thing in the long run. If they prefer loo 
to our 50, let them have it; the small numbers 
in the one standard will indicate as much us the 
large numbers in the other standard. If 50 
nut rked l . 
the next (ten and you will find a bird with as 
good a bond and a little better pen. What are 
j mi going to mark him ? You oannot mark him 
more than 1. although lie is more deserving than 
the first bird. In the third pen you find a still 
better bird; but you have to murk him 1, and 
put him on an equality with t he other two which 
are below htin. Perhaps when we give four or 
live premiums, we shall want a still larger multi¬ 
ple than (hat. Most of our societies are award¬ 
ing four or five premiums. You, certainly, 
must have hi t Rude lor the judges to make their 
award. 
Mr. Van Winkle—T he English people have 
more premiums than we. 
Col. Weld.— As a rule their Judges judge by 
the eye and by handling, and they come to tbe 
detail very quick; otherwise they could not 
go through such a great number of fowls and 
make accurate judgment. They are profession¬ 
als, and of course they gain great facility. We 
cuutint expect to get judges alio will do that, at 
present ; but they Judge very close and very 
quick, without coming so close as to Judge each 
point by itself. Those distinguished judges 
sometimes give groat dissatisfaction ; hut as a 
rule they give pretty good satisfaction. I 
suppose they never take a poncil and paper 
uiid'marlt the number of points. Wo have not 
such Judges, and cannot get them. We must 
have judge* who will either agree or work to a 
definite system. 
W. Li. Pond moved that the number of points 
be fixed hi 60. 
D. vv. Herstine, Philadelphia, saidAs far 
as my views are concerned, since I am asked for 
my opinion. 1 would bo Inclined to agree with 
the views expressed by Col. Weld, that if we 
an* going to make an American standard, we 
should make it without, regard to Hie English 
j standard. Therefore, 1 would be disposed to 
make the scale of points 100. I am inclined to 
ha ve the standard exclusively American. 
Col. Weld. — My opinion, perhaps, was not 
distinctly understood. I tup very much In favor 
of loo. But it we do not take 100, tlmn my pref¬ 
erence is for a multiple of 15. The reason I pre¬ 
fer loo is that it is peculiarly American. Ouv 
decimal system of currency is understood ; and 
Mr. Halsted—S ize and condition covers it an. 
Col. Weld— I am in favor, decidedly, of not 
mentioning weight. I think ft is covered in the 
term size. 
Mr. Halstead— As far as necessary. 
Col. Weld Yes; as far ns desirable. The 
points in Brahmas, as given in the standard 
there, I believe, are Identical with the London 
Poultry Club standard, are they not ? 
Mr. Halstead— Yes; the same exactly, all the 
way through. 
Col. Weld—I do uot see any reason for chang¬ 
ing that, except that we often judge of the head 
and comb separately. 
Mr. Van Winkle— I thought comb and head 
were two different things. 
Col. Weld— They are recorded ns one and 
marked as one. I should prefer to see them dis¬ 
tinct. 
The Chairman— What has 110011 remarked in 
regard to Brahmas, ns to weight, Is true of other 
varieties; you suorlflceTiie breeding properties 
of the fowls. 
Col. Weld— Yes; after a hen has been extra¬ 
ordinarily fat. she is not fit for a breeder. 
The Chairman— In my experience, I should 
say not. I have tried to remedy that by judi¬ 
cious pliysieing. but I have had great trouble. 
Mr. Van Winkle—You will have great trou¬ 
ble, for In reducing their weight, you reduce 
their vitality. 
Ilea it mid Comb. 
Mr. Van Winkle moved that the head and the 
comb bo considered as two distinct and separate 
points. 
Mr. Halstead moved as an amendment, that 
throughout the standard, in referring to Asiatics, 
and other rowls. the head and comb be made 
poll)ts separate and distinct from each other. 
The amendment was agreed to. Tbe motion, 
as amended, was agreed to. 
Mr, Pond — Is it necessary to makeany motion 
in regard to the question of weight? 
The Chairman— No, sir: It is entirely Ignored. 
Tucked Whigs. 
Mr. Halstead — In making up our scalo to 
100, we shall have a lirtlc surplus over, taking 
the difference between it and the multiple of 15. 
and that is wings, primary well tucked up un¬ 
der secondary. Iu the English standard it was 
marked one. I wish as far as 1 am concerned, 
Unit the point should bo matlea larger compara¬ 
tive number. Lust year Col. Weld and myself 
had the pleasure of acting together as judges at 
one show; and I noticed then*and l also noticed 
this full at the Pennsylvania Show, with Mr. 
Leavitt, that a large number of pens of Asiatic 
fowls had very badly tucked wings; the flight 
I feathers, primaries und side leathers were droop- 
a drooping wing; there, ot course, must have 
been some inherited quality. But I have seen 
birds that were not drooping, and I say when 
you bring them up to Mich a size the weight of 
the wings would naturally cause them to droop; 
it would be tbe result ot the artificial means em¬ 
ployed In increasing the size of the bird; it 
would not be inhcrficd. But. you take a small 
fowl with the wings drooping and not tucked 
up well, of course he must bo Judged by it; tbut 
may be some inherited defect. 
Mr. Halstead— How are tbe Judges to know 
them ? 
Mr. Van Winkle— I would not disqualify such 
a bird. But a bird that was properly tucked 
would lake over one not properly tucked. 
Mr. Pond — I think Mr. Halstead has tbe right 
idea of that, 
Sir. Herstine— While I regard badly tucked 
wings as a defect, still I bold that, as with other 
matters, it is something wo cannot get along 
without. I should not disqualify a bird on no- 
oounl of a tucked wing; but I should dlsquulily 
him for crooked feathers in lhe wing; that 1 be¬ 
lieve is an inherent quality, and one which will 
reproduce itself. A badly rucked wing is cer¬ 
tainly an objection, I have seen a good deal of 
it this fall; it was quite a drawback upon some 
very good pens. 
Mr. Van Winkle—A nd here Is a difficulty yon 
encounter. You put a bird Into a coop, with 
perfect wings, and he will appear to be falling, 
but if lie is outside he will straighten up and run 
off with as fine a pair of wings us one could wish. 
Mr. Herstine— And I have noticed that when 
you put birds iu a warm room their wings will 
droop. 
Mi'. Halstead I should not have said a dis- 
qtmlitlcation should be attached ton badly tuck¬ 
ed wing. I should have said that twisted feath¬ 
ers should disqualify. But we should give prom¬ 
inence in tiie scale of points to primaries well 
tucked up under secondaries. 
The Chairman Are there any objections to 
making t wisted or crooked leathers a disquali- 
und much oblige—F. M. A 
Queer Freak of Nature. 
One or my liens laid an egg some time since 
that meiisuiedT# 1 tidies one way and 9 tbo other; 
when wo broke it, there wiia a common sized 
egg with regularly formed shell within.—G. G., 
Newport. N. F. _ 
How 11111 cli Ground for twenty-five Fowls? 
Will some of the readers of ilm Rural New- 
Yorker please inform me the oxaot space of 
ground that will keep, Avith success, twenty-five 
lieus and oblige—J. A. A., MontviUe. O. 
Japanese Banlaiuw Wanted. 
Can any readers of the Rural New-Yorker 
toll me where I can procure n pair of Japanese 
Bmihirn fowls, or fowls called the Silkies.—A 
Tanner, Attica. Ohio. 
Bxztmm 
Heavy Colts. 
A few weeks ago I noticed in the Rural 
Nisw-Yokkeh that- a gentleman iff Onondaga 
county had a yearling colt which weighed 
*J15 pounds. This is better:—Mr. Wm. 
Norman, who lives here, (Black Creek, Al¬ 
legany Co., N- Y„) has a colt which weighed, 
the day on which it was one year old, 930 
pounds.— Loyd Nichols. 
Lice oa Horses. 
Tell J. R. S. to anoint the parts infected 
with lice with flax seed oil, rubbed in until 
he is sure that they are all well oiled. Re¬ 
peat the operation in four days. It will kill 
them; also rod lice on cattle. There is no 
danger of its taking the hair off.— J. B. Lee. 
To Cure Halter Palling. 
J. W. K. Union, Pa., writes the Rural 
New-Yorker:— “ After bridling the horse, 
attach a rope to the right side of the hit, 
draw it around under the tail and through 
the ring of the bit. on the other side, and tie 
to the trough. Once is enough." 
How to Start a Balky Horse. 
A Rural Reader, Baltimore, asks how 
to start a balky horse. Throw a handful of 
dirt into the horse’s mouth, and he will g© 
al once. This gives him something else to 
think about.— J. w. K, 
Why a Horse dues not Lie Down. 
A correspondent suggests that the rea¬ 
son why a horse does not lie down in the 
stable, may be because he is tied. Fasten 
him in a box or stall, give him a good bed 
D "C C TC - WI NT <3- GAME BANTAMS. 
[FROM THE ADVANCE SHEETS OF '* TUE PEOPLE'S PRACTICAL POULTRY BOOK.”] 
disqualification in Asiatics. No objection 
be continued. 
ing. And some of their best birds on exhibition 
we threw out from first and second premiums 
on that one score. And not bnly that, but I 
would make a drooping wing a disqualification. 
In breeding these large fowls, the tendency is to 
breed the wing iu that way; it is a very great 
detriment to the beauty of the bird, r should 
be iu favor of increasin'.' this poinl,giving SOtne 
of the surplus points to it; also, of making the 
disqualification ; 90 is a multiple of 15: and with 
100 as the aggregate, we have 10 to use in some 
way, and I should like to take part of that 10 
and put it on the wings instead of dividing it 
among the other points. 
POULTRY NOTES AND QUERIES, 
Carrier I’itreous. 
An exhibition of carrier pigeons took place 
not long ago at Cologne. There wore 104, sent 
from Aachen, Barmen, Duren, and Solingen. 
The most remarkable bird on exhibition was a 
blue carrier pigeon, which had reached the ex¬ 
ceptional age of twenty-four. In 184b it look two 
prizes at a pigeon exhibition iu Rouen, and iu 
I 
■ 
