406 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
March 16 . 
slugs; and on the appearance of severe frost setting in, if 
tbo peas are a little above ground, a top-dressing of char¬ 
coal dust is sown over the rows. If we have not sufficient 
of this article, a barrowful of leaf-mould, or the like, is run 
through a coarse sieve, and sown over the rows. This is 
done in a tidy, workman-like manner, being strewed along 
with the hand from a basket. This is not confined to one 
dose ; but these sort of dressings, lime-dustings, earth-stir¬ 
rings, bird’s-frightenings, and looking out for the mice in 
time ; this, mixed-up with thoughtfulness, watchfulness, and 
feeling a little delighted and determined to have whole 
rows of early peas for sticking, and although the sticks 
form a little protection to the pea, as well as supporting 
them, we always defer this as long as we can, for the pur¬ 
pose of being the better able to keep the earth frequently 
opened, and attending to the lime-dusting to destroy the 
slug. Previously to sticking, the earth is well forked-up 
between the rows, and then, with a spade or shovel, they 
are nicely and neatly basined-up, without bringing the earth 
too close up to the stems. 
Since we have adopted the early spring sowing, and 
determined to sow our first crop of peas about the 1st of 
January into the best prepared soil, and the after-attention, 
I do not remember a single instance of disappointment; 
but we have always had the best of crops, and, for ought I 
know, quite as early as any of our neighbours. 
T. Weaver. 
THE SPANISH FOWL, AS RECENTLY 
EXHIBITED. 
The coasts of the Mediterranean sea have long been 
noted for the quantity of fowls kept by the inhabitants of 
those countries; and the traveller, whose observant eye has 
not disdained to notice their peculiarities, has readily dis¬ 
tinguished certain connecting links between them, leading 
to an inference of their common origin, however manifestly 
illegitimate might have been their immediate parentage. 
These points of resemblance may be concisely stated as 
a full development of comb and wattles, in both sexes, with 
a large white ear-lobe, of which colour the face of the bird 
is seen in a more or less perfect state. Now, the modern 
fancier has rightly considered that this latter feature, the 
white face, is not merely highly characteristic of the 
Spanish breed, but likewise presents the most effective 
combination of colour. It is required, therefore, that a 
good specimen should have the whole face, including the 
ear-lobe, formed of a carunculated pure white skin; to this 
is added an uniform plumage of glossy black, with a comb 
rivalling the brightest coral. But, who lias ever attempted 
to breed the Spanish fowl, as described above, without being 
speedily convinced of the extreme difficulty of retaining the 
entire white face free from any tinge of red? The most 
convincing answer to this question would be a reference to 
the Spanish pens at an exhibition, where, as a general rule, 
the prizes are awarded to those which are least deficient, 
rather than to those which are most perfect in this respect. 
The exceptional cases would be limited to the produce, 
comparatively speaking, of a very few yards; and where 
triumphs have been most frequently achieved, the number 
to be selected from has been an equal element of success 
with the inherent excellence of the strain. 
A larger proportion of first-rate chickens might bo ex¬ 
tracted from any other race of fowls than we should hope to 
see from Spanish. AVe must not, however, be misunder¬ 
stood as to the purport of these observations. No dis¬ 
couragement is designed to those with whom these beautiful 
birds have so justly gained favour; but, on the contrary, 
if their past efforts have not hitherto been so entirely 
satisfactory as they would have desired, perseverance, based 
on the recognition of the difficulties, should instigate to 
further exertions. 
But what is the character of the majority of the birds 
exhibited as Spanish ? The face (and this is the point wo 
are now concerned with), and even the pendent ear-lobe, is 
commonly stained more or less with red, so that the fowls 
are frequently not to be distinguished from good specimens 
of what are called “ Minorca a,” which have the ear-lobe, 
and sometimes even a considerable portion of the face, of a 
good clear white. Honco the question so often put in these 
columns as to the difference between the Minorca and the 
Spanish. 
The comb and wattles of the former are as fully de¬ 
veloped, their plumage of as rich and refulgent a black, and 
their form, where attention has been bestowed, is as good ; 
although, perhaps, as their general character, of a somewhat 
shorter and more compact description, but insufficient in 
itself to authorise a distinction. Thus, when Minorcas are 
shown in the class for “ any other distinct breed, not as 
specified above," their position is not justified by the facts of 
the case. Close relationship plainly exists, evidenced, 
moreover, by several other common properties. Adherence, j 
however, to our present system seems to require the j 
definition of the Spanish fowl, after the enumeration of the ! 
other needful points, as having the skin of the face, as well 
as the ear-lobe, of pure, unstained white. 
The Minorcas are not the only fowls that exhibit traces 
of family connection with the aristocratic Spanish, properly 
so called; although, from the similarity of feather, they are 
those mainly concerned in the matter we have just referred 
to. The pied and speckled birds known in the Western 
districts of England as A nomas, and the blue Andalusians, 
are manifestly ofl’shoots of the same stock, and being pos¬ 
sessed of economical properties fully equal to their white¬ 
faced black cousins, deserve, in our opinion, some recognised 
position on the poultry-list. Competition with these latter 
is out of the question, lacking, as they all do, more or less, 
the peculiar characteristic of excellence in the bird to which 
this name Spanish is now, “ par excellence," applied. But 
since, as they are really valuable fowls, might it not be 
possible to give them the encouragement of a class for 
“ Spanish fowls of any other variety ,’’ entitling the former as 
“ White faced Black SpanishV' There would be no sub¬ 
traction from the acknowledged merits of the present 
exclusive holders of the designation, that would, indeed, of 
right, be shared by any other fowls of Spanish origin, and 
that the Minorca and Andalusian families would thus 
claim admission, will not bo contested. Wo have no desire 
whatever to place Minorcas, Anconas, or Andalusians, in 
competition with the white-faced Spaniard, for they would 
assuredly suffer by the comparison; but the legitimacy of 
the latter does not necessarily infer the mongrelism of the 
former. The quality of the face of the Spanish fowl being 
all-important in the eye of the judge, other points are not 
to be less strictly scrutinised; and prize pens have 
frequently appeared with this feature alone meritorious, 
while figure and condition have been viewed in too favour¬ 
able a light. Let us have the white-face, by all means; but 
this must not be regarded as compensation for the presence 
of any manifest defect elsewhere. 
Although the principal honours of the Spanish pens of 
1853 fell to a previous victor, yet it will, we think, be ad¬ 
mitted, that the quality of the birds has generally improved; 
there were fewer decidedly bad pens, and the Judges’ 
labours, therefore, were not so readily performed. Many 
of the best birds, however, moulted late, and it required 
every exertion to get those that were intended for Birming¬ 
ham in proper form before the appointed day for their debut 
in Bingley Hall. Some specimens imported from Spain 
were there shown, verifying the general opinion that not a 
single bird of really high merit has recently been obtained 
from that country. Holland and Belgium, too, have been 
ransacked for Spanish; but however careful the selection, 
they still failed in placing their owner’s names at the head 
of the awards. 
But the terms of commendation that arc so justly due 
to the birds of this class that have usually taken prizes j 
at the more important exhibitions, must not be extended 
to many of the provincial meetings, where a most meagre 
collection of Spanish has usually been present. Judges, j 
it is clear, have .again and again been of this opinion, j 
where we read, “ first prize withheld; no sufficient j 
merit.” And when birds are manifestly deficient in any j 
one important point, we rejoice to see such righteous sen- j 
tences boldly pronounced, nothing being more injurious 
than affixing a false value to really bad birds, by assigning 
them a prize simply from the fact of no competitor of • 
higher merit having then and there entered the lists. The 
injustice of complaints on such grounds has only been 
