December 30. 
THE COTTAGE GAEDENER, 
25] 
Since our publication of our condemnation of a dealer in 
poultry being a judge at a poultry sliow, we have received so 
many communications and queries respecting the Judges of 
the Birmingham Show, that we almost shrink from insert¬ 
ing any of them. Our duty as public journalists, however, 
must prevail, and we insert the following questions sent to 
us by a gentleman of high standing. No reply, no rejoin¬ 
ders, either affirmative or negative, shall be inserted, unless 
written couiteously. We have but one object in view—that 
there shall be no foundation for suspicion of the decisions 
at Birmingham and other Poultry Shows. We shall pursue 
that object and our search after the truths needful to be 
elicited, and om- pursuit shall be perfectly without aspe¬ 
rity ; those who differ from us must be similarly guarded, 
for we will have no literary ruffianism in om’ pages. 
The questions sent to us are these :— 
“ Is it true that one of the judges at Birmingham this 
year, or his man, brought down the birds of the friend of 
another judge '? 
“ Is it true that these last received birds obtained a prize 
and a commendation ? 
“ Is it true that one of the judges was sending out cata¬ 
logues on the Sunday before the Show ? 
“ How many catalogues were sent out before the Show, 
and to whom ? 
“When did the judges arrive in Birmingham; and when 
did each of them first enter Bingley Hall? 
“Is it true, as publicly declared by one judge in the 
presence of another, that, in one class, the judges -wished to 
give an extra prize, and that permission was refused to them 
to do so ? 
“ Is it true that an extra prize was given to a single bird 
in pen No. i)23 ? 
“ To whom did that bird belong ? 
“When these queries have been answered, others may 
follow from “ Q.-in-the-Corner.” 
To one of these questions we can answer, that Mr. Bailey, 
one of the judges, had a catalogue before the show, and sent ] 
it to one of our contributors. We do not blame him for that 
politeness, but we do say that no judge should have a cata¬ 
logue sent to him until after he has made his award. As far 
as possible, the name of a proprietor of any pen should be 
unknown to any of the judges, and we think sending cata¬ 
logues to them was a very great mistake, -n'hich should be 
avoided in future. 
A\^e have already fully explained ourselves relative to The 
Great Metropolitan Poultry Show, but we have since received 
a very polite letter from Hem^ Gilbert, Esq., from which 
the following is an extract;— 
“A IMetropolitan Show of Poultry having been long re¬ 
quired, and mooted, without success, for several years, and 
not until after the Royal Agricultural Society had been fre¬ 
quently requested to associate it with the Smithfleld Cattle 
Show at Baker-street, did a few spirited gentlemen amateurs 
come forward, with a large sum, to carry out, at great ex¬ 
pense and trouble, the desired object; whether successfully, 
or unsuccessfully, for loss or for gain, remains to be proved; 
the latter was not anticipated. Such is the origin of tlie 
Great IMetropolitan Exhibition. The list of noble patrons, 
who are personally known to some of the promoters, must 
be a sufficient guarantee for their respectability. 
“ No gain is derived from the sale of refreshments, as you 
have represented, “from some neighbouring innkeeperf nor 
have the Horns Tavern anything to do with it, and is not 
even known to me, or the committee. That tliere will be 
refreshments I do not deny; so are there at Birmingham, 
and all other exhibitions where a large and respectable 
body of visitors is expected. 
“ The next point you notice unfairly, is the time the birds 
are exhibited. Again, Birmingham is our example, as we 
shall not keep them longer.” 
After what we said last week, it is not needed that we 
make any further comment upon Mr. Gilbert's statements, 
than to observe, that he is quite right in observing that at 
the MeU’opolitan the birds will not be kept longer in the 
pens than at Birmingham. The obvious answer to this is, 
that two parties committing the same error do not make it 
a praiseworthy practice; and we are quite sure that Mr. Gil¬ 
bert agrees with us in thinking that five days is too long a 
time to keep birds at an exhibition. AVe are not sure that 
one of his birds did not die at Birmingham in 1851, and we 
know that one of Capt. Hornby’s did this year; and we are 
certain that even the strongest constitutioned birds must 
suffer by the protracted excitement inseparable from exhibi¬ 
tion by day, to say nothing of that by gas-light until a late 
hour at night. AVe are confident this will be avoided in 
future. 
The Salisbury Poultry Show appeared to be still more 
popular than the other department of the Agricultural 
Exhibition, on the 13th of December, and was crowded 
throughout the day, a number of ladies testifying by their 
presence the interest they felt in this collection of domestic 
poultry. 
Subjoined is the list of prizes :— 
Class A.—SPANISH. i 
1. Captain W. Hornby, B. N., Knowsley Cottage, Prescott, Lancashire, 
Cock and three Hens, 5.f months, 1st prize, \l. I 
3. T. Pain, Esq., Salisbury, Cock and two Hens, one year and seven | 
months, 2nd prize, 10s. 
Class B.—DORKINGS. 
17 . J. W. F. Noyes, Esq., Cock and two Hens, April, 1852, 1st prize, U. ! 
18. Mr. C. Smith, Durnford, near Salisbury, Cock, seven months, and I 
two Hens, 18 months, 2nd prize, 10s. 
Class C.—COCHIN-CHINA. 
20. H. I. J. Cockerham, Esq., Ablington, Wilts, Cock and two Hens, 
hatched in May, 1st prize, It. 
30. Mr. George Wheeler, Commercial Road, Southampton, Cock and 
two Hens, eight months, 2ud prize, 10s. 
Class D.—MALAY. 
38. A. C. Sayers, Esq., Clanville House, Andover, Cock and two Hens, 
one year (speckled), 1st prize, U. 
39 . Mr. \V. H. W^oodcock, Fugglestone, near Salisbury, Cock and two 
Hens, six months, 2nd prize, 10s. 
Class E.—GAME. 
43. Mr. H. Yates, King’s Arms, Lockerly, Hants, Cock and two Hens, 
two years, Ist prize, U. 
41. Mr. John Stratton, Bodenham, near Salisbury, Cock and two Hens, 
two years and six months, 2nd prize, I Os. 
Class F.—GOLDEN-SPANGLED HAMBURGH. ! 
No competition. j 
Class G.-SILVER-SPANGLED HAMBURGH. 
45. W. G. Chambers, Esq., Portsmouth, Cock and one Hen, three 
years, and one Hen, eight months, 1st prize, U. 
46 . W. G, Chambers, Esq., Cock and one Hen, eight months, and one 
Hen, three years, 2nd prize, 105. 
Class H.—GOLDEN-PENCILLED HAMBURGH. 
No entry. 
Class I.—SILVER-PENCILLED HAMBURGH. 
50. Mrs. Mills, Bisterne, Ringwood, Cock and two Hens, 18 months, 
Ist prize, 1/. 
Class J.—POLAND. 
52. Mr. T. P. Edwards, Lyndhurst Railway Station, Cock, eight months, 
two hens, two years, 1st prize, IL 
53. Mr,.T. P. Edwards, Cock and two Hens, seven months, 2nd prize, 105. 
54. Mrs. Mills, Bisterne, Ringwood, Cock and two Hens, 18 months, 
black, white crest, extra prize, 105. 
Class K.—ANY OTHER DISTINCT BREED. 
Commended. —55. Mr. W. Cheyney, Barford Park, Downton, Wilts, 
Cock and two Hens (Game and Malay), 9 months. 
Class N.—BANTAMS. 
No first prize. 
05. Mr. W. H. Woodcock, Fugglestone, near Salisbury, Cock and two 
Hens, aged, 2nd prize, 10s. 
Class M.—BANTAMS, WHITE, BLACK, OR ANY OTHER 
VARIETY. 
67 . Major-General Buckley, New Hall, Salisbury, Cock and two Hens, 
1st prize, IL 
72 . Mrs. Mills, Bisterne, Ringwood, Cock and two Hens (white, single 
comb), 12 months, 2nd prize, 105. 
Class N.—GEESE. 
78. Mr. C. Pinniger, Rockbourne, Hants, Gander and Goose, five years, 
2nd prize, IO 5 . 
80. J. F. Hart, Esq., Gander and Goose, four years, Ist prize, 1/. 
In this Class a pen (No. 75) was exhibited by T. Pain, Esq., whose 
united ages amounted to 110 years, i.e., a Gander 10, a Goose 40, and 
a ditto 60; which goes far to establish the fact of these birds reaching 
100 years. 
Class O.—DUCKS. 
82. C. Penruddocke, Esq., Compton Park, Wilts, Drake and two Ducks, 
six months, 1st prize, 1/. i 
85. James North, Ford, Salisbury, Drake and two Ducks (black), six , 
months, 2nd prize, 105 . 
Class P.—TURKEYS. 
94 . Mr. W. Cheyney, Barford Park, Downton, Wilts, Turkey Cock and 
Hen, six months, Ist prize, U. 
93 . C. Penruddocke, Esq., Compton Park, Wilts, Turkey Cock and Hen, 
seven months, 2nd prize, IO 5 , 
