THK COTTAGE GAROENEE. 
NoYF.lMEP.n in. 
I 118 
I 
! readers at a distance, to mention that the valnnhle services | 
rendered hy Mr. Ilewitt, wlio is a niemher of the Conned j 
I and the Toultry Committee, are of an entirely honorary 
! character. The Railway Committee are now enga^-ed in 
■ making arrangements with the managers of the principal 
■ linos, and with the prospect, we helieve, of obtaining in¬ 
creasing facilities. It may, indeed, he reasonably exi)ected 
that the Railway Companies will co operate as far as possible j 
with the committee in the cliorts to increase the nnmber of j 
visitors. The holding of an annual exhibition of great i 
interest to a vast number of i>ersons, in the centre of j 
! Engl.and, affords one of the most proper and legitimate j 
J occasions for granting special accommodation.— (JlliJland 
Co)nitie.t ireral(L) 
Whether we view the Birnlingham Show as the parent of 
all others, or as a monument of the enterprise of that town, 
it is alike worthy of support from all who take an interest 
in agricultural pursuits. Those who have 7iot yet seen 
Ringley Hall, Avill be surprised at the magnitude of the 
place built for the exhibition of cattle and poultry during 
four days of the year; and those to whom it is familiar, will, 
we have reason "to think, be surprised at the immense im¬ 
provement in all breeds of poultry. 
.fudging from many recent shows, we cannot help oh- j 
serving that a great alteration has taken place. It is now 
rare to see had birds, and good ones are common. 
While all descriptions have increased in size and weight, 
they have decreased in value. This fact may afford food 
for every class, even the most erudite and scientific, and 
they cannot do better than visit the noble show we are led 
to expect at Bingley Hall next month. 
The annual dinner is fixed for Tuesday (the opening 
day), under the Presidency of the Earl of Dartmouth ; and 
the annual meeting of members for the following Thursday. 
MANAGEMENT OF BROODY HENS. 
A Correspondent, in your number for Oeti^ber 2, has 
made some objections to the plan 1 advocated for prevent¬ 
ing broody hens from sitting when not required, and recom¬ 
mends, instead, removing a broody hen to another yard 
amongst other poultry. With Cochins, the plan, as far as my 
experience goes, will not answer, for if there are any nests 
in the new yard the hens will take possession of them. The 
plan is also inefficient, from the fact that not one poultry- 
keeper out of fifty has another yard to which he can send his 
fowls. Tlie reasoning w hich your correspondent employed 
to condemn my plan (wdiich I know from long experience is 
successful) was most erroneous. To adopt his own words it 
ran thus :—“ Broodiness is a provision of nature, not only for 
the purpose of incuhation, hut also a. rest after exhaustion in 
luyiiui'•‘■the true philosophical treatment, therefore," is, most 
persons would imagine, allowing them to sit a short time. 
But, no; my objector states, “ Alio winy them to sit for a few 
days, and also coopiny, are practiees injurious to the above 
ends." —W. B. Tegetmeier, Wood Green, Tottenham. 
PRIVATE VIEW OF BIRMINGHAM SHOW. 
The private view of the Birmingham Show takes place on 
Tuesday, the 11th of December. Admission to non-sub¬ 
scribers five shillings each. The office for the sale of 
poultry o]iens at ten o'clock that morning, and upon each 
following morning. There is no admittance whatever on 
the Monday previous. The Exhibition will be open to the 
public at nine o'clock each morning. 
RULES FOR JUDGING POULTRY. 
A PAPEP., entitled “ Brnposed Basis for uniformity of .Tudg- 
ment at Exhibitions of Poultry,” has been submitted by the 
Amateur Poultry Society of Dublin. I will make such 
remarks and comments upon it as strike me. 
The first category comprizes all fowls with combs, and 
opens with the Malay. My objection begins at oiice. Why 
assume that only one colour can he correct in these birds ; ; 
that the neck and saddle should be “ orange-redthe breast, 
“black;” legs, “olive-brown.” IMust all the beautiful birds , 
we se(' with yellow and white legs be at once discarded ? i 
IVhat is to become of the White Malay; the pin e Black¬ 
breasted cock; since this is to have “irregular bay mark¬ 
ings ?” Wlio is to breed to tliese niceties of colour? Take 
the requirements of the wing, for instance. “ Shoulder, | 
niarone, steel-blue bar across ; ffight-feathers, bay.” Dr the ; 
head; “ beak, horn colour; eyes, orange-red, sunken beneath , 
a projecting eyebrow; comb, low', indented ; wattles, very 
small, more properly folds of skin tiian w'attles ; earlobes, 
rudimentary; face, brilliant crimson.” But let us turn to 
some of the requirements of the hen. “ Neck, middle of 
feather brown, edges golden, shaft straw-colour; breast, 
brow'uish-fawn-colour; tail, brownish-black; back, brown; 
shaft of the feathers, straw'-colour.” Now', while there is so 
much nicety of colour required, no mention is made of pearl 
eyes, naked thi’oats, and the comb, that essential of a line 
Malay, is dismissed by simply saying it should he low and 
indented. 
Wo next come to the Chinese. We have little to say 
about these ; the colours are well understood, and they are 
birds of colour ; but what is intended by saying the tail of 
the cock should be “ drooping ?” The same tenn is used for 
Malays. Is it meant that the carnage of the tail should be 
the same in both breeds ? We fancy they are distinct. An ' 
upright tail is an abomination in a Malay; but a drooping | 
one would be as much so in a Cochin-China. 
Spanish are quickly passed over. It is cxpi’essly stipulated ] 
the cock shall have an upright comb, and the hen “must ! 
match, distinctive marks the same.” Are we to infer the j 
hen should have an upright comb ? Legs are printed j 
black, hut altered to blackish-grey. Both are wrong ; they \ 
should be leaden-blue. In none of these birds is there any 
mention of size, shape, or carriage, except in the tail of the 
cocks. 
Dorliinys claim much attention. It w'ould be too long to 
transcribe all; but we will give samples. “Neck-hackles, 
bright straw-colour, either perfectly free from markings, or 
having the midrib black, and webs straw-colour; (if marked) 
mai’kings must he distinct. Back and saddle the same. 
Wing-slioulder, clear straw-coloured, crossed with a broad, 
rich-coloured, steel-blue bar; flight-feathers, Avhite, having 
the secondaries spangled or partly laced with black on the 
inner w'eb.” We are told the comb of the hen in good 
condition should fall to the right or the left. We can but 
think, if this had been planted for Spanish hens, and 
omitted for Dorkings, it would have been better. It is 
essential for the first, and, even the rules admit, it is only in 
cases of very high condition it occurs in the second. On 
the back, the “ shaft of the feather should be w’hitc; webs, 
minutely dotted with black on whitish ground, presenting a 
grey appearance. The wing-shoulder, same grey as back; 
shafts, broad, and very distinct fawn-colour; flight, dark 
brown. Tail, full, rich brown, w’ith minute dark maikings; 
edges approaching silvery.” 
These are the Grey Dorkings. The stipulation is im¬ 
perative that they must have single combs. The White 
are allowed to have either single or double. 
Dorkings,Pheasant or Speckled, are soon disposed of. “Of 
doubtful purity, no markings to be relied on." 
To adojit this, w'ould be to exclude most of the best yards 
in England, and it would be, in the estimation of most of our 
judges, to adopt an imaginary and fallacious standard. It is 
hehl here, and, we believe, correctly, that there is neither 
colour nor comb as a mark or test of purity in Dorking 
Fowls ; but if any preference should be given, and if size is 
a desideratum, then it is unquestionable that the double or 
rose-combed birds are the heaviest. It is easy to under¬ 
stand, that in breeds, whoso merit is their beauty of iilumage, 
or correctness of maikings, that every feather shall be ac- ' 
curalely described; but in one wdiere size and symmetry j 
are the chief points, where the main excellence is capability I 
of providing the largest amount of food, and wdicro nature \ 
has adapted them especially for this purpose; to ca\il at 
the colour of a feather seems to us to border on the 
ridiculous. Wherever this is done, the breed degenerates, ■ 
it loses both size and constitution ; and to give these up, * 
in order to make the Dorking a fowl of fancy j'lumage, ' 
