30;2 
THE COTTAGE GAKDENEll. 
January 
siileration of the committee to whom they are addressed; 
hut I must confess that the remarks relative to cottagers’ 
poulti’.y were by no means in unison witli my knowledge and 
experience. Tliat such cases have occurred, few will be so 
rasli as to dispute; hut I am more inclined to look upon 
them as exceptions than as a whole. I believe, as much 
honour is found amongst this class of exhibitors as amongst 
gentlemen amateurs, and that the assertion that “ most of 
such prizes are eventually secured by the fowls of well- 
known exhibitors, merely lent for tlie especial purpose,” 
inflicts a wrong upon many an honest cottager, who lacks 
neither discernment in making choice of his stock'; nor 
ability, wlicn made, to imjmove the chance he has with it; 
nor spirit, had he means, to init many of his more wealthy 
competitors into the back ground. As these suggestions 
are particularly addressed to the Birmingham committee, 
most readers would iiarticulaiiy apply the remarks to the 
cottagers taking prizes at that exhibition; and as 1 personally 
know two of the successful competitors at the late Bir- 
juingham Show, who showed between them four pens of 
fowls, bringing away the lirst prize, one third, and a com- 
niendfition, 1 believe it but a simple act of justice to state 
that, as a townsman, knowing nearly all of the fanciers in 
the neighbourhood, and having a freriuent opportunity of 
seeing the stock owned by each of the said parties, 1 have 
no doubt whatever, in my own mind, that the birds ex¬ 
hibited by them were their hona Jhle property, and the 
strictest investigation would only place such men in liigher 
esteem as genuine lovers of the fancy, and who, with their 
limited means, have achieved noble triumphs, which it 
would be ignoble to endeavour to displace. 
And having said thus much, I would also add, by way of 
a set oil', that I know parties, exhibiting as gentlemen 
amateurs, who have not unfreguently made apidicadon to 
these vei'y cottagers for the loan of birds, to exhibit at such 
shows as those where the high price of entry precluded a 
person with cottager’s means from contesting. —Ma'J'tiiew 
LIidgway, Uewshury, 
COPAIBA AS A REMEDY FOR ROUP. 
Some short time since, I was conversing with one of the 
most successful hi’eeders of Carriers, respecting the diseases 
of Bigeous, and was informed by him that he had found a 
few drops of Copaiba Balsam more successful than any 
other remedy in removing the catarrh, or roup, to which 
those birds are subject. 
1 at once saw that in my former experiments on this disease 
in fowls, 1 had made an important omission in neglecting to 
try the elfects of this remedy. Copaiba has a peculiar and 
spccilic action upon the mucous membranes, and would be 
much more largely employed in diseases of the lungs, if it 
were not for its very disagreeable llavour and odour, and 
other associations connected with it. Un referring to my 
poultry library, 1 found that Dr. Horner had suggested its 
employment in rou]). 1 therefore wrote to him, ixaiuesting 
him to inform me if he had had any experience in its use, 
when he kindly furnished me with the following particulars: 
“ Dor the last week I have had two roupy Polish under 
treatment with Copaiba. I can only say tliat they were 
getting worse and worse, until I began with Copaiba, and 
they are now getting decidedly better. I did not remove 
them, or change their diet, that I might be the better judge; 
an important thing to be observed, 1 think', in experiment¬ 
ing. 1 gave, by means of a cut quill, little short of a drachm 
every night; half the ipumtily twice a-day might have been 
better, or, indeed, the whole ijuantily twice a day. 1 used 
the solution of Copaiba as got from the chemist.” 
Although 1 have had no experience in the use of this 
remedy, i am inclined to think very highly of it in this 
disease, and not the less so, 1 trust, because the credit of 
the prior suggestion belongs entirely to Dr. Horner. My 
oliject in writing this article is to bring it under the notice 
ot jioultry fanciers generally, and to request them to give it 
a trial in cases of roup they may have ; and 1 w'ould suggest, 
as the most convenient mode of administering it, the em¬ 
ployment of those capsules in which it is sold by druggists, 
one ot which might be put down the fowl’s throat night and 
morning. I shall be glad to hear the results of any e.xperi- 
nienis.-—W. B. Tegetmeiek, Wood Green, Tullciihnm. 
PRESTON AND NORTH-EAST LANCASHIRE 
POULTRY SHOW. 
Although the county palatine had numerous smalt show's, 
where the local stars shone in undisputed splendour, it was 
felt that an undertaking on a larger scale was necessary, in 
order that all might meet on a common field, and try the 
merits of the birds. A few inlluential inhabitants of Preston 
have .alforded them the opportunity, by offering a liberal 
prize-list, and the result has been an unusually good show 
of nearly nine hundred entries. 
It will, perhaps, afford amusement to those who have 
leisure to solve the problem, wdiy classes that were weak at 
I Birmingham should be strong here, with nothing to favour 
j them; while others, supposed to be particularly the birds of 
I the county, should be badly represented. ^Vas it a mis- 
- placed feeling of security? or did the champions think of 
the approaching lists at Liverpool ? 
The show was held in the Corn Exchange, a building well 
i adapted for the purpose in every respect; it is sjiacious and 
I lofty, and, in accordance with modern notions and liber.ality, 
i entirely covered with glass. A man “in his time jdays 
I many parts,” and so does a ball room ; for, on this occasion, 
one of no ordinary dimensions served as lirst and second- 
; class refreshment rooms, as committee room and sale ofiice, 
j and as show room for an ingenious contrivance, alFording a 
: very small run, a good roosting-house, and laying or sitting 
' boxes enclosed with wire. Whatever effect the war may 
j have in other respects, it has afforded an opportunity for 
! those who have taste in drapery and heraldic ornaments to 
' display it. 'J'hus the extremity of the show yard was 
entirely marked with pink festoons, relieved by the Prince 
of Wales’ plumes in the centre, supported by shields and 
military trophies, and the building around was decorated 
with the banners of Pluglaml, P’rance, Turkey', and Sar¬ 
dinia. The refreshment rooms were liberally adorned with 
flags of all nations. 'The popping of corks and the distant 
crowing of cocks served for tlie music. 
The committee were careful that the judges should not be 
interfered with, and that no one should know'the “secrets 
of the prison house” till the appointed time, for they were 
literally locked into the building by themselves. 'I’o name 
every prize-taker becomes so tedious to the readei’, that we 
shall content ourselves with a notice of the classe.s and the 
winners of the cups. Here let us mention, there were 
twenty-three of them; and we must express our regret that 
one was not given to Bantams. IMany of the varieties of 
these beautiful birds are as valuable as any other breeds. 
Duilinys began and ended the list, and in both, the 
newly-discovered planet in this pmdlry hemisphere, IMr. 
'Wright, of 'Warrington, was successful. He took both the 
! cups. 'Those cl.asses were unsur]iassablc. Mr. Clifl’e, of 
Dorking, had the cup for the trhilc birds. A new' competitor, 
Mr. Howard, of 'i’arleton, in the adults, and an old one, 
Captain Hornby, in the chickens, carried off the coveted 
Spanish iilate.* It would be unfair not to mention that pen 
()!), in the adult class, w'ould have been successful but for 
the presence of white spangles on the plumage of one of 
' the hens. 
We have now to deal with the best class, according to the 
■ judges’ report, that has been seen for two years. We allude 
to the Cochin-Chinas. 'Ihey describe it as “being worthy 
of the old days of Cochins.” Of late, the diflicuity lias 
! been to find birds w'orthy of the prizes; here, the difficulty 
! was to distinguish among the excellent. Mr. Dawson, of 
' Yorkshire, took the cup with a pen of beautiful Silver 
I Cinnamons, closely run by the llev. S. Donne; and IMr. 
[ Adkins, of Birmingham, vyas cipially successful with an 
unusually good jieu of Grouse birds. 'I’here was i.ii extra 
j and more valuable cup otl'ered for the best iien of Cochins 
! in the show', and it was aw'ardcd to Mr.. Adkins. 'Phis 
gentlemen, then, won two cups with the same birds;—no 
mean exploit. 'The Cochin cups had a penchant for Birming¬ 
ham, that mother of poultry shows, as that for white birds 
was awarded to Mr. Chase. Messrs. Bush ami Catterall took 
- the glittering honours for the two class of Brahma I’ootras. 
I 'The Golden JIambnnjhs, Spangled and Pencilled, were 
I * The gallant captain, after two years repose, sent a noble pen of 
j chickens, anil inaugurated his reappearance by taking two silver cups. 
I He may be proud of them. 
