September 15. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
457 
purpose, that are calculated to contain a large number 
of fowls and their spectators should the weather prove 
hot; and the means of shelter usually had recourse to 
are certainly insufficient when wet or cold opposes us. 
Autumn, indeed, is not to he trusted to, in this country, 
for schemes that depend so much on weather. Inde¬ 
pendently, however, of our own comfort, and that of our 
birds, the latter, we must remember, are then by no means 
so well able to resist the effect of sudden atmospheric 
change of intense heat and want of ventilation, or 
; otherwise of cold and damp, as at other times. Nine- 
tenths of our birds are either in the stage prepara- 
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i tory to moulting, or actually moulting, or else recovering 
; from its effects. The constitution, therefore, as is well- 
known, is then greatly debilitated; everything should 
be administered that is likely to invigorate and recruit 
their system, and all risk from cold and exposure should 
be carefully guarded against; yet this is the very season 
when our unfortunate, hardly-treated, favourites are 
dragged from their retirement, and exposed to all the 
I evil consequences we have referred to. 
Again, should it happen that a bird has begun to 
moult early, and, when called upon to appear in the 
exhibition-pen, has acquired some considerable portion 
of its new feathers, is it made matter of sufficient con¬ 
sideration as to what amount of injury may be thus 
done to the plumage itself, placiug the mere health of 
the bird beyond our calculations? Now, our belief is, j 
that an injury to a young and growing feather is fatal ; 
to its future perfect development; and are journies, we j 
would ask, by rail or otherwise, such as tho candidates 
for poultry fame must ever encounter, to bo performed 
without such hazards from rough baskets, and tho mer¬ 
ciless handling of railway and exhibition officials? | 
But bo the weather fair or foul (and who can form cal- j 
dilations, or reckon on probabilities with respect to an 
English autumn), the old birds, we repeat, are neither 
in health *ior looks for exhibition, and far more wisely 
j should we have kept them at home, in training for the 
| Birmingham, or some other great arena. 
| Let it not be said, “ Nobody is forced to exhibit; they 
need not do so, unless they like it." Many, it is true, are 
sufficiently prudent to foresee and avoid the risk; but 
many others, again, are thus induced to seek cither a 
continuance of past victories, or to atone for past deteats. 
The committees and managers of these autumnal poultry 
exhibitions, therefore, are those most in fault; without 
their prize-list the evil would not happen ; and earnestly 
we would ask them to give their best attention to the 
, means by which a better season may henceforth be 
selected. 
Much more might be said on this topic, for which our 
present remarks can find no place; to one of these 
subjects only will we, therefore, now refer. Judges 
i have, at all times, a sufficiently difficult task when they 
are called upon to pronounce on the relative merits of 
the poultry submitted to their inspection. Is it wdse, 
therefore, to render their duties still more arduous, by 
placing the birds before them at a season of the year 
when many of the points, on which their decisions must 
be grounded, are obscured by the naturally imperfect 
condition of the birds; often, indeed, affecting their form 
as well as feather ? We think that the labours of those 
who are called upon to undertake the office of arbitrators, 
on such occasions, are quite sufficient without this 
additional responsibility, even supposing that allowances 
for such drawbacks can be accurately made. But how 
stands the case with exhibitors ? Their now ragged and 
dishevelled, often tail-less, specimens, may have been 
deservedly honoured in a different form, but, as they are, 
defeat, disappointment, and discontent, quickly succeed 
each other in the mind of their owners. Doubtless, a 
really good bird, however draggled its plumage, and ill- 
conditioned its present appearance, has that which, in 
the eyes of an experienced judge, obtains an award of 
honour; but oftentimes the most favourable recollection 
of the past, or even anticipation of the future, is unable 
to atone for its present woful plight. Now, to decide 
on birds thus circumstanced, is equally unfair to the 
fowls, and unsatisfactory to the arbitrator. 
The legitimate season for poultry shows might range 
from November to the middle or end of January; since, 
earlier than the former date, birds cannot be relied on 
for their recovery from moulting; and after the latter, 
it becomes inconvenient to send them, on account of 
the approach of the breeding season. Where summer 
and autumn exhibitions are desired, goslings, turkey, 
poults, ducklings, pigeons, and chickens of every race 
and every name, may occupy the pens, but the older 
birds will either not be in proper condition to attend, or 
otherwise occupied at home. 
The periods of the year at which their shows should 
be held are among many matters which poultry-keepers, 
generally, should give their best attention to ; but there 
are, also, other topics connected with this subject, upon 
which we may hope that a better understanding may 
soon prevail. i 
A rule that heads every prize list is to this effect,— 
“ That the Judges arc empowered to withhold prizes should 
they consider that the specimens are of inferior quality." No 
regulation, we believe, can be more necessary, and none, 
we feel convinced, can be neglected with greater injury 
to any society, its exhibitors, and the public. 
A gentleman, whose efficient performance of this 
thankless task of arbitrator has again and again been 
recognised by exhibitors, no less than committees and 
their officers, thus writes to us:—“ Your remarks on 
Poultry Shows and Judges find a ready echo in my own 
experience: I still more especially concur in the state¬ 
ment of the utter want of policy in awarding a prize to 
indifferent, and, in some cases, even bad, specimens; for 
they immediately become extolled by their owners as the 
very standard of perfection; while the simple fact is, that 
the competition was at the lowest possible ebb; and prob¬ 
ably, also, two or three over-anxious committee-men havo 
thus pleaded: ‘ I trust, gentlemen, you will excuse our sug¬ 
gestion, but we must indeed keep faith with the public, and so 
the prizes must be awarded, and not withheld; if these, there¬ 
fore, are the best birds here, they must have, and, according 
to our rules (?), are entitled to the prizes' The inevitable 
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