110 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, November 20, 1800. 
Newport. —Called, also, Lord Tredegar’s Show, because his 
Lordship gives many of the prizes. I am informed that it 
improves every year. I would recommend the Committee to do 
away with the regulation which requires every exhibitor to 
become a donor or subscriber. Such a regulation is only 
adapted for a small local Show, and not for one which is open 
to all England. 
Beverley. —An excellent Show, well managed, and every care 
taken of the birds. The Secretary is obliging, and the arrange¬ 
ments give satisfaction to every one concerned. 
Kendal. —A good Show and well established. It is a pity it 
is not held at a more propitious season of the year ; for being in 
the vicinity of the Lakes, if held in the summer, it would, 
doubtless, attract many visitors from a distance. I should like 
to see a class for Game Bantams at this Show. This hint is 
well worth the attention of the Committee. 
Devizes. —This is a Show which will soon rank second to 
none in England. With an enterprising Committee, and a 
Secretary who does his best to satisfy exhibitors, nothing 
remains to be desired. 
Halifax. —This is a nice little Show; but the prize list is 
not sufficiently tempting to attract many exhibitors from a 
distance. If the Committee would advertise their Show and im¬ 
prove the prize list, they would see an increased number of 
entries, and a great improvement in the birds exhibited. 
Pontefract. —My remarks about the Halifax Poultry Show 
will equally apply to this. 
General Remarks. —Eirst, I would observe, that I think the 
Secretaries of Poultry Shows pay too little attention to the in¬ 
dividual complaints of exhibitors. This is a mistake, for one 
dissatisfied exhibitor can, generally speaking, influence others. 
It is in this way that prejudices arise against certain Shows ; and 
I know very well that some of our best exhibitors will have 
nothing to do with some Shows I could name. I must also say 
a word against the disreputable practice of exhibiting borrowed 
birds. I am told that is constantly done with impunity. A 
silver cup excites the envy of certain exhibitors, and they select 
birds from various yards to win it. Can anything be more dis¬ 
honest or unfair to the exhibitors who will have nothing to do with 
such malpractices ? I am afraid it is becoming a system, and if 
it is allowed to continue, it will seriously injure, if it does not 
ruin, the poultry movement. Secretaries of Poultry Shows are 
much too easy in the matter. I will give an example : some time 
since it came to my knowledge that a person had carried off 
several prizes at a provincial Poultry Show, and that very few 
of the birds were really his own property. I mentioned the cir¬ 
cumstance to the Secretary, and requested him to bring it before 
the Committee ; but I received no reply to my letter. I could 
only conclude that the Secretary was in collusion with the 
dishonest exhibitor. But it behoves the managers of Poultry 
Shows to take stringent action in this matter. Let those persons 
who exhibit borrowed birds be not only deprived of the prizes 
they may gain, but let their names be published as a warning to 
others. I am quite sure the Editors of The Cottage Gardener 
will lend their assistance to eradicate the evil.—J. B. 
SPANGLED HAMBURGHS. 
The introduction of laced wings into the Spangled Ham- 
burghs has certainly surprised me ; and I am now surprised to 
see that two such practised Judges as Messrs. Hewitt and Baily 
should have awarded them the prizes, and can only think the 
birds must have been vastly superior in other points, as a con- 
terpoise against this great fault. If, however, these gentlemen 
consider the laced wing a point of excellence, I beg to tell them 
that we in Yorkshire, and Lancashire too, consider it a fault, 
and a fault that in Yorkshire would disqualify an otherwise good 
bird. Let these gentlemen, if they have no practical experience 
of the fact, inquire of the breeders in Yorkshire and Lancashire 
to see whether or not they are correct in awarding such laced 
birds the prizes, and if they find themselves in the wrong to 
confess it like men ; and if they are right to tell people that they 
arc, so that all may have an opportunity of altering their mode 
of breeding ; but I think I may safely assert that they will find 
no one to back them up, and they wiil be forced to confess that 
the laced wing is a whim of then* own. If exhibitors allow 
Judges to be continually changing the fashion of the markings 
there will be no end to it, and we shall have to request these 
Judges to publish periodically the changes that take place. I 
wonder what Messrs. C'halloner, Stead, Conyers and Jolly 
say on this point. These gentlemen are entitled to their 
opinion as much as the two great authorities.— Spangled 
Hamburgh. 
[We have within these three weeks given our opinion as to the 
laced wings. We can only give our own ideas on the points of 
any particular breed, and our columns are always open to all. 
W e object at the outset to the term “ introduction” of laced 
wings. They were required ten years ago, when the best Judge 
of Spangled Hamburghs we have ever had officiated in that capa¬ 
city, we mean Mr. T. B. Wright, of Birmingham. They have 
been wanted ever since, though seldom obtained. While we 
state our columns are open to all, we ctnnot admire the tone of 
our correspondent’s letter. Either those whose decisions he 
impugns are judges or they are not. If they are, their decisions 
must be acquiesced in ; if they are not, then choose others to 
award the prizes. We contend the points are not continually 
changing; and we cannot for a moment think it right that a 
section of the breeders of any particular fowl shall cry down a 
difficult point in which most birds are deficient. The decision 
now in question was arrived at by Messrs. Pulleine, Hewitt, and 
Baily, three of the oldest Judges we have. We believe that 
no one of them seeks the office of judge ; we know that if they 
thought themselves wrong, they would “ confess it like men,” 
and we are convinced they will neither publish changes of 
fashion in markings nor submit to dictation in their awards.] 
BLINDNESS IN CHICKENS. 
Can you assign any reason for chickens being born blind ? 
This last summer, at one time four, and at another six, were 
born blind within my knowledge. A gentleman told me that it 
was owing to the hens being fed on rice. Is this so ?—H. N. 
[Although we keep a careful record of everything that has to 
do with poultry, we have searched in vain for any case analagous 
to that you mention. Erom the wording of your query we 
suppose that only part of the broods were born blind, and we 
imagine that they were the produce of hens all fed alike. Rioe 
is an abomination in poultry-feeding, it induces bad condition, 
and we know from experience it breeds vermin; but we have 
never found it had to do with blindness. Many years since 
there was a strain of Cochins to which blindness was natural, 
and now where the particular breed has been used as a cross, it 
is common to find two or three that prove it by the defect of 
which you complain. We do not advise you to continue breeding 
from the birds you have. Choose the best of your stock, buy a 
good cock or tw T o from some well-known strain, and, doing away 
with all others, keep to their cross, you will not afterwards 
complain of blindness in your chickens.] 
HAMBURGHS. 
Would you kindly give me your advice as to the selection of 
stock birds from several hatchings reared this season ? 
Silver. —Should a preference be given to birds that appear, 
as a whole, darker to the eye—that is to say, where the blotches 
are heavier and deeper and less white seen than where they are 
lighter or of a more lacy appearance? Is it of much irn 
portance that the narrow feathers about mane and tail be tipped, 
and the wings be also marked, rather than pure white ? Whether 
should the tail in cocks be white and tipped, or dark—that is, 
where dark and light feathers commingle ? 
Golden. —Should the breasts of the cocks be all dark or 
mottled ? Are the lighter or orange hued birds, whether cocks 
or hens, as good as the deeper or redder shade ? Will a smaller 
fowl, if more evenly marked, be preferred to a larger, though, as a 
symmetrical fowl, not so evenly mottled ? Any other suggestions 
will be duly appreciated by—A Beginner. 
[It is almost necessary to ask what you want before your 
questions are answered. If your birds are too light by all means 
breed from those you mention having blotches of colour, as they 
are too dark, and will probably give you what you want— i.e., 
more colour. A lacy appearance is wanted only on the wings, 
and is, in any other part of the body, a defect. 
The feathers on the mane, and hackle, must be more than 
tipped—they must be striped. The tail should be tipped. The 
feathers should be white, and tipped with black. Pure white 
wings are a positive defect. The tail of a cock should be white, 
