THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Maech 30, 1858. 
402 
stances where 1 would not give 5 s. for the ‘pens, an( ^ there 
were many splendid pens close to them. The consequence 
has been, that many amateurs have ceased to show, and more 
will follow them example, unless Committees will take this 
fact into consideration. I know a number of exhibitors and 
breeders of this class who went to Preston (though there 
were not one of them showing a single pen there) tor the 
purpose of seeing the awards. Some went forty, titty, and 
even seventy miles, and it was unanimously agreed that it 
must be a want of knowledge in the Judges, or such blunder¬ 
ing could not have taken place. The mistakes were so 
glaring, that they could never have been made wilfully. The 
individuals alluded to stand high as breeders and prize-takers, 
and have done so for a series of years, in the above-mentioned 
classes. 
It cannot be said that I write from a friendship for Mr. 
Worrall, for I never saw him, or passed with him a word, 
either written or verbal, in my life ; therefore, I write through 
neither fear nor favour. 
Let Judges be appointed with a full knowledge of the 
classes they are to judge, and then they will give prizes only 
to the really best birds ; they would not dare to stoop to any 
jobbery. They are a sort of public characters in the poultry 
world, and must expect to be arraigned before the bar of 
public opinion for incapacity, or wrong doing. I look upon 
Tiie Cottage Gaedenee as the proper and legitimate 
vehicle to disseminate all knowledge, and adjust all misunder¬ 
standings. Its columns are always open to truth and reason. 
With respect to grumbling losers, let us have efficient 
Judges, and they will cease to grumble. The Judges ought 
never, as a general thing, to reply to fault-finders.—1. H. 
[This correspondent has furnished us with his name and 
address, therefore, we now insert his communication. We 
do not insist upon every correspondent having his name 
published; but when he writes critically we do insist upon 
his confiding to us his name, so that we may judge whether 
his opinions are entitled to publicity and attention.— Ed.] 
THE LIVERPOOL POULTRY SHOW AND 
ITS HONORARY SECRETARIES. 
The explanations given in your paper of March 16 th, by 
Messrs. Moss and Worrall, cannot be considered satisfactory 
by the main body of exhibitors. 
Great allowances must be made for the unhappy position Mr. 
Moss was placed in, by the recent death of a near relative, but 
do either of the gentlemen mean us to believe, that if anyone 
else had been similarly situated, that he would have been per¬ 
mitted to alter his entries, or the name they were placed^ in ? 
I think not; and if there is one thing that exhibitors have a 
right to protest against, it is, meddling with the list of entries, 
after the date of closing, viz., 19th December ; and, I therefore 
think, a grave error was committed by Mr. Moss, in permitting 
any other name to be inscribed instead of his own. If his 
birds ought not to have been exhibited in his own name, they 
certainly ought not to have appeared in anyone else’s. 
I think Mr. Worrall has as much as he can manage, to 
giving explanations about his own Show, without gratuitously 
insulting the management of the Preston Show. I have heard 
of no one, but Mr. Worrall, who was dissatisfied with the 
i judging at Preston ; although I have heard of many who have 
been very dissatisfied with the awards at Liverpool, every 
year ; and I believe, that all readers of last year’s Cottage 
Gaedenee can easily understand the nature of Mr. Worrall’s 
objections to the judgments at Preston. 
I can only say, that Mr. Worrall has no occasion to 
( “ regret ” the management of the Preston Show, or any other, 
j but that he has quite as much as he can manage, to purge the 
I Liverpool Exhibition from an imputation, which is generally 
believed, that the Committee, and Judges, and feeders, are 
much too closely allied, to permit the public to consider the 
I Liverpool Poultry Show' “ An open Meeting.”—A n Exhibi- 
TOE WHO WILT. NOT SEND BIEDS TO LlYEEPOOL AGAIN. 
P.S.—I enclose my card and address. 
WARNING TO RAILWAY COMPANIES. 
Two hens, one belonging to B. J. Ford, Esq., of Exeter, 
and the other to Mr. Churchill, of Gloucester, were abstracted 
from their baskets during transmission on the railway from 
the Hereford Poultry Show. The thefts were committed by an 
artful felon, for he substituted for those stolen other hens of 
less value. A reward of £5 is offered for information which 
may lead to the discovery of the hens stolen, and the detection 
of the thief. We call him by his right title, though the 
handbill, with unmerited courtesy, calls him “ the party who 
has tampered with the said birds! ” 
CHARACTERISTICS OE SILVER DORKINGS 
—CLAIMS OF DORKINGS. 
It is quite clear that every show of poultry is more in¬ 
debted to the Dorkings for its success, than any other breed 
of fowls, and yet there is given less money to them than any 
exhibited. Liverpool and Wellington have introduced a fresh 
class—to their honour. Why should not Birmingham and the 
Crystal Palace do the same ? The Dorkings started with the 
understanding that they were to be independent of colour, so 
that they were well matched, and now almost every colour is 
excluded, but the Browns, which were first established by 
Capt. Hornby, in “ The Poultry Book.” I know our friend 
Mr. Baily is not prejudiced to colour. I, therefore, hope he 
will take up the cudgels in our favour—for I am a Dorking 
breeder—and advocate our cause. He is, of all men, the most 
capable. Let me hope that we shall not see another Crystal 
Palace Exhibition, without the Silver Greys in a separate 
class, which puts me in mind, Mr. Editor, to ask you kindly 
to inform us what are the necessary points and colours of a 
Silver Grey Dorking ?— Sussex. 
[The following are the requisite points in Silver Grey 
Dorkings :— 
Cock .—Black breast and tail; light hackle and saddle, not 
one white feather to be seen, and no intermixture of red 
feathers on the saddle or wing. 
lien .—Light grey body feathers, with white shafts; hackle 
striped black and white; salmon breast. 
The claims of the Dorkings to a greater share of the prize 
money, allotted to a poultry prize-list, has already been ad¬ 
vocated in our columns. We know that Mr. Baily lias always 
considered every colour admissible, save Black and White, 
and we hold the same opinion. We do not know any rule by 
which Brown birds are excluded, or disqualified. The Judges 
at Birmingham, last year, were not influenced by colour in any 
way, and their decisions were well approved. 
Seeing that every shade of Cochin, and every distinction of 
Game fowls, have prizes awarded to them, we have always 
thought the Dorkings entitled to more consideration than 
they receive; but we are disposed to leave the distribution in 
the hands of the Committees. 
A larger number of prizes would enable Judges to dis¬ 
tinguish both size and colour; but, while the rewards are few, 
they must be given to pens possessing the chief merits of the 
breed, and colour is not one of them.] 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Breeding Canaries ( A New Subscriber ).—If you refer to the index 
of our last volume, you will find a list and description of all the va¬ 
rieties. To select is a mere matter of taste. You will see, in the same 
volume, who took prizes for the best specimens. If you wish for first- 
class birds, write to the prize-takers, and buy a male bird from one, 
and a hen bird from another. There is no good book on the subject, 
but there is much spread through our previous volumes. 
Moist Food for Chicks ( J. L. D .).—You may use either cold or 
hot water for moistening the barleymeal, but give it to them cold now 
the weather is mild. 
Bird Dealer ( J. G. Dutton ) —We cannot recommend any one in 
particular. We hear that No. 12 of “ The Poultry Book,” is not pub¬ 
lished. 
London : Printed by Hugh Barclay, Winchester, High-street, in the 
Parish of Saint Mary Kalendar; and Published for the Proprietors, at 
The Cottage Gardener Office, No. 20, Paternoster Row, in the 
Parish of Christ Church, Citv of London—March 30, 1838. 
