THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION.— October 14, 1856. 
62 
slate for fixing the frame for the glass. Our frame is of iron, eighteen 
inches deep anil six inches wide, and painted green. The ends are of 
glass which looks better than wood. Consult a good glazier respecting 
the putty or cement to fix the glass, and see that the groove is the proper 
depth to hold it firm at the bottom.—J. Wighton. 
THE _ 1P0UjLTRYr M S ®LE. 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
Birmingham. December 2 nd, 3rd, 4tli, and 5th. Sec., J. Morgan, 
inn., Esq. Entries close November 1st. 
Coi.i.ingiiam, near Newark. Oct. 21 st. Hon. Sec., E. Turton, Esq., 
South Collingham. Entries close Oct. 14th. 
Essex. At Colchester, 8 tli, 9th, and 10th of January, 185/. Secs., 
O. E. Attwood, and W. A. Warwick. 
Gloucestershire. Nov. 26 th and 27th. Sec., E. Trindcr, Esq., 
Cirencester. Entries close Nov. 1st. 
Leominster. Thursday, October 16 . 
. Nottinghamshire. At Southwell, December 17 th and 18th, 1856. 
Sec., Richard Hawksley, jun. Entries close November 19 th. 
Nottingham Central Poultry Association. January 13, 14, and 
15. linn. Sec. Frank Bottom. Secretary to the Canary Department, 
Jno. Hetherington, jun., Sneinton. 
N.B.— Secretariesv’ill uhlige us by sending early copies of their lists. 
GETTING UP A POULTRY SHOW. 
To continue our history of the poultry maladies, their 
causes, effects, and cures, we shall pursue our inquiry as to 
exhibitors. There are many predisposing causes; among 
them, we may name—the glory of one’s pets ; the glory of 
self as the owner or breeder; gain ; and a spirit of emu¬ 
lation or opposition. 
Among the kindliest natures in a kindly pursuit are 
those who view their triumph at a Poultry Show as the 
triumph of the birds themselves. These exhibitors will 
not sell at any piice. Their birds know them, and on their 
approach look for the customary extra feed, just’ as if they 
were at home. Nor are they deceived. Those we speak of 
never forget their birds, and we have seen many such 
stealthily throw a little handful of some curious preparation 
into the pen every time they passed it. These are always 
people in easy circumstances, and a stout, smooth, civil 
man is mostly in charge of, it may be, two pens, each con¬ 
taining three 15an tarns. 
All these fowls are named, and while, in some cases of 
poultry nomenclature, classical dictionaries are ransacked 
for Hectors, Sapphos, and Phoenixes, there are always Pets, 
Romps, Pusses, Polly, Miss Mary, Dick, and so on. These 
are the best exhibitors ; they are easily satisfied ; they are 
people of veracity and high respectability ; and they are 
liberal subscribers ; but they are not sufficiently numerous 
to make a Show, nor do they exhibit many pens. The 
malady is never very strongly developed in these patients ; 
its cause is a desire for the distinction of their favourites, 
and the cure is very easy. The illness of one of their fowls 
is the most effectual remedy, or the assurance of a visitor 
that exhibition fever is the invariable result of sending 
them to such places. Frequent unsuccessful attempts will 
also cure it. 
Next we have to do with those who exhibit for their own 
glory, as breeders or owners. This is a very large class, 
and forms the mainstay of Exhibitions, because they are 
living advertisements. They are deeply interested, and 
they talk continually on the subject. At home they never 
lose sight of their birds; but the difference between this 
class and the preceding one is striking, because, one is 
the minister to his birds, and the other views them only as 
the means of his distinction. In the former class a sick 
bird would be brought in doors, and tended as a child; in 
the latter it will be given in strict charge to a servant. In 
the former, if the bird died, the owner would give up all 
idea of exhibiting ; in the latter, as soon as the bird was ill, 
another would be selected to take its placo. These are 
more selfish than the others. They are generally very good 
judges of their birds, and they form the class most dreaded 
by the regular Judges. As showing is their delight, and 
that depends on their success, so anything like failure is 
closely canvassed by them, and they have a gentlemanly 
way of asking questions, and a shrewdness (most of them 
are professional men) which will not be answered by gene¬ 
ralities, nor got rid of by the assumption of a little import¬ 
ance. They are looked up to by all parties, because they 
form the largest and most useful class of exhibitors. In 
these patients the disease has no paroxysm, but keeps 
at one uniform stage. It is very difficult to cure, and 
usually resists all treatment but the following: — The 
patient is more than usually successful at a Show; his 
birds are delivered to him in a dying state, after having 
been sent to the wrong ownen half a dozen times ; and on 
application for his medals, of which he is very proud, he is 
told “ the Show has been unsuccessful, and the committee 
hope, under the circumstances, ho will bo good enough to 
forego them.” This cures him for a time. 
Our next exhibitor is for gain. Of course, with him it is a 
real matter of business. He sends a great many birds. He 
selects them well, and at prices to suit all customers. No 
man is so eager to know the awards of the Judges, and no 
man knows so well how to take advantage of success. He 
is unremitting in his attendance, and never wanders from 
his own pens. Every tiling is with him matter of calculation, 
and the number of his entiles is generally guided by the 
amount to be paid for each pen. It is no passion with him, 
and his cure is easy. It suffices for him to take twelve pens 
to four Shows in succession, and to bring them all away 
unsold. 
The last class enter from a spirit of emulation or com¬ 
petition, or, perhaps, the least taste in the world of jealousy 
or envy. The boast of a neighbour or an acquaintance, or 
a disparaging remark on birds of which he thought well, 
will often induce a man to send one or two pens to a Show. 
No cure is here required, for the disease does not really 
exist. 
POULTRY AT THE WATERFORD 
AGRICULTURAL SHOW. 
At the second meeting of the “Waterford Farming 
Society,” held in the new Court House grounds of that city, 
011 Wednesday, the 24th of September, in addition to the 
prizes for bulls, cows, heifers, sheep, boars, and sows, the 
following were awarded for poultry :— 
Spanish. —P. K. Reid, Esq., Waterford, a Medal. 
Cochins. —P. Iv. Reid, Esq., Waterford, a Medal. Miss 
Paul, Mount Alto, Commended. 
Dorkings. —Mr. William Joyce, Abbey Farm, a Medal. 
Fancy Chickens. —Miss Paul, Mount Alto, a Medal. 
Aylesbury Ducks. —Major Quentin, a Medal. C. N. 
Bolton, Esq., Commended. 
Best Collection of Poultry. —P. K. Reid, Esq., the 
Silver Medal. 
There were, also, in the yard some remarkably fine Rouen 
Ducks, the property of Major Quentin, and a pen of Black 
East Indian Ducks, the property of C. N. Bolton, Esq., which 
were greatly admired. 
BRAHMA POOTRAS. 
I have now had Brahmas in my possession for three 
seasons. I prefer them for vigour of constitution to 
Dorkings, Spanish, Silver or Golden Hamburghs, or 
Cochins ; all of these I have tried, and have discarded all 
but the last. By referring to The Cottage Gardener 
pages, your readers would find monthly reports as to eggs 
in a trial I made between Minorcas and Cochins. It was 
greatly in favour of the latter, both as to weight and number 
of eggs; and in the 3rd Yol. of Poultry Chronicle is a 
similar trial between Buff Cochins and Brahmas; this was 
greatly in favour of the Brahmas as egg-producers. As 
layers-on of flesh they seem to me to surpass all others, 
and to my eye they do not yield the palm of beauty to any. 
For use they stand A 1 with me. As to purity of race, the 
difficulty will not be solved by ridicule. Would you kindly 
state what you consider the tests of purity of race in any 
breed of fowl? I cannot have had less than from 150 to 
200 chickens; they are all alike, except that, in some few 
cases, I have unfeathered legs, and I attribute this to the 
introduction of a male bird into my yard which was not, 
to my belief, thorough bred. It never happened last year, 
when I was certain of my stock, and I have long since 
killed the gentleman.—J. H. 
