FANCIERS’ 
(For Fanciers’ Journal.) 
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION. 
WORCESTER, Mass., November 15th, 1873. 
JosEpH M. WADE, Esa, 
Secretary American Poultry Association. 
Dear Str: Ina recent number of the Poultry World, you 
invite suggestions from any person upon the revision of our 
standard of excellence for fowls. I feel somewhat diffident 
in responding to your invitation, becafse I am aware that 
the views which I entertain in relation to a standard are in 
antagonism with the prevailing opinions of our poultry men, 
and yet, having given considerable thought to this subject, 
und having carefully noted the workings of our present sys- 
tem of judging our exhibitions, I feel assured that my views 
are not only well grounded in theory but also well sustained 
by careful observation and actual experience. There seems 
to be a very prevalent idea among poultry men, that the 
standard has been made for the purpose of guiding the judges 
in their arbitrations of our exhibitions. Now, it seems to 
me that this idea has led to many serious errors, and given 
rise to much dissatisfaction in regard to judging. My own 
idea is, that a standard is made, or onght to be made for the 
exclusive purpose of giving expression to our highest idea 
of a perfect specimen in each variety of fowl, or whatever 
the specimen may be. In order to produce perfect speci- 
mens we must of necessity have a well-defined idea of what 
shall constitute such specimens, and we must, of necessity, 
lay down in some unmistakable form certain points as con- 
ditions, style, form, and color; but in order to do this, it 
does not become necessary that we should give any numeral 
value to these points in order to judge them correctly. For 
example, let us take the highest ideal which we have of 
beauty of form,—the human figure. The-Greeks, who have 
given us our highest types, have also given us certain ideal 
measurements for the several parts; as for instance, so many 
lengths of the head for the entire length of the body; so 
many for an arm, a leg, or a foot. 
measurements accurately and construct a drawing ora statue 
of the human form, does it follow that our work is perfect 
because it conforms to these measurements? By no means; 
for the beauty or the grace of the figure cannot be expressed | 
by numbers, and without these essentials our work would | 
prove a decided failure. The same rule will apply in form- | 
ing our ideal of a perfect bird. We can state what shall 
constitute a perfect specimen in condition, style, shape, and | 
color; but we cannot lay down any fixed number or num- | 
bers which shall express these points, because these points 
‘can only be felt, they cannot be expressed. I would, there- 
fore, respectfully suggest to the gentlemen who represent our | 
poultry interests at the coming convention, that they lay 
down as perfect an ideal as is possible for the guidance of 
those who would prepare for our exhibitions, but that they 
would omit any fixed numeral values to any of the specified 
points. 
In seems to me that in making this revision of our stand- 
ard we should endeavor to make it as perfect as possible, and 
in so doing we cannot ignore the fact, that after many years 
of study upon this subject, and many efforts dn the part of 
such an authority as Mr. Wright, to get round the difficul- 
_ties which constantly present themselves, he has at last de- 
cided that any numeral standard must of necessity be a 
failure, and the additional fact that all the prominent judges 
in England have decided against them as impractical and 
unreliable. 
JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 
Now if we follow the | 
3 
I have thus, in the limit of a letter to you, given a brief 
sketch of my views of what a standard should be, and what 
it should not be, or rather what it should not try to be; and 
I trust you will see some force in my position. 
Yours, very truly, 
H. Woopwarp. 
—_ +See + 
(For Fanciers’ Journal.) 
ON A SCALE OF POINTS FOR JUDGING 
EXHIBITION POULTRY. 
I po not take up my pen with a view of dictating to the 
American Poultry Association, to whom we brother fan- 
ciers have wisely left the formation of a new and correct 
‘* American Standard of Excellence,” and I hope it will be 
a correct and American standard. We have worked too long 
in the dark already under that erroneous work, the existing 
‘“‘Standard.’’? Wespend time and money to get a little finer 
penciling, more perfect points or a purer color; we get it 
after much study and pains; we exhibit our birds, confident 
of their superiority over all others we have ever seen, and 
anticipate getting the first or at least the second prize; we 
wait for the prize cards to be placed on the winning coops, 
and find we have taken fourth or perhaps no prize at all; 
and why is this? Because a faulty ‘‘Standard of Excel- 
lence’’ allows to size in its ‘‘scale of points,’” a numerical 
value inconsistent as regards the comparison of the same; 
with the value of other points and with the number given as 
the standard of perfection; in some breeds this value is as 
high as one-quarter of the ideal number, and in one instance 
over one-third ; the consequence is, the man who has only 
paid attention to early hatching and inordinate feeding, 
_ walks off with the highest honors with his “ beefy,’’? pam- 
pered, and useless ‘‘ meat machines.’’? I think I can safely 
affirm that they are not ‘‘ egg machines.”’ 
This is only one of the errors of the above-mentioned 
work, but I will not enlarge on them ; the whole system of a 
scale of points as there laid down is wrong. The best method 
which has as yet been proposed or offered to the public, is 
that originated by Mr. L. Wright, and published in his 
| Illustrated Book of Poultry; his theory of valuing defects 
solely I consider correct, and upon trial have found his 
i scales remarkably easy of application and certain in their 
"results, except that in some of the scales as therein published 
I do not agree with the comparative value as given to some 
| points in proportion to the value of other features, or rela- 
tively to the ideal number. 
However, the principle is correct, as are also, in the main, 
the scale or plan of comparative rank, and while I hope to 
see them adopted in the new ‘Standard of Excellence,” I 
also hope that the scales will be modified where necessary to 
represent American ideas. 
— 
GrorRGE F. CLARKE. 
Boston, November 26th, 1873. 
+ oe + 


(For Fanciers’ Journal.) 
MARYLAND POULTRY ASSOCIATIONS, 
We have made many attempts to accomplish a poultry 
show in the Monumental City, as yet without success. In 
the beginning of this year a number of gentlemen started the 
Maryland State Poultry Association, and a grand exhibition 
was to have been given, in conjunction with the State Fair 
at Pimlico. An excellent premium list was arranged by the 

