196 
FANCIERS’ JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 

What is meant to be understood when we see breeders 
offering standard fowls for sale, and at prices varying so 
much? Now, I have some good fowls, and have paid good 
prices for those that I have bought. I have dealt with men 
that I thought were honest; have had from them a descrip- 
tion of the fowls that they had for sale, also their price for 
the same, and oftentimes have I, after getting their descrip- 
tion, claiming them to be standard birds and so on, with 
prices so low when compared with other dealers, been afraid 
to order for fear something was wrong. 
Now, as I said, I have some good fowls; but I have not, 
nor never had, what I call a standard bird, not in the mean- 
ing of the word as I understand it. - I understand the word 
standard to mean one hundred points, and unless a bird can 
figure this he or she is not a standard bird. 
One other question I would like to have answered, for I 
feel somewhat interested. Is there not some way that a man 
(if he is entitled to be called such), can be shown up when 
he will stoop so low as to misrepresent his fowls, get a man’s 
money, and then send stock that is not as described? I 
know of parties that have received for their money fowls 
that were not fit to be called by the name claimed for them, 
and could they have been sent to some competent judges of 
the same, they would have been willing to have given them 
the fowls, and paid express charges, to have had the parties 
that sold them showed up in such a manner as they deserved. 
One more question and I am through. What is the use 
of parties that have been defrauded to come out in a long 
letter stating that A, B or C had cheated them in some “ fowl 
transaction,” as I often have seen in poultry papers? After 
reading the same I never have yet been able to see or learn 
either party’s name. There seems a disposition on the part 
of poultry papers to suppress all such names, for fear some one 
would be injured by publishing them; and I am free to con- 
fess that it might, in some cases, where parties have received 
what they claimed was not as it should be, at the same time 
they had received their money’s worth, having invested two 
or three dollars, and had expected to receive a bird with one 
hundred points, although they themselves could not count 
the points even should the bird contain them. But there 
are cases where, I believe, parties should be published, so 
that others might not be caught by the same rascal. 
Having said more than I intended, and probably more 
than I should, I will wait and see if the few questions will 
be answered. Yours truly, A. K. Martin. 
BINGHAMTON, March 9, 1874. 

(For Fanciers’ Journal.) 
FLOORS FOR FOWL HOUSES, 
Mr. Eprror. 
Durine the past three years I have been favorably im- 
pressed with the idea of using anthracite coal-dust, or screen- 
ings from coal-yards, for floors. Noticing the average good 
health of my neighbor’s fowls, whom I knew gave them but 
little attention, I made it my business to watch the habits 
of his flock. Sometimes he fed them, but as that depended 
upon Ais convenience it was only an occasional luxury to 
them, and they were compelled to forage or die. Near by 
were the coal-yards where horses and mules are often fed 
while loading, &c., and considerable grain is dropped in the 
coal-dust. Here they were obliged to scratch for their 
living. As they were in good order, I bought several of 
them for table use, thereby saving my own more valuable 
ones. They were always found in a healthy condition, and 

on examination never found any other gravel in the gizzards 
but small particles of coal. Since then I have used it for 
floors, covering the ground with it about five inches deep, 
and have found it to answer a good purpose. It being very 
loose is easily raked up, and does not become tainted as soon 
as dry earth, whilst at the same time it affords the desired 
gravel and a number one dust-bath for dark colored fowls. 
During stormy weather, when confined in the house, by scat- 
tering whole grain on such a floor, they can have tall amuse~ 
ment in scratching it around, and keeps them from mischief 
otherwise. Respectfully, 
A. C. HUNSBERGER, 
PORTLAND, Pa., March 7, 1874. 

(For Fanciers’ Journal.) 
CENTRAL ILLINOIS POULTRY ASSOCIATION. 
Jos. M. WADE, Esq. : 
I herewith send you a brief report of the first annual ex- 
hibition of the Central Illinois Poultry Association, held in 
Conservatory Hall, in this city, Thursday, Friday, and Sat- 
urday, February 19th, 20th, and 21st, 1874, requesting its 
publication in your valuable Journal. 
Our exhibition, I believe, is the first one exclusively for 
poultry held in this State, and although it was a feeble 
attempt-compared with what we hope to attain to, yet we 
think it very creditable, considering the fact that we are all 
beginners and had such a brief space of time in which to 
work the matter up since we organized. Many breeders 
were prevented from coming because of the lateness of the 
season, as they had made up their breeding-pens and did 
not want to disturb them. The weather was very inclement 
also (it rained almost constantly), which made the attend- 
ance much less than it would otherwise have been. We are 
very well satisfied with this our first attempt, but we hope 
next season to at least treble both the number of entries, 
variety on exhibition, number of visitors, and amount 
offered in premiums, of this year. The time (which we 
have not yet decided upon) will be announced in due season. 
Below I give a list of entries and awards: 
CLASS I—ASIATIOS. 
Light Brahmas.—Entries—C. Letters, two trios; W. H. 
Gilbert, one trio; B. R. Upham, one trio; James O. Hamil- 
ton, two trios; Thomas Mason, two trios; J. M. Huckstep, 
two trios. Awards—lst, J. M. Huckstep; 2d, Thomas 
Mason; 8d, J. M. Huckstep. Dark Brahmas.—Entries— 
H. M. Pratt, two trios; T. P. Stacy, one trio; Robt. Mason, 
two trios; J. 8S. Hilcher, one trio, imported; J. M. Huck- 
step, one trio. Awards—lIst, J. M. Huckstep; 2d and 34d, 
H. M. Pratt. Buff Cochins.—Entries—J. M. Culley, two 
trios; George W. Fox, one trio; P. A. Bartlett, one trio; 
E. De Freitas, one trio. Awards—lst, George .W. Fox ; 2d, 
P. A. Bartlett. Partridge Cochins.—Kntries—J. M. Cully, 
one trio; George W. Fox, three trios; T. P. Stacy, one 
trio; P. A. Bartlett, two trios; Charles Cassell, one trio; 
Timothy Mason, three trios; O. D. Fitzsimmons, one trio; 
J. M. Huckstep, one trio. Awards—lst, Charles Cassell ; 
2d, P. A. Bartlett; 3d, J. M. Cully. Black Cochins.—1st, 
T. H. Smaltz. 
CLASS II—DORKINGS. 
No Entries. 
CLASS III—GAMES. . 
Black-breasted Red.—Entries—A. J. Taylor, three pairs ; 
Ira Ennis, one pair; J. L. Craven, one pair. Awards—Ist, 
Ira Ennis; 2d, A. J. Taylor. Brown Red —lst, J. L. 
Craven. Duckwing.—I\1st, J. L. Craven. Silver Gray.—1st, 
J. L. Craven. 
CLASS IV. 
White Leghorns.—\st, William M. Buckingham. 
