Evening star., 1896-02-13
Preparations Going On for Tomor-
rows Opening.
SCENES At CENTER MARzEP HALL
Shipments of Fowls and Pets
Pouring In Today.
A TREMENDOUS CACKLE

Center Market Hall has all the week
been the scene Of busy preparation for the
international poultry show. The sound Of
hammer and saw has echoed night and
day throughout the immense hall in which
the birds are to be shown, and gradually
the show is taking shape in readiness for
opening tomorrow morning. The show
rooms are the immense market hall on the
9th street side of the square, so feet wide
by 200 feet long. and six large rooms on
the Pennsylvania avenue side of the mar
ket. The entrances will be at the corner
of 9th street and Louisiana avenue and
from the bridgeway on Pennsylvania ave-
nue.. The place can be reached by the
Washington and Georgetown cable line the
Metropolitan and Belt lines, and the Eek
ington and Anacostia roads,
The main show room presents as fine an
appearance as has been attained hy any
poultry show yet undertaken in tlis coun-
try. Tho vast space Is filled with 1900
coops. arranged in eight long rows running
down the length of the hall These coops
are made of galvanized iron wire and sheets
or galvanized iron, and are provided with
neat doors and convenient water and grain
cups. They are portable and can be taken
down and laid fiat. The whole outfit has
just been used in the Madison Square show
in New York city, and is put in by the
Spratt people, under contract. It is prob
ably the most perfect show-cooping that
was ever devised or used.
Systematic Arrangement.
Every coop is numbered and labeled, and
the complete catalogue furnished by the
association makes it possible for the spec
tator to keep himself thoroughly Informed
of the breed and varietysof fowls in which
he may be interested.
A convenient classification will he made
IN the arrangement Of the various displays,
so that the visitor will find the American.
Asiatic and Mediterranean breeds by them
selves, as will also be the various water
| fowl and other specialties. A large space
| is being set of for the cat show, which, al
though an afterthought in the plans of the
association. has developed such interest
that 1t today promises to be not only a
large but very instructive, exhibition.
The side rooms devoted to various poul-
| ers, chicken houses, feeding utensils, bone
| mills. prepared foods, and the endless
| variety of accessories indispensably essen
| tial in the business of breeding and raising
| fowls, presented very busy appearance
| this afternoon as the numerous exhibitors
| were occupied in arranging and fitting up
| their entries. Sharply accenting the gen.
| eral din came the peepinS of hundreds of
| little chickens which are coming out of
| their shells in the fifty or sixty incubators
| shown. Some of them have been in the hall
for three weeks past in charge of expert
| chicken men. The settings" having been
| SO arranged that there will be a continual
| Matching all through the five days of the
| show, it will be possible for every visitor
/ process
| cuba ton.
| High Class Fowls.
! Poultry coops kept arriving yesterday al
! the hall all day until late at night, and this
| morning there came a deluye of deliveries
from all parts of the country Although
| but few of the birds have been today placed
in the cages, 1t was easily apparent thai
| the stock which will be shown is the fines
| the country can produce. The display o
buff fowls, which is the new and fashion
able fad in poultry breeding, will be prob
| ably as complete and as choice as has ye
| been undertaken in this country. From tn
old and well established and solidly -colore,
| Buff Cochin, which is the old =st buff bree,
In this country to the latest production il
this color, Buff Mnorcas, there may be see:
| Buff Plymouth Rocks, Buff Wyandotts
Buff Cochin Bantums and Cuff Leghorns
1t is beautiful color, and when develope,
In high-clasS fowls gives a bird that ma,
we'll delight the fancy Of the breeder
Added to the beauty of the huffs is the fac
that, as rule, they are fowls of the high
est utility, with more than the averag ge lay
Ing capacity, and all the good qualities Q
the best domestic birds. They make goo
mothers, and are gentle and docile to han
die.
From what may be seen today of tn
Asiatics it is safe to say that visitors t
the show have before them splend
treat. The light Brahmas that came in yes
| terday in large numbers, and kept comin
I all day today, are noble specimens Anon
| them are numerous cocks that weigh up t
! sixteen and eighteen pounds. They ar
royal fowls of high stature, magnifcen
breadth and girth, and almost beyond crit
clsm in marking. The display of Lang
shans, another Asiatic breed, is not onl
large, but presents an aggregation of fowl
of the highest quality. Thare is keen com
petition In this class, and there are score
of birds shown which have not for month
seen sunlight, the effort of their breeder
being to preserve their glossy black plum
age in its rich and unfaded beauty.