Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-26

speckled hen. She belongs to the feathered
4OO. as attested by the ribbon. She has
corn and water, which are the luXuries as
well as the necessaries of life for her, vet
she takes dreary view of things. See
that red rooster He didn't win any prize.
yet he is Growing ready to split his throat,
while his neighbor there, with the insignia
OF blue blood, has all the symptoms of the
dumps. Verify, as men are, so are chick
ems"
Then the mayor sat down to look at Pro-
lessor w. T. Wallace's band of trained
roosters, while the mechanism underneath
played The Irish Washerwoman.'' His
honor was very much impressed with the
exhibition and after it was over asked the
professor number of questions about the
Shanghai cocks with taste for Beethoven.
Who would have thought chickens sus-
ceptfble of such high training" he re-
marked, with a touch of irony
The professor, who is impervious to sat
ire, and who was fiattered by the attentions
of the mayor, sought to ingratiate with a.
burst of frankness. So he said:
You see, your honor, the birds don't
make that music at all. It's done with the
mechanism underneath when 1 turn the
crank. All We have to train the birds to
do is not get scared at the music
Il should think that would be very diff
cult remarked the mayor, with still more
irony.
''Oh, it does take time and patience" re-
joined the professor. with pride. I'VE have
to be careful in the first place to pick our
birds and take only the most intelligent
Then We cut their tails off. Did YOU ever
notice what peculiar effect that has upon
bird? Last winter, down in Hot Springs,
Ark, saw sitting out in front of a restau-
rant big turkey. He weighed rs pounds.
He was standing upon pedestal with
nothing to prevent his jumping off except
the fact that his tail was cut off. People
would walk up to him and touch him to
see If he was alive. 1t seems they are
afraid to jump off or fly from a high place
when their tail is cut off, for fear they will
lose their balance. The tail is a sort of
balancing pole. as 1t We're
Then chickens are afraid of certain COL
ors, too. Did you know that? Tie a green
string around a chickens leg and he will
pick 1t of every time. when he wouldn't
touch black or copper colored string.
They SEEM
But you were talking about the rooster
band" interrupted the mayor.
"Oh, so l was. Well, after we cut their
tails off, that's all there is TO do to the
rooster. The hard part of 1t is to make
those triangles and tambeurnes and ac-
cordeons and things to all clash together at
the same time. You see. We tie strings
But the mayor had become disgusted and
had walked away to look at a pen of
Plymouth Rock cockerels.
1t is estimated that 5000 saw the chicken
show yesterday. There were more chickens
sold yesterday than during any preceding
day of the exhibition. William Mcneil sold
two pairs of South American pheaSants to
A. E. Stilwel, who will hereafter keep
them on exhibition at Fairmount park
The exhibitors and poultry fanciers who
are in the city held a meeting last night
in parlor of the Midland. A resolution
was adopted declaring the judgment of
fowls by comparison, instead of by card. to
be the better way. A resolution thanking
the press of Kansas City for it's courtesies.
and promising that, if Kansas City will but
furnish hall large enough, the association
will next year give show five times as big
as any yet held here, was adopted. The
third and last resolution pertained to the
weighing of birds 1t declared that here
after birds contesting for prizes will not
be weighed by the judges.
The secretary of the association was pre-
sented with a beautiful gold headed cane.
the gift of forty-five of the fanciers who
have appreciated his efforts. The presenta-
tion speech was made by Theodore Stern