The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-07
And BOOSTERS
Galore.
BIG SHOW is OPEN.
Prize Winning Poultry
Cackle and Grow in Clinton,

Clinton, Dec. 6.-Who hasn't been to
the poultry show doesn't know what
thoughtful men are doing to give the
people eggs and fowl to eat Today is
exclusively the day of the gallinaceous
crew in Clinton. The Clinton Poultry
Association is exhibiting nearly 500
birds in Bigelow hall, all classified and
displayed in neat pens.
The exhibition includes a showing of
80 white Wyandottes, the best display
of this beautiful bird ever seen in this
vicinity.
All day long the judges have been
busy examining the birds and award
ing premiums. Tonight an occasional
strip of ribbon, with the words FIRST
premium" or Second premium print
ed on it, was attached to here and there
cage. But the cage did not bear the
name of the owner. The Judging will
be completed tomorrow, and The rib
bons will be pinned on wherever they
are not already pinned, and The name
OF the owner of the winning bird Will
be tackled on at the same time.
The names are not put on the pens
because the managers of the show are
determined that the prizes shall be
awarded with absolute fairness.
The judges are four Of the best
known poultry raisers in the Business.
A c. Hawkins of Lancaster, H. S. Bail
of Shrewsbury, Harvey B. May Of Ma
tick and f. G. Pingree of Littleton are
the men.
The score cards attached to the pens
attracted great deal of attention
from visitors tonight. Not many per
sons understood them.
They are divided into ten sections, in
each of which the fowl may score a
possible ten points. Ten on condition
and weight, ten on comb and crest
and so on Each breed is
judged by the standard for that breed,
or more accurately by the standard
that exists in the mind of the judge
Exactly the same standard does not
exist in the minds of each of two
judges.
A very little thing will disqualify a
bird, that to the eye Of the novice is as
handsome as fowl can be. An entire
pen of white Wyandottes was disquali-
fed this afternoon because the legs of
the birds showed evidences of having
had feathers on them. There were
little pinhoes, from which the little
feathers seemed to have been pulled
L is hard and fast rule that none of
the Wyandotte breed shall have a
tinge. even of down, growing on the
yellow shank of the leg.
The judges are subjecting this arts
tocracy Of pullet and cockerel to tests
that would disqualify nine out of ten
of the best groomed and best bred
ladies and gentlemen in the world, if
the latter were to be judged by as fine
La human standard as the gallinace@Is
folk are fowl standard.
If the weight isn't at least seven and
a half pounds for an adult hen, off goes
one or more points. The comb must be
just so crimson, the eyes so red. and the
head 50 dainty. The shape and color
of the back and breast, the shape and
color of the body, the wings, tail, legs
and toes are considered, and the fiuff
Fluff" is the downy little feathers Of
the fowl that grow under the wings
What is no more than a mole on the
neck of maiden is a fatal defect in
one of these Wyandottes. so far as first
premiums are concerned.
There is an excellent showing of all
the Wyandotte tribe at the show: the
golden, the buff, the silver and the
black, as well as the white
F. D. Leisure of Winchester, n. H.
shows thirteen-pound golden Wyan-
dotte that has taken prizes at Boston
and at Fitchburg
Wood N Freeman of Fftchburg has
more birds in the show than any other
single exhibitor. SO in all. of Which a
large proportion are Wyandottes.
Wyandottes, as Andrew Leinhardt.
superintendent of the hall, explained %
the Clinton correspondent of The Spy
are closely allied to the Plymouth Rock
Both breeds are from the American
strain, and are a rare combination of
eating and laying qualities.
Nevertheless they are not as fine table
BIRDS as can be seen in the pens where
the Indian games are. These birds are
famous for the quantity. quality and
Whiteness of the meat that grows upon
their breastbOnes. The specimens in the
show are fine to see and would be
equally fine to eat. Their drawbac ks.
Mr.. Leinhardt says, is that they do not
reach maturity rapidly, nor do they be
come broilers quickly, and that is why
they are not so often found upon the
table
There are some black Java birds in
the show. They are splendid eating.
But they are not a profitable bird to
raise, because the meat is dark and
they don't look as well in the narItat
as some tougher birds.
A good many people went to the show
and didn't know that there was nation
atty in fowls until they got there. Rut
Just so surely as the Wyandottes. the
Plymouth Rocks and the Javas and the
Domlniques, in the show, are of a patrf
otlc American strain, so are the
Brahmas, the Cochins and the Lang
shans OF Astatic origin; so do the Leg
hofns and the MinOrcaS come from tho
nelghborhOod of the Mediterranean