The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-02
FINE BIRDS THE STARS.
OPENING OF THE ANNUAL POULTRY
AND PIGEON SHOW.

over sin Thousand Teathersa Champions CsEea
In Madison Square Garder-Each Standard
elias. High In Quality ana Many View
Varieties - Freak Turkeys with Crests.
-why.ce, we're snowbirds this season for
,o,r,' cacklcd the huge Light Brahma in tho
front cage as he caught a glimpse of tho wintry
n,poct OF Madison Square yesterday through q
frosted window. 1t was tho opening of the
ninth annual exhibition of the New York Poul-
FRY and Pigeon Association at the Madison
Square Garden. The chanticleer that declared
itself was a veteran Of three show circuits, and
the announcement set every cockerel and hon
In the cagos clucking with Elee at the old birds
lest. Tho snowfall, In spite Of the delays IL has
caused in transportation, has not kept any ex-
hibits from the show. for one reason, perhaps.
because many of the Canadian fowl had only
to make the journey from Boston, where they
played an engagement Of two weeks at the New
England show. A number of the ~roosters had
frost.bitten and blaokened combs. but by con-
sent the Judges did not count this as q special
defect, although unquestionably It cut down
the percentage for condition.
There arc about $500 feathered exhibits, in
oludlng all sorts. The 1000 chickens are tho
delegates from a vast army Of thoroughbred
fowl, estimated by the experts at 100, 900. The
exhibitors have ansaverage Of 200 at least In
their homo yards, while thero are some who
raise from 1900 to 2,400. thoroughbreds each
year. Tho figures look small compared with
the monthly output Of broilors or roasting fowls
turned out by the market providers, but each
thoroughbred is up to the American standard
Of perfection in. points, which is q much moro
difficult stock to raise.
This year there are no cages In tho balconies
1t, the Garden. Tho entire animate display IL
on tho main floor, with the incubators, breeders.
and trade auxiliaries In tho annex. The alterna-
tion:of breeding yards and single cages on the
main floor ID distinct improvement over the for
mer shows, at which the visitors had to climb
up aloft to view the poultry families. Two
owls blink under the electric lights at the Madi-
son avenue entrance, but the novelties on tho
side lines arc not particularly striking. The
cats number only ten, not 30 many as has been
heard in many a barnyard'concert. but the Per
SLAMS and Angoras are good specimens. The
rabbits. CAVES. and pet mice and rats area
good lot. Tho prairie dogs, with poorer luck
than the poultry, are snowbound on their way
from the West, but are expected this morning.
Tho cavie is q guinea pig,a playful.ittle. CT eature
and familiar by reputo to all who have read
tales of English schoolboy life. Tho word
cavie, however. is not o familiar one to Ameri-
shown in i've classes and in many coiors.
In the annex there is a display of hen eggs SO
great that 1t makes the ordinary show In the
barren waste. There are prizes for the best
and heaviest white and brown hon eggs and for
try failed to I'll. The managers say that tho
lack Of entries Is due to the hot temperature Of
a dai fGsrs spoiil T TIM fowl s1o s Tho istter t Claim %t tSSa
the prizo in each class, 81, is not worth trying
for, us i is less than a dressed turkey or goose
iish and French shows
mental breeds Of poultry and tho American ex-
hibitors in the standard. There Is not q breed
Of ors Consequence lSsn Il In n the LINES that that Is p %sa be o tier IN
tho Black Minorcsa, which tho breeders have
s sSeeia al S s@ssos cup 1G5c ofr On sp 81 ne the Slack @RP1Mif inSor sos
Club for the best cock, hen, ooekerel, pnllet and
S @sssh R gsn shG sna y WITS Sss '@gsnSei5 Bun FL fSc
latter is quit, q handsome lands = I. i breed reed, a, good Layer yer
Rocks. Tho Bun Plymouth Rocks. first seen
three sSe honest ssss' s ssS' f Ssn aGS a,n Ssss e P PiSmous e
Rock. The buns have 3 prominent place near
the Bun Wysnaotte. lighter than the Last and
In point Of beauty. If tho taste OF the viaitor
inclines to the, silver, Varieties, the Hght
BFHhmas and Silver Yer Wyan d bspr Of the
some showing, Of silverspaneled Hambargs.
ono of the breeds from which tho original Silver
Is hard to choose for beauty between the In:
Gochisss. n While the specified and crested Hou.
q thing Of beauty in its plumaee Of glistening
In the Black Langshans there Will DO one of
the keenest competitions Of the week. for there
Asiatic breed. Tho Hampstead Farm sends a
rooster that has six straight wins to its credit
e tnsiaISlRs sn a6't Is at f gsssGR. ad T. II 40. ~ 1sq sS on s the
perts, although DR.. F. NJ. Robinson and RIP.
keasbey show in nearby:pens. some aspirants for
than in former years. are the only class that
fence. Pit games travel on their muscle. how
ever, not their shape, 80 this does not mako
In ,Wyandottes the novelty Is tho golden PEN
cnled variety. one of the most handsome of tho
new evolutions in poultry culture. yet pos.
old American breed. iris is only the second
lime they have been seen In this country, having
The present specimens are far better in typical
points. In markings they arc equal to many OF
soior P4 sad lEEsS g2 haRs the Sh nsai VIZ SdHRlisa asa in
years to bring the golden pencilled chickens to
may be held TO be a real thoroughbred variety.
which are nearly as brilliant in plumage as
tropical birds, are the bellies and beaux IN the
bantam class. In the ANY Variety" class
there are some novelties. In cage number 1851
is the only specimen of the silky" variety on
view. Instead OF orthodox feathers this little
bird is clad With dainty. fluffy. white down, As
comb a saucily tilted cockade. Solitude does
not make the SILKY lonesome. for 1t Is as noisy
Brahmas.
There are'only two new varieties in bantams.
One. the Light Brahmas. first soon last year,
I. shown by, the ,Havemeyer brothers and some
cilled hackle feathers and %lustrous greenish
t~allss;with: silvered saddles, they reproduce all
the fine points of the parent type. This BAN
tam breed is slill IN the creative stage Of breed
wise Yery.close TO perfection..Newest Of all ban
Iams IN this class are some specimens Of the
Tor the first time the type 10 so true that 1t will
probably be classified soon.
Crested bronze turkeys are the feathered sen.
iatlon this year. One specimen halls from Fish
er's Island and two from North Carolina When
each owner found such an oddly in his breed
inE yard he fondly hoped TO surprise all corners
when his prize was shown here. There was an
sll'around surprise when each owner found that
M NEnL mot H. T. a. AZ MI