EXHIBITIONS AND THE FANCY TRADE
=Conditions in the fancy trade.= The trade in fancy poultry and pigeons
and in cage birds is on a very different basis from the trade in market
products. With the arrangements for collecting poultry products and for
holding them when that is desirable, it seldom happens that market
products cannot be sold at any time when the producer wants to dispose
of them. The fancy trade is quite closely limited to certain short
seasons. In this trade prices depend as much upon the reputation of the
seller as upon the quality of his stock. Very high prices are obtained
only by those who have made a big reputation by winning at important
shows, and have advertised their winnings extensively. Buyers of fancy
stock prefer to deal directly with producers, and the greater part of
the business is mail-order business. It is almost impossible to force
the sale of this class of stock except by selling it for the table at
market prices. The producer can only advertise and wait for customers,
and what is not sold at fancy prices must be sold at market prices.
=Exhibitions.= Competitive exhibitions hold a very important place in
the development and distribution of improved stocks of animals. In old
times such exhibitions were informal gatherings of the persons in a
locality who were interested in the improvement of a particular breed or
variety. Our knowledge of these early gatherings of breeders of domestic
birds is very limited and is mostly traditional. From what is known it
appears that they were usually held in the evenings at public houses,
and that each person taking part carried with him to the place of
meeting one or more of his best birds; that these were compared and
their qualities discussed by the company, and that at the close each
participant carried his exhibit home.
[Illustration: Fig. 233. View of a section of a large poultry show in
Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts]
As the interest in breeding for fancy points extended, such gatherings
became larger and assumed a more formal character, and rules were
adopted for comparing, or judging, the birds; but it was not until about
the middle of the nineteenth century that the modern system of public
exhibitions of poultry, pigeons, cage birds, and pet stock was
inaugurated. The first exhibitions of this kind were held at the
agricultural fairs. Very soon after these began to attract attention,
special exhibitions, limited to this class of stock and held in suitable
buildings in the winter, became frequent. Now large shows are held
annually in nearly every large city and in hundreds of smaller cities,
and every agricultural fair has its poultry department. For the sake of
brevity, shows at which poultry is the principal feature are called
simply poultry shows, although they often include other kinds of
domestic birds and all kinds of small domestic animals.
A large poultry show, with a great variety of exhibits of birds and of
the appliances used in aviculture, affords an excellent opportunity to
see good specimens of many kinds. Those who have such an opportunity
ought to make the most of it. But the novice who can attend only small
shows will find that, while he does not see as many different kinds of
birds there and may not see many really fine specimens, the small show
affords the beginner a much better opportunity to learn something about
the differences that affect quality and value in fancy poultry and
pigeons.
At the large show there is so much to see, and the differences between
the winning specimens in any class are usually so slight, that only
those who are familiar with many varieties can make a critical
examination of the exhibits. At the smaller shows the varieties are not
as numerous, the competing classes are smaller, and the differences
between the specimens which win prizes are often plainly apparent, even
to a novice, if he has a clue to the method of making the awards. Those
who visit large shows can use their time to best advantage if they make
as careful a study as they can of the few things in which they take the
most interest, and take just a casual look at everything else. In the
four or five days that it is open to the public it is not possible for
any one to make a thorough, discriminating inspection of all that there
is to be seen at a large poultry show, and an experienced visitor to
such shows never tries to do so. At many of the small shows even a
novice, by studying the exhibits systematically, may get a very good
idea of all the classes and may add something to his accurate knowledge
of a number of different kinds of birds.
=Rudiments of judging.= While even an ordinary poultry show contains a
great deal that is of interest to those who know how to get at it, the
visitor who does not know how to study the exhibits and simply takes a
cursory look at all of them, tires of the regular classes at a show in a
very short time. After the awards have been made, the ribbons or cards
on the coops will show the winning birds and their relative positions,
but unless one knows something of the methods and rules of judging and
compares the birds with some care, he is likely to get the impression
that making comparisons between show birds requires a keener critical
faculty than he possesses, and to conclude that it is quite useless for
him to attempt to discover why the birds have been ranked in the order
in which the judge has placed them.
Judging live stock is not a matter of simple comparisons of weights and
dimensions. The personal opinions of the judge necessarily affect his
decisions, and as the opinions of men differ, their judgments will vary.
A judge is often in doubt as to which of two or more birds is (all
things considered) the better specimen, but he must make his decision on
the birds as they appear to him at the time, and that decision must
stand for that competition. No one, no matter how well he may know the
requirements of the standard for a variety and the methods of applying
it, can discover by a study of a class of birds all of the judge's
reasons for his decisions; but any one who will keep in mind and try to
apply a few simple, general rules can look over a variety that he has
never seen before, and of which he may not know the name, and (unless
the judge has been very erratic in his decisions) can see why most of
the awards in a small class of varied quality have been made.
These rules are:
1. The character or characters that most conspicuously distinguish a
type are given most consideration in judging.
2. Color of plumage is given more consideration than shape, unless some
shape character is unusually striking.
3. Quality in color of plumage consists in evenness and purity of shade
in solid-colored specimens, and in sound colors and distinctness of the
pattern in party-colored specimens.
4. The shape of extraordinary superficial shape characters, such as
crests, very large combs, heavy foot-feathering, etc., is usually given
as much consideration as color.
The first rule really includes all the others, and although this is not
usually admitted by the exponents of current methods of judging live
stock, in practice it is the fundamental rule in judging. One reason why
people who have a little knowledge of standards for well-bred poultry,
and of the methods of applying them, are almost always puzzled by the
awards at poultry shows is because they try to analyze them in
accordance with the commonly accepted theory of judging by points, which
assigns definite numerical values to certain characters. This theory
assumes that the judge, taking these values as a basis, computes the
values of faults with mathematical accuracy. This is not possible where
the computation is based upon an opinion.
To illustrate the application of the rules given, let us apply them to
some well-known varieties, taking first the Barred Plymouth Rock.
The conspicuous distinguishing character of this variety is the barred
color pattern; therefore color of plumage has most consideration in
judging it. The pattern is the same all over the bird; therefore every
feather should be barred. The pattern must be sharply defined; therefore
the colors must be clean-cut and the bars straight and of nearly equal
width on each feather, with the width of bars on feathers of different
sizes proportionate to the width of the feather. These requirements seem
very simple when stated, but a close examination of ordinary exhibition
Barred Plymouth Rocks will show very few specimens that closely approach
perfection according to the rules.
Now take the White Wyandotte. The most conspicuous character of any
white bird is its whiteness. In judging this variety, therefore,
whiteness will have more consideration than any other quality. White
Wyandottes are distinguished from White Plymouth Rocks by the shape of
the comb; therefore the shape of the comb will be given more attention
by the judge than if there were other distinguishing features.
Silver-Laced Wyandottes are conspicuous for their color pattern;
therefore the most important thing is that this shall be well defined
and uniform, the white centers clean and white and the black edges
intensely black. Uniformity in such markings is very difficult to
produce. A bird may be well marked in one section and very poorly marked
in another.
In Partridge Cochins the most conspicuous character is extreme feather
development; the next is color of plumage, which differs in male and
female. Feather development and the shape which it produces will
therefore have about equal consideration with color. In color the male
is black on the breast and body, with a red neck and back, the feathers
of the hackle and the saddle having black stripes in the center;
therefore, in the male, quality in color consists in blackness in the
black sections, a uniform red in the red sections, and clear and sharp
striping wherever it appears. The Partridge Cochin female has plumage of
brown penciled with a darker brown; therefore to the eye of a poultry
fancier the beauty of her color consists in well-defined penciling and a
harmonious contrast in the two shades of color.
A White-Crested Black Polish fowl is most conspicuous for its large
white crest; therefore the crest is the most important feature to be
considered in judging this variety. But color is also very important,
for if the white feathers of the crest are partly mixed with black, or
the black of the body is dull, the effect is not pleasing.
The Fantail Pigeon is most conspicuous for its fan-shaped tail;
therefore this is the most important thing in judging. The tail must not
only be large and well shaped, but must be carried in an attractive
manner. It must not be too large, because then the bird cannot carry it
in a good position. In addition to carrying the tail in a good position,
the bird must pose so that the whole attitude adds to the attractiveness
of the principal feature.
Similarly with the Pouter Pigeon, the globular crop, which is its
distinctive character, must be large and well formed, and in addition
the general carriage must be such as to show the pouting trait to the
best advantage.
[Illustration: Fig. 234. Almost complete view of a poultry show at
Worcester, Massachusetts]
The same rules of color which apply to fowls apply also to pigeons. The
color patterns of pigeons are much more numerous, but as a rule the
principal required features are at once obvious to any one who keeps in
mind the general rules that have been given.
After the more conspicuous characters, many minor characters are given
particular consideration. In theoretical statements of methods of
judging, these minor characters are often treated as of equal importance
with the conspicuous characters, but in ordinary judging practice they
are not often so treated, except in the case of disqualifying faults, to
be noted presently. The less conspicuous characters, including shape of
body (in regard to which the average fancier and judge is somewhat
careless, not discriminating between closely related types), become
important in making decisions between specimens which appear to be equal
in the more conspicuous characters. Because of this there is a tendency
to exaggerate some one minor character whenever a high degree of
uniformity in characters that are of primary importance in judging is
reached.
[Illustration: Fig. 235. Saddle Fantail Pigeon[28]]
[Illustration: Fig. 236. White Fantail Pigeons [28]]
[28] Reproduced, by permission, from "Domesticated Animals and Plants,"
by E. Davenport.
=Disqualifications.= The practice of judging the relative merits of
exhibition birds principally by a few striking characters tends to make
breeders and exhibitors neglect many little things which affect the
appearance of a bird. This is especially the case with exhibitors
competing under judges who are partial to some conspicuous character. To
prevent this, and to place the heaviest possible penalty upon serious
faults that are easily overlooked, certain faults are made
disqualifications; that is, a bird having any one of these faults is
absolutely debarred from competition, no matter how good it may be in
other respects.
There is general agreement as to the wisdom and justice of disqualifying
for deformities or for mutilations of the feathers to conceal a fault.
In regard to disqualifying for trivial faults, fanciers differ in
opinion. Many hold that this has been carried to a ridiculous extreme in
some cases. Thus, in all clean-legged fowls it is required that the
shanks and toes shall be free from small feathers, stubs, or down. Most
fanciers agree that conspicuous feathers and stubs should disqualify,
but many consider that to disqualify for a minute bit of down, which can
hardly be seen without the aid of a magnifying glass, is going too far.
Unless the judge has overlooked a disqualification (and this rarely
happens), none will be found on a bird that has been awarded a prize. If
in any class there is a bird which is not given a place, though
apparently superior to any of the prize winners in the characters most
distinctive of its variety, that bird usually has some disqualification.
The list of disqualifications is too long to be given here. It is not
the same throughout for all varieties. Exhibitors and breeders do not
attempt to keep track of the disqualifications (which are changed
occasionally) for any but the varieties in which they are especially
interested.
=Methods of judging.= When exhibitions of domestic birds were first
held, the awards were usually made by committees of two or three judges.
The object in doing this was to insure impartiality and to make
connivance between a judge and an exhibitor more difficult. It was found
that this plan did not work well. Often the opinions of one man
dominated, or, if the man could not have his way, the committee wrangled
and took too long to make its decisions. So by degrees the committee
plan was abandoned and a single judge made the awards in accordance with
standards and rules agreed upon by associations of exhibitors and
judges.
At first all judging was done by comparison of the specimens of each
class entered in competition. That is the method still in general use in
Europe and widely used in America. But to many exhibitors comparison
judging seemed unsatisfactory, because by it only the winning birds were
indicated, and exhibitors whose birds did not win usually wanted to
know how their birds compared with the winners. To meet this demand
score-card judging was adopted. In this method of judging, the
characters to be considered are divided into sections, which are named
in order on a card having corresponding blank spaces in which to mark
numerical cuts for faults in each section. The score cards used at
poultry shows where judging is done by that method do not indicate to
which of several possible faults a cut applies, except that, having one
column for shape cuts and another for color cuts, they show in which
class the fault appears. In many educational and private score cards the
names of the common faults in each section are printed in the space
allotted that section, in order that the fault may be accurately
checked. The use of cards with so much detail is not practical in
ordinary competition.
The score of a bird judged by the score-card method is the difference
between 100 (taken as the symbol of the perfect bird of any variety) and
the sum of all the cuts made for faults. The common cuts for faults are
1/2 for a slight fault, 1 for a pronounced fault, and 11/2 for a very bad
fault. Occasionally larger cuts are made for serious faults.
Theoretically the score is supposed to represent accurately the relation
of a specimen to a perfect specimen, but really scores only represent in
a general way the judges' opinions of the relative values of the birds
in a class, and indicate to the exhibitor where the judge found faults
in his bird.
=Exhibition quality and value.= The winning of a prize at an important
show gives a breeder of fancy birds a standing that he could not
otherwise acquire. The greater part of the sales of poultry of this
class are made by mail to persons who do not know the breeder personally
and do not see his stock until after purchasing. No matter how good his
stock may be, those who want to buy will not pay much attention to his
claims for its superior quality until they have such confirmation of
those claims as is given by the winning of prizes in competition. Then
the prices which a breeder can get for his stock will be regulated
largely by the prices obtained by other successful exhibitors at shows
of the same class.
There is a wide range of prices from those that can be secured for stock
of the quality that wins at the greatest shows, to those that can be
obtained for the kind that wins at ordinary small shows. High prices are
paid for noted winners and for other stock of the same breeding, as much
for the advertising value of ownership of fine stock as for the actual
value of the birds to breed from or to exhibit again. A breeder who wins
at some very small show may find it hard to sell either stock or eggs
for hatching except at a slight advance over market prices. Some
breeders who have made remarkable records in winning at the best shows
can get very high prices for their prize-winning stock and for the eggs
from it. Fowls sometimes sell as high as $500 each, and eggs at $2 each.
Pigeons also bring very high prices at times, although fewer people are
interested in them and sales are not so numerous. The ordinary prices
for good stock are quite reasonable, considering how few really fine
specimens are produced. The average novice finds that fowls at from $10
to $25 a trio and pigeons at from $5 to $15 a pair have all the quality
that he can appreciate.
In the early days of modern fancy poultry culture those breeders who had
great reputations could get relatively high prices for almost any bird
that would pass as a breeding specimen of its kind. This is still true
of breeders who successfully introduce new varieties or who suddenly
attain prominence with stock of their own breeding. But as the stock of
a leading breeder becomes widely distributed among smaller breeders, the
competition of his customers reduces his sales, and especially the sales
of the cheaper grades of stock. The most troublesome problem that the
best breeders have is to get rid of the lower grades of their stock at a
fair profit.
=Why good breeders have much low-priced stock.= Novices in the breeding
of fine stock commonly suppose that all pure-bred stock of any variety
is of uniform quality. When they learn that, as a rule, only a small
part of the young birds hatched from good stock is considered of
superior quality, they often conclude that the ideas and the standards
of fanciers must be wrong. Even professional and scientific men who
become interested in fancy poultry and pigeons often take this view and,
after considering the question carefully from their standpoint, try to
explain to fanciers how, by changing a standard, they might secure a
much larger proportion of specimens approximately perfect according to
the standard used. In the case of varieties in which the finest
specimens of the different sexes are secured from different matings,
many novices waste a great deal of time trying to convince old fanciers
that their standards and methods are illogical and unnatural.
To those who do not understand the philosophy of the interest in
breeding to highly specialized types the arguments for standards that
are adjusted to common results and are easy to attain appear to be
unanswerable. Upon the fancier who does understand this philosophy they
make no impression at all. The breeding and exhibiting of fancy stock of
any kind is primarily a game. The rules of the game are in a measure
arbitrary, like the rules in baseball or football or any other game. At
the same time they must be framed in the interests of the development of
the game as a sport and also as a spectacle. They must be reasonable and
must be suited to players of all degrees of skill.
Standards and rules for judging fancy stock develop just as the rules of
athletic games develop. A generation ago such games as baseball and
football were comparatively simple games in which boys and men might
take very creditable parts without devoting a great deal of attention to
practice. These games still afford recreation to many who use them for
that purpose only, but they have also been developed so that players of
exceptional skill play competition games for the interest of a public
which studies the fine points of these games and compares the abilities
of the players. People who take an interest in and patronize
professional or high-class amateur ball games do so because in them
skillful and well-trained players do difficult things. It is the same in
the breeding of fancy live stock to a high standard of excellence. When
a breed or a variety is first made, the interest of the breeders centers
in a few characters, precisely as the interest of a novice in any line
centers in a few prominent features. As breeders grow in experience and
in skill, and as the characters to which they first give special
attention become fixed, they demand better quality in these and also
turn their attention to the development of other characters. The more
difficult a combination of characters is to produce, the greater
interest the fancier takes in trying to produce it. When a standard
calls for a high degree of excellence in many characters, the proportion
of specimens of high excellence, as measured by that standard, will
almost always be small. It is because this is the case that the rare
specimens are considered so valuable.
=Fancy and utility types in the same variety.= The great majority of
American breeders of fancy poultry seek to secure a high degree of
practical value in combination with fancy quality in their stock. There
are some fanciers who breed only for fancy points, and some market
poultry growers who pay no attention at all to them, but as a rule those
who give market poultry special attention want well-bred stock of good
ordinary quality, and those who keep poultry for pleasure want the flock
kept for this purpose to supply at least their own tables with eggs and
meat. The breeder who wishes to combine fancy and utility properties in
any kind of live stock must breed only from specimens that are
meritorious in both directions, selecting much more carefully than when
breeding for one class of properties.