THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2331, 3 November 1898, Page 42

THE KENNEL.

IFanolersana breeders o< dogs "C coidjally invited to contUbutc Items to this column. " Terror rll endeavour to make his department as interesting and up-to-date as possible, but So order to do this be muit liavu tUe co opeiation ornisre*d is hence he trusts this imitation will be cheerfully responded to.]

NOTES BY TERftOK.

— The entry for shepherds' dogs at the Timaru show is reported to have been about the same as usual. Long-haired collies are evidently the more fancied in this district, there having been- a dozen of these and only two short-haired named in the catalogue, and the classes were creditable in the respect that entries represented very nearly as many owners. Class prizes 30s and 10s. Short-haired collie— E. J. Fraser's Fame 1, J. S. Reeve's Fly 2. Long-haired— D. Grant's Toss 1 ana Don 2, D. Halley's Scott v.h.c. — Petz, Mr Gladstone's favourite dog, ,vho died of a broken heart through his master's absence, just as the latter was returning to Hawarden Castle for the last time, is commemorated by a memorial stone, which has been placed over his grave. The inscription reads : — " Petz ; born at Schwalbach, 1886 ; died at Hawarden, March 27, 1898. Mr Gladstone's favourite dog, faithful unto death." — The English Spectator says: — "Cats are now a serious and remunerative object of the stockowner's care ; the prices made do not approach those obtained for dogs, but HZ each is a common average price for kittens in selling classes at the shows. _ Cat breeding is by no means a woman's specialty. It is not easy to determine the class which does devote its energies to producing the lovely Persians, Angoras, short-haired silver tabbies, and tortoiseshells seen in such numbers at the shows. From the addresses of the exhibitors we gather that sons of peers, publichouse keepers, and railway guards and signalmen are about equally interested in pedigree cats." — On a recent Wednesday, according to the Blackpool Gazette, for once in a way, the magistrates, clerks, officials, policemen, and public at Kirkham Petty Sessions indulged in a broad smile. It w*s over a dog muzzling case, and one of the defendants, out of respectful courtesy to the bench, ad- [ dressed to the magistrates a letter of anoloey

I for non-attendance at court. The bench had some difficulty in deciphering the handwriting. Their pride was also gently tickled by the superscription of the envelope — Lokd Chief Justice, County Court, Kirldiam. Withouu much regard for the calendar, the letter proceeded : — 9th July, 1888. To the Lord Chief Justice. I , I'm sorry I cannot attend your court to-day, howing to perfishenly dueties, and I'm also sorry to say I was not at home on the twenty-sixth day of July, so I cannot say if my dog was out on that day or not, as know one saw him out. I am, yours obediently, Fined ]s and costs. — A gentleman from Lisbon took a fine Newfoundland dog to a hotel in London. One of the waiters in the hotel was angry with the animal, and tried to prevent his going about the house as he pleased. The ■ dog, however, Avith one blow of his paw i threw the waiter down, and then went hib way without further molesting him. Whenever his feet were muddy he walked very quietly down the passages and up and downstairs, but when they were dry he ran along with a loud and heavy tread, making as much noise as a lad would have done. After he had been two days in the hotel he was very thirsty, and wanted some water to drink. A gentleman who was staying there saw him run to the kitchen, take a pail in his teeth, and carry it to the pump in the yard. The dog seated himself beside it and waited till one of the servants came up, and then made such expressive signs that the wan quite understood him, and pumped until the pail was full. Having drunK tip the water greedily, and so quenched his thirst, the dog carried the pail carefully back to the kitchen, and laid it down in the place whence he had taken it. Next, please ! —In " Notes for Novices " Our Dogs says : — '' A dog has, nominally, about 40 teeth, more than half of which are 'grinders.' These teeth may be likened to a powerful piece of machinery, which by constant usage { will keep itself always smooth and polished and ready for its work. If it be neglected it will sorn become dull and coated over with the rust of idleness and practicalh will be useless for all the puiposes for which it was designed. So it is with a dog's teeth. Mother Nature, fcreseing the life her dogoffspring will hare to pass through, furnishes him with these powerful grinders — strong enough to crush bones. It is the very use of them that keeps them smooth and polished — that preserves their hard enamel surfaces and keeps them bright and sweet and healthy. But if they are not used they very soon become stained — the enamel softens and there is an end of them. The teeth, by the way, are liable to the ravages of ; minute organisms which, of course, regular use keeps them clear of. Well, the moral of this topic is what we suggested in the last ' Notes ' — that a dog should frequently have hard substances to gnaw so as to provide plenty of work for his teeth. "When a dog's teeth become decayed, the mouth becomes sore and ' cankered.' and the animal is, as a rule, a very unpleasant companion. It should be borne in mind that one decayed iooth if left to itself will contaminate the rest of the teeth ; so, if our previous advice be carried out, and the dog's teeth ije examined from time to time, any decayed stump will be at once removed— this ought to be done by some competent person — and not only Avill the patient be given relief from present pain, but he will be . spared future pain also, probably. If the mouth should be tender, with sores forming on the lips— which will soon give out a very offensive discharge — a mouth wash will be necessary. This can be made quickly by adding a few crystals of permanganate of potassium to a teacup full of water. Get a soft sponge and bathe the lips with this solution for a few minutes. Another good mouth wash can be made by dissolving a little borax in some hot water and adding a few drops of the tincture of myrrh. Myrrh has a most excellent effect in hardening gums which are tender ; and when a tooth has been extracted there is nothing better to apply to the wound than simple tincture of myrrh." THE SABLE QUESTION. Dear Terror,— As the second paragraph in my letter appearing in your columns on the 20th has become somewhat worried, to iise a canine expression, I must request you to have it patched up. The paragraph should have read (no doubt bad writing has much to do with mutilation) [Yes, a very great deal. — Tebboe.]: "Any poodle will do to 'yap' behind a mob of sheep at its master's feet, and so far as leading fat sheep goes it by no means requires the highest intelligence or best of coloured dogs to perform that duty, when the dog is invariably under its master's eye," etc. While on the subject I would like to submit a few questions, the replies to which cannot fail to be of interest : — (1) Is it not easier to see or pick up a man dressed in dark clothes at a distance than one in light? (2) Is not a big opponent more obtrusive than a small one? (3) Is there an instance of a sable (as I use the term) being worth a shilling to a practical man? I don't believe one has been whelped that would evon follow a crooked stick or a day's beat on the Nanmaurangi. (4) What does a sable look like when lipped? As wanting in " cbmtourment " (sic), cranium, I fancy. (5) Can you name an instance of a sable (personal knowledge) being good at anything worthy a clog— that is, say, for sporting? (6) Which are the easiest taught anything —the sable or the commonest of mongrel workers? (7) Which is the easiest reared, a show bench beauty or a sheep dog? (8) What colour is used say on railways for signalling in foggy weather?' — I am, etc., Black and White.

Dear Terror,— After reading all the correspondence re sable collies, I must say from experience that most of it is rubbish. I have had 25 years' experience in working collies — ever since I left school — on both high and low country. In fact, I have mustered and shepherded from here to Mount Cook and down to Oamaru. In my time I have had five sables, four off-hand dogs (and good ones) and one a huntaway, and I never had the least trouble to pick them u& on the hill. In the

controversy there is only "A Shepherd" who says he had or has a sable. I well know sables are not liked by most shepherds. I have heard men who never owned a sable say they were hard to see. Mr Bennett says they are hard to sac on a moonlight night. Rot! Why you can always sco a light object on a clear or dark night when you can't see a dark one. I have sal up a good few nights with sheep, but we always picked a clear spot to camp on. As for sheep or lambs following them, well, I never saw any sheep offer to follow the sables I have had. They were too firm for that sort of work, and of any sables I have seen working I only knew one clog that sheep would work on. Sheep will work on any dog that is slack — black or any other colour. As to lambs, if you want a dog for lambs to follow hunt a white one. I have had one, but the conclusion I have come to is, don't hunt a dog at all. If they break let them go, and they won't go far. "Lizard" says that the smooth-haired dog at the Dunedin show was his idea of what a sheep dog should be. Opinions differ. My pick, and that of two other old shepherds, was a dark sable alongside him "Another Shepherd" seems to have a great opinion of his breed of dog 3. When he has bred the pup that will lick creation let us know, as there are half a dozen cockies hero who have dogs that they think can beat anything this side of the line. In picking i-i'ps, in my opinion the head is not everything. No matter what headpiece a dog may have, he is no good if he has not the feet to carry him. I always pick a pup by the feet — that if, of a good working strain ; but it is like drawing tickets in a lottery, the prize is very often lett to the last. "Black arsd White" tnlks about Mr M'Donakl's experience re the capabilities of a eoJlie. It is himnplf that should sign " Inexperienced," not " Unbiassed," as the driving down country dog is equal to his high country brother, if not his superior. Let "Black and White" get on to a chain road, half taken up with gorse, with a head wind and plenty of dust, and then he will know whether any cur can drive fat sheep. Or let him g.-et betv.eea bad fences with sheep on either sie'e, then he would appreciate a good dog, and with unage you can easily roads, and I have seen work done that I never saw -tlie hill dog. that could or would attempt. As to colour the greatest curs I have known were bb.ck and tans. A good eye, big heart, sjood feel, and it doe^ not matter what colour, you have a good dog, and with isaga, jou oan easily pick him ip on a*iv c mr-ti-y. "'.Tack the Flak" ud'cs about Morvsn Hills and the black sheep. WeU, let me tell him that one of the best dogs on fiat station is a sable, and his lat« owner tells me that he niusleivd there for 20 wesk=i on end and '■•p never lost, a sheep Vmt lie huntod him on. He Las a soa (a sable, too) that will be equally r>s good. I would advice any shepherd to try (if he has a good slut) a litter by Heather Pluck. I have here at present a daughter of his (an aristocratic young lady, full sister to Heather Dhu) which is the makings of a good hitch. I have crossed her with one of my old friends, a smooth-haired collie. I have taken r>rizes at dog trials both here and in Canterbury, also on the show bench. I am like " Another Shepherd," expecting to have pups that will lick creation, both as to looks and work : al\ his pups are workers. — I am, etc. Hyde, October 29. Ex-Shephebd. Dear Terror. — I have read the correspon- j dence in your column as 'regards the most de- j birabl° colour arsd breed of collie dogs, and would suggest the following method of settling the question. lam quite willing to get a pup : of a dark colour from an ordinary working breed, train him and run him at, say, 12 to i 18 months old ugainst any sable-coloured , pedigreed benching pup of the same age in j this colony on any rough, tusoocky country to be selected by any established collie dog I trial club in Otago or Canterbury, trials to consist of, sa-" quarter-mile heading, bringing- back, and 3'arding, and half mile heading and bringing back, three merino wethers for each clog every run and trials to be for, say, 15 minutes, or until the run is completed, and to continue, dogs running alternately, until each dog is unable to work gffeep any longer, i the dog gaining the most points during the ! day to be declared the winner, judges to be | elected and details arranged by the collie dog trial club under whose auspices the match may be held. I am willing to make the match for a stake ; of, say, £20 a-side, and in the event of my j winniner I shall hand it over to the club to ; which I belong, in the hope that it may found a nucleus for a New Zealand champion prize to be decided on the principle that " handsome is as handsome does." When colonial fanciers follow the lead of many of their old-country brethren and establish studs on sensible lines, then they may, with the assistance of shepherds, improve the breed. Meantime I would recommend them to do away with all the long-nosed, narrowheaded, soft-eyed, weak-hocked, and, worst of all, " gritless " curs we so often see on the benches, and instead breed what all practical men desire, and that is A Game Dog.

POULTRY NOTES.

Br Teheob.

—Mr L. Spatz, proprietor of the Queen's Hotel, Albany street, called me in last week to see his fo\vls. His chief pride appears to be an Indian game trio, consisting of the first prize cockerel, first prize hen, and third prize pullet of the last Dunedin show, all thriving uncommonly well under their present treatment. Mr Spatz has already a very strong and racy-looking clutch of chicks from these birds, and presuming that h ; s bant lies in that direction I fancy he will have to be reckoned with at future shows. That it is his determination to possess nothing bufr the best stock is manifest enough, for besides the clutch just mentioned I saw Langshan chicks from Evansdale and Minorcas from Mr Sprosen, of Dunedin, and Mr Waters, of Port Chalmers, all, considering their respective ages, looking wonderfully forward and healthy. Mr Spatz's fowls are at present housed in a large stable, consisting of three double stalls. Each stall is wired off as a separate compartment and fitted with perches, trays, and nests for about a dozen birds, and being spacious and perfectly dry will afford ample accommodation for that number of fowls. The perches are movable^ — not too high (about 3ft) from the ground, and by an arrangement of slots in the end supports can be shifted to or from the wall as the size of the birds may suggest, or lifted out altogether for cleansing when required. The trays are fitted with ledges and are laid on the sloee, and as each house ha^ its own

shovel and supply of ashes Mr Spatz claims that the operation of removing the droppings, which takes place each morning, occupies only a few seconds. The floors of the house are covered with several inches of dry mould, necessitating vigorous hunting and scratching to obtain the grain thrown on it. As I have said, Mr Spatz's chickens all looked surprisingly forward for their age, and I inquired his opinions on the feed question. This fancier, however, was " nob on." Said he, after I had explained my own simple methods, "That's all right for your birds ; all you want is eggs, but I want feather, lustre, size, bone, and muscle, and to gain prizes I must excel in these." He then showed me half a dozen different bins apparently containing meal, but with respect to which my readers and I must be satisfied with the information that they each contained a mixture of some five or six different ingredients. Next show, perhaps, •we shall be able to estimate what Mr Spatz's secrets are worth. — Since last writing I have also seen Mr Taggart's poultry yard at Musselburgh. On this occasion I had no other facility for inspection than that aiforded to any other passer-by — i.e., a peep over the fence. Amongst a very mixed lot — a veritable farmyard collection — I saw several very indifferent specimens of purebred Langs'hansj, Minorcas, black Spanish, Andalusian, ana Leghorn ; also a number of what an up-to-date fancier who accompanied me termed "just fowl." The handsomest birds to be seen, however, were neither purebred nor " just fowl," but first crosses, black SpanishLangshans, and it is of these I wish particularly to speak. The first to attract my attention was a cockerel, a very handsome fellow of great size, dashing deportment, bright red face, wattles, and comb (the latter of the Langshan shape), and large snowy-white ear lobes. His tail is of the full black Spanish type, legs long and clean, and his plumage generally simply gorgeous in. the extreme, illustrating the beauties of the two breeds he represents, but, if possible, more lustrous than the best of either. Some pullets of the same breeding were also veryattractive looking birds — just the thing for the fanner I should think, being heavilybuilt, indicating table properties, and their bustling busy movements suggesting to me llur. they would also be good layers. It is worthy of notice that these first crosses are from -very indifferent representatives of 'he pure breeds. —In reply to " Inquirer," water glass for preserving eggs, can be obtained ucm Messis Kempthorne,-Prosser at 2s per Ib. — I am told that from a sitting of Wyandottes obtained from Sydney, Mr Peter Sinclaii has got seven chicks, this being one more proof that eggs can be piofilably obtained from distant places. — Inquiry is continually being made respecting the possibility of obtaining, locally, changes of strain in Langshans. So far as I know Mr Rogen, of Evansdale, Messrs Double Bros., of Invercargill, Mr Fenwick, of Anderson's Bay, and Mr Buckland, of Waikouaiti, are the only fanciers who can be re^'ed upon for distinct strains.

MINORCA STANDARD OP PERFECTION.

The following is the standard as laid down by the Minorca Club in England: — COCK iieak — iairt* Jong, but stout (dark hora colour) . Head — Long and broad, so as co carry comb »mte erect. Comb — Sing-Jo, large. <s\ev.ly serratert, perfectly upright, firmly set on head, straight in front, f ree from any twist or thumb mark, reaching well to the back of the head, moderately rough in texture, free from any side sprigs, not toe far over the front of beak., spikes equal to the blade in depth, arching well over but not touching the neck hackle at ihti back, five to seven spikes (coral red). Wattles — Lorg, rounded at tht- ends (optn, coraJ red). Face— Fine In quality, as tree from feathers or hairs as possible, and not showing anywhite (coral red, absolutely devoid of white). Earlc.be — Mediurx in size almond-shaped, smooth, flat, fitting- close <o the head '3pure white in colour). Eye — Full, bright, and expressive (dark). Neck— Long, nicely arched, with Sowing mtckle Body — Broad at "boulder, squara and com part, deep. Back — Broad, and ratner long and flat. Wings — Moderate in length, neat .vnd fitting close! tc the body, free from white feathers Breast — Full, rounded. Thighs. Legs, and Feet— Medium l?npch and stout (thighs medium length aad tout, legs black or dark slate. Toes— TToui, eet well apart. Tail— Full, sickles 'ong well arclwa, ana carried wel? back. Sice — Large. Carnage — Upright, gractful. ]-'... Weight -From silb to 81b. '!" J , P^mage — Tight, and glossy black. HEN &eai: — Fairly long, but stout K dark liora colour). Head— Lonfe and broad. Comb— Single, fairly largo, evenly serrated, arched, drooping well down over side of itiea, slightly /ough in texture, free from any side sprigs (evenly and deeply serrated, drooping well over the side of face so aa not to obscura tlie sight, five tc seven spikes). Wattles— Long, rounded at the ends. "^ ace — Fine in quality, as free from feathers or hairs as possible, and not shoving anywhite. Earlobe — Medium in sL&, wlniond sliapet!, hinooth, flat, fitting close to the head, .athcr raort) rounded than in cock. Eye — Full, bright, and expressim Neck — Long, nicely arched. Body — Broad at shoulder, square a^cl compact, deep. Back — Broad, and rather long and flat. Wings— Moderate in length, neat, and fitting close to the body, free from white feathers. Breast— -JFull *nd rounded. Thighs, Legs, and Feet— Medium lengfh and stout (thighs medium length and dtout, legs black or dark slate). Toes— Four, set well apart, and stiaight. Tail — Full, neat, carried ivell back, compact. . Size — Large. Carriage—Upright and graceful. Weight— From 51b to 6ilb. Plumage^ — Tight, and glossy biacfc. COLOUR OF BLACK MINORCAS— OOnK OR HEN. Beak.— Dark horn nn'nnv

Comb, Face, and Wattles — Dark blood red. Earlobe — Pure white. Legs- -Black or very clack slate. Plumage— Glossy black. COLOUR OB 1 WHITE MINOIICAS. Beak-White. Eye— Rod. Comb, Face, and (rtaltics— -xilood _e<3. Earlobe— Pure White. Legs — Pinky white. Plumage — Glossy whito. VALUE OF DEFECTS 111 JUDGING MINORCAS. Points,. Defects in face, bloated red, coaiaei-esa or too hairy „, 1^ Bad shaped or twisted comb, oadly «*«<•- lated ... M ... ... ,* >t. 'Wanted size, (10) , 15 Wrinkled, folded, or stainec. lobs .w JU Defects in oolour .... ... ... 10 Want of condition „ ... .„. :.O Want of .tyle and eynj.n-jtry ... ..* ,"\) Too light legs, e\ps or hiA's p. .. & ? Crooked breastbone «.* »h »^ 7 Yl'i A perfect bird to count luO poinvg. Fatal Defects — Whito n_ face; try or squirrel tailed; feathers on logs; jther af-ivn single-combed : coloured plumage-, othvr il./m white or black in the several a arietics . jt!it»than four .toes (on each foot); logs otlur coloiir than black or slate in black '^Toro:^, or pinkf "white is whito iniKOTas. [From the foregoing it is evident tha* no cording to the -leading authorities jrhifc* .v the face is a disqualicaton in Minorra,i If would ask, therefore, how ib happens that tb'i winning pullet at the recent local show was allowed to pass? She most certainly had white in the face. Is it understood tli*,* che club allow the judges they appoint an entirely free hand, or are they supposed to judge by the standard. — Terror.]