The Night the Chickens Sang Backup: Spokane’s Poultry Show

The Spokane poultry show is once more a thing of history. It was a success and a grand success. This is almost taken for granted since Spokane was back of it, and was managed by such men as Holster, Withers and John L. Smith. It was a success in attendance, a success financially and educationally, and a success in exhibits. This latter consisted of live and dressed poultry, pet stock, eggs and dolls. At this show, as at the fruit fair last fall, the attendance was small each morning but increased in the afternoon, and a big crowd was present every evening. The exhibition disappointed no one, or, if it did, they said nothing about it. Admiration and wonder at all that I heard expressed. From early morning till late at night music was furnished to all. If anyone became tired of it that made no difference—the music continued just the same. All joined in, from Smith’s shining white Plymouth Rocks to the high-bred Black Polish, ranging in tone from the shrill high C of the diminutive Bantam to the basso profundo of Liftchild’s 4 1/2-pound Brahma cockerel. Occasionally the Hong Kong geese interject something like a college yell to add to the general effect. Every afternoon and evening an excellent paid orchestra rendered sweet music, but the chickens insisted on joining in louder than ever in the chorus.

The show was a forcible object lesson and eye-opener to many, showing them what first-class thoroughbred poultry looked like and what a difference proper care and raising made in them. The majority, however, were already acquainted with these facts, but still most persons could get some valuable pointers. One poultry exhibitor made the remark that he had learned one fact which was worth to him all the cost of his exhibit and trip to Spokane. There were a large number of exhibits, about 800 chickens alone being entered. Many rabbits, canary birds, pigeons and two eagles were also there. The exhibit of ducks, geese and turkeys was not large; they must have all been lynched on Christmas and New Year’s. In number the Barred Plymouth Rocks were first, there being over 100, followed by the White Plymouth Rocks and Langshans respectively. Mr. John L. Smith brought in the most chickens and they were all White Plymouth Rocks. He had 57.

The great contest of the show was for the $150 Wetzel cup. This is a beautiful silver cup, with a gold-plated bowl, and stands 29 1/2 inches high. It was given by Mr. D. F. Wetzel, one of Spokane’s prominent jewelrymen. This trophy remains the property of the donor until it has been won three times in succession by the same breeder on the same variety, when he becomes owner of the cup. The winner must have the ten highest-scoring birds of one variety in the show.

E. D. Brown won the cup this year with his White Wyandottes. It was won last year by Liftchild Everett on Light Brahmas. Mr. Brown did not exhibit as many birds as several others, but what he did have were No. 1, as the result shows. Every one of them was a bird of which to be proud. Mr. Brown devotes his entire attention to his chickens. He lives in Grant’s Addition, Spokane, down on Hangman Creek. The Menlo Poultry Plant is the name of his place. He has an excellent location for this business, excellent buildings and excellent arrangement of the buildings. In fact, they have the best facilities for poultry raising of any one in that vicinity, having a brooder house, general stock building containing ten pens with a capacity of 25 birds each, and a breeding house 100 feet long. There are several other small buildings besides. This spring he is going to run one or more incubators, each with a capacity of 200 eggs. And he is not satisfied yet, but is planning large things for the future. His ten White Wyandottes scored the high average of 95 95-100 points each. Ninety-four and one-half was the score of the winning birds last year. There were birds last year that scored more than 94 1/2, but these were solid-colored chickens and they are always handicapped one point each, which brought them below the winning birds. Mr. Brown received in addition to the Wetzel cup, 17 first prizes and 17 second and third. Some of the premiums were on their Black Minorcas, of which they also had 13 on exhibition. Mr. Brown tells more about his fowls in his advertisement elsewhere in our paper.

Hazelwood Dairy won the second Wetzel prize. And they were a close second, too, being only three points behind E. D. Brown. This was on White Plymouth Rocks. Besides this, they also carried away a majority of the other prizes in their class. Mr. Smith, who is the proprietor, won 17 first prizes in all and 19 second and third; 15 of these were sweepstake prizes—first on best cockerel in show, best pullet, best display of eggs, best display of dressed poultry, etc. One man offered him $90 for the pick of six of his birds. He refused it. He is another of our advertisers.

Mr. Liftchild was the winner of the third Wetzel trophy, and Mr. Bolster won fourth on Black Langshans. Mr. Liftchild keeps the Light Brahmas. The following are some of the prizes he won: first collection and first pen Asiatic class, and firsts on cock, cockerel and hen.

Bolster’s Black Langshans were pitted against Ladd’s Langshans from Tacoma. Mr. Bolster sent several coops of his fowls to Portland to compete in the poultry show there. At the Spokane show he won a goodly number of first, second and third prizes. The Langshans attracted much attention for their beauty.

The Houdans exhibited by Mr. Miller were the only ones in the show, and, of course, she carried off the prizes, but they were fine types of their class nevertheless. She won second prize on turkeys.

Mr. Dwight, another of our patrons, was there with his Black Plymouth Rocks. The strain that he owns, the Essex strain, is noted for all being large, rounded birds and good winter layers. They lay in the winter time, when the price is high. A goodly number of prizes fell to Mr. Dwight. One of his cockerels was the heaviest Plymouth Rock in the show. It weighed 12 pounds. Before the close of the show he had made many sales, having taken orders for British Columbia, Montana, Idaho and different parts of Washington. This breed was a great favorite among the buyers, as were also the Brown Leghorns and White Plymouth Rocks.

Every one almost invariably would exclaim: “Aren’t they pretty,” when they would come to the Polish and W. C. Spanish. Mr. Thomas Moore was the chief exhibitor of the Polish breed and likewise the chief prizewinner. In addition to his other prizes he won seven prizes on a pen of five birds; five of these were first prizes.

Stage & Son were on hand with their chickens. They keep chiefly the Barred Plymouth Rocks. They had several score 91 1/2 and 91.

The sales of poultry at the show were very large and there were quite a number of orders for the future. Those who already had flocks bought with the commendable idea of improving them. Many others decided, while viewing these fine birds, to start in the poultry business themselves, and devote either a part or the whole of their attention to it. One man is going to try and have a poultry show in Central Montana. And so the good of such a show spreads in all directions. It will be held again next year and the doll show also in connection with it. It will pay you to see it.