The Question Box. 171 



say you do not want the bird for show purposes, yon will, no 



doubt, get one for $1. 



Question. — A\' ill it pay to buy a pure bred male to mate with 

 common hens? » 



Mr. McGrew. — It will, providing he is individually good. It 

 often happens that males so -elected are deficient in the three 

 most important features, size, strength and vigor, all which are 

 very important, if it is our wish to have liis blood most deeply 

 stamped into his progeny. An example: Mr. Wilson had about 

 50 so-called common hens; he killed all bis male birds during the 

 winter; we secured from him three very thrifty Barred Plymouth 

 Bock cockerels; during the summer and fall, all the original hens 

 and all the young stock except the pullets that showed the Ply- 

 mouth Bock color were sold to market; the selected pullets were 

 kept with the same three Plymouth males; the next fall the best 

 pullets were selected to keep; all the rest sold, including the 

 three Plymouth Bock males; their places' were filled with four 

 very thrifty, sturdy Plymouth Bock cockerels. After another 

 season no one could have told the fowls from true -Barred Ply- 

 mouth Bocks. 'The great drawback to these crosses is their ten- 

 clency to create mongrels. First we use a White Leghorn; next a 

 Brahma; then a Wyandotte, and each season brings a new cross, 

 which complicates the situation. If you buy a pure bred male 

 to cross upon common liens, continue year aftsr year to use the 

 same breed of males that are selected for the sturdy qualities am) 

 health, rather than for color. 



Question.- — ■ Which are the best breeds of Bantams for farmers' 

 children? 



Mr. McGrew. — Brahma or Cochin Bantams, for the reason that 

 they are more sturdy and less apt to suffer from indifferent 

 housing and care in winter. I have known a brood of them to 

 live all winter in a store box where the mother hen reared and 

 left them at weaning time. They did better outside in this box 

 than did others of the same age that had a warm house for their 

 winter quarters. 



Question. — Is there any profit in keeping Bantams? What ad- 

 vantage have they over larger fowl? 



Mr. McGrew. — Those who breed Bantams to fancy exhibition 

 qualities can and do make some profit from their culture. The 

 handling of Bantams in any other way cannot prove profitable. 

 Bantams are much valued by those who have small, confined 

 quarters for their yarding, as in our large cities, where a half 



