No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 291 



family — they are divided into breeds, the Cochins that we have here 

 and the Brahma. They are sub-divided. There are quite a number 

 of varieties of Cochins; the Partridge-cochin is one variety of the 

 Cochin family, and there are several others, all breeds of the Asiatic 

 family. To come to the American family, we have the old-time 

 Java, two varieties, the Plymouth Rock, three varieties, the Wyan- 

 dotte, seven varieties, all belonging to the American family. Now 

 these fowls of the American family are clean shanked birds — some- 

 times they have a few feathers when you do not want them, but 

 they should be clean shanked. All of them are fowls that will 

 hatch and rear their own young. Then we have the Mediterranean 

 family, producers of the kind of eggs that are liked in New York 

 city. We in Pennsylvania do not discriminate particularly in this 

 matter of the appearance and color of eggs, but Boston will pay 

 from one to three cents more per dozen for brown eggs, while New 

 York will pay from one to three cents more per dozen for white 

 eggs, while in Philadelphia they will pay more for eggs that are all 

 alike. Eggs that are white and uniform in size, tiny will pay more 

 for them, simply because they are uniform. They do not discrim- 

 inate so much in the Philadelphia market or Pittsburg market as to 

 whether they are white or brown eggs. Our chemists tell us there 

 is no difference in the quality; but if the bean eaters of Boston will 

 pay three cents more for the eggs of the Plymouth Rock that are 

 brown, by all means let us send our brown eggs there. If the New 

 York people like the white eggs, that is the kind to give them. 

 Those people who are getting sixty cents a dozen in the New York 

 market are getting it because they send them just the kind of white 

 eggs they want there. They will actually take sapolio and clean 

 them rather than to send them eggs that are not perfectly white and 

 clean. 



As I said, we have a great chance to select our variety according 

 to our preference, whether we would like to breed those of the 

 Asiatic or American families. The first pure bred flock I ever saw 

 was probably of the light Brahma or Cochin, the first pure bred 

 flock, the first uniform flock that I ever saw in Western Pennsyl- 

 vania was a light Brahma. 



We have produced some wonderful fowls since then that are 

 worthy of our attention. They differ from the Brahma in one or 

 two particulars. I am very fortunate in having here a pair of 

 fowls furnished by one of your citizens, Mr. C. C. Townsend — a pair 

 of black Langshans, all of you who have dressed Cochins or Brahmas 

 know that the skin is yellow. If they are fed upon corn they will 

 be very yellow, but here is a fowl that is entirely different from 

 that. It is a bird that comes, we suppose, from the same country, 

 from the Langshan hills of China. To those who have not become 



