146 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



grel, considered from every point of view. Carefully and 

 fairly conducted egg contests have proven them to be better 

 egg producers. The fowls sold in the open market, after their 

 days of usefulness as layers are past, have averaged to weigh 

 more and have brought a higher price. The surplus cockerels 

 killed off have been much heavier, and consequently brought 

 more money. Besides these advantages, every farmer raising 

 thoroughbred poultry works up some trade in stock for breed- 

 ing purposes. This latter source of income will vary greatly 

 with the man. If he will take enough interest in his flock to 

 try and make it uniformly good, and will then hustle a bit in 

 working up trade, he will soon find this feature of his flock 

 bringing in many welcome dollars. Later on I will make a 

 few suggestions that may help somewhat along this line. 



As a source of beauty and adornment on the place, the 

 thoroughbred easily wins the blue. A man has a large variety 

 of colors to make his choice among, and, when he has chosen 

 his favorite, each one of you will grant that he will enjoy and 

 appreciate a uniform flock having color of his choosing much 

 more than he will the motley conglomeration of all the rainbow 

 hues possessed by the old time mongrels. 



Grade poultry well deserves consideration, and is a big 

 improvement over mongrel stock. Vigorous thoroughbred 

 male birds, crossed on mongrel females will, as a rule, produce 

 cockerels that make better market poultry and pullets that are 

 better layers than were the old flpck. It will take a long time 

 to build up a flock in this way, but it is far better than the old 

 method of inbreeding, or swapping for a likely cockerel with 

 one's neighbors. 



A better class of grade poultry is produced by making first 

 crosses of thoroughbreds with an especial purpose in view. 

 For instance, a White Leghorn male bird crossed with Light 

 Brahma females will produce pullets that are better layers than 

 straight Brahmas, and cockerels that mature earlier than do 

 the Brahmas, and weigh much more than do the Leghorns. 

 A Plymouth Rock-Brahma or a Wyandotte-Brahma cross will 

 make better market poultry, but not quite as good a layer as 

 does the Leghorn crosses on Plymouth Rocks, and Wyandottes 

 produce quicker .growing broilers and good, plump roasting 

 chickens, as well as making a good laying cross. 



All the crosses I have mentioned are good, and are largely 



