1905.] THOROUGHBRED POULTRY VERSUS MONGRELS. 1 4/ 



grown. My own experience has been that these cross-bred 

 chickens are not enough better than the thoroughbred, in the 

 particular point you are after, to counterbalance their many 

 weak points. 



In choosing cockerels for crossing purposes, breeds to 

 cross, or a breed to be kept pure, you should consider thor- 

 oughly what you wish it for, and then select the breed that will 

 do you the most good. There is some one breed that will 

 exactly fill your requirements, and it is then simply a matter 

 of your own personal color preference that will determine the 

 variety. 



Most breeds have several varieties distinguished by color 

 alone. The shape of all varieties of the same breed should be 

 the same, but varieties of color are nearly legion. For instance, 

 we have ten varieties of the Wyandotte, seven of Leghorns, 

 five of Plymouth Rocks, and so on. Before suggesting breeds, 

 I will first take up the branches of the industry and outHne 

 these. 



This is the day of the specialist. The poultry industry is 

 beginning to feel the trend in this direction, and the most 

 successful poultrymen today are those devoting themselves to 

 one, or at most two, of the important branches of the business. 

 The chicken is marketable at several stages of its development, 

 but to produce the best quality at any given age it is necessary 

 to vary the feed right from the shell. 



Market poultry can be graded in five classes ; squab broilers, 

 broilers, small roasters, large roasters, and stewing fowls. The 

 first class requires a 10 to 16 oz. chick. This weight, in good 

 order, is reached in five or six weeks. The broiler weighs three 

 to four pounds to the pair, and is finished in 8 to 14 weeks 

 according to parent stock, and size demanded. In roasting 

 chicks, the weights most desirable are from 10 to 12 pounds 

 to the pair. As a rule, they command top prices at this weight. 

 There is a growing demand, however, for extra good soft 

 roasters, weighing 8 to 12 pounds each. These choice big fel- 

 lows are even better eating than are turkeys, and when they 

 become more generally appreciated, they will need to be grown 

 in large numbers. This top weight has been reached in six 

 months. It takes good vigorous parent stock, and an ex- 

 perienced feeder to drive them quite as quickly as this, however. 

 Stewing fowls are desired plump, with yellow skins, and as 



