300 



THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



•Cray, son of the late Mr. W. Cook who 

 originated the Orpington, and who therefore is 

 quite au fait with the methods of their pro- 

 duction, very kindly contributes the following 

 notes on the varieties in their order of intro- 

 duction, viz., Jubilee, Spangled, Cuckoo, and 

 Blue:— 



" This handsome variety was introduced 

 early in 1897, and derived its name from the 

 Diamond Jubilee year of our late Queen 

 Victoria. The birds are particu- 

 larly handsome, with their 

 chocolate ground colour, a black 

 bar and white spangle at the end of each 



Jubilee 

 Orpingtons. 



Jubilee Orpingtcm Hen. 



feather, and to-day are exhibited showing even 

 markings of the three colours. They are cobby 

 in build, are deep and broad, with short, white 

 legs and four toes, all quite free from any 

 stubs or feathers. The comb should be of 

 medium size, firmly set upon their head, and 

 free from any side sprigs ; and the birds 

 should have red ear-lobes and small, rounded 

 wattles. 



" During the last two or three years Jubilees 

 have increased in size, and there is not now 

 (191 1) so marked a difference between them 

 and the Black, White and Buff varieties. 



For table birds the Jubilees certainly equal any 

 other fowl ; they are quick growers and 

 very prolific winter layers ; and the cockerels 

 are in great demand amongst farmers for 

 turning down with their cross-bred hens, and 

 excellent results have been obtained by such 

 mating. 



" Among fanciers the Jubilee is very 

 popular, as double mating — i.e., one pen for 

 producing the best cockerels and another for 

 breeding the best pullets^is not necessary, 

 and a single pen will produce first-class 

 specimens of either sex. The leading poultry 

 shows provide classes for Jubilees, and where- 

 ever exhibited they attract attention by their 

 pretty appearance and uniform shape ; and 

 they are suitable alike to a working-man, with 

 quite a limited space, or a poultry farmer 

 having acres at his disposal. They have, 

 moreover, the advantage of having their in- 

 terests looked after by the Jubilee Orpington 

 Club and the Variety Orpington Club. 



" As to how Jubilee Orpingtons were pro- 

 duced is not generally known among many of 

 the oldest breeders to-day, but I may state at 

 the start that Buff Orpington pullets were 

 selected of a chocolate or reddish-brown 

 colour, and these were mated to the old Red 

 Dorking, the cocks showing the most black in 

 them being used. Many good coloured speci- 

 mens were thus obtained by the first mating, 

 and by continuous and careful selection of the 

 progeny, the fifth toe and long back of the 

 Dorking was stamped out. Golden Spangled 

 Hamburgh cocks were also used on to many of 

 the above first-cross pullets, and here again 

 the difficulty of the white lobe and rose comb 

 had to be bred out. 



" Present day breeders can still easily trace 

 three bad faults sometimes arising in their 

 stock — viz., the large comb of the Dorking, 

 which often becomes floppy, side spikes on 

 this particular kind of comb, and white in 

 lobe, the two latter faults coming from the 

 mating of the Hamburgh cock on to the single- 

 comb Dorking-Buff pullets. 



" The ground or main colour in both sexes 

 should be a nice reddish-brown, then a black 

 bar (which is usually a beetle green), the end 

 of the feather being tipped or spangled with 

 white. In the cocks the neck and saddle 

 hackles are extremely pretty, being a bright 

 mahogany colour, a black beetle-colour strip- 

 ing, and tipped with white. The average 

 weight of the cocks is 10 lb., and the hens 

 85^ lb. A few defects that breeders must 

 avoid, if they are intending to exhibit, are: 

 White in ear-lobe ; spikes on either side of the 



