LAMONA A NEW BREED OF 

 POULTRY 



A New General Purpose Breed of Fowl Developed by Blending the Egg Producing 

 and Meat Producing Characters from Three Established Breeds 



Harry M. Lamon 

 Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture 



AT THE present time all of our 

 general purpose breeds of chick- 

 ens are layers of brown eggs. At 

 the same time some of the best 

 markets of the country show a prefer- 

 ence for white-shelled eggs and pay an 

 increased price for them, which is an 

 important consideration to the man who 

 is producing market eggs on a commer- 

 cial scale. The color of the eggs pro- 

 duced has, therefore, been one of the 

 factors which has induced practically 

 all large specialized poultry farms to 

 keep White Leghorns or some similar 

 egg breed. This has not been the only 

 factor of course, the matter of feed con- 

 sumed by the fowls and the consequent 

 economy of production playing an im- 

 portant part where all of the feed has 

 to be purchased, and there is Httle op- 

 portunity for the fowls to pick up any 

 part of their own living. 



So far as the general farm flock is 

 concerned — which usually consists of a 

 relatively small number of hens given 

 their range about the farmstead where 

 they are able to pick up at certain sea- 

 sons of the year a considerable portion 

 of the feed which they need — the situa- 

 tion is somewhat different. Such flocks 

 are maintained not only for the purpose 

 of supplying eggs for the farmer's table 



and a certain surplus which can be sold 

 at market prices, but also for the pur- 

 pose of supplying occasional table 

 fowls. On this account our general pur- 

 pose breeds are better suited to the 

 farmer's needs because they provide a 

 much better fowl for eating purposes; 

 but here again, in those sections of the 

 country which are situated within 

 fairly close shipping distances to the 

 large markets, and which therefore 

 have an opportunity to put eggs into 

 these markets and get the top prices for 

 them, that the general purpose breeds 

 lay a brown-shelled egg has resulted in 

 many instances in the farm flocks con- 

 sisting of one of the egg breeds. This 

 can be readily noticed in the states im- 

 mediately surrounding New York City, 

 since most of the eggs produced by 

 these farm flocks eventually find their 

 way to that market which is a white egg 

 market. The actual situation, there- 

 fore, is that in some sections of the 

 country, farmers are ma,intaining for 

 their flocks of chickens one of the egg 

 breeds, simply on account of the color 

 of the egg which they lay, when one of 

 the general purpose breeds would really 

 be better suited to their purpose if they 

 only laid a white egg. It will be seen 

 therefore that there is a distinct place 



Note: The story told in this article is one which will be interesting to breeders and students 

 of genetics, and fascinating to the layman. It is seldom that we are able to outline in all details 

 the various steps taken to perfect one of our improved breeds of animals. Mr. Lamon has told 

 that story in detail. The breed has progressed far enough so that type and various characters, 

 such as color, the red earlobe and the white-shelled egg, have been fixed. The Department of 

 Agriculture regards this work as a noteworthy achievement in breeding and, without solicitation 

 on his part, has named the new breed for the man who developed it. To name new species of 

 plants, animals and micro-organisms for the discoverer is quite common. The development of 

 a useful breed of domestic animal may be quite as useful to the welfare of mankind. The concep- 

 tion of the project for the development of this breed of poultry was Mr. Lamon's, and every mat- 

 ing has been made by him. The Secretary of Agriculture therefore approved on April 23, 1921 the 

 recommendation of the Chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry that the new breed be officially 

 designated "Lamona." — Geo. M. Rommel, Secretary, American Genetic Association. 



