466 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



LEGHORNS. 



LEGHOHNS are natives of Italy, and consequently arrive at the greatest perfection in 

 a southern climate, but as they have become well acclimated to our country, they 

 thrive well in all parts, and suffer no detriment from our cold winters, except 

 occasional disfigurement of combs and wattles, which being large, and the comb also single, 

 will sometimes become frost bitten in our coldest weather north, unless well protected by a 

 warm, comfortable house. They are very hardy, and less liable to the diseases common to 

 poultry than almost any other variety. 



They are very desirable as egg producers, and this is their crowning merit; they are 

 non-sitters, consequently when keeping this variety, it will be necessary to keep a few hens 

 of some other breed, Brahmas or Cochins, for instance, to perform the maternal duties of the 

 hen establishment. They are persistent layers nearly all the year round, if given warm 

 winter quarters (which every fowl ought to have), and well cared for otherwise. They 

 require a free and extended range, are great foragers, and will thrive well with ordinary care 

 if given unlimited range, and plenty of fresh, cool water. 



They mature early; the cockerels often crow at six weeks of age, and pullets have been 

 known to lay at four and a half months. The eggs are pure white, and large, compared with 

 the size of the fowl. The average weight of the cock is from 4| to G pounds, that of hens 

 from 3^- to 4 pounds. This breed is quite popular at present, both in this country and 

 Europe, and where eggs are mainly the desideratum, and there is plenty of range, we know 

 of no more profitable fowl to keep. Though their flesh is of good quality, their small size 

 would not recommend them as a table fowl, their chief excellence, as we have before stated, 

 being that of egg production. A new variety of this breed has been recently introduced, 

 having rose combs, which will have a tendency to do away with their chief objection in 

 extreme cold climates, viz., large combs. 



The varieties of this popular breed of fowls are Black, Brown, Dominique, White, and 

 Rose-Combed White, though the most common are the Brown and White varieties. 



Brown Leghorns. This is one of the most popular varieties of the Leghorn breed, 

 their beautiful plumage making them very attractive, aside from their great merits in a more 

 practical point of view. The color of the head is a dark, reddish brown, approaching a bay, 

 which shades into a lighter hue on the neck of the cock, and becomes a rich golden bay, 

 striped with black, on the hackles. The plumage of the back is very dark red or nearly black, 

 each feather being striped with a golden bay, which gives it a very rich appearance. The 

 breast shades to a black on the under part, while the wings are a blending of dark red and 

 golden bay with coverts of a greenish black, which are quite lustrous, forming a definite 

 bar across the wings; the tail is carried rather upright, is large for the size of the fowl, and 

 quite full, being of a rich -black with lustrous green reflections, which, with his proud, aris 

 tocratic bearing, makes him quite an attractive object. 



The neck of the hen is a yellowish brown striped with black, each feather being striped 

 with black down the middle. The general color of her body is dark brown, finely penciled 

 with light brown; her tail black, with occasional slight pencilings of brown. The comb is 

 bright red, single, deeply and evenly serrated, and quite large for the size of the fowl; that 

 of the cock usually stands upright, being broader at the base, while that of the hen usually 

 falls over a little to one side at the top, as represented in the cut of these fowls. 



The ear-lobes are white, or nearly so; the wattles, like the comb, are bright red, quite 

 long and thin, and swing with every motion of the head. The legs are bright yellow, while 

 the feet are the same color, with a very delicately marked dark stripe down each toe. The 



