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CHAPTEK XIII. 

 SOME POPULAR BREEDS. 



The agricultural interest owes much to poultry-fan- 

 ciers. Those who devote their attention to fancy poul- 

 try are too often misunderstood by farmers as well as 

 by others. As in many other cases where people devote 

 themselves to some special pursuit or hobby, as ife is 

 considered the poultry-fanciers are generally looked 

 upon as enthusiasts, who simply amuse themselves, with- 

 out conferring any benefit upon the public; an error 

 which does the poultry-breeder great injustice. In 

 nearly every farmer's yard maybe seen either some pure- 

 bred or some crossed fowls that are much superior to 

 the ordinary run of " barn-door" poultry. The com- 

 mon fowls may weigh three pounds at maturity, and 

 may lay two or three dozen of eggs in the summer, and 

 none in the winter. But the improved fowls, now kept 

 by the majority of farmers, will reach an average weight 

 of four pounds, and produce eggs, if not in the winter, 

 at least very early in the spring, and continue late in the 

 fall. The product of flesh and eggs is at least doubled. 

 This result is due to the labors of poultry-fanciers, who 

 have ransacked the world for new varieties, until pei v 

 haps there are none worth having that are not now to 

 be found in this country. 



No one can become a successful breeder of poultry 

 indeed one can hardly succeed in anything unless he 

 is an enthusiast; therefore enthusiasm, when usefully 

 directed, is something to be commended rather than 

 blamed. The profit derived by small farmers from 

 poultry is usually an important item in their income. 



We therefore advocate the improvement of poultry 

 (121) 



