THE DOMESTIC FOWL 41 



distance in search of feed. They are easily affected by ex- 

 posure to cold weather, owing to their large head parts and 

 close feathers. The Leghorn is one of the most popular 

 egg breeds in America. 



The flesh type is represented by the heavy Asiatic 

 breeds, the Brahmas, Langshans, and Cochins being the 

 leaders in the order named. They mature late, but are 

 large, heavy, fleshy birds, full feathered, slow of movement, 

 and quiet, lazy and docile in disposition. They are rangy 

 and awkward in their early growth. They make persistent 

 sitters, but owing to their large size and full feathered shanks, 

 are apt to crush the eggs. On the other hand, their quiet, 

 lazy disposition makes them poor foragers, and they will 

 roam no great distance hi search of feed. Their full feathers 

 and heavy covering of flesh enable them to bear extremely 

 cold weather, but this excessive development of flesh makes 

 them poor layers. 



The general purpose class includes such breeds as Plymouth 

 Rock, Wyandotte, Rhode Island Red, and the Orpington, 

 which are medium in size, moderately feathered, and lay a 

 fair number of eggs. In general they combine the character- 

 istics of both the egg and meat breeds. In disposition they 

 are gentle, bearing confinement well. They mature moder- 

 ately early, and make excellent sitters and mothers. As a 

 class, they are much better foragers than the heavier breeds, 

 and are extremely hardy. The Plymouth Rock takes the 

 lead in this class, with the Rhode Island Red a close second. 

 These are called general utility breeds, because they are 

 especially adapted to the average farm or home poultry 

 flock, where the object of the poultryman is to keep a small 

 number of birds to provide eggs and meat for the home table. 

 In sections where there is a demand for roasters and capons, 

 a large meat breed will be superior, whereas if commercial 

 egg production is the prominent issue, the Leghorns or mem- 

 bers of the egg class are best. 



