THE EGG BREEDS 



53 



and brown. In the last few years the popularity of the white 

 variety has immensely increased. The brown variety was 

 very popular in the early development of the breed, and 

 now the buff variety is gaining rapidly. As a breed, the 

 Leghorns are widely distributed throughout the United 

 States, being found in New England and along the whole 

 Atlantic coast, and also west of the Rocky Mountains. 

 As they produce chiefly market eggs, one expects to find 

 them in the vicinity of large centers of egg consumption. 



FIG. 36. The Single Comb White Leghorns are kept more than any other 

 breed for commercial egg production. They produce an egg with a pure white shell. 

 (Photos by International Correspondence Schools.) 



The Leghorn is used almost entirely on the commercial egg 

 farms of the country, the white-shelled egg which they pro- 

 duce bringing a premium in most markets (Fig. 36). 



Minorcas. The Minorcas are probably the second most 

 popular breed of this type. They are said to have originated 

 on the Island of Minorca, off the coast of Spain. They 

 are a very old breed, but not exceptionally popular, most 

 likely because of the dark skin and shanks, which are con- 

 sidered undesirable in America. Externally the Minorcas 



