68 AMERICAN SQUAB CULTURE 



WHITE KINGS 



There is no bird in America that has made the rapid stride 

 in popularity that the White King has the past few years. 

 Since this breed has become standardized it has improved won- 

 derfully in size, type, squab producing and other qualities. 



I attribute this principally to its color and the good judgment 

 used in selecting a standard that allowed for the development 

 of the points that make birds good fast breeders of large fat 

 squabs. 



Following is an article by Prof. Frank C. Hare on the standard 

 and origin of this new bird: "Years of scientific line-breeding by 

 American fanciers with a definite standard or ideal to attain, 

 resulted in the formation of a new breed of pigeons of unques- 

 tionable merit. Although this breed, quite appropriately called 

 the White King, is a composite of breeds in various classes, so 

 completely have the different types and characteristics been 

 harmonized, that present-day specimens have few birthmarks 

 to indicate the heterogeneous parentage. 



The White King is a middle-weight pigeon, neither so large 

 as to be cumbersome and slow breeding, nor yet so small as to 

 appear insignificant among the larger breeds. Its attractive 

 appearance is emphasized by the remarkable development of 

 the deep, well-rounded breast, the broad, strong back, the com- 

 pact, plump body carried horizontally on the short well-set 

 legs. It is a breed of curves, with each section of the body blend- 

 ing easily into another, and, when these rounded sections are 

 seen in the harmonious grouping found only in the White King, 

 the highest type of physical beauty is portrayed. 



A delineation of the revised standard of the White King as 

 adopted by the American White King Pigeon Association will be 

 instructive to numerous breeders who have not in their mind's 

 eye a clear-cut picture of the ideal exhibition White King, and 

 who wish to select for the show room a few specimens that will 

 please judge and exhibitors and prove an honor to their loft. 



Let us first discard those specimens that are unworthy of 

 consideration. The remainder can then be critically judged by 

 the standard, weighing the defects of each specimen carefully, 

 and deciding after this close study, what bird in each class — 



