420 



THE ESSENTIALS OF AGRICULTURE 



558. Breeds and varieties of chickens. There are six Ameri- 

 can breeds, three of which are common and three less common. 

 The three common breeds are the Plymouth Rock (Figs. 215 

 and 218), Wyandotte (Figs. 219 and 220), and Rhode Island 

 Red (Fig. 214). Those which are less common are the Domi- 

 nique, Java, and Buckeye. There are three Asiatic breeds - 

 the Brahma, Cochin (Fig. 212), and Langshan all of which 



were formerly quite 

 common but are grad- 

 ually becoming less 

 common because they 

 mature slowly and do not 

 lay as well as the other 

 breeds. The Mediter- 

 ranean breeds are the 

 Leghorn (Fig. 213), 

 Minorca, Spanish, An- 

 cona, and Blue Anda- 

 lusian. Of these, the 

 Leghorns are more 



FIG. 213. The world's-record Leghorn hen 



This hen, the property of the Oregon Agricultural 

 College, laid 303 eggs in twelve months (1913). The 

 picture was taken on the day following the comple- 

 tion of her year's work 



common than all the 

 others together. The 

 Minorcas and the An- 

 conas are seen now 

 and then, but the Blue 



Andalusians and the Spanish are very rare. The English 

 breeds recognized are the Dorkings, Red Caps, and Orpingtons 

 (Fig. 221). Of these, only the Orpingtons are common. 



A variety is a group within the breed distinguished by the 

 color and the kind of comb. Barred Plymouth Rocks and White 

 Plymouth Rocks are varieties of the same breed, the point of 

 distinction being color. Single-comb Rhode Island Reds and 

 Rose Comb Rhode Island Reds are varieties which have the 

 same color but different kinds of comb. The single and rose- 

 combed varieties of chickens have differences other than the 

 structure of the comb, but this is the most conspicuous difference. 



