104 AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION 



him immensely. His pleasing parts were not his plumage, rather 

 to the contrary that was against him but he displayed life 

 and vigor in every move. It instantly occurred to Mr. May that 

 this was the identical bird to tone up his Plymouth Rocks. 

 Besides evincing strong constitutional vigor this bird had size 

 and weight, a deep breast and yellow legs. These were qualities 

 that are desired in Plymouth Rocks. The bird would probably 

 be classed as a grade Game or cross-bred Game. This bird was 

 purchased and bred. Three years after the cross was made all 

 visible defects resulting therefrom had disappeared. The quali- 

 ties that were infused were long bodies and long keel bones, close 

 feathering, red eyes and very solid flesh, and these were features 

 of the May-Essex strain for years afterwards. 



The Name. Both Mr. Upham and Mr. Ramsdell claim to 

 have named this new fowl. As we have noticed from the articles 

 of each, already quoted, whichever deserves the credit deserves 

 not so much for originality, as it was undoubtedly suggested by 

 the old-time fowl of the same name, created by Dr. Bennett. 

 Mr. Upham really gave the bird its name as he was the first to 

 show them, and by so doing he exploited the name as well as 

 the fowl. Mr. Upham frankly admitted that he thought the 

 name a good one, and that while he had heard the name fre- 

 quently, he had" not seen the fowl, but to distinguish between 

 them and the Bennett creation, lest some should still be in exist- 

 ence, he exhibited his first. trios under the name of Improved 

 Plymouth Rocks. 



Very few of us who breed Barred Plymouth Rocks today saw 

 the early birds, and probably none of us saw the very first trios 

 shown by Mr. Upham. Curiosity is ever alive wherein our 

 interest lies, and what would we not give for a photograph or 

 for feathers from some of the best early birds ? As these things 

 are beyond our reach, \ve cannot do better than to substitute 

 mental images made by the words of those who saw and reared 

 these birds. The birds shown at Worcester, two trios of chicks 

 and one of fowls, are naturally the ones we think of first. Of 

 course, Mr. Upham says the chicks were a much better match for 

 color than the fowls. They were about the size of the standard 

 weight specimens nowadays. 



Of the Upham pair that founded the Essex strain, Mark 

 Pitman says that the pullet was clear color, beautifully barred, 



