164 AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION 



hers. For example, S. P. Hamburgs, S. S. Hamburgs and 

 Colored Dorkings. 



"Again, the Black Java cocks, like the Black Cochin males 

 tend toward light or golden saddles and hackles and the Ameri- 

 can Dominique males are both lighter than the respective females 

 and as the Plymouth Rocks are based on these two breeds, will 

 the time ever come when our Plymouth Rocks will average 

 of the same color in both sexes?" 



It must be admitted that there appears to be considerable 

 truth in these lines of reasoning that both Bishop and Stod- 

 dard pursued. Certainly many other examples could be added 

 to those given ; yet it can not be conceded to be a law of nature 

 that is applicable to all varieties of our Standard bred fowls. 



The Sexes Must Match in Color. If all this be so, why not 

 accept the light m?.les and the dark females ? Why adopt ex- 

 pediencies to obviate this difficulty which is unnatural to the 

 fowl itself? 



In the first place, the American Standard of Perfection is 

 the guide for the showroom and the requirements found therein 

 gives one description for the color of both sexes. This means 

 that males and females, for exhibition, must match in color. 

 Then, why have a Standard with such requirements? Frankly, 

 for one reason, if no other, the light males and dark females 

 are not admired by the public, the breeders, the exhibitors 

 or the judges ; and upon the latter the breeder is dependent for 

 his publicity. 



Advantages of Two Matings. Again, the same female in 

 any mating of parti-colored varieties is never the dam of both 

 the best cockerel and the best pullet. This fact being true, the 

 advantage of a double-mating, or of making two special mat- 

 ings, one designed to produce exhibition males and the other 

 to produce high-class exhibition females, should be at once 

 recognized. 



It lies in the fact that by mating exhibition colored males to 

 the daughters of exhibition colored males, males that are of 

 exhibition color are produced. Exhibition females are produced 

 by just as simple a process. The sons of exhibition colored fe- 

 males are mated to exhibition colored females and females of 

 exhibition color are thereby produced. This simplifies very much 

 the task of producing exhibition color because we may depend 

 upon the system of mating to accomplish our purpose. The 

 skillful adjustments of balancing the influence of the male and 



