PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 169 



this way. The matter of extreme colors should be discontinued 

 entirely as soon as may be, and the breeder should have in view 

 the bringing about of a uniformity of color in the sexes." 



The reader will understand from the following paragraphs 

 that Stoddard, presumably echoing the voice of the Barred 

 Plymouth Rock breeders, advocates a special mating to produce 

 exhibition colored cockerels; and a special mating to produce 

 exhibition pullets ; yet he does not abandon the idea of producing 

 Standard colored chicks of both sexes from one mating. This, 

 indeed, seemed to have been the idea for a time. Single or stand- 

 ard matings were maintained each year with the expectation that 

 by persistently mating together the males and the females nearest 

 to standard color, that were produced from one mating, standard 

 colored specimens of both sexes could be produced from the 

 same mating. For their immediate requirements, however, 

 breeders indulged in special matings for the sex. This general 

 plan was pursued for a number of years. The idea of producing 

 the best or nearest to standard colored specimens from one 

 mating was not given up generally until about the beginning of 

 this century. At the present time there are probably those who 

 have not given up the idea that this feat may be accomplished, 

 but in face of the almost universal use of and quite universal 

 success of specimens produced by the double mating system at 

 poultry exhibitions all over the land they are surely very quiet 

 about their practices. 



Other forms of matings were advocated which from the de- 

 scription given we may without hesitation pronounce special 

 matings. 



In Plymouth Rocks (Corbin, 1879), we find five systems and 

 from their nature, it surely would seem as though standard col- 

 ored birds would result from some of them. 



"Five different matings have been advocated and practiced 

 as follows: 



"No. 1 A male, light in color, mated to dark females. 

 "No. 2 A male, dark in color, mated to light females. 

 "No. 3 A male, dark in color, mated to dark females. 

 "No. 4 Birds matching in the show-pens. 

 "No. 5 A female medium in color, mated with a male about 

 two points or shades lighter in color. 



"There should be but one mating necessary. That for exhibi- 

 tion should be precisely the same as that for breeding. The 



