204 AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION 



"That 'Like produces like,' we do not dispute, but in pro- 

 ducing Standard White Plymouth Rocks it is not the fact that 

 we want like to produce like, but we want to produce better 

 specimens each and every seasons ; that is, specimens nearer the 

 standard requirements. 



"With this in view we must mate our breeders, not to pro- 

 duce birds of the same general make-up, but specimens better 

 than those we already have. 



"It is not necessary to use the double mating system to pro- 

 duce high grade White Plymouth Rocks. Just as good males 

 as females can be reared from the same mating providing, of 

 course, that the mating has been made properly. The color 

 required in White Plymouth Rocks is a clear white; therefore, 

 in selecting your breeders, see that the plumage throughout is 

 white." 



Difficulties. Pure white is quite difficult to maintain in the 

 plumage of fowls and birds. It is less difficult to produce in 

 some kinds than in others. With the White Plymouth Rock it 

 is a difficult problem to produce yellow beak, shanks, feet and 

 skin. The less brilliant the color of the skin and shanks, the 

 more likely will be a pure white plumage. Any variety of white 

 fowls may be selected and bred in line for pale lemon beaks, 

 shanks and skin and the color of the plumage will become grad- 

 usually whiter as the color fades from these parts. There is no 

 other combination in the breeding of solid colored plumage that 

 is as difficult as producing the rich, yellow colored shanks and 

 skin with the pure white plumage. 



But few can select pure white to a certainty. Few have seen 

 it in its purity. The purest white comes from bleaching and, as 

 in the manufacture of paper, as soon as it is exposed to the air 

 and light, it begins to lose its purity. This is equally true of 

 white-plumaged fowls during the molt or the growing of new 

 feathers. This impurity is apt to disappear as the feathers grow. 

 The plumage shows a stronger yellow tint when the feathers are 

 growing than after the bird is fully fledged and the feathers 

 have aged. 



Color Relation in Shanks and Skin. The heredity that pro- 

 duces the rich yellow tint in shanks and skin has its influence 

 upon the color of the plumage as well. The deeper the shade of 

 yellow in these parts, the more likely is the plumage to have 

 a creamy tint. To avoid this, one must select fowls that have 

 the least color in shanks, skin and quills. The yellow pigment 

 that sustains the color of shanks and skin disappears gradually 



