PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 357 



with in the white-plumaged varieties, and not infrequently in 

 the parti-colored ones. Cochins which appear immense in size 

 in their very loose feathering which has been curled and 

 fluffed up by the skilled hand of the exhibitor, may fall short 

 of the Standard weight, although they look to have both size 

 and weight. 



Size is a relative term, so when two specimens are com- 

 pared, the one that is apparently the larger will win, other 

 points being equal. But the weight clause is the only safe and 

 correct rule to apply in such close decisions. 



It is also well to bear in mind that the specimen over 

 Standard weight, while larger in size, may be coarser in type. 

 As the veteran Light Brahma breeder and judge once remarked 

 to an old judge who awarded a twelve-pound Light Brahma 

 hen a prize over one that fell a trifle under the Standard 

 weight : "When we want meat, we go to market for it where 

 we can buy it for a shilling a pound." Size and overweight do 

 not make Brahmas, and every pound over the Standard weight 

 destroys the type by making the specimen coarser. 



What applies to Light Brahmas will apply with equal force 

 to Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, Rhode Island Reds and other 

 breeds subject to weight clauses, where it is desirable to main- 

 tain the correct typical form of the brood. 



The size and weight allotted the various breeds in the Ameri- 

 can Standard of Perfection is based on the careful judgment 

 of the poultry breeders of the United States and Canada, so 

 that a strict adherence to the weight clauses, when judging 

 standard-bred varieties, is compulsory. 



Relative Value of Condition. Condition is given but four 

 points in the "Scale of Points," for nearly all breeds, the 

 exceptions being Sumatras, Games and Malays, which have 

 ten, six and eight points allotted to them. As the last three 

 mentioned breeds possess special characteristics in plumage, 

 condition is a most important factor when specimens of these 

 fanciers' breeds are exhibited in the show room. 



But in the American classes four points are sufficient, as few 

 breeders and exhibitors will send poorly feathered or ill- 

 conditioned specimens to a winter show. However, at a summer 

 or fall show, due allowance must be made for the condition 

 of adult specimens, as few if any are through their natural 

 molt, consequently will not "shape up" like a finished speci- 

 men, one that has molted in a completely new garb of feathers. 

 Nevertheless, shape can be approximately gauged by care- 



