39t> AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION 



perienced beginner is relieved of one of the most trying respon- 

 sibilities of his first season; and if he takes care of his breeders 

 properly and rears the chicks with such good judgment that 

 they grow and develop well, he may be sure of good results 

 the first season. Whether it is best to buy young stock, if it 

 is mature enough to show its quality, or old stock, or a part 

 of each, is less important than whether one gets the right 

 quality. Pens made up of well matured stock hatched the 

 previous spring are often as healthy, as strong, and produce 

 as good results as old birds. Yet such birds are, of course, 

 untried and just what they will produce can not be foretold, 

 whereas the older birds can sometimes be bought with an 

 exact knowledge of what they produced the previous season 

 and what they may be expected to produce in the season to 

 come. While it is sometimes advised and occasionally advis- 

 able to mate cocks with pullets and cockerels with hens, there 

 is no well defined rule which must be followed calling for such 

 matings, and no preponderant proof that such matings are 

 best. 



If only a certain amount of money is to be spent, it is 

 better to buy a few good birds than many poor ones, or even 

 an ordinary number of birds of mediocre quality. It should be 

 remembered that the stock bought at the beginning is to be 

 the foundation of the flock, and the better the quality of the 

 foundation stock, the faster the value of the flock will increase 

 as its numbers become greater. It may also be remembered 

 safely, when Plymouth Rocks are being considered, that beauty 

 and utility may be found in the same birds. There is no rea- 

 son why any variety of Plymouth Rocks can not be doubly 

 valuable because it meets the requirements of the Standard of 

 Perfection in shape and color, and at the same time produces 

 eggs in goodly numbers and meat in satisfactory quantity and 

 quality ; in fact, there is every reason why these qualities should 

 be found in the same specimens. 



When to Start. When the start is made with eggs, it must 

 be done in the spring or early summer, that is, in March, April, 

 May or the first part of June. Much depends on the use the 

 beginner intends to make of the chicks that are to be hatched. 

 If Plymouth Rocks are wanted for the early fall shows, they 

 should be hatched in March or the first half of April; if to be 

 shown at the winter shows, May is early enough to get them 

 out, and at the late winter shows, those hatched in the first 

 fifteen days in June are frequently among the winners. It is 



