156 THE AMERICAN BREEDS OF POULTRY 



the double lacing and mahogany bay of the Cornish Indian Game. 

 From this strain "some line specimens of very rich plumage" were 

 produced. Although Hooper was merely a cross-breeder, when a man 

 of vision cast his eyes upon the crossbred flock and pointed out the 

 possibilities, Hooper became enthused; a goal was set and he began 

 to proceed toward it, mating so as to produce in actuality his mental 

 image of a beautiful Partridge Plymouth Rock. 



Uther eastern breeders active. Ten years elapsed before recogni- 

 tion was given the Partridge Plymouth Rock as a Standard variety, 

 and when in 1910, the variety was admitted to the Standard of Per- 

 fection, the originators of Partridge Plymouth Rocks were almost as 

 numerous as the flocks that existed. The Partridge Wyandotte was 

 not as well settled into Wyandotte form as at the present time, and 

 breeders were able to employ the single comb sports to excellent 

 advantage in revamping the stock into Partridge Plymouth Rocks. 

 The Partridge Wyandotte was quite well distributed, having been 

 recognized as a Standard variety in 1901, and the existence of the 

 variety not only suggested the possibility of a Partridge Plymouth 

 Rock but afforded the ground work upon which to build a new variety 

 to be added to the Plymouth Rock breed. 



Among the early New England breeders of Partridge Rocks were 

 John Lowe, Swansea, Massachusetts, and R. G. Buffington and Dr. 

 N. B. Aldrich, Fall River, Massachusetts. Wm. F. Fotterall, who 

 made several original crosses on his Hillcrest Farm, Oakford, Penn- 

 sylvania, and who was an early and enhusiastic breeder of the variety 

 and originator of the Hillcrest strain, stated that the first Partridge 

 Rocks that he ever saw were in the yards of Rowland G. Buffington 

 in 1902, although to Dr. Crocker he accorded due credit for being 

 "the first one to bring this beautiful breed before the public." 



Development in the west. In the west, two principal strains were 

 developed, one by John A. Hageman of Charlotte, Michigan, and one 

 by Sam F. Noftzger, North Manchester, Indiana. 



Hageman was a pit game breeder of twenty years' experience, and 

 as he lived in town, he had for many years farmed out his young 

 stock among farmers in the country, bringing in the birds after they 

 were grown. Upon being attracted to some Partridge Wyandottes 

 and inquiring if they produced some single comb sports, he learned 

 of "a choice lot of so-called Partridge Plymouth Rocks." Upon going 

 to Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, and examining the flock, it was plain to 

 Hageman that the birds were pure single comb sports. He bought 

 ten or a dozen of them, however, and later obtained some nicely 

 penciled birds from a Michigan breeder who had crossed Partridge 

 Cochins and Brown Leghorns, and he also secured some additional 

 birds, both males and females, from another Michigan breeder who 

 had crossed Partridge Cochins with Cornish Indian Games. He then 

 mated three breeding yards, and from this Michigan stock produced 

 what he called the Wolverine strain of Partridge Rocks, Wolverine 

 being a nickname for the state of Michigan, 



