PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCKS 159 



Partridge penciling and eight matings were formed. In 1907, ten pens 

 were mated and sixty females employed and the new variety had 

 reached the point where it was made. 



Noftzger, working on such a broad foundation, became prominent 

 in the variety and his breeding establishment did probably as much 

 business as all the rest of the Partridge Rock breeders combined. 

 Noftzger had verily set sail and reached his destination, Plymouth 

 Rock, but it proved to be a granite bowlder on a bleek and rocky coast 

 and the winter of 1911-1912 blighted his hopes and he rapidly disap- 

 peared as a leading breeder. 



New breeders come to the front. At the New York show of Dec. 

 19 to 23, 1911, the Partridge Plymouth Rock club held its annual 

 meet. There were 102 birds shown and the class was not only the 

 largest but the very best that had been brought together in the entire 

 country. J. H. Drevenstedt, a veteran judge and acknowledged au- 

 thority, placed the ribbons. Noftzger came on from Indiana with 

 four cocks, four hens, four cockerels, four pullets and one pen of 

 birds. Charles and Cyrus Bird of Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, who had 

 been breeding the variety for only three years, also exhibited. When 

 the awards were up, Noftzger had won 5th cock, 3d hen, 3d and 5th 

 pullets and 1st pen. Bird Bros, were the proud exhibitors of 1st cock, 

 1st hen, 1st cockerel and 1st pullet. 



The giants had come together and Noftzger with his bright yellow 

 shanks and orange toned Partridge Cochin color, had gone down to 

 defeat before Bird Bros.' bright red ground color and shanks as 

 good as they would come. Noftzger had made a fatal mistake; instead 

 of first visiting the Madison Square Garden show and seeing what 

 was winning in New York, then going home and producing exactly 

 what the eastern breeders and judges would call "good," he plunged 

 into the Garden with everything at stake and lost. 



In the west a new star was already looming on the horizon. F. N. 

 Perkins of Freeport, Illinois, who was breeding the Noftzger strain 

 had won at the Chicago show of December, 1911, 1-2-3-4 cocks, 2-3-4-5 

 hens, 2-4-5 cockerels, 2-3-4-5 pullets and 1 pen. Noftzger now had 

 formidable competition in the west; and the show reports of the New 

 York show gave Bird Bros, an ascendancy that made them the con- 

 trolling power in the east. They had won all the firsts at New York 

 in 1910, and now met all comers at the club show of 1911 and won 

 four out of the five firsts. 



In commenting on the class at the New York show of December. 

 1911, H. P. Schwab said: 



Tn Partridge Plymouth "Rocks the largest class known was seen. This variety 

 surely is making wonderful headway. Their beauty is to attract and admire, and 

 we find particularly in the east that several of our well known breeders are interest- 

 ing themselves in this variety. Here in this large and strong class Bird Bros, 

 made a phenomenal winning, taking all first prizes excepting one, and several other 

 places. To describe this class bird by bird would be repeating. Type was the 

 general feature, with color and markings close up. Head points also deserve special 

 mention, as does color of eye. The general character of the birds found here was 



