COLUMBIAN PLYMOUTH ROCKS 167 



much of the Light Brahma color as possible. He realized that he 

 was breeding and showing in the Plymouth Rock class, and he desired 

 birds that were fundamentally Plymouth Rocks. When he came in 

 contact with Columbian Wyandotte sports in the showroom and was 

 beaten by them because they had better color of hackle, wings and 

 tails, he became disgusted and wrote: 



It is no honor to a judge to disregard the type of the variety and place the 

 premium solely on color, for the first thing that establishes a variety is type. In 

 case a Wyandotte, Leghorn or any other breed should be shown in the Rock class, 

 the same should be disqualified as out of place, no matter how perfect the 

 plumage may be. 



The Royal strain. D. M. Green, Syracuse, New York, produced 

 a strain of birds by crossing Light Brahmas and White Plymouth 

 Rocks. He named this strain the Royal strain and, upon forming 

 a partnership with Dr. E. B. Kaple, of Elbridge, New York, adver- 

 tised it extensively. 



Green was the most influential friend that the variety had. He 

 organized the American Columbian Plymouth Rock Club, was instru- 

 mental in securing recognition of the variety as a Standard fowl, 

 stimulated breeders to write on the variety and thus secured much 

 valuable publicity for the Columbian Plymouth Rock. 



F. G. Bean's success. The first Columbian Rocks were exhibited 

 at the Jamestown Exposition, 1907. The first illustration of the 

 variety appeared in the American Poultry Journal of that year. By 

 1910 several breeders had come forward, and the class at the Phila- 

 delphia show, December 12 to 17, 1910, consisted of eighty-nine birds. 

 Size, type and color of these birds were a surprise. Among the 

 important exhibitors was Frank G. Bean, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, 

 who won 1, 2, 3, cockerels; 2, 4 pullets; shape and color specials. 



It was not easy to judge the class. One breeder, in order to elimi- 

 nate the brass that showed on the surface of his males, had attempted 

 to bleach their backs with peroxide of hydrogen. It had turned to 

 brown the bluish-white under-color, and his males had to be dis- 

 qualified. There were Columbian Wyandotte sports of excellent color 

 in the class. Green showed some of his White Rock-Light Brahma 

 cross, and his star male which had not been defeated before was 

 beaten in this strong competition because he was deficient in black 

 markings. Breeders were in a turmoil. No two agreed. The variety 

 had been admitted to the Standard that year, the future was bright 

 with promise, but who was going to be the champion among these 

 breeders? 



The next show season settled the matter and the crown went to 

 Bean. At Philadelphia, December, 1910, his 1st cockerel was the 

 star bird of the cockerel class, in our opinion; and his 2d pullet was 

 much the better colored and lost to 1st only in the matter of size. 

 The variety had reached the point where an interchange of birds 

 was possible, an4 Bean had developed a flock that blossomed forth 



