AMERICAN POULTRY CULTURE 



The Genesis of the Fowl. It is claimed that 

 in the beginning there existed only one kind 

 of chicken, a black and red jungle fowl of 

 uncertain origin, and from this one species man 

 has produced, through selection and persistent 

 matings, the one hundred or more distinct varieties 

 of poultry now in existence. There is no doubt 

 but that this is substantially true, for more than 

 half the varieties now described in the American 

 Standard of Perfection, and bred in large numbers 

 at the present time, have been " created " within 

 the lifetime of poultrymen now living, and even 

 within the past twenty years fifteen or twenty of 

 our popular varieties have come into existence. 



Inasmuch as it has taken years to create and pro- 

 duce the different varieties of standard-bred poul- 

 Gettinga tr y> building them up to such an 

 Start in extent that they will reproduce the 



the Fancy desirable distinct qualities and charac- 

 teristics, it follows that the one best way to 

 preserve and augment these traits is to buy into an 

 established strain and then stick to that strain, 

 concentrating all energy upon developing to the 

 utmost the special characteristics and qualities 

 which it possesses. Different breeds have different 

 strains (or families), all alike in general, but vary- 

 ing in the fine points, depending upon which ones 

 the breeder has specialized the most strongly. A 

 common mistake made by beginners with standard- 



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