ORIGIN AND DESCRIPTION OF BREEDS 



31 



but the fowl came from Italy and derived its name from 

 the city of Leghorn, Italy. In Italy and other European 

 countries it goes under the name of Italian fowl. As a 

 fancier's fowl it may fairly be said to be an American pro- 

 duction, its finer exhibition points being put on by Ameri- 

 can breeders; but its general breed characteristics were 

 developed in the Mediterranean country before the fancier 

 himself was developed in America. In Italy not so much 

 attention has been given 

 to color, Alfredo Vi- 

 tale, of Naples, in a 

 letter to the writer, ex- 

 presses the opinion that 

 the blacks are the most 

 productive strain. It is 

 claimed that the Black- 

 Red Game was crossed 

 with the Brown Leg- 

 horn to improve the 

 color of plumage, also 

 that the Buff Cochin 

 blood was used to se- 

 cure the proper buff color in the Buffs. 



There is little difference in laying in different varieties of 

 Leghorns. A mixture of Cochin blood in the Buffs and 

 Game blood in the Browns may have had an influence to- 

 ward lower egg yield, but it would hardly seem probable 

 that the effect of that infusion of blood from less pro- 

 ductive breeds would still remain. It was ill-advised, how- 

 ever, to jeopardize well-known laying qualities by crossing 

 with meat breeds because of a color demand. 



The Minorca. Among the egg breeds, next to the Leg- 

 horn, the Minorca ranks in popularity. Like the Leghorn, 

 its type was fixed long ago. It is larger in size than the 



* WHITE LEGHORN COCKEREL 

 Exhibition type. 



