FOWLS, TABLE AND MARKET. 175 



It is just so with other kinds of stock ; the common farmer 

 breeds his cows to scrub bulls, his sheep to grade rams and 

 his sows no better ; or rather, I would say, if he does thus, 

 he is a common farmer — by far too common, even in 

 Massachusetts. 



AN EXAMPLE. 



As a matter of personal experience let me state that I 

 have gone through all stages of poultry breeding. I have 

 gone wild over Bantams, delighted in Hamburgs and Polands, 

 prided myself upon my superb Brahmas and Dorkings ; and 

 exulted in the faultless color, form and grace of the Plym- 

 outh Pocks. Nevertheless for years past I have taken more 

 solid comfort in cross-bred fowls in which we have souo^ht 

 to combine those traits which in our household we most 

 value, and could not find in any of the pure-blooded breeds. 

 On a foundation flock of Dorking and light Brahma, with a 

 few white Leghorn hens, all fine of their kinds, we crossed 

 first the gray Dorking and gained better bodies, so far as 

 the Brahmas and Leghorns were concerned, smaller legs, 

 more breast meat, with no deterioration as egg layers. We 

 have long selected eggs for hatching from quiet, steady- 

 laying hens, which produced large eggs, and laid large 

 clutches. Eggs of perfect form, with smooth, firm shells, 

 and of large size, are the only ones set, and the result is, 

 that now it is rare that we have a hen in the yard that lays 

 even medium-sized eggs. This flock we have crossed with 

 Plymouth Rocks, and the result gave great satisfaction. 

 The rapid growth of the chicks is remarkable. We were 

 fast abolishing the pink legs and fine toes brought in by the 

 Dorking cross ; and though in color many of the chicks 

 revert to that of the black Malays, which is one of the 

 parent breeds upon which the Plymouth Rocks were founded, 

 which gives a lack of similarity in appearance to the flock, 

 yet in form, style, quality of flesh and laying habits, they 

 are very similar and very good. 



I am led to speak of this flock on account of the almost 

 universal tendency to disobey law, even though we know 

 it and believe in it. Last spring, instead of procuring two 

 or three pure Plymouth Rock cocks, as we should have 



