REPOBT ON POULTRY. 



The committee of poultry make the following report : 



The show of fowls this year was probably not so large as in the 

 last few years, but the quality was fully equal to that of any year, 

 and in some classes a good deal better. The committee wished to 

 award the pi'emiums entirely on the merits of the fowls exhibited, 

 and in two or three cases where the fowls were of an inferior grade 

 made no award whatever. 



The special premium offered by the Society for the originality of 

 a new breed was not awarded for the reasons that there was only one 

 entry and .that of a cross where there was no great amount of excel- 

 euce claimed over the progenitors, and the committee seeing no 

 special merit in the production, when placed against the existing 

 breeds. I would suggest that if thought best to offer this premium 

 again (as would seem desirable) it would be well to make it more 

 public, so that anyone interested might know it in time. 



I presume in a report of this kind it is desired that there may be 

 some hints on this subject that may be of use to interested ones. I 

 will therefore tell a few facts that have come to my notice. One is 

 that it pa3's to take more pains in selecting the fowls kept for breed- 

 ing purposes. A few years ago I obtained a half dozen Plymouth 

 Rock pullets from Newiugton, Ct., one of which proved to be an 

 excellent layer, and noticing a peculiarity in her eggs, the next 

 spring I saved enough of her eggs to furnish a hen a setting. From 

 this brood I saved pullets, and put these with their mother in a separate 

 coop the next winter, and kept a record of the eggs laid. I am sorry 

 I cannot give this record but it was one to be proud of. I mention 

 this because it seems to me that too much attention to the breeding 

 for feather and size of the Plymouth Rock, and too little to the laying 

 capabilities, so that you find few good laying strains. In selecting 

 future breeders of any variety, you cannot cull out too much of the 

 poor birds, or have too high a standard. Choose a few of your best 

 to breed from and use the rest for laying or meat. It has been found 



