26 



THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. 



forethought, that they are fond of this employ- 

 ment, and who think of it at other times beyond 

 the periods in which they are actually engaged 

 about it. When you are fortunate enough to 

 find these various qualifications united, you may 

 hope for the best, and will probably find that 

 many a useful observation as to the peculiar 

 characteristics of the different breeds, and many 

 a hint that may be profitably acted on, will re- 

 ward your discrimination. 



It is quite certain nothing has become so 

 general or so universally popular in modern 

 times as a taste for the culture of domestic poul- 

 try. This has arisen most probably, in a great 

 measure, from the two-fold fact, that though a 

 most exceedingly pleasant recreation, it has 

 proved itself far more remunerative, in a pecun- 

 iary point of view, than any other public fan- 

 cy of recent date; the latter, no doubt, having 

 ensued in no slight degree from the anxiety to 

 obtain first-rate specimens wherewith to com- 

 pete at the public exhibitions of poultry. A 

 few years since the prices obtained easily for 

 fancy fowls would have been considered fab- 

 ulous, and their purchasers jeered right hearti- 

 ly on the utter possibility of ever "seeing their 

 money again." Time, however, that proves all 

 things, shows that some of those who were thus 

 situated had displayed greater foresight than 

 their neighbors, and thus obtained considerable 

 emolument from a source that had for many 

 years been almost altogether neglected, or the 

 profits of which, thus carelessly and indolently 

 obtained, were only appropriated as "pin-mon- 

 ey" for the wife and daughters of the family 

 generally. It is now far different, and many 

 have largely increased their incomes by the 

 produce of some three or four hundred of well- 

 selected poultry. 



" There appears," says an English writer, " to 

 have been two radical errors into which aspir- 

 ants for poultry honors have by far too gener- 

 ally fallen, viz., the supposition they might get 

 very first-rate produce from indifferent stock; 

 and others have erred quite as glaringly by 

 adopting the plan of buying, at any price, those 

 fowls only that have taken first prizes at the 

 poultry shows. A few moments quiet reflection 

 will tend to prove the fallacy of either plan. 



" It is a well known fact that even when fowl* 

 are bred from the purest strains, all the produce 

 will not evidence equal purity with their par- 

 ents as to the characteristics of that particular 

 variety to which they belong; it will, therefore, 

 be easily conceived how infinitely removed are 

 the probabilities of obtaining such where the 

 'blood stock' are only tolerable character; and 

 as regards the purchase of first-rate prize pens 

 only, this arrangement is open to the very seri- 

 ous objection that by so doing we have no change 

 of blood, and the past experience of many a 

 disappointed amateur has proved, and doubtless 

 the dearly-bought knowledge of others will yet 

 confirm that the undeviating and inevitable con- 

 sequences of such 'interbreeding' will be im- 

 becility and deterioration of character in the 

 offspring." 



It is hardly necessary to draw the attention 

 of breeders generally to the fact, how few ani- 

 mals in England have maintained their superi- 

 ority for a series of years in any particular va- 

 riety, unless by the exhibition of the same cause 

 which exists when first prize pens only are pur- 

 chased for breeding stock by a wealthy new be- 

 ginner. All being from the same blood, their 

 offspring (if any) are puny, weakly, and highly 

 susceptible of disease. These much-to-be- 

 dreadcd consequences are easily obviated by 

 obtaining the male birds from one strain, their 

 hens or pullets (as the case may be) from an- 

 other and different one, then, if well selected, 

 there is but little fear but there will be ample 

 cause for self-congratulation as to their produce 

 for a couple of generations, after which period 

 deterioration will certainly ensue if the same 

 plan is not again repeated. 



We will just advert to one other most uni- 

 versal mistake into which an unreflecting novice 

 is almost certain to inveigle himself unwittingly, 

 viz., a thirst for more poultry than he has the 

 means to accommodate ; the consequence is, the 

 adult fowls are bad enough, but on the youn- 

 ger branches it acts with crushing effect ; and 

 certain it is, that many a one has seen conta- 

 gion spreading its baneful influences on every 

 side within the precincts of his poultry-yard, 

 without the slightest supposition ever crossing 

 his mind that his own former imprudence was 



