640 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



noted for tneir great length of tail and 

 hackle feathers, Bantams, etc. Neither 

 will the farmer ordinarily desire to con- 

 fine himself to the heavy meat breeds, 

 since they mature too slowly and pro- 



Fig. 404 — SALMON FAVEROLLE HEN 



duce too few eggs to make them profit- 

 able, under general farm conditions, in 

 comparison with the general purpose 

 breeds. 



Tests of Breeds — A good many ex- 

 periments have been reported in which 

 the value of the different breeds for egg 

 production have been tested. At the 

 Michigan station, three pens, contain- 

 ing 25 fowls each, laid the following 

 number of eggs during the year : Golden 

 Wyandottes, 3,555; Barred Plymouth 

 Rock, 3,360; Brown Leghorns, 3,225. In 

 another six months' test at the same 

 station, tbe average number of eggs laid 

 by the different breeds was as follows: 

 Single Comb Brown Leghorns, 80.6; 

 Rose Comb Brown Leghorns, 84.4; 

 White Plymouth Rock, 75.8; Golden 

 Wyandotte, 102.8; Silver Pencil Ham- 

 burg, 86.7; Partridge Cochin, 92.5; 

 Dark Brahmas, 59.2; Cornish Indian 

 Game, 63.2. 



In a test at the Canada experimental 

 farms, White Leghorns laid the most 

 eggs, then Plymouth Rocks, followed by 

 Black Minorcas. At the West Virginia 

 station, White Leghorns laid on the 

 average 20 more eggs a hen and were 



53 cents more profitable a hen during 

 tbe year than mongrel fowls. White 

 Leghorns, however, weigh only about 

 3 V& to 4 pounds each. The meat is white 

 and of inferior quality. For these reas- 

 ons the heavier general purpose breeds 

 are recommended for the farm. 



Color op eggs — Some markets make 

 a distinction in price between white and 

 brown eggs. The Boston market will 

 pay from 2 to 5 cents a dozen more 

 for brown eggs than for white ones; 

 in New York City, white eggs are pre- 

 ferred. The following breeds produce 

 brown eggs: Plymouth Rock, Wyan- 

 dotte, Rhode Island Red, Orpington, 

 Langshan, Java, Indian Game, Fave- 

 rolles, Brahma, Cochin, Dominique, 

 English Game, etc. 



The following breeds produce white 

 shelled eggs : Leghorn, Spanish, Minorca, 

 Andalusian, Hamburg, etc. 



One breed on the farm — Whatever 

 breed is selected, it should be adhered 

 to strictly, since if the poultry is mar- 

 keted alive, a uniform lot makes a better 

 impression and brings a better price 

 than a mixed lot of fowls. A uniform 

 lot of fowls on the farm advertises the 



Fig. 405 — creve-coeur cock 



place to a much greater extent than a 

 mixed lot. If all the fowls are white 

 or buff or barred, they attract the atten- 

 tion of passers-by, and create a demand 

 for eggs for breeding purposes. These, 



