94 LL55ONS IN POULTRY KEEPING SECOND 5ERIE5. 



their Leghorn chicks, and young hens compare favorably with ordinary stock of the American 

 breeds, but the average Leghorn is a very poor table fowl. 



The Black Minorcas are the next breed in this class in popularity, though far behind the 

 popular varieties of Leghorns in this respect. Ordinary Minorcas as found distributed through- 

 out the country do not differ greatly from Leghorns. Indeed it is not an unheard of thing for 

 breeders to supply customers with Black Leghorns and Black Minorcas from the same pens. 

 Typical Black Minorcas, as bred in the sections where they are most popular are medium large 

 fowls, sometimes as large as Plymouth Rocks; are good layers of very large white eggs, and 

 are fine table fowls for home use, though their white skin and dark legs are not in favor in 

 most markets. 



Andalusians and Anconas do not differ much in anything but color, from Leghorns. The 

 Andalusian is a trifle more on the Minorca type; the Ancona on the Leghorn type. The 

 Andal'iaian is a slaty blue in color, and very difficult to breed to standard color requirements. 

 The Ancona is a mixed (speckled) black and white fowl. Both have their admirers, and the 

 Andalusian in particular is given a good deal of attention by fanciers. They may be rated as 

 fowls for the fancier and amateur rather than for those looking for the most suitable fowl 

 lor commercial purposes. 



The Black Spanish are practically extinct, except in the hands of a few fanciers. 



Of much the same general type as the Leghorns are the Hamburgs and Polish. Varieties of 

 4>oth breed* were popular before the introduction of the Leghorns, but being generally less 

 hardy, more difficult to keep and rear, and lacking the yellow legs and skin which our 

 markets prefer, they were rapidly crowded into the background on the advent of the Leghorns. 

 They are stil bred by many fanciers, and seen in considerable numbers at some shows. 

 Most Hamburgs are so small as to be of little practical value. A few breeders maintain good 

 size, and a type that is well suited both for egg production and for the family table. The 

 Polish fowls, though small, are generally plump and meaty. They are good layers under 

 favorable conditions, but their large crests make them very susceptible to colds and roup 

 when exposed to wet weather. 



In the Asiatic class we have another group of fowls generally crowded out by the " genera! 

 purpose" fowls. The Asiatics, of which there are three breeds Brahtuas, Cochins, and 

 Langshans are large fowls too large for general market demands, and among those keeping 

 fowls for commercial purposes are bred mostly for special markets. With the exception of 

 the Light Brahma, it may be said that the Asiatics are of no economic importance today, and 

 it occupies a very limited field. Light Brahmas in a few localities are produced in very large 

 numbers for large roasting fowls. They are the largest of fowls, and as it takes them so long 

 to attain full size, they remain soft meated much longer than fowls of the smaller breeds. 

 With judicious management they are good layers, but comparatively few poultrymen suceed 

 in getting satisfactory egg yields from any Asiatic fowls. The Langshan, the smallest of the 

 group, is the best layer under ordinary management, but its color, (black, the White Langshan 

 has never become well known), is against it for market poultry. An objection, in most 

 section*, to all Asiatic fowls, is the foot feathering. Wherever the soil is heavy and there is 

 much wet weather, or where these fowls are not provided with houses where the floors are dry 

 and littered with material that will quickly absorb the water in the foot feathers after they 

 have been out on wet ground, this foot feathering is really a fault. Asiatics are the most docile 

 of fowls and the hardiest, but unless one gives them plenty of room and uses judgment in 

 handling them he will not get as good results from them as from fowls of the American class 

 for any purpose. In the hands of those who understand them they are good layers compar- 

 ing favorably with any other breed, but the average poultry keeper gets very few eggs from 

 them, and soon changes to a breed easier to handle. 



In our " Standard of Perfection" Dorkings, Red Caps, and Orpingtons are grouped together 

 In the " English " class, though the three breeds are of distinctly different types. The Dorking 

 is an English production of great antiquity. The Red Cap is perhaps best described as a fowl 

 of the Hamburg class bred to large size, while the Orpington, as has been seen, is an English 

 translation of the type which prevails in the American class. 



Red Caps are rarely seen in this country. Dorkings are found in considerable numbers at 



