CHAPTER XXXIV 



THE ENGLISH CLASS 



The English class comprise the Dorkings, White, Silver-Gray and 

 Colored; the Redcaps and all varieties of Orpingtons. They all are 

 what may be termed a general purpose fowl, are good layers and ex- 

 cellent table fowls. The Dorkings are among the oldest breeds of 

 fowls and have always been liked. The male is large, broad in the 

 back and low in shank, giving him a solid, compact looking body. The 

 female is broad and with a length of back that gives the idea of roomi- 

 ness for egg making. And the old-fashioned Dorking came pretty 

 near to being an egg machine. The skin and flesh of all Dorkings are 

 white, and they lay a large white egg. They have five toes, a four- 

 toed Dorking would meet disqualification in the show room. The 

 Dorkings are of three varieties, the Silver Gray, which is the most 

 popular here, the White and Colored Dorking. The Standard weights 

 for the Silver Gray are cock 8 pounds; cockerel 7 pounds; hen 6% 

 pullet 5%. The Colored Dorking runs one pound heavier on all both 

 male and femalei while the White Dorking is between the two. There 

 are not a great many fowls of these varieties in California, not be- 

 cause they don't do well or anything is against them, but probably 

 because newer breeds fill the bill and the old breeds are neglected. 



The Redcap. — ^This is another old English variety that is hard to 

 beat, yet it is not found in numbers in California. Lancashire and 

 Derbyshire are the two English counties where Redcaps are bred to 

 any great extent. As layers, there is no breed of fowl that can beat 

 them, of that I can speak, for I have kept them for years, but have 

 none now. They lay a white egg of medium size and the meat is white 

 with a gamey flavor, skin is white and legs of a dark slate color. Stan- 

 dard weights for cock is 7% pounds; cockerel 6 pounds; hen 6 pounds 

 and pullet S pounds. 



These are the only one breed of fowls that I know of in any class 

 that are absolutely and truly non sitters. I have kept them at dif- 

 ferent times and had stock from different places and never yet saw a 

 Redcap stay on the nest five minutes after it laid. The fowls when 

 mature are healthy and hardy, they are good layers during the spring 

 and summer, but like most of the non sitting varieties do not lay as 

 well in the winter months as the heavier feathered breeds. They get 

 their name from the comb which in the male covers the head, forming 

 a cap. They are very handsome particolored birds that require no 



