12 Barred and White Plymouth Rocks. 



sist in that sex alone. The males always come lighter in color as a 

 natural sequence of the Dominique breed, and not only several 

 shades lighter, but the width of the bars are nearly a third of the 

 light spaces between them. The inclination of every strain is to 

 run into light cockerels and dark pullets almost invariably. When 

 pullets come handsome in color, their legs are usually inclined to 

 dusky yellow or greenish color, where the dark specks occur, and 

 the beak shows similar shade. The cockerels tend to light plumage 

 from the same mating, but usually with a more desirable color of 

 limb and bsak clearly and cleanly defined. 



The points most desirable to perpetuate, are the proper shade 

 of plumage, the yellow legs and beak, the fine single comb, and the 

 size and weight. Type, depth of breast and body, compactness and 

 the essential qualities of egg and flesh production are far more 

 important in an utilitarian sense to have in the breed, than bright 

 yellow in legs and beak, that can scarcely be obtained in average 

 flocks. What is needed is an approach to uniformity of color and 

 marking for breeding and exhibition purposes, but we cannot secure 

 this invariably, or even frequently, by breeding from birds not uni- 

 form in color, or in other words, deficient in coloring matter. If 

 your bird be light in color, see that he is the same shade all over, so 

 if he be dark, have him dark from head to tail, and see that his mark- 

 ings are distinct and regular. 



Plymouth Rock breeders have been striving for many years to 

 established the exact balance of color, to bring forth' males and 

 females to medium color and keep them there. It is an exceedingly 

 nice point to attain, but they are approaching it slowly and surely. 

 Some have taken a short road to procure the coverted yellow legs 

 and beaks by topcrossing with the Dominique, or crossing with the 

 Dominique Leghorn. With the breed itself, it is only when the 

 females approach medium that yellow shows itself in the legs and 

 beak, and begins to brighten. Although the mating of a medium 

 dark cock with a medium light colored hen, may not stamp the true 

 color on the chicks the first year, it will eventually bring closer uni- 

 formity in the sexes than by mating light cocks to dark hens. One 

 reason we see so many color shades in Plymouth Rocks is, that one 

 breeder mates very light cocks to dark hens, and gets a large pro- 

 portion of light cockerels. Another mates light cocks to medium 

 light pullets, and they produce many males with yellow hackles, sad- 

 dles and shoulders; and some mat emedium light cocks with medium 

 dark hens, and get a fair average of uniform chickens, while those 



