THE IMPROVEMENT OF LIGHT BRAHMAS. 



Line Breeding Necessary to Secure and Maintain a Uniform Type — A System of Mating Birds of 

 Standard Color in Which Like Produces Like— The Relation of JUnder Color 



to Surface Color Discussed. 



Bv Mrs. Ella Thomas. 



1 



P I should consider myself even now anything but an 

 amateur in mating Light Brahmas, I should go against 

 my own convictions in the matter, but as I have had 

 some degree of success, I will be pleased to give you my ex- 

 perience, as none of us "liveth unto 

 himself," and I think it essential to 

 beginners in poultry culture to be 

 able to profit by the success of 

 others. It will save them years, 

 perhaps, of unsuccessful labor, and 

 often inspires success wliere many 

 new breeders would become dis- 

 couraged and quit the business. 



I find my ideas of several years 

 ago are only strengthened into facts 

 that we cannot depart from, if we 

 would produce an ideal fowl in 

 points, pedigree, size and vigor, 

 .vith egg laying qualities. I believe 

 the parties who condemned line 

 breeding are revolted and gone, or 

 will be, for they have so of ten spoiled 

 their flocks by mixture of blood 

 from the different strains. Good 

 food and plenty of it will make any 

 "strain" large, while lack of it will 

 produce the opposite. In the hands 

 of practical breeders it is the only 

 safe plan to line-breed; as like, 

 when the "blood" is established, 

 will produce like, and give us vigor- 

 ous specimens full of usefulness. 



I condemn Cochin shaped Brah- 

 mas, because they are not Ameri- 

 can-bred, because they lay fewer 

 eggs, and are not like our Ameri- 

 can-bred, rustling, practical, vigor- 

 ous birds. Many of the Brahmas 

 of to-day, as in the past, show a 

 loss of the broad, short head; 

 heavy, overhanging eye-brows; full 

 throat, short, strong, well arched 

 beak; broad, well-spread tail; 

 broad, deep breast; oblong body, 



with proper length, etc., that characterize our best Brahmas. 

 You will find them in the show room and elsewhere with 

 long, narrow heads; long, slim beaks; very small combs and 

 wattles; narrow, flat breast; and Cochin leg and toe feather- 

 ing; and short Cochin body. There are many good flocks 

 of Brahmas in the United States, I am happy to say, but we 

 do not find" all yards alike as we should do. We should try 

 to work together to weed out all characteristics other than 

 Brahma, and we still have years of work before us on scien- 

 tific line*; even now that we have our National Light Brah- 



ma Club we have that much more reason to establish a uni- 

 form character in our Brahmas all over the United States. 



One objection many find to Light Brahmas is the pro- 

 fuse foot feathering, but I like the feathering when not too 



^i/CSt^awi 



■$&!■■• ^t) 



A Boston First 



Prize-Winning Light Brahma Male, Owned by J. W. Shaw. 



profuse, and find no hindrance to the quality of my birds on 

 that account. It is easily overlooked when we consider their 

 great size, marked vigor, hardiness and practical qualities. 

 They arc loved by all fanciers who know their gentle dis- 

 position. They respond to kind treatment with evident af- 

 fection. They leara to know their friends and trust them. 

 It is pleasant to note the enthusiasm of the fancier of this 

 breed, who understands mating and breeding them, -be- 

 cause most of them breed them without injuring their util- 

 ity and increase their fine quality each year. I shall always 



