AMERICAN POULTRY CULTURE 
The Genesis of the Fowl. It is claimed that 
in the beginning there existed only one kind 
of chicken, a black and red jungle fowl of 
uncertain origin, and from this one species man 
has produced, through selection and persistent 
matings, the one hundred or more distinct varieties 
of poultry now in existence. There is no doubt 
but that this is substantially true, for more than 
half the varieties now described in the American 
Standard of Perfection, and bred in large numbers 
at the present time, have been “created” within 
the lifetime of poultrymen now living, and even 
within the past twenty years fifteen or twenty of 
our popular varieties have come into existence. 
Inasmuch as it has taken years to create and pro- 
duce the different varieties of standard-bred poul- 
Getting a try, building them up to such an 
Start in extent that they will reproduce the 
the Fancy 
desirable distinct qualities and charac- 
teristics, it follows that the one best way to 
preserve and augment these traits is to buy into an 
established strain and then stick to that strain, 
concentrating all energy upon developing to the 
utmost the special characteristics and qualities 
which it possesses. Different breeds have different 
strains (or families), all alike in general, but vary- 
ing in the fine points, depending upon which ones 
the breeder has specialized the most strongly. A 
common mistake made by beginners with standard- 
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