THE “FANCY ” 
that he will have comparatively smooth sailing 
after that. And that is true of every branch of 
the poultry business, market or fancy. 
On the result of his matings depends the success 
or failure of every fancier. I do not mean, in 
Mating this sense, the correct mating to pro- 
to Produce duce eggs that will hatch (which is 
Prize-winners very necessary), but instead, the mat- 
ing of the different individuals so that their vari- 
ous characteristics and peculiarities will ‘nick 
in” (blend) just right and the resulting progeny 
will be as good or better than their ancestors. 
The man who can afford to buy a pen of breed- 
ing birds to make his start has the advantage 
in this respect, because the breeder from whom he 
purchases them will use his experience and skill 
in selecting and properly mating them before ship- 
ping. The beginner should secure some one to 
do the work for him who is thoroughly acquainted 
with the breed and the breed characteristics, or else 
he should thoroughly post himself upon the sub- 
ject as best he can and experiment and observe 
results. One of the best means of becoming famil- 
iar with the good and bad points of a breed is by 
a careful study of the Standard requirements. 
American Standard of Perfection. This is a 
cloth-bound book of 300 pages, published and 
copyrighted by the American Poultry Association. 
In this Standard will be found, listed in classes, 
187 
