88 



LE.550NS IN POULTRY KEE.PING — SECOND SLRIE5. 



were develop- 

 country ii n d 

 aboaril the 

 *ii t o have 

 from al)roa(l. 

 nation, hovv- 

 lemoves the 

 farther back— 

 Tea>oiiah!e to 

 fowls of this 

 jis introtlui'cd 

 were devclop- 

 (■ominon stocic 

 w i t li o u t at- 

 limi. 



tie fowls were 

 1) |ie o f o u r 

 in< and Brah- 

 oiit the finish 

 feather, a n d 

 ► harp difler- 

 varieties 

 since taken 

 were large 

 Sreat - size as 

 with the com- 



Siloer Laced Wyandotles. 



ed in Ibis 



8 ni u g }; 1 e d 

 vessels reput- 

 l)roiight them 

 Such anexpla- 

 ever, merely 

 i ni p r t ation 

 for it is not 

 mppose that 

 class and lyjie 

 to the public 

 eti from our 

 or developed 

 tr.icting atteii- 

 Tliese Asia- 

 of the general 

 present Coch- 

 nias, but with- 

 of form and 

 without the 

 entiation into 

 which has 

 place. They 

 birds. Their 

 compared 

 mon fowls 



i*eems to have been their first point of attraction. They were docile and hardy, and were, 

 i,'enerally given, by those who tried them, the reputation of being good layers. They laid large 

 brown egi;s — then a novelty in our markets, and as poultry were .considered very superior to 

 the common fowls. 



They were immediately taken up both by "fanciers'" and by poultry keepers. The fanciers 

 immediately began to multiply breeds by giving diifefeut names to difl'erent types and colors. 

 Quite a number of poultrymen began at once to try to improve the common stock in their hands 

 Ijy crossing the large males on it. It is said that one effect of this was that within a few years 

 the poultry brought Into the Boston markets was noticeably improved in size. Another result 

 was a general quickening of interest in better poultry. People began to try to learn something 

 of established breeds of fowls; numerous importations were made from England especially, 

 though there may have been some from continental countries. Within a few years most ot the 

 breeds having any vogue in England were pretty well rejiresented here, and forty years ago 

 Ilamburgs, Polish, and Spanish were distributed quite generally throughout the northern 

 states — not in such numbers as are found of popular fowls today, but still numerous enough 1 1 

 become familiar objects. Asiatics seem to have been distributed more slowly. All these 

 worked into the common stocks of the country until, when I was a boy beginning to be much 

 interested in poultry, a large proportion of the farm flocks contained many specimens showing 

 unmistakable evidence of well bred parentage of some of these races. 



Such breeding, however, was indiscriminate, and led to nothing definite. None of the new 

 types proiluced were able to gain more than local prominence. Nor did the thoroughbred 

 fiiwls of those days take with the public, especially the farmers, as did those which were to be 

 brought out later. 



It is less than thirty years since the first of our present "American class" of fowls was intro- 

 duced to the public as the "Plymouth Brck," to be known later, as other varieties of the same 

 breed type appeared, as the Birred P.yinouth Rock. Into the disputes with regard to the 

 origin of this fowl we need not enter here. Sufl3ce it to say that in it were combined for tlie 



