Chapter II 

 SELECTING A BREED TO KEEP 



SPEAKING broadly, the amateur will be wise 

 to select the breed and variety which makes 

 the strongest appeal to him. He will have 

 a wide choice, both as to size and markings. Yet 

 there are several points aside from appearance 

 which demand consideration. For example,; some 

 breeds lay pure white eggs, which in certain quar- 

 ters is felt to be a distinct disadvantage. Leghorns 

 are bred in comparatively small numbers in New 

 England because the people living there have a strong 

 prediliction for brown eggs, such as are produced 

 by Plymouth Rocks and Rhode Island Reds. New 

 York epicures, on the other hand, are willing to pay 

 a premium for pure white eggs, and so Leghorns, 

 the most famous breed laying eggs of that color, 

 are bred by most of the poultrymen catering to that 

 market. Following the fashion, the majority of 

 New England amateurs keep hens of breeds which 

 lay brown eggs, while in New York, New Jersey 



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