16 THE HOME POULTRY BOOK 



Rhode Island Reds, which are prolific layers of 

 large brown eggs and which are heavy enough to 

 dress well for the table. These are the breeds usu- 

 ally found on the farms where pure-bred fowls of 

 any kind are found. They are hardy, easy to care 

 for and tame ; they are good sitters and make good 

 mothers. 



Most breeds are divided into several varieties and 

 some into many like the Wyandottes, of which there 

 are white, buff, silver, golden, silver-penciled, par- 

 tridge and Columbian. There are barred, white, 

 buff and Columbian Plymouth Rocks, but the Rhode 

 Island Reds are confined to one variety, except that 

 some have single and some rose combs. They orig- 

 inated in the state from which the breed takes its 

 name and among professional poultrymen who were 

 seeking a superior all-round fowl. The Red has 

 grown amazingly in popularity and is now closely 

 crowding the Barred Plymouth Rock, which for 

 years was the one breed seen everywhere. A Rhode 

 Island White has now appeared. 



The one objection to the Reds from the point of 

 view of the amateur who has a liking for handsome 

 hens is the difficulty which is experienced in get- 

 ting uniformity in coloring. There are many varia- 



