THE BEST FIRST CROSS 297 
and were the best quality of flesh of the lot; very little offal. 
They laid well in bad weather (a large tinted egg), but badly in 
late spring, partly owing to broodiness. 
“Pen 3 (Leghorn-Orpington).—Several of these turned up pure 
buff, and one, a cockerel, a very fair type of buff Leghorn. They 
all favoured the Leghorn in type. I selected four whites with 
yellow legs; they were slow to mature and went broody very 
early, and continued to do so about every five or six weeks through- 
out the summer; laid a rather small brown egg. They were 
very hardy; none died. Cockerels weighed 3 lbs. Altogether 
I was disappointed with this cross, after what I had heard in their 
favour. 
«Pen 4 (Leghorn-Minorca).—Strange to say, all turned out dead 
white but two, and very even in type. All had blue legs and 
large combs and wattles. They laid well until bad weather in 
January, a very large white egg. Cockerels averaged 24 Ibs. ; 
only second-rate flesh, having poor breast meat. They were 
very delicate as chickens ; four died. 
«Pen 5 (Leghorn-Houdan).—This pen produced some very taking 
pullets, all pure whites but three. They were very quick to 
mature, and none died. Laid the largest egg (white), did badly 
in rough weather, but perfect egg machines in summer. Cockerels 
scaled the best of any, averaging 3 lbs. 6 oz. Very excellent flesh 
and little offal. I selected four white pullets with yellow legs 
and tufts, very smart and alert; they looked layers all over, 
and were very much admired by everyone who saw them. I could 
have sold hundreds if I had had them ; in fact, I never saw a cross 
so taking and uniform as these ; they were just the type one would 
select for layers. 
«Pen 6 (Leghorn-Langshan).—These were very varied in type 
and colour, not two alike, so I chose those most resembling the 
Leghorn type. They were poor layers; stopped altogether in 
the spring ; only a fair-sized egg, and not two alike in colour or 
shape. Very slow to mature. Cockerels only weighed 8 lbs., 
neither was the flesh good. Nobody seemed to like them, neither 
did I. 
