I ANCONA TYPE | 



F VERY breed of fowls has its faddists who attempt to breed their birds 

 ■-"with variations." Such breeders are a detriment to the poultry busi- 

 ness, and a curse to the breed they take up. 



Many a breed has been set aside or shelved as undesirable for the 

 reason that it was made a monstrosity by faddi-sts. They alter plumage, 

 change the shape, size and other characteristics natural to the breed, and 

 as a consequence they greatly impair or utterly destroy the utility value 

 of the breed, and in consequence it loses its popularity and becomes a 

 has-been. 



But these faddists seem never to profit by the mistakes of others, and 

 they sound the "death-knell" of their breeds by repeating the blunders 

 made by their prototypes in respect to other breeds. 



When a breed has an established type, and characteristics bred natu- 

 rally for years, has great utility value, is popular and on the crest of the 

 boom, why in Heaven's name should anyone attempt to "monkey with 

 fate" and put a crimp in the breed by introducing foreign elements that 

 the breed cannot stand for, and reasonable breeders will not endure! 



So much for introduction. 



I realize that in this chapter I am walking on thin ice, and may leave 

 dents that other Ancona people may think had better be left out, but I 

 am speaking from many years of experience in breeding, selling and ex- 

 hibiting Anconas, and from my best judgement formed from the largest, 

 and greatest range of correspondence on Ancona matters ever enjoyed by 

 any Ancona breeder. This experience is here recorded for what it may be 

 worth, (a.) Anconas are not a meat breed, lay no claims to being beefers, 

 and a heavyweight Ancona is not a true Ancona at all. The American 

 Standard of Perfection says that the weight of Anconas shall be 4 lbs. for 

 the hen and SJ lbs. for the cock. 



This is the best judgement of the men who have carefully weighed the 

 matter pro and con. It has taken years to arrive at this conclusion but 

 now that we have arrived that is all there is to it. In 1911 a quite general 

 attempt was made to Minorocaize Anconas, and the breed was at that 

 time and in that manner threatened with the worst calamity that has be- 

 fallen it since its introduction into America. But before the "beef fad" 

 had gained enough cohorts to be of any considerable damage the mistake 

 was corrected, and the weight of Anconas was made normal again. 



