BLACK WYANDOTTES 209 



and from the same mating again in 1887 was enabled to breed his 

 blacks for several years without the introduction of new blood; then 

 learning that F. M. Clemens of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, was working along 

 the same lines, exchanged birds with Clemens, and continued to breed 

 and improve his Black Wyandottes for seven years. 



Clemens, however, complained of "a dearth of new blood to keep up 

 stamina," and in 1890 took advantage of a few black pullets of superior 

 size and stamina that had been produced in the yard of a friend who was 

 breeding Barred Plj'mouth Rocks and to whom Clemens had furnished 

 a Black Wyandotte male for cross breeding. The cross had produced 

 barred ccokerels and black pullets, and the rose comb had proved its 

 dominance. When these big rose combed, black pullets were mated to a 

 pure Kack Wyandotte male ; the progeny were 75 percent Black Wyan- 

 dotte and none showed the factor for barring in its plumage. Mr. 

 Clemens did much to promote the interests of the variety and for a 

 quarter of a century continued to take a keen interest in poultry affairs. 

 In 1910 he sold his entire stock of Black Wyandottes to the late Frank 

 C. Sites of North Dover, Ohio. 



The future. The Black Wyandotte is a fowl of excellent utility. 

 In 1904, T. E. Orr shipped to us in Ohio a setting of 13 Black Wyandotte 

 eggs from his farm at Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and we hatched 13 

 chicks. Under the date of June 11, 1904, Mr. Orr wrote us: "We have a 

 Black Wyandotte pullet laying before she is four months old — how is 

 that?" 



With so good a fowl, the future rests with the breeder. He can today 

 breed Black Wyandottes with yellow shanks and red eyes and "get away 

 with it." The reason is that judges and buyers are today riding the 

 hobby of under color less than ever before. It used to be that before a 

 judge or buyer passed judgment on a specimen, he wanted to know what 

 it was "like underneath." Today he is looking at the bird as a whole and 

 accepting what he sees as the part that nature has contributed to the 

 sunlight; and the way she builds up that surface is more appropriate 

 for study than for criticism. 



Mating. If only one yard of females are employed, two males 

 should be used, alternating them every third day. The females should be 

 sound colored with as red eyes and yellow legs as you can get. One of 

 the males used should have bright yellow legs, and naturally he will fail 

 in having white at the base of his hackle and perhaps in the under plumage 

 over his hips. This bird is selected primarily for his strength of yellow 

 pigment. He will produce fine pullets. The other male should be selected 

 for strength of black in his plumage, and naturally his shanks will run 

 a little dark in color. He will produce fine cockerels. 



The disadvantage of this sort of mating is that you cannot know for 

 sure the sire of each chicken, and therefore it is not possible to develop 

 a satisfactory basis for line breeding. It is therefore a practical mating 

 rather than a theoretical system of mating. Of course, it is advisable, 



