HISTORY OF THE R. I. REDS 



17 



the Revision Committee, so the question was settled for at 

 least five years, as to what shall constitute a perfect or 

 standard Rhode Island Red, a description being given that 

 is full and explicit, conforming closely to the club's Stand- 

 ard of 1903, with only such changes as the improvement 

 of the breed and the experience of practical breeders had 

 shown to be necessary for its further advancement. 



We have called attention to the influence of the utility 

 ■ breeders as manifested in the Standard adopted. We would 

 also direct the reader's attention to the fact that the club 

 has worked for the advancement of the breed and the adop- 

 tion of a better and more valuable type of fowl with a long, 

 deep body, combining the egg type with the type of a meat 

 producer. That the Reds are excellent producers of both 

 eggs and meat, is the universal testimony of those who have 

 bred them. 



A comparison of the club ideals (presented in connec- 

 tion with this article) with the cuts in the American Standard 

 of Perfection, shows the improvement in type. The club 

 ideals also agree very well with the description adopted for 

 the 1910 Standard. Breeders and judges should give these 

 cuts careful attention, as they embody the views of the 

 majority of Red breeders far better than the cuts in the 1905 

 A. P. A. Standard. 



I shall not attempt to describe the color of a perfect 

 Rhode Island Red. The Standard description is definite 

 enough, except on the shades of red. An authority on color 

 tells us there are sixty-four shades of red. Words are in- 

 adequate to express precisely what is meant in these color 

 descriptions and judges and breeders have differed widely 

 in their interpretation of them. Object lessons, such as the 

 late Dr. Aldrich gave the club at several Boston meetings, 

 and such as have been given at the Illinois State Fairs, are 



the female's hackle, or who were unable to produce it, con- 

 tended that a double mating is necessary. On the other 

 hand, many of our best breeders claim there is no necessity 

 for such matings. 



This question, like many similar questions in other lines 

 of progressive work can best be answered by comparing the 

 results attained by practical experiments. Until some of 

 the advocates of double mating can produce and exhib- 

 it at New York or Boston a string of birds that surpasses 

 those that have been exhibited there, that -were produced by 

 the single mating system, those of us who for a dozen years 

 or more have bred along single matings lines can see no 

 reason for advocating or practicing double mating or to 

 change the Standard description of either sex. 



Breeders of other varieties may give us advice based 

 on theories and amateur breeders of Rhode Island Reds may 

 believe that the same rules that produce winners in Barred 

 Rocks, Brown Leghorns and some other breeds would prove 

 successful with Reds, but the fact remains that the birds 

 that win in the great shows are generally bred' by men who 

 have proved that they can produce winning specimens of 

 both sexes from one mating. With these facts before us, 

 why speculate as to what might be produced by some other 

 course? 



A Curious Characteristic 



It is not my purpose to discuss at any length the art or 

 science of breeding in general, but a few thoughts bearing 

 directly upon the ' markings of hackles may be deemed 

 worthy of consideration. 



Many of the best colored males possess one peculiarity 

 that I have never seen mentioned in print, but which I have 

 often observed in my own birds, and recent inquiries brought 



The head of the Ideal Rose Comb 

 female, adopted by the Rhode Island 

 Red Club of America. The two vari- 

 eties should be alike in shape and 

 color, differing only in combs. 



valuable methods of schooling the amateur in the 

 study of red color. 



The imdercolor of both male and female should 

 be free from any tinge of slate or white. This ap- 

 plies -to breast, body and wing-bows as well as to 

 the back, a point that many breeders and judges do 

 not consider. The entire outer color should be free 

 from shafting, mealiness, or black peppering, and the 

 uniformity of color of the various sections is of the 

 highest importance. 



These are some of the characteristics of the ideal 

 Rhode Island Red that it has been deemed advis- 

 able to mention in connection with a study of the 

 Standard. How to produce such specimens is a 

 question for breeders to consider. During the past 

 year we have heard a great deal about double mating. 

 Breeders who did not favor the black ticking in 



RHODE ISLAND RED CLUB OF AMERICA— Standard Cut 

 The ideal cut of the Rhode Island Red Club of America 'I he^e ideals 

 were selected by the club as their standard models m preference to the 

 Srations used in the 1905 Standard The Club approves of the word 

 description that appears in the 1910 edition of the Standard. 



