POPULARITY OF RHODE ISLAND REDS AS AN EXHIBITION FOWL 



THE FOLLOWING TABLES WERE COMPILED FROM THE ENTRY BOOKS OF NEW 

 YORK, BOSTON AND CHICAGO DURING THE LAST TEN YEARS, SHOWING THE 

 ENTRIES OF RHODE ISLAND REDS AT THE SAME SHOWS, DURING THE SAME YEAR 



D. E. HALE 



THE REDS are still classed with the newer breeds, 

 especially when considered as exhibition fowl. 

 We remember very distinctly the first Reds we 

 ever saw and also the cool reception accorded them. 

 They were called scrubs, mongrels and other uncompliment- 

 ary names, but those who had tried them said, "Never mind, 

 their utility points will make them win out.'' Even the 

 Red breeders did not have much to say about their fancy 

 points and most of their talk dwelt on their grteat utility 

 value. 



While judging at one of the large western shows about 

 the time when the Reds made their appearance, I remember 

 that the secretary called me into the office and said: "What 

 do you know about these mongrels of Mr. Blanks?" I told 

 him that a neighbor of mine had some of the first Reds in 

 the west and that I had been giving them considerable study. 

 "Very well then," said he, "it is up to you to score that 

 • class, for the other fellows do not want to touch them." 



At that show the Reds began to attract some attention 

 and I am glad to say that they came close to being the 

 largest class at that same show last season. As many of the 

 Red breeders predicted, the Reds have won their way to 

 the front strictly on their merits. I think the Reds, as a 

 breed, have the most loyal backers of any breed in the 

 Standard, but it will be admitted, even by them, that as an 

 exhibition fowl it ranked low until during the last few years. 



After their admittance to the Standard in 1904, breeders 

 began to pay more attention to Standard requirements or 

 fancy points and improvement was soon noticed. Today 

 we find specimens of the breed, that score as high as any 

 parti-colored fowl in the Standard. 



The following tables show the increase in size of the 

 exhibitions at our most popular shows, Madison Square 

 Garden, Boston and Chicago since 1900. They include both 

 the Rose and Single Combs, also "Any other Variety," which 

 included the Peacombs. The reader will note by these tables 

 that so far as we were able to get the figures, the Rose 

 Combs led the Single Combs by only thirty-eight birds. 



Madigon Square Garden 



Any 

 Year Rose Single Other 



Comb Comb Variety Total 



1901 16 12 28 



1902 38 34 72 



1903 50 5 15 70 



1904 Figures not at hand. 



1905 87 23 HO 



1906 111 99 210 



1907— Jan. 88 150 . 238 



1907— Dec. 112 112 224 



1908-09 117 135 262 



1909-10 109 114 223 



1910-Dec 95 100 . 195 



Boston 



Total.- 823 



784 



15 



1622 



Total 



98 



116 



161 



149 



198 

 107 

 116 

 138 

 79 

 222 

 144 



Total 642 873 13 1.528 



Chicago 



Any 

 Rose Single Other 



^^^^ Comb Comb Variety Total 



1901 13 5 18 



1902 51 15 66 



1903 53 .. 53 



1904 9 4 13 



1905 42 14 .56 



1906 38 15 53 



1907 58 29 87 



1908 58 29 87 



1909 184 178 362 



1910 166 153 319 



Total.- 672 442 HH 



Grand Total for the Three Shows 



Rose Comb Single Comb Any Other Total 



Variety 

 2137 2099 28 4264 



At Madison Square Garden the Rose Combs were ex- 

 hibited in larger number than the Single Combs overy year' 

 since 1900, with the exception of January, 1907, January,. 

 1908, December, 1909-January, 1910. and the last show, 

 December, 1910. Since 1906 the Single Combs have been 

 gaining slowly but surely in numbers. The Rose Combs 

 have an aggregate lead for the last ten years of thirty- 

 nine birds. 



At the Boston Shows the Single Combs have been ex- 

 hibited in larger numbers than the Rose Combs, with the- 

 exception of 1907, when the Rose Combs led. The Single 

 Combs have a lead of two hundred and thirty-one birds- 

 for the twelve years. At the last ten shows held in. 

 Chicago, the Rose Combs have been exhibited in consider- 

 ably larger numbers than the Single Combs and theyr 



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