PRAIRIE FARMER'S POULTRY BOOK 



history of every breed is covered from human knowledge, so 

 that our knowledge of the origin of any breed or variety is 

 very limited. The near-origin of some of the breeds is quite 

 well known. It may be helpful to cite a few of the more pop- 

 ular breeds, giving their supposed origin and some of their 

 valuable characteristics. 



Origin and Value of Popular Breeds 



To know the origin of a breed puts the poultry-keeper in 

 possession of the good and bad characters of the ancestral 

 breeds and enables him to conduct his breeding operations in 

 such a way as to eliminate the undesirable qualities. To know 

 the points of value in the breed of his choice enables him in 

 the care and feeding of his flock to emphasize and improve 

 these qualities. There are other breeds than those named that 

 are just as good from a utility or aesthetic standpoint as those 

 given, but these are the breeds that seem to the writer to be 

 most common on the farms. They probably represent 90 per 

 cent of all farm poultry. 



Barred Plymouth Rock Pullet, Oblong type 



Barred Plymouth Rocks 



This is pre-eminently the farmers' breed, though its popu- 

 larity has waned in some degree since the appearance of other 

 breeds that vie with it in excellence. As to its origin, it is 



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