Why America Did Not Accept the Belgian Type 



Mr. Jacobus Was the First to Import English Type Gampines to America — He Also Experimented With 



Belgian Stock in His Ne>v Jersey Climate — The Credit for Improving the Belgian Stock io 



Meet the Requirements of England and America Belongs to the English 



By M. R. Jacobus. Riditefield. NeMr Jersey 



DURING the years 1911, 1912 and 1913 there ap- influence was used by the fine type of birds they orig- 

 peared in the foreign poultry papers, as well as inally sent to this country. In making their original 



type of Campines, it was very evident that the English 

 used a great deal of care, not only in the selection and 

 production of well marked birds, but also in the selec- 

 tion and production of birds tliat laid large white eggs, 

 which were far superior to any eggs that I have been 

 able to secure from the Belgian birds. 



Some eighteen or twenty years or more ago, Bel- 

 gian Campines were sent to tliis country and exhibited 

 at Madison Square Garden, New York City. Shortly 

 after this they were admitted to the Standard of Perfec- 

 tion, this Standard calling for what was practically the 



Belgian type. As such a 

 type did not appeal to the 

 American fanciers and 

 breeders, they shortly dis- 

 continued their breeding and 

 then the Campines, which 

 were in reality the Belgian 

 type Campines, were dropped 

 from the Standard of Per- 

 fection. 



The Belgian Campines 

 which were exhibited at 

 Madison Square Garden 

 some eighteen or twenty 

 years or more ago, did not 

 appeal to me, so of course I 

 did not take them up. If all 

 the Campines that came to 

 this country had been of the 

 Belgian type, I never would 

 have made any ef^fort to in- 

 troduce them into this coun- 

 try even at the present day. 



When I imported my first pair of English type Sil- 

 ver Campines from England, I had no idea of takmg 

 them up as a breed. I simply wanted this pair for cross 

 breeding purposes. When I received this first pair I 

 was very much surprised to find that they were much 

 handsomer than the Belgian birds, which I had seen ex 

 hibited years before. Seeing at once the big difiference 

 from the Belgian type of Campines which had been sent 

 to this country years previous and discarded by Amer- 

 ican breeders, I at once saw that they could be bred 

 from a single mating and that by careful selection still 

 handsomer birds could be produced. 



While the markings and the fact that they could be 

 bred from a single mating was attractive, I am ready 

 to admit that it was the very large white eggs that this 

 hen laid that impressed me most of all. I at once sent 

 back into England for more Campines, as I saw there 

 was a big future for this breed if properly handled. • 



After first exhibiting the English type of Campines 

 in America I found that I was not creating a demand as 

 fast as this worthy breed deserved. Knowing that the 

 English type of Campines was the proper type for this 

 the English type of Campine accepted in America, their country and knowing that it deserved to be extensively 



,URING the years 1911, 1912 and 1913 there ap- 

 peared in the foreign poultry papers, as well as 

 the poultry press of this country, many articles 

 on the Campines. In articles that refer to the type of 

 the breed, some writers advocate the English type, while 

 other writers advocate the Belgian type. From the 

 statements in some of these articles, it is \ery evident 

 that the Belgian breeders are very much disappointed 

 because the Belgian type of Campines has not been ac- 

 cepted, not only by the English Campine Club, but also 

 by the American Campine Club. One Belgian writer 

 has gone so far as to practically accuse the English 

 Campine Club or its members of having taken steps to 

 have the English Standard 

 admitted into America. This 

 statement I feel is not only 

 very unfair to the English 

 Campine Club and its mem- 

 bers, but also to the Amer- 

 ican Campine Club and its 

 members. 



Being the first .American 

 breeder to import the Eng- 

 lish type of Campines, I feel 

 if the English had taken any 

 steps 01 attempted to use 

 any influence to have the 

 English type accepted in 

 America in preference to the 

 Belgian type, I would have 

 known of it. I must say that 

 I cannot recall any effort on 

 the part of any English 

 breeders or breeder to in- 

 duce me to accept or to 



have me use my influence to have the English Standard 

 accepted in America in preference to the Belgian type 

 of birds. 



In addition to this I wish also to say that during 

 my connection with the American Campine Club as sec- 

 retary, I have never known of any effort on the part 

 of the English Campine Club or its members to have 

 the English Standard adopted by the American Cam- 

 pine Club. 



As stated above, I feel that the statement that, "The 

 English had taken steps to have their Standard ad- 

 mitted in America," is unfair to the American Campine 

 Club and its members, as well as to the members of 

 the English Campine Club. I view such a statement as 

 being equivalent to saying that by efforts on the part of 

 the English breeders the American Campine Club would 

 have adopted the English Standard, even if the birds of 

 this type had not been much better fitted for the con- 

 ditions of this country, than the birds of the Belgian 

 type were. 



When I first brought the English type of Campines 

 to America there were breeders advertising the Belgian 

 Braekel. If the English used any influence in having 



Tho most attractive plate of eggs at the Boston 

 show, 1913, was shown by M. R. Jacobus. These eggs 

 won first for being the largest and best dozen white 

 eggs. Mr. Jacobus also won the best ten plates of 

 white eggs. All of these were laid by his Campines 

 that have been doing most of the winning and making 

 a name as producers of white eggs at the big Boston 

 shows during several years past. Mr. Jacobus has 

 found that buyers are well impressed by his exhibits 

 of eggs and that the big white oggs are doing a great 

 deal to Increase the popularity of the Campine. — 

 F. Ij. Sewell. 



