294 THE BEGINNER IN POULTRY ■ 



south latitude. This is almost the same as the reach from 

 northern Maryland to northern Florida, and would seem 

 to be exactly the climate in which the Leghorns and 

 others of their type would be expected to flourish es- 

 pecially well. They would feel heat far less than more 

 heavily fluffed birds, while their susceptible heads and 

 thinly clothed bodies would not have to endure extremes 

 of cold ; therefore they might be expected to lay well 

 during almost the entire year. Strange as it may ap- 

 pear, the same varieties which appear at the head of 

 the lists, appear also, in other pens, almost at the foot. 

 In one list, the first nine pens are Leghorns, Orpingtons, 

 and Wyandottes ; but seven of the lowest nine are also 

 Leghorns, Orpingtons, and Wyandottes ! This is far 

 better proof of difference in flocks or strains than it is of 

 difference in breeds. Yet, in the latest report from these 

 competitions to hand, the lowest record was made by a pen 

 of birds of a certain variety, whose owner had twice won 

 the first prize with the same variety ! The best record 

 for the second year (two-year competition) was made, 

 not by the Leghorns, but by the Black Orpingtons. 



In the latest report available as I write, we are told that 

 only seven varieties in three breeds entered the competi- 

 tion at all. The rest had dropped out, discouraged by 

 failures to win. In the third year of the three-year con- 

 tinuous competition, one pen reached the 200-egg mark. 

 In the latest reports for one year, 18 pens made an av- 

 erage of above 200 eggs each for the year covered. 



We get, in these tests, a very good idea of what may 

 fairly be expected from the best available birds, under 

 a certain kind of handling. The averages for all 

 were: for the first year of the series, 130; gaining 



