30 



WHITE M'YANDOTTES. 



met with, and we would not disqualify a specimen with this 

 amount of ticliing in plumage, but would cut the limit of 

 two points in any section where it is found, the same as 

 we would with brass. 



Feather No. 2, in same group, has no more black than 

 feather No. 1, but it is so formed in the feather that 

 we believe the judge would be allowed to throw out 

 the specimen where this amount was found in any section 

 of the bird. However, we believe the judges should be al- 

 lowed to use a little judgment in matters of this kind, and 

 when a bird is discounted 2 points for this color some think 

 the section has been punished severely enough. 



^^^^%^ 





Feather No. 3 is clearly disqualified, the entire end of 

 feather passing each side of the quill and for a half inch 

 down in the feather is black. It cannot be taken for brown 

 or gray, but is positively black, and should disqualify 

 the bird. 



In Fig. 36 feather No. 1 is a sample taken from 

 the saddle of an exhibition cockerel. This bird won a prize 

 and quite a bit of criticism was called forth on account of 

 it. The judge claimed that it was not positive black and the 

 other good sections of the bird overbalanced this serious 

 defect, and we believe, according to the Standard descrip- 

 tion, the judge sustained himself in his decision. Feathers 

 like this are quite often found in the saddle, hackle and 

 tail coverts — in fact, we quite often find them much worse 

 than feather No. 1. 



Feather No. 2 in same fig- 

 ure, was selected from a 

 cockerel that had passed 

 muster in the breeder's 

 yards and was being pre- 

 pared for exhibition. The 

 birds had been carefully 

 handled and this feather 

 did not show on the sur- 

 face, but on second han- 

 dling, drawing the feathers 

 through the hand the 

 wrong way, developed the 

 feathers black nearly the 

 entire length and positive 

 blacki over half the length 

 of feathers. 



We do not know what ef- 

 fect a feather like this 

 would have on the breed- 

 ing of White Wyandottes, 

 but we do believe that if 

 every specimen, male or 

 female, were discarded 

 from the breeding pens on 

 and occasional disquali- 



fying feathers, some of the best birds that ever 

 graced our American shows would be sent to market. 



While we do not encourage faking on the part of any 

 one, it is a notorious fact that so long as the Standard 

 reads as it does, and white birds breed as they do, then it 

 is necessary to leave eighty-five per cent, of the best White 

 Wyandottes at home or do a little faking in order to get 

 them in shape to pass muster under the severe critics who 

 are awarding prizes today. 



It is these little disqualifications that creep into Stand- 

 ard description that make breeds and varieties suffer alike 

 that has convinced the writer that all disgualiflcations, ex- 

 cept for natural defects, should be eliminated from the 

 Standard. We really believe as they read today they are 

 a hindrance in breeding, and many times the best speci- 

 mens do not win a prize. Neither do we believe it would 

 have any serious effect on the producing of pure white 

 fowls in White Wyandottes or any other variety. No mat- 

 ter whether they disqualify or not, the breeder does not 

 want them there and has done everything in his power to 

 eliminate them, but should a choice exhibition pen, con- 

 taining one male and four females that otherwise would 

 win a prize in strong competition be disqualified because 

 one single specimen had one black feather that had been 

 overlooked, it is carrying the thing too far, because one 

 feather doesn't represent more than one ten-thousandth 

 part of an individual specimen, and that one feather not 

 only disqualifies that bird, but the other four in the pen 

 with it, and we shall recommend to th« American Poultry 

 Association at its next revision meeting that all disqualifi- 

 cations except natural deformities be eliminated from the 

 book. 





account 



little 



THITE WYANDOTTE COCKEREL. 



