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BUFF JVVANDOTTES. 



According to our present Standard, the Buff Wyandotte 

 is classed as a solid colored bird, and is so considered when 

 awarding sweepstakes or special prizes, but we doubt if 

 there is today one-half of one per cent, of the birds pro- 

 duced that are entirely free from white or black — in fact, 

 we meet with but few in the entire season. Whether we 

 will ever be able to eliminate these two colors by careful 

 selections and breeding we are unable to say; but we can 

 safely figure that it will be many years to come, and until 

 it is brought about it is necessary that we have a pretty 

 thorough understanding of the valuation of these two for- 

 eign colors and how best to discount them in the show 

 room. 



There is probably no better description of color to be 

 found in the Standard than the one describing buff. The 

 Standard says: "Plumage — Surface throughout an even 

 shade of rich, golden buff, free from shafting or mealy ap- 

 pearance. Under color— A lighter shade, free from foreign 

 color. Other things being equal, the specimen having rich- 

 est under color shall be given the preference. Black or 

 white appearing in wings and tail is a serious defect, and 

 the one shall be considered as objectionable as the other." 



We very much doubt if black Is as objectionable to 

 the Buff breeders as white, but since the Standard so de- 

 scribes it, it is necessary to discount it accordingly. 



The sections most affected by white or light under 

 color are back, breast, base of hackle and wing primaries 

 in both sexes, and we show here some feathers selected, 

 giving a fair valuation on such in the show room. (See 

 Pig. 37.) 



%B7 



Feather No. 1 has good surface and holds down nearly 

 to the under color, losing a trifle in the knitted portion, 

 and should be discounted 1% points — 1 for white under 

 color and Vz for the light shade extended in the knitted 

 portion. 



Feather No. 2 is good except in under color and should 

 be discounted 1 point. 



In hackle feathers we do not have so much trouble in 

 females as in the males, but occasionally we will find a 

 light under color at the base of the neck in both sexes, but 

 in males one year old or over we find quite a bit of it, 

 and for that reason we belivee the valuation should be as 

 we find it. 



Feather No. 3 we would cut 2 points, while feather No. 

 4, showing only the white at the base of the neck, we would 

 discount but 1 point. - The same defect as illustrated in 

 the hackle of males sometimes appears in the tail coverts 



of adult cocks— that is, at the base of the tail— and would 

 be discounted as described above. 



Blaclt being a foreign color, as the Standard calls for 

 the buff, would be discounted in proportion to the amount 

 of black in the plumage, for instance, the wing color 

 has a valuation of 6 points, and should the color be sound 

 except the black and one-third be black, the out would be 

 2, but if one-half be black, the out would be 3, or fifty 

 per cent. 



Tail, having a valuation of 5 points, would be grad- 

 uated accordingly, and feather No. 1 (Fig. 38) would be dis- 

 counted 1 point; feather No. 2, 1% points, while feather No. • 

 3 would be discounted 3 points. Feather No. 3 is decidedly 

 defective. It is not only black, but is muddy, mixed with 

 other color, in fact, is an eyesore from a fancy standpoint, 

 and you can hardly discount it enough to place it in the 

 rank it justly belongs. But, with these illustrations, we be- 

 lieve the reader will have no trouble in arriving at the 



right discountsi and in mating this color we would recom- 

 mend that good, sound under color be used when it can 

 be done without bringing your red or chestnut shade to 

 surface. So long as good, even surface can be maintained 

 without any sign of foreign color and still retain the rich 

 under color you are breeding in the right direction, but if 

 either is to be sacrificed, then we would recommend that 

 you sacrifice under color rather than surface color, as a 

 splotchy, uneven surface is an eyesore, and even though 

 there may be some defective under color, your specimen 

 shows better and is of more value with some light under 

 color than It would be with a chestnut or red surface. 



In the breeding of buff fowls to produce color, no two 

 breeders seem to follow the same rule, one claiming one 

 color will produce and still others going entirely opposite, 

 claiming that two extremes will bring harmony, while still 

 another will breed only from certain strains that have been 

 bred in line for many generations to product certain shades 

 —in fact, the breeding of buff, as we And it, depends large- 

 ly upon the strain of fowls that you are breeding and what 

 matings have been made prior to' the time they come into 

 your possession. 



One thing that must be kept in mind at all times is 

 that all sections of a fowl must harmonize — that is, the 

 buff in one section shall be the same shade as in another, 

 a^ a harmonious blending of buff in all sections is most 

 to be desired. 



