6o 



COLUMBIAN IVYANDOTTES. 



No one breeder can claim all the honor of this variety's 

 origin, as many with the same object in view have used 

 various crosses in their efforts to produce a breed with 

 Wyandotte shape and Brahma marljings. Several varieties 

 of the Wyandottes were used by the different breeders, the 

 Buffs, Silvers and Whites being the ones most favored, 

 while the Light Brahmas have in almost every instance 

 been used as one of the crosses in order to better establish 

 the color. Several other breeds have been tried in order to 

 get correct color, among them Plymouth Rocks and Dork- 

 ings, but the majority have used Brahmas and Wyandottes. 



So far as the writer is concerned, he claims nothing 

 for his own part in the originating of the variety, but he 

 ha>3 used outside crosses to better establish both shape and 

 color on this variety. These experiments were made aftei' 

 the Columbians were introduced and had been shown at 

 a number of exhibitions. At this time the birds were de- 



good Brahma markings in neck, wings and tail. The 

 worst fault I have found in the females is the persistent 

 dark feathers in backs of otherwise fine colored specimens. 

 I believe the white surface-colored males will eliminate 

 this in part, and perhaps entirely, and I am anxiously 



Fig. 70. 



Pig. 71. 



cidedly faulty in both shape and color. They were too 

 long in back and body and too high on legs, so I tried a 

 top cross of Columbian Wyandotte male on a finely colored 

 Light Brahma female, and a common bam yard female 

 with Brahma markings and rose comb. From this cross 

 I had some very good females with good combs and clean 

 legs, the males being only fair in color and decidedly off 

 in shape — long necks, bodies and legs. I then crossed the 

 best of the females back to their own sire — a Columbian 

 male — ^and from this cross secured my first perfect fiights 

 in females, with good neck and tail lacing. The males 

 from this second cross were not so good as the females 

 either in shape or color, but a decided improvement over 

 the ones I had been able to purchase. 



Prom this foundation and careful selection I estab- 

 lished a strain that is breeding satisfactorily and has pro- 

 duced some really fine specimens. But the quality is still 



Pig. 73. 



watching the young birds from this year's mating to see 

 what the results will be. 



I give here the experience of Mr. Thiem, of Iowa, with 

 this variety, and call special attention to his article, as 



Pig. 72. 



in the females; the males will insist on brassy surface as 

 soon as hot weather comes on, providing they have good, 

 sound color points, the ones showing the poorest wings 

 and necks being decidedly superior in surface color. 



It was not until the matings of 1907 had matured that 

 I could really claim a white surface-colored male, with 

 other good color points. I have finally produced two that 

 up to this writing — May 1 — have held their top color, with 



Fig. 74. 



W((. 



he has done more perhaps than any one man living to 

 make the several varieties of the Wyandottes that are 

 today so justly popular: 



