56o POULTRY CULTURE 



justifiable when removal alone will serve, but not when the stubs are numerous 

 or so large that, to conceal the fact of their removal, the holes must be plugged. 

 The use of chemicals in washing birds is considered permissible if they are 

 not of such strength as to injure the texture of the feather ; that is, they may 

 be used in such moderate quantities as would be safe in washing white clothes. 

 The removal of feathers not in themselves defective, to improve the general pat- 

 tern, has generally been considered unquestionably allowable when the removal 

 of defective feathers is condoned. The regulation of the growth of the tail to 

 bring the desired stage of development at the time when the bird is to be 

 shown has generally been regarded as belonging more to natural than to artificial 

 conditioning, and justified on the ground that the object and the result were 

 to show the bird at its best. 



Ethics of conditioning. The evil of the artificial manipulation of 

 poultry for exhibition, while often serious in particular cases, is, 

 on the whole, much less than one would suppose could be the 

 case when principles of importance are involved. Exhibitors fol- 

 lowing the same general rule are practically competing on terms 

 of equality, for in birds of any variety that are nearly the same in 

 quality the common removable faults are much the same both in 

 kind and in extent. A bird of poor quality cannot be made good by 

 any form of manipulation, either legitimate or illegitimate. Arti- 

 ficial conditioning and fitting of inferior specimens is a waste of 

 time and always unprofitable. In practice artificial fitting is wholly 

 a matter of remedying relatively insignificant defects in specimens 

 of extra good general quality. 



The greater evil is in the actual or implied suppression of facts 

 as to the faults of stock when the birds themselves, or eggs from 

 them, go into the hands of other breeders. While to exhibitors 

 whose competing birds are judged on their general quality or ex- 

 cellence it makes no real difference what the particular removed 

 faults of any kind may be, to the breeder it may make a great 

 deal of difference. He is entitled to know what he is buying and 

 to have full opportunity to use his own judgment as to the advisa- 

 bility of buying stock with certain faults. This phase of the question 

 comes properly in the chapter on trade in pure-bred poultry, and 

 will be discussed there. 



Details of artificial fitting. The removal of dead, broken, and 

 otherwise defective feathers is the first thing requiring special 

 attention. Adult birds should be carefully examined for these from 



