OF STANDARD FOWLS 
red color aura readily distinguishable even by a 
novice. This too has been accomplished by that 
first great law to which ‘“‘like begets like’’ owes 
its existence. 
Like all other breeds the red varieties are sub- 
ject to the minor and sub laws which help or hin- 
der as the case may be, according to their appli- 
cation or non-application. The minor laws which 
govern the color schemes of red or buff fowls are 
more or less empirical in the nature of deductions 
as to the whys and wherefores and are based en- 
tirely on the results of many experiments with 
these allied colors. The process is curiously like 
the mixing of paints; it requires an artistic skill 
in the mixing but demands unlimited patience and 
perseverance to get the correct shades permanent- 
ly fixed and sustained. 
The first experiment made to bring about the 
standard red and buff shades was to mate a bird 
of dark shade to one of light shade. Many repeti- 
tions showed the futility and I may say foolishness 
of this experiment. The result in the first cross 
simply showed in one bird the color character- 
istics of both sire and dam intermingling in a 
motley array of dark and light colored feathers, 
far from the ideal, even surface of standard de- 
scription. Then came the idea of grading colors 
or, by careful selection, gradually smoothing in and 
blending the shades into the one desired. This is 
practiced today by all successful breeders of red 
or buff fowls. It is not accomplished in one year 
or even two. It requires deep study, intense ap- 
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