T HE BREEDS of chickens included in the Asiatic, 
English, and French classes are in the main of 
a relatively large size, and have been developed 
primarily as meat breeds. They are not so com¬ 
monly kept in this country as either the general-pur¬ 
pose or the egg breeds. The best-known meat breeds 
in the United States are those of the Asiatic class. 
However, the breeds of the English and French 
classes, while averaging somewhat smaller in size 
than those of the Asiatic class, were developed for 
their table qualities and therefore are popularly 
grouped among the meat breeds. In the opinion of 
many persons the Sussex and Orpington breeds, both 
English, are general-purpose breeds. The Orping¬ 
ton, in particular, is a fairly common and popular 
farm fowl in the United States. 
The best-known section of the United States in 
which large table fowls of superior quality are pro¬ 
duced in considerable quantities is the South Shore 
district of Massachusetts, near Boston. 
The chicks are hatched in the fall or early winter, 
and both males and females are grown to a good size 
and marketed as South Shore roasters. The males 
usually are caponized, but are marketed as roasters 
rather than capons, and the pullets are marketed 
before they begin to lay. 
