STANDARD VARIETIES OF CHICKENS. I. THE 
AMERICAN CLASS. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
The kind of chicken the farmer wants. 3 
Characteristics of the general-purpose breeds. 3 
Breeds and varieties. 4 
The Plymouth Rock. 5 
The Wyandotte. 11 
Page. 
Breeds and varieties—Continued. 
The Java. 14 
The Dominique. 15 
The Rhode Island Red. 17 
The Buckeye. 18 
P RACTICALLY every farm in the United States keeps chickens. 
In the majority of instances the flock of poultry is kept merely as 
a side line, to utilize material which otherwise would go to waste, 
and to furnish eggs and meat for the farmer’s table. At many sea¬ 
sons of the year the flock will produce a large surplus over what is 
needed for the farmer’s own use, and this when sold yields a con¬ 
siderable income, sometimes sufficient to pay for the groceries and 
wholly or in part to clothe the family. 
THE KIND OF CHICKEN THE FARMER WANTS. 
To meet these demands the farmer therefore desires a breed or 
variety of chickens which are not only good layers, but also have 
size enough to provide suitable carcasses for the table. The breeds 
which meet these two demands are commonly called the general- 
purpose breeds, and in the main are those comprising the American 
class as given in the American Standard of Perfection. The Orp¬ 
ington, belonging to the English class, is also a well-known gen¬ 
eral-purpose breed in this country. The general-purpose breeds are 
undoubtedly the most popular breeds in the United States. Certain 
of these, namely, the Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, Rhode Island 
Reds, and Orpingtons, compose the bulk of pure-bred poultry kept 
on the general farms, and their blood is evident in most of the farm 
flocks. 
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GENERAL-PURPOSE BREEDS. 
In size the general-purpose breeds are intermediate between the 
meat breeds, such as the Brahmas, and the egg breeds, such as the 
Leghorns. They are of a much quieter temperament than the egg 
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