THOROUGHBRED, OR BRED TO A PURPOSE. 
Poultry 
Journai 
C»v'U«HT£j 
Black Miuorcas. 
subdued by the familiarity 
w i t h the caretaker w h i c h 
comes of the artificial raising. 
The various families of Leg¬ 
horns are the common fowls of 
Italy, and owe the name by 
which they are popularly 
known in America and Eng- 
•land solely to the fact that 
they were brought to this 
country from the port of 
Leghorn, in Italy. They were 
bought up in the markets of 
that city by the captains of 
American ships, homeward 
bound, to furnish eggs and an 
occasional roast or boiled fowl 
for the cabin table on the 
voyage; to the simple fact 
that some of these common 
fowls bought in Leghorn were not used on 
the voyage and were sold when the ship reached 
New \ ork, they are indebted for their introduc¬ 
tion into this country and the name given them. 
Having won the reputation of being great layers, 
it is small wonder that shipmasters were in¬ 
structed to bring over more “Leghorns” and 
direct importations began, but that they were 
very much mixed is proved by the fact that the 
same matings threw both rose and single-combed 
birds, and the fowls were of various colors,— 
brown, white, black, buff and cuckoo. To 
American breeders belongs the credit of separat¬ 
ing them into distinct families, and by selection 
and careful breeding bringing forth the dis¬ 
tinct varieties now so well and favorably known. 
In the little pamphlet “The Leghorn,” bv F. H. 
Ayers, the Brown, (then called “Red”), Leg¬ 
horns are reported as being wonderful layers, and 
Mr. L. K. Felch is quoted as saying of them: 
“These fowls as egg-producers were truly mar¬ 
velous. I have known of a hen. of the original 
importation, laying one hundred and fifty-nine 
eggs in succession, and have the assertion of a 
friend that one laid two hundred and seventy-five 
eggs in a year; but the largest number of which 
I know personally, and which I deem very ex¬ 
traordinary, was two hundred and fifty. An 
average has been in my experience from one 
hundred and seventy-five eggs to two hundred 
in a year. With good care two hundred eggs 
may not be despaired of.” 
With such a reputation as great egg pro¬ 
ducers, it is not at all strange that the Leghorns 
became the approved egg-farm breed, and as the 
White Leghorns were the simplest and easiest 
to breed, it became the most popular variety. 
The Black Minorcas. 
STANDARD WEIGHTS. 
Cock.8 lbs. Hen .lbs. 
Cockerel.6^ lbs. Pullet .5} lbs. 
The Black Minorcas are less well-known than 
they should be, in fact, as an egg-farm breed 
the writer does not recall ever having found 
them used on a large scale. This is somewhat 
surprising in view of the fact that they are cred¬ 
ited with being equally prolific layers with the 
Leghorns, and that they lay a large white egg; 
this would seem to especially qualify them for 
use on egg farms which are catering to a partic¬ 
ularly select family-trade, a trade which is 
willing to pay a considerable premium for an 
especially nice article. 
There is little doubt that the Black Minorca 
of today is, practically, the “ Spanish ” * of 
forty or fifty years ago,—the time before the 
several sub-varieties of Spanish were developed. 
In the White-Faced Black Spanish, which re¬ 
tains the family name, the special development 
of the eccentric and abnormally large white face 
has practically annihilated the useful qualities 
of this famous variety, and it is not impossible 
that this fact has in a way been a handicap to 
the Black Minorcas. The latter, however, 
seem to have preserved the natural practical 
qualities of the race and retain the prolific laying 
habit, along with the natural strength and vigor, 
23 
