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HISTORY OF ANCONAS 
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Anconas in South Africa 
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Bij Gordon Cooper 
When the Editor of the Ancona 
World asked me if I would write an 
article about Anconas in S. Africa 1 
assented with pleasure not because I 
feel an expert at literary accomplish¬ 
ments but for the reason that I th'nk it 
is a matter of interest to all Ancona 
breeders to know how the breed fares 
elsewhere. Personally, although I have 
only bred fowls for four years, I have 
just had the one breed. I have never 
regretted it, and since joining up with 
the United Ancona Club my enthusiasm 
has redoubled when I see how well 
the breed progresses in the States. 
Before giving an account of the 
history of Anconas it would perhaps be 
just as well if I described shortly what 
comprises South Africa. There is first 
of all the Union of S. Africa with a 
white population of one and a half mil¬ 
lions (about half being of British de¬ 
scent and half Dutch); then, there is 
what was recently German South West 
but now administered by the Union, 
and here the white population is only 
a few thousands. To the North of the 
Union lies Bechuanaland, which is 
largely a native state administered by 
the British Crown, and beyond this lies 
Rhodesia with a total white population 
of under 40,000. Beyond Rhodesia lies 
the Belgian Congo, and on either side 
Portugese Territory. A glance at the 
map will show the great area of all 
this country, which however is all link¬ 
ed up by railways. The native races 
largely exceed the white in numbers 
but generally are in a very primitive 
state. 
Rhodesia was only opened up in 1893, 
and, in fact, the history of modern S. 
Africa may really He said to date only 
from after the Boer War in 1902 as 
previously everything was in a very 
primitive and backward condition. 
This fact must be taken into considera¬ 
tion when viewing the progress the 
poultry industry has made over here. 
The first record of Anconas in S. 
Africa was in 1902 when Mr. Bourlay, 
at present in charge of the Union’s 
poultry Division, was sent to Great 
Britain by the Imperial Government 
to purchase stock. Among the 240 
birds he brought back was a pen of 
Anconas bred by his mother who, at 
that time, was one of the greatest 
authorities on Anconas in England. 
Since then the breed has taken a firm 
hold, more especially : n the Transvaal. 
The Ancona breed of course adapts 
itself admirably to almost any climate, 
but certainly in most of Africa one 
finds an almost exact replica of its 
crignal home in Italy, that is fairly 
great extremes of heat arid cold. 
Since their first introduction the 
chief strain has been the English Hurt. 
I understand one American pen has 
been introduced but at the present 
there is no record of it. The principal 
exhibitors in the early days were 
James Ryley and W. Sharp, the fir A 
named being the first secretary of the 
S. A. Ancona Club. 
As regards their performances in 
laying Test and Show Room. In 1904 
Anconas were entered in the Govern¬ 
ment Laying Test, and in this they 
won the 6 months winter test; since 
then they are usually represented in 
the various tests and have done re¬ 
markably well. 
At the various shows there are al¬ 
ways special classes for Anconas 
