


652 FANCIERS’ 

other noted breeders. Certainly not because of the pedi- 
gree, but because hese men with many others are known to 
possess pure strains carefully bred. It is not Mr. Felch’s 
pedigrees that sell his fowls, but the fact that his stock is 
bred and selected with great care; in fact, because he has 
established a ‘‘ strain’? which will reproduce without much 
variation the points of the parent stock. 
Pedigree poultry and pedigree cattle differ in this respect : 
that in the latter those bred from are selected because of 
their inherent value as to economical points, as milk, or 
butter, or beef producers. In poultry, however, color is one 
of the very first, in fact, one of the essential elements. A 
White Cochin that is not white is of course not a White 
Cochin at all; whereas in cattle color is one of the last points 
considered. 
Now at this point arises the serious objection, that anyone 
may register his stock by paying his fee. The worthless is 
thus placed on an equality with the best. If the privilege 
were restricted in some way, say to such as have taken pre- 
miums at some poultry show, I could think more favorably 
of the record, but as it is, I see it hedged with objections. 
It may be urged that a man will not pay the fee to regis- 
ter a worthless fowl. But he will; and just because of the 
fact that he will be enabled on the pedigree registry alone 
to sell a worthless fowl. I speak whereof I know in this 
matter. Less than six months ago I undertook to purchase 
a Leghorn cock. The price asked was high, for the bird was 
registered in the pedigree book; but, nevertheless, he had 
bright red ear-lobes and was as a breeder practically worth- 
less ; and this was the best of fifteen, all registered with high- 
sounding names. I bought-another of these ‘‘ registered ’’ 
birds, calling for one of good size and pure white ear-lobes. 
He came to hand in about a week, weighing just two pounds, 
having red ear-lobes slightly tinged with white. He is in 
my possession yet, and for sale. I would be glad to get a 
dollar a pound for him, although he cost me three times that 
amount. : 
The deception practiced in this matter on the unsuspecting 
buyer who makes his purchases on the pedigree, is one of 
the worst features of the poultry pedigree registry. Two 
parties reap largely the advantages: 1st. The proprietors of 
the pedigree book who will make a good thing of it at twen- 
ty-five cents a head; 2d. The party who registers, as he may 
crowd in all his stock, whether worthless or good, and sell 
on the strength of the registry alone, particularly to the 
unsuspecting. ‘The masses, however, can reap no possible 
benefit that I can see, and are in constant danger of buying 
inferior stock when trusting to pedigree alone. 
I admit that many valuable birds have been placed in the 
pedigree book, but at the same time it must be acknowledged, 
and the proof is at hand, that also many inferior and some 
worthless birds are registered side by side with the best. 
Now there is a flagrant wrong just here, and the question 
arises as to the responsibility. Who will assume the unfair 
dealer, the publisher, or shall we place.it on the system ? 
CLINTON. 

o> 

(For Fanciers’ Journal.) 
THE HOUDAN. 
BY ISAAC VAN WINKLE. 
The more I study the late standard that has so justly 
brought out so much criticism, the more glaring its imper- 
fections show themselves, and the greater need is there of a 
ik thorou h revision. It takes time and mature deliberation 

JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGH. 
to perfect a standard. With all that has been written by 
our ablest men, on this subject, in England and America, I 
am surprised that a more perfect work has not been compiled. 
I hope that a studiousness and ability may be brought to 
this work that will make it rank as high in the fancy art 
and its utilitiveness as anything that has been produced in 
England. I would say, right here, that I should not by any 
means sacrifice utility to fancy. If they should happen to 
clash, the fancy points of a fowl should succumb to its useful 
and productive qualities. As I have often said before, that 
the fifth toe of a Houdan adds nothing to the beauty of the 
bird, but that it is a hindrance to its graceful movement ; 
and that in my opinion this excrescence is a cause of its ten- 
der feet. From what I have been able to learn by observa- 
tion, I am strongly impressed with the belief that the four- 
toe birds are not so tender in their feet. I should there- 
fore insist that in this country, that four toes should not be 
a disqualification, but that red or yellow feathers are very 
objectionable. A perfect Houdan hen should be quite large, 
full crested, muffed, and evenly splashed all over. The 
more variegated the crest, the higher the fowl should rank. 
You seldom see a perfect comb on a cock of this class; but, 
when you do, let him count high, very high. The English 
are far behind us in breeding the Houdan. Their birds are 
very dark—the black predominating. It is much better in 
my opinion that the white should be in the ascendant—since 
by matching such a hen with a dark cock you will breed more 
evenly splashed birds, than by a dark hen and a light cock. 
The standard says that the crest of the cock should be full, 
etc., and falling well back right and left of the comb—so says 
Tegetmeier ; but, if you shouldsee acock of my notion—that is, 
with a large crest, full in the centre, and gracefully falling 
over, partially covering the comb and even all around, like sol- 
dier’s plume, you would say the lines of beauty were complete. 
Compare such a comb to the one described in the standard, 
combed back on the fowl’s head like some sleek-headed par- 
son’s hair, to give him an air of piety. I prefer a shaded leg 
on the lead color to a pure white or flesh color. 
The present standard for a comb of the Houdan cock is 
rather amusing. He should have two combs on his head to 
fully meet the standard. How he could have an ‘antler- 
like?’ comb inclining backward into the crest, and that such 
a comb should open like two leaves of a book is something I 
cannot understand. A La Fleche cock’s comb is antler-like. 
The great misfortune of the Houdan’s comb is that they re- 
semble so much the Creveceur. The Houdan has, accu- 
rately speaking, a triple comb, the outsides opening like two 
leaves of a book and serrated on either side, and the centre 
having the appearance of a strawberry, or a red protuberance 
of flesh, having somewhat the appearance of a strawberry. 
The-beard of the hen should be very full, the longer the bet- 
ter, and the whiskers should be perfectly developed, meeting 
the crest and beard, almost covering the eye and earlobe. 
The breast of cock and hen should be full and well developed; 
neck arched ; thighs short and stout; back broad an straight; 
tail not too large and well carried. Black sickle feathers are 
preferable to white. 
As to the economic qualities of the Houdan, it has no su- 
perior. Its absence of offal, its hardihood and early matu- 
rity, the large size of its eggs, their remarkable fertility, and 
the juiciness and tenderness of its meat, should make it 
the farmer’s and poulterer’s fowl; their chickens are fit for 
the table at four months old. Itis a popular prejudice that it 
requires large bone to put on much flesh, and their admirers 
