-^-'^'i.^cli^^ 
 
 ^5a 
 
 TH.E 
 
 ^. 
 
 VlV4 
 
 '183 
 I L5 
 
 Add 
 
 V. II. A.YHES. 
 
 
 '^f 
 
 HARTFORD : 
 
 ihAJ, MKItCANTIl.K PKINTTNK HOUSE, 34.') MATN sTUlil'.T. ^^ 
 
 'S*»SL'_.&v^ 1878. <v>*:::S 
 
 ^^w^:^fs^ 
 
 =f5t 
 
ALBERT R. MANN 
 LIBRARY 
 
 New York State Colleges 
 
 OF 
 
 Agriculture and Home Economics 
 
 AT 
 
 Cornell University 
 
 THE GIFT OF 
 
 Paul Pomeroy Ives 2d 
 
 IN MEMORY OF 
 
 Paul Pomeroy Ives 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tliis bool< is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924003088881 
 
(A 
 
 ol 
 
 OS 
 
 cog 
 
 oi 
 ooi 
 co| 
 
 ooi 
 
 00 = 
 
 a 
 
 io 
 
 = 3 OOn 
 
 10 % 
 
THE 
 
 LEGHOEN 
 
 OF THE 
 
 PAST AND PRESENT, 
 
 y? 
 
 F . JB . AY R E S , 
 
 Author (if " The Garni Fowl" and " The I'lymouth Rod." 
 
 HARTFORD : 
 
 MERCANTILE PRINTING HOUSE, 245 MAIN STREET. 
 
 1878. 
 
 rfd7 
 
E 6865 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 In writing of Leghorns, we are venturing upon untried 
 ground, for, as in the second volume of this series, the 
 Plymouth Kock, we are discussing a breed which has 
 never been the subject of a book. The rapid sale of our 
 previous books has assured us of the popularity of the 
 project of publishing low-priced monographs on the various 
 breeds and has led us to spare no pains to make this, the 
 third of the series, worthy of the complimentary notices 
 which the first two numbers have received. 
 
 How well we have succeeded, we leave it for our 
 readers to decide. 
 
I(e^l|ofr|^. 
 
 : HE Leghorn fowl is luiiqiie among poultry for 
 various cause?, but for none more than the fact 
 that its birthplace is known, and that Legliorn fowls can 
 to-day be procured in Italy, which in all features resemble 
 the Leghoi-ns found in this country. 
 
 Lying on the west qoast of Italy, Leghorn is a natural 
 port, and the stopping place of the vessels which ply be- 
 tween foreign purts and places on the Mediterranean. 
 Leghorn has particularly close relations with America, as 
 can be seen from the fact that its imports for the year 1872 
 amounted to $1,180,000, from the United States alone; 
 and the tonnage of our vessels entering the port dnring 
 that time was 1,079,455. 
 
 This place, tlien, was naturally the one from which the 
 Italian contingent of poultry for the ever-ready American 
 fanciers must be drawn. Outward-bound vespels almost 
 always take on board at this port a stock of poultry and 
 
S THE LEGHOEN. 
 
 cattle for the homeward trip, and the fowls which survive^ 
 the demands of the captain's table and the forecastle, were 
 called — in default of a better name or in despair of pro-j 
 nouncing the Italian one, even if it was known — Leghorns. 
 Concerning their first importation, however, there is some 
 dispute. Doubtless, many reached our shores before they, 
 came to the notice of anyone sufficiently. posted on poultry 
 matters to know their value and appreciate the importance 
 of securing them. However that may be, the earliest 
 record we find of their culture in America, is that given 
 by Mr. 0. H. Peck, of Franklin, Mass., who in a commu- 
 mication which appeared in the September, 1875, Poultry 
 Wo7'ld, gives the following account of the Brown Leg- 
 horns. 
 
 " About forty years ago (*. e. 1835), Mr. N. P. Ward, of 
 Fulton Street, T^ew York city (the then celebrated cracker 
 baker), received a few of these fowls, as a present, direct 
 from Leghorn ; this is, I think, the first record we have of 
 them in America. The eggs from these fowls were dis- 
 tributed among his friends, one of whom was Mr. J. C. 
 Thompson, of Tompkinsville, Staten Island, once an emi- 
 nent poultry raiser, now deceased. Mr. Thompson wrote 
 as follows : 
 
 " 'I raised, from six eggs, five cocks and one pullet ; the 
 size of the comb and wattles of that lot, exceeded anything 
 I have ever since seen. The length of the combs (actual 
 measurement), was six inches. The comb extended so far 
 out over the beak, that it was in the way of their picking 
 
THK LEGHOKN. 9 
 
 np grains, and they were compelled to press the protruding 
 comb on one side to get their bills to the gronnd.' 
 
 "On two or three otcasions subsequent to this, Mr. 
 Thompson obtained the foM'ls direct from Leghorn, once 
 through his son-in-law, who was master of a vessel. They 
 matnred early, pullets laying at four months old ; and Mr. 
 Thompson was* of the opinion that they oftentimes died 
 from exhaustion, actually laying themselves to death. I 
 once knew a party who had them and sold the eggs under 
 under the name of ' Sicilian fowls.' " 
 
 From this account we get our first knowledge of Brown 
 Leghorns in America, and also the information that they 
 were sometimes called Sicilians, a fact which has an im- 
 portant bearing, as we shall show later, on the question of 
 the purity of Rose-comb Brown Leghorns. 
 
 There has been an almost limitless amount of paper and 
 ink lavished on the question of the first importation of 
 Brown Leghorns, and I. K. Felch, in an article on Leg- 
 horns, in the February, 1873, Poultry World, gives the 
 date of their first importation as 1855, probably a misprint 
 for 1853, the date of the second importation to the yards of 
 Mr. Koswell Brown, of Mystic River, Conn., as, in one of 
 his books, he credits Mystic with the first importation. As 
 we have already hinted, it is very probable that other 
 Leghorns reached our shores between the supposed date of 
 1835 and the certified record of 1852, now in Mr. Brown's 
 possession. Still 1852 is the earliest exact date, and may be 
 
10 THE LEGHOBN. 
 
 looked upon as the initial year of Brown Leghorn breeding 
 it tliis country. 
 
 About 1858 we had an importation of White Legliol-ns, 
 known as tlie "Lord importation," and in 1863, the " Stet- 
 son" birds, wiiicli were much more nearly like a Standard 
 Wliite Leghorn than the first importation. The Lord fowls 
 had white legs, but the Stetson birds were yellow-legged 
 and had clean yellow beaks, with pure white plumage and 
 good combs. 
 
 ^^OSK-i^OMB &GMORNS. 
 
 From the time of the general introduction of ]>eghorns 
 into America, the single comb was considered by almost all 
 fanciers as the only one allowable. The reason for this de- 
 cision is not far to seek ; the majority of the birds purchased 
 and bred were single-combed. The original owners of the 
 imported fowls may have had rose-combed birds in their 
 flocks (in fact we know this to be the case), but they sed- 
 ulously kept them in the background. The reason for such 
 an action being that buyers were accustomed to the single 
 combs of Black Spanish fowls and by some occult method 
 of reasoning had decided that a single comb was the char- 
 acteristic of all tiie fowls which came from the shores of 
 the Mediterranean. AVhatever influence determined the 
 matter, the single combs were successful and their rose- 
 combed brethren went to pot with the greatest regularity. 
 
■iiiK i,i:(iii()i!.\. 1 I 
 
 ^OSZ-pOMB ^HITX fpEGMOKNS. 
 
 Such was the state of att'airs up to 1876, wlien Mr. 
 Charles F. Starr, of New London, came across a rose- 
 combed White Leghorn cock and secured him, as he states. 
 below. Tlie fact that Mr. Starr had originated a breed of 
 rose-combed White Leghorns came to our knowledge a 
 short time since through a notice .in the American I^oultry 
 Yard, and we at once wrote to Mr. Starr, for information 
 on the subject, lie responded promptly as follows: 
 
 "In the year 1S76, on a farm in the town of Groton, I 
 came across a Rose-Coihh White Leghorn Cock. At least 
 to all appearances he was sucli, for his plumage was clear 
 and his legs and beak clear yellow, ear-lobes pure white 
 and his style and carriage was^that of a Leghorn. How 
 he came there I do not know, as the other Leghorns on the 
 place had single combs. I bought him and mated bin* 
 with seven White Leghorn hens (Boardman Smith stock.> 
 Out of about twenty chicks, hatched from this cross, about 
 one-half had good rose combs. Taking seven of the pul- 
 lets, I bred them back to the old cock with good success, 
 and out of more than a hundred chicks hatched this last 
 spiing, only about twelve had single combs. That they 
 will breed true there is no doubt, for as an experiment, I 
 bred a cockerel from the first cross back to the old hen, 
 and about half of the chicks from these had double combs. 
 I would not be afraid to wager most any amount that the 
 
32 THE LEGIIOKN. 
 
 Stock I have now will produce nine rose-comb chicks out 
 of every ten hatched, and in another year I think that 
 ■every chick from iny stock will have good rose-conibs. 
 
 "I iiave a beantifnl flock of these birds now, and shall 
 spare no pains or labor to bring *hem to perfection. They 
 .are ninch handsomer than the single-comb variety, and not 
 liable to freeze their combs and are just as good layers. 
 When these fowls are admitted in the Standard (and it is 
 only a question of time), they will be in as great demand 
 .as the single-comb variety, and in northern climates greater, 
 as the comb is not liable to freeze, and thus not only hui't 
 their appearance, but stop their laying, for a time at least." 
 
 After receiving the above account from Mr. Starr, we 
 took the pains to see the stock from whicii he obtained his 
 rose-combed cock and assure ourselves that the birds were 
 genuine, and that no cross-bred bird had been sold Mr. 
 Starr, as a full-blooded Leghorn. The result of our inves- 
 tigations was perfectly convincing: not only were there 
 no mongrels kept by the owners of the bird, but there were 
 no white fowls kept in the neighboring yards. 
 
 This would seem proof enough of the existence of pure 
 Rose-combed Leghorn stock, but the information we acci- 
 ■dentally received from Mr. Reed Watson, the famous 
 importer of Black Legiiorns, was even more absolute. In 
 October, 1878, Mr. Watson received an importation of 
 Leghorns direct from Italy, that contained a Boae-Comh 
 White Leghorn cock. Mr. Watson's order was for speei- 
 mens of all the clearly marked varieties of Leghorns to be 
 
THK LEGHORN. 13: 
 
 found ill Italy, and he received Black, White, Brown and 
 Spangled. Can anyone ask for more or better proof of tlie^ 
 geniiinenesB of these newly-found liirds? 
 
 ^OSE-^OMB rS-HOWN ^^EGMORNS. 
 
 The agitation of the Rose-comb Brown Leghorn matter 
 is one of snch recent occnrrence that we feel sure of the 
 interest of all who breed Brown Leghorns — and their 
 name is legion — in the history of this variety. Our own 
 attention was first drawn to the matter by the statement of 
 a correspondent of the Poultry World, who stated that he 
 had endeavored to obtain a pen of Eose-combed Leghorns, 
 by breeding a single-combed cock to a common red hen 
 and that the progeny showed good rose-combs, but had 
 acquired the sitting instinct from the mongrel dam. This 
 account led the other breeders, who had tried similar ex- 
 periments, to relate their experience. In almost all these 
 cases the experiment was, like the one we have just cited,, 
 that of crossing pure Leghorn blood with impure or mon- 
 grel. A natural result of this repeated crossing and the- 
 publicity given to it, was that breeders everywhere were 
 distrustful of anything which claimed to be a simon-pur& 
 Hose-comb Brown Leghorn, and having in nine out of ten. 
 cases never heard of such fowls as produced by breeding, 
 pure stock with pure stock, decided that no rose-combed; 
 
li THE LKGIIOKN. 
 
 fowls of Brown Legliorn plumage, could be genuine Leg. 
 liorns. It was at this point that we, having noticed in tlie 
 Poultry Yard, an expression of the prevailing opinion 
 •over the signature of C. II. Ilarker, wrote our iirst letter 
 to that paper on the suhject, Our motive in this was to 
 •correct the impression that had gained supli strong liold, by 
 a simple statement of the facts that had come under our 
 •observation, which were these : 
 
 As we have ali-eady stated, the first importation of Brown 
 LeglioriiH which has a recognized date was that to the 
 yards of Mr. Roswell Brown, of Mystic Kiver, Conn., and 
 80 to obtain a full account of the breed from its birth in 
 New England, we had I'ecourse to Mr. Brown, who en- 
 lightened us on a number of matters of interest. P^rom 
 his account, we learned that the birds of the 1852 and 1853 
 importations, alike, threw almost as many rose, as single- 
 ■<;ombed chicks, but that, as the single-comb alone was 
 •Standard, the rose-combed progeny was used for market 
 purposes only and carefully culled out. For twenty-five 
 years Mr. Brown has had the same stock and has almost 
 •entirely eradicated the rose-comb tendency, yet, he showed 
 us a trio of fowls from his pens that had well developed 
 rose-combs. With this stock as a text we ventured to dif- 
 fer with Mr. Ilarker, as all the readers of the Poultry 
 Yard are aware. We were simply relntingf aets and must 
 own we were rather staggered when so good a breeder as 
 Mr. A. B. Campbell, of Norwich, Conn., came to Mr. 
 Harker's side and announced that he (Mr. H.), had the 
 
TlIK LKGHOKN. 15 
 
 best of the argument. However, that matter needs no 
 farther ventilation at present and we need add but this 
 hint, for those who are in doubt whether they have genuine 
 Leghorns or no, that the distinctive characteristic of tlie 
 Leghorn, rose or single coirib, is the non-sitting qualifica- 
 tion. If we have a fowl of Leghorn shape and uiai-kings, 
 whicli has no desire to sit — " stick a pin here," — it is a 
 genuine bird and just what it purports to be. 
 
 Sicilians. 
 
 As v;e mentioned in a previous chapter, the fowls once 
 known as Sicilians, are, from the accounts of tlie best au- 
 thorities, almost identical with Brown Leghorns and differ 
 from the Standard single-combed Brown Legliorn to al»out 
 the same extent as do the rose-combed birds. The Sicilian 
 fowls, had cup-sliaped combs and were known to numerous 
 breeders before Brown Leghorns liad been introduced to 
 any great extent. Among others, Mr H. II. Stoddfird, 
 editor of the Poultry World &nA American Poultry Yard, 
 had a pair of them and found them very fine layers but 
 rather hard to keep with the comparatively low fences 
 which sufficed for the rest of his flock of a thousand. 
 
 The fact that these cup-combed fowls were found princi- 
 pally about the time of the first large importations and were 
 identified and acknowledged as Leghorns, by competent 
 
16 THE LEGHORN. 
 
 judges, goes to show that the Leghorn fowl as it came from 
 the Italian coast, was not only a single but cup-combed fowl, 
 and furnishes a plausible argument to add to our facts, in 
 favor of the existence of Rose-combed Brown Leghorns. 
 
 ^LACK ^EGHORNS. 
 
 With the discussion of this breed we trust tlieir origin- 
 ator in America, Mr. Reed Watson, simply premising that 
 we know Mr. Watson, and have lieard, from time to time, 
 his experience in endeavoring to establish this variety on 
 an assured basis of clean breeding and Standard excellence. 
 His first importation, though they had been in this country 
 a year, is recorded in the Poultry World of October, 1872, 
 in these words : 
 
 "Mr. Reed Watson, of East Windsor Hill, Coim., has 
 some Leghorn fowls, direct from the vessel in which they 
 were imported from Italy. We lately spent a day, and 
 consider the day well spent, in visiting them, for such im- 
 portations are rare. 
 
 " Mr.. Watson's birds show the unmistakeable Leghorn 
 form, even to the details of comb and wattles, and are as 
 thoroughly non-sitters as any of our acclimated strains. 
 They are very vigorous and active. Tiie original fowls, 
 three in number, imported a year ago arc now (October "72), 
 surrounded by a well-grown and numerous family. The 
 
THE LKGHOKN. 17 
 
 old hens have proved themselves reumrkably prolific laj'ers 
 and the pullets of last April are following their example. 
 A brood of a dozen ohieks can be seen, hatched September 
 1st, from eggs laid by pullets of this stock, hatched after 
 the middle oF April last. That is, the pullets reproduced 
 when less than four months old." 
 
 From this account we see that the Black variety showed 
 itself in no way inferior to the better known Whites and 
 Browns. Yet, Mr. Watson was not entirely satisfied and 
 had recourse to other importations, of which notices occur- 
 red from time to time. After some years he secured a 
 stock that bred to his satisfaction and in conversation, ex- 
 pressed his satisfaction with his success. In 187s, he pub- 
 lished the following, which is the latest inform.ation on the 
 subject : 
 
 ..." Mine is the only stock of the kind on the westei'n 
 continent. I think this breed has accomplished more than 
 any other in the same period, and is of more value than 
 many otliers. For production of eggs they are unequalled, 
 and I have hundreds of letters to that effect. The eggs 
 are large and pure white,' finding a ready sale, at rates 
 above the market value. One of your wealthy citizens, a 
 lady, whom I supplied regularly, previous to a visit to New 
 York, dropped me a line to bring her a supply of eggs to 
 take with her, as she never had been able to procure eggs 
 of such fine quality elsewhere. 
 
 "A breeder says that he had one hen that laid over 300 
 eggs in a year. A nest was once found, that was stolen, in 
 
18 THE LEOHOKN. 
 
 which a hen had laid a peck measure of eggs. They are 
 absolutely non-sitters. Their skin is of a light yellow, 
 which is a good thing for table, purposes. They are very 
 intelligent ; knowing more in many instances than some 
 breeders of poultry do. 
 
 . . . "A farm is the proper place for them (in fact for 
 any breed), where they will largely support themselves by 
 foraging. The chicks are smart enough to take care of 
 themselves, dodging the hawks. To be sure, the first stock 
 did not throw so true to feather as desirable, but there are 
 breeds that have done worse. It was a source of pleasure 
 to me, after getting three hens and a cock from Genoa, 
 Italy, in -July of 1876 ; and out of «eventy-nine chicks 
 in hatched August and September (of which I raised sev- 
 enty-seven), to find that maturing, every one of them was 
 black in feather, had correct combs, and laid when three 
 and a half months old. I knew then that the stock was 
 valuable." . . . 
 
 From this account, we learn all that is known of Black 
 Leghorns, which have not as yet become suflBciently known 
 or cultivated to enable us to give the general opinion pf 
 their merits. They are now however " Standard," and as 
 Mr. Watson's flock has increased largely, we hope soon to 
 see its progeny more widely known and esteemed. As yet, 
 we have never seen them exhibited although we have at- 
 tended a great many poultry shows and examined all the 
 stock carefully. 
 
THE LEGHORN. 19' 
 
 •^OMINJCQUE ^r.GHORNS, 
 
 ■end the list of the Leghorn family and have the character- 
 istic merits of their class. In number, thej' are deficient 
 however, owing probably to their comparatively recent 
 admission to tlie Standard and the small amount of 
 " pnsh " their advocates have employed to make them 
 known. Like all the others of this family, they are 
 splendid foragers and well adapted to the farmers' needs ; 
 and in sharing. the slatey-blue color of the Domin- 
 ique and Plymouth Rock, they gain an additional claim on 
 those who have pasture and wood-lands, whei'e feathered 
 fitock can be kept to advantage, provided it is proof against 
 ■dirt and discoloration. We know of no reason why this 
 variety should not become as popular and widely cultivated 
 as the Brown or White. 
 
 XGMORN ^RZCOCITY. 
 
 Under this head we shall give brief extracts from the 
 records of different breeders, as they have appeared in 
 ■differient publications from time to time, or have come to 
 •our knowledge from the accounts of our acquaintances; 
 In the Pmdtry Tcerd, appeared recently, the following: 
 
 . . . "Last year I thought I should like to try the 
 
20 THE LEGIIOBN. 
 
 Brown Leghorns, having read so innch about them in tlie 
 Poultry World. I looked through tlie advertisements for 
 the nearest breeder, and sent for two sittings of eggs. On 
 tlie 29th of iingust, 1S77, 1 found to my surprise, twelve 
 fine Brown Leghorn chicks, one day betbi'e I expected them : 
 I raised all but one ; four cockerels and seven pullets. 
 Sold two pair, hence had five pullets,' which commenced 
 laying when a little more than foui- months old. I was 
 somewhat disappointed by the small eggs, so determined 
 not to keep tliem, sold tliem at a sacrifice. However, they 
 came into good liands, the size of their eggs became larger 
 as the pullets grew stronger, and I would have paid double 
 the amount received fer them to get them into my hand* 
 again." . . 
 
 In an early number of the Poultry World, at the time 
 when the fight over ear-lobes and other points was so hot, 
 we find the following, from a breeder who claims to have 
 bred Leghorns since 1853, a period of twenty-one years. 
 
 . . . "I have kc])t strict account with my fowls from 
 the beginning; and can, by comparing figures, see no differ- 
 ence in the time, of their maturing and commencing to lay. 
 Some commence when three months and a half old, and 
 none commence, older than five months. 1 could give fig- 
 ures in cases where I have 'timed'— if you please — twen- 
 ty-five pullets nearly ovevy year, for the last seven years, 
 and a less number of ih3m for the last twenty years, were 
 it necessary. 
 . "The best I have evei' done, was the past year. I had a 
 
THE LEGHORN. 21 
 
 large number hatclied out the 9(h of August and selected 
 twenty -five pullets, to wlioiu I gave an extra run and mod- 
 erate feed for five months, wlien they commenced laying 
 the 9tli of January. These tw.enty-five hens laid, up to 
 the 9th of August (a year from the date of liatching), 
 3,750 eggs, or 150 each; their average weight is five and 
 one-half pounds, and they will lay before the next 9th of 
 August, 240 eggs more." . . 
 
 On this topic, which .is of such great interest to all 
 breeders, Mr. C. R. Harlcer, the noted professional breeder 
 of Brown Leghorns, in response to request for an account 
 of his experience in this particular, writes as follows : 
 
 "I have had two Brown Leghorn pullets, hatched March 
 1st, lay : one June 10th, ajid the other June 15th, or at 
 about three and a half months old. But this was where 
 their growth had been forced ahead by stimulating food, 
 and tender treatment. A Brown Leghorn pullet does well, 
 if, with ordinary care, she lays at five months, but I never 
 owned one, hatched before June 1st, that did not do her 
 full share toward tilling the egg basket, before the ensuing 
 Thanksgiving. A peculiarity with a Brown Leghorn is its 
 capacity for being forced along to maturity, by high feed- 
 ing and good care. Given these, and a Brown Leghorn 
 pullet approaches puberty, with that quickly developing 
 voluptuousness which characterizes the growth of the 
 maiden of its own sunny Italy. As to cockerels, I have 
 no doubt that an unusually smart one can be, under proper 
 conditions, the father of a numerous family at the ripe 
 
22 THE LEGHORN. 
 
 ago of three inontlis, at least I have seen cockerela at tliat 
 age wlio seemed willing and able to do their full share 
 toward bringing about snoh a resnlt. Yon have my best 
 wishes as to the success of. your boolr, and I remain, 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 C. R. IIabkeb." 
 
 We might draw from the publications we have already 
 cited, almost innumerable letters to the purpose, but could 
 gain nothing by reiteration. In truth, it would be hard to- 
 present thf case more forcibly than these accounts from 
 pi'actical breeders of reputation and long experience state it- 
 
 ^^EGHORNS AS .^GG ■||rOX)UCI:RS. 
 
 Though everyone who has even the merest smattering- 
 of poultry knowledge has heard of some of the astounding 
 feats of this breed, and seen occasional accounts of their 
 wonderful records, we cannot assert tliAt every flock or 
 every member of a flock will surpass any single specimen 
 of any other breed, but that, taken as a whole, they are in- 
 comparable. With a view of showing this more clearly,, 
 we shall give some of the most extraordinary of the many 
 egg-records which have appeared in the last six years. 
 
 Some years since, in speaking of this breed, I. K. Felcb 
 says : "These fowls as egg-producers, in their original per- 
 
THE LEOHOBN. 25 
 
 fection were truly marvelous. I have known of a hen of 
 the last importation, laying' 159 days in succession, and 
 have the assertion of a friend, that one laid 275 eggs in, 
 one }'ear ; but the largest number of which I know person- 
 ally, and which I deem very extraordinary, was 250. An 
 average, in my experience has been from 175 to 200 eggs. 
 With good care, 200 eggs need not be despaired of." 
 
 In 1872, Mr. Lynde, of Marlboro, Ohio, gave the results 
 of a series of experiments instituted for the purpose of 
 ascertaining the cost of keeping and the fecundity of 
 different varieties as follows : 
 
 " The fowls embraced in the following experiment were 
 hatched between the 25tii of February and the 1st of 
 March. When they were six months old, I put ten pullets 
 of each breed in yards forty feet square, each yard contain- 
 ing a small warm house. These fowls were fed corn the 
 lirst day, oats the second, and wheat screenings the third, 
 then corn, then oats and then screenings, and so on for the 
 entire time. The feed was put in boxes, always putting in 
 enough so there would be some left at the end of the day. 
 They were also given a little fiesh meat as often as three 
 times a week, plenty of water, and burnt bones. The 
 first month (September), the 
 
 
 Corn. 
 
 Oats, 
 
 Screenings. 
 
 Eggs 
 
 
 Qt8. 
 
 Qts. 
 
 Qts. ~ 
 
 Laid 
 
 BrahmnR, Dark, ate . . 
 
 ...25 
 
 18 
 
 21 
 
 127 
 
 Cochins, Buff " . . 
 
 ...28 
 
 23 
 
 19X 
 
 97 
 
 DorkiDge, Gray " . . 
 
 ...21 
 
 17Ji 
 
 16 
 
 101 
 
 Houdans, " . . 
 
 ...15 
 
 14 
 
 iiH 
 
 143 
 
 Ijpgliorng, " . . 
 
 ...13 
 
 12^ 
 
 16 
 
 161 
 
26 THE LEGHORN. 
 
 In the entire time (six months), the 
 
 Corn Oats Screenings Eggs 
 Qts. Qts. Qts. Laid. 
 
 Brahmas, ate 142 108 119J^ 605 
 
 Cochins. ' 160 132 114 591 
 
 Dorkings, •• 118i< 100 91 524 
 
 Houdans, " 93 61 60^^ 783 
 
 Leghorns " 74}^ 77 80 807 
 
 Mr, Lynde also states the cost of the food supplied each 
 variety : 
 
 Brahmas |4 90 
 
 Cochins 5 86 
 
 Dorkings 4 45 
 
 Houdans 3 34 
 
 Leghorns 2 97 
 
 From this we see that the Leghorns not only laid a 
 greater number of eggs, but did so at less cost to their 
 owner. It has become so universally acknowledged that 
 Leghorns are the most prolific of all fowls, that it hardly 
 needs this detailed statement of their recorded excellence 
 to enable them to hold their enviable reputation. Still the 
 figures are valuable as a proof against the aspersions of 
 cavilers of any sort. 
 
 In singular contrast to the details given above is the 
 item which has travelled the rounds of the country press 
 and breaks ont from time to time with renewed vigor. We 
 quote it entire as a gem worth preserving in the annals of 
 Y>o\\\trj-j>8eudo-science. 
 
 " It has been ascertained that the ovarium of a fowl is 
 composed of 600 ovules or eggs; therefore a hen, during 
 
THK I.EGHOKN. 2T 
 
 the whole of her life, cannot possibly lay more than 600 
 eggs, which in natural course, are distributed over nine 
 years, in the following proportioTi : 
 
 First year after birth 16 to 20 
 
 Second " " 100 to 120 
 
 Third " " 120 to 135 
 
 Fourth '• " 100 to 115 
 
 Fifth " ■' 60 to 80 
 
 Sixth " '• 50 to 60 
 
 Seventh " " 35 to 40 
 
 Eighth " " 15 to 20 
 
 Ninth " •' 1 to 10 
 
 It follows that would not be profitable to keep hens- 
 after their fourth year, as their produce will not pay for 
 their keeping, except when they are of a valuable breed."^ 
 
 Rather a striking contrast, is it not, to the production of 
 Mr. Lynde's Leghorns ? By computation based on science 
 they laid somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 eggs 
 each, or if we take the very best figures about 60, 
 in the period between their tenth and eighteenth months. 
 YetMr. 'Lynde gathered 807 eggs from his ten fowls in 
 that time. But perhaps science was not acquainted with 
 Leghorns. 
 
 We will close this record with one whicli was sufficiently 
 extended to enable us to gain very valuable ideas as to the 
 power of this breed to sustain a higli average through the- 
 year, and also on the average fertility of a large flock. The 
 record is that of Mr. A. J. Tuck, aiid is as follows : 
 
 " A neighbor of mine has a flock of. "White Leghorn 
 hens, concerning which he has furnished me the following 
 particulars. He commenced his daily record of eggs on 
 
28 THE LEGHORN. 
 
 the tentli of last December, with three eggs, and up to the 
 tenth of August — a period of just seven months — he had 
 received from his flock 4,279 eggs. At the beginning of 
 his record, his flock consisted of thirty hens and pullets, 
 some of which did not commence laying until the last of 
 March. During this time he has had two die, so it left 
 him twenty-eight all told. Here we have an average of, 
 in round numbers, 150 eggs per hen, in but little over half 
 a year." 
 
 When we consider that in this flock of thirty all told, a 
 number were pullets, which did not commence to lay til! 
 some time after the record was begun, it is probable that 
 we should find — with a more careful record, crediting the 
 pullets as members of the flock only as they began to lay — 
 that the average was more nearly 175 than J 50. 
 
CHEAP POULTRY LITERATURE. 
 
 TP|E 
 
 PLYIOUTH ROCK, 
 
 AS THE 
 
 S^owl fof G^eiiei'kl iJ^e ; 
 
 WITH 
 •t 
 
 Rules for Mating and Breeding According to Nature. 
 PRICE 15 CENTS. 
 
 UNIFORM WITH 
 
 THE GAME FOWL, 
 
 AND 
 
 THE LEGHOEN. 
 
 Addres.", * 
 
 MYSTIC RIVER, CONN. 
 
CHEAP POULTRY LITERATURE. 
 
 THE aAME FOWL ; 
 
 Its Origin and History, with Rules 
 
 for Mating, Rearing, and Train- 
 
 ing for the Exhibition 
 
 Room or the Pit. 
 
 ---^-->4 
 
 Pamphlet, 12mo., 33 pages, uniform in size and style with 
 
 The Plymouth Rock. 
 
 Address, 
 
 F. H. AYRES, 
 
 Myttic HiveVf Conn. 
 
Egg Record Cards. 
 
 GIVING 
 
 A PLACE FOR A COMPLETE RECORD 
 
 No. of Fowls ; 
 
 The Variety ; 
 
 Eggs laid each day; 
 Eggs sold; 
 
 Fowls sold; 
 
 Chicks sold; 
 Expenses, and Balance for the Month. 
 
 Printed on fine Tinted Bristol Board, each month on 
 a separate Card. 
 
 PRICE 15 CENTS PER YEARLY SET. 
 
 By mail, prepaid, to any address. 
 
 Address, 
 
 HARTFORD, CONN.