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ST ANDARD^BRED 
 
 LEGHORNS 
 
 Brown, White, Buff, Black and Silver Dnckwing 
 
 Their Origin and History and Practical Qyalities; The Standard Requirements; How 
 
 to Mate and Breed for Best Results ; with a Chapter on Non'Standawd 
 
 Varieties; How to Judge Them; Commercial Leghorn Egg Farms 
 
 J. H. DREVENSTEDT, Editor 
 
 CONTRIBUTED TO BY THE BEST KNOWN AND 
 MOST EXPERT BREEDERS AND JUDGES IN AMERICA 
 
 FULLY ILLUSTRATED 
 
 Text and Illustrations are Based Upon the Requirements of the 1910 
 Edition of the American Standard of Perfection 
 
 PRICE, ONE DOLLAR 
 
 PUBLISHED JOINTLY BY 
 
 Poultry Publishing Company, Buffalo, New York 
 AND 
 Reliable PouKry Journal Publishing Company, Quincy, Illinois 
 
Copyright by 
 
 Reliable Poultry Journal Publishing Co. 
 
 qiincy, illinois 
 
 1911 
 
INTRODUCTORY 
 
 HIS new breed book, devoted to the Leghorn race of domesticated poultry, is 
 pubHshed at a time when thousands of poultry raisers are taking up the dif- 
 ferent varieties of Leghorns for the purpose of supplying the ever-increasing 
 demand for white eggs — a demand not local, but extending from the Atlantic to 
 the Pacific Coast and from the Dominion of Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 To the splendid achievement of American breeders in giving to the poultry in- 
 dustry the Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes and Rhode Island Reds, must be added the Leg- 
 horns. All varieties of the latter, excepting the Bufifs and Duckwings, originated in the United 
 States, and the high standard of perfection that the Browns, Whites, Blacks — and we might 
 add the Buiifs — have reached today, is due to the intelligence and perseverance of American 
 Leghorn breeders. 
 
 From the little red Italiens of the middle of the last century, which, like Topsy, "jest 
 growed up," and the appearance of the allied white variety at the same time, has sprung the 
 modern race of Leghorns, comprising eight Standard and four non-Standard varieties. 
 
 In preparing this new and enlarged edition of "The Leghorns," the instructions to the 
 editor were to set the pegs far apart and get up a book worthy of the great Leghorn family — 
 one that would be a text book of authentic information on the history, mating, breeding, exhib- 
 iting and marketing of Leghorns, regardless of the time, labor and expense involved in such an 
 undertaking. 
 
 This agreeable, albeit difticult, task has been carried out to the limit of the energy, ability, 
 and knowledge possessed by the editor. As an old breeder of Leghorns of over twenty years 
 ago, as well as a judge of Leghorns at the earlier Madison Square Garden Shows, and at other 
 great exhibitions years afterward, our opportunities for handling and examining all 
 varieties of Leghorns were many, while the experience gained enabled us to study the 
 evolution of the Leghorn fowl in America, with eyes wide open, sifting the real from the 
 imaginary facts with greater satisfaction, and, we trust, with more accuracy, than if we had 
 had to rely on the written statements of writers, past and present, alone. The conclusions 
 arrived at are based upon substantial facts obtained from a careful research of the records, as 
 well as personal observation in the show room and breeding yard, and impartially presented 
 for the careful consideration of our readers. 
 
 We are greatly indebted to America's foremost Leghorn breeders for the many valuable 
 articles contributed to the different chapters of "The Leghorns," such articles being of per- 
 manent benefit to all admirers of the popular Leghorn fowl.- 
 
 The art work by Franklane L. Sewell is one of the great features of the book. Mr. Sewell 
 stands pre-eminent among poultry artists of the world, and his Leghorn studies are among 
 the finest illustrations his artistic skill has produced . They convey most beautifully the evolu- 
 tion of the Leghorn type from its embryotic stage to the present Standard ideal. A. O. Schilling, 
 I. W. Burgess, L. P. Graham and H. G. Froby also contribute excellent and important illustra- 
 tions of modern exhibition specimens. 
 
 The chapter on Commercial Leghorn Farms is invaluable to practical poultry raisers. It 
 gives the methods of successful Leghorn poultry farmers, illustrated with photographic views 
 of buildings and appliances, and will convince many, if not all, readers, that there are 
 sound reasons for proclaiming the Leghorn to be "The Business Fowl of the Twentieth 
 Century." 
 
 J. H. DREVENSTEDT. 
 
 v^^ 12635 
 
The Leghorns 
 
 Ta ble of Contents 
 
 Page 
 
 Brown Leghorns, Past and Present, Jos. F. Carter 43 
 
 Breeding White Leghorns to Standard Requirements 59 
 
 Breeding Rose Comb White Leghorns, P. H. Edwards 62 
 
 Buff Leghorns of the Past, Prof. W. P. Wheeler 81 
 
 Buff Color Breeding Problems, Ezra Cornell 87 
 
 Buff Leghorns For Show and Table, Wm. H. Bushell 88 
 
 Black Leghorns 89 
 
 Color Breeding in Brown Leghorns, W. Theo. Wittman 39 
 
 Commercial Leghorn Farms, J. H. Drevenstedt 107 
 
 Evolution of Leghorn Type, F. L. Sewell 23 
 
 English Buff Leghorns 96 
 
 Egg Farming in Greater New York, R. P. Ellis 124 
 
 Feeding and Housing Leghorns For Profiit, Symposium 134 
 
 Feeding For Best Results, Grant M. Curtis 139 
 
 Heads, Combs and Wattles, F. L. Sewell 74 
 
 How to Make White Leghorns Pay, Le Roy Sands 130 
 
 Judging Leghorns, D. E. Hale 98 
 
 Leghorn Shape and Color Sections (Illustration) 15 
 
 Leghorns in England, Frank L. Piatt 94 
 
 Leghorn Broilers For Hotel Trade, J. Courtney Punderford 128 
 
 Mating Buff Leghorns For Shape and Color, Aug. D. Arnold 82 
 
 Modern Buff Leghorns, J. Courtney Punderford 83 
 
 Origin of the Leghorn Fowl, J. H. Drevenstedt 7 
 
 Rose Comb Brown Leghorns, W. W. Kulp 44 
 
 Red Pyle Leghorns, George E. Howell 92 
 
 Single Comb White Leghorns, D. W. Young 56 
 
 Standard Leghorn Shape, 1896, (Illustration) 13 
 
 Silver Duckwing Leghorns, J. H. Drevenstedt 91 
 
 Standard For Red Pyle Leghorns 93 
 
 Typical California Leghorn Farms, Prof. Jas. Dryden 133 
 
 White Leghorns, J. H. Drevenstedt 53 
 
 White Leghorn Breeders, Symposium 63 
 
 White Leghorn Bodies, Tails and Legs, F. L. Sewell 69 
 
 White Leghorns in South Africa 97 
 
CHAPTER I 
 
 Origin of the Leghorn Fow^l 
 
 Hiatory of the Development of the Leghorn Breed of Domestic Fowl, a Breed that now Consista of Eight 
 Standard and Nine Non-Standard Varieties — White, Brown and Blaok Leghorns First Produced and 
 Exhibited in the United States in the Middle of the Nineteenth Century— White Leg- 
 horns Imported from America to England in 1869, Buff Leghorns Intro- 
 duced into England from Denmark in 1888 
 
 J. H. Drevenslsdt 
 
 LEGHORNS have been known and bred for a very 
 long period of years in Europe as "Italiens," prioi 
 to their arrival in America, and are still known by 
 this name on the Continent of Europe. In England they 
 have been known as Leghorns from the time of the first 
 exportation from America to Great Britain in 1868, the 
 name given to the breed by Ameiican fanciers. So, at 
 least, the origin of the name can be claimed by America. 
 But by American breeders can be made the greater and 
 more substantial claim of being the real originators of 
 the immensely popular and distinctively typical and 
 beautiful White and Brown Leghorns of the present day. 
 They received the crude material from sunny Italy and 
 started the refining process at once; and in the early 
 fifties of the last century, fairly good types of both brown 
 and white varieties were seen in dififerent localities of 
 New England, the "cradle of the American fancy." 
 
 Some writers of the past claim that the White Leg- 
 horn was the original Leghorn breed from which all 
 others sprang; other writers are equally positive that the 
 Brown Leghorn v\:as "on deck" ut the same time, and 
 can lay equal claim to being the progenitor of the other 
 varieties. Claims in those days were not always clinched 
 by facts, and we must, in reading over the conflicting 
 testimony of breeders of White and Brown Leghorns, 
 take some of their statements cum grano salis. If the 
 old timers failed to agree on such matters, it is but 
 reasonable to expect that some of our present day 
 fanciers will be of the same mind. To the practical- 
 minded breeder it makes precious 
 little difference which variety made 
 its debut on the American poultry 
 stage first. One is as good as the 
 other, and both are splendid examples 
 of the American breeder's art in pro- 
 ducing two such beautiful and useful 
 varieties of fowl. 
 
 The origin and early history of 
 any race, man or animal, always 
 proves interesting, even if the alleged 
 facts bearing on such leave room for 
 doubt in the mind of the investigator 
 and chronicler at times. In presenting 
 what purport to be facts relating to 
 the ejrly history of the Leghorn fowl 
 and the later introduction of its sub- 
 varieties, we have sifted, as much as 
 was practical for the purpose of the 
 completeness of this chapter, what we 
 believad to be the substantial, from 
 the imaginary data, at our disposal. 
 
 In the "Poultry World," Febru- 
 ary, 1373, I. K. Felch contributed the 
 following data bearing on the origin 
 and description of the Leghorn fowl: 
 
 I have been, ever since their introduction into the 
 country, well aware of the merits of the Leghorn fowl. 
 The first importation of these fowls was made into 
 Mystic River, Conn., in the year 18SS; and they were 
 what we term the Brown Leghorn. The nice pure brown 
 of their breasts was very peculiar, and also very beauti- 
 ful in color — in fact, so much so that I sold many of them 
 to the taxidermists for their feathers, of which many a 
 crest has been made and has appeared on the hat of 
 many a gentlewoman as she passed along the street, hav- 
 ing purchased same as imported feathers. 
 
 The hens in color generally present reddish brown, 
 running in some cases into pure brown color; and in 
 weight they seldom exceed four pounds, while an average 
 would be three and one-half pounds. While young, and 
 before commencing their first litter of eggs, they resemble 
 very much the Derby Game hens, their comb never be- 
 coming fully developed until they commence to lay, when 
 it comes out a pure red and so clear that the reflection of 
 light can be seen through it. 
 
 Hens whose combs stand upright are, to my mind, 
 preferable, as it is these which geneially produce the most 
 perfect cock; a lopped-comb cock is very objectionable, 
 and if your breeding hens are those whose combs fall 
 over to one side of their heads, as I have seen them, so as 
 to cover the eye, one need not expect to breed more than 
 one-half the cocks with upright combs. In the first im- 
 portation the combs were so large as to be a great de- 
 formity. 
 
 The cocks should weigh from four and one-half to 
 five pounds, at twelve months of age, and never exceed it; 
 and in color they should be identical with the Black-Red 
 Game. I regret that the "Standard" so poorly describes, 
 or, as I may say, fails so entirely to describe it. 
 
 The beak and legs should be yellow, and the latter 
 quite short; breast, black (splashes of brown objection- 
 
 FIRST 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 able, but not a disqualification): fluff and thighs more or 
 less brown-tinged; wings, reddish-brown; tails large, full 
 sickles (well curved in "Standard" — I say tolerably well 
 curved), the whole tail carried upright. It is not an un- 
 common thing to see a good cock, when strutting about, 
 have his comb and tail meet above his back. The back 
 should be wide and short, and of deep red or mahogany 
 color; hackle and saddle same as in Black-Red Game; 
 head and face small, as in "Standard;" and I am afraid 
 judges are attaching too much importance to this, and like 
 the Black Spanish, they will sacrifice the whole merit to 
 this one requirement. I fear that in time we shall see, as 
 in the Spanish, degenerate sons of noble sires, feebly con- 
 tending for prizes, and striving to sustain a race whose 
 glory is found in the past. In or about 1858 we had the 
 White Leghorn with white legs, which was known as the 
 Lord importation. Later, in 1863, we had what was known 
 as the Stetson importation, which was white in plumage, 
 with yellow beak and legs. In weight, like the brown va- 
 riety, the hens average 354 pounds, the cocks from 4^/^ to 
 S pounds, the latter, however, being seldom reached. 
 These fowls as egg producers, in their original perfection, 
 were truly marvelous. I have known of a hen of this last 
 importation that laid 159 days in succession, and have the 
 assertion of a friend that one laid 275 eggs in one year; 
 but the largest number which I know of personally 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. 
 
 The combs of all three of these varieties were the 
 same, and not at all like the Black Spanish. In many cuts 
 published of late, one sees them with combs of a Spanish 
 shape. This is wrong in itself, and leads many an amateur 
 astray. A Leghorn has rarely but five points to his comb, 
 — two double-pointed serratures and three single ones, 
 and cut very deep down into it. The shape, once seen, 
 cannot be mistaken, and therefore needs no fuller descrip- 
 tion by me. In the early importations these combs grew 
 to an enormous size. I have seen young cocks with such 
 combs and wattles that they were unable to hold up their 
 heads. I killed a cock so troubled, his whole live weight 
 being Syi pounds, and his head, comb and wattles weigh- 
 ing 19 ounces — as nearly one-third his weight as could 
 well be. They have smaller combs now, which I cannot 
 but hail for the better. 
 
 The Brown Leghorn Standard referred to by Mr. 
 Felch above, gives the following description of the breed: 
 
 The Cock 
 
 Comb — bright red, large, erect, single, straight, and 
 free from twists or falling over to either side, deeply ser- 
 rated, extending well back over the head and free from 
 side sprigs or excrescences. Legs — bright yellow. Breast 
 — Black, splashed with brown. Wings — Reddish brown. 
 Tail — large, full, sickle well curved. Face — bright red, 
 free from wrinkles or folds. Ear-lobes — Pure opaque, 
 white, rather pendant, thin, and close fitting to the head, 
 smooth and free from wrinkles. 
 
 The Hen 
 
 Head — brown. Neck — light yellowish brown, striped 
 with black. Back and shoulder coverts — brown. Wing 
 bow, shoulder primaries and secondaries — ^brown. Tail — 
 dark brown, approaching black. Breast, deep salmon, 
 shading off to ashy brown toward the thighs. Thighs — 
 ashy brown. Legs — to match those of cock. 
 
 Points in Brown Leghorns 
 
 Size IS 
 
 Comb 20 
 
 Face and Ear-lobe 20 
 
 Color of Plumage 20 
 
 Symmetry 15 
 
 Condition 10 
 
 Disqualifications in Brown Leghorns 
 Legs, other than yellow; comb lopping over in cock; 
 prick-comb on hen; red deaf-ear; white feathers in any 
 part of the plumage. 
 
 This Standard was about as crude and incomplete as 
 the breed itself at that time. The first official American 
 Standard of Excellence issued by the American Poultry 
 Association in 1874, howevtr, gives a far better and more 
 
 complete description of Brown Leghorns; also giving the 
 first scale of points based upon the 100-point system, 
 adopted by the Association at its annual meeting held at 
 Buffalo, New York, January 15th to 18th, 1874. 
 
 Not long after Mr. Felch A^rote his introductory Leg- 
 horn article, other writers began to air their knowledge 
 on the subject and dispute the Felch claims. In the No- 
 vember "Poultry World," 1873, a correspondent who 
 signed himself "B. Leghorn" remarked: 
 
 I cannot agree with Mr. Felch in regard to the Leg- 
 horns. In the first place, I cannot agree with him that so 
 long ago as 1855 they were known or recognized as a dis- 
 tinct breed. I am well aware that fowls of all shades 
 have been imported into this country under the name of 
 Leghorns, which had no title whatever to the designation, 
 except the bare fact that they came from the vicinity of 
 the city bearing, that name. 
 
 I'hey do not appear to have been recognized by any 
 of the poultry authorities of Europe as a distinct breed, 
 until long after they had been bred and perfected in this 
 country; since which time they have only been recognized 
 as an American breed. It would appear to be a very re-- 
 markable oversight on the part of those who have brought 
 poultry fancying to its present status in England, to have 
 passed by so valuable a variety, or to be ignorant of its 
 existence. Some years ago, Mr. Brent, a celebrated 
 poultry breeder and judge, now deceased, wrote as fol- 
 lows in relation to the Spanish fowl: "I am at a loss to 
 understand why only one variety of this breed is patron- 
 ized, seeing there are others. I think it but justice that 
 this breed should have as many classes as any other breed. 
 I would give them four classes, — Black Spanish, White 
 Spanish, Blue Spanish, and any other variety of Spanish." 
 If this means anything, it most assuredly recognizes a 
 large class of fowls of various colors which would be 
 classed under the name of Spanish. There is no doubt 
 that the White Leghorns now so celebrated in this coun- 
 try, were originally identical with the White Spanish 
 which have been known in England. 
 
 Mr. Tegetmeier also says: "The geographical names 
 by which the majority of the different breeds of our do- 
 mestic poultry are at present known to us are un- 
 questionably erroneous. But with Spanish the case 
 appears somewhat different. All along the Mediterranean, 
 from Gibraltar to Syria, the countries that border on that 
 vast inland sea abound with fowls that bear so close a 
 resemblance to the Spanish race as may warrant our as- 
 signing them to one common stock. Purity of breed, 
 however, is but little esteemed; nevertheless, with those 
 who have examined with any care the natural history of 
 this section of gallinaceous birds, little hesitation would 
 be felt as to the extreme probability of a common 
 descent." 
 
 It seems to me that statements like these from gentle- 
 men who are recognized authorities in poultry matters, 
 ought to set at rest any claim to the Leghorns as a 
 distinct European breed. The birds mentioned by Mr. 
 Felch as having been imported in 1855 and 1858, were 
 undoubtedly selected from these mongrels spot en of by 
 Mr. Tegetmeier, and from them has arisen tho Brown 
 Leghorn of our day, so widely known as an /vmerican 
 breed. 
 
 So much for the history of this variety. Now let us 
 follow Mr. Felch in his description of this breed. In the 
 opening of his oaper he says: "The nice pure brown of 
 their breasts (speaking of the hen) being very peculiar;" 
 and again; "The hens in color generally present teddish 
 brown, running in some cases to pure brown." This may 
 possibly answer for the early importations, but the learer 
 the color of both cock and hen approaches the color of 
 Black-Red Games, the more highly are they prized ly our 
 best breeders. In regard to the comb of the hen, he says: 
 "Hens, whose combs stand upright are, to my mind 
 preferable, as it is these which generally produce the most 
 perfect cocks." Believing, as I have always believec, that 
 the Leghorns, both Brown and White, are Spanish in their 
 origin, I entertain the opinion that the same rule which 
 would apply in judging Spanish, would apply also to them 
 (the Leghorns). 
 
 Mr. Hewett, the best known poultry judge, says: "In 
 Spanish hens the combs should lap in front, and fall over 
 sideways." The erect comb, called a prick-comb, which 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 our friend prefers, is laid down in the English and Amer- 
 ican Standards as a disqualification, and will not in all 
 probability find much favor with the Leghorn fanciers. In 
 another part of his paper he says in regard to the tail of 
 the cock: "It is not an uncommon thing to see a good 
 cock, when strutting about, have his comb and tail meet 
 above his back." Here again he is at fault, for if he will 
 turn his attention to the general description of shape of 
 the Spanish class in the English or American Standard, 
 he will discover that the tail of the cock must not be 
 carried over the back, or be "squirrel-tailed." In relation to 
 the legs, I think it a mistake to put too much stress on 
 shortness; I should prefer to have them long enough to 
 prevent a squatty appearance. I shall most cheerfully 
 agree with him in what he says in regard to size, not only 
 in relation to the Leghorn, but also in relation to the 
 Brahma, in a former paper on that breed, for I honestly 
 believe that some of our most valuable breeds have been 
 utterly ruined in tlie strife for weight, and I am rejoiced 
 to see that a reaction is about to take place. 
 
 I regret to feel obliged to be thus critical in my re- 
 marks, and I wish it to be understood that I do so with 
 the kindest feeling toward my friend, Mr. Felch, for 
 whom I entertain the greatest respect, and to whom, as 
 well as to his brother, the poultry world is so largely in- 
 debted for their labors in perfecting one of our most valu- 
 able breeds. 
 
 The belief expressed by the above writer that both 
 White and Brown Leghorns are of Spanish aucestry was 
 shared by many others at that period, but others were 
 firm in their belief that Brown Leghorns were distinct 
 from White Leghorns in their ancestry, the supposition 
 being that they were made by crossing the Black Breasted 
 Red Game with the so-called "Brown Italiens" that came 
 to our shores from Italy. The more slender limbed and 
 longer bodied White Leghorns at that early period were 
 often white in shanks and in carriage and head points re- 
 sembled the Spanish fowl. The fact that White Leghorns 
 lay larger white eggs than the Browns, and the tendency 
 in the earlier strains to show considerable white in the 
 face of the males, add much weight to the statement that 
 they are lineal descendants of the ancient Spanish race of 
 fowl. The smaller and occasionally tinted eggs laid by 
 Brown Leghorns indicate the same cross, although we 
 believe Spanish blood was also used in the early construc- 
 tion period of this breed, especially for the purpose of 
 obtaining the white ear-lobes. Up to 1865 Leghorns were 
 shown as Spanish fowls, and it was through the efforts of 
 I. K. Felch that they were finally properly classified, as 
 will be seen by reading his statement published in the 
 "Poultry World," November 1873: 
 
 It will be a hard fact for soime, but if the truth must 
 be spoken. Leghorns have not been allowed to be exhib- 
 ited as such until since 1865. 
 
 At the first exhibition of the Worcester Poultry Club 
 (which all know to be the pioneer of all poultry societies 
 in the United States), Mr. Houghton, Mr. Childs, and 
 myself, were forced to enter out Leghorns as Spanish 
 fowls. We did so under protest. On the second day. 
 Mr. Flint, then secretary of the Massachusetts Board of 
 Agriculture, was present, and we carried our case before 
 him. And these were the arguments we used to show why 
 we should not be compelled to exhibit them as Spanish. 
 We claimed: 
 
 1st. That our birds did not have as long legs in pro- 
 portion to their bodies as the Spanish did, and that the 
 legs were vellow in color. 
 
 2nd. That they were different in shape, their combs 
 being coarsely serrated. 
 
 3rd. That their faces were red, and also the earlobes, 
 and not white like the Spanish. 
 
 Mr. Flint was disposed to favor us, and, at the next 
 exhibition, the Club received them as Leghorn fowls. Mr. 
 Flint was then managing the "New England Farmer," 
 and during that year I, with others, wrote articles upon 
 the subject, which were published in that paper during 
 the winter, I think, of 1865. In writing upon poultry, I 
 say: "Tell the truth and shame the devil." 
 
 Mr. Felch, a few months after, made the followinij 
 reply to "B. Leghorn's" criticisms of his first communica- 
 tion on the origin of the breed, in the "Poultry World": 
 
 I cannot see anything which should make me change 
 my base; but I can see, as he did, how incomplete rny 
 article was, which compels me to answer him. And in 
 answering the first twenty-one lines of his article, I will 
 say that the date 1855, in my article, was a misprint, and 
 that it was in 1853 that the first Brown Leghorns came 
 into the country; and that the Brown Leghorns of today, 
 in color of plumage and purity of blood, and as breeders 
 of type and feather, are not one whit ahead of them. The 
 only difference is, that the Leghorns of today are larger. 
 The fact that since they have come into public notice, 
 others have imported specimens that have, in each in- 
 stance, bred true to form and feather, should be proof- 
 positive to every reader that they have some pretensions 
 as a breed at home; and it is a fact (to speak from my 
 own experience, of which I do not guess), that these 
 fowls have always, since 1858, been bred and known as 
 Leghorns- by the breeders. Childs and Houghton, of 
 Worcester, and myself, well know that the reason they 
 were not generally known to the public was because there 
 were no poultry exhibitions in the country, after their 
 advent, until 1864, and at the show in Worcester that 
 year we were compelled to exhibit them as Spanish,' which 
 we did under protest. On the second dav of the fair, Mr. 
 Flint, then secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Agri- 
 culture, was present, and we appealed to him, and the 
 characteristics of the Leghorns, in comparison to the 
 Spanish, were discussed; and it was there they were first 
 acknowledged publicly as Leghorns, all conceding that 
 the two breeds were different in form and plumage and 
 general characteristics. 
 
 In answer to the next two-thirds of a column, I ask, 
 is it any the less strange that English people should fail 
 to know the existence of the Leghorn breed? America 
 failed to appreciate the Silver-penciled Hamburgs until 
 they had been long bred in England, and came across the 
 Atlantic as "Bolton Grays," as was the fact in the case of 
 the first importations. His argument seems to be that 
 Ijecause England failed to recognize the Leghorns, there- 
 fore no Leghorns could exist, — which seems to imply an 
 inveterate prejudice in favor of England, amounting to a 
 conviction in his mind, that "no good can come out of 
 America." I, for one, am willing to excuse Mr. Tegetmeier 
 from writing of the Leghorn, when, at the time he wrote, 
 the breed had not come to notice, either in England or 
 America. 
 
 In reference to Mr. Tegetmeier's "mongrels," I have 
 fully answered above. I believe that they were a breed 
 when they came to our shores.. In answer to his remarks 
 about hens with upright combs, I will say that, perhaps, 
 in my article to which he refers, I was not particular 
 enough in my meaning. I do not think the poultry fan- 
 ciers of New England would believe me foolish enough 
 to try to win a prize on hens with upright combs. I 
 assert that a strain of White Leghorns which will produce 
 ten per cent, of the pullets with upright combs, will pro- 
 duce cocks, ninety per cent, of which shall possess combs 
 which stand straight on their heads, and are consequently 
 marketable. I also assert that a strain which produces 
 hens, all of which have thin combs lying flat over the 
 side of their heads, as spoken of in the October number 
 of the "World," by me, will produce at least forty per 
 cent, of the cocks whose combs will lop before they arc 
 even twelve months old. In the one case, gentlemen, you 
 have forty per cent, of disqualified birds; in the other, 
 twenty per cent. Now, which strain will you prefer? I 
 still say, the hen whose comb is inclined to be upright is 
 sure to be the best breeder; and the experience of ten 
 years breeding them, has made me believe it. A cock with 
 a lopped comb is as much disqualified as a hen with an 
 erect comb, and, in value, is worse off; for no good breeder 
 would use the cock, while he would the hen. 
 
 As to the "squirrel-tail" spoken of by him, he should 
 have understood that I was writing about the Brown Leg- 
 horns as I first saw them. They were, in carriage, much 
 like Bantams. 
 
 I agree with "B. Leghorn" as to the color most de- 
 sired, and heartily accept a little more length of leg, 
 which does much to destroy the Bantam appearance of 
 which I have spoken. I should be glad to meet and know 
 
10 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 the writer, and can assure him a cordial welcome if he 
 will call on me. 
 
 It was left for Frank J. Kinney, however, to give the 
 Brown Leghorn a boost that even some of the modern 
 poultry boomers would view with envy as well as admira- 
 tion. Mr. Kinney's remarks appeared in the "Poultry 
 World," December, 1873. We reprint them without further 
 comment, to-wit: 
 
 A great deal is being said about this comparatively 
 new breed. I claim to have owned the first that were ever 
 landed in America, having bought, on ship in Boston 
 harbor, in June, 1853, two hens and one cock, about one 
 year old, the trio weighing 13;4 pounds. They were very 
 handsome and very different from any poultry I had 
 ever seen, and I liked them, but objected to the small 
 size of their bodies and the large size of their combs and 
 wattles, and I commenced immediately to increase the 
 one and diminish the other, by selecting the largest hens 
 and the broadest, lowest cocks, with the smallest combs 
 and finest wattles, to breed from. And by following this 
 course for a long series of years, I have succeeded in 
 breeding hens that weigh from 4j4 to 6'A pounds, and 
 cocks that weigh from 
 SJ4 to 7y2 pounds. I 
 have kept strict ac- 
 count 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 and a half months 
 old, and none com- 
 mence older than five 
 months. I could give 
 figures in cases where 
 I have "timed" — if you 
 please — twenty-five pul- 
 ets nearly every year 
 for the last seven years, 
 and a less number of 
 them for the last twen- 
 ty years, were it neces- 
 sary. 
 The best I have ever done, was the past year. I had 
 a large number hatched out the 9th of -August, 1872, and 
 selected twenty-five pullets, to whom I gave an extra run, 
 and moderate feed for five months, when they commenced 
 laying the 9th of January, 1873. These twenty-five hens 
 laid, up to the 9th of August, 1873, 3,750 eggs, or 150 each; 
 their average weight is 5^ pounds, and they will lay, 
 before the 9th of August, 1874, 240 eggs more each, sup- 
 posing they are properly fed and cared for, and they will 
 lay as many every year for four or five years at least. 
 These hens are constantly and closely confined, except a 
 few weeks in moulting time. We carry the out-of-doors 
 to them — all they cannot get through glass and slats — 
 the rest of the year. We had yards of twenty three-year- 
 old hens last year that aveiaged 240 eggs to the hen, about 
 100 more than the same strain laid six years ago, when 
 they were a pound lighter to the hen and had not got 
 used to being forced. 
 
 At another time I will give my experience and views 
 on the subject of forcing poultry. 
 
 I have traveled a large extent of country in my day, 
 and have seen a great many hens that deserve to be re- 
 ported in the papers. I can call to mind instances in 
 many states, where honest farmers have pointed out hens 
 to me, saying: "That is a wonderful hen; she is as old as 
 my second gal, and has allers laid and never sot; is more 
 than ten years old;" or, "There is a hen as old as Jane, 
 and she is twenty years old," etc. One man in Canter- 
 bury, N. H., killed a hen on the twenty-first birthday of 
 an adopted son, and the hen was "older than the boy, and 
 had allers laid up tew last year, and now she had got so 
 fat, was just good for nothing at all." These hens were 
 barn-yard fowls, and of all colors, but uniformly low, 
 square, substantially-built fowls. 
 
 I have never seen a very gamy-looking hen, or an 
 Asiatic, that was a good laying hen very long — not many 
 
 years. We had one hen, old "Red Ribbon," that laid over 
 2,200 eggs, and died at the age of nine years and three 
 months from breaking an egg internally. She was as 
 healthy-looking a hen as any in my yards at the time, and, 
 as near as I could judge, might have laid for years longer 
 but for the accident. "Signora," now in my yards, is six 
 years old and has laid over 1,300 eggs. I have one hun- 
 dred and more chicks in my yards, hatched from eggs 
 laid by pullets which were raised this year; have chickens 
 (November 13th) three months old, hatched from eggs 
 laid by pullets that were hatched from eggs laid by "Sig- 
 nora" after the Sth of March, 1873. The old hen, when in 
 condition, weighs 6]4 pounds; said pullets commenced 
 laying before they were 3^ months old, and weigh, as 
 pullets, more than 4J4 pounds. 
 
 Mr. I. K. Felch may have his Leghorns "at an average 
 weight of 3^ pounds as fowls and resembling, while 
 young, and before commencing to lay, the Derby Game, 
 with cocks never to exceed 5 pounds each, and identical 
 in color with the Black-Red Game," if he pleases. I prefer 
 pullets that resemble good Brown Leghorns — Standard 
 fowls — and weigh 1^ to 2 pounds more than his, and 
 cocks that resemble good Standard Brown Leghorn cocks 
 and weigh 6 to 7 pounds. It seems to me to be not at all 
 in order to compare Brown Leghorns with Games. One 
 might as well compare Black Hamburgs with Black 
 Cochins. 
 
 I. K. Felch, in his most vigorous and characteristic 
 style, replied to Mr. Kinney's criticisms and incidentally 
 riddled the latter's extravagant claims of the wonderful 
 egg records made by Brown Leghorns, in the following 
 number of the "Poultry World," as follows: 
 
 I have read Mr. J. F. Kinney's articles on Brown Leg- 
 horns in the June and September issues of the "Bulletin" 
 and the December issue of the "Poultry World," and have 
 several times been asked by correspondents and friends 
 to answer him. Not wishing fo go into any controversy, 
 I desisted. But in the last-mentioned article he chooses 
 to refer to me in a sarcastic way, which would, to one not 
 used to the breed, give a false impression; viz., that I was 
 breeding Brown Leghorns not true to their type. This 
 and the tall statements he makes, and the braggadocio 
 style in which he does it, I must confess, have irritated 
 me enough to call forth this reply. 
 
 Mr. Kinney tells us he has the only white ear-lobed 
 strain in the world; yet he tells us that he has read "with 
 pleasure" an article on the ear-lobes of Brown Leghorns 
 in the "Bulletin" of December, 1872. 
 
 I presume that which pleased him most in that article 
 was, that the "writer's experience, and that of Mr. 
 Wheeler, or Worcester, Mr. Beard, of Nashua, N. H., and 
 Mr. Jacob Graves, of Boston, was that not one-twentieth 
 part of all the Brown Leghorns had white ear-lobes, and 
 that of the twentieth part of them that had, three-fourths 
 were very defective in plumage;" and as Mr. Wheeler is 
 a neighbor of Mr. Kinney, he ought to know whereof he 
 speaks. As regards the article alluded to, I myself call it 
 a good and truthful one. The writer also says: "If we, 
 to attain this one point, are to sacrifice the rich, beautiful 
 black breast, elegant striped hackle, and handsome 
 shoulder coverts and wing-bar, which are certainly of 
 more importance, what have we gained?" So much for 
 what pleases him to read. 
 
 He tells us in his first article ("Bulletin" for June") 
 that he had the first Brown Leghorns that came to this 
 country and that their ear-lobes were entirely red, and 
 that the next two importations he made were like the 
 others. He also says they were not Black Red Leghorns, 
 but Brown Red. In 1866, he says he had a hen from Leg- 
 horns with white ear-lobes. But before he states this fact, 
 he speaks of an advertisement in 1864, of Brown Leghorns 
 with white ear-lobes, and goes on to tell how they prob- 
 ably came about, giving the impression that those adver- 
 tised were not pure in blood. Was this gentlemanly and 
 honorable, or, reader, do you call it a stab in the back as 
 regards its influence upon the reputation of the advertiser? 
 In the same article he tells of a hen imported in 1866, 
 having a small comb, which, crossed with his, produced 
 fowls, in a few generations, that weighed eight pounds. 
 Following this, he says he breeds for profit, and does not 
 propose to sacrifice twenty years of labor in the perfection 
 of his fowls, because young breeders want things gamy, 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 11 
 
 and says they can have Brown Leghorns like Black Red 
 Games "by crossing with that breed. But the time will 
 come when breeders will know the difference between 
 crosses and thoroughbred stock." 
 
 Here I leave his first article to review his second, 
 which is found in the "Bulletin" of September, 1873; and 
 almost the first thing he tells you is that "he has learned 
 how to mate his fowls so as to retain the beautiful pencil- 
 ings in the hens and produce black-breasted cocks, or 
 mottled-breasted, as six hundred chickens in his yard will 
 show." If I were in his place, I should suppose people 
 would very naturally think there had been an introduction 
 of a Brown Red Game cock, in accordance with the 
 advice of Article I. But again he seems to forget himself, 
 and tells I. K. Felch, in the "Poultry World," he "mav 
 have his Black Red Games," and that one may "as well 
 compare Black Hamburgs with Black Cochins as to com- 
 pare Brown Leghorns with Black Red Games." Wonder- 
 ful consistency! 
 
 His peculiar forcing system he should give to the 
 world, for he says he can make his fowls weigh two 
 pounds more than the farmer can with "good farmer's 
 care." This may account for his eight-pound cock; this 
 may also account for his strain weighing two pounds 
 more than any strain of Brown Leghorns I ever saw. 
 
 But wonders do not cease here. Old Red Ribbon! 
 Who of my readers ever before heard of a hen which, in 
 eight years and ten months, laid the marvelous number of 
 2,200 eggs? And who before ever heard of a breeder 
 chalking down every egg a hen laid for nearly nine years? 
 Two hundred and forty-one eggs each year for eight years 
 and ten months of the laying life of a hen! But Mr. Kin- 
 ney must have forgotten one item, or else is reserving it 
 for a further surprise for the poultry breeders of America, 
 viz: the number of eggs "Old Red Ribbon" laid in her 
 most productive year. According to the ratio of produc- 
 tion by other fowls, it could not be less than four hun- 
 dred. Was the account in his "Poultry World" article of 
 these old hens among the farmers, from ten to twenty- 
 one years old, a dish served up as an appetizer, that his 
 readers might swallow his statistics in relation to Old 
 Red Ribbon? Unless he tells us who collected the eggs 
 from Old Red Ribbon and Signora while he was "travel- 
 ing over that large extent of country" he speaks of, or 
 presents for inspection the original entries of the ac- 
 count, he must excuse me for doubting the account, or 
 kind o' thinking Old Red Ribbon might be like a hen that 
 was owned by a boy who used to live with an uncle of mine, 
 who was wont to assert that he had seen twelve eggs laid 
 by that hen with shells colored seven different shades. 
 Now, it was hard work for my uncle not to believe that 
 six of his hens helped that hen lay those twelve eggs; but 
 the boy saw his hen lay them all, and, as he was a boy of 
 truth, he had to believe that the hen laid different colored 
 eggs. 
 
 In conclusion, if Mr. Kinney's fowls are all he repre- 
 sents them to be, what occasion has he to pull down his 
 neighbor's house that he may build a barn? But he does 
 this: First, by attempting to establish his strain as the 
 only one of white ear-lobes, and then throwing suspicion 
 on his neighbor, who in his very article he acknowledges 
 advertised two years he shows that he received his white 
 ear-lobed hen, from which he commenced to breed into 
 his stock this characteristic. Second, by asserting that he 
 can grovv these very chicks two pounds larger than his 
 neighboring farmers can with good care, by some hidden 
 process of forcing, which, if true, is all right; but is it 
 likely that size can, in a short time, be increased fifty per 
 cent? Thirdly, by the publication of marvelous produc- 
 tions of eggs, which may best be dismissed with the navy 
 saying: "Tell that to the horse-marines; the sailors won't 
 believe it." Fourthly, by misconstruction and use of per- 
 sonalities in comparing the writing of others with that 
 of his own in relation to the merits of his fowls; all of 
 which will lead the unthinking novice in breeding to come 
 to his net. 
 
 I do not care a straw for his allusion to what I said 
 of Brown Leghorns as they were in earlier days. I do 
 not now breed Brown Leghorns, and I do not cry out be- 
 cause he is in any way mjunng my business. But when 
 people write of poultry, I like to see it done with some 
 degree of fairness. But, closing, I will say I do not want 
 a, Leghorn, be it White or Brown, as large as a Brahma, 
 or a cock that has Golden Hamburg plumage. 
 
 In September, 1875, the "Poultry World" puilished a 
 letter written by O. H. Peck, of Franklin, Mass., which 
 contained the following statements regarding the first 
 importations of "Leghorns" in America: 
 
 For a year past there have appeared in "The Poultry 
 World" quite a number of articles on the origin of Brown 
 Leghorn fowls. The articles in question having been 
 written by eminent breeders of said variety, it may appear 
 presumptions in me to attempt to add anything to what 
 has already been said; but with your kind permission, I 
 will state that about forty yeai s ago, Mr. N. O. Ward, of 
 Fulton Street, New 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 
 distributed among his friends, one of whom was Mr. J. C. 
 Thompson, of Tompkinsville, Staten Island — once an 
 eminent poultry raiser, now deceased. Mr. Thompson 
 writes as follows: 
 
 "I raised from six eggs, five cocks and one pullet. The 
 size of the comb and wattles of that lot exceeded any- 
 
 s t white: leghorns oi c \. pitki\ is 3 
 
 thing I have ever seen since. 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 up grains, and they were compelled to press the 
 protruding comb on one side to get their bills to the 
 ground." 
 
 On two or three occasions subsequent to this, Mr. 
 Thompson obtained the fowls direct from Leghorn, once 
 through his son-in-law, who was master of a vessel. They 
 matured 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 of a party who had them and sold the eggs 
 under the name of "Sicilian Fowls." That they are ex- 
 cellent layers, no one will question, for they will lay more 
 eggs in a given time, than any other pure-bred fowl 
 known. 
 
 An attempt was made by an American poultry 
 breeder, to investigate the origin of "Leghorns" in their 
 native land. How this failed to accomplish satisfactory 
 results is clearly explained in an article written by J. H. 
 Davis, an old and well-known writer on poultry topics, 
 for the "Fancier's Gazette" some twenty years ago. We 
 reprint the following extracts from Mr. Davis' interesting 
 summary: 
 
 Twenty or more years ago there was a little book 
 issued, bearing the above title, by F. H. Ayres, of Mystic 
 River, Connecticut. Mr. Ayres conceived the plan in 1878, 
 of visiting the great Paris Exposition for the purpose of 
 looking over the fowls placed on exhibition there, and 
 then going to Italy to hunt for Leghorns, as he desired to 
 bring home with him all the varieties and colors obtain- 
 able. 
 
 Arriving at Marseilles, he at once proceeded to look 
 at the fowls in the Zoological Garden. Here he found 
 
12 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 Peafowls, White- Pheasants, a fowl that looked like a 
 White Leghorn, but rumpless; also a rumpless fowl with 
 Plymouth Rock plumage, and a big black rumpless cock 
 with feathered legs and a crest nearly four inches high. 
 All these were in one pen. In another pen was a bird 
 resembling a Hamburg, with rose comb, yellow hackle, 
 plumage yellowish brown, blue legs and half-white ear- 
 lobes. Then there were Japanese Bantams and a coop 
 of fowls resembling Silver Hamburgs, but about half the 
 size, the most of which had red ear-lobes, the plumage 
 being yellowish white. Then there was a pen of Sultans, 
 and poor specimens of Golden, Silver and Mottled Polish. 
 Many other varieties of birds were found here, but no 
 Leghorns, which the tourist was in quest of. 
 
 He next went to Leghorn, a city of a hundred thou- 
 sand inhabitants, and the first place he visited was the 
 market, in search of Leghorns. There were hundreds of 
 fowls on sale. The proprietor or overseer of the market 
 explained to Mr. Ayres that he had men out with hand- 
 carts gathering up fowls in all directions, some of them 
 going as far as fifty miles for birds. Occasionally they 
 extend their trips as far as 
 the Adriatic Sea, on the op- 
 posite side of Italy, and to 
 Rome. Curiously enough, 
 the writer does not men- 
 tion the fact that he saw 
 during his trip abroad 
 either a Brown, White or 
 Pure Black Leghorn, and 
 the book winds up with the 
 writer's visit to Leghorn. 
 He does say, however, that 
 "The black fowl- is the fav- 
 orite fowl in Italy." He 
 also wrote that of the thou- 
 sands of fowl he saw out- 
 side the gates of Leghorn, 
 nine out of every ten were 
 jet black without admixture 
 of any other color, and 
 these fowls had single 
 combs, all of them. 
 
 In this connection we 
 mention the fact that the 
 Brown Leghorn was the 
 first to appear in America as 
 a distinctive Leghorn breed. 
 Then came the Whites, and 
 
 afterwards the Blacks. Another thing should be 
 bered; that all the Brown, White and Black Leghorns of 
 the earlier days had single combs, and that the rose combs 
 did not come until recently, especially the rose comb 
 Browns. Mr. Ayres gave Reed Watson, of East Windsor 
 Hill, Conn., credit for introducing the first Black Leg- 
 horns in this country from abroad, though he admits that 
 many Black Leghorns had been made in this country be- 
 fore Mr. Watson's importation, from sports of Dominique 
 Leghorns, and that these black sports bred together pro- 
 duced true Black Leghorns in every particular. 
 
 Mr. Ayres brought no Leghorns home from Italy 
 with him. If he did, he does not mention it. Perhaps he 
 was grievously disappointed in not finding what he was 
 in search of. He says, in conclusion, that in all his 
 travels in Italy he did not see a rose comb fowl, and gives 
 it as his opinion that all rose combs were made in 
 America. He further stated that most of the fowls he 
 saw there were good Leghorn shape, but he saw no pure 
 breeds, unless it was the Blacks. 
 
 Now I want to ask: Where the Brown and White 
 Leghorns came from? Surely not from Italy. There is 
 no record anywhere, and I have searched faithfully for it, 
 to show that a Brown or White Leghorn was ever im- 
 ported from Italy in the early days. No tourist ever saw 
 one there, and they were never there, unless imported 
 from this country in later years. The conclusion, then, is 
 that the Brown and White Leghorns are purely American 
 breeds, which I have long maintained and must adhere 
 to. The principal factor in making the Brown Leghorn 
 was the Black Breasted Red Game. What other cross 
 was used I am at a loss to determine. The male Brown 
 
 4. BLACK LEGHORNS IN 1875. 
 This old print appeared in the December Poultry World. 1875. 
 The cut was engraved by Mr. Porter, then considered the best 
 delineator of fowl, the subject being a pair of Blacli Leghorns 
 owned by C. E. L. Hayward, New Hampshire, one of V 
 
 Df thii 
 
 Leghorns of earlier days were much like the Black Reds; 
 so much so as to be often mistaken for them, and they 
 possessed all the pugnacity of the Games. The Brown 
 Red Games were also introduced in the cross. 
 
 To sum up, then, from all the data at hand, and after 
 the most critical search for facts concerning the Leghorns, 
 the only conclusion that can be leached is that we are np.t 
 indebted to Italy for the Leghorns; that they did not 
 originate there, and that they are purely an American 
 breed, just as much as the Wyandottes or Plymouth 
 Rocks are American breeds. Then let us speak of this 
 favorite breed of fowls not as from Italy, or in the Med- 
 iterranean class, but as American fowls, in the American 
 class. 
 
 None will dispute Mr. Davis' patriotic sentiments, 
 even if his claims, especially as to the origin of White and 
 Black Leghorns, are not well supported by authentic data. 
 H. H. Stoddard, in his "New Book on the Brown Leg- 
 horn," sums up the history of the origin of the color and 
 form of Brown Leghorns 
 in the following intelligent 
 and impartial language: 
 
 To us the origin of the 
 name of the Leghorn fowl 
 is not as interesting as the 
 origin of those peculiarities 
 which distinguish the breed. 
 Color of plumage may be 
 nothing remarkable. We 
 have the White, Black and 
 Brown and Dominique. 
 These colors, on domesti- 
 cated fowls, without care, 
 would be mixed in many 
 specimens, and the Leg- 
 horn would really be a 
 speckled fowl. But who has 
 not observed, in flocks of 
 native fowls that have been 
 bred without any choice of 
 color, how in a few years, 
 the red-hackled cock ap- 
 pears, with the black breast, 
 and the "brown hen?" This 
 seems to be a natural ar- 
 rangement of color when 
 breeding for color is not an object of attention. Hence it 
 is reasonable to suppose that the Brown Leghorn, in its 
 native clime, may have the most natural color among the 
 black, white and mixed. 
 
 The doctrine recently advanced by an eminent writer 
 on poultry that all breeds of fowls tend to grow lighter 
 in color, may be pronounced decidedly erroneous. If this 
 were the case, then on farms the flocks bred hap-hazard 
 style would all have become snow-white long ago. The 
 truth is, domestication causes the color of pigeons and 
 poultry of all kinds, in common with horses, dogs, sheep, 
 cattle and all other domestic animals, to scatter in all 
 directions. There is a constant tendency toward white, 
 black, brown, yellow, mottled, pied, brindled, spotted, 
 "ring-streaked, speckled and grizzled." But there is no 
 more gravitation toward light colors than toward dark 
 ones. Black sheep appear persistently, in spite of con- 
 tinued weeding. White and black horses start up in a 
 strain of bays. No matter what the uniform color of a 
 race of birds or quadrupeds is in a state of nature, do- 
 mesticate it, and owing to a change of food, or to some 
 unknown cause or combination of artificial influences, the 
 stock branches out in a few generations, to a great di- 
 versity of colors. Now, with fowls there is not only a 
 constant tendency to this scattering of color, but also a 
 conflicting tendency to the reversion to the primitive type 
 of the Gallus Bankiva, the parent wild stock, which is 
 colored very much like our Standard Brown Leghorns of 
 today. Therefore the persistent appearance in the barn- 
 yard fowls of Italy of the Brown variety of Leghorns 
 among black, white and speckled specimens, is but the 
 assertion of the original tendency of the race, and the 
 
 its admission to the 
 
14 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 brown type of Italian fowls with black breasted males may 
 be looked upon as carrying the inborn marks of their 
 ancient lineage. j ,• , 
 
 But, what produces the shape, and the lithe and lively 
 qualities? There is a "blue blood" and a fineness about 
 this breed which we may best account for by the climate 
 where they have lived for ages. What makes the differ- 
 ence between the quick, impulsive Italian and Frenchman, 
 and the native of northern Europe? Is it not the long- 
 continued direct and indirect influence of the climate? 
 
 But, besides the influence of climate, what naturalists 
 call correlative development has much to do with it. By 
 this term is meant that the growth of one part of the body 
 of an animal affects the growth of other parts. Now what 
 can we expect of a small or medium-sized fowl like the 
 Brown Leghorn hen? Surely not meat enough to fill the 
 stomachs of a large family at dinner! She flies around 
 lively, and cannot, of com se, lay on flesh. She is enter- 
 prising, and her very lightness and quickness render her 
 able to go farther in a day, and, if at liberty, get a pro- 
 portionately larger share of the good things, such as 
 ^prr- "■■ ' ••' — *' t- -^ake "^er 'ay eggs W^^'e s^e i = 
 
 5 S C BRO^\N LEGHORNS IN 
 
 doing this, a specimen of some larger breed will hang 
 around the barn or shed, eat corn, lay few eggs, but de- 
 velop a body amply sufficient in bulk to dine a company 
 of six men. 
 
 There is a balancement in growing things. If nutri- 
 ment flows to one part of the organism, another part must 
 go lean. The cow that makes two pounds of butter per 
 day will, very likely, present a body of skin and bones, 
 after she has been at it a considerable time; while the 
 Shorthorn, with ample proportions, bones well hung with 
 fat, gives but little milk, with few oily globules. We 
 never see a crest on a large comb, or find a beard and 
 large wattles on the same fowl. A little crab-apple will 
 have an abundance of seed in perfection. A cultivated 
 apple, large, luscious, well-flavored, will have few seeds, 
 and a portion of those in a state of atrophy. 
 
 Some one may ask if the sunny clime of Italy will 
 cause monstrous combs to grow on fowls. We answer 
 that the tendency of a cold climate is to make combs 
 small. Men living in a cold country will select specimens 
 with small combs as breeders, for the reason that large 
 combs will invariably get frozen. But, in a mild country, 
 a large comb may be cultivated, also those of curious or 
 fantastic shape, as the French breeds. 
 
 There is a tendency among mankind to admire some 
 extraordinary development, or something very small. It 
 is not unreasonable to supoose that Italians, away back to 
 the time of the Roman Empire, if you please, cultivated 
 these high single combs and large wattles. Women care for 
 poultry, to a great extent, in Europe, and these extrava- 
 gant combs are of a piece with hair fixings sixteen inches 
 high, hoops four feet in diameter, and shoes with heels 
 stilted. 
 
 It cannot be denied that the people of a nation pro- 
 ducing many artists will be very likely to select and breed 
 
 domestic poultry with taste, and with an eye to the beau- 
 tiful. Who does not think that the combs and wattles 
 (not frozen) on a Leghorn are very pleasing? 
 
 But, however much or little the premeditated selection 
 of the keepers may have effected in the matter of combs 
 (and we are inclined to suspect that it has accomplished a 
 great deal, not so much in originating the large combs as 
 in perpetuating and intensifying the trait), the law of cor- 
 relative development has come in play here also, no doubt, 
 working slowly, but surely for ages. They have small bodies, 
 and can afford to have large combs and full, large tails. No 
 doubt man has much to do with this, but nature fixe: these 
 things so that they are suitable, and it is not difficult for 
 man to fall in and help a little. How the Leghorn would 
 look with a small comb and a Cochin tail! Intolerable, 
 even with large egg production. It is easy to beHeve that 
 a large body naturally has proportionately small append- 
 ages; so that when we get a fowl with a large, thick-set 
 body, the tail and head fixings are small, not entirely 
 through man's interference by selection. 
 
 We can give no reason for many things in nature but 
 'hat they are so. >xany other things are very plain. For 
 instance, a wild dog carries his small ears erect, be- 
 cause he must listen almost constantly, in his wild 
 condition, in order to get a living; but generally the 
 tame dog has large lopped ears, because he is free, 
 in his tame condition, from the necessity of con- 
 stant watching, and the muscles of the ear become 
 lax by disuse. Use has much to do with develop- 
 ment. Note the muscles of the blacksmith's arm. 
 The Brown Leghorn has large wings. Why? Ac- 
 tivity accounts for it; also, in a measure, for the size 
 of the tail. Watch one of this breed, and you will 
 see the head move quickly and often. Does not this 
 cause rapid and full circulation of blood and help to 
 develop large comb and wattles? 
 
 First White Leghorns 
 
 Whether the ancestral blood was pure Spanish 
 or blended wi.h the latter by the blood of the 
 "Italiens," the undisputed fact remains that the 
 first White Leghorns appeared in Uncle Sam's do- 
 main, and the first trio to arrive in England left 
 America's shores in 1869. Of this importation to 
 Great Britain, the well-known English poultry au- 
 thority, W. B. Tegetmeier, in his book "Poultry for 
 the Table and Market versus Fancy Fowls," London, 
 1893, writes as follows: 
 
 Another breed, which obviously originated on the 
 shores of the Mediterranean, is the Leghorn, which was 
 first known as a yellow-legged, white-plumaged variety. 
 The birds shown in the engraving (see Fig. 1) were those 
 first introduced into this country by myself from America 
 in the year 1869. The Leghorn is also a non-sitter and a 
 most prolific layer of white eggs. It has lately come into 
 greater fashion as a show-fowl, and various colors have 
 been developed in the plumage. The co-called Brown 
 Leghorns have been made by crossing with the Black- Red 
 Game, and recently a breed, with much white in its com- 
 position, called Pyle Leghorns, and other colors, such as 
 Black, Buff and Cuckoo, have been produced. Leghorns 
 are generally smaller than the Minorcas or Andalusians. 
 
 The engraving on page 7 is a very accurate representa- 
 tion of the first trio of White Leghoins which was import- 
 ed to this country by myself in 1869. Not having been bred 
 for show points, they were most prolific, and promised to 
 become a very useful addition to our egg-producing 
 breeds; but, having been raised to the dignity of an exhi- 
 bition fowl, more attention has been paid to their white 
 earlobes and serrated combs than to their prolificacy. 
 
 Leghorn breeders who have taken the trouble to 
 study the history of the breed admit that W. Simpson of 
 New York City, was the first breeder of White Leghorns 
 in the United States. W. J. Fullerton, a Canadian breeder 
 of White Leghorns, made a careful search of the early 
 records relating to his favorite variety, and incorporated 
 the following data found by him, in an article published in 
 the "Canadian Poultry Advocate" some five or six years ago : 
 
16 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 I have been breeding the S. C. White Leghorns for a 
 number of years now, and I have often thought I would 
 like to know something of the history or origin of this 
 grand breed of fowl, but whenever I have asked the older 
 breeders than '' niyself and men who have been breeding 
 the Leghorns for years, they invariably say: "L don't 
 know; I can't fell you." But I have managed to pick up 
 a few odd notes, and thought perhaps there might be a 
 few more like'^yself who would like to know. And al- 
 though I ha\'e fething very definite to offer, I will try, in 
 my humble way, to give you these. 
 
 A Mr. W. Simpson, of West Farms, New York, 
 claimed that' he was the first in America to breed this 
 variety of fowls. He got them from a young man who 
 had them oh board his |£»''' ^/ ^ 
 
 ship, but what port the ^ijfij^ 
 
 ship came from he did not jfir'^^^*-^ 
 
 learn. This*' was M\ the 
 year 1853; he '' got one 
 cock, four white, hens and 
 one Blue Leghorn hen. 
 They differed from the 
 fowl of the present day in 
 that they were somewhat 
 larger and had white legs. 
 He bred these fowl in and 
 in, before |ie ' could get 
 any fresh blood to cross 
 with them, -and from the 
 blue heti he- bred some 
 magnificent D o m i n ique 
 Leghorns which he exhib- 
 ited at the American In- 
 stitute Fair in New York, 
 several years, where they 
 attracted much attention. 
 But, being a new breed 
 no prize was offered for 
 them. About the year 
 1860, he says, some im 
 portations of yellow \es, 
 ged birds were made an 1 
 that color being preferred 
 the white-legged ones 
 soon disappeared. He is 
 of the opinion that the 
 yellow legs and hardiness 
 together have been intro 
 duced by a cross with the 
 Asiatic, to which the 
 American breeders are 
 very prone, aiid which is 
 known to produce good 
 results. Mr. Simpson was 
 of the opinion that the 
 character of the head and 
 shape of the body were de- 
 cidedly of Spanish appear- 
 ance, with nice red combs 
 and wattles, and pure white 
 
 Mr. Simpson stated that the White Leghorn was not 
 a superior table fowl, but very passable, but that it was 
 a remarkably good layer of large, white eggs, and Was a 
 non-sitter. 
 
 Mr. Simpson also stated that in the year 1854 five 
 hens laid 954 eggs; in the year 1856 ten hens laid a total 
 of 1,528 eggs, and in the year 1858 five hens produced 813 
 
 The American Agriculturist of March, 1869, contained 
 an article on White Leghorns, with an illustration, in 
 which the editor stated that his knowledge of the breed 
 dated back for about ten years, and described the bird as 
 follows: Rich, yellow legs, single comb, white ear-lobes 
 and white plumage, and somewhat resembling Hamburgs 
 in shape. He stated that recent importations were from 
 Leghorn, and not from Spain. 
 
 Whether the original blood that produced the White 
 Leghorn flowed in the veins of Spanish or Italian fowls, 
 may have caused discussion more or less warm in the 
 olden times, breeders today are satisfied to class White 
 Leghorns as an American production selected by intelli- 
 gent breeders of fifty or more years ago, from the Med- 
 
 iterranean breeds imported into America in the middle oi 
 the nineteenth century. 
 
 Origin of Buff Leghorns 
 
 A. Armstrong, Petaluma, California, in an essay on 
 Buff Leghorns, written for the Los Angeles Poultry As- 
 sociation in 1895, refirs to the origin of this new variety, 
 as follows: ■;_,'.'" 
 
 The best'English authorities claim that this breed 
 originated in Denmark. Mr. Edward Brown of the "Fan- 
 
 ■ciers' Gazette," England, 
 in 1887, saw Buff Legho 
 low Italians." They we 
 
 hile at the show in Copenhagen 
 s, or as they were called "Yel- 
 imported to England in 1888, 
 from that time attracting 
 the attention of the Eng- 
 lish fanciers. When I first 
 read this statement I 
 knew not whether to be- 
 lieve it or not, as there 
 were so many fanciers at- 
 tacking the breed and 
 claiming it was manufac- 
 tured by crossing the 
 'n and White Leg- 
 horns, Mrs. Lister Kay 
 contending that such a 
 cross could not produce 
 Buff; but Pyle Leghorns. 
 In an interview with Mr. 
 T. Sachan, a native of 
 Denmark, and a reliable 
 man, now living in San 
 Leandro, California, he 
 told me that the Buff 
 Leghorns were a genuine 
 breed and that his father 
 kept them in Denmark 
 twenty-five years ago; 
 and he remembered well 
 gathering the large eggs 
 tor his father. He said: 
 "They were called 'Yel- 
 low Italians' and were 
 considered the most 
 profitable breed in Den- 
 mark." As Mr. Sachan 
 was not a breeder, and in 
 no way connected with 
 the industry, his unbiased 
 statement convinced me 
 that they did originate in 
 Denmark, or at least were 
 known there for over a 
 quarter of a century. 
 
 BUFF LEGHORN COCKEREL, 18D4, 
 
 -lobes, and white plumage. 
 
 Introduction Into America 
 
 Mr. August D. Arnold, 
 of Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, 
 was, I believe, the first one to import them from England, 
 the first lot arriving in 1890. I have always admired thf 
 Isuff color, and when I found I could get a Buff Leghorn, 
 I was not long in taking them up. I clt>im to be the 
 first breeder of this variety on the Pacific coast. The first 
 Buffs I owned were a very great disappointment to me, 
 as they had so much white in plumage and I came to 
 the conclusion that no matter where they came from 
 they had been sadly neglected, — in fact, it seemed a fraud- 
 ulent transaction to offer eggs or birds for sale from a 
 breed that did not breed truer to color than they did the 
 first year of their introduction into the United States. I 
 soon found, however, that there were many good speci- 
 mens, and that by careful selection, good true Buff color 
 could be produced. I have bred them four years and like 
 them better than ever. 
 
 Mr. Hesford, in his book, "Leghorns of All Varie- 
 ties," London, England, 1896, gives the following informa- 
 tion relating to the formation of the Danish and English 
 Buff Leghorns: 
 
 The Buff Leghorn is not like the Pyle and the Duck- 
 wing — a new variety. It belongs to the class already 
 spoken of as "italiens" and was somewhat common on 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 17 
 
 the Continent many years before it appeared in England. 
 Though popularly known on the Continent as "Chamois," 
 they were usually described in Denmark as "Yellows," and 
 in the famous show at Copenhagen, in July, 1885, two 
 pens so described were shown, it must be said, however, 
 that only since their introduction into this country has 
 there been any approach to a solid buff color, for the 
 continental Chamois invariably had a white tail and 
 flights, besides, in most cases, the buflf color being prac- 
 tically a lacing, and the center of each feather being white 
 or cream color. 
 
 Mr. L. C. Verrey was one of the first to exhibit Buffs 
 here, but the first importer — who by his own claim 
 brought his first Buffs to England some weeks before Mr. 
 Verrey— was Mr. T. Penfold-Field. Both these gentle- 
 men showed Buffs for the first time at the L. P. R. and A. 
 Club Show held at Derby in December, 1888. The former 
 failed to score with a cockerel, but secured second and 
 "highly commended" with pullets. The latter gentleman's 
 exhibits did not gain any recognition from the judge 
 
 We believe it was Mr. Field who sold and shipped to 
 August D. Arnold the pen of Buft Lc^h rns hr t exhib 
 ited at the new Mad- 
 ison Square Garden in 
 1891. They resembled 
 White Pyles more than 
 they did Buffs, and did 
 not meet with a favor- 
 able reception. But Mr. 
 Arnold, whose pluck 
 and persistence are 
 well known, made other 
 importations the year 
 following and succeed- 
 ed in obtaining some 
 really strong colored 
 Buflf Leghorns from 
 Mrs. Lister-Kay, in- 
 cluding the Crystal 
 Palace winners. As we 
 judged the Leghorn 
 classes at Xew York 
 in those years, we had 
 an excellent opportun- 
 ity of handling and 
 
 examining the new buff variety. The males were quite 
 rich and fairly sound in surface color, and very strong in 
 undercolor; although some showed considerable slate in 
 the latter. The birds were quite large and rat'ier heavy 
 in body, having very large, coarse and heavy combs, the 
 tails being none too well furnished, and carried rather 
 high. The same defects were noticeable in the females, 
 but in a lesser degree. But such good fanciers as Arnold, 
 Wheeler, and Shepherd soon refined the crude type 
 to the .American Standard ideal of shape; so that after 
 1895 the improvement of the Buff in color and shape was 
 rapid. The illustration, P'ig. 6, of Mrs. W. P. Wheeler's 
 first prize cockerel at Madison Square Garden, New York, 
 1894, is a good portrait of the male type in vogue at that 
 period. .A comparison of this type with the jnodern. 
 Standard-bred Buff Leghorn winners at our leading 
 shows, will convey the great progress made in the past 
 fifteen years, in shape of body, carriage and shape of tail, 
 and in comb and head points. 
 
 That the English strains of Buff Leghorns were of 
 different blood from the Danish "Chamois," there can be 
 no doubt, the heavy bodies, greater size and large combs 
 being foreign to the yellow fowls of Denmark. Lewis 
 Wright, in his book, "The Practical Poultry Keeper," 
 London, England, 1899, remarks: "Buff Leghorns have 
 become very numerous and popular. They appear to have 
 
 SINGLE COMB BUFF LEGHORNS. 1800. 
 
 been bred from Italian stock, crossed with weedy Buflf 
 Cochins. The crossing has introduced much difficulty ii> 
 breeding sound, rich buff unmixed with white or black; 
 but the color seems to suit the close plumage of this 
 fowl particularly well." 
 
 This Cochin-Italian cross furnished the lound.ition 
 blood of the present day Buff Leghorn, but the introduc- 
 tion of American White and Brown Leghorn blood into 
 some strains, we suspect, did more to improve the shape 
 and style of the Buff Leghorns in this country, than the 
 careful selection, year after year, of the most typical 
 specimens in the progeny of the English strain of Buflf 
 Leghorns alone. 
 
 But, while the Buff Leghorns of today may be the 
 lineal descendants of those imported from England and 
 exhibited in 1892, and afterward in America, their pro- 
 genitors cannot claim to have been the first Buff Leg- 
 horn exhibited in this or any other country. As far 
 back as 1869 Single 
 Comb Buff Leghorns 
 were exhibited at New 
 Haven, Conn., by John. 
 G. Moore, and 1871 C. 
 E. ^Clinton, who was 
 Secretary of the Con- 
 necticut State Poultry 
 .Association, exhibited 
 a string of Buff Leg- 
 horns at the New 
 Haven show. They 
 were smaller than the 
 Buff Leghorns of to- 
 day, but were fairly 
 good in color. We are 
 indebted to the late C. 
 P. Nettleton, Shelton,. 
 Conn., for the above 
 facts, the latter being, 
 substantiated by several 
 clippings from the New 
 Haven papers of that 
 period, which printed the awards and reports of the exhi- 
 bition held in their city in 1869 and 1871. 
 
 That this purely American strain of Leghorns was 
 allowed to "fall by the wayside" will be regretted by 
 Leghorn breeders of this country, from a lentimental,. 
 if not from a practical standpoint. 
 
 The First Black Leghorns 
 Black Leghorns probably antedated the white and 
 brown varieties in their origin, as they appeared to have 
 been quite common in Italy long before they became 
 known as Leghorns, or the other varieties were found. 
 But their actual appearance as a recognized Standard/ 
 variety was in 1874. The "Poultry World" of December, 
 1875, gives the following history of Black Leghorns: 
 
 The first importation of this breed from Italy, regu- 
 larly bred from, of which we have any authentic account, 
 was made in 1871, by Mr. Reed Watson, although stray 
 specimens of black or very dark fowls were no ^ doubt 
 brought over at various earlier times. Saunders' "Do- 
 mestic Poultry," published in 1866, says: 
 
 "There have been several importations of the common 
 fowls of Leghorn and vicinity, made of late. These birds 
 are of all colors except black." By which we infer that 
 the breed under consideration was at that time unknown 
 to the author cited. Wright makes no mention of any 
 Leghorns of this character. There are traditions, how- 
 ever, of several dark or black hens having been found 
 among the Brown Leghorns brought to this country at 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 various times since 1853. The first published account of 
 Black Leghorns appeared as an editorial in this magazine, 
 page 126, October, 1872. Since then they have become 
 widely known. We quote: 
 
 "Mr. Reed Watson, of East Windsor Hill, Conn., 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 
 importations are rare. Mr. Watson's birds show the un- 
 mistakable 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. The original fowls, three in number, imported a 
 year ago, are now surrounded by a well-grown and nu- 
 merous family. The old hens have proved themselves 
 remarkably, prolific layers, and the pullets of last April 
 are following the example. A brood of a dozen chicks 
 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." 
 
 Two years later Mr. Watson made another importa- 
 tion, which is referred to in the "Poultry World" as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 Although the Standard for this breed was framed in 
 accordance with specimens shown at Buffalo, of Mr. Wat- 
 son's first importation, and although the strain was largely 
 sold and has been bred from in all parts of the country, 
 still it has never thrown as true as is desirable; and it did 
 not satisfy the aspirations of its importer, who therefore 
 resolved to try again, and accordingly commissioned an 
 agent to select by the Standard some fowls in Italy that 
 would breed according to the Standard. The birds ar- 
 rived last July, and Mr. Watson informs us, after raising 
 a large number of chicks the past summer and fall, that 
 they breed remarkably uniformly and true to their type. 
 
 The following original documents placed in our 
 hands, we publish, so that the history of this last importa- 
 tion may be established correctly: 
 
 Genoa, Italy, May 3, 1876. 
 Reed Watson, Esq., East Windsor Hill. 
 
 Dear Sir: — I have delayed answering your favor of 
 January, for the reason that I desired to find the fowls 
 before doing so. I have sent to Leghorn and other places, 
 to my friends, to try to get the real Black Leghorns, and 
 I have also visited the markets in this place daily, look- 
 ing at everything of interest, as regards fowls, and I have, 
 I think, found the nearest points to the description given 
 of Black Leghorns that can be found in Italy, and have 
 purchased one cock and four hens. It is the only cock 
 that came near the description, that I have ever seen. I 
 have also two small young chickens, different from any- 
 thing I ever saw: Color, gray, with soft feathers, or hair, 
 as it may be termed. I have sent to the island of Sardinia 
 for a kind of fowl vyhich they have there, but am afraid it 
 will not arrive in time for me to take home, but I shall 
 have them shipped, when they get here, to New York. I 
 shall leave in a few days for New York, and will drop you 
 a line on arrival there. Yours truly, 
 
 THOS. TAPLEY. 
 Bark Ironsides. 
 
 New York, July 14, 1876. 
 Reed Watson, East Windsor Hill. 
 
 Dear Sir: — In great haste I drop you a few lines, that 
 you may know that the bark "Ironsides" has arrived, and 
 has on board two cocks and three hens. If they suit, take 
 them away, as they can remain on board in care of mate 
 till the vessel is discharged. Vessel is at Pier 54, East 
 River, New York Marble Yard. Yours truly, 
 
 THOS. TAPLEY. 
 
 The American strains of Black Leghorns still exist- 
 ing in this country, no doubt, trace their lineage back to 
 the Watson birds, but most of the exhibition specimens in 
 recent years were imported from England, American and 
 Canadian breeders finding better color of plumage and 
 shanks, as well as whiter ear-lobes, in the English strains. 
 Silver Duckwing Leghorns First Exhibited in England 
 
 Silver Duckwing Leghorns were admitted to the 
 .American Standard of Perfection in 1898, the same year 
 
 the Buff Leghorns were recognized as a Standard va- 
 riety. As their origin is English, we must look to Eng- 
 land's authorities on poultry history for the facts relat- 
 ing to the formation of this new and handsome variety of 
 the Leghorn family. Mr. Hesford devotes a long chapter 
 to the origin and history of the Duckwing Leghorn in his 
 book, from which we glean the following: 
 
 The Duckwing takes its name from the similarity of 
 the steel blue wing-bar to that of the Mallard or Wild 
 Duck, and this name was first given to a sub-variety of 
 Game fowls. In this latter fact lies the raison d'etre, 
 probably, of the Duckwing Leghorn. There were Black 
 Red Game, White Game, and Pyle Game — colors which 
 can be found in Leghorns. Why not a further imitation 
 — -Duckwing Leghorns? This, at least by one of the claim- 
 ants to the distinction of having created "Duckwings," is 
 given as the reason for his experiments. Looking to the 
 fact that this gentleman's energy was, however, ad- 
 mittedly being devoted to the production of Pyle Leg- 
 horns, and that in the same year in which Pyles were first 
 shown, a Duckwing cockerel was shown by another 
 breeder, it may be safely said that the creation of Pyles 
 had nothing to do with the first idea of Duckwings. 
 
 This brings us at one and the same time to the his- 
 tory of the Duckwing and the respective claims of its 
 "originators." Mr. R. Terrot, upon whose authority we 
 speak, showed at the Crystal Palace Show in 1886, a Duck- 
 wing Leghorn cockerel in the variety Leghorn class, 
 winning second prize. This was the first Duckwing Leg- 
 horn ever shown in the world. Mr. Terrot afterwards 
 showed two at Derby Show, winning second and "highly 
 commended;" and not till the end of 1887 did anyone else 
 show a Duckwing Leghorn. This forms the ground for 
 Mr. Terrot's claim, and it cannot be denied that it is sub- 
 stantial. 
 
 To Mr. Terrot, then, in our opinion, must be given 
 whatever credit is due for the idea. To its successful car- 
 rying out in extenso, Mr. G. Payne can just as rightly lay 
 claim, for whether the latter had his thoughts turned in 
 the direction of "Duckwings" by sight of the 1886 bird or 
 not, he certainly showed Duckwing pullets, as well as 
 cockerels, at one show before anyone else. 
 
 Just as we have given the facts above, so did they ap- 
 pear in two letters which appeared in a poultry journal in 
 May, 1889; though, curiously enough, Mr. Terrot's claim 
 and statement brought forth no reply, apparently, from 
 Mr. Payne; but the second letter, signed "Anti-Duck- 
 wing." showed such a knowledge of the subject that it 
 has been thought that it was inspired, if not written, by 
 Mr. Payne. Be that as it may, we have the conclusive 
 fact that to Mr. Terrot's actual claim, Mr. Payne, the only 
 person who could have an interest in the matter, made 
 no public demur. 
 
 What, then, can we conclude? Only that Mr. Terrot 
 had manufactured Duckwing cockerels from such mater- 
 ials that it was well-nigh impossible to breed good pul- 
 lets from the same; and that Mr. Payne had in his pos- 
 session something (perhaps sports from his "Pyle") which 
 supplied the missing link. But what, comes t^e question, did 
 Mr. Payne do to breed cockerels, since it was only pullets 
 he evidently had the material for? Thereby hangs a tale 
 • — if an attempt at a joke might be excused, we might say 
 "a. long tail"^a tail which, found in Belgium, reached 
 eventually to England, and "bits" of which may yet be 
 discovered "still growing." 
 
 Mr. Terrot's own description of the material used by 
 him will, to the student, at once show the reason for his 
 failure to produce good Duckwing pullets. In the first 
 place, a Duckwing Game cock was mated to Silver Grey 
 Dorking hens, and the progeny of these, crossed with 
 pure Brown Leghorns. Few, very few, would be four- 
 toed cockerels from such parentage, but a surgical opera- 
 tion would be necessary to produce pullets. Now we 
 come to absolutely safe ground, and we state, for the very 
 best reasons, that Mr. Payne's Duckwing pullets were not 
 in any way Dorking bred. We said "for the best of rea- 
 sons," and what that reason is we will state. Within two 
 or three years of the origin of Duckwings we purchased 
 the entire stock — "lock, stock and barrel" — in Mr. Payne's 
 yard, and from that date to the present moment, although 
 we bred from almost every bird purchased, and have 
 hatched upwards of one thousand chicks, we have never 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 19 
 
 seen a five-toed bird amongst our stock. To those who 
 know the remarkable way in which the merest dash of 
 alien blood will assuredly display itself— how the char- 
 acteristic points of the breed from which such a drop is 
 taken, will at times appear— the reason will be all-suf- 
 ficient justification for our statement that the production 
 of Duckwings by Mr. Terrot and Mr. Payne was con- 
 ducted on very dissimilar lines. 
 
 As to the material used by Mr. Payne, we are to 
 some extent compelled to be suppositious, for though 
 very clearly and in detail described are the stages of the 
 Pyle's evolution, he has never taken the "fancy" mto his 
 confidence with regard to Duckwings, and his later letters 
 on the "Golden" and "Silver" controversy have only 
 served to darken the student's path. We have statements 
 from three different sources which aid us not a little in 
 forming our own conclusions: — 
 
 ■ (1) That Pyle-bred sports (pullets) of a slatey or 
 Andalusian body color, with underparts ashen gray, were 
 used. 
 
 (2) That Phoenix fowls (or Shinowarataos) belong 
 to the Game class, having all the various Game col---" '" 
 eluding Duckwing, the female of the latter 
 being a salmon-breasted greyfowl. 
 
 (3) Duckwing Leghorns combine the 
 blood of nearly all the other varieties. The 
 best material to use in breeding them is to 
 select a few mis-marked pullets that occasion- 
 ally appear when breeding for Pyles, and breed 
 with a brown cock. 
 
 Add to the above statements that Mr. 
 Payne did not produce Duckwings until having 
 visited Belgium on show business, he espied 
 some Phoenix fowl; that he purchased some of 
 the latter and brought them to his own yards 
 —and the matter lies in a nutshell. We have 
 come to the conclusion that Mr. Payne tried 
 to produce Duckwings from the material men- 
 tioned in No. 3 above; but what of the cock- 
 erels from such a mating? Here was a diffi- 
 culty which the "Phoenix" solved; and, though 
 early cockerels were more silvern than golden, 
 they were passable Duckwings. It has been 
 said that "Silvers" were the first to appear. We 
 give an extract from an article by Mr. Payne 
 which will tend to show that Goldens were 
 quite an afterthought: "On part of the cock- -''. 
 
 erels the beautiful black breast has become 
 quite a feature. This I attribute to not insist- 
 ing on a pure silvery top color. Personally I 
 prefer a golden tinge, as it is less aff^ected by 
 the sun, and to my mind, sets the bird ofif better." 
 
 Later Mr. Payne has publicly stated that Silver 
 Duckwings were produced from very different material to 
 that used for Golden Duckwings, and existed before the 
 latter. 
 
 However, we have got thus far, that they were orig- 
 inated by Mr. Terrot, and that Mr. Payne succeeded in 
 breeding and showing birds of both sexes that have been 
 reproduced. It is with the arrival of Mr. Huison on the 
 scenes that the Duckwing Leghorn begins to evolve itself 
 from "mongrelism" to become a typical bird, breeding al- 
 most perfectly true. Mr. Huison, on the one hand, and 
 Mr. Gerahty. on the other, have spared neither expense 
 nor trouble in bringing the Duckwing Leghorn to the high 
 state of perfection it has now attained; and without their 
 support the "originators" would have had little reason to 
 boast of their production. 
 
 Other Variety' Leghorns, the Silver Duckwing hen and 
 pullets were the only features worth mentioning. They 
 were excellent in shape and color, the hen showing more 
 style than any other Leghorn in the Show." 
 
 The following year at New York Mr. Hanchett and 
 Mr. Fiske exhibited Duckwing Leghorns, the honors 
 being about equally divided between them. That the new 
 variety showed decided improvement in quality, the fol- 
 lowing comments in the "American Fancier" indicate; 
 
 Silver Duckwing Leghorns made an interesting ex- 
 hibit, the females being particularly good in style and 
 color. We also noted one very promising cockerel of this 
 variety, the hackle and saddle feathers showing some 
 striping, and the sooner Dark Brahma hackle and saddle 
 striping are cultivated on Duckwing Leghorns, the bet- 
 ter. 
 
 Mr. Fiske was the only exhibitor of Duckwing Leg- 
 horns for several years after that, but no real interest was 
 
 First Exhibited in America 
 
 1894 
 
 Silver Duckwing Leghorns made their appearance in 
 America in the beginning of the nineties, J. L. Hanchett, 
 Westfield, Mass., making an exhibit at the Madison 
 Square Garden, New York, February, 1894, our comments 
 on the class in the "American Fancier" being as follows: 
 "Duckwing Leghorns showed up well, especially the pen 
 and a few of the pullets in the open class. This variety 
 deserves attention, for it can be made a very handsome 
 one." In 1895, at the New York Show, J. W. Fiske, Pas- 
 saic, N. J., exhibited a fine string of Silver Duckwing Leg- 
 horns, our comments on these at the time being: "In '.\ny 
 
 ROSE COMB WHITE LEGHORNS, 1S97. 
 
 taken in the new variety until 1906 and 1907, when fine 
 
 classes were penned at the Madison Square Garden, E. G. 
 
 Wyckoft', Exmoor Farms and Thomas Peer being the 
 
 exhibitors. But in the past two years very few Silver 
 
 Duckwing Leghorns have been exhibited at the winter 
 
 shows. 
 
 Origin of Rose Comb Brown, White and Buff Leghorns 
 
 These three varieties differ only in the shape of the 
 comb, from the single-combed varieties, from which they 
 are commonly supposed to have descended, color and 
 shape corresponding in all sections in both. The Browns 
 and Whites have long been known and bred, being among 
 the Standard varieties as far back as 1888. The Buffs were 
 admitted to the Standard in 1878. All three are of Amer- 
 ican manufacture, no convenient skipper of some vessel 
 being credited with bringing them over from sunny Italy 
 to the United States. 
 
 The origin of these rose comb varieties is not an 
 "open book." Supposition and imagination played im- 
 portant parts in the evolution of at least one of the frio, 
 the Browns. T. F. McGrew, who has collected a valu- 
 able and large file of clippings relating to the early his- 
 tory of our domesticated races of poultry, kindly fur- 
 nishes us with the following information relating to Rose 
 Comb Browns: 
 
20 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 Some people claim that the Leghorns with rose 
 combs came originally from Italy; again, in early 
 day clippings, I find that the first Browns that came had 
 rose combs. Mr. H. D. Forbes, then of New Haven, 
 Conn., stated that these combs were produced by crossing 
 a rose comb cock with a single comb hen. Mr. Ayres 
 went to Italy, came home and reported that he could not 
 find a single rose combed Leghorn on the other side. At 
 the Cleveland Show of 1881, I was called upon, with 
 others, to e.xamine some rose comb shows. We objected 
 to the combs because they would have disqualified a Ham- 
 burgh. Following this, Mrs. M. L. Maples, Mystic River, 
 Connecticut, not only claimed that they were original 
 from the other side, but that the man who saw them 
 taken from the vessel was then living in Mystic River, a 
 Mr. Burrows. I always claimed that they were made 
 from Hamburghs and Leghorns. 
 
 Mr. McGrew's own statement of the origin of Rose 
 Comb Brown Leghorns is shared by the majority of Leg- 
 horn breeders today. The following history of the ex- 
 perience of T. J. McDaniel in originating Rose Comb 
 Brown Leghorns, appeared in the "Poultry World," July, 
 1877: 
 
 I will give your readers a bit of experience in an 
 attempt to originate and establish a new variety of Leg- 
 horns. -And let me say. first, that I have no "axe to 
 grind," nor eggs or fowls to sell, but simply write this 
 article in the interest of the fraternity of poultrydom and 
 to interest amateurs — perhaps amuse veterans — in the 
 good cause. However, I will give a true account of my 
 experiments as I made them. 
 
 In 1874 I had several hens of an old breed called 
 "Yorks." and I used them only for sitters. They ex- 
 ceeded, in this capacity, any fowls I ever saw. Some were 
 as dark as a male robin; all had rose combs. I crossed 
 them with a Brown Leghorn male, and selecting only the 
 rose comb chicKs. put them in the hands of a neighbor to 
 please whom I introduced them into my 1875 circular as 
 "York County Fowls," but did not sell any for the reason 
 that he became so enamoured of the work, and so enthusi- 
 astic in its pursuit, that wherever he saw a yellow-legged 
 rose comb, if it possessed the color anywhere within a 
 "gun-shot" of his desideratum, he would make a purchase 
 and "throw (?) in new blood!" But last season, by pro- 
 curing a male bird of the right kind, I succeeded in get- 
 ting the color of plumage to suit my fancy. 
 
 This last cockerel was a first cross between a Golden 
 Spangled Hamburg and Brown Leghorn, and had solid 
 white ear lobes. He was just the bird I desired, throwing 
 less than ten percent of willow-legged pullets, and about 
 one in every nine came with single combs. The plumage 
 of his get w'as as closely allied to that of first-class Brown 
 Leghorns as one bird to another of the same. Now, for 
 my own gratification, I have gained quite a victory, for 
 these rose combed fowls will now breed as true to color 
 as any strain of Brown Leghorns in the world; i.e., if said 
 Brown Leghorns are strictly Standard birds, with spot- 
 less pendant, lobes, etc. 
 
 I do not wish to write disparagingly of true Brown 
 Leghorns, for they are the best layers in existence, ex- 
 cepting, perhaps, the Bolton Grays; but between a rose 
 and single combed fowl there is, naturally, a difiference of 
 temperament, the latter possessing a shyness and nervous- 
 ness, invariably, that the former does not have; in fact, 
 the flow of the' circulation tending to the head, as it does 
 in a Brown Leghorn, nu-t infrequently produces all the 
 symptoms that characterize cerebral apoplexy, which I 
 have seen many times. .\ hen having a large leathery 
 comb and red ear-lobes, in the best of her laying season. 
 is the one most susceptible to this hyperenergia. But I 
 never saw one so troubled if possessing a solid white 
 €ar lobe. So the ear lobe prevents this trouble — ^the only 
 good that the unnatural appendage ever did, to my knowl- 
 edge. But. with respect to this nervous difTiculty, I would 
 like to inquire if the Hamburgs, possessing, as they do, 
 the same bulk of weight of comb, do not make better 
 pets; are they not tamer and more docile? Therefore, if 
 they do, they consume less food. I speak only from ob- 
 servation, never having bred them; but, assisting to judge 
 the Hamburg class, after judging the Spanish alone, at 
 the last exhibition of the Maine Poultry .Association, I 
 
 noticed this difference of temperament in a marked de- 
 gree, as I had to handle hundreds of fowls in scaling; and 
 1 noticed further that the compact, low-stationed birds, 
 and those having smaller combs also, were less active and 
 irritable than the long-necked, high-built and heavv- 
 combed birds. 
 
 Now, considering these points in favor of rose combs, 
 together with less liability to frost, why not introduce 
 "rose combed" Brown Leghorns as well as pea combed 
 Partridge Cochins? Well, a neighbor has them, whether 
 they are introduced to the public favor or not, and suffice 
 it to say, they breed equally as true as Leghorns, are 
 tamer, and now lay better; are heavier, but occasionally 
 desire to sit; do not throw white feathers, nor have frozen 
 combs, which is saying much in their favor. 
 
 Rose Comb White Leghorns were claimed to be 
 sports of the Rose Comb Browns, by some breeders, 
 while others maintain that they were made by crossing a 
 rose comb white sport with a White Hamburg, Mr. James 
 Forsyth, of Owego, N. Y., having successfully made such 
 a cross twenty years ago. In some strains the Ham- 
 burg carriage and spread of tail are noticeable, and we 
 might add, the Hamburg comb and lobes are also in evi- 
 dence. Others again assert that rose combs are due to 
 the visual influence in breeding, among the latter being 
 Mr. Henry M. Ladd, of Cleveland, Ohio, who, in the Sep- 
 tember 21, 1901, issue of the "American Fancier," con- 
 tributed the following article on this subject: 
 
 I have mj'self produced as fine Rose Comb White 
 Leghorns as you would ever wish to see, simply by visual 
 influence, without the introduction of any other blaod 
 than that of the Single Comb White Leghorn bred in line 
 for many years, with never a rose comb in it. How was 
 this done? Simply by having a pen of White Leghorns 
 next to a pen of White Wyandottes in which was a mag- 
 nificent White Wyandotte cockerel, so beautiful, so at- 
 tractive and so seductive that one at least of the White 
 Leghorn hens could not keep her delighted eyes off from 
 him, and just at the right time when the egg was being 
 endowed with life lie appeared in sight to fill the eye. and 
 as a result Rose Comb White Leghorns, perfect Leghorns 
 in type, size, shape and everything, bred in single comb 
 line throughout a long ancestry, but topped off now for 
 the first time with a handsome rose comb. I have been 
 able to produce several such handsome male birds, ob- 
 tained solely in this wav. and I am of the opinion that 
 Rose Comb White Leghorns bred in this way will prove 
 more reliable as breeders of the rose comb variety, than 
 those originally obtained by a mixture of diflterent breeds. 
 I believe them to be very highly valuable birds, worth 
 many times what an ordinary rose comb is worth — in fact, 
 I would not have an ordinary rose comb. In this case the 
 blood is pure and the visual influence pervasive and 
 deeply stamping into the very being of the bird the rose 
 comb tendency. Where it is the result of the introduction 
 of other blood the rose comb tendency is only partial and 
 fractional. 
 
 Rose Comb Buff Leghorns were produced by cross- 
 ing Single Comb Buffs with Rose Comb Leghorns — at 
 least, that is the claim made by some of the early breeders 
 of the variety. But it is generally believed that some of 
 the eastern strains of Rose Comb Buffs were made by 
 using Bufif Wyandottes and Single Comb Buff Leghorns. 
 the large bodies, good color, heavy coarse combs, and 
 almost reddish ear lobes, indicating the blood of the 
 larger breed mentioned — at least in the specimens we 
 handled ten years ago. Since that time they have been 
 toned down and refined into true Leghorn type. 
 
 Non-Standard Varieties of Leghorns 
 
 There are eight varieties of Leghorns that are not 
 classed at present among the Standard-bred Leghorns; 
 namely. Cuckoo or Dominique, Blues, Golden Duckwing. 
 Red Pyle, Columbian, Birchen, Mottled or Spangled, and 
 Rose Comb Black. The very latest variety is the Red 
 Leghorn now being perfected in this country. Of the 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 latter Red P}Ie Leghorns are the most popular, especially 
 in England, where they have been bred for quite a num- 
 ber of years. Of the 
 
 Origin of Red Pyle Leghorns 
 
 Mr. Hcsford, in his book, "Leghorns of All Varieties," 
 presents the following authentic data: 
 
 Pyle Leghorns, unlike the varieties before mentioned, 
 owe their origin to the skill of an English breeder. 
 Browns, Whites, Blacks, Cuckoos, Bufifs, and even Mottles 
 are "foreigners," but the gorgeous. "Pyle" is of home man- 
 ufacture. This is, or should be, a point in its favor with 
 patriots; but perhaps more stress might be laid upon its 
 claim to Leghorn purity. Bred, as we know from the 
 originator's story, from Leghorns exclusively, it cannot 
 be dubbed a "mongrel," although how far this purity is 
 sustained, now it is kept and exhibited by rnany in addi- 
 tion to its originator, is a somewhat moot point. 
 
 W'e have already spoken of accidents that have led 
 to great discoveries, and we firmly believe that the Pyle 
 Leghorn is a "discovery" that owes much to accident. It 
 must not be thought that we in any way wish to disparage 
 the skill which was shown in putting before the public in 
 1886 a new variety which could, from an exhibitor's point 
 of view, justly claim to be described, both in color shape — • 
 viz., Pyle Leghorn. Nevertheless, knowing how quickly 
 the introduction of a White Leghorn cock amongst a pen 
 of hens of Black-red type, or even of a reddish-buff type, 
 will result in progeny passably "Pyle" in color of plumage, 
 it requires no very great stretch of imagination to think 
 that the "tip" was originally given by an accidental stray- 
 ing of either a "White" cock into a "Brown" pen, or vice 
 versa. Be this as it may. Mr. G. Payne can certainly 
 claim to have followed his idea, whatever its inception, 
 to a definite and valuable conclusion, and the Pyle Leg- 
 horn now stands as one of the best of the newer varie- 
 ties. 
 
 The full history of its manufacture' is stated to be as 
 follows: In 1882 Mr. Payne mated a Brown Leghorn hen, 
 which had two white feathers in each wing, with a White 
 Leghorn cock. Twelve eggs only frorn this mating were 
 set, and of the ten chicks hatched, six died; of the remain- 
 ing four, three were pullets slightly ting:ed on breast, but 
 otherwise fairly white. In the following year a good 
 Standard Brown cock was penned with the three pullets, 
 and fifty chicks bred from them. Unfortunately, it was 
 found that there was too much color, and in the wrong 
 places. Most of the pullets were sandy-buff in color, with 
 ashen-grey tails, while the cockerels had a few orange- 
 colored feathers on back, wings and thighs. 
 
 In 1884 the largest and 'arkest of the 1883 pullets 
 were mated with" a White cock, in order, as Mr. Payne 
 states, to banish body color. The result was not very en- 
 couraging, for out of seventy chicks no cockerels of any 
 merit were discovered; there being only seven pullets, 
 moreover, clear on back and tail. These latter, however, 
 were not dark enough in breast. 
 
 In 1885 a Brown cock was mated with six 1884 pullets 
 and ten 1883 hens of the lightest shade. Of the one hun- 
 dred and fifty chicks hatched, one cockerel alone was 
 saved, and he a very poor specimen; while of the pullets, 
 two, as well as the cockerel, were shown at the Leghorn, 
 Plymouth Rock and y\ndalusian Club Show, held at Al- 
 bert Palace. January, 1886. The cockerel scored nothing, 
 but the pullets were awarded second and third, the first 
 prize going to a Cuckoo. 
 
 In 1886 the Pyle cockerel was mated with three Pyle 
 bred Brown pullets of a bluish slate color, two others of 
 the Pyle color (but too much of it), and two winning Al- 
 bert Palace pullets. From this mating there resulted a 
 fairly large percentage of well-marked birds. 
 
 In ISSr the chicks were principally bred from the 1886 
 cock (winner of first Dairy) and another winning cock 
 and ten hens. 
 
 The above is a somewhat condensed form of Mr. 
 Payne's description of his labors down to 1887, since 
 which time the breed has been fostered by many others, 
 with the result that now "like begets like." 
 
 It will be seen that Leghorns, and Leghorns only, 
 were used in the manufacturing process; but the length 
 of leg and general hardness of feathers seen in some of 
 the recent winning pullets suggests a cross of Pyle Game, 
 
 and we have distinct recollections of profusely-feathered 
 legs on a cockerel exhibited at the Palace Show of 1894. 
 It will be instructive now to closely compare our color 
 theories with the progress and result of the matings re- 
 corded above from 1882 to 1887, in order to see in what 
 way the record of experience justifies our conclusions, 
 and how far our conclusions may appear antagonistic to 
 the statements of "the originator." 
 
 The "mother of the race," it appears, had white feath- 
 ers in each wing. This, as we have seen, at once pro- 
 claims lack of pigment; in other words, a pronounced ten- 
 dency to "albinism." A White cock is mated with her, 
 thus intensifying the tendency. Result— chicks almost 
 white: red pigment reduced, but not destroyed, on breast. 
 The following year sees an infusion of red and black 
 pigment by using a Brown cock with these "light Pyle" 
 pullets. Result should be — cockerels with reddish hackles, 
 back and wings; splashed breast, underparts, and tail. 
 Pullets, very patchy and ruddy everywhere except tails, 
 which should be a dirty ashen grey. 
 
 The following year fairly good cockerels and pullets 
 should be easily bred by (as was done) the use of a White 
 cock. The originator, it will be noted, -says the White 
 cock was used to banish body color, a process which we 
 have shov/n to be inevitable if a good "Albino" is utilized. 
 But here we are somewhat checked, for it appears that 
 no good cockerels were bred, and the pullets were again 
 too "light in breast. It may be that the undercolor of the 
 Brown cock used in 1883 was not as dense as it might 
 have been; but we cannot but think that, with care in se- 
 lection, the time in which Pyles were produced might have 
 been considerably reduced. 
 
 The successive stages, however, all conform to our 
 theories; and it may be instanced how pertinacious the 
 red pigment in the hackles, both of cocks and hens, is, 
 even though the black pigment is, with the exception of 
 a few ticks in tail, almost entirely destroyed. Examine 
 the neck hackle of both sexes, and observe that the black 
 stripe in the hackles of Browns has given place to white; 
 while the fringing of light golden yellow and of orange 
 red in the hackles respectively of Pyle hens and cocks is 
 always found though varying in tint. Observe further, 
 that where the rusty red feathers appear on the wings of 
 Brown hens, in a similar position will they be found on 
 many Pyle hens, causing the birds to be described as 
 "rosy-winged." 
 
 Needless to say, the amalgamation of two different 
 strains, viz.. Whites and Browns, made their progeny very 
 hardy and strong. Pyle Leghorns, however, do not ma- 
 ture quite so early as the other varieties. They are sur- 
 prisingly docile, are excellent layers, and make fairly good 
 table birds. 
 
 Origin of Dominique Leghorns 
 
 Dominique, or Cuckoo Leghorns, started in on the 
 Leghorn wave of popularity, being recognized as a Stand- 
 ard variety as early as 1874. But they never became pop- 
 ular and eventually, in 1898, were dropped from the Amer- 
 ican Standard of Perfection, and are rarely seen at Amer- , 
 ican shows today. In England they are still recognized 
 and bred as Cuckoo Leghorns'. Those that we saw years 
 ago were coarser in comb, smaller in body, and less grace- 
 ful in shape, than the other varieties, the plumage also 
 being anything but attractive — the dark gray and white 
 barring being very irregular, and white feathers on tail 
 and wings being serious defects. That they might have 
 been developed into a nicely barred Leghorn, there can 
 be no doubt of, but breeders somehow had eyes for just 
 one barred plumaged breed; namely, the Barred Ply- 
 mouth Rock; so other breeds of similar color of plumage 
 fell by the wayside, including the once very popular and 
 useful American Dominique. 
 
 The origin of the Dominique or Cuckoo Leghorn is 
 shrouded in mystery. Mr. Ayres referred to them as the 
 progenitors of the Black Leghorns — not at all improbable 
 or impossible — but how, where and when these Quaker 
 garbed Mediterranean fowls came, no reliable data is 
 available. 
 
22 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 Harry Hesford, in his book, "Leghorns of All Va- 
 rieties," London, England, 1896, devotes a chapter to 
 Cuckoo Leghorns, from which we extract the following 
 remarks bearing upon their early history. 
 
 Having treated of the White and Brown varieties of 
 the Leghorn family, there now remains for consideration 
 those sections which are usually grouped together as 
 minor varieties. 
 
 Keeping strictly to the chronological order, apart 
 from considerations of importance or popularity. Cuckoo 
 Leghorns will first come under review. Black Leghorns, 
 however, are generally considered to have appeared in 
 England contemporaneously with "Cuckoos," and it may 
 be taken that most probably they were imported from the 
 Continent at the same time. Both varieties, it may be 
 well to state, had been known in Denmark for a long 
 period before their first appearance in England, and we 
 find at the Copenhagen Show, held on July 3rd, 1885, 
 amongst the 124 Leghorns penned, nine pens of "Black" 
 and two of "Cuckoos." Be that as it may, the first re- 
 corded instance of the appearance of "Cuckoos" in the 
 show pen in England we have been able to trace, was at 
 the first club show of the Leghorn, Plymouth Rock and 
 Andalusian Club. At this show held at Cheltenham in 
 January, 1885, a Miss Fowler showed three pens of 
 Cuckoos in the "Any Other Variety" (other than Browns 
 and Whites) class, winning second and third prizes. Since 
 that time Cuckoo Leghorns have been occasionally seen 
 in the show^ pen, but they are not, and never have been, 
 extensively cultivated. 
 
 The Cuckoo Leghorn of England, to judge' by the 
 above records, is not destined to become popular, and is 
 more likely to join the Dominique Leghorn and enter in 
 the "breeds that failed to make good" class. 
 
 Spangled Leghorns 
 
 Donald Watson mentions such a variety of Leghorns 
 in "The Poultry World," December, 1874, giving the fol- 
 lowing information regarding them: 
 
 Spangled Leghorns were, so far as I know, first bred 
 in this country in 1872, from Italian stock imported in 
 1871, and from this start have attracted great attention, 
 many pronouncing them superior in beauty to any other 
 of the Leghorn tribe, and all who have bred them ex- 
 tolling their vigor, early maturity, and wonderful laying 
 qualities. 
 
 The plumage is pure brilliant black and white, each 
 feather (excepting primaries and secondaries, which are 
 entirely black) being white tipped instead of the reverse, 
 as in Silver-spangled Hamburgs. The ear lobe is white, 
 comb perfectly erect and five lobed in cock, lopping finely 
 in hen; ber.k, skin, and leg, bright yellow. The birds seem 
 to l)reed very true, one breeder claiming (and, I think, 
 with justice), that 4-5 will come true to feather. Certain 
 fanciers, perceiving the futuie importance of this breed, 
 have attempted to produce an imitation by crossing 
 Black and White Leghorns. We can say that, in every 
 case that has come to our knowledge, the experiment has 
 been a total failure. Nearly all the offspring of the first 
 cross have been almost or entirely white, often with dark 
 legs and bills — a measly mixture. When black and white 
 feathers have appeared, they have usually been black- 
 tipped, thus showing that the true spangled bird is not 
 the result of a cross. 
 
 In England this variety was formerly called "Mottled 
 Leghorns," but is now recognized there by the name of 
 Anconas. The latter are becoming very popular in this 
 country, but are not recognized as a Leghorn variety, but 
 as a distinct breed belonging to the Mediterranean class. 
 
 Birchen Leghorns 
 
 None of this variety has been exhibited in America, 
 that we are aware of, and few have been seen in England, 
 to judge by the following remarks of Mr. Hesford in his 
 Leghorn book: 
 
 We have also personally seen Birchen Leghorns, but 
 we doubt whether half a score of representatives of this 
 variety exist, or have existed at one time, although we 
 have seen for some years an advertisement offering birds 
 and eggs of the breed for sale. 
 
 This was written in 1896, but since then very little has 
 been written on Birchens; neither do we find them adver- 
 tised in recent English poultry journals. The origin of 
 Birchen Leghorns is not given, but that they were se- 
 lected from Silver Duckwing Leghorn-Brown-Red Game 
 crosses seems probable. Birchen Leghorn males have the 
 Duckwing hackle, saddle and wing marking, differing only 
 in the color of the breast, the feathers of the latter, in- 
 stead of being black, as in the Duckwing, are black laced 
 with white, in the Birchen. In the females the neck 
 is silvery white, the hackle feathers being striped with 
 black; back, tail, wings, body and thighs are black, but 
 breast feathers are black laced with white. This variety 
 is a handsome one, and once it is firmly established in its 
 color markings, should not be difficult to breed. 
 
 Blue Leghorns 
 
 "Bred and made in England" applies to the blue va- 
 riety of Leghorn. Crossing White and Black Leghorns 
 was probably the easiest means applied to obtain these 
 blue birds. They are like Andalusians in color markings, 
 diiTering only in the color of the shanks, which are yellow 
 instead of slate or black, and, like Andalusians, they do 
 not reproduce the color in their progeny in over sixty per 
 cent, of the latter, although some English breeders claim 
 that their strains produce 80 per cent. Standard colored 
 chickens. From a fancier's standpoint. Blue Leghorns 
 should prove very attractive. 
 
 Golden Duckwing Leghorns 
 
 This variety differs only in the color of hackle, back, 
 saddle and wing bow of the male, from the Silver variety, 
 the females of both varieties being alike in color mark- 
 ings, with the exception, rarely noticed, of the Silver 
 Duckwing females, having a very slight lacing of light sil- 
 very gray on the feathers of the body. Golden Duckwing 
 Leghorns are the result of crossing a Brown Leghorn 
 male with a Silver Duckwing female. The color sections 
 of the males are: Neck, creamy-white', fading to ivory 
 white at bar of hackle; outside feathers finely and clearly 
 striped with black, the stripe broadest at the base of the 
 hackle; back, bright gold, dark at shoulders, shading to 
 light straw at beginning of saddle hangers, latter being 
 very light straw color shading to ivory white, lightly 
 striped with black. Wing bow, light, bright gold, not red 
 or dark orange, but yellow or light orange, solid and even, 
 any mixture of lighter or darker feathers being objection- 
 able. Wing bar, blue black; wing bay, white. Breast, tail 
 and underparts, black. 
 
 Rose Comb Black Leghorns 
 
 A comparatively new variety which originated in 
 ngland, and in which country it is evidently quite pop- 
 ular in some quarters. Being the result of Hamburg-Black 
 1 Leghorn cross. Rose Comb Black Leghorns resemble 
 ' Black Hamburgs too closely, to ever become popular with 
 fanciers. As a utility fowl it may prove a desirable addi- 
 ! tion to the white egg laying races of poultry. 
 
 I 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 Evolution of Leghorn Type 
 
 Studies of Shape Characteristics of Le^hc 
 Standard Type From 1874 to 1905. 
 
 at Different Periods of Their Development. lUastratio 
 iportant Changes in Carriage of Tail and Length of Back. 
 
 LENGTH of neck and limbs, size and character of 
 comb, and carriage and spread of tail have been 
 among the main points of controversy and change 
 of fashion, and it is interesting indeed to study in the 
 portraits of prize v^'inners, among modern Leghorns, how 
 the type has progressed. 
 
 A study of the type of the Watson (No. 8) pair of 
 Brown Leghorns is sufficient to impel acceptance of the 
 statement that the early Brown Leghorns averaged about 
 sne-half pound heavier than the white variety. This pair 
 certainly impress us as heavier than the following plate 
 of White Leghorns. 
 
 There is just a touch in the conformation of the type 
 illustrated in this pair that suggests Spanish — the length 
 of keel bone, the nearly parallel lines of the back and the 
 long breast, besides the form of tail proper, the lower 
 feathers being so much shorter than those at the top. 
 
 Comparing this picture with the following reproduc- 
 tion of the pair illustfating "Eureka" and "Snowflake," 
 published in 1873, by J. Boardman Smith, of North Haven. 
 Conn., we at once recognize the well rounded breast and 
 spread of tail so much valued and admired i;i Leghorns of 
 today. The male especially, in this pair, exhibits the lower 
 feathers of tail proper nearly or quite three-fourths the 
 length of the upper pair. The saddle is also profusely fur- 
 n-shed in true Leghorn style as fancied nowadays. 
 
 These early wood engravings of the breed show the 
 characteristic sprightliness of the race with their proud 
 high-headed carriage. The alert pose of head in the cock 
 of the J. Boardman Smith plate is full of Leghorn expres- 
 sion t(5 one acquainted with the spirit of these birds. 
 
 In the Watson pair of Brown Leghorns an important 
 difiference from the white plate (9) that follows is 
 the rather level body in the Browns as compared to the 
 more upright carriage of the Whites. This over erect, or 
 slanting body, is a feature in the carriage of the breed 
 which fanciers particular about symmetry have carefully 
 
 selected to modify by mating together those more level in 
 carriage of body. The appearance of this has been ap- 
 proached by birds possessing considerable length of 
 saddle, with plumage furnishings that extend the lines of 
 the back in a graceful sweep onto the tail coverts. 
 
 The Leghorn in America has always been greatly ad- 
 mired for its gracefully turned curves of outline, and any 
 
 approach to an angular coarseness has been discouraged 
 by the majority of exhibiting fanciers. This ideal of 
 curves has applied equally to the rounded bieast, the 
 nicely turned form of the shoulders and thighs, and the 
 profuse tiow of plumage over the entire bird that helps so 
 much to blend all sections together. 
 
 The sharp angle caused by the over erect tail at its 
 juncture with the saddle, has, since our first acquaintance 
 with the breed in the 70's been a matter for toleration. In 
 the first "American Standard of Excellence" of 1874, no 
 mention of squirrel tail is made in the disqualifications for 
 Leghorns. In this standard the description of the car- 
 riage of tail for the male of the brown variety is "up- 
 right" and for the white is "very upright." 
 
 Plate No. 10 illustrates the Leghorn type as a well 
 known judge recognized the style of White Leghorn^ in 
 1S74. At that time Mr. Pierce was a fancier and breeder 
 of this variety of the breed, and it no doubt well illustrates 
 some of the best obtainable at that date. 
 
 Not until the 1898 edition of the Standard, where 
 "General Disqualifications" are referred to for Leghorns, 
 is "squirrel tail" made a definite disqualification for the 
 ill-bred Leghorn that carries his tail "in squirrel fashion." 
 
 It has been asserted that height in the carriage of tail 
 is an indication of vigor. If this were true, then the Jap- 
 anese Bantam should class first in point of vigor, and the 
 .\seel among the inferior. However, these prove wrong 
 examples to establish such a rule; in fact, appear to dis- 
 
 23 
 
24 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 ^ 
 
 prove such a conclusion. Langshans carry the tail at a 
 high angle, Sumatra Games carry theirs quite low, and 
 both class high in the scale as egg producers and breeds 
 of exceptional vigor. 
 
 Leghorn experts in convention with the revision com- 
 mittee of the American Poultry .Association in 1893, de- 
 cided upon forty-five degrees as the most desirable ele- 
 vation for carriage of tail of Leghorn males, and forty 
 degrees for carriage of the tail of the female. 
 
 The Leghorn race first reached .America frotn Italy, 
 and was from here taken to England. Mr. Lewis Wright, 
 for many years the great English authority on poultry, 
 appears to accept the Leghorn as a branch of the Spanish 
 family, and many fanciers of England have made their 
 selections as considering it of that class. The late con- 
 
 Ntroversy on the Leghorn type appearing in British poul- 
 ftry journals, plainly emphasizes that many breeders there 
 Vstill desire to breed it as a Spanish variety. Mr. Lud- 
 ;Jow, who has always stood first in portraying the British 
 
 /ideals in poultry, plainly shows what the White Leghorn 
 
 was in England in 1876-7. At the time when we first be- 
 came acquainted with the strains of Leghorns in the 
 East in the early 90's, there were exhibited three fashions 
 in Leghorns. 
 
 The sketch of the first prize cock at New York, in 
 1890, (Plate 12) was made at the first show in the new 
 Madison Square Garden. This bird was winner of special 
 for most typical Leghorn male in the show and represents 
 the finest show type in males previous to the selection for 
 the fashion of low tails and longer saddles. This fully 
 matured cock showed nicely rounded body lines, well bal- 
 anced on fine boned limbs of length proportioned to the 
 body and other sections. Head fine, comb, wattles and 
 ear-lobes close to the description of our present Standard. 
 The body is rather toward the level now desired, and the 
 saddle plumage is long and profuse. The tail is not so high 
 as in those illustrated in the early 70's, although a good 
 deal higher than the forty-five degrees demanded by the 
 present Standard. This cock was one of good size, ele- 
 gant style, show temperament, and such a bird as was al- 
 most sure of winning anywhere at that time. 
 
 Another family were those bred and shown by Ezra 
 Cornell and Willard Knapp, afterward owned alone by 
 Ezra Cornell, and finally, (after the death of Ezra Cornell) 
 
 sold to Mr. E. G. Wyckoflf, of Ithaca, N. Y. This strain 
 produced quite a number of the style which later, during 
 the 90's, made a number of good winnings and gained 
 quite a degree of popularity. They had clear, white plum- 
 age, nice heads, and were peculiar in being of unusual 
 length of limb. This latter feature distinguished a num- 
 
 that 
 
 Madison 
 
 ber of show birds of this 
 Square Garden and other shows. 
 
 One of the most common failings with fowls selected 
 to a type with long legs appears always to be that the 
 li.Tck slopes and the breast fails in depth. In the practical 
 
 12— Wlnnei of first and special foi most 
 tvpical Leghorn male at Madison Square 
 Garden in 1S90 Owned by Knapp Bro= 
 of Fabius, N 1 
 
 poultry yards where Leghorns have been kept in large 
 numbers for production of eggs, many assert that the 
 medium sized birds on legs of moderate proportions, 
 prove the most productive and profitable. However, there 
 have been others who desire those of a somewhat larger 
 type, so that in exhibitions there are apt to. be differing 
 
REPRESENTATIVE TYPES OF WHITE LEGHORNS. 
 
 Reading from left to right: 13— Ezra Cornell's first prize winning White cock. New York, 1901. 14— First cockerel Pan- 
 American Exposition, 1901. Purchased by White Leghorn Poultry Yards, of Waterville. N. Y. 15— First cock Pan-American 
 Exposition. 1901. Purchased by E. G. Wyckoff, Ithaca, N. Y. 16— A first Boston (1902) cockerel, shown by CJiarles J Fogg, 
 Waltham, Mass. 17— A Hrst prize Chicago cock, shown by White Leghorn Poultry Yards, 1905. 
 
 \V. Wliiti 
 
 y first hon- 
 much corn- 
 
 opinions between breeders and that judges will not al- 
 ways agree in their decisions. The truest Leghorn sym- 
 metry as it is accepted among American fanciers, has not 
 been secured where size or length of limbs were prime; 
 factors for picking the winners. 
 
 No. 13 was a first cock at Madison Square Garden 
 exhibited by Ezra Cornell in 1901. This bird and the cock- 
 erel and cock (No. 14 and No. 15) which follow in the 
 same group, are good representatives of this type, which 
 appeared somewhat stilted. The.-e birds were larger and 
 somewhat heavier than the majority of Leghorns in 
 America excepting the strain shown by V 
 about that time. 
 
 Mr. Whiting's White Leghorns won n; 
 CIS in New York and Boston shows and ws 
 mented upon. They were of unusual size, larger than any 
 other strains of Leghorns in America with coinbs and a 
 number of points a trifle coarser than specimens that 
 could not approach them in size. Their appearance had a 
 wholesome influence upon the Leghorns as a breed, set- 
 ting the example which iv.ade small Leghorns unpopular. 
 
 On examination of these three plates one at once per- 
 ceives that these birds were closely feathered, giving them 
 the well tucked up appearance underneath, which, in the 
 minds of many fanciers, is desirable. This quality does 
 present a smartness when the limbs of the fowl are very 
 well formed and when not overdone, and helps the showy 
 style of the Leghorn. This closeness of plumige, how- 
 €ver, throughout the entire figure of the specimen, often 
 fails to present the gracefully curved lines that a little 
 fuller undercoat and a greater wealth of outer plumage 
 would effect. Angular lines on the Leghorn have never 
 kept long in vogue among American fanciers; it is the 
 Leghorn of graceful curves that lives on as the ideal of 
 ■our leading breeders of this race of fowls. 
 
 The present practice of selecting for as large size as 
 obtainable, among Leghorns that possess known purity of 
 blood, and, as near as possible, ideal form and carriage, 
 proves the safest course. There seems to be a liipit in 
 this procedure, and the breeders of America have learned 
 that progress in size of the Leghorn cannot be attained 
 too rapidly. Yet we believe that the majority of our 
 breeders in this country are quite willing to improve size 
 in the breed, just as long as the true Leghorn ideal is 
 reproduced, but this, in fact, means very cautious, accurate 
 breeding, and slow improvement, which is the only safe 
 system with such a fine, pure old race. 
 
 In cockerel No. 16 we have a model that shows con- 
 siderable above the average size. This cockerel was pro- 
 duced when both the full-boned type, bred by Knapp 
 Bros., also by D. W. Young and others, as well as when 
 the F. W. Whiting birds were making things interesting 
 in the eastern sliow rooms. This cockerel was shown by 
 Mr. Chas. J. Fogg, of Waltham, Mass., winning first at 
 Boston in 1902. 
 
 This cockerel in appearance was a type, which, blend- 
 ing the D. W. Young strain with the F. W. Whiting stock, 
 might have produced, and is a very useful style. 
 
 Another type. No. 17, makes quite a variation from 
 the Ezra Cornell models. The long tail with extended 
 ribbon-like sickles reminds one of the Duckwing Leg- 
 horns that contain quite a strong cross of the Phoenix, or 
 Long-tailed Japanese race of Games. It is surprising to 
 find that although this bird has very unusually long sickles 
 and hangers, that its saddle hackles do not extend even to 
 a length equaling the preceding cockerel; in this case 
 being an exception to the rule, as most Leghorns having 
 extia well-finished tail plumage, have also the long saddle 
 hackles. 
 
Standard Shape of Leghorns 
 
 Shape Oatlines for Leghorns, Male and Female, Sabmiited to Prominent Breeders for Criticism and Appro-* 
 — National Single Comb White Leghorn Glob Ideal Sketches of Male and Female— Illnstrations, 
 Like Those in the Standard of Perfection, Also Meet with Criticism 
 
 Bd« 
 
 Clubs, 
 ?oing 
 
 [E standard shape of Leghorns as illustrated in the 
 American Standard of Perfection, has been criti- 
 cised adversely by members of Leghorn Specialty 
 the National Single Comb White Leghorn Club 
 
 so far as to repudiate the Standard illustrations by 
 
 Ideal Male Leghorn Type. 
 
 The above illustration is reproduced from the National Single Comb 
 White Leghorn Club catalogue of 1911. by courtesy of F. O. Groesbeck, Secre- 
 tary. This sketch is submitted by the Club as the highest possible conceiv- 
 able type of the Leghorn male. This drawing was especially designed by 
 Franklane .L. Sewell for the Club, the members of the latter claiming that 
 the ideal as adopted by the revision committee of the American Standard of 
 Perfection, differs from the ideal of Leghorn breeders in general. 
 
 instructing Mr. Sewell to make new sketches which pur- 
 port to be the ideal shape of the male and female Leghorn 
 as favored by the National Single Comb White Leghorn 
 Club. 
 
 These Club sketches are reprinted on this and the oppo- 
 site page, by courtesy of F. O. Groesbeck, Secretary of the 
 National Single Comb White Leghorn Club, who kindly 
 furnished the original half-tone plates for use in this book. 
 The fact that these Club sketches are also meeting 
 with adverse criticisms by Leghorn breeders, who .ire 
 
 •26 
 
 non-members, clearly points out the difficulties that con- 
 front framers of the Standard and delineators of standard- 
 bred poultry in preparing the text and the illustrations. 
 .Notwithstanding the fact that the te.xt was satisfactory to 
 Leghorn breeders, and the illustrations were accepted as 
 correct at the St. Louis meeting of the 
 .'Kmerican Poultry Association. White Leg- 
 horn breeders of the east, immediately 
 after the 1910 Standard appeared, kicked 
 over the traces, and started to create ideals 
 of their own. That these Club ideals do 
 not strictly conform to the word description 
 in the Standard will be manifest to all Leg- 
 horn breeders who carefully study the 
 shape sections of these illustrations. 
 
 That the Standard shape of the male 
 and female Leghorn does not meet the re- 
 quirements in all sections as printed in the 
 word description of the American Standard 
 of Perfection is also true. In order to ar- 
 rive at a better understanding among Leg- 
 horn breeders as to what the ideal male and 
 female should be in shape. Artist A. O. 
 Schilling was instructed to make the stand- 
 ard shape outlines for male and female il- 
 lustrated in the plate shown on page 2S. 
 
 These outline sketches were printed in 
 the American Poultry World and Reliable 
 Poultry Journal in May and June, 1911; 
 copies were also sent to prominent Legliorn 
 breeders for criticism and approval. 
 
 The following breeders and judges 
 sent in replies: — 
 
 Wm. H. Heil, Easton, Pa., Buff Leg- 
 horns. 
 
 Geo. L. Hornbrook, Decatur, 111.. S. C. 
 Brown Leghorns. 
 
 O. T. Hallman, Charlotte, N. C, S. C. 
 White Leghorns. 
 
 Geo. B. Ferris, Grand Rapids, Mich . S. 
 C. White Leghorns. 
 
 Elmer V. Shultz, Webster Groves. Mo., 
 S. C. Brown Leghorns. 
 
 Lewis T. McLean, Shushan, X. Y., 
 White Leghorns. 
 
 N. V. Fogg, Mt. Sterling, Ky., S. C. 
 White Leghorns. 
 
 Harmon Bradshaw, Lebanon, Ind., S. 
 C. White Leghorns. 
 Fred H. Cook, Beaver, Pa., S. C. Brown Leghorns. 
 L. E. Merihew, Marathon, N. Y., S. C. Buflf Leghorns. 
 P. R. Pfouts, Bucyrus, Ohio, S. C. White Leghorns. 
 G. J. Gerber, Dalton, Ohio, S. C. White Leghorns. 
 J. N. Coflfman, Edinburg, Va., S. C. Buff Leghorns. 
 Edward W. Phelps, Guilford, Conn., R. C. Brown 
 Leghorns. 
 
 O. S. Gehrman, Omaha. Nebr., S. C. Brown Leghorns. 
 J. H. Henderson, Kno.wille, Tenn., S. C. Brown Leg- 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 27 
 
 A. J. Murphy, Sewickley, Pa., S. C. White Leghorns. 
 Leon C. Huntington, Omaha, Nebr., S. C. White Leg- 
 horns. 
 
 A. T. Lindgren, Kingsburg, Cal. 
 
 F. R. Merk, Rocky Ford, Colo., S. C. White Leghorns. 
 
 Yesterlaid Egg Farms Company, R. C. Lawry, Mgr., 
 Pacific, Mo., S. C. White Leghorns. 
 
 R. A. Alexander, Wheeling, W. Va., S. C. Brown Leg- 
 horns. 
 
 F. D. Rogers, Elgin, III., White Leghorns. 
 
 Dr. F. M. Reed, Wyanet, 111., R. C. Brown Leg- 
 horns. 
 
 W. R. Curtiss & Co., Ransomville, N. Y., S. C. White 
 Leghorns. 
 
 W. A. Bode, Fairhaven, Pa., S. C. 
 White Leghorns. 
 
 F. C. Gutknecht, Cedar Falls, la., S. C. 
 Brown Leghorns. 
 
 G. Schimke, So. Hadley Falls., Mass., 
 S. C. Brown Leghorns. 
 
 W. W. Kulp, Pottstown, Pa., R. C. 
 Brown Leghorns. 
 
 E. A. Vosburgh, East Canaan, Conn., ') 
 S. C. Buff Leghorns. 
 
 E. E. Endsley, Uniontown, Pa., S. C. i 
 Brown Leghorns. l': 
 
 Jos. Reiff, Fayetteville, Pa., R. and S. j, 
 C. Wliite Leghorns. f' 
 
 J. Leroy Cunningham, Indiana, Pa., S. 
 C. White Leghorns. 
 
 Clarence Hewes, Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
 C. W. Sixt, Westpark, Ohio, S. C. 
 White Leghorns. 
 
 Geo. O. Brown, Baltimore, Md., poul- 
 try judge. 
 
 C. H. Rhodes, Topeka, Kan., poultry 
 judge. 
 
 1. K. Felch, So. Natick, Ma.ss., poultry 
 judge. 
 
 D. T. Heimlich, Jacksonville, 111., poul- 
 try judge. 
 
 W. R. Graham, Guelph, Canada, poul 
 try judge. 
 
 E. C. Branch, Lee Summit, Mo., pmuI 
 try judge. 
 
 F. J. Marshall, College Park, Ga., poul- 
 try judge. 
 
 U. J. Shanklin, Anamosa, Iowa, poul- 
 try judge. 
 
 J. C. Johnson, Petersburg, 111., poultr\ 
 judge. 
 
 B. J. Hill, Akron, Ohio, poultry judge. 
 
 Jo^. Dagle, Richland, la., poultry judge. -pi,,. ;^i„ 
 
 W. H. Card, Manchester, Conn., poul- ",'',','', ''11''' 
 try judge. :ii'^' • i - 
 
 Theo. Faulstich, Dayton, O., poultry ii,', ' 1,1, i, 1 ,. 
 judge. P.Mr..,.onn d 
 
 H. B. Savage, Belton, Tex., poultry 
 judge. 
 
 C. H. Ward, Bethel, Conn., poultry judge. 
 
 J. C. Punderford, Freneau, N. J., S. C. White and Buff 
 Leghorns. 
 
 Geo. S. Barnes, Marshall, Mich., Buff Leghorns. 
 
 B. E. Craig, Davis City, la., S. C. Buff Leghorns. 
 
 Paul Scott, Mitchell, S. D., S. C. Brown Leghorn-s. 
 
 A. C. Smith, Waltham, Mass., S. C. Brown Leghorns. 
 
 Ezra C. Carter, Marathon, N. Y., S. C. White Leg- 
 horns. 
 
 Paul C. Bork, Akron, Ohio, S. C. White Leghorns. 
 
 Earl E. Wells, Cohoes, N. Y. 
 
 Wm. F. Brace, Victor, N. Y., S. C. Brown Leghorns. 
 
 E. C. Gilbert, Tully, N. Y., S. C. Buff Leghorns. 
 
 O. M. Robbins, Santa Ana, Calif. 
 Criticisms and Approval by Leghorn Breeders. 
 
 I think the male bird is just about perfect but do 
 not like the hen, as I think she is too low and heavy in 
 body, making her look ducky. I think the Buff Leghorn 
 female in the new Standard is hard to beat. In my opin- 
 ion she is far superior to this one. — Wm. H. Heil. 
 
 I think the tail on female as shown in sketch is a 
 "freak," as it is anything but an ideal Leghorn shape, 
 being not only too short and broad, but also very coarse 
 
 Ideal Female Leghorn Type. 
 
 (ration is reproduced (to 
 •Mtalogue ot 1911, by r,r., 
 '- submitted by the 1 -hii' 
 
 X.-vtional Single Comb 
 I' 11. Groesbeck. Sec- 
 'i.^t possible conceiv- 
 iHL-ially designed by 
 l:itter claiming that 
 Anii-rican Standard of 
 
 lo' iking, .-\nothcr fault is in tlie back, which is too long, 
 almost a Minorca type. 
 
 The male is good except that personally I would 
 prefer the old Standard lines at base of tail. Too much 
 curve where tail joins back. — Geo. L. Hornbrook. 
 
 I will say frankly that these sketches in my opinion 
 show the ideal Leghorn in both male and female — in fact 
 I have never before had the pleasure of seeing what I 
 consider more perfect sketches and I sincerely hope they 
 will be adopted by the American Poultry Association in 
 another edition of the Standard of Perfection. — O. T. 
 Hallman. 
 

 Standard Shape Outlines Suggested For Leghorns, Male and Female 
 
 la t 
 
 - - - - - -- --- --- diau ..„ 
 
 represent matured specimens, i. e., cock and hen. They show the tail of the male carried at an angle ot 4o degiees 
 and that ot the female at 40 degrees as called for by the Standard ot Perfection. Both the male and female how the 
 upright carriage, the sprightly alertness and style characteristic of the Leghorn breed The comb ot the male is 
 smooth, medium in size, setting straight and firmly on the skull, the serrations being deep with pomts that are even and 
 well balanced from front to rear, the blade extending well beyond the back of the head with no tendency to follow the 
 neck. The comb of the 1910 Standard Leghorn male is too large and deep, the serrations and points being less uniform 
 in size than in the sketch outlined above. The male outline herewith also shows a longer and more uniform breast line, 
 more length of thighs and shanks and a more fully furnished tail than the Standard male. The female outlined above is a 
 Leghorn from head to foot, every line denoting grace and truly indicating the wonderful activity that has made her 
 world-famous as the "business hen of America." The long, beautifully arched neck, moderately long back with graceful 
 sweep of the tail; the length and spread of tail; the prominent breast; the moderately long body and legs; the 
 slender shanks and toes; the smooth and perfectly serrated comb carried in the most characteristic manner— all of which 
 arecalled for by the Standard, can be found in the above picture. The 1910 Standard female lacks in length of body and 
 
 first and second points is too wide, and thighs and 
 
 Sketch of Leghorn male you have submitted has 
 comb and wattles far superior to the Standard illustra- 
 tions, but in other respects it is not satisfactory. If comb 
 and wattles were altered to conform to this sketch you 
 have sent me the present Standard illustration of S. C. 
 White Leghorn would be beyond criticism. 
 
 Your sketch of Leghorn female is superior to the 
 Standard cut in nearly every section and should replace 
 the present illustration without being changed in any 
 particular. It is ideal. — Geo. B. Ferris. 
 
 In my opinion the male should be longer in body, tail 
 lower, just a little, wattles should be a trifle shorter and 
 round, and the shanks should not be so straight. As to 
 the female, there is little change that I would recommend. 
 Her tail also should be lowered a little and fullness in 
 breast should be raised somewhat. — Elmer V. Shultz. 
 
 In reply would say that although these suggested out- 
 lines are not strictly ideal, in my opinion, still they greatly 
 improve those in the 1910 Standard as to the proper type, 
 showing the true breed characteristics of the Leghorns. 
 
 To my judgment I think the hen is somewhat full in 
 breast, having tendency to have her look just a little too 
 long and blocky. The hackle of the male does not seem 
 as abundant as it should be, nor to flow well over her 
 shoulders. These are very small defects as compared 
 with the illustrations of White Leghorns in the present 
 Standard. — Lewis T. McLean. 
 
 The type of hen shown in this outline, in my opinion, 
 is not only the most beautiful type for exhibition, but also 
 is one that will make good her title "the business hen of 
 America." She has just the right size comb for the most 
 attractive exhibition bird and also for the heaviest layer. 
 I like the long body and sprightly appearance of this Leg- 
 horn female. 
 
 The male taken as a whole I consider very good and 
 
 if there are any changes I would suggest it would be that 
 the earlobes are a little too long, as compared with the 
 width and that the legs are a little too far toward the 
 iront of the body. 
 
 I considei- these shape outlines of both male and fe- 
 male to be so much better than those given in the 1910 
 Standard that I have a very little criticism to offer. — N. V. 
 Fogg. 
 
 These are beautiful cuts of the best fowl known — to 
 me! The only criticism to offer on the male is that his 
 wattles are longer than I like. Only criticism on female 
 is that her tail is just a little too short to suit me.— Har- 
 mon Bradshaw. 
 
 I have examined same carefully and cannot see where 
 I could improve them. Will say, that if I were able to 
 breed Leghorns up to these outlines they would be per- 
 fectly satisfactory to me. — Fred H. Cook. 
 
 In regard to the Leghorn outline sketches submitted 
 for inspection I think they are not far from the proper 
 ideal of the Leghorn. The type as I see it is about that 
 which all judges and breeders favor when picking show 
 birds. 
 
 We have some specimens showing a tail nearly as 
 wide, and these birds as a rule (especially those with real 
 low tails and also wide tails) are not quite long enough 
 in thigh and shank and for me I consider the last two 
 points more important for business and beauty than the 
 extremely low tail extremely spread. 
 
 I hardly think any point would be considered more 
 important than a low, long, well spread tail, especially 
 with the best judges, who realize most fully what it means 
 to produce such. The tail is certainly a show quality, but 
 I would suggest that the tail of the female on the en- 
 closed proof be folded or closed up enough to give it a 
 longer appearance. I also think the base of tail on this 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 hen is too wide or deep. I will not criticise the breast, 
 but breast looks like the limit and the future Leghorn may 
 have them as full and to their advantage. — L. E. Meri- 
 hew. 
 
 I must say that both sketches are the nearest my 
 ideal I have ever seen and are a vast improvement on the 
 illustrations in the 1910 Standard of Perfection. I am 
 greatly pleased at the interest you are taking in this mat- 
 ter, as I honestly think illustration of the S. C. White 
 Leghorn male is misleading as a guide in selecting the 
 winners at our shows for the next four years. 
 
 In the first place the comb of the S. C. White Leg- 
 horn male in the 1910 Standard (which is 1-10 of the bird 
 in number of points) was verj' much a disappointment be- 
 cause the average judge would say "it is large enough for 
 a Minorca," also the points are unevenly serrated. 
 
 The neater outlines of the neck of both male and fe- 
 male as shown in your sketches are an improvement, in 
 showing the active and nervous temperament as well as 
 the correct symmetry or type that makes the breed. 
 
 The neat head points will also meet the approval of 
 leading breeders and as a whole the sketches in my esti- 
 mation are "the missing link" and should be accepted 
 to replace the ones shown in our misfit Standard. 
 
 If one doubts the misfit of this Standard he has only 
 to turn from the S. C. Brown or S. C. Buff male which 
 are both much better than that of the S. C. White male— 
 and ask himself why there is so much difference. — P. R. 
 Pfouts. 
 
 itiey are better than those in the last Standard. 
 
 The comb in Leghorn drawing of the last Standard is 
 entirely too large and had too much of a beefy appear- 
 ance. All of the best Leghorns have been trying to get 
 away from these larger combs, therefore such a draw- 
 ing when put into the new Standard as an ideal will prove 
 a drawback to the breed. The sooner that Leghorn 
 breeders can get away from the big combs and wattles 
 the better it will be. And we are not directing beginners 
 in the right direction unless we have the combs, wattles 
 and all other sections right in our ideal illustrations show- 
 ing what is wanted in the best birds. 
 
 My idea is to have a correct i 'eal showing as near as 
 possible what is wanted by the best breeders all over the 
 
 se of tail. 
 
 United States, then see to it that the judges stick to these 
 ideals in placing awards. 
 
 The serrations in the new outline you sent me might 
 be a little closer together, so as to show the blade a trifle 
 better. 
 
 All other points being equal, under most of the best 
 judges today, a bird with a little lower and still better 
 spread tail would win out every time. — G. J. Gerber. 
 
 In my opinion they are the best sketches yet pro- 
 
 b aLl lie 1 tlie sketches 
 indicate the changes that J H Hender- 
 son of Tennessee suggests They show 
 less fullness in breast less length and 
 depth of body and the tail caiiied at a 
 higher angle. 
 
 W. 
 
 duced, and represent my interpretation of the Standard 
 perfectly. 
 
 I think most Leghorn breeders are putting on too 
 nntch comb, both on male and female. That is one objec- 
 tion to the 1910 sketches — too much comb. A comb as is 
 usually found on Leghorns bred after these sketches, 
 must be thick and more or less coarse in order to stand 
 erect. The curve of the back and tail is very pleasing. 
 
 By all means let us have a Standard with a proper 
 type and characteristics of Leohorns, so that we may 
 know Leghorns 
 from Minorcas. — 
 J. N. Coffman. 
 
 The sketches 
 of Leghorns re- 
 ceived and I cer- 
 tainly tnink the 
 artist has done 
 the breed justice 
 in every respect. 
 How these 
 sketches can be 
 improved upon 
 and retain the 
 true characteris- 
 tics of this noble 
 breed 's beyond 
 me. I should say 
 they are the ideal 
 type of both male 
 and female and 
 should the A. P. 
 A. approve these 
 cuts and adopt 
 them for the 
 Standard, I think 
 they would be 
 accented with 
 pleasure by all 
 
 Leghorn breeders throughout the country. — Ed 
 Phelps. 
 
 In my opinion these outlines are very satisfactory. — 
 O. C. Gehrman. 
 
 I regard the sketch of male as being much better than. 
 that of the female. Have suggested one change in male 
 outline that I hope may be of some service to you. 
 
 As a Leghorn breeder! appreciate the work you are 
 doing and believe you are taking a step in the right direc- 
 tion. — J. H. Henderson. 
 
 I am in receipt of the plates of the White Leghorns, 
 and after examining them closely I wish to say that I 
 tliink they represent this breed more thoroughly than the 
 cuts in the new edition of the 1910 Standard, but if Mr. 
 Sewell is going to make new drawings 1 would like very 
 much to see them and make a comparison. — A. J. Murphy. 
 
 With the exception of the tail of the female the 
 sketches submitted by you represent, in my estimation, 
 the ideal Leghorn shape. 
 
 I believe that the shape pf the back and tail of the fe- 
 male as shown by drawing used in Standard is entirely too 
 beefy to suit my ideal, and also I think both the present 
 Standard male and female are a bit too short in the legs 
 for typical Leghorns. — Leon C. Huntington. 
 
 A very important point in the pictures in our Standard 
 has been overlooked, viz.; to have the outlines of male 
 and female of such proportions that birds of the same 
 type can be bred from the same mating. 
 
 In the sketches submitted by you the male is too 
 slender and the female the reverse. I have tried to make 
 the sketches right in this respect by making the female 
 more slender and the male a little more blocky. 
 
 The main tail feathers in Leghorns should number 
 eight instead of seven and a very important thing for the 
 male is abundant tail feathering, especially the side 
 hangers. 
 
 I have noted on the sketch the changes I deem neces- 
 sar;. Would especially call attention to the eyes; they are 
 too large and the lobe in female sketch is entirely too- 
 large. Beak on each sketch is too blunt. Back part of 
 comb or keel looks as if he had a side sprig:. 
 
 I trust that we may be able to get satisfactory draw- 
 ings that will represent the true ideals for which to strive 
 and that they may conform closely, but not so that we 
 shall not set before us a task impossible to accomplish. 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 111 our Standard of Perfection the different varieties 
 -Iiniild be shown in their natural colors. Any one would 
 Tiay a little more for the book if this were done.— A. T. 
 Liiidgren. 
 
 Possibly you have sketched the tail of the male a little 
 large and a trifle long. I believe you have a better shape 
 tor both male and female than the 1910 Standard. You 
 will remove, I think, the call for the separate utihty 
 standard if you succeed in having these sketches adopted 
 by the association, because they give that longer shape 
 to the hen that is so desirable for the heavy production of 
 eggs.— F. R. Merk. 
 
 The two outlines as submitted are nearer my ideal 
 of what the Leghorns should be than those figured in the 
 new edition of the Standard. However, I do not believe 
 that either of them literally interprets the wording of the 
 Standard. 
 
 Of course you understand that when one starts to 
 criticise a thing he will naturally put into that criticism 
 his ideal, despite any illustration or printed text which 
 might be before him. One's interpretation of the Stand- 
 ard then is what one wills to think. It is a fact, well un- 
 derstood, that most of us will, either consciously or un- 
 consciously, think very diflferently about the same thing. 
 
 In criticising these two outlines I am going to pro- 
 ceed on the assumption that Mr. Schilling intended these 
 to interpret the Standard literally. My criticism will also 
 embodv what to me would seem an ideal male and female 
 shape, 'the literal interpretation of the Standard to the 
 contrary, notwithstanding. 
 
 The Male: Head: Not enough vertical depth. Beak: 
 slightly undersized. Eyes: Slightly small. Should be in- 
 creased in proportion to head and beak criticism. Comb: 
 Verv good though slightly unbalanced over beak. Would 
 desire it a little less angular in front. Wattles and Ear- 
 lobes: Very good indeed. Suit my ideal exactly, though 
 I do not believe they are literal interpretations of the 
 Standard. Xeck: Very good. Wings: Outline too angu- 
 lar. Back: .'Ml right. Tail: Very satisfactory for shape 
 and carried at an angle that is very pleasing and desir- 
 able but not in accord with Standard. Standard calls for 
 forty-five degrees, outline shows tail carried at twenty- 
 four and one-half degrees (see sketch). Breast: Too 
 much of a curve, should be filled in a little as indicated by 
 pencil marks. Body and Fluff: Seem too short at first 
 glance but upon analysis would say that body is all right 
 in length; the trouble lies in fluff and breast. FlufT should 
 be slightly more rounded. Legs and Toes: Length of 
 shank a trifle short and decidedly thin. Hock has about 
 the right amount exposed, but is a trifle light for this 
 weight bird. 
 
 The Female. Head: All right. Beak: 
 Eyes: Slightly small. Comb: Very good. 
 Xeck: Good. Back: Very good. Tail: 
 impression of being too short, however, 
 be due to the fact that there is too muc 
 
 Very good. 
 Face: Good. 
 Leaves the 
 -, this may 
 
 cushion. 
 
 «5^ 
 
 The heavy black lines illustrate the 
 < riticisms of A T Lingdren of Call 
 lornia Mr Lindgren s changes show 
 less depth of body and more length of 
 shank. 
 
 neck le^s depth and length of body i 
 a slightlj higher tail These changes 
 shown by the heavy black line in 
 above illustration. 
 
 Would say that cushion should be decreased or tail 
 lengthened. Couldn't tell which would give correct ini- 
 pression but there is an absence of pleasing balance in this 
 section. Here, as in the case of the male bird, the angle 
 or carriage is pleasing to look at but not in accordance 
 with Standard requirements. Breast: Good. Body: A 
 little light at fluflf and just a trifle thick at junction of 
 wishbone and sternum. Fluff should be slightly length- 
 ened, lowered and rounded. Legs and Toes: Proportion 
 very good but seem awkwardly placed and stiff. — Yester- 
 laid Egg Farms Company, R. C. Lawry, Mgr. 
 
 I have made an effort to go over them carefully. Have 
 criticised them a little, but have no serious objections to 
 the shape of either. They are both very good indeed. 
 
 Male bird: Tail is carried a little too high to suit my 
 fancy. Neck, breast and body are ideal. Would lower tail 
 about one-eighth of an inch. — R. A. .Alexander. 
 
 I think they are a decided improvement on those in 
 the new Standard. While I consider myself quite a Leg- 
 horn crank, I have no criticisms to rnake of these sug- 
 gested ideals. In my judgment the picture of the White 
 I-.eghorn male in the new Standard, is, to use the slang 
 phrase, bum. However, I notice that in order to win in 
 the big shows we have to have the tails of our Leghorn 
 male birds below 45 degrees. — F. D. Rogers. 
 
 The sketches of Leghorns, male and female, that you 
 submitted are just about ideal, in my opinion. It seems 
 to me there might be just a little more fullness in the 
 upper part of the neck (rear portion) of the male and pos- 
 sibly just a little more below the hackle where it ap- 
 proaches the back. 
 
 It seems to me that the back of the female is just a 
 little long and could be just a little more concave. Her 
 neck may be just a trifle fuller about the throat or just be- 
 low the wattles.— Dr. F. M. Reed. 
 
 The two outline sketches sent us of the Leghorns, 
 male and female, are as near perfection to our mind as 
 anything that we have ever seen, and if the American 
 Poultry Association keeps near these outlines we shall be 
 perfectly satisfied. — W. R. Curtiss & Co. 
 
 "Think they are ideal interpretations of the Standard 
 text. We do not know where we could criticise these 
 sketches. — W. A. Bode. 
 
 As for the male in the 1910 Standard, I think it not 
 right because we want the curving back. This has been 
 taken away and I think it wrong to spoil the breed in 
 this way. The outlines for Leghorns, male and female, 
 you sent me I think are right and what we want. Let's 
 keep the nice curve of back. — F. C. Gutknecht. 
 
 I hardly think I can cut them a point. They have the 
 true Leghorn shape. I think the American Poultry .\sso- 
 ciation should use these shape outlines in the next Stand- 
 ard. — G. Schimke. 
 
 I think the outlines of Leghorns, male and female, as 
 submitted by you, are fully up to what we wish to have 
 them and that they fit the Standard description. 
 
 The comb of the male is about 
 right. I do not know why the artists 
 put the legs so far apart in almost all 
 drawings. It is not natural in the 
 first place and in the second place it 
 is very hard to get them true. 
 
 In the female the one thigh is 
 too far back — or the whole leg. — W. 
 W. Kulp. 
 
 .\fter looking over the Leghorn 
 cuts, male and female,. you have sub- 
 mitted, I have no criticism to make, 
 other than to say these drawings are 
 exactly mv idea of what Standard 
 Leghorns should be. I think the cut 
 in the new Standard of the White 
 I cghorn male is a very bad one. — E. 
 A. Vosburgh. 
 
 I have very little fault to find 
 with these drawings. My criticisms 
 would be as follows: 
 
 Male: Comb is good. I think 
 much better than in our Standard. 
 Wattles are good. Earlobes are a 
 little too large, or too long, in my 
 estimation. Body shape is good. Car- 
 riage of tail is ideal — in fact I think 
 this cut of male is hard to criticise. 
 
The 'above sketches show the pains taken by RoUa C. Lawry of Missouri, in proving that the angle of the tail in 
 the sketches for the Leghorn male and female do not coincide with the text. Notwithstanding that both are carried at a 
 lower angle than is called for in the Standard description, the letters published herewith often indicate a preference for 
 a lower carried tall. Should the Standard be changed? 
 
 Female: Comb is good, except the second serration, 
 which I think stands a little too much erect. Wattles and 
 earlobes good. Neck, I think, could be improved a little; 
 it looks as though it should be a little fuller just under 
 lower edge of wattles. This change on neck I think 
 would improve shape of breast, which looks to be too 
 much on the full order, especially when you take into 
 consideration the height of this bird and length of the 
 neck, also the depth of body; this causes a s(luatty ap- 
 pearance. Back and tail are very good. Tail especially 
 is ideal. Shanks look a little short to my way of think- 
 ing. — E. E. Endsley. 
 
 I have only one thing to say. I think the second 
 point from the front on male sketch a little long. Every 
 other way they are my ideal of the correct Leghorn 
 shape. — Joseph Reiff. 
 
 Can find no fault with Leghorn shapes. — J. Leroy 
 Cunningham. 
 
 I admire this Leghorn male outlinevery much. I be- 
 lieve it to be the most satisfactory outline I have ever 
 seen. I would criticise it in only one respect — legs and 
 thighs are too fine. This criticism 1 would apply to both 
 the drawings of male and female, although in the case of 
 the female it would apply with reference to thighs more 
 than to shanks. 
 
 I would commend the back and tail of this male par- 
 ticularly. Here the artist has given us more curve to 
 back and has brought it up on to the tail with what I con- 
 sider the correct concave sweep, eliminating the break 
 made at the base of the tail, which appears in so many 
 illustrations — even those in the new Standard not being 
 free from this defect and this, too, in spite of the very 
 plainly worded text. 
 
 I certainly hope that in arriving at a composite from 
 the criticisms of this drawing it will not prove necessary 
 to alter the shape of this male in any material degree, for 
 it meets my ideas to a T. 
 
 The drawing of the female I do not like nearly so 
 well. The bird hasn't the daintiness and gracefulness that 
 we want in Leghorn females. I would suggest the cutting 
 off of a slight bit from the extreme front of the breast 
 and adding it on just in front of the thighs. Back and 
 body should be longer and this length could best be added 
 back of thighs. The upper fluff should be more compact, 
 as the bird seems too deep, measured through at the base 
 of the tail. Main tail feathers should be given a greater 
 length and should be carrie-'. at a higher angle. The 
 angle of the tail would probably be right as the artist evi- 
 dently intends us to measure it — along the line of the 
 front of the highest tail feather — but to measure it along 
 tlie quill of the upper tail feathers, as seems more proper 
 to me, especially here where the upper feather has been 
 drawn with a very rounded upper edge, would show the 
 tail much too low. 
 
 .\ certain alert gracefulness in males and a more 
 
 modest trimness and daintiness in females, coupled in both 
 sexes with a suggestion of activity and business, should be 
 the ideas conveyed to the observer of well-bred Leghorns. 
 I know these are difficult to show in mere drawings, but 
 our artists have succeeded in doing it in some instances. 
 Mr. Schilling has succeeded remarkably well in his male 
 drawing. I wish the female could be brought up to the 
 same standard. — Clarence Hewes. 
 
 I think the cut of cock is a very fine one and I believe 
 it to be nearer to the description of the Standard than any 
 cut I have ever seen. The only exception I think is I 
 would prefer the thighs and shanks a little heavier. I ad- 
 mire the comb, which is truly a medium sized comb. 
 
 In regard to the lemale sketch, would say, the general 
 outline is almost perfect. The only fault I find is the 
 second point on the comb should be just a little lower. — 
 C. VV. Sixt. 
 
 I regret that my abilities as an artist are too obscure 
 for me to attempt any improvements on the sketches you 
 have sent me. On the average these sketches are a vast 
 improvement on those in the new Standard. — Geo. O. 
 Brown. 
 
 I have compared the sketches of popular breeds re- 
 ceived from you with the Standard description and must 
 say candidly that they meet with my hearty approval. 
 Tliev represent in my opinion the ideal in the full plumage 
 of maturity. I would not suggest any changes. — C. H. 
 Rhodes. 
 
 I prefer a more slender, upright male and a shorter, 
 slight female. Cut away breast as shown in the female 
 and reduce the size of tail thirty per cent. Thig-hs should 
 be longer, giving us a more upright and sprightlier bird. — 
 L K. Felch. 
 
 The sketch of S. C. Leghorn male as given for White 
 Leghorn in the 1910 Standard suits me. I like the upright 
 carriage of tail because it adds style and gives the male 
 bird a more alert appearance which is essential to Leg- 
 horn character. 
 
 The 1910 Standard illustration of Leghorn female 
 suits me much better than this too coarse headed bird in 
 the sketch you have sent me. — D. T. Heimlich. 
 
 I am of the opinion that the Leghorn male does not 
 correspond to the wording in the Standard, as well as does 
 the Brown Leghorn male illustrated in the present Stand- 
 ard — that is, taking everything into consideration. In the 
 first place, the comb and wattles are too large, and the 
 head is too long, and certainly the bill is too straight. If 
 you were to dub this bird he would not look unlike a 
 game. Take a pencil and remove the comb, wattles and 
 lobes and you will see how much he resembles a game. 
 The neck is too long and there is entirely too muchtail 
 to this bird — in a big wind he would blow over. Thighs 
 are very light. 
 
 Leghorn Female: She is a trifle small in the thighs 
 and possibly a little low down. The tail coverts are car- 
 
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THE LEGHORNS 
 
 33 
 
 Tied too high. I would prefer, as far as the Standard de- 
 scription is concerned, the Brown Leghorn female as 
 being near the present Standard. — W. R. Graham. 
 
 In Leghorns the S. C. White male and the S. C. Buflf 
 female conform to Standard in shape description. — E. C. 
 Branch. 
 
 Leghorn male comb a little ;small and wattles are a 
 little bit pinched. Back a little too short; otherwise it is 
 fine. Female neck is too slim and delicate looking; tail a 
 little too much arched and too loosely folded. Otherwise 
 I like it.— F. J. Marshall. 
 
 In my judgment the drawings submitted to me are far 
 superior to the ones in the new Standard. I for one would 
 
 is a little too upright and straight. Moving both forward 
 would no doubt give more of a sweep to back and lengthen 
 same. 
 
 The only fault that I can see with the female is a little 
 too much breast. She is also too deep in body. The 
 Standard calls for "fairly deep." — J. C. runderford. 
 
 I consider these shape outlines about as good as 
 needed. — Geo. S. Earner 
 
 Comparing the drawings in the new Standard and 
 your sketches of Leghorn shape, it is my opinion that the 
 latter are better in all details except in the comb of male. 
 I consider the comb on the male in the Standard the best 
 model, as it shows more size and I think finer texture. It 
 
 head. I 
 
 prefer these ideals to the ones in the 1910 Standard. — U. J. does not appear so beefy and stands up well 
 Shanklin. u-.: — - .u_. u — .j :...•...:.._ .u. 
 
 While the sketches do not cover all the corrections 
 that should be made in the present Standard, they meet 
 my hearty approval. — J. C. Johnson. 
 
 F.ach'sketch might well replace the illustrations in the 
 ;ent Standard. 
 
 In the Leghorn fem.ale the back appears too long. — 
 [. Hill. 
 The Leghorn male is O. K., except that the back is 
 
 pres 
 
 1A. 
 
 
 As will be noted by the hea\y Imes 
 Mr. Felch"s ideal is consideiable shorter 
 than the majority of prominent Leghorn 
 breeders and judges favor. 
 
 R \ \lexandei of West Virginia su-, 
 gests less fullness and piominence in 
 breast as is shown by the hea\j black 
 line in the illustration 
 
 too low in the center, which gives the tail a low appear- 
 ance. Female is very satisfactory. — Jos. Dagle. 
 
 The sketches of Leghorns are splendid. The male is 
 O. K., except that back line should be a more perfect con- 
 cave, which would relieve the appearance of too much 
 length of body for a Leghorn. Back of the female is too 
 long and the legs are set too far back on body. Illustra- 
 tions in the 1910 Sta^ard are much better. — W. H. Card. 
 
 The neck of the Leghorn male appears to be a trifle 
 too long and I would make same criticism about the tail. 
 If the sickles were carried more upright, it would present 
 a better appearance. The little toes should be shortened 
 a trifle. The sketch of the female is good, if the second 
 serration of comb would droop a trifle more. — Theo. Faul- 
 stich. 
 
 If you take the tip-toe appearance from the male and 
 a trifle of the fullness of breast from the sketch of the 
 female the Leghorn sketches would pass muster with me. 
 — H. B. Savage. 
 
 Shape of male and female very good, but I like tjpe 
 in new Standard better. — Chas. H. Ward. 
 
 I am returning the sketches herewith with the sug- 
 gestions that I have made for same. Should say that the 
 front of the comb of the male projects a bit too far over 
 the beak, which woula have a tendency to develop thumb 
 marks. The back has not quite the sweep or length that 
 I would like to see. Am not an advocate of the extremely 
 low tail, but for the Standard male would prefer a little 
 more length of back than the sketch shows. It strikes 
 me that the legs show a little too much shank which tends 
 to create a gamy type. 
 
 Would also say that the position of the head and neck 
 
 believe that many breeders are injuring the utility quali- 
 ties by breeding weak birds that have small combs. I am 
 not a beefy comb advocate, but prefer a good sized comb 
 and one that is fine in texture. — B. E. Craig. 
 
 I must say that your outlines illustrate the ideal shape 
 
 for Brown Leghorns and I truly hope that every breeder 
 
 and every judge will recommend them as such. — Paul Scott. 
 
 Replying to your letter asking for criticism of the 
 
 outlines suggested for Standard Leghorn shape, would 
 
 say that on the whole, I do not like 
 
 the outline of the male as well as the 
 
 one in the Standard, present edition. 
 
 The head is very good, but the blade 
 
 of the comb should be about the 
 
 width of a pencil mark deeper; that 
 
 is the bottom of the serration should 
 
 come more nearly on a line. 
 
 The comb , on the Single Comb 
 Brown Leghbrfi' male in the new 
 Standard is a little too heavy espe- 
 cially at the rear, it is just as much 
 too heavy as the one in your sketches 
 is too light at the rear. The ear- 
 lobes should be broader at the top 
 and conform in shape to those on the 
 Brown Leghorn male in the old 
 Standard. 
 
 The outline of the S. C. Brown 
 Leghorn male in the new Standard 
 would serve very well if the head 
 were carried a little further back, 
 which would give the bird more life 
 and style. The shanks are portrayed 
 a little too large. 
 
 Your sketch is altogether too 
 high at the shoulder and there is too 
 much width at the base of the tail, 
 making the bird too heavy in the 
 rear. Owing to the fact 'that the 
 bird is posted so high on legs, the outline of the back is 
 not a natural curve. The one in the new Standard is bet- 
 ter, and is about right in my opinion. The illustration 
 lacks in art. the head being too far forward and the main 
 tail sickle feathers might be better covered with lesser 
 sickles. The outline of the S. C. Brown Leghorn female 
 on page 139 of the ne.w: Standard is very good, but I do 
 not like the heiK^ and^'^eomb.- The biieast and back are 
 very good, but it is a question if the breast is not too 
 heavy, also if the direction of the last three main tail 
 feathers is right. It appears as though the photograph 
 was taken after these feathers were broken down. 
 
 The sketch you have submitted is altogether too heavy 
 in body and shank. The body in general is too much of 
 an oblong or Dorking shape, in a miniature way. The 
 head is very good except the earlobes are a trifle large 
 and too long. The neck is too small and the breast is al- 
 together too croppy. I do not consider it as good an ideal 
 as the one in the Standard, taking the White Leghorn il- 
 lustration as the ideal, for it is very difificult to see what 
 the outline of the Brown Leghorn female in the Standard 
 is intended to be. — A. C. Smith. 
 
 Regarding the sketches of Leghorn male and female 
 sent to me, would say they are satisfactory with the ex- 
 ception of the comb on the male. I think it a trifle too 
 short for the width. — Ezra C. Carter. 
 
 In regard to the sketches will say that they are the 
 best I have seen to date. They depict a more ideal Leg- 
 horn than some photos and are far better than those in 
 the 1910 Standard. However, I would like to see a still 
 better outline, a male that is longer in back, and if you 
 will shorten the middle toe a trifle it would be perfect. 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 Regarding the hen, will say that if a little were taken 
 off the breast and the tail lengthened, she would be con- 
 siderably better. Also I do not like to see the second 
 spike on comb stand upright as much as it does. Laying 
 everything aside, I wish I had fifty birds identical with 
 the sketches you have sent. — Paul C. Bork. 
 
 As to your Leghorn prints, they are fine. — Earl E. 
 Wells. 
 
 They are surely a great improvement over the shape 
 illustrations in the new Standard. I will not attempt to 
 make any special comment, onlv that I like them. — Wm. 
 l". Brace. 
 
 It is my opinion that the sketches of the Leghorn 
 male and female that you sent me are away ahead of the 
 illustrations in the Standard. However, I would suggest 
 trifle longer wattles on the female, for as she appears in 
 the sketch, her head looks chunky. Cannot see where any 
 change could be made in the male. — E. C. Gilbert. 
 
 The blade of the comb on male is not deep enough 
 and the tail is too prominent. The body is too long; sug- 
 gest taking a quarter of an inch right through the saddle 
 from a point on the back where the main tail joins. The 
 female cannot be improved. — O. M. Robbins. 
 
 WHITE LEGHORNS FORAGING 
 
Standard Color and Feather Markings — Brown L( • 
 
 Plate I — Illustrating the color and markings on plumage of modern Standard-bred Brown Llk 
 selected by expert breeders from noted winners and representing the nearest approach to the ideal thus far 
 3. Wing bar or covert. 4. Saddle hackle. 5. Tail covert. 
 
 Standard Color and Feather Markings — Brown Leghorn Female 
 
 Plate II — Reproducing the color and markings of modern Standard-bred Brown Leghorn females that have been recognized by 
 as the nearest approach to whut they agree is required by the 1910 edition of the Standard of Perfection. 1. Neck. 2. Breast. 3. Wii 
 sides. 4. Wing secondary. 5. Back. 6. Saddle. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 Single Comb Brow^n Leghorns 
 
 [istory of Their Development — Uniform Flocks Bred Thirty Years Ago — Jndges Differed Then More 
 
 Widely Than Now — Old Style Leghorns Described — Factors that Have Brought the 
 
 Brown Leghorns to Their Present Excellence — Changes ia Scale of 
 
 Points, Shane and Color — Ideal Leghorns of Today. 
 
 AHhnr C. Smith 
 
 I AM very glad to furnish the readers of this book 
 with whatever knowledge has come within the 
 scope of my observations during the twenty years 
 that I have been a breeder and exhibitor of this ever pop- 
 ular variety, and those facts which I picked up during the 
 few years previous. It was the ambition of my boyhood 
 to own the best Brown Leghorns that any one owned 
 and therefore I began to study them as seen at the shows 
 in my locality, about 1880 or a year or two sooner. 
 
 I have also recollection of a fine flock of these fowls 
 that was kept on the next place in the early 70's. These 
 may' or may not have been "diamonds of the first water," 
 but they were uniform as a flock. The females were me- 
 dium brown in color, but the males were rather light red 
 or yellow in hackle and saddle. These birds were in gen- 
 eral appearance much the same as 
 those of the early 80's. They were 
 large in body, short in legs, and 
 heavy in combs. Briefly put, the gen- 
 eral tendency during the past thirty 
 years has been to develop a dark 
 red. even colored male and a finely 
 penciled, seal brown female. This, so 
 far as color is concerned, may be said 
 to be the goal of our ambitions. To 
 trace the revolution of the modern 
 Brown Leghorns, step by step, but 
 simply in outline, will be the aim of 
 the greater part of this article. If 
 some of the older exhibitors would 
 give us a treatise on this subject, con- 
 sidering the years covered by each 
 standard as a period of flight of steps 
 in the ascent to perfection, and each 
 year as a step, it would form an in- 
 structive and interesting work. 
 
 The Old Type of Leghorn 
 
 The type then was certainly dif- 
 ferent from the type of today, but 
 the male has not changed to so great 
 an extent as the female. Judges dif- 
 fered in their opinion in those days 
 much more than they do today, 
 therefore, the winning specimens 
 often showed a great variety of types. 
 
 The males of the early 80's were 
 as a rule very much lighter in neck 
 and saddle than those of today. A 
 male without a pronounced yellow 
 saddle was the exception. Still, it is 
 a fact that other things being equal, 
 the darker male usually won. There 
 was at that time as now. a constant 
 
 leaning toward darker color and there appeared occa- 
 sionally a male as dark as those of today. 
 
 But with all the changes in the type of the male, they 
 are comparatively small when considered with the changes 
 made in the type of female. This sex had ha dly outgrown 
 the appellation of Red Leghorn, which was applied to it 
 from the very first. The breast was rather reddish 
 salmon. The wings were red, or bricky, as they were 
 called and the neck weak in striping, while the back and 
 wings showed prominent light shafting and the pencihng 
 was much coarser than it is at the present time. 
 
 The Old Standards. 
 
 The standards of 1875, 1879, and 1883 are practically 
 identical and call for a long, well a.ched and well hackled 
 
 -^fe^^' 
 
 ^:«^^ 
 
 S. C. BROWN LEGHORN HEN "PRIDE OF LEGHORN ALLEY" 
 
3G 
 
 THE LEGHORXS 
 
 neck, the hackles being a rich golden bay, striped with 
 black. This is substantially the language in all these 
 standards, but like some phrases in the present standard, 
 it is capable of an elastic interpretation. The necks were, 
 as a rule, darker than the words "rich golden bay" would 
 imply, the top being darker than the base. 
 
 The wording of these standards on back is, to say the 
 least, peculiar and leaves us in doubt as to just what is 
 meant. The reading of this section is: "Very dark red, 
 approaching black on the lower parts, each feather 
 striped with golden bay." This certainly reads as though 
 the standard makers intended to get very dark red feath- 
 ers with broad golden bay shafts. The males of those 
 days did show what would today be considered very 
 broad shafting, but it hardly amounted to a stripe even in 
 the most pronounced examples. That the black-striped 
 saddles were in vogue and found favor as early as '82 or 
 '83, perhaps before, is certain. The writer secured a male 
 as early as '83 or '84 that was so strong in that particular 
 as one could be. and it was purchased of Tait and 
 Baldwin, which firm had won largely at the National 
 show at \\'orcester in 1883. This bird was a large six- 
 pound, vigorous fellow and the results of his influence is 
 often noted in the flock even now. 
 
 The Dark Craze 
 
 The language of these standards shows plainly that 
 an even colored bird, that is, one the same shade of red 
 in hackle and saddle, was' not desired. The birds were 
 
 S. C. BROWN LEGHORN COCKEREL 
 
 WORCESTER VIII'" 
 
 Bred and 
 
 much darker at the top of the neck than at the base, and 
 rather darker on the back and wing bow than on the 
 saddle. The dark birds grew in popularity during the 
 80's until they reached a point where the red was so dark 
 that it could scarcely be distinguished from the black. 
 Most of these birds were still some shades lighter at the 
 very base of the hackle. 
 
 This lack of contrast in the two colors gave the birds 
 a dingy look and a reaction followed. 
 
 This was before the days of double or special mat- 
 ings for either sex. Each mating was supposed to pro- 
 duce good males and females, and while some did pro- 
 duce good males and poor females and vice versa, it was 
 merely accidental and far from being the result of any de- 
 sign or foresight of the breeder. 
 
 It was but natural then, that while the males were 
 growing darker the females were also and, as that is their 
 tendency in a dark line, they became very dark and were, 
 as a rule, coarsely penciled. They were not much in dis- 
 favor, however, for a time, and I have seen females almost 
 black score 93 to 94 points. Light shafting was still 
 prominent in the back and wing, but the latter did not 
 show as much of the red as formerly. About the happiest 
 result of the "dark craze" or "black craze," I was about 
 to call it, was that we were permitted to see a very few 
 males of that seal brown plumage, free from shafting and 
 also free from the reddish or bricky shadings that were 
 ever so distasteful. 
 
 Reaction Against Dark Birds 
 
 The reaction against the "crows," 
 ^ ^ i-~ some called them, had been grow- 
 
 \, __/ ing and became a strong movement 
 
 during 1886-1888. Several men had 
 been breeding from both lighter 
 males and females all along, and 
 previous to these dates had received 
 ume recognition, but they were now 
 in a fair way to obtain reward for 
 their firmness and perseverance. The 
 ni jvement for lighter males halted at 
 t e "middle ground," but that for 
 luhter females went farther and we 
 d our "penciled with a golden 
 1)1 own" standard. That meant that 
 the lighter markings of back and 
 wing should be of a yellowish brown 
 shade. This style of a female became 
 \ery popular. The shade of color on 
 tlie back and wings outweighed 
 e\erything else. Coarse pencilings, 
 ght shafting, red wings, weak 
 hackles, poor combs, light or dark 
 coloied legs were all admissible so 
 long as that one thing desired — a 
 golden brown penciled back — was 
 present. In other words, just as we 
 were on the road to the handsomest 
 and most admired type — a seal 
 brown, free from shafting in back 
 nid wing and clear salmon in breast 
 — the standar;! makers allowed them- 
 clves to be pushed too far by popu- 
 lar clamor and, in the opinion of the 
 writer, went even farther than the 
 popular demand. 
 
 Th se golden brown females were 
 "the thing" for several years and 
 for a time the orange red males lost 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 nuiie 01 their popularity. A growing dislike of the lighter 
 color at the base of the neck was soon apparent to the 
 best breeders, and even surface color was sought by the 
 most progressive. "I do not like that light ring at the 
 base of the neck," was a phrase applied to many a bird of 
 unquestioned merit. In deference to this demand for an 
 even colored bird, the last standard was made to call for a 
 dark, rich red, having one shade of red in hackle, saddle, 
 back, shoulders and wing-bows, or in all red sections. 
 
 Double Mating a Necessity 
 
 With the demand for colored males, there still re- 
 mained the preference for the golden brown female. This 
 dissimilarity of popular types in male and female is re- 
 sponsible for our double matings. They came as an abso- 
 lute necessity when light females and dark males were 
 winning under our best judges. It should not be for- 
 gotten that the practice of double matings became uni- 
 versal when the breeders realized that light females and 
 dark males could not be produced from one mating. 
 
 There soon came a change in the popular idea of what 
 a model female should be. Breeders realized after five or 
 six years' work with the golden brown penciling that the 
 Standard, by binding them to one precise and exact shade 
 of color, barred out some of the most taking and desir- 
 able females. Be what they might in shape, in color of 
 breast and neck and in penciling, they seldom would win 
 without that one feature of overwhelming merit — a 
 golden brown back. This one quality outweighed every- 
 thing else. Good penciling, rich yellow legs, a nicely 
 striped neck, a splendid head and grand shape were as 
 nothing when compared to a golden brown back. The 
 breeders gradually realized the absurdity of this position. 
 A change was demanded which should recognize fine pen- 
 ciling of two, and only two, shades of brown in back and 
 wing, thereby eliminating that lighter shafting and placing 
 on equal footing all shades of brown, so long as each was 
 a soft, rich brown. 
 
 Changes in Scale of Points 
 
 The scale of points has changed somewhat. Now a 
 good hackle and saddle will sell a bird, but then only five 
 points were allotted to each of these sections, while the 
 comb counted fifteen points and the wattles and lobe? 
 were regarded as equally important. The growing im- 
 portance of color can be seen by following the changes in 
 the scale of points. In the scales of 1875 and 1879, comb, 
 wattles and lobes counted fifteen points each, while the 
 head counted seven. This gave a total of thirty-seven 
 points, over one-third the total valuation of the bird, to 
 the head alone, while the important color sections, viz.: 
 Hackle, saddle and wings, were given only fifteen points, 
 both for shape and color. Symmetry, size and condition 
 -'Glinted thirty points more, thus leaving but thirty-three 
 : the shape and color of the entire specimen. The 
 ■jr.' of 1883 revised that considerably by cutting the 
 ■ •-..L.,. lobes and wattles down to ten points each while 
 ri.ndition and size were cut to eight and five points re- 
 spectively. Neck and back were raised to seven points 
 and wmgs very properly to eight points. This scale has 
 remained except that in 1888 shape and color valuations 
 were divided and in the last Standard five more points 
 were given to size, these being taken from head, symmetry 
 and condition. 
 
 Ideal Leghorns of Today 
 
 What the Brown Leghorn of the future will be re- 
 mains to be seen. The present ideal in males is a dark, 
 rich red of the same shade in all red sections — an even 
 
 surface colored bird with strongly striped neck and saddle. 
 yellow legs that are what the name implies and a good, 
 five point comb, free from those hideous thutnb marks 
 and wrinkles which are more objectionable than too many 
 or too few serrations. Such a bird is and will be popular. 
 The shade of black in breast, wing-bar, tail, body and fluff 
 should be a greenish black. The purple shade should be 
 carefully avoided as it is associated almost always with 
 minute bronze bars across the feathers, which if present 
 are most pronounced in the wing-bars and coverts of the 
 tail. This is an objection that has been much overlooked 
 in past years, but one that is certainly meeting with great 
 disfavor at the present time. 
 
 The female has been pretty well described in a prev- 
 ious paragraph, but the bird that has the seal brown shade 
 
 SINGLE COMB BROWN LEGHORN COCK 
 The illustration above was drawn from life by Frank- 
 lane L. Sewell, at the Chicago Show in 1904. and is one of 
 the best portraits of an adult Brown Leghorn male we have 
 ever seen. But "Chicago Wonder" was a remarkably fine 
 specimen, being almost ideal in shape, size and color, a rare 
 combination seldom found in one specimen. Bred and ex- 
 hibited by William Ellery Bright, Waltham, Mass. 
 
 on back and wing is to become the popular favorite, even 
 i: it has not done so already. Any suggestion of red on 
 the one side or of grey on the other will not be tolerated 
 for a moment by a true student of this variety. It is, or 
 should be. a Brown Leghorn. Grey Leghorns we never 
 had. Red Leghorns we did away with long ago. 
 Changes in Shape 
 Thus far nothing has been said of the change in shape 
 during all these years. There seems to be a general ten- 
 dency in all breeds to grow smaller and Leghorns are not 
 the exception to the rule, but rather a close exponent of 
 it. The Leghorns of the early 80's were many of them 
 large in body, but shorter in legs and coarser in head than 
 those of today. They gradually, but somewhat rapidly, 
 decreased in size until they became so small that in 1890, 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 or about that time, a concerted movement was started to 
 increase the size of this variety. This met with success 
 and in a few instances was overdone to so great an extent 
 that some strains lost all semblance to Leghorn shape, 
 being too long in body and too flat on the back for typical 
 Leghorns. Such are valuable as breeders with smaller 
 strains of well formed birds, but the extreme size that de- 
 stroys and makes Leghorn shape impossible should be 
 discouraged. 
 
 You may ask, "To what do we owe the improvement 
 in Brown Leghorns?" To just two things. First, the 
 
 Standard is now just what the breeders want, and, second, 
 the judges are men who have bred these birds. Formerly 
 every show hired three judges, one for the -American 
 class, one for the Asiatic class and one for pigeons. The 
 Tfmaining classes had to take the judge that finished first. 
 Lxhibitors suffered much from these well meaning but 
 incompetent men. It is only within the past four years 
 that a Brown Leghorn breeder has been selected to judge 
 a show of such magnitude and importance as the Madison 
 Square Garden show. The result has been far reaching in 
 aiding the establishment of the true type. 
 
 Color Breeding in BroM^n Leghorns 
 
 [istory of the Production of Some of the Finest Brown Leghorns Ever Produced— Star Birds of Other 
 Days, and the Ideals to Which they Were Bred— Remarkable Results Obtained by the 
 Crossing of a Black Leghorn and a Brown Leghorn Male — Double 
 Mating is Essential 
 
 THE writer may as well confess that his taking up 
 color breeding in Brown Leghorns was merely an 
 accident of circumstances. A shift of the wheel of 
 life made it again possible to breed chickens and some real 
 good Single Comb Brown Leghorns, from which eggs for 
 hatching at a low price could be had, being handy, a start 
 was made with them. 
 
 ' The Madison Square Garden poultry show was then a 
 comijarativeiy new thing and wishing to know, at first 
 hand, ju<t what the color of Brown Leghorns was. or had 
 
 to be, we visited the above exhibition several years in 
 succession, practically for this express purpose. 
 
 Those were the days when "Chet" Howell and George 
 Burgott were showing their then famous females — 
 "Venus," "Venus H" and "Nina" and "Nina III;" while 
 in the winnings James Forsyth and Wm. Ellery Bright 
 were to be reckoned with, both in males and females, W. 
 W. Kulp appearing just a little later with a wonderfully 
 colored male, followed by Herbert Smith with a really 
 .-cn=ational bird. 
 
 A Great Trio of Brown Leghorns 
 
 Winning the blue ribbon at New YoiU 
 achievement. Grove Hiil Poultry Farm did this 
 type and style combined. 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 39 
 
 We have or had some feathers from both the Howell 
 and the Burgott champion females as well as from some 
 of the males mentioned and they are particularly interest- 
 ing after this lapse of years. 
 
 Light colored females and heavily striped males at 
 no matter what cost as to other qualities were then de- 
 manded. The writer thought he knew then considerable 
 about the theory of color breeding and was endeavoring 
 to put his beliefs and theories into practice. It was as 
 easy as seeing a haystack that color was the big IT in 
 Brown Leghorns, as it is 
 in fact today, and prob- 
 ably always will be. 
 
 About Single Mating 
 
 The first two years 
 was wasted in following 
 the will-o'-the-wisp of 
 single mating this va- 
 riety and I should like 
 here to emphasize that 
 word "wasted." Plenty 
 of advice could be found 
 in the poultry papers of 
 those days how to single 
 mate for results or, if 
 using double mating, 
 what to look for and 
 what to avoid in the 
 color and marking of 
 the breeders. When put 
 into practice these 
 proved themselves to be 
 all wrong and in the 
 light of what I now 
 know — which, by the 
 way, is not nearly as 
 much as I should like 
 to know — I cannot re- 
 member a single article 
 that was of any value to 
 me. 
 
 The theory that 
 Brown Leghorns being 
 of the black-red type or 
 of the natural color 
 scheme as found in the 
 parent stock of the galli- 
 naceous race should be 
 
 easy to modify or control, soon had to goto smash. It was 
 true all right that red pigment is never found to exist alone 
 in the plumage of fowls, but how to modify what red there 
 was into a light brown, in fact, how to make out a red 
 Leghorn a light, soft brown one, free from the glaring 
 faults that went with this color, seemed well nigh im- 
 possible and was impossible in a single mating. The 
 heavy, striping, too, in males seemed foreign to the black- 
 red male and it was some talk overheard at the Garden 
 show that a certain breeder had used Partridge Cochin 
 blood to get size in females and color in males, that gave 
 me the idea that there might be something better used to 
 produce brilliancy and striping in males. 
 
 After about a year's search a Black Leghorn female 
 was found that promised well and having a splendid 
 briglit male the two were mated. The results surpassed 
 all expectations and at one jump, from having little or no 
 striping, there was striping to burn. An abundance of 
 black pigment had been supplied and the reserve laid by 
 
 A FAMOUS BROWN LEGHORN HEN 
 
 The Single Comb Brown Leghorn hen illustia 
 Arthur C. Smith, manager of Grove Hill Poultry Yard.s 
 be the greatest Brown Leghorn hen that ever 
 first prizes at Philadelphia, one "' ^^-— ^^--.- 
 American Exposi ' " ' 
 
 at all of the abo 
 
 to last for many years. The young males from tliis mating 
 had such brilliancy of plumage that the tails were not 
 figuratively, but actually green. They were coveted, too, 
 but none were sold the first year. Then the second year 
 some were sold (six in one week at $25.00 each) and later 
 on, eggs for hatching were sold. It is to be feared, judg- 
 ing by the letters they wrote, that some of the buyers of 
 these eggs still believe me to be a rascal. The pullets 
 from those eggs, or the most of them, would grow up 
 with dark, almost black legs and without the usual salmon 
 colored breasts, the 
 breast being of the same 
 color as that of the back. 
 Writing these people, 
 that they were from 
 cockerel line matings 
 and very dark blood on 
 the female side would 
 not satisfy all of them. 
 
 Persistence in dis- 
 carding any females for 
 breeding that did not 
 have a good strong 
 hackle and plenty of 
 green sheen showing 
 over back and tail made 
 it comparatively easy to 
 hold brilliancy and color 
 in the males and, as 
 showing how good blood 
 will persist in cropping 
 up, one of the best males 
 that has appeared within 
 the last two or three 
 years, or for that mat- 
 ter, that has ever ap- 
 peared, is a direct de- 
 scendant of that Black 
 Leghorn hen and the 
 bright male. 
 
 Honor to George H. 
 Morris 
 
 About 1896 I made 
 the acquaintance at New 
 York show of a man 
 who has done more for 
 good colored Brown 
 Leghorns than any other 
 man living or dead. I refer to George H. Morris, of East 
 Orange, New Jersey, who was exhibiting a hen at the 
 Garden that year that did not get a place. Later on this 
 man by a happy union of Howell and Burgott blood, pro- 
 duced a pullet that in February, 1899, won second place at 
 Madison Square Garden. 
 
 Perhaps as much as 90 per cent of the show Brown 
 Leghorn females of this country today carry in their veins 
 the blood of this female. Practically no other blood 
 has won at the Garden since and even in very late 
 years females have appeared at this show that were the 
 simon-pure descendants of this female. Mr. Morris made 
 few friends, but with those he did make he was willing to 
 discuss Brown Leghorn color breeding by the hour. He 
 never advertised; he never sold any birds. He bred his 
 famous strain or family only a few years, but in those few 
 years he built well. To this foundation it was left to the 
 vi^riter mostly, in the years following, to build on in kind. 
 Mr. Morris believed in using a male, for pullet line 
 
 New York, 
 She also bred fir 
 shows and other shows. 
 
 She won two 
 and the Pan- 
 prize winners 
 
40 
 
 THE LEGHORN'S 
 
 breeding, that was the result of line inbreeding good fe- 
 males for a series of generations, no matter how said male 
 looked. Particularly was he indifferent to how far he 
 failed to line up to the then accepted idea of how a pullet 
 line male should look. What selec.ing he did, he did be- 
 fore the future sire was six weeks old. He so strongly 
 believed in his theory that one year finding only one baby 
 cockerel to suit him, he destroyed all the rest. The baby 
 cockerel that was to be a future sire had to have the real, 
 soft, brown color and be linely and evenly stippled all. 
 over. Such birds were not plenty, but after some years of 
 breeding such and such only, some of these baby cock- 
 erels would carry these stippled and soft brown feathers 
 in back, wing and saddle hangers even into adult plumage. 
 
 Two Lines of Blood 
 On our place at Alientown, every hen was trap-nested 
 and a strict and honest pedigree was kept, not necessarily 
 for publication but for our own protection and advance- 
 ment. The interesting fact developed that while this orig- 
 inal hen and much of her get were strongly prepotent or 
 bad in them the ability to breed on, there were really two 
 lines of blood in the family — what might be called a pre- 
 dominant line and a dormant line. Whenever this dor- 
 mant line asserted itself there was a marked difference in 
 the shade of color and the quality of the stippling and 
 curiously enough usually a variation from the type. The 
 predominant line also frequently split up and gave an ofT- 
 •colored specimen. Knowing intimately ail the history of 
 this family I believe I can explain these marked variations. 
 
 WINNING BROWN LEGHORN HEN 
 One of the most remarkable Brown Leghorn hens in color markings 
 
 To start with, there was undoubtedly a dash of cockerel 
 line blood in the make-up of the original mother hen and 
 in a future generation a half-blood male of the family was 
 used. The explanation of why the party who got the bulk 
 of Mr. Morris" famous and unrivaled string of Madison 
 Square Garden winning females never accomplished much, 
 is that he had such a male only. 
 
 The males of this line were most decidedly not much 
 to look at. "In all the good ones the black was entirely 
 lacking in lustre and of a peculiar quality readily recog- 
 nized by the initiated. Many of them had no red in the 
 wing-bows and altogether they were an unlikely looking 
 lot. Inbreeding of the deepest kind made little or no 
 color changes in these males, while intelligent selection 
 coupled with the strict and glaring white light of the trap- 
 nest steadily continued to improve and refine the females. 
 "Orange II," a male direct from Mr. Morris and the 
 twice inbred son of the original hen, on his looks, would 
 not have sold for $2.00, yet, without a question, he was 
 the strongest sire in his variety, that ever lived. Bred 
 back to his own daughters down to the third generation 
 the zenith of his breeding powers was reached in the sum- 
 mer of 1904. In the fall of that year the writer had 
 gathered together on one run forty-two selected pullets, 
 every one of which was a star. Running with them were 
 a few extra choice old hens, including the old original hen 
 then still living in fine health, but no longer laying. Such 
 a bunch of superbly colored Brown Leghorn females had 
 never been gathered together before and perhaps never 
 will be again. Many of the pullets were on the point of 
 starting laying. All of them died of 
 criminal poisoning, most of them 
 being dead before the act was discov- 
 ered. Although this reason was never 
 given, it was the real reason why the 
 business was sold to Exmoor Farms 
 in December. The latter a few weeks 
 later won first, second and third in 
 both hen and pullet classes at N. Y. 
 Throughout his breeding opera- 
 tions with Brown Leghorns the 
 writer never allowed himself to be 
 scared into discarding a breeder with 
 a white tip or even occasionally with 
 white undercolor. Being an inbreeder 
 of the deepest dye he was only afraid 
 of lowered vitality, being well aware 
 that burning a candle at both ends 
 was suicide. Hence white flights and 
 white tips were to him merely a re- 
 minder that he had sinned somewhere 
 in the handling or feeding. Another 
 thing he will always regret, that it 
 was not until in the winter of 1900 
 that he began to appreciate the value 
 of cold, fresh air on the color and 
 plumage of Brown Leghorns. 
 
 Color disqualifications should be 
 removed from Brown Leghorns and 
 the writer is unqualifiedly committed 
 to working towards this end. For in- 
 stance, a male with a green stripe 
 and a tail showing green lustre with 
 a white undercolor, is a hundred times 
 more beautiful and valuable than a 
 dingy purple and purple barred one — 
 a kind all too common in the sho.v 
 room of today. 
 
Thirty Years Amon^ BroM^n Leghorns 
 
 of a Veteran Ponltry Breeder and Judge 
 
 George H. Burtoll 
 
 THE winter of 1879 brought a poultry show at Buf- 
 falo, New York, and as our next neighbor, Mr. A. 
 F. Conger, had arranged to attend it, my mother 
 was persuaded to allow me to accompany him to this 
 show. It was held in the ice skating rink, later occupied 
 by the Cutler Desk Company, and which is now the 
 Garden Theatre. This trip I well remember; it was here 
 that I lirst saw Philander Williams, J. Y. Bicknell, Chas. 
 H. Sweet, George C. Bucknam and I think Eldridgc 
 Comey. I believe W. H. Todd was also pointed out to 
 me. I looked the birds over carefully, and how I did ad- 
 mire the Plymouth Rocks and Brown Leghorns, and it 
 was at this show that I was made a fancier. 
 
 In the spring of 1880 my mother was appealed to for 
 funds to purchase eggs. I decided to place my order with 
 C. A. Keefer, a popular breeder of Plymouth Rocks and 
 Bruwn Leghorns, for a sitting of each. Mr. Conger placed 
 hi> order with W. E. Bonney for Brown Leghorns and 
 with Sid Conger for Plymouth Rocks; this giving us a 
 combination of eastern and western breeders' stock, so 
 that we might exchange birds in the fall. 
 
 The result of my hatch from 26 eggs was 12 Brown 
 Leghorns and 10 Plymouth Rocks. 
 This appealed to my father and 
 mother as a wonderful result for 
 eggs having been transported 
 about 600 miles. Twenty cliRk-, 
 raised to maturitj'. 
 
 First Exhibit Made in 1881 
 My first exhibit was at Spring 
 villc, X. Y., January 12 to 14 1881, 
 winning second prize on cockerel 
 and pullet in Rocks and second 
 prize on cockerel and pullet in 
 Legho.ns. J. Y. Bicknell was the 
 judge and I was decidedly happy 
 with my scores and winnings A 
 cockerel was disposed of at $5 00, 
 and I well remember that my 
 father could not realize that a 
 single bird should bring that 
 amount, even though the eggs had 
 cost $4,00 per 13. 
 
 The following year at the age 
 of 18. I showed at Syracuse, N 
 Y., Springville, N. Y., and Cobles 
 kill. N. Y., and Lancaster Pa 
 under Judge Bicknell, Newton 
 Adams and Capt. James E. White 
 I have before me a copy of the 
 ••Poultry World," Vol. 10, No 5 
 May 1881. I note photograph en 
 gravings of Capt. White and 
 others, who were connected with 
 the revision of the Standard in 
 
 barred out. Mr. Bicknell, however, was instructed by the 
 secretary, Chas. R. Harker, to score my birds, which was 
 some satisfaction to me, two birds receiving scores of 96}4. 
 
 After these winnings, not being satisfied and wishing 
 to see what others had done, and how they did it, a trip 
 was made to Mr. Reefer's yards at Sterling. 111., and it 
 was on this trip that Capt. J. E. White and Geo. T. Pit- 
 kin gave me some valuable information during my one 
 day's sojourn with them at Chicago. I think this was in 
 1883. 
 
 Only a few years was spent in breeding Barred Ply- 
 mouth Rocks and my stock was closed out to Geo. K. 
 Siston, a banker of New York. 
 
 Color of Brown Leghorn Females 
 The color of the female Brown Leghorn from 1880 to 
 1890 was varied by a cross of a Keefer female and a Pot- 
 tage male. A better male was obtained and by a cross of 
 a Keefer male and female the better male was obtained. 
 These two lines were maintained and better birds were 
 produced. The Browns of 1880 to 1888-9 were unlike the 
 Browns of today in both type and color; the male was de- 
 
 In 1885, I made my entry of 
 some S. C. Brown Leghorns at 
 the old Madison Squai e Garden, 
 but on account of belated trains 
 and late arrival of birds I was 
 
 A,- 
 
 SINGLE COMB BROWN LEGHORN HEN 
 One of the finest specimens of a Brown Leghorn female ever bred or exhibited was 
 Jina C." owned and exhibited by George H. Burgott. In style and shape she was 
 ead of her time, while in color and stippling she was equal to the best bred and 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 cidedly light in color, poor in lobes, no stripe in saddle, 
 and not the male we have today. The female was de- 
 cidedly dark in both shades of brown in back, wing and 
 tail coverts, with nearly a red breast; not a bird that could 
 be admired as the dainty Browns of today. 
 
 In 1894, Madison Square Garden Show was visited. 
 Jas, Forsyth, Tenny & Harrington, Geo. H. Gallinger and 
 several others were exhibitors in Brown Leghorns. 
 
 The idea of a better colored specimen was eventually 
 started at this show, and when the revision came at Bos- 
 ton in 1898, with the assistance of Mr. Drevenstedt and 
 that past master of Browns, F. B. Zimmer, a Standard 
 was formed that made the dainty Brown Leghorn of this 
 date. Type in the Leghorn was also looked after. 
 
 "Nina" who won something like 20 firsts and at 8 
 years old won first at Cleveland show at the Grand 
 Central Armory, under B. N. Pierce, was grandma of 
 Nina C, who won 3 firsts at New York, 1st as pullet in 
 1897, 1st as hen in 1898 and 1899 and her line is very 
 creditably outlined by Mr. Wittman's valuable article on 
 Browns on page 38. 
 
 Jas. Forsyth, who won many a first on Browns at 
 New York, Madison Square Garden, is to h■^ credited for 
 his work in improving them, as is C. E. Mowell, who 
 showed many a grand "Venus" line female. 
 
 It was at this time when Mr. Morris became inter- 
 ested and did so much scientific work, so did Mr. Wittman 
 begin to produce some elegant birds. I will never forget 
 the many questions put to me by that genial gentleman, 
 Mr. Geo. H. Morris. However, he accomplished what he 
 desired and then dropped out. 
 
 Judging -Brown Leghorns to many breeders may 
 seem an easy task, but my thirty-one years' experience 
 with this variety has convinced me otherwise. It has 
 taught me to use caution in placing awards on Brown 
 Leghorns, in fact too much caution cannot be used in 
 executing the work of placing the awards. 
 
 poll 
 
 :'OMB BRUW'N LEGHORN PULLET 
 beautiful pullet in color markings, with nice head 
 
 Every section of the bird must be carefully examined, 
 all must be looked after in surface and undercolor. 
 This, where you are handling from IS to 40 birds in a 
 class, must all be conveyed to the mind and left there, for 
 the final roundup of the winning specimens. To all this 
 labor is added the shape and type of the Leghorn which 
 also must be borne in mind when making the final awards. 
 
 A thorough knowledge of the Standard and the ability 
 to apply it, as well as 
 
 WifiNinc Exhibition Pen S.C Brown Leghorns 
 NEW YORK. MADlSm SQUARE GARDEN 
 
 Bred .Owned ^nd Exhibited by 
 
 ceo. H.BuecoTT 
 
 A WINNING PEN AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN. 190S 
 
 The male and females in the pen illustrated above, not only exhibit the tine color marking 
 but show the sprightW carriage of the modern Brown Leghorn and represented the highe 
 tvpes of Brown Leghorns in vogue in 1898. 
 
 an inborn love for the 
 breed, are necessary 
 q u a 1 i f i cations when 
 judging Brown Leg- 
 horns or any other va- 
 riety of poultry. 
 
 The recent re- 
 vision of the Standard, 
 if carefully and thor- 
 oughly studied will 
 enable the breeder to 
 know what a good 
 Brown Leghorn is. 
 The best and briefest 
 description of the 
 proper shade of color 
 in the male and female 
 is, it should not be too 
 light, neither too dark. 
 The medium shade will 
 catch the winnings. If 
 the male possesses the 
 Standard requirements 
 in neck, back, wings 
 and the same applies 
 to the female, with 
 good headpoints, these 
 qualifications will bring 
 the specimen well up 
 in the front. 
 
Brown Leghorns, Past and Present 
 
 A Review of the Standard-Bred Brown Leghorns ol Twenty Years Ago and Those of Today 
 
 Job. F. Carter 
 
 BROWN Leghorns were my first love in poultry, and 
 for more than a quarter of a century I clung to 
 them with almost bull dog tenacity, despite the 
 fact that the Standard has done more to injure them than 
 a dozen years of good, faithful work, on the part of those 
 who champion their cause, can undo. However, I believe 
 the damage will be undone and that the Brown Leghorn 
 will again come into its own. The older breeders can re- 
 member that wherever one went, there the sprightly, 
 brown, egg-machines were decidedly in evidence. 
 
 Double Mating Necessary to Produce Desired Color 
 
 I say brown. Are the rich, soft, brown birds to be 
 found today save in the yards of those breeders who 
 practice double mating? Is it any longer possible for the 
 average man who keeps a flock of Browns on a city lot, 
 say "40 by 40," even think of raising some of the pros- 
 pective prize winners? Is it because the variety is any 
 the less worthy of public recognition than it was two, 
 three or four decades ago, that we see so few of them as 
 compared with those times? These are questions that 
 must appeal to the breeders of the variety, and I am 
 pleased to note that they are sitting up to take notice and 
 that those most interested are willing to admit that the 
 black stripe in the saddle has destroyed the rich golden 
 brown in the plumage of the females. 
 
 Color Governed by the Male 
 
 As an evidence of this fact, I will give you an illustra- 
 tion. First, every intelligent breeder will admit that size 
 is taken from the female and that color is governed by 
 the male. Having settled this matter in our minds, let us 
 take up the subject of the pigment or coloring matter that 
 enters into the feathers. Suppose we take black, red and 
 orange (or yellow) and mix these pigments as an artist 
 would, a color printer or lithographer, until we get that 
 soft, rich brown with which the female Browns were 
 once adorned. We noted carefully the proportions used 
 and made, at least, a mental memorandum of it. We will 
 now take the same colors as previously used and will cut 
 away twenty-five per cent, of the red and orange and in 
 its stead we add an equal amount of black. Well, that is 
 first what was done with the Brown Leghorn males. And 
 inasmuch as the male controls the color, is it any wonder 
 that the females of today are anything but brown? Shall 
 we sacrifice the color of all the females for the purpose 
 of gratifying the idiosyncrasy of a few who think the 
 black stripe in the saddle of the male is more to be con- 
 sidered than the color of all the female birds to say 
 nothing of injuring their popularity as a variety of a noble 
 breed? 
 
 My Early Experience 
 
 I recall that many years ago I had the pleasure of 
 entertaining a prominent poultry judge. I remember how 
 enthusiastic he was over the black stripe in the saddle 
 that was fast beginning to take hold upon the fanciers of 
 the Browns. I remember, too, when he went out to look 
 over my flock, his exclamation: "Oh! you are a pullet 
 
 boy." Yes I was. But I didn't know as much about color- 
 ing material then as I do now, nor did I realize as fully as 
 I do now the extent to which the male bird transmits the 
 coloring matter to its progeny. And so, like thousands 
 of others, I fell into the pit that someone else had dug 
 for me, and the joy I found in the black stripe in the 
 saddle came near being my undoing. A few years ago at 
 an exhibition, a gentleman said: "Come and see my prize 
 winning Brown Leghorn hen." I went the length of the 
 hall with him to see a bird that, for color, was a "frosty- 
 edged" nondescript. I wouldn't have carried it home for 
 it. 
 
 Standard of 1883 vs. Standard of 1910 
 
 Before me, as I write, I have the Standard of Excel- 
 lence of 1883. Here is the description for the back of the 
 male bird: "Very dark red, approaching black on the 
 lower part, each feather striped with golden bay." The 
 same Standard calls for a hackle thus: "The hackles being 
 a rich golden bay, striped with black." The present Stand- 
 ard calls for saddle feathers, rich brilliant red with lus- 
 trous greenish-black stripe running through the middle of 
 each feather, same as in the hackle. I now call your at- 
 tention to the difference between a rich golden-bay and a 
 rich brilliant red as shown by the color charts in the 
 present Standard. The tendency has not only been to 
 supplant the "Golden Bay" in the saddle of the male 
 birds of 1883 with black, but the color of red has been 
 darkened. The whole tendency has been to greatly darken 
 the plumage of the male bird. The present Standard in 
 its description of the back of the female calls for "a light 
 brown finely stippled with a darker brown, the lighter 
 shade predominating. I would like to have the party, in 
 whose fertile brain this description originated, stand right 
 up in his place and tell us how he intends to produce it 
 with the present Standard requirements for the male bird. 
 Or doesn't he intend to use a Standard male bird to get 
 it? .'\nd if not, of what earthly use is the male bird, of 
 not only the present Standard, but every other Standard, 
 that has called for the black stripe in the saddle, except 
 for show purposes only and for the made bird only. ' 
 
 Mating For the Desired Color in Females 
 
 If you would have that beautiful brown for which th» 
 females were once noted, get a male bird that is abso- 
 lutely and wholly devoid of black in the saddle and with 
 a hackle that, instead of a black stripe, if you can find it, 
 has a dark maroon stripe. Mate it to your female birds, 
 and then to its own daughters and see if you don't get fe- 
 males that it will be a pleasure to look at. Will the breed- 
 ers of Brown Leghorns go back' to the 1883 Standard de- 
 scription for the color of the back of the male and once 
 more give to the females the beautiful brown color that 
 belongs to them and of which they were, doubtless, un- 
 willingly robbed? I think they will. If not of the volition 
 of the master minds, at least by a popular clamor for a 
 restoration of the earlier color that made the varieties 
 famous. 
 
Rose Comb Brown Leghorns 
 
 story of the Formation of Different Strains of the Variety— Breeding for Exhibition- 
 Improvement in Color of Females — Value as Layers — Egg Records. 
 
 I HAVE been breeding Rose Comb Brown Leghorns 
 since 1884; so I feel rather well acquainted with, 
 and think very highly of them as a breed, for they 
 have made many dollars for me. 
 
 History of the Breed as I Know It 
 
 The records 1 have credit Mr. T. C. McDaniels, of 
 South Hollis, Maine, as the first breeder of Rose Comb 
 Leghorns. He called them the "York" fowl first, then 
 the "Rose Comb Brown." What breeds he used I do not 
 know, but I think either he or some one later must have 
 used the Hamburg, for many showed the Hamburg type 
 back in the eighties. The eggs also resembled the Ham- 
 burgs'. 1 am almost certain some Red Cap blood was used 
 in one strain. The Red Cap comb has caused trouble, but 
 the Hamburg blood and the Red Cap infused into th,; 
 original Leghorn have seemed to intensify the laying 
 ability of the Rose Comb Browns. 
 
 In 1884, when I began to breed them, Mr. James 
 Forsyth, of Owego, N. Y., was the leading breeder. He 
 bought out Mr. Crofutt. About that time Mr. H. E. 
 Benedict of Elmira, was breeding birds that looked like 
 this strain. They were very good in shape, light in color 
 (the color we call "pullet breeding" now), but the females 
 were not soft brown, rather a coarser, harsher brown. 
 About 1888 Mr. William H. Hughes of Long Island bred 
 a strain he brought out that produced large red males 
 
 and also a strain that produced the most beautiful golden 
 brown females. Mr. Drevenstedt pointed out my "Queen 
 Esther" to a prominent Single Comb Brown breeder and 
 said she was a worthy pattern for the Single Comb 
 Browns in color. Just what Mr. Hughes used to produce 
 it I do not know. I bought all of this strain in 1891 and 
 these birds were the beginning of the beautifully colored 
 females now shown. 
 
 As a Utility Breed 
 As bred today the Rose Comb Brown Leghorns stand 
 as one of the very best egg utility breeds in existence. 
 This assertion is made from a mass of testimony received 
 from men and women who have tried all the egg breeds 
 and are in a position to judge. Not all strains will meet 
 this standard, but the strains bred along the latest lines 
 will They must have size, size of eggs, and lots of eggs. 
 
 Egg Records 
 
 The Rose Comb Browns as I have bred them have 
 made some extra fine records. The first record I made 
 was in 1885. I put six Rose Comb pullets in a building 
 one year on January 5th, when the first one laid. The 
 building was ten by eighteen feet, with no yard. I did not 
 let them out for five months and twenty-five days, and 
 in that time I gathered about six hundred eggs. I was 
 voung at the business then and did not feed to make a 
 
 Brown Leghorns Twenty Years Ago 
 
 The type illustrated above was popular in the ethlv aO'; 
 r Single and Rose Comb Brown Leghorns. Reproduced fr 
 
THE LEGllUKXS 
 
 record at all. I just fed them well. I know I could do 
 much better now. During this past January I wanted 
 some eggs and in seven days made them increase their 
 yield nearly live hundred per cent. Later three pullets 
 from one sitting laid 726 eggs in 365 days, or one year — 
 an average of 242 eggs a year. Since that, or two years 
 ago, a pullet laid seven eggs in eight days, another four- 
 teen eggs in sixteen days, still another twenty-one eggs in 
 twenty-two days. These records were all made in mid- 
 winter, during very cold weather. Many persons are 
 using them for egg farms, as they lay large eggs. I have 
 had five hens laying eggs 
 from twenty-nine to thirty- 
 four ounces to the dozen — 
 too large to use for setting. 
 
 Last summer I -had a 
 pen of twenty-one Rose 
 Comb hens running with a 
 few pullets. In the next 
 house were thirteen Barred 
 Rock pullets. I found that 
 the thirteen Rocks required 
 almost the same amount of 
 food the twenty-one Leg- 
 horns did, and in a ten-days' 
 count the Leghorns laid five 
 more than twice as many 
 eggs as did the Rocks, and 
 my Rocks were good layers, 
 too. To sell eggs at the 
 price I do I must have good 
 layers. We see by the above 
 test that a Leghorn egg 
 costs less than one-half as 
 much as a Rock egg. This 
 was in June. In April the 
 Rocks would have laid more. 
 When you come down trj 
 facts it seems to be as Mr. 
 C. E. Howell says: ".A Leg- 
 horn is so profitable as a 
 layer that you can af?3rd to 
 give or throw away the 
 body." But the Leghorns are 
 
 increasing in weight, and when the hens dress four pounds 
 each the market value of the carcass will be no mean 
 part of the Leghorn as a utility fowl. 
 
 One thing I feel sure of, and that is, the larger the 
 bird, the more it will eat and the more each egg will cost. 
 The period from egg to maturity will also be lengthened. 
 It cannot be otherwise. I favor and try to breed so that 
 cockerel-, when developed, will weigh five pounds and the 
 pullets three and one-half pounds each. I have several 
 five-pound Rose Comb cockerels and four-pound pullets, 
 and they are large, making a fine appearance. To get 
 these weights you must pay attention to width of back. 
 Part of the weight must be in width. I have seen many 
 Single Comb Brown Leghorns that were tall enough to 
 weigh five pounds, but they had only the width of a three- 
 pound cockerel. A Leghorn pullet weighing three pounds 
 is a fair-sized bird. If below three pounds when they 
 are developed, I should call them small. A three-pound 
 pullet will at two years make a four-pound hen. 
 
 I think that in the Brown Leghorn we have combined 
 grace, beauty and usefulness to a higher degree than in 
 any other breed. I am well aware that all breeds are 
 beautiful when bred close to perfection. I cannot look 
 at the fine specimens shown at Xew York without want- 
 
 ing to breed them all, but in the Browns we l.ave so much 
 in so little. 
 
 The Rose Comb Browns may not be quite so showy 
 as the Single Comb Browns because of their low combs, 
 but the advantage of the low, fleshy comb has made them 
 popular in the northern states, although they are also 
 bred in the south perhaps to as great an extent propor- 
 tionately as in the north, considering all breeds north and 
 south. My sales of eggs from Rose Combs have been 
 greater than from Single Comb Browns up to the last two 
 years. Now they are about the same. The entries of 
 Rose Comb Browns are 
 steadily increasing at the 
 shows. The New York Show 
 contains large classes each 
 year. For some years fe- 
 males have been shown equal 
 to Single Comb Browns in 
 color, and males also, for 
 Cyrus 1st was cut only one- 
 half point on color at Cleve- 
 land, Ohio, and Cyrus 2nd 
 scored 93i/ after being cut 
 one and one-half for a little 
 gray in one wing, caused by 
 clipping the wing, then pull- 
 ing it to get it into the show. 
 One thing that has dis- 
 couraged breeders has been 
 the rose comb. The stock 
 ('uring the first ten years 
 after being admitted to the 
 Standard (which was in 1883, 
 I believe) bred combs too 
 large and too far away from 
 the head. They would soon 
 topple over, but that fault is 
 pretty well remedied, al- 
 though some combs still 
 grow to be too large. I have 
 been measuring a few combs 
 that I think nearly right. I 
 find a cock's comb that fits, 
 closely to the head and 
 seems about the right size for looks is one and seven- 
 eights inches wide in front, two and one-half inches long. 
 The comb should taper to where the spike starts. The 
 spike should be a long one, and extend straight out on a 
 level with the top of the comb. A rose comb should be 
 covered with small points on the top. A smooth comb is 
 a defect. The cock having the comb here described weighs 
 about five pounds and was behind a "blue" at New York. 
 To reproduce it I want his mate to have a comb flat on top, 
 seven-eighths of an inch wide and one and one half inches 
 to spike, with a straight spike three-fourths of an inch long. 
 I should like to have shown a cut of this cock, but 
 after trying l\ve exposures, some at home and two in a 
 photograph gallery, I gave it up. I find it very hard to 
 get a good, true likeness of any Leghorn, and this cock 
 is the most nervous chap I ever tried to photograph. In 
 the pen he is quiet, but will not stand for his picture. In 
 mating for good combs, or in fact any section, I would 
 rather have a female first-class than the male, if I could 
 have only one first-class, for I find the chicks follow the 
 mother in almost seventy-five per cent, of the progeny. I 
 think here is where good resvilts are often lost. A first- 
 class male is selected, but not enough attention is paid to 
 his mate or mates. - 
 
 ROSE COMB BROWN LEGHORN COCK 
 The above picture reproduced from a photograph of 
 one of W. W. Kulp's noted Rose Comb Brown Leghorn 
 males, fails to show the rich color and striping of the 
 hackle and saddle feathers; the shape also is not suc- 
 cessfully portrayed owing to improper posing of the 
 specimen. The fine head points, hovvever, are well re- 
 produced by the camera. 
 
4« 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 To a beginner, if a bird had a good comb he will 
 hardly look farther, but after some years he will learn 
 there are other important pcl.its. Color is usually con- 
 sidered the most important part of a Brown Leghorn, and 
 I think about the hottest place a judge gets into at a 
 show is where a bird has extra fine color but is not so 
 good in shape, while another has extra fine shape and fair 
 color. Each thinks he has the best. 
 
 The shape of the body back of the legs is an im- 
 portant point to the eye. The fluff should extend beyond 
 the legs, giving us a balanced and symmetrical body. I 
 would like to show it in its beauty in living models; also 
 the style where the body seems to come to an end right 
 back of the legs. If you have no male with this shape — 
 the long fluff — but have the upstanding kind, mate him to 
 hens having a full saddle rising to the tail. I at one time 
 
 Rose Comb. 
 
 BROWN LEGHORN EGGS 
 
 The two dozen eggs illustrated above were laid by Rose Comb and Single Comb 
 Brown Leghorn hens bred and owned by W. W. Kulp. Pottstown, Pa. Each dozen 
 weighs 32 ounces, which is eight ounces per dozen above the average weight of market 
 eggs, 
 
 mated a high tailed cockerel to such a hen and every male 
 had the shape of the hen and but one pullet had the cock- 
 erel's shape. One had the hen's, and the others were in 
 between the two. In color this sire striped dark. The 
 ilam was medium dark only. The edge of the cockerel's 
 hackle and saddle was light red. All the cockerels were 
 only medium to very light, with not much striping, while 
 all th€ pullets had a dark ground color, penciled rather 
 light — as light as the mother — but had two pencilings 
 where she had one. This mating produced show pullets 
 while I wanted show cockerels. She had the shape and 
 ■■.omb and was medium dark. 
 
 Of late years the great point to be gained seems to 
 DC Dlack stripes in hackle and saddle. The black edged 
 with a bright, rich red is beautiful, no doubt, and should 
 first be bred in the neck to perfection. What I mean is, 
 do not sacrifice hackle for saddle, for you can see the 
 hackle, both the black and golden red, one hundred feet 
 away, while the black of the back can only be seen right 
 by handling. The neck being arched prevents the feath- 
 ers from lapping enough to cover the black, while the 
 Standard back makes a concave sweep and this laps the 
 feathers until only the red shows, making practically a 
 solid red saddle except when handled or viewed very 
 close. 
 
 The proper mate to use to a dark, metallic striped 
 
 hackle and saddle is a female having solid or almost black 
 stripe in neck. Edge color should go to the end of the 
 feather or you will have a smutty hackle on your cock- 
 erels. I should prefer a plain saddle with a beautifully 
 edged hackle, the red color extending to and around the 
 end of each feather on the cape to a perfect saddle, with 
 the hackle only red on the upper part, the cape or lower 
 part being black, both the edge and center. I would ad- 
 vise this: Never give up a good hackle and fair saddle for 
 a fair hackle and good saddle. I have seen it done often 
 in the Single Comb Browns, but I was also glad to see 
 our best judges favor the best hackle in preference to the 
 best saddle. 
 
 The pullets from a dark cockerel, and his mate to re- 
 produce him, are always bad in breast color. It is im- 
 possible to hold a salmon breast and produce the black 
 stripe in saddles. In Sint,1e 
 Comb Browns, lots of pullets 
 will get breasts like their backs, 
 and I know it will produce the 
 same in Rose Comb Browns. 
 But if the Standard and the 
 buyers demand a striped saddle 
 we will have to put up with 
 dark females. 
 
 White is a great source of 
 tiouble between the buyer and 
 the seller of eggs for hatching. 
 Very few stop to consider that 
 white is simply the absence of 
 color. It can be and is hered- 
 itary, but it can and is just as 
 often produced by other causes 
 and blamed by the buyer to the 
 seller's stock. The color of the 
 feathers is deposited by the 
 blood. If the chick is kept on 
 limited range, or ill fed, it will 
 fail to make the color nearly as 
 good as if fed properly. If a 
 feather is bruised or fails to 
 break the skin at the proper 
 time, it will come with a white tip. This can be easily 
 proved by injuring a stub just coming through, especiaHy 
 the stub of a flight feather. 
 
 I have been doing a little measuring to give definite 
 information in regard to length of legs. A Leghorn should 
 have a length of leg to correspond to the length of its 
 neck and tail. If short in legs it is out of proportion. I 
 find five-pound cockerels should have five and one-half to 
 six inches of daylight from the bottom of the feathers to 
 the ground right between the legs. One that is six and 
 one-half inches is fully as high as it should be. You will 
 find by taking the bird in your hand and placing a foot 
 rule against the breast-bone down along the leg, stretch- 
 ing it to its full length, that a bird measuring ten and 
 one-half inches is tall on his legs. I have them that go 
 to eleven and one-half and I consider that plenty tall 
 enough. 
 
 The Standard colored Brown Leghorn female in per- 
 fection is a model in both shape and color. In color she 
 should be brown all over, except the neck. It should be 
 a golden color, with a black stripe down the center of 
 each feather. I do not remember that I ever saw one of 
 that kind with a brown back. If the hackle is black cen- 
 tered, the ground color of the feathers is black also, and 
 you have black, metallic black, and brown for your 
 color; while if the hackle has some penciling in the cen- 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 47 
 
 ters you can have the bac^ a dull black, called brown, and 
 you want it penciled with 'those small, golden-brown dots, 
 so small and the dots so close together that if you step 
 back six to ten feet, her back and wings will look like a 
 soft, velvety brown. You cannot see a particle of black, 
 and here you have the true Brown Leghorn and the 
 shade, that is the most beautiful and the shade that wins. 
 Such a color of back and wings has been produced in the 
 liose Comb Browns, practically free from shafting— that 
 is., free from a shaft that is colored a lighter shade than 
 the ground of the feather. 
 
 The male that should be mated to such a female will 
 be of the same shape as the male described, with the 
 comb the same. The lobes of all breeders should be 
 clear white, smooth and oval in shape and fit flat to the 
 he^d. The face should be free from white. The color of 
 the neck of the male should be golden with black center 
 on the cape and as far in and up the neck as you can get 
 it. Wings should be in color a dull brown, the duller they 
 are the less brick there will be in his female get. The 
 saddle on top should be as free from black centers as pos- 
 
 sible. The centers should be brown. The edge should 
 shade lighter down the sides, have a golden cast dark 
 undercolor for all breeders. Legs should be yellow and 
 of proper length. Tail carried low and full. 
 
 With such a mating you are sure to reproduce the 
 best females. For one mating take such a male, or one a 
 little darker, and mate him with light show females, part 
 of the pen to be dark females, and you will get dark males 
 from your dark females. 
 
 Today I know there are hundreds breeding Rose 
 Comb Browns who keep them just for eggs and beauty. 
 They select them because of the non-freezing comb. I 
 would say: "Come to the show with your stock." It will 
 pay in pleasure and money. Breed the best you can and 
 keep at it. 
 
 I will add 
 hundreds give 
 keep them in a c 
 
 word about yaiding. I know that 
 p Leghorns because they cannot 
 imon yard. I have only two pens with 
 eight-foot fences; the rest are of four-foot wire. But I 
 clip short every bird in them, leaving a feather on one 
 side to preserve the shape. It does not spoil their looks. 
 
 What Breeders Say 
 
 Progress Made in 
 
 Color and Shape in the Past Two Decades — Virtue and Faults of the V^ariety Today — How 
 The Revised Standard Will Benefit Brown Leghorns in the Future. 
 
 THAT a well-lired modern Brown Leghorn, single or 
 rose comb, is the most beautiful variety in color 
 and markings of the Leghorn family, is generally 
 a'dmitted by close students of color. The lustrous green- 
 ish black of the hackle and saddle stripings, sickles, and 
 tail coverts; and the brilliancy of the red color of the 
 neck, back and wingbows of a Standard exhibition male, 
 are strikingly beautiful, rarely equaled and never sur- 
 passed by any other breed or variety having similar color 
 markings. The soft brown, finely stippled feathers of 
 the back, tail coverts and wings of the female exhibit a 
 color scheme of rare beauty, characteristic of the Brown 
 Leghorn only. 
 
 It has taken years of patient labor and close study m 
 selecting proper matings, to produce and perfect the color 
 markings of Brown Leghorns, many breeders giving up 
 the task, believing it either too slow and unprofitable or 
 contrary to the best interests of the variety. They looked 
 upon the Brown Leghorns as a market fowl principally 
 so considered the egg producing quality as of paramount 
 importance; also contending that striped hackles and 
 saddles were foreign to the breed and tending to make 
 double matings compulsory in order to produce exhi 
 bition males and females, consequently reducing the num- 
 l)er of saleable specimens. ' Their creed was single 
 matings with plenty of chickens to sell, but the real 
 fancier and breeder of Brown Leghorns had higher ideals 
 He wanted the bird beautiful, so proceeded to produce it 
 regardless of the clamor and criticisms of poultry writers 
 and breeders infested with the utility bug. The work of 
 such noted breeders of Brown Leghorns as James 
 Forsyth, C. E. Howell, W. Theo. Wittman, the late Dr 
 H. W. Dorsey, James Qurollo, W. W. Kulp, Geo. C 
 Morris, Geo. H. Burgott, W. F. Brace, F. W. Weeks, H 
 E. Benedict, J. F. Carter, Tenny & Harrington, William 
 EUery Bright, L. Brown, D. M. Owen, W. Henderson and 
 Arthur C. Smith of the past and present, and the more 
 recent achievements of Miss Pitchlyn, W. R. Bowers, 
 Mrs. Forbes, J. H. Henderson, Charles O. Miers, W. H. 
 
 Wiebke, T. H. Woods, W. H. Hearstield and other good 
 fanciers have produced magnificent results. Most of these 
 breeders stuck loyally to their favorites, and to such good 
 fanciers, the "dainty Browns" owe their present high 
 Standard of excellence in both color markings and type. 
 
 In order to get the views of prominent and success- 
 ful breeders of Brown Leghorns, on the progress made 
 in the past two decades, and of the virtues and faults of 
 
 ENGLISH TYPE OP BROWN LEGHORN HEN 
 
-1-8 
 
 this varietj' today, we sent 
 fanciers in the East and Wi 
 this symposium from: 
 Geo. H. Burgott, New York 
 \V. W. Kulp. Pennsylvania. 
 W'm. F. Brace, Xew York. 
 Charles O. Miers, Penna. 
 \V. VV. Carmen, New York. 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 1 list of questions to leading 
 ■St. We received answers to 
 
 D. M. Owen, Tennessee. 
 H. C. Short, Kansas. 
 T. H. Woods, Missouri. 
 I.oring Brown, Georgia. 
 l-"lorence Forbes, Alabama. 
 
 .■\. C. Smith, Massachusetts. J. H. Henderson, Tennessee. 
 
 W. n. Wiebke, Indiana. 
 
 L. P. Harris, Nebraska. 
 
 W. H. Warnock, Illinois. 
 
 The questions and answers follow: 
 
 1. How does the Brown Leghorn of today compare 
 in color and shape with the Brown Leghorn of ten or 
 more years ago? 
 
 The Brown Leghorn of today is decidedly a more 
 beautiful bird than was produced under the Standard 
 prior to its revision at Boston, and an improvement on 
 the specimen of ten years ago. — George H. Burgott. 
 
 It is a little over ten years since the very fine, clear, 
 golden Browns have been bred and shown, and in that 
 time I think but little change has been made, for some very 
 fine females have been bred. — W. W. Kulp. 
 
 The shape of both male and female perhaps is some- 
 what better. The color of male is not as good, but that 
 of female is greatly improved. — William F. Brace. 
 
 I believe the males have improved both in shape and 
 in color. The females have improved in color of hackle, 
 and there are more good females, more people are breed- 
 ing good females. — yet. the back and body color has not 
 improved. — Charles C. Miers. 
 
 Some breeders are getting better color, especially in 
 females. The males in R. C. Browns are very much 
 
 BROWN LEGHORN 
 
 KKREL. 
 
 better. Shape as a whole is better, but with a tendency to 
 too long bodies and not curve enough in back, and tail 
 lower than should be. — W. W. Carmen. 
 
 Improved in shape, size, color and markings. Males 
 and females more even in color. Females, less shafting 
 and brick in best specimens.— .A. C. Smith. 
 
 ROWN LEGHORN PULLET 
 
 The males are darker in color and the female^ lighter. 
 Size has also increased some. — W. H. Wiebke. 
 
 The color of males is better than ten years ago. Color 
 of females is not so good as some few of the best speci- 
 mens of ten years ago. — D. M. Owen. 
 
 The females are much lighter on backs and wings, the 
 males darker in hackle and saddle, making it impossible 
 to produce winning males and females from the same 
 mating, thereby having unsatisfied customers, especially 
 if beginners in the poultry business, and a very uneven 
 flock in color, both males and females being dark and 
 light.— H. C. Short. 
 
 Males have better combs, more perfect in stripe, 
 especially in back, lower tail shape. Females are not so 
 dark, are finer stippled, with but very little shaft and 
 brick; in fact they are very much improved.— T. H. 
 Woods. 
 
 .\o, by no means. It seems impossible to get any 
 l;'io<1, true Leghorns any more, so I have given them up- 
 ihis year for the Whites, after breeding Browns oontinu- 
 cilly i"or thirty-eight years. — Loring Brown. 
 
 Most of the judges prefer a lighter shade of brown. — 
 Florence Forbes. 
 
 The prize winning male of today is very much darker, 
 and most of our leading judges seem to favor the male 
 with the extreme black striping in hackle and saddle, 
 thereby encouraging the breeder to produce a male of 
 much darker shade of color throughout. — J. H. Hender- 
 son. 
 
 The cocks are much darker red in neck and saddle; 
 the females much lighter in back and wings and more 
 evenly penciled. — L. P. Harris. 
 
 .\ better colored female, but little improvement in 
 male aside from better stripe in saddle. The males of 
 today have much more purple in plumage, the craze for 
 heavy striping in hackle and saddle being the cause. — W. 
 G. Warnock. 
 
 2. Has not the present Standard's description of the 
 color of males lessened the brightness of surface color 
 and caused the females bred from such males to lose in 
 brownish surface color, thereby making extreme double 
 matings more necessary than in the past? 
 
 It will be impossible to breed a beautiful bird even 
 under the last revision — from a single mating. I am 
 unable to see a cause for dropping the single mating 
 
niE LEGHORNS 
 
 4'.) 
 
 system, when I see the best breeders of Hamburgs and 
 Polish on this continent, using this system.— George H. 
 Burgott. 
 
 I have always favored the golden browns, as they are 
 the most beautiful; and I have always noticed that per- 
 sons who are not interested will select those as the finest 
 color, regardless of the Standard. We who breed them 
 know they are much harder to breed than the darker col- 
 ored ones. It is not nearly so hard to breed a dark, clear- 
 winged pullet, as it is to breed a golden-colored, clear- 
 winged pullet; and when they are as finely stippled as 
 they well could be, the height of beauty is reached so far 
 as color goes in the female. — W. W. Kulp. 
 
 The present Standard has lessened the brilliancy of 
 tlie males, causing smuttiness in saddle and hackles, and 
 mtrple in shade, instead of 
 
 the general color very much more of the smut and purple, 
 causing the females bred from such males to lose in 
 brownish surface color — thereby making double matings 
 imperative. — J. H. Henderson. 
 
 The present Standard makes it impossible to breed 
 both good exhibition males and females from same mat- 
 ing. Still I admire the colors of each more as they are 
 now than as they were ten or more years ago. — L. P. 
 Harris. 
 
 Yes, females bred from present day males have little 
 resemblance to Brown Leghorns, many of them being so 
 dark as to be unfit for breeding and are salable only for 
 layers.— W. G. Warnock. 
 
 3. Would not a 
 
 the beetle green we used t > 
 find. The females are very 
 much too dark — -in fact, 
 they are hiore like the 
 Partridge Cochin in mark- 
 ings. I think it would be 
 impossible to make single 
 matings and get .the beau- 
 tiful color we have on fe- 
 males, but by lightening 
 the shade of males we 
 would get more brilliar: 
 color and less of the purple, 
 which is now so objection- 
 able.— William F. Brace. 
 
 Those extremely dark 
 matings are not at all 
 necessary and are of no 
 account, always breeding 
 too much smut and a lack 
 of led on wings. We no- 
 tice some judges are over- 
 looking this bad defect. — 
 Charles O. Miers. 
 
 Ten or fifteen years 
 ago I had lots of males 
 that were very glossy, giv- 
 ing a beautiful effect; now 
 not over one in twenty 
 shows this gloss, if they are 
 of a deep rich red. The 
 cockerel breeding fenialo 
 of today are anything but 
 brown. The deep red binl 
 is very handsome in the 
 hagd, or a few feet away, 
 but the brighter colored 
 bird takes the eye in the 
 yard. — W. W. Carmen. 
 
 The female that is de- 
 sired now, and that ha- 
 been desired for twenty 
 and more years back, pro- 
 duces a male so colorless 
 and characterless that it is 
 a waste of time and mental pi 
 mating proposition. — A. C. Sn 
 
 Yes.— W. H. Wiebke. 
 
 Males of present Standard description th 
 entirely too dark in color. — D. M. Owen. 
 
 It has caused the color in females to win in males 
 a Dark Brahma female color. And can any breeder of the 
 Brown Leghorn realize the contrast in color to a winning 
 female? Is it any wonder for a beginner ordering a trio for 
 producing exhibition males, to be amazed at the contrast 
 in the color of females to exhibition females? 
 
 To produce birds for the present Standard it re- 
 quires two matings to produce birds of the highest type. 
 The female-cockerel matings result in birds too dark for 
 show purposes, and the cockerel-pullet matings result in 
 birds too light; double matings are absolutely necessary. 
 — T. H. Woods. 
 
 It certainly has. — Loring Brown. 
 
 The present Standard makes it impossible to breed 
 Single Brown Leghorns unless you have a double mating. 
 — Florence Forbes. 
 
 Yes. In our great desire to produce a male with the 
 extreme dark striping in hackle and saddle we have lost 
 much of the rich brilliant red and have introduced into 
 
 FIRST PftllECK'BLftT 
 
 BRED AKO OWNED Q'i 
 
 BROWN LEliHORN 
 
 ith. 
 
 to think of the singl 
 
 pullets 
 
 ghter or more brilliant red in 
 hackle and saddle and a 
 slate instead of a black or 
 dark slate undercolor 
 prove conducive to larger 
 percentages of good fe- 
 males and make single 
 matings possible? 
 
 I believe brilliant red 
 is right, and also that too 
 much weight has been put 
 upon dark undercolor, caus- 
 ing so much omission of 
 stripe at ends of hackle. 
 Single matings would be 
 impossible, for we should 
 then lose the beauty of the 
 female. — George H. Bur- 
 gott. 
 
 I have no objection to 
 having the color vary from 
 iiLiht to darker, as that has 
 1 1 ways been done and will 
 ilways be done, as the 
 i.irker ones may be the 
 ii>t, all things considered. 
 I'iUt I think it is making 
 ilie road a bit easier so far 
 as exhibition Brown fe- 
 males are concerned. — W. 
 W. Kulp. 
 
 A lighter shade in 
 males would be an im- 
 provement, and it could be 
 done by breeding a Stand- 
 ard colored male, with 
 coarse markings. The un- 
 dercolor is not of so much 
 importance as the surface 
 color, and would have a 
 tendency to brighten the 
 shade and still retain the 
 beautiful striping, and the 
 greenish shade of black 
 would result, instead of 
 purple. It would make them as we used to find them. 
 The darker shade and Partridge Cochin breasts were used 
 to obtain an even shade in hackle, which was difficult to 
 get; even by this niethoa I think it impossible to get the 
 female color as it is today. Let the Standard call for a 
 lighter shade in males. — William F. Brace. 
 
 We do not believe that either good females or good 
 males can be produced from a single mating, unless we 
 accept the present pullet-bred cockerel as good, and 
 change the present Standard accordingly. — -Charles O. 
 Miers. 
 
 If seal brown were Standard for females and a fe- 
 male were mated with such a male, a single mating might 
 be possible. — W. W. Carmen. 
 
 Single matings are not a possibility until a straw- 
 colored male will be condoned. — A. C. Smith. 
 
 I doubt if good males and females can be produced 
 from single matings. I never could. The strong striping 
 in saddle of male would always give poor striping in fe- 
 males.— W. H. Wiebke. 
 
 The male to throw fine-colored females should have 
 medium red hackle shading to lemon at base; saddle, 
 orange red; undercolor, slate. — D. M. Owen. 
 
 A lighter shade of cherry red without the black stripe 
 
 CHICAGO SHOVI 1909 
 
 PEORIA ILI. 
 
 :erel 
 
I.I'GIIORXS 
 
 in center of feathers in hackle and saddle of males, and a 
 little darker or brownish surface color of females on back 
 and wings, would no doubt prove conducive to a larger 
 percentage of good females and make single matings 
 possible for both exhibition males and females, in my 
 judgment, as it should be from nature either to have 
 males and females lighter or darker in color, as I. K, 
 Felch once said, — H. C. Short. 
 
 It might prove to be a very good mating, but I think 
 the double matings could produce birds of finer color; of 
 course, in double matings you do not want to go to ex- 
 tremes. — T. H. Woods. 
 
 It would, just as it did twenty or twenty-five years 
 ago when plenty of 95 point birds under Pierce, George 
 O, Brown and I. K. Felch were produced from single 
 matings and ninety per cent, all good. They were a joy 
 and a beauty to anyone, and were then the most popular 
 and prirttable breed we had in the South. — Loring Brown. 
 
 Ve~. — Florence Forbes. 
 
 I do not think, under the present Standard require- 
 ments, tliat we shall ever be able to produce a satisfactory 
 exhibition specimen male or female from the single mat- 
 ing system. — J. H. Henderson. 
 
 Xo, it would not only require a lighter hackle and 
 lighter undercolor for males, but a darker shade of brown 
 in females' backs and wings, and darker neck lacings. — 
 L. P. Harris. 
 
 Yes. if persisted in for a number of years, it would 
 take a long time to eradicate the double mating tendency, 
 but would result in greater uniformity in the flock — 
 something that the Standard makers do not seem to want. 
 — W. G. Warnock. 
 
 4. In the revised Standard the color of the back and 
 wing-bows of females is described as follows: "Light 
 brown, finely stippled with a darker brown, the lighter 
 shade predominating. More importance is attached to 
 fineness of stippling and evenness of color and freedom 
 from shafting, than to the particular shade of color, but 
 it is important that the eflfect produced be that of a soft 
 even brown that is not suggestive of gray, as one extreme 
 is to be avoided as much as the other," Will not this have 
 a tendency to produce more uniformity in the color of 
 exhibition females and also result in more uniform awards 
 by judges? 
 
 The back and wing should be decidedly brown, with 
 no tendency to gray. The end of the feather being 
 slightly laced is the cause of a gray appearance. Under 
 the new revision the judging should be, and will be, more 
 uniform. — George H. Burgott. 
 
 wH^^j.T^-^ ' 
 
 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 r 
 
 ■K£ I '^i^ 
 
 ■pr<^ 
 
 gj^; 
 
 ^^i£^___^i^iS^!i^_ 
 
 I 
 
 f'fll 
 
 i-(ls of w. \V. Kulp, 
 
 BROWN LEGHORN COCKEREL. 
 
 In Brown males I think the top was reached about 
 ten years ago. Those who see the best show birds year 
 after year will say that the quality will not run even year 
 after year. Some years the matings will seem to fail and 
 the very good ones are not there. — W. W. Kulp. 
 
 The present or new Standard covers the ground as 
 far as color is concerned, and it would be difficult to im- 
 prove on the wording; and it will surely result in more 
 uniform judging. — William F. Brace. 
 
 We believe the light brown females to be more at- 
 tractive — though harder to produce — to have a nicer 
 finish, and that the finer stippling is softer. — Charles O. 
 Miers. 
 
 Unless the Standard states the exact shades I cannot 
 see how a change can bring uniformity in judging or in 
 color of females, except in color of neck hackle. The 
 change from rich orange to golden is a good one. — W. 
 W. Carmen. 
 
 We hope so, or at least hope that the gray-colored fe- 
 males will not be considered. We think the section a 
 good one, for it gives the breeders a chance to breed their 
 preference in shades, within certain limits. — A. C. Smith. 
 
 I think it will; it certainly ought to. — W. H. Wiebke. 
 
 This is the best description of female we have yet 
 had and I feel sure it will prove of much benefit to both 
 breeder and judge, and result in more uniformity in 
 breeding and judging. — D. M. Owen. 
 
 I think this would have the tendency to produce more 
 uniformity in the color of exhibition females; as it is now, 
 some judges prefer a soft, even brown that is suggestive 
 of gray, while others prefer one that is suggestive of a 
 darker brown or red. The darker brown, I find in breed- 
 ing, is more free from shafting and generally a. better 
 color in hackle and breast. The soft even brown is sug- 
 gestive of gray and red or brick color in wings. Cannot 
 answer second point of question. That's to be tried. — H. 
 C. Short. 
 
 I think this will make it much better for judges, as 
 the color is to be brown, not gray or red, and it seems 
 that any one could select the best birds, also the breeders, 
 as fineness of stippling and freedom from shaft and brick 
 will be the objects. — T. H. Woods. 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 Give us the old time color and let there be some 
 shafting and red in wing-bows, and get back to the good 
 old time color and away from the B. B. Reds. Then we 
 will have a much smaller percentage of culls and three 
 times as many eggs and fewer persistent setters. — Loring 
 Brown. 
 
 Too much importance is placed on back of female. I 
 prefer darker shade in back, with a good hackle. With 
 the light females you do not get a perfect hackle or a 
 rich-colored breast. — Florence Forbes. 
 
 I do not anticipate any great reform or change to- 
 ward more uniformity in color and judging of exhibition 
 females until we can get our judges educated in the same 
 schools on what constitutes Standard color. I am of the 
 opinion that we must have and furnish our judges, for 
 comparison while judging, a visible ideal color guide, 
 specimens of real feathers taken from a live female of the 
 most nearly perfect Standard color type, to assist them in 
 the right interpretation of our present word-picture 
 Standard. — J. H. Henderson. 
 
 I should think it would; still at the same time it will 
 not help to correct the evil of double-mating. — L. P. 
 Harris. 
 
 The above change and description meets my ideas 
 exactly. I do not think stippling or shade of color alone 
 should decide an award; excellence should win, freedom 
 from shafting being considered the greater defect. — W. 
 G. Warnock. 
 
 5. Will the revised American Standard of Perfection 
 prove of material benefit to the Brown Leghorn, in pro- 
 ducing a greater percentage of exhibition males and fe- 
 males? 
 
 I believe it will, but they cannot be bred from a 
 single mating unless you should adopt Partridge Cochin 
 color — and then not, as the best of our Partridge Cochin 
 breeders use the double matings to a certain extent. — 
 George H. Burgott. 
 
 It is likely that in Single Comb Browns the best 
 bird ever shown was shown last year. He, or the same 
 yards, may not produce as well this year, but in a year 
 or two will do it again or better. — W. W. Kulp. 
 
 The proposed or revised Standard will improve both 
 males and females, but there is a tendency to too low 
 tails, especially on females, giving them the appearance of 
 having what we call 'pinch tails." — William F. Brace. 
 
 We are satisfied with the Standard, but some judges 
 need a few lessons on color, or should occasionally visit 
 
 some one who breeds good Brown Leghorns.— Charles 
 O. Miers. 
 
 I do not know. — W. W. Carmen. 
 
 Yes; by giving a better understanding of what is de- 
 sirable in female color. — A. C. Smith. 
 
 Do not know, but hope so. — W. H. Wiebke. 
 
 I think it will. The description of female is very 
 good. The description of male could be improved some. 
 — D. M. Owen. 
 
 I hope so, should the Browns once again be ever 
 placed in the foremost rank of poultrydom, as they have 
 been and should be. The making of extreme double mat- 
 ings necessary to produce exhibition males and females 
 lessens their popularity or any other breed, for that mat- 
 ter, in my judgment. — H. C. Short. 
 
 I think the revised Standard will help the Brown 
 Leghorns, and that they will be much improved in the 
 next few years, as there has been a great improvement in 
 the past four years. — Tom H. Woods. 
 
 No, not like it now is, but will kill the breed, espe- 
 cially to the navice, who is the very one we must depend 
 upon for most of our future business. There are very few, 
 if any, good old time Brown Leghorns in the South like 
 we used to have, which always were the leading classes at 
 our Southern shows fifteen or twenty-five years ago. 
 They sold like hot cakes and laid eggs by the bushel, and 
 a sitter was always killed and considered not pure. Change 
 the Standard back, with few exceptions, to read as it did 
 when B. N. Pierce and Thos. Pottage produced the hardiest 
 birds ever bred, that were real Brown Leghorns, and we 
 will some day have them back — good and true money 
 makers, with size, fine large comDs, and workers to stay. 
 - — Loring Brown. 
 
 No. — Florence Forbes. 
 
 Very much depends upon the interpretation. Our 
 Standard will be made better, our breeding more satis- 
 factory, when our judges learn the same lesson — Standard 
 color. — J. H. Henderson. 
 
 No. — L. P. Harris. 
 
 I hope so, but I doubt it. About the time breeders 
 get to producing a nice uniform flock some few will ask 
 for a change and, judging the future by the past, they will 
 get it. Standard tinkering has driven the Brown Leghorn 
 from many show rooms and has made the production of a 
 95-point specimen almost an impossibility, and has made 
 one-half of our flock culls, as judged by Standard require- 
 nents. — W. H. Warnock. 
 
 S. C. BROWN LEGHORN MALES 
 A noted pair of winners showing excellent type; good head points and lobe 
 

 __ <-'//^<ai/^\\iA^'^ 
 
 Single Comb Brown Leghorns, 1895. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 White Leghorns 
 
 Changes in Shape That Have Transformed the Modern White Leghorn Into a Type Distinct From the Original. 
 
 History of Noted Fashionable Strains. Breeders, Kxhibitors, Judges and Artists Responsible For 
 
 the Low Carriage Tail Fad. Standard Requirements of Fortyfive Degrees For Carriage 
 
 of Tail Often Ignored in Placing Awards. Illustrations Showing the 
 
 Changes in Carriage of Tail in the Past Forty Yemrs. 
 
 J. H. DrevensteiK 
 
 IT was C. H. Wyckoff, who, fifteen or more years ago 
 coined the phrase, "America's business hen," and 
 apphed it to his strain of White Leghorns. Being 
 a shrewd and persistent advertiser in the poultry and 
 farm journals, the phrase successfully appealed to the 
 buying poultry patrons of the latter. It proved a happy 
 choice for C. H. Wyckofi and the White Leghorns as 
 well. Mr. Wyckof! prior to his embarking in the Leg- 
 horn bijsiness was a successful farmer in Western New 
 York located not many miles from Knapp Bros., who in 
 the early 90's were the kings of the White Leghorn fancy. 
 The Knapps were successful in the showroom, meeting 
 and beating all comers for a number of years. They bred 
 and raised beautiful White Leghorns for exhibition and 
 also kept a large flock for laying purposes, selling the 
 eggs at an advance over market quotations to first-class 
 hotels in New York. 
 
 White Leghorn Eggs For the New York Market 
 The demand for Leghorn eggs in the metropolis of 
 .\merica was growing greater than the supply, which led 
 observing poultry farmers to look around and see what 
 breed would meet the requirements best. Mr. Wyckofif 
 was both observing and shrewd, for he observed what the 
 
 I860 
 
 Knapps had accomplished with White Leghorns and he 
 wisely planned to build up a strain of the latter for 
 laying purposes only, and advertised the fact broadcast. 
 To this the boom of the Leghorns owes much, not only in 
 a commercial sense, but from a fancier's standpoint as 
 well. Mr. Wyckoflf's "America's business hen" proved a 
 winner ever since, as the hundreds of large and small 
 commercial Leghorn farms were successfully operated in 
 New Jersey, New York, and the Pacific Coast, with a grad- 
 ually broadening out to other sections of the country, 
 practical poultry raisers of the West and South taking to 
 Leghorns as a duck takes to water. The chalk white eggs, 
 so popular in New York City, are finding new and grow- 
 ing demands by consumers in other cities. "White Leg- 
 horn Eggs" is a trademark of the highest value, one that 
 will never be superseded by any other. It is the fixed 
 standard of value in the best markets. It makes no differ- 
 ence whether the eggs are laid by White, Brown, BufT, 
 Black, Pyle or Duckwing Leghorns, Minorcas, Anda- 
 lusians, Houdans and Anconas as long as the shells are 
 white. But the trade mark "White Leghorn Eggs" helped 
 the variety bearing the popular name White Leghorn 
 most in a general way, the majority of poultry farmers 
 
 K^4 C 
 
 
 The evoluUon of the back and tail outlines of the Leghorn males from 1869 to 1911 is clearly illustrated In the 
 above chart. The sketches are made from illustrations of first prize winners in the years noted, except those ot 1869 and 
 1905, the former being taken from an old print and the latter from the 1905 Standard ideal. The remainder were taken from 
 Mr. Sewell's illustrations of New York winning cockerels. The extreme upright carriage of the tail in the 1869 sketon in 
 comparison with the standard ideal of 1905 seems just as ridiculous as the abnormal low carriage of the tall In the 1911 
 
54 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 believed White Leghorn eggs must be laid by White Leg- 
 horn hens. This helped the boom of the White Leghorns 
 greatly, at the same time increasing the interest in the 
 other varieties, so that the wonderful popularity of 
 Whites is not without its beneficial effects on the Buffs 
 and Browns, in the utilitarian way. 
 
 The boom of the Leghorn as a business hen, is 
 largely responsible for the popularity of Leghorns as an 
 exhibition fowl today. 
 
 Great Changes in Shape of Leghorns 
 
 The modern exhibition White Leghorn of today is 
 as different from the high-tailed, short-bodied Leghorn of 
 thirty years ago as the exhibition Game is from the Pit 
 Game. The refinement in type improved the utilitarian 
 qualities, the longer bodied and deeper keeled bird of the 
 present time, being the better egg producer. 
 
 The changes in shape of Leghorns are admirably il- 
 lustrated by Franklane L. Sewell, in his article on "The 
 Evolution of Leghorn Type," beginning on page 
 23 of this book. Leghorn types from the crude 
 specimens bred in the early seventies to the modern 
 graceful and 
 sprightly Leghorn 
 are clearly outlined 
 and intelligently 
 commented upon 
 by Mr. Sewell, af- 
 fording an inter- 
 esting and instruc- 
 tive history of 
 shape. 
 
 Fashionable Type 
 of White Leg- 
 horns 
 
 F a s h i o nable 
 types i n White 
 Leghorns were 
 less in evidence 
 thirty years ago 
 than ten years 
 later, when the 
 real refining pro- 
 cess of the crude 
 material at hand 
 began. The birds shown in the early nineties by Knapp Bros, 
 were excellent in head points, color and type albeit the 
 carriage of tail was higher than is considered good form 
 today. In the illustration (Fig. 1) we have the type of 
 male bird shown by Knapp Bros. The comb is a little 
 larger, the back shorter and the tail carried more upright 
 than in winning specimens of today, but otherwise the 
 graceful sprightly carriage is the same. Of the winning 
 females, many would stand a very fair chance of winning 
 at our leading shows today. In our own experience in 
 breeding White Leghorns from 1885 to 1889, we found 
 little difficulty in producing a large percentage of good 
 females both in color and type, but in males, too many 
 were "inclined upward" in tails and the surface color was 
 too often tinged with brassiness. Whether the modern 
 art of bleaching had not been discovered at this time, or 
 whether we did not select the silvery white plumaged and 
 quilled males and female breeders, carefully enough, the 
 fact remains, we, as well as many other breeders of White 
 Leghorns, had plenty of males that would not pass muster 
 as truly or untruly white birds at a modern poultry show. 
 
 Fig. 1— Fir 
 
 Legh- 
 
 In order to convey to our readers a fairly accurate 
 idea of the accepted White Leghorn type from 1885 to 
 1890, we reprint here the illustrations (Fig. 2 and Fig. 3), 
 made by J. Henry Lee, which appeared in the book 
 "P h i 1 o s ophy of 
 Judging Fowls" 
 by Felch, Babcock 
 and Lee, 1889. 
 
 The prevailing 
 fault of Leghorns 
 at that time is 
 clearly illustrated 
 in the carriage of 
 the tail in both 
 male and female 
 (Figs. 2 and 3), 
 the tail of the 
 male being close 
 to what is called a 
 "squirrel tail," a 
 disqualification un- 
 dei the present 
 Standard, but not 
 in the e a r li e r 
 Standards, which 
 no doubt account- 
 ed for the large 
 numbers of squir- 
 rel tailed Leghorns bred and exhibited thirty years ago. 
 It was a hereditary defect which took many years of 
 careful selection to overcome. In the Standard of Per- 
 f ction, 1888, the tail of the White Leghorn male was 
 described as follows: "Large, full and carried upright;" 
 in the female, "long, full and carried upright." That 
 was what Leghorn breeders were asked to breed to, 
 but many good fanciers did not like this Standard ideal 
 of tail and the gradual change in the carriage of the tail 
 started soon afterward, the fashion decreeing a lower 
 angle at which the tail was to be carried and with it 
 came the longer back, deeper body and longer shank 
 This fashion became 
 more general after 1893 
 when the new types of 
 White Leghorns began 
 to appear at the Madi- 
 son Square Garden, New 
 York, one of which was 
 the Whiting Type, so- 
 called because of the 
 laige size, length of back 
 and depth of body of the 
 specimens exhibited by 
 Whiting Farm of Holy- 
 oke, Mass. 
 The Whiting Leghorns _^ 
 
 W. F. Whiting, who ^^ 
 originated this new race =& . 
 of White Leghorns, was 
 a genuine fancier, and 
 one of the most intelli- Fig. 
 gent breeders of Leg- 
 horns in New England. 
 
 It was purely a fancy with Mr. Whiting, commercial re- 
 ward being no object. These birds were the sensation in 
 the Leghorn alley at New York in 1896, 1897 and 1898. 
 sweeping all before them. They were in a class by them- 
 selves and dazzled the judges as well as the exhibitor.5 by 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 55 
 
 their v.:.;iorm excellence in type and color, albeit, some 
 gooJ juviges declared that they were too large and coarse 
 to lie characteristic of the true Leghorn type. In our re- 
 port of the White Leghorn classes at the New York 
 Show ■.: February 1 to 5, 1898, which appeared in the 
 "American Fancier" the following week we remarked: 
 "White Leghorns were exceedingly well represented, the 
 quality being very superior, as a rule. Whiting Farm 
 made the greatest record ever known at a New York 
 Show, winning every first prize in very strong competi- 
 tion, ^Ir. Cornell's birds being decidedly first-class, while 
 the exhibit of Plainfield Poultry Farm was highly meri- 
 torious. The difference in type existing between Whiting 
 Farm Leghorns and others has been magnified into 
 something remarkable. Such is not the case." Several years 
 afterward when Ezra Cornell, E. G. Wyckofif and others 
 began ij take up the work after Mr. Whiting retired from 
 the field, a new and shining light in the White Leghorn 
 fancy appeared on the scene and made a great record 
 from his first exhibit at New York to the present 
 day. This was D. W. Young of Monroe, New York. 
 His strain was carefully selected from the flock of 
 White Leghorns bred for many years by his father, on 
 the Young homestead at Highlands. Mr. Young's own 
 story of how he built up his strain and how he produced 
 the fashionable and popular type of White Leghorn of 
 today will be found in this chapter. It will prove instruc- 
 tive an(i valuable reading for all breeders of White Leg- 
 horns. 
 
 Modern Exhibition Leghorns 
 
 The modern exhibition Leghorn dates its beginning 
 in 1893. The types of Mr. Cornell's famous cockerel 
 "Prince Purity," and his mate, a pullet, both winners of 
 first prizes at New York in 1893, were accepted by judges 
 and breeders at that time as the most advanced and de- 
 sirable. We reproduce here a sketch made for Mr. Cor- 
 nell by Franklane L. Sewell. White Leghorns weie the 
 largest in size of all the Leghorn family. They were at 
 the same time graceful birds, full of curves, and as trim 
 and sprightly as a Game cock. Their tails were well fur- 
 
 -S-^.. 
 
 Sr- 
 
 Fig. 4— The Whiting Type of Legho 
 
 nished and spread. Then came an era when small birds 
 with white plumage and pinched tails won. About four 
 yeais ago a change for the better v. as ir.ade, and larger 
 birds with all the characteristics of the old Leghorn were 
 demanded. Mr. Whiting was shrewd enough to see the 
 point at once and 
 started in t 3 
 breed for the 
 to date bird. So/ 
 did Knapp Bros 
 Ezra Cornell and 
 others. The 
 suit is we have i 
 most beautiful 
 White Leghorn 
 today, that stands 
 well up on its 
 legs, shows the 
 graceful curve of 
 the hocks instead 
 of losing it in the 
 overhanging body 
 and fluff. Of 
 course, there is 
 ov e r d oi n g the 
 size and leading 
 the breed toward coarseness, but judges will soon 
 realize this danger and act accordingly. White Leg- 
 horns made rapid progress after that with the late Ezra 
 Cornell's birds setting the fashion. 
 
 A careful comparison of the shape of the male and 
 female with the shape of winners at our recent shows will 
 prove the Cornell pair (Fig. 5) to be of the same type as 
 first-class specimens of today, albeit the ultra fashionable 
 droop of the tail in the male is not as pronounced. But 
 measured by the present illustrated Standard ideal, the 
 cockerel carries his tail only a trifle higher than at the re- 
 quired angle of 45 degrees. In length of back "Prince 
 Purity" exceeds the Standard ideal but not the twentieth 
 century ideal of the White Leghorn breeders. Length of 
 back and tail is the latter's hobby, which has become the 
 fashion. But like all new fashions, 
 extremes are sure to follow, so we 
 find White Leghorn males with im- 
 mensely long backs and tails, the latter 
 drooping in the characteristic Sumatra 
 Game style, the greater and lesser 
 sickles losing in breadth and firmness 
 of web of feathers, becoming as soft 
 as tail coverts, but reaching out in 
 length far beyond the main tail feath- 
 ers dropping instead of curving over 
 the top of the tail. While this fea- 
 ture may be desirable in the Sumatra 
 and the Phoenix fowl, it is not a Leg- 
 horn characteristic. Leghorns are 
 hard and close feathered birds, any 
 approach to loose feathering in body 
 and fluflf and in sickle feathers creat- 
 ing a suspicion that foreign blood has 
 been used to obtain the desired length 
 of tail. As the Silver Duckwing Leg- 
 horn had considerable of the Shin- 
 awarataos or Japanese Phoenix blood 
 in its. original make-up, long flowing 
 tails were not uncommon in the males 
 (if that variety and with both male and 
 
5(! 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 female Silver Duckwings possessing excellent shape and 
 sprightly appearance, a Duckwing-White Leghorn cross 
 was not at all improbable or impossible, where lengthen- 
 ing of back and tail of White Leghorns was the object 
 fanciers as a rule are prone to believe that the end jus- 
 tifies the means, so govern themselves accordingly. 
 
 Lengthening and Drooping of Tails 
 
 We call attention to this extreme lengthening and 
 drooping of the tails in modern White Leghorns, not be- 
 cause conservative judgment objects to longer tails set 
 at lower angles than the present Standard demands, but 
 as a warning to the extremists not to overdo a good thing 
 and destroy the characteristic Leghorn type. 
 
 The first prize White Leghorn cock at New York 
 1909-10 is probably the finest living model of the fash- 
 ionable type of White Leghorns today. This bird is an 
 old one, who has been successfully bred to females, of his 
 own blood lines, reproducing in the male progeny his 
 characteristic back and tail lines. A study of the angles 
 at which these tails are carried compared with the car- 
 riage of the tails of the Standard male ideal Leghorn and 
 the Cornell winner of 1893, will show a difference of ten 
 to fifteen degrees between the fashionable modern White 
 Leghorn and the Standard and Cornell ideals. If the 
 low carried tail is the modern breeders' correct ideal, then 
 our American Standard of Perfection is incorrect in two 
 sections, namely: The angle at which the tail is carried; 
 and the length of the back. To meet the requirements 
 of the fashionable type of Leghorn males, the angle 
 should be reduced from 45 to 35 degrees, and the back in- 
 stead of being of "Moderate length" as required by the 
 revised Standard of 1910, should be "rather long." This, 
 it seems to us, would be consistent and bring the male 
 type in harmony with that of the female, the latter being 
 long in back with well spread tail, carried quite low, in 
 nearly all the winning specimens in the past ten years. It 
 is true that the new Standard describes the back of the 
 male as "sloping downward from shoulders to center of 
 back, then r'sing in a gradually increasing concave sweep 
 to tail." which fits the modern Leghorn male back line 
 nicely, and gives the whole back the appearance of being 
 rather long, but the preceding words of "moderate 
 length" do not convey clearly enough the real length of 
 the back outline. The Cornell pullet of 1893 (see Fig. 5) 
 and the Standard ideal illustration of 1905, show the de- 
 sirable length of back found in winning females today. 
 
 To mate a comparatively short-backed male like the one 
 illustrated in the Standard of 190S with long backed fe- 
 males is not calculated to produce the best results, if 
 single matings of White Leghorns should be the rule, 
 and not the exception. 
 
 In shape of breast and body and length of legs mod- 
 ern White Leghorns are nearly ideal, these sections 
 blending harmoniously and producing the sprightly, 
 graceful carriage that topped with a fine head and comb, 
 and a well furnished and nicely carried tail, makes the 
 Leghorn one of 
 t h e handsomest 
 and most attrac- 
 tive breeds of fowl 
 on earth. 
 
 Improvement 
 
 in Shape and 
 
 Smoothness of 
 
 Combs 
 
 Combs in both 
 males and females 
 have improved 
 greatly in shape, 
 smoothness of tex- 
 ture and in regu- 
 larity of serrations 
 in the past fifteen 
 years. They have 
 also been bred 
 
 down to a respect- j,jq 6_ideal white leghorn 
 able size, the old head 
 
 larse heavv thick Winner of Special Prize at New York, 
 large, neavy, inicK 1909-10 for Best Head and Comb 
 
 fleshed, coarsely 
 
 serrated and thumb marked comb, common twenty or 
 more years ago having disappeared. The Standard illus- 
 tration furnished a good ideal for breeders to breed to and 
 the type is generally approved by modern fanciers of 
 White Leghorns, although such leading breeders as D. W. 
 Young and George H. Burgott believe one more point 
 should be added to the Leghorn comb, contending that 
 the first small serration is not strictly a point, no more 
 than the first notch in a saw is a tooth. We illustrate 
 herewith the winner of the special prize at the Madison 
 Square Garden, New York, 1909-1910, for the best head 
 and comb. 
 
 Sinj^le Comb White Leghorns 
 
 Origin and History of the Development of the Most Famous Strain of Single Comb White Leghorns 
 America— Line Breeding and Careful Selection of Sires and Dams Responsible for the 
 Great Improvement in Type and Comb— Systematic and Scientific Feeding 
 of Grains Important in Obtaining Pure White Plumage. 
 
 HAVING bred the same strain of White Leghorns 
 for the past thirty years, it may prove interesting 
 to Leghorn breeders to know the origin of this 
 strain. It was in 1853 that Mr. W. Simpson claimed to 
 be the first breeder of White Leghorns in this country. 
 He got them from an officer of a ship, which came from 
 some Mediterranean port. About the same time Captain 
 Stratton of Lewisburg, N. Y., (a small place opposite the 
 city of Poughkeepsie) had a barkentine which sailed 
 from Leghorn, Italy, to New York, and which brought 
 
 Youn« 
 
 over a lot of Brown and White Leghorns or "Italians" 
 as they were known at that period. My father, S. G. 
 Young, purchased these birds and bred them at the old 
 homestead at Clintondale, Highland, New York, for many 
 years afterward, never introducing new blood except 
 through the female. It was from this flock that I started 
 my present strain, which has been kept pure, no new 
 blood having been introduced at any time in the past 
 thirty years. 
 
 I started to improve the type of the breed at once 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 beginning with breeding for small combs so as not to 
 handicap the small frame of the Leghorn, at the same 
 time lengthening the back and dropping the carriage of 
 the tail. The early Leghorns were almost squirrel-tailed, 
 and short in back, the combs being very large, thumb- 
 marked and unevenly serrated, with long coarse wattles. 
 Both combs and wattles were a decided handicap, espe- 
 cially on cold days and nights of the winter, freezing 
 completely ofif in a temperature not lower than fifteen 
 above zero. The neat small comb and wattles of the 
 modern Leghorn do not freeze readily; neither do they 
 make such heavy drain on the vitality of the bird. The 
 deepening and lengthening of the body increased the 
 -trength of the White Leghorn, making a more vigorous 
 liird and a greater layer. Scientific mating, careful line 
 breeding and feeding foods that are rich in protein, en- 
 aljled me to accomplish the above result, but soon found 
 that we were approaching the Minorca type, in fact, 
 nearly adopting it, so started to breed from birds which 
 I>ossessed longer, lower and well spread tails and con- 
 cave backs. We found this improved the appearance 
 wonderfully, bringing out the beautiful curved lines that 
 give the unsurpassed grace and style of the Leghorn. 
 .\nother improvement made was in lengthening the legs 
 of White Leghorns, which gives them more power of en- 
 durance, as they are one of the greatest foragers amoiiL: 
 domestic fowl. 
 
 Improving the Color 
 The first White Leghorns bred in this country were 
 not of the pure spotless white plumage found in the 
 i ■ Ljhi.riis of today. It was impossible to find a male bir.l 
 
 ■FIRST PlilZE HENriEWYoRK,DEC.Z7!9°9-JAN-l,!9|O.I 
 iBRtDAND ow.neD BY D.W.Yc'JNQ,MOjMRoE:,HY.I 
 
 llie White Leghorn hen Illustrated above is the dam of 
 the first prize White Leghorn cockerel at New York, 1909-10. 
 1 eteried to by Mr. Young in his article. 
 
 whiter than straw color or not ticked with brown or 
 black feathers in those early days and for years after- 
 ward it was a rare instance when a male was found free 
 from creaminess or brassiness. I started twenty-two 
 years ago to produce pure white plumage by breeding 
 from the greatest layers which were always the whitest 
 birds and feeding only food that was free from any color 
 pigment, tising white instead of yellow corn, as an illus- 
 tration. 
 
 The eye of the Leghorn j'ears ago was pale, being yel- 
 low or daw in color. This by careful selection has been 
 bred out and replaced by the brilliant red eye, which adds 
 greatly to the beauty of the bird, also giving it a more 
 snappy and vigorous appearance. The yellow and red 
 ear-lobe has disappeared and the beautiful, almond 
 shaped, pure white lobe has taken its place. 
 
 These improvements in shape and color have given us 
 a variety that stands unequalled among our domesticated 
 races of poultry as an exhibition and utility fowl. The 
 White Leghorn breeds perfectly true to type and feather 
 from single matings if line bred. Our first prize hen at 
 Madison Square Garden in 1909 was the dam of our first 
 prize cockerel at the same show. He was also 1st cock 
 Madison Sqtiare Garden 1910. Both are illustrated in this 
 article. We use a pedigree or line breeding chart for all 
 of our matings, so can trace the breeding of every 
 breeder ana show specimens back for many generations. 
 
 Standard Ideals 
 
 The old Standard ideals for both male and female 
 were correct in type, except in the male, which should be 
 longer in back and carry tail at an angle of 40 degrees 
 and combs still smaller in both sexes. 
 
58 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 Exhibition Leghorns Best Layers 
 
 Staiulard-bred or exhibition White Leghorns make 
 the best layers because they are the result of years of 
 careful selection and breeding to attain the length of body, 
 (icpth of keel and legs set well apart that form the proper 
 frame for big layers. This, in addition to the fact that 
 very little fat forming foods for years have been fed to 
 our Leghorns, account for their superiority as egg pro- 
 ducers over the smaller, shorter bodied type of twenty- 
 five to thirty years ago. 
 
 Feeding and Housing Leghorns 
 On the proper feeding of White Leghorns largely 
 depends the success of the breeder in the show room and 
 the profit he realizes from 
 the eggs produced. I start 
 chicks with Spiatt's chick 
 food, containing plenty of 
 protein. This is dampened 
 slightly and fed alternately 
 with Cyphers chick food 
 five times a day and con- 
 tinue these two foods until 
 chicks are about six weeks 
 of age. After that we feed 
 a mixed grain ration made 
 up as follows: One part 
 wheat, one part oat groats, 
 one part barley groats, and 
 one part cracked white 
 corn three times a day. 
 The hoppers we keep filled 
 with meat scraps and bran. 
 The chickens have plenty 
 of free range, which pro- 
 vides abundant vegetable 
 food. The laying hens are 
 fed as follows: First feed 
 in litter at daylight con- 
 sists of, one part wheat, 
 two parts slipped oats, one 
 part white corn, one part 
 barley, and one part golden 
 millet. The night feed is 
 given at 4 P. M., and is the 
 same as in the morning. 
 At noon we throw oats and 
 millet, about a handful for 
 every four hens, in the lit- 
 ter. In the hoppers we use 
 a dry mash consisting of 
 one part ground oats, one 
 
 part wheat bran, one part wheat middlings, one-half part 
 oil meal, one part of beef scraps, and two parts cut alfalfa. 
 These hoppers are left open for one hour each day at 
 noon. In addition the fowls have access to pure water. 
 charcoal, oyster shells, grit, and vegetables at all times. 
 
 Houses and Yards for Leghorns 
 My houses are twelve feet square, ceiled with one 
 inch North Carolina pine. Roofing paper is placed on 
 either side of the studding and rafters, forming a four 
 inch air space. The floors are made of concrete, 3x4 inch 
 floor beams being laid and the latter covered with spruce 
 flooring. This prevents dampness and is proof against 
 weasels, rats, minks and mice. We never keep over fifteen 
 females to one male in one of these rooms, as we can get 
 better results and more eggs of a higher fertility from 
 
 'V0«)EI)6Y?\VYoUN^j 
 
 A typical Wliite Leghorn cock in shape and carriage, 
 forming closely to the Standard description in both bacl! 
 tail sections, the tail being well spread and carried at an 
 that finds favor with White Leghorn breeders of today. 
 
 this number than by doubling the number m the same 
 space. The floor of each house is covered with about one 
 inch of coarse building sand or fine gravel on which about 
 eight inches of cut dry straw for litter is placed. The 
 latter is thrown back once a week and the floor raked 
 and cleaned. The roosts are made of 2x4 hemlock joists, 
 planed smooth and the corners rounded, placed eight 
 inches above the droppings platform, the latter being 
 three feet wide and two and one-half feet from the floor 
 with a three inch shingle lath on the front and back to 
 keep in the sand, with v.-hich it is filled, in its place. This 
 is cleaned every morning before daylight the year around, 
 so that the birds can use it as a dust bath, which makes a 
 great saving of floor space. The houses are white-washed 
 twice a year and the latest 
 approved sanitary methods 
 are carefully applied to in- 
 sure the health of the fowls. 
 
 Preparing for the Show 
 
 White Leghorns which 
 have been properly housed 
 and fed as outlined above, 
 require little of extra prepar- 
 ation for the showroom, ex- 
 cept washing. C)ur method 
 of washing is as follows: 
 
 After contining the 
 bird in an exhibition coop 
 for three or four days, in 
 order to accustom him to 
 confinement, I take a basin 
 of hot water and soap, and 
 sc.ub with a nail brush his 
 head, comb, legs and feet 
 thoroughly. Next take five 
 tubs of soft water, the first 
 being heated to a tempera- 
 ture of about 110 degrees, 
 .Submerge the bird, head 
 and all in this tub. .'\fter 
 the feathers are soaked 
 through to the skin. I take 
 a cake of Ivory soap and 
 rub it well into the feathers 
 until a lather is formed. Am 
 not afraid of using too much 
 soap. After I am sure the 
 bird is clean, I rinse ofif as 
 much of the suds as possible 
 in this water. Xe.xt the bird 
 is put in tub number 
 two. which water is heated to about 90 degrees, and rinsed 
 well in this. Then put in tub number three, the same 
 temperature, and rinse carefully in this water. Next 
 place in tub number four, same temperature, then in 
 tub number five, which is cold and blued a little more than 
 is ordinarily used for laundry work. After taking bird 
 out of the last tub, he is placed in a room heated to about 
 90 degrees, in a training coop tbout three feet square, with 
 clean cut straw or shavings for litter, being very careful 
 to keep it clean so that the feathers will not become 
 soiled. Of course, it pays to look after the birds while . 
 they are drying as the feathers are liable to become 
 twisted, especially the sickle feathers of the male birds. 
 In about twenty-four hours after this is done the plumage 
 will be in perfect shape and the bird, if he is white nat- 
 urally, will be perfectly clean and as white as i::.;-.v. 
 
Breeding White Leghorns to Standard liequircnieiits 
 
 Type and Size of Great Importance in the Seleetinn of rtreeding Stock. 
 Ezra Cornell 
 
 IT WOULD seem an easy matter to tell others how 
 to breed exhibition White Leghorns, but I find it 
 otherwise. The whole story seems to be told when 
 you have said, "Mate your best exhibition males with your 
 best exhibition females." Theoretically, that is all there 
 is of it. and would probably leave nothing more to say if 
 our best exhibition birds were perfect and had been bred 
 from perfect specimens. But where the rub comes, is 
 that our birds are never either perfect or alike — every 
 bird ha? its faults. They may be slight, but still they 
 exist. It is these faults, perhaps, added to those of the 
 mate, and as like as not accentuated in the offspring, that 
 make all the trouble. If White Leghorns had been bred 
 true to the standard for centuries and were a product of 
 nature, it would be a comparatively easy matter to per- 
 petuate standard characteristics without the faults, but as 
 they are a production of man's genius, they have a strong 
 tendency, as have all our domestic fowls, to revert to their 
 natural or original state. It is for these reasons that 
 those traits which we consider faults are so persistently 
 cropping out. 
 
 How to keep your birds up to the highest state of 
 perfection is a problem which presents itself with each 
 year's matings. You must study the standard, study the 
 ideal cuts and learn to know exactly what is wanted — 
 then study your birds. Never breed from a bird having 
 a serious fault, or mate birds that are faulty in corres- 
 ponding sections; if you do, the fault will probably re- 
 appear even more prominently in a very large percentage 
 of the offspring. Another important thing and one that 
 must not be neglected or slighted is to know that your 
 birds are well bred and to know the faults that were 
 greatest in their ancestors. You might get an extremely 
 fine specimen which was produced by chance; that is, 
 bred from inferior birds, but such a bird is not, as a rule, 
 a good breeder. Good stock birds are only produced 
 after years of careful breeding — after mating specimens 
 of the finest standard type for a succession of years. In 
 this way and in no other will the desired traits become 
 well fixed and reproduce with any degree of satisfaction. 
 
 The best White Leghorns I have known have been 
 produced by standard or single matings, that is, exhibition 
 males and females have been produced from the same 
 mating. There is no necessity to resort to double mat- 
 ings unless it is to produce slightly better lobes, but this 
 is too insignificant to repay one for the extra trouble and 
 expense. 
 
 Our birds must, first of all, be true to type, as it is 
 type that makes the breed. To get birds correct in shape, 
 you must learn what the correct shape or type is, and 
 there is no better way of learning this than to study your 
 standard, also the ideal cuts. Do not believe that the tail 
 should be carried low or well back, because some breeder 
 or judge happens to have gotten such an idea and pub- 
 lishes an article setting forth his notion as a fact. Refer 
 to your standard and see what it says and, as a rule, you 
 will not go far wrong if you follow it. 
 
 Let us consider size. There is no fixed size required, 
 consequently there is a vast difference of opinion as to 
 what the correct Leghorn should weigh. Personally, I 
 prefer the females to weigh five pounds, and the cocks to 
 weigh si.x and one-half pounds. There is not much dif- 
 
 ference in the weights of the hens and pullets at the time 
 of our winter shows, but the cockerels have not then at- 
 tained their full weight; they are somewhat slower in 
 filling out, the heavier layers are slower to mature, are 
 poorer layers, and are almost always of a poor type. 
 Many will undoubtedly consider these large weights, but 
 they are about the size of the best birds seen at New 
 York and Boston. I have seen Leghorn hens, both in 
 Whites and Browns, at New York weighing six and one- 
 half pounds, and I saw one Brown Leghorn cockerel 
 which weighed eight and one-half pounds. Such birds 
 are of course extreme and are undesirable. 
 
 Next take the 'head, the most essential feature of 
 which is the comb. This must be good, especially on the 
 Whites. No matter how good your bird is in other sec- 
 tions, he will not pass muster either as an exhibition bird 
 or as a breeder if his comb is bad. A Leghorn comb 
 should be of medium size, not large, as many seem to 
 think. The female comb should be firm on the head and 
 stand perfectly erect in front, including the first point, the 
 rest of the points falling gracefully to one side. Such 
 combs as this are by no means common; in fact, too little 
 attention has been given to this particular. With such 
 combs as these on the females you will have little trouble 
 producing good combs on the males. 
 
 Another important point is that the front of the comb 
 should not extend forward on leaY.ing the head. If it does, 
 you will have too much material and will get small folds 
 commonly called "thumb marks," which are unsightly and 
 should be avoided. The present standard calls for five 
 points. In this I think it is too severe. If a comb is 
 otherwise good I think it makes no difference whether 
 there are five or six points, and you can not tell at a 
 glance which number a bird has; but if there are only 
 four, or if there are eight, you will notice at once that 
 there are too few or too many. It is not my intention to 
 advise any breeder not to follow the standard as nearly 
 as is possible. 
 
 The earlobes are the next important part of the 
 head, and are by no means easily produced by single 
 matings. If you get good, well enameled lobes on the 
 females you are likely to get males with white faces, 
 whereas if the face and lobes of the male are good, you 
 will probably get poorly enameled lobes on the females. 
 The earlobes of the males rarely remain good as the bird 
 advances in age; they almost invariably become rough 
 and slightly specked or streaked with red. or else the bird 
 becomes white in the face. The latter is by all odds the 
 least desirable. The white face is very unpleasing in ap- 
 pearance and is something I would not have. You will 
 frequently get cockerels which will never go white in the 
 face, but which possess lobes that are indistinctly out- 
 lined. Such birds are usually considered to have white 
 faces, whereas they have not and never will have and 
 should of course be less severely criticised than those 
 which have that failing. I like cockerels to have a fair 
 sized, round, well enameled lobe — one that will almost al- 
 ways show a little red in older age, and females with 
 rather poorly enameled lobes, which are not too prom- 
 inent. Females with lobes of this kind will produce good 
 lobes on the male offspring, and will themselves pass 
 muster in the show room, with but a slight cut. 
 
 59 
 
:;o 
 
 THE LEGHORXS 
 
 A pure white plumage throughout is tiemanded, and 
 from the way this subject has lately b;en taken up a per- 
 son would almost be led to suppose that heretofore breed- 
 ers had not made a proper effort to produce white birds, 
 but I assure you that many have been doing all they 
 could in this direction. 
 
 During my lirst year as an exhil)il ir, pure v.-hite birds 
 were not uncommon at New York, liut a ric'i yellow 
 =hnnk ai-.d licak were never to be found 'h • ■ ;v:rr- 
 
 ( FIRST PRIZE C'KRU. BUFFALO SHOW \907 
 Bt-ed And Ov-nedBy 
 
 O.U.WHE&I.&R 
 
 WHITE LEGHORN COCKEREL, 
 Winner ot first prize at Buffalo. 1907; also winner fi 
 honors at Boston. 1908. An exceptionally fine Leghorn m 
 type and sprightline^s. the erect carriage being char 
 
 white birds. One of the most successful birds I have ever 
 owned — a winner of three firsts at New York — never had 
 even so much as a yellow tint to his shanks. He was pure 
 white — plumage, shanks, beak and all, but he won. Then 
 the reaction set in and a rich yellow leg was demanded 
 and soon appeared, but with a creamy tint t.i the plum- 
 age. 
 
 I have seen birds with yellow shanks and white pliv.r- 
 age, but I have never yet seen a pure white bird with the 
 rich, deep yellow shank and beak — such a colored shank 
 and beak as is wanted and such as we should have < n 
 
 all young stock. Many claim this to be a possible combi- 
 nation: may be it is, but I have never seen it, and I have 
 seen most of our best eastern show birds of recent years, 
 and have been a careful observer of them. By mating 
 pure white birds you will in a very short time entirely 
 lose the color of the shanks and beak, and in order to re- 
 store this color you must use a bird with the deep, rich 
 yellow shanks and beak and a creamy tint in the plumage. 
 By a creamy tint I do not mean a straw-colored bird, a 
 yellr.v bird, or a brassy bird. I believe in sticking to the 
 rich, f'cep yellow shanks and beak, and then get as white 
 birds as you can. 
 
 Personally, I prefer young White Leghorns with the 
 creamy tint and rich yellow shanks and believe them to 
 be the best and the correct color. The creamy tint in 
 plumage is merely condition and not lack of good breed- 
 ing. Take a flock of pullets showing this tint very dis- 
 tinctly and after they have been busy laying eggs for a 
 year or two, without once stopping to recuperate by set- 
 ting, you will find that they are white enough; the creamy 
 tint will have altogether disappeared with loss of vigor; 
 the shanks and beak will also have lost their deep, rich 
 yellow appearance, and will have become a much lighter 
 shade. If these birds were white to start with, they will 
 have become white throughout — shanks, beak and all. Old 
 birds immediately after molt also show this creamy tint in 
 plumage, but soon lose it as the feathers ripen, or, as we 
 call it, harden down. 
 
 It the creamy tint was not condition, it could not dis- 
 appear or change as it does, and I consider it entirely 
 wrong for judges to cut a bird for color as they always 
 do when shown in this condition. If they cut at all it 
 should be for condition and nothing else. An old bird 
 showing this tint (that is, soon after molting) is not in 
 good show condition and should be cut, but a young bird 
 should have this tint when in the very pink of condition, 
 and should not be cut either for color or condition. 
 
 In the winter of 1892 and 1893 I purchased the best 
 eight White Leghorn males and the best fifteen females 
 I could find, at a cost of $345. These birds won every first 
 and second prize at the New York show of that year, and 
 at once gave me something to advertise and the founda- 
 tion stock of my present strain. With this number of 
 birds I was able to make a sufficient number of matings 
 to enable me to continue without once going outside for 
 new blood, and I consider this the only safe and satis- 
 factory way of breeding. There might have been a better 
 way of starting, but if I was to start again it would be in 
 pretty much the same manner, or as near to it as my 
 means would permit. 
 
 (The above article was written by the late Ezra Cor- 
 nell for the first edition of "The Leghorns," and being 
 of such instructive merit it is reprinted in the present 
 edition. .As Mr. Cornell was one of the most careful, in- 
 telligent and conscientious breeders of White Leghorns 
 oi hi.s day, the advice on the correct mating of Single 
 Comb White Leghorns so clearly presented by him 
 should prove not only interesting but valuable to all 
 breeders of this popular variety. — Editor.) 
 
Rose Comb White Leghorns 
 
 One of the Most Profitable E^g Laying Breeds for the Farmer — Chickens Grow- Rapidly and Matnre Early. 
 
 THE choice of the farmer should be tlie Uose Comb 
 White Leghorns because the most profit or money 
 in poultry is in the breed that lays the most eggs at 
 the least possible cost, and this variety of the Leghorn 
 family fills the bill in this respect. 
 
 They are specially adapted for the farmer who has 
 free range for his fowls, as Rose Comb White Leghorns 
 are great foragers, picking up much of their food in bugs 
 and insects, which cuts down the feed bill, although they 
 are light eaters in comparison with other breeds. 
 
 As chicks the Rose Comb White Leghorns will grow 
 twice as fast and will mature earlier than other breeds. 
 A Rose Comb White Leghorn chick at six weeks old, 
 will be completely feathered and the farmer can put them 
 out on free range, providing a colony house for every SO 
 chicks, and at 3 months old, you will find that your chicks 
 have the broiler size and can be sold if you so desire at this 
 time and reap some benefit or profit therefrom. You can 
 also distinguish the pullets from the cockerels and so this 
 would be a good time to dispose of the males not wanted 
 for broiler use. As a fowl for the table they are good, 
 by many they are considered very good. The pullets often 
 begin laying at S months old, their eggs are pure white 
 and large and 10 will weigh 1 pound. Rose Comb White 
 Leghorn pullets should weigh not less than 3 pounds, 
 hens not less than 4 pounds, cockerels not less than 5 
 pounds and cocks 6 pounds. Farmers can realize if they 
 were to sell them on the market and get 10 cents per 
 pound, so every hen weighing five pounds would bring 
 50 cents, which is not giving them away. Considering 
 their enormous egg yield per year I will say that you will 
 have a good egg laying strain that will average 15 dozen 
 eggs per hen each year and receive 20 cents per dozen, 
 then each R. C. White Leghorn hen will be worth $3. Go 
 for her eggs only and SO cents for her carcass, if you 
 should want to sell her on the market, so the actual in- 
 come of a R. C. White Leghorn to a farmer would be 
 $3.50, which is a good showing and none of the heavier 
 breeds can equal this. The total cost of feed per year 
 will be $1.00 for each hen and the income $3.50, a net 
 profit of $2.50 per hen. Their egg producing qualities 
 have been proven in several egg laying contests. 
 
 From a fancier's standpoint, I think to breed the true 
 Leghorn type in males and females and at the same time 
 the pure white color in their plumage, with good low 
 square set spike combs and bay red eyes, creamy white 
 ear-lobes and tails carried at a good angle not too high 
 nor low, well spread or fan-like, not forgetting their egg- 
 producing qualities is enough for any man to find and 
 
 make some impro\enient every year. By proper mating 
 you can breed in or out what is not wanted. I will say 
 to fanciers of this breed that it is not so easy to breed 
 pure Leghorn type birds that are white as some of our 
 
 FIRST VRIZE GKR I- HAMSOIN SQUARE G(\RDENN-X-i9»9-IQ. 
 BRtb ANb QWMEb B^ 
 ^ BL)\G^&VIHIT£?0ULTR\ FARM BASKING RI&&E N-J- 
 
 ROSE COMB WHITE LEGHORN COCKEREL, 
 
 other fancy poultry friends believe it is, although I have 
 bred and raised and sold many winners of the blue and 
 red and white ribbons, the past 12 years, but up to this 
 day I have only seen a few birds that were what I call 
 top-notchers, and these are only a few out of many that 
 are raised, so I know the fancier can always find room 
 for improvement in this breed, especially to get the grand 
 curves a typical Rose Comb White Leghorn male or fe- 
 male should have. .-\ breeder can always find a ready sale 
 for such birds every day in the year. 
 
Breedinil Kosc Comb White Leghorns 
 
 IN BREEDIXG the Leghorn, as in any other breed of 
 fowls, or in fact, any kind of stock, keep two things 
 in view, practical utility and show room beauty. I 
 place utility iirst, as without size, strength, and vitality, 
 you cannot hope for show birds that will reproduce them- 
 selves. Build on a foundation of vigorous health, select 
 as good specimens otherwise as possible, and success is 
 yours. 
 
 Do not start as cheaply as possible, and do not pay 
 fabulous prices for stock you know little or nothing about. 
 Do m-t buy indiflferent stock and expect to breed up to 
 
 FIRST PR\Xf. HEN MAOISON Sp. &ARDEN N •>(. 1908-09. 
 
 OWNE-D ftND EXHIBITED B\ 
 
 BLRCKS^VHHnE PnULTRXT=ARM BAS«\NO RIBGE N.J. 
 
 something fine: you may do it in time, but it will cost you 
 more than to buy good ones at the beginning, not count- 
 ing lost time. Breed from the largest stock you can get. 
 Always set the largest pure white, perfect shaped eggs. 
 1 have set nothing but the largest eggs for years, until 
 at the Colorado Springs Poultry Show last winter the 
 
 hall superintendent said my pen of R. C. \V. Leghorns 
 laid the largest egg of any bird of any breed in the show 
 room. 
 
 Breed from a female that is long in body, neck, and 
 leg. Comb fine and even on the head, and in size to con- 
 form to the rest of the bird, and from a male that is 
 compact, with full breast; tail carried low, heavy plumage, 
 legs long; comb and head the very best you can obtain, 
 as upon this depends in great part the shape of comb and 
 head of your chicks. 
 
 Select the male first for shape, second for color; the 
 female, first for color, second for shape; but have both 
 qualifications as good in each as possible. 
 
 In color, either White, Buflf or Black, select the bird 
 with the best undercolor, other things being equal, and 
 with the desired color in the shaft feathers of tail and 
 wings. 
 
 In the white bird look for a blue white, not creamy 
 white, in the shaft feathers. 
 
 Breed from mature stock, it will give you stronger 
 chicks, and you can tell before you use a bird in the 
 breeding yards whether his or her color will stay with 
 them after the molt or leave them after the first year. 
 
 Keep a record of all stock; then by knowing just 
 what mating produces the best chicks, you know where to 
 go for more of the same kind. My experience teaches me 
 that in order to obtain what you want you must breed 
 from the description of bird that suits you. 
 
 My first attempt with Leghorns was in 1893, at which 
 time I had the S. C. Black variety. In 1894 I produced a 
 yellow legged, black hen, the equal of which in color of 
 legs and plumage I think was never seen outside of our 
 stock. She went through the show room year after year, 
 always winning first, up to the last Mid-Continental show 
 at Kansas City, Mo., when she was shown with one of 
 her sons, a yellow-legged cockerel, each winning a first 
 prize in a large class. 
 
 In 1895 I first exhibited a R. C. White Leghorn, win- 
 ning extensively at Colorado Springs. The next year I 
 bred from the same stock and was successful in the show 
 room. The next year I bred from a bird that won as 
 cockerel and as cock. Last year I bred from birds sired 
 by first cock at Madison Square Garden, New York, 1897, 
 and again the produce won. 
 
 It will be seen that to breed winners I bred from win- 
 ners, and I never failed. Like will produce like the same 
 in poultry as in other things, and if your stock of birds 
 will not hatch uniformly you have mongrel blood some- 
 where, and the way to do is to find it by single mating, 
 then throw it out. If it is in all your stock, throw them 
 all out, and buy from some one who can prove to you that 
 he has what he claims — thoroughbred stock that will pro- 
 duce its kind. 
 
White Leghorn Breeders' Symposium 
 
 Changes in White Leijhorn Type iu the Past Ten Years Have Improved the Layinfi Qualities— The Best 
 
 Layers Are Birds That Come Nearest the Standard Requirements — Average Flock and 
 
 Individual Egg Laying Records — H hite Leghorns For Market. 
 
 IN ORDER to get the views of successful and prom- 
 inent breeders of White Leghorns, on the proper 
 type for Standard and market requirements, the 
 average yield of eggs laid per capita annually, the cost of 
 feeding and marketing the broilers, we sent a list of 
 questions to leading fanciers in the East and West. 
 
 The contributors to this symposium are; 
 
 N. V. Fogg Kentucky 
 
 W. W. Kulp Pennsylvania 
 
 Robert Herman (Connors Poultry Farm) .... New York 
 
 Huff Poultry Yards Pennsylvania 
 
 J. C. Punderford : . . . . New Jersey 
 
 Hutchins Brothers New York 
 
 Harmon Bradshaw Indiana 
 
 H. E. Humphrey New York 
 
 George Barrows New York 
 
 Robert D. Parmenter Illinois 
 
 Harlo J. Fisk New York 
 
 C. W. Sixt Ohio 
 
 George B. Ferris Michigan 
 
 L. S. Dayhoff Pennsylvania 
 
 E. J. Huber Wisconsin 
 
 1. Have the changes in type of the White Leghorn 
 of ten or more years ago been any improvement towards 
 increased egg production? 
 
 Yes, some of the best layers I have ever bred were 
 birds that came nearest the Standard requirements, and I 
 believe the changes in type and shape have done much to 
 improve the laying qualities of these birds. — N. V. Fogg. 
 
 The White Leghorns of today are beautiful in shape 
 and are far better for egg production than any that were 
 bred before, unless the body is left to become narrower. 
 If you breed for good width across the back, you get 
 room in the egg-making part. The better shapes bred "to- 
 day can do nothing but help to make better workers. — 
 W. W. Kulp. 
 
 I can see a vast improvement in the egg production 
 of White Leghorns in the last few years. — Robert Her- 
 man (Conners Poultry Farm). 
 
 As to my type of a laying Leghorn, the change in 
 type of the Leghorn of the present day from that of ten 
 years ago is an improvement toward increasing egg 
 production. — Huff Poultry Yards. 
 
 1 tiiink the changes in type and shape of Leghorns 
 in the past ten years have made a large improvement in 
 egg production. — J. C. Punderford. 
 
 The type and shape of the S. C. White Leghorn in 
 the last ten years have not only beautified the bird from 
 a fancier's standpoint, but have increased the egg pro- 
 duction — the increase in size, the long, deep body and 
 well rounded breast indicating vitality and vigor. — 
 Hutchins Brothers. 
 
 Yes. — Harmon Bradshaw. 
 
 I do not think the change in type and shape of the 
 White Leghorns has made any particular improvement 
 toward a larger increase of eggs, since the best layers are 
 the ones that are bred as the Standard requires; namely, 
 a long well-arched back, which makes the best layers, 
 in my opinion. — H. E. Humphrey. 
 
 Indirectly, yes. It has stimulated the breeders to be 
 more thorough. — George A. Barrows. 
 
 I don't believe the change in type and shape has had 
 any effect on increasing egg-production. That is my de- 
 cided opinion. — Robert D. Parmenter. 
 
 Yes, I think they have. — Harlo J. Fisk. 
 
 1 think not.— C. W. Sixt. 
 
 The changes in shape and type of White Leghorns 
 have had no effect upon egg production. — George B. Fer- 
 
 ' Yes.— L. S. Dayhoff. 
 
 I do not believe that the changes in type and shape of 
 White Leghorns have changed the egg laying qualities to 
 any material advantage. — E. J. Huber. 
 
 2. Do you consider there is a fixed type for layers, 
 and if so, describe what important characteristics, as to 
 shape and outward appearance, the ideal layer should 
 possess. 
 
 As a rule, my best layers are birds of about average 
 size, with broad breasts and backs and bodies of good 
 length. Their combs are of good size, but not too large, 
 and their tails carried about the same as required in 
 Standard. — N. V. Fogg. 
 
 To be a good layer it is not absolutely nece^^ary that 
 a hen be of a certain shape, but I do know that I breed 
 one of the tmest strains for eggs, from shape breeding. I 
 
 ^^ / 
 
 
 
 1- , . 
 
 lfe«Sip2iJ!?* r 
 
 "'^^ 
 
 er.L.WHEtUERPENNVANN N.Y 
 
 WHTE LEGHORN HEN 
 A noted winning hen of excellent exhibition type, show- 
 ing good length of body and a well spread tail and fine 
 head points. Bred and exhibited by G. L. Wheeler. Penn 
 Tann, N. Y. 
 
 want them wide first. It will give strength and room 
 for the egg organs. My results, according to others, 
 proved I was right over and over again. — W. \\". Kulp. 
 
 I have found a fairly large bird with a long back will 
 lay a large number of good-sized eggs that command an 
 advance over the market price. — Robert Herman. 
 
 I think there is a fixed type for layers. An ideal 
 layer has: first, a small head; second, a slender neck; 
 thjrd, a long body, tapering from back to front; fourth, 
 sh'ort and small-bonea shanks; fifth, is a restless and busy 
 hen.— Huff Poultry Yards. 
 
 The lengthening of the pelvic cavity is looked for as 
 an egg type much the same as we look for a distinct dairy 
 type in a cow. — Hutchins Brothers. 
 
 63 
 
64 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 Yes; good layers should have long bodies. — Harmon 
 Bradshaw. 
 
 If we oread our Leghorns with a good arched back, 
 wide, full breast, and wide undersaddle, there will be no 
 (luestion as to their laying qualities, and they will be with 
 the blue ribbon winners when placed in the show room — 
 at least I have found that to be a fact.— H. E. Humphrey. 
 
 The most important characteristics for layers in Leg- 
 horns are: body, rather deep (especially in back), also 
 broad; legs well apart; comb not too small; and the bird 
 active and vigorous. — George A. Barrows. 
 
 I don't believe in an "egg type," as my long exper- 
 ience with trap-nest records has given me too many types 
 with high records. — Robert D. Parmenter. 
 
 No.— C. W. Sixt. 
 
 I do not consider that there is a fixed type for layers. 
 The vigorous, active bird — the one that is properly grown 
 —is always the best layer, regardless of shape. Yet a 
 flock of high-scoring hens will lay much better, all con- 
 litions being equal, than a flock not bred for standard 
 qualities; not because their shape matters, biit because 
 they have been grown properly. Every fancier kno\ys 
 how quickly overcrowding or neglect in any form will 
 render worthless a very promising bunch of youngsters. 
 Consequently every successful breeder of exhibition birds 
 watches the growth of his stock very carefully and is 
 ready to go to any expense to insure the best develop- 
 ment of every chicken on the place. The health and vigor 
 of the breeding stock are never depleted by injudicious 
 forcing to secure a record egg yield; the pullets are 
 never urged to lay before they are thoroughly matured. 
 Because of the good prices he gets for his stock and eggs, 
 the breeder of exhibition birds can afford to give his 
 stock better attention than the purely utility breeder. He 
 can look forward, and by building up and maintaining the 
 strength and vitality of his flock, can secure a better egg 
 yield year after year. The utility breeder too often forces his 
 hens to lay more than they should, only to find, as the 
 Maine Experiment Station did, that his flock deteriorates 
 rapidly and his egg yield grows steadily less in spite of 
 trap nests and increased forcing. Then he talks about the 
 evils of inbreeding and must go to the breeder who has 
 been conserving the energies of his flock for new blood to 
 bring his stock back to a profitable basis. — George B. 
 Ferris. 
 
 I do not think there is a fixed type, but I have found 
 that a hen with a long back, neat bones, a medium-sized 
 comb and body, is best. — L. S. Dayhoff. 
 
 I do not believe there is a fixed type for layers. Ex- 
 perience las taught me that the ideal layer should be a 
 
 First S. C White Leghorn cock Illinois State 
 January, 1910. This bird won second as cockerel at the 
 State show in 1909, and first as cock at Galesburg, 111., 1910. 
 He is owned by Robert D. Parmenter. Knoxville, 111.. 
 breeder of S. C. White Leghorns exclusively. 
 
 WHITE LEGHORN COCKEREL 
 
 cockerel at Springfield, 111., and Galesburg, 111., 1910. A 
 rarely good picture of a most symmetrical and stylish White 
 Leghorn male. The fashionable low carriage of the tail 
 and long sloping back are admirably portrayed. This bird 
 was bred and exhibited by Robert D. Parmenter, Knoxville, 
 Illinois. 
 
 worker, and of course to work she must be kept in the 
 best of condition at all times. By a "worker" I mean 
 that she must be continually stratching, and on the look- 
 out for feeding time. A lazy hen — one that sits around a 
 good deal and only wakes up to life when she hears the 
 feed pail rattle — never will make a good layer. — E. J. 
 Huber. 
 
 3. What has been your average yield for a flock? 
 184 eggs has been my best average egg yield from a 
 
 flock of 200 hens.— N. V. Fogg. 
 
 I have never been able to count a flock of Whites for 
 a full year. Browns, 242.— W. W. Kulp. 
 
 We run Leghorns in flocks of 350 birds. Egg yield 
 for flock will run from 180 to 200 eggs.— Robert Herman. 
 
 I had a flock of seven laying hens last year that laid 
 1,394 eggs, but I could not tell which hen laid the most 
 eggs. That was the best laying I ever had. — Huff Poultry 
 Yards. 
 
 Fifty per cent. — J. C. Punderford. 
 
 The average yield for our large flocks has never ex- 
 ceeded 150 eggs per hen, while individual hens have ex- 
 ceeded that. — Hutchins Brothers. 
 
 Have not been able to keep record for a year on ac- 
 count of selling so many of the females. — Harmon Brad- 
 shaw. 
 
 As my flock has averaged over 60 per cent, for the 
 whole year, and as I breed for utility as well as for exhi- 
 liition purposes, I have hens that have laid 175 eggs in 12 
 months. — H. E. Humphrey. 
 
 1 am breeding fancy and unable to keep complete 
 yearly record. My best record for 16 hens, for four 
 months, is 105 eggs each. The hens that were not sold 
 (lut of this pen, laid extra well during the whole year. — 
 George A. Barrows. 
 
 180 eggs per hen a year. — Robert D. Parmenter. 
 
 146 eggs from 12 hens in 10 months' test, and some 
 <<i them were in shows during the 10 months. Never made 
 hut the one test. — Harlo J. Fisk. 
 
 Ten hens laid 1,850 eggs in one year. — C. W. Sixt. 
 
 The average egg yield of my entire flock is from ISO 
 t 1 160 eggs per year. — George B. Ferris. 
 
 Fifteen dozen in twelve months. — L. S. Dayhoff. 
 
 Our average yield for a flock has averaged 170, and 
 we have no doubt that many individual hens will average 
 200 and better.— E. J. Huber. 
 
 4. What has been the best record made by any indi- 
 \i(htal specimen? 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 208 eggs per year. S. C. Buff Leghorn.— J .C. 
 Punderford. 
 
 I have sonie individual hens that averaged 28 eggs 
 each for the months of March, April and May, but I 
 found that their eggs did not hatch as well as those that 
 laid less. — H. E. Humphrey. 
 
 212 eggs, but could not get a fertile egg from this 
 bird, and am positive that the male bird was not at fault. 
 She laid a large, misshapen egg. — Robert D. Parmenter. 
 
 S. Do you consider it advisable to use trap nests and 
 practice pedigree breeding, as a means of improving lay- 
 ing qualities? 
 
 I do not consider it profitable to use the ^rap nests 
 and practice pedigree breeding on a large poultry farm. 
 Whether it is successful in any event, as a method of 
 improving laying qualities, I am not prepared to say, as 
 my experience in this line has been limited. It cannot 
 be used on a large scale without a good deal of time and 
 expense, and I have never seen any reports that show it 
 is profitable to use it on a large scale. However, there 
 may be some who breed only a small flock, that have 
 been able to improve their bird's laying qualities to some 
 extent. Those who breed only a few birds have a chance 
 to get the poor layers out of their flock by this method, 
 and therefore increase their profit. I notice in a report 
 from one Experiment Station that, after ten years of care- 
 ful work in this line, the average egg yield at the end of 
 the experiment, instead of increasing, has decreased 23 
 eggs per hen. In this case it is a losing proposition in 
 more ways than one. — N. V. Fogg. 
 
 The trap nest is a fine thing, but it is not absolutely 
 necessary to breed a flock of the best layers. — W. W. 
 Kulp. 
 
 I believe a commercial plant does not have the time 
 for this kind of work. — Robert Herman. 
 
 1 think the trap nest is advisable, as well as the prac- 
 
 FIKST PRlltCKRL- GRAND RAPID5 MICH- 1910. 
 
 BREb ANb OVVtSEC) BV 
 
 FERRIS POULTRY FARM GRAND RAPIDS MICH- 
 
 TYPICAL EKHIBITIOISSCWHITE LEGHORN PULLET 
 BREb AHfi OWMEb BY 
 
 FERRIS POULTRY FARM GRAND RAPIDS MICH 
 
 Leghorn male showing exceptionally good head points, the 
 comb being almost ideal in shape. The tail is well furnished 
 and carried at the required Standard angle. 
 
 The pullet illustrated above is the winner of first prize 
 at the Michigan State Fair and at Grand Rapids, Mich 1910. 
 She combines in a rare degree, superior exhibition type with 
 the necessary utilitarian qualities. The length of body and 
 well spread tail carried at the proper angle are well por- 
 trayed in the above picture. 
 
 tice for pedigree breeding, for by so doing one can always 
 Ijreed from the best laying birds. — Hufif Poultry Yards. 
 
 Yes.— J. C. Punderford. 
 
 The trap nest is a step in the right direction, but 
 cases are very rare where a 200 egg hen has reproduced 
 herself in her offspring. The 200 egg hen is yet a prodigy 
 like the extremely high record dairy cow. Feeding and 
 environment must accompany the trap nesting. — Hutchins 
 Brothers. 
 
 Yes, by all means. — Harmon Bradshaw. 
 
 I consider it a good plan to use trapnests, but at the 
 same time this pedigree breeding proves unsatisfactory, 
 as all prolific layers do not always produce good layers. 
 My method is to select strong, vigorous females that are 
 as near the Standard as to shape as I can select in my 
 judgment and mate them to a male that has good points 
 in all sections; and in most cases I will be satisfied with 
 the results. — H. E. Humphrey. 
 
 Not with Leghorns if extra help is required to tend 
 them. — George A. Barrows. 
 
 I most certainly do, though a high record bird will 
 not always breed birds of still better laying qualities. A 
 bird must have the power of transmission. — Robt. D. Par- 
 menter. 
 
 Yes, indeed. — Harlo J. Fisk. 
 
 We do not use them. — C. W. Sixt. 
 
 No. — George B. Ferris. 
 
 Yes.— L. S. Dayhoff. 
 
 We believe that to build up a heavy laying strain, the 
 'trap nest system is the only reliable one, and we would 
 advise anyone not satisfied with their average flock 
 records, to install trap-nests and in this way find out 
 which are the best layers and which are the drones. After 
 
6G 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 he. has found out his best layers, he should breed from 
 these birds from time to time, and the continuation of 
 trap-nests for four or five years will work wonders. — E. 
 J. Huber. 
 
 6. (a) Is it profitable to produce Leghorns as broil- 
 ers? (b) as fryers? (c) as small roasters? 
 
 (a) Yes, they are very attractive broilers and will 
 make as much profit as any other breed I have tried, (b) 
 Yes, they are fine flavored and make a fine market bird 
 up to two pounds. — N. V. Fogg. 
 
 It is profitable to produce Leghorns as broilers. I 
 had a customer in Canada hatch Wyandottes and Leg- 
 horns at the same time, and the Leghorns brought more 
 than the Wyandottes at the same age. I prefer a cross 
 of the Leghorn on a large breed, for broilers — and espe- 
 cially for fryers. For roasters I would use a larger 
 chicken.— W. W. Kulp. 
 
 Our trade demands a Leghorn broiler — both squab 
 and larger size. They are no good for fryers or roast- 
 ers. — Robert Herman. 
 
 There is a small profit in Leghorns for broilers or 
 
 WHITE LEGHORN PULLET 
 
 The illustration above was reproduced from an unretouched photograpli 
 
 of the first prize pullet at Chicago and Indianapolis. Although the poise of 
 
 the bird in the picture is not_very good, low carried tail and tine head points 
 
 pullet was bred and exhibited by Harmon 
 
 fryers, but I think it is time and money lost to raise them 
 for roasters. — Huff Poultry Yards. 
 
 (a) Yes. (b) and (c) — Have never done so, but 
 should say not. — J. C. Punderford. 
 
 Leghorns are not so profitable as formerly for broil- 
 ers on account of the advance in the price of feed. If 
 good hatches can be obtained, the early cockerels are 
 profitable for broilers; but the pullets will bring more for 
 stock. Some of our local dealers advertise not to bring 
 White Leghorns at all as broilers. They develop very 
 rapidly for fryers or roasters. — Hutchins Brothers. 
 
 I believe it is, but have not been able to keep enough 
 birds to give it a test. Hope to be able to do so within 
 the next year or two. — -Harmon Bradshaw. 
 
 No doubt there is money in Leghorn broilers and 
 fryers, providing you are near a good market; but as to 
 roasters, they are too small and they require too much 
 feed for the money that you would get from the invest- 
 ment. A Leghorn should be about six weeks old and 
 weigh at least two pounds, which would bring from $1.00 
 to $1.25 per pair. — H. E. Humphrey. 
 
 No experience with Leghorns in this respect. — 
 George A. Barrows. 
 
 (a) Yes. (b) Yes. (c) Not in my experience. — 
 Robert D. Parmenter. 
 
 (a) Yes. (b) Do not think so. (c) Do not think 
 so. — Harlo J. Fisk. 
 
 (a) Yes. (b) Yes. (c) Yes.— C. W. Sixt. 
 
 (a) Yes, in the early spring. (b) Yes. (c) No. 
 — L. S. Dayhoff. 
 
 In a coinmunity that prefers small, one or one and 
 one-quarter pound broilers Leghorns will prove to be one 
 of the best articles in the line of broilers. They are tender, 
 juicy, and their nice yellow skin gives them an appear- 
 ance that "makes your mouth water." We confidently be- 
 lieve that where Leghorns are raised on free range, they 
 will make very profitable broilers, as" they will need very 
 little feed, being such great rangers. — E. J. Huber. 
 
 7. At what age and weight are Leghorn broilers 
 most profitable and what is the average price a pair in 
 the best wholesale and retail centers? 
 
 From seven to twelve weeks old when they should 
 weigh from one to two pounds each. Much depends on 
 the way the birds are fed and cared for, as to how soon 
 they will be ready for market. In this section in the 
 larger cities fine, fat birds, weighing from one to two 
 pounds each, retail from $.50 to $1.50 per pair, according 
 to the season. — -N. V. Fogg. 
 
 We sell in the Philadelphia markets and they require 
 them from one and a little more to one and a half pounds, 
 bringing about sixty cents each. — W. W. Kulp. 
 
 We use Leghorn broilers for s_quab5 ^ to 
 1 pound each. Price, wholesale, 75c to $1.15 
 per pair. Larger broilers, lyi pounds to 1J4 
 pounds each. Price $1.00 to $1.25 a pair. — 
 Robert Herman. 
 
 At from 10 to 12 weeks they will weigh 
 from -J4 to 2^4 pounds. My home market pays 
 me in the early spring, from 30 to 40 cents per 
 pound, but there are markets that do better 
 than this. — Huff Poultry Yards. 
 
 Leghorn broilers at eight weeks old, at 
 1J4 to 2 pounds, bring in our wholesale and 
 retail centers, 75 cents to 25 cents apiece. — M. 
 L. Hutchins. 
 
 A Leghorn should be about six weeks old 
 and weigh at least two pounds, which would 
 bring from $1.00 to $1.25 per pair.— H. E. 
 Humphrey. 
 
 At 1 5^ to 2 pounds for either broilers or 
 fryers, provided birds have made proper 
 growth. About ten weeks old. — Robert D. 
 Parmenter. 
 
 At 1 and 1}4 pounds. From SO cents to 
 75 cents per pair, according to season. — Harlo 
 J. Fisk. 
 
 1% to lJ/2 pounds each; price according to 
 quality — from 70 cents to $1.25 per pair; age, 
 from 10 to 14 weeks.— L. S. Dayhoff. 
 
 They can be made to return a handsome 
 profit as fryers and small roasters, and for a 
 family of two or three a nice plump Leghorn 
 roaster weighing from two to two and one- 
 half pounds is very desirable. Leghorn broilers 
 are most profitable when about three months old. In 
 this district they will sell from $1.00 to $1.50 a pair.— E. 
 J. Huber. 
 
 8. What does it cost to keep a Leghorn hen per 
 year? 
 
 It costs from $1.00 to $1.10 per year to feed a hen 
 properly in this section of the country at the present 
 prices of feed. — N. V. Fogg. 
 
 I don't know, but I should judge that it costs me $1.80 
 each.— W. W. Kulp. 
 
 $1.00 will keep a Leghorn hen in clover for a year. 
 My birds average me about 87 cents each, as I cut all my 
 own bone and I get it at the market for nothing. — Huff 
 Poultry Yards. 
 
 About $1.10 a year.— J. C. Punderford. 
 
 It costs from $1.00 to $1.10 a year to keep a Leghorn 
 hen a year. It costs just as much to keep a Leghorn hen 
 as the heavier breeds, after they are grown. — Hutchins 
 Brothers. 
 
 If I can keep a Leghorn hen for $1.25 a year I am 
 perfectly satisfied. Taking into consideration the price 
 of grain at present, I do not think I am very far from the 
 cost, providing all and what is required is fed. — H. E. 
 Humphrey. 
 
 About $1.20, if given good range. — George .\. Bar- 
 rows. 
 
 At price of feed now it costs $1.50, though it can be 
 done a trifle cheaper. — Robert D. Parmenter. 
 
 From $1.00 to $1.35 according to cost of feed.— Harlo 
 J. Fisk. 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 67 
 
 Seventy cents. — C. W. Sixt. 
 
 For feed, 100 pounds each — and the sort of feed will 
 make price per hen. — L. S. Dayhoff. 
 
 Our Leghorn hens cost us between $1.00 and $1.20 
 per year — never under $1.00 and very seldom over $1.20, 
 but of course we raise a good many different kinds of 
 vegetables, which we do not credit against the birds. — E. 
 J. Huber. 
 
 9. How many hens can be kept in one flock and give 
 the best results in egg production? 
 
 I have had better results from fifty hens in one flock, 
 for egg production, than a larger number, although at 
 different times during my experience with layers I have 
 had as many as ISO hens in one flock and still received 
 good results, but not so good as 
 when not over 50 were kept in 
 one flock.— N. V. Fogg. 
 
 I don't know, but I think I 
 should like fifteen best — from fif- 
 teen to twenty-five. — W. VV. 
 Kulp. 
 
 We find a flock of 350 birds 
 will lav as many eggs per hen as 
 a flock of 50 birds.— Robert Her- 
 
 For the very best results I 
 never keep over eight or ten 
 hens in a flock — mostly eight. — 
 Huft' Poultry Yards. 
 
 I have found that 45 females 
 will give better results than a 
 larger number. They will not 
 crowd so much at night and are 
 easier to care for. — J. C. Punder- 
 ford. 
 
 Few men can keep more 
 than 100 hens in one flock and 
 get the best results; and then 
 they must have plenty of fresh 
 air and free range. — Hutchins 
 Brothers. 
 
 .Miout 50 or 60.— Harmon 
 Brad^haw. 
 
 I think 25 hens a sufficient 
 number to keep in one flock for 
 best results, but some breeders 
 think the larger the flock, the 
 mo. e eggs you will get. This has 
 not been the case with me at 
 least. — -H. E. Humphrey. 
 
 Ten to fifteen. — George A. 
 Barrows. 
 
 Twenty-five to thirty — no 
 more. — Robert D. Parmenter. 
 
 Twenty-five hens give the best results, but flocks of 
 100 do well under the same systems of feeding.— Harlo J. 
 Fisk. 
 
 Thirty to fifty.— C. W. Sixt. 
 
 Not to exceed 100; less if convenient. — George B. 
 Ferris. 
 
 Not over 50 hens.— L. S. Dayhoff. 
 
 We never exceed fifteen hens in a flock for good re- 
 sults in egg production. — E. J. Huber. 
 
 10. Do yoii consider it advisable to remove males 
 from flocks kept solely for the production of fancy market 
 eggs? 
 
 Yes, I believe the birds will lay as well. The eggs 
 will be of finer quality, will keep longer, and the feed con- 
 sumed by the males will be saved. — N. V. Fogg. 
 
 I should remove males if I were producing fancy 
 market eggs. — W. W. Kulp. 
 
 I do not run males with flock kept for market eggs. 
 They do better work without and you do not have the 
 extra birds to feed. — Robert Herman. 
 
 I do, as the eggs not fertilized will keep fresh longer 
 (a strictly fresh egg is an egg one day old). — Huff Poul- 
 try Yards. 
 
 I do. In the first place an infertile egg will keep 
 longer than a fertile one; second, the females are not 
 worried and kept on the jump. — J. C. Punderford. 
 
 Too much care cannot be taken in the selection of 
 our males. I would not select a male from a flock kept 
 
 WHITE LEGHORN COCK "BOB HI" 
 One of the most successful winners in the 
 West is the White Leghorn cocli illustrated 
 above. In 1906 he won first at Chicago, Indian- 
 apolis and Thorntown; in 1907 he captured the 
 blue ribbon at Indianapolis and won second at 
 Boston; in IIWS he again captured first at In- 
 dianapolis. This bird is owne' 
 ited by Harmon Bradshaw, L( 
 
 solely for egg production any more than I would from 
 one solely from a fancy point of view. The type makes 
 and preserves the breed; the hen that lays is the hen that 
 pays. — Hutchins Brothers. 
 
 Yes. I believe the hens will lay just as well or bet- 
 ter, and the eggs will keep fresh much better. — Harmon 
 Bradshaw. 
 
 With no exception, I think it best to have no males 
 with hens unless you want the eggs for incubation, from 
 the fact that an infertile egg will keep longer, and also 
 that you will not supply the whole country with eggs 
 for hatching, to parties who would not give more than 
 the market price for any eggs, whether they were laid 
 by a hen valued at $1.00 or $10.00 each.— H. E. Humphrey. 
 .\'ot entirely. — George A. Barrows. 
 
 Females are more contented 
 with a male in the flock, and a 
 male to twenty or thirty females 
 vviU not hurt market value of 
 eggs materially. — Robert D. Par- 
 menter. 
 
 Yes.— Harlo J. Fisk. 
 Yes.— C. W. Sixt. 
 Yes. — George B. Ferris. 
 Yes.— L. S. Dayhoff. 
 We think it advisable to re- 
 move males from flocks kept 
 solely for egg production, as in- 
 fertile eggs will keep a good deal 
 longer than a fertile egg. — E. J. 
 Huber. 
 
 11. Will feeding yellow corn 
 affect color of white plumage? 
 Why and how? 
 
 Yes, I have made several ex- 
 periments in feeding white and 
 yellow corn to birds; taking 
 birds all hatched in the same ma- 
 chine, dividing them into two 
 lots and feeding both lots the 
 same feed in every way, with the 
 exception of corn, giving one lot 
 yellow and the other white. At 
 maturity many of the birds fed 
 on yellow corn had a very brassy 
 plumage and others were very 
 creamy. The lot fed on white 
 corn had a fine white plumage 
 and their legs and beaks were a 
 rich yellow. Have tried the ex- 
 periment on old birds several 
 times and have come to the con- 
 clusion that feeding yellow corn 
 to white birds has much to do 
 with their color. I would not 
 advise any one to feed yellow corn to white birds under 
 any circumstances, unless he expects to sell them for mar- 
 ket purposes. I prefer yellow corn for feeding market 
 birds.— N. V. Fogg. 
 
 I never could see that it made a mite of difference 
 whether corn be yellow or white. I saw five males the 
 other day and one got yellow eating the same brand of 
 corn the four that were white had eaten. It is in the blood. 
 Don't blame it on the feed if you missed it. There are 
 much more potent agencies than yellow corn to make or 
 produce yellow. One is lack of sunshine after September 
 15th.— W. W. Kulp. 
 
 It will, but we always feed yellow corn to Leghorns 
 kept for market eggs. — Robert Herman. 
 
 I do not think the feeding of yellow corn affects 
 plumage in the least. I once fed a flock of Leghorns yel- 
 low corn, and a flock in the next pen — white corn. There 
 were ten hens in each flock; at the end of the year the 
 one pen of birds was as white as the other. — Huff Poultry 
 Yards. 
 
 I think yellow corn will affect white plumage in a 
 small way. It is apt to give a yellowish tinge to the 
 feathers. — J. C. Punderford. 
 
 We are positive the feed has no influence on the 
 plumage of a bird. It is in the blood and not in the feed. 
 Breed white and you get white. — Hutchins Brothers. 
 
 Yellow corn has no effect on the plumage of white 
 birds, unless, at the time they are getting their second 
 feathers, it might affect the surface; but when the bird is 
 
 Indiar 
 
(18 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 matured and the sap has disappeared from the quills— 
 which it will do, if the bird is white— the color of the 
 plumage will not be affected by the feeding of yellow 
 corn. — H. E. Humphrey. 
 
 Yellow corn will affect the white plumage on most 
 birds by giving it a creamy or straw color, but I have 
 
 "BROOKSIDE CHIEF" 
 ! FiRST PR)ZE C'K'R'L. MISSOURI STATE SHOW 5EG-'oa 
 Bred&Ov^ntLd By BROORSIDE POULTRY FARM 
 NURSERY MO.. 
 
 Wl 
 
 -Hghori 
 
 we 
 
 ited above stands a very good chance of win- 
 ning in the strongest competition. While the comb of this 
 bird is rather large and approaching the Minorca type ot 
 comb, the head, lobes and wattles are well balanced; the 
 neck, back and tail outline is characteristic of the modern 
 type Leghorn; the tail is well spread and carried at an 
 angle that harmonizes with the rest of the body sections. 
 
 had some birds that it would not hurt at all. — -Harmon 
 Bradshaw. 
 
 Yellow corn will certainly give white plumage a 
 creamy tinge, if fed during the moulting season, espe- 
 cially. — George A. Barrows. 
 
 Yellow corn will "cream" all pullets and "brass" the 
 cockerels. It will even change the blue-pink skin of a 
 pure white bird and make it yellow. As to why and how 
 I have my theories; let someone else'ans^i-er. — Robert I). 
 Parmenter. 
 
 Cannot say personally. — Harln T. Fisk 
 
 It will to some extent if fed while feathers are grow- 
 ing — Ijut not much. — C. W. Sixt. 
 
 It is my experience that it will. There are some birds 
 so white that a diet comprised largely of yellow corn will 
 leave them reasonably white; but even these birds vvould 
 be whiter without the corn. There are others that, if fed 
 much on corn, will be decidedly creamy — so much so that 
 they are ruined for exhibition; yet, if raised on other 
 grains, they would be exhibition birds of the finest 
 quality. The bird that can stand corn without becoming 
 creamy is really a white-skinned one that will never make 
 a prime market chicken. A yellow-skinned bird kept 
 white by judicious feeding is much more valuable because 
 It is easily fattened when desired. — George B. Ferris. 
 
 Yes, this is a settled fact, and I will not give the rea- 
 son. Will it make an egg yolk yellow? Yes. — L. S. Day- 
 hoff. 
 
 We believe that the feeding of yellow corn affects 
 only the oil in the quills, having a tendency to make the 
 quills oily and creamy. Yellow corn does not further af- 
 fect the olumage. Creamy plumage and brassiness are in 
 the breeding of the bird, and are not the result of what il 
 is fed on. We do not, for an instant, tolerate a brassj 
 bird on our farm. — E. J. Huber. 
 
 That breeders of White Leghorns are not a unit on a 
 number of the subjects discussed in the above symposium 
 is readily perceived, but the points brought out pro and 
 con will prove valuable, instructive and lead to a more 
 thorough investigation of some of the problems that have 
 not been satisfactorily solved up to the present time. 
 
 One of these is the effect the feeding of yellow corn 
 has on the plumage of white fowl. Until more thorough 
 tests in feeding white and yellow corn to selected pens of 
 white fowl are made, and these tests are carried on for a 
 period of years, breeders will continue to differ in their 
 views on this subject. Personally we have always con- 
 sidered real silvery white plumaged fowl immune, believ- 
 ing the color of the grain fed to such in no way affected 
 the color of their plumage. 
 
 That the majority of Leghorn breeders agree on the 
 1 mg bodied bird as the best layer is evident after reading 
 the answers to question No. 2; neither are they very far 
 apart on the average egg yield per annum per capita of 
 a flock of White Leghorn hens. While a few individual 
 records show layers that produced over 200 eggs in one 
 year, the yield can safely be placed at fifty per cent or 
 182 eggs for the highest and ISO eggs for the average 
 flock. 200 egg hens are evidently not in sight yet, at least 
 ■hot in large flocks of Leghorns. 
 
 A White Leghorn hen that lays 12 dozen eggs in 
 twelve months is a very profitable producer, if the figures 
 giving the cost of maintenance for the year are correct. 
 As $1.00 to |1.S0 is given as the cost of the grain and 
 other food a White Leghorn hen consumes in 365 days, 
 it needs only IZyz cents a dozen for the eggs to balance 
 the feed bill. With White Leghorn eggs averaging 25 
 cents a dozen, a gross profit of I2y2 cents a' dozen can be 
 realized. What the cost of labor, interest on the invest- 
 ment and other items of expense amount to depends on 
 the poultry raiser, but he has a very safe margin in the 
 12'/< cents profit to work on. 
 
Group 1:— Nos. 1. 2 and 3 are birds illustrating the stilted type of t 
 No. 3 has a short, sloping back with high contracted tail. No. 4 is a Bosto 
 body with full breast and a tail carried a trifle above 49 degrees, 
 that were spoiled in conditioning. 
 
 years ago. No. 2 has a long but flat back. 
 
 ■inning cockerel of 1903 with a nearly level 
 
 5 has a low tail and long sickles and hangers 
 
 White Leghorn Bodies, Tails and Le^s 
 
 Illustrations That Show the Improvement That Has Been Wrought in the Shape of White 
 Leghorns During the Past Years. 
 
 Franklane L. Sewell 
 
 Leghorn import 
 ed by August D 
 .\ r n o 1 d. Dills 
 burg, Pa., 1S94. 
 
 They are the 
 
 <=? NTERNATION.^LLY popular is the 
 H Leghorn, because of its record as an 
 
 vWv J egg producer, therefore the subject of 
 
 mE^ I the iinprovement of this race of fowls 
 
 ^.TS I is of constant in'erest to the pro- 
 
 ■t^i I gressive breeders of them. 
 
 ^"■*(J The short-sighted man may say, 
 
 <.ori nf H„ff "So >o"g as I get eggs a-plenty, why 
 trouble about the looks of the birds that 
 lay them," but breeders of Standard- 
 bred fowls do not take that view of the 
 matter. They have learned that there are types from 
 which we can expect the greatest number of eggs. Fan- 
 ciers have found that it is well to select birds that ap- 
 proach the accepted standards which are ideals that have 
 become established because they have proved to be in 
 harmony with the most highly developed individuals of 
 the breed they represent. 
 
 Leghorns are not bred to great 
 "little Italians." It is their nature to 
 be active, busy, constantly foraging. 
 In shape they are a combination of 
 the most graceful lines found in do- 
 mestic fowls. The last ten years of 
 Leghorn history have been especially 
 interesting to fanciers who have wit- 
 nessed the progress in their ideals 
 brought about by the selections of en-, 
 thusiasts who have been ambitious t.j 
 further improve and beautify this al- 
 ready charming race. 
 
 Fanciers and judges decided 
 sonic'ten years ago that loiiger'bodies 
 would add to the value of the breed. 
 Long bodies at that time were almost 
 unheard of, excepting in 'individuals 
 of the coarser type arttl these too 
 often possessed the flat form of back. 
 The production of longer bodies and 
 backs with a graceful concave sweep 
 from the shoulder^ put on the 
 tail, together with th« much desired 
 
 No 6— A White Leghorn cock, wii 
 ler at an English show in 1905. He r 
 embles a Minorca in shape, having 
 ong body, -with rather low tail, bi 
 le is very coarse and angular. 
 
 lower carriage of tail and long saddle and tail covert plum- 
 age with all sections in agreeable proportion, has not 
 proven easy to accomplish, nor have birds possessing 
 these qualities been exhibited by many. 
 
 A good length of body is considered by practical 
 minded breeders as essential for the Leghorn that is to 
 be an egg machine. Fanciers demand that the show Leg- 
 horn shall be not only practical but beautiful and they are 
 succeeding in a wonderful degree in establishing this 
 happy combination of qualities in their favorites. 
 
 In 1899 it was possible to win first place with such a 
 short backed, high tailed cock as No. 3 of group 1. On 
 this Madison Square Garden winner the tail was not only 
 high, but much too closely held and his back was not only 
 short and sloping but narrow at its juncture with tail. 
 Comparing his breast with that on the next one in the 
 group. No. 4, it will be seen that it was far from being full 
 as a good Leghorn's breast should be. The first three 
 cockerels in group 1 appear somewhat stilted on their legs. 
 Modern fanciers of Leghorns do not 
 — ^^^^^^^^^— like short legged specimens, but these 
 three males are rather high on their 
 legs to be truly symmetrical Leg- 
 horns. Of the three birds No. 2 is 
 the most symmetrical and he is rather 
 longer than the average in all sec- 
 tions of his frame, but it will be no- 
 ticed that length is secured at the ex- 
 pense of graceful lines, the back in 
 I)articular being severely straight and 
 jciining the. tail with an abrupt angle. 
 Xos. 1 and 3 are deficient in br-east 
 ilevelopment, while ingenefaj style 
 N". 2 leans toward the 'typff'Tesired 
 in t!ie Minorca. He shows tl^ stilted 
 carriage, the long, straight "Sack and 
 the underline of the body running 
 nearly parallel with that of the back. 
 The sickles on the tail of both 1 and 
 2 do not extend high enough up 
 against the tail proper. Even in No. 
 1, which was a mature cock, nearly 
 
 69 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 the upper half of the tail proper 
 plumage is exposed. Properly carried 
 sickles rest against the upper pair of 
 main tail feathers nearly or quite to 
 the tips, bending so as to form a 
 curve like a sickle from which they 
 take their name. 
 
 j English Leghorns Often Large 
 
 I Comparatively large sized Leg- 
 horns are often exhibited in England. 
 All that we have ever seen of them 
 possessed coarse, angular forms, very 
 much inclined to what American fan- 
 ciers consider distinctly Minorca 
 shape. Xo. 6, a cock bird, is an illus- 
 tration of one of these large Leg- 
 horns. The character of the head 
 points, the long, angular lines of the 
 body, wings and legs as well as the 
 texture of the plumage, all would 
 have stamped this bird as a Minorca 
 if his yellow legs were not considered. 
 See illustrations 6 and 7. 
 
 No. 7 was a promising cockerel 
 that would later exhibit much the 
 
 the same type as No. 6, but his head points were not so 
 coarse. The serrations of the comb, however, resemble 
 that of the Minorca in their "circular, saw tooth" arrange- 
 ment instead of the points leaning backward to the rear of 
 the blade. The shoulders of this cockerel are not so de- 
 cidedly prominent and angular as those of No. 6. 
 
 Some British authorities attribute this prominent an- 
 gular character of shoulder to Malay blood, but we have 
 not yet seen specimens that showed indications of the in- 
 troduction of blood other than Mediterranean and from 
 the Minorca. The principal objections offered against the 
 large angular birds have been that they matured late and 
 did not prove to be such good layers as birds of the gen- 
 erally accepted Standard type for Leghorns. These are 
 serious defects when we consider that the main economic 
 claims for Leghorns are early maturity and egg produc- 
 tion. It means simply that their most valuable character- 
 istics have been lost or diminished in value. 
 
 In 1903, at Boston, before the demand for much lower 
 tails had been widely felt, one of the most attractive males 
 of the year was shown by Chas. J. Fogg. It was of service- 
 able type with full breast and good breadth of body ex- 
 
 S'o. 7— A 1905 English cockerel 
 
 long back and low tail, in tr£ 
 
 exhibit an exceedingly low 
 
 lis cockerel did not lift his t; 
 
 tending well back, and he had a 
 wealth of long saddle feathers. The 
 tail is a little above the angle of 
 forty-five degrees (at that time pop- 
 ular) and the sickles extend well up 
 against the tail proper and are of 
 good length and show a beautiful 
 curve. Three side hangers on the side 
 portrayed are well developed, but the 
 absence of the lowest or fourth 
 hanger leaves an opening in what 
 otherwise would have been a very 
 well furnished tail. If the bird had 
 had just a trifle longer body and 
 higher station with a little lower tail 
 and the saddle curving up with 
 smoother finish against the root of 
 the tail, this cockerel might have been 
 a dangerous competitor in eastern 
 shows. The change suggested in this 
 bird would have helped him to ap- 
 proach the type of No. 15. 
 
 In group 1, No. 5 is a portrait of 
 a prize cock at Chicago, 1905, when 
 the eflfects of the demand for lower 
 tails had begun to be seen at the 
 larger shows. If this cock had had a finer head and had 
 been properly conditioned foi exhibition, he would have 
 been a worthy specimen. As some expert conditioners 
 vyould express it, "He was spoiled in the tub" or rather "in 
 the drying," for his tine tail is badly disarranged, the upper 
 side hangers taking a position down over the lowest 
 hangers and the saddle falling away at either side of the 
 root of the tail, exposing it instead of curving up in a 
 smooth concave finish over the fluffy roots of the tail 
 plumage. It has grown to be a commonly accepted idea! 
 with leading Leghorn exhibitors that the perfectly finished 
 saddle and tail must join in curved lines. To do this the 
 saddle plumage of both sexes must be profuse and 
 smoothly cover the roots of the tail. Such a long plumaged 
 tail carried so low would be greatly valued by some breed- 
 ers whose stock birds persist in carrying their tails too 
 erect and who fail to develop proper length of sickles and 
 side hangers. However, such unusually long sickles as ap- 
 pear on this specimen are not ideal sickles. Those 
 on Nos. 4, 13, 17 and 21 are rather the proper 
 length and show more nearly the proper curve for Leg- 
 horns. 
 
 Group 2— Nos S to 12; No. S was the cock heading first pen at the Boston show, 1905. No. 9, "Edna," was a long bodied, low 
 tailed hen for her time. She showed the progression being made and was of great value in establishing her type in one 
 of the most successful strains of today. Nos. 10. 11 and 12 were 1905 New York and Boston winners. After that year - 
 noticeable change in favor of lower 
 She was one of the 
 
 and 12 were 1905 New York and Boston 
 __ .- -. tails was observed. No. 11 is a close approach to an ideal Leghorn of her time— 1905. 
 symmetrical females that has ever appeared. 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 When the tail of a male Leghorn is carried as low as 
 cock No. 5 carries his and has such long plumage that the 
 sickles reach the ground, they do not keep the true sickle 
 curve, but their weight straightens out the latter half and 
 in this form they approach the type of tail found on young 
 males of the Long Tailed Japanese varieties and they 
 should not be considered ideal for the Leghorn. 
 
 Among Leghorns that of late years have been of 
 special prominence at New York and Boston on account 
 of their rapid approach to.ward the modern ideal for the 
 breed, are those from the yards of D. W. Young, Monroe, 
 N. Y., in fact his annual exhibition at the New York show 
 has had much to do in assuring fanciers that it is possible 
 to reach the modern Leghorn ideal and that it is most 
 beautiful when attained. Up to 1905 White Leghorns of 
 good length and witli low tails were rarely seen in the 
 
 1907, Mr. Young i;i his Edward 12th, No. 24, set the fash- 
 ion well ahead and produced an ideal worthy of repetition 
 for several generations. However, the production of this 
 cockerel was not to be so greatly wondered at as he fol- 
 lowed in line of descent the cockerel Edward 4th, No. 17, 
 group 3, that won at both New York and Boston, 1906, 
 and at New York in 1907. Geo. H. Burgott who judged 
 this bird in his class at New York said that he was the 
 finest Leghorn he had ever seen or judged. W. Theo. 
 Wittman said he beat any picture that had been drawn to 
 date and was nearer perfection than he thought it possible 
 to breed them. 
 
 No. 8, group 2, the first winning pen cock at Boston, 
 1905, shows a generous sized body of good length with 
 profusely furnished tail, but he carries his tail above 45 
 degrees, so tlie back does not show its length to such ad- 
 
 ^m w ^fW^ w %^ 
 
 13 14 15 10 17 
 
 Group 3— Nos. 13 to 17: These males had exceptionally well formed tails tor their time. No 17, "Edward 4th," showed 
 a considerably lower tail than had heretofore been exhibited— 1806— on White Leghorn males with such fine style and finish. 
 He won at both New York and Boston in 1906 and as cock at New York in 1907. No. 13 shows sickles that are nearly Ideal in 
 '-roper lensth and curve. No. 14 is the same female as No. 9, group 2. in her pullet form when she won first at New York. 
 No^ 15 was the most symmetrical and finest finished cock of 1906. No. 16 was a trim, close plumaged female with fine head 
 
 close feathered. Fanciers prefer tails spread somewhat more 
 
 and she 
 
 5,rd 
 
 shoulder to rear of saddle for one 
 
 New York show. In combining' length of body with 
 gracefulness of outline and general finish, the Leghorn 
 has made a more valuable and more popular bird. 
 
 Some Noted Winners 
 
 Two successful winners at the St. Louis World's Fair 
 owned by Elm Poultry Yards, the first prize pullet and 
 second prize cockerel, Nos. 19 and 20 in group 4, showed 
 not only long bodies but the pullet was particularly full in 
 lireast and was much admired for her wide-spread tail. 
 -Another characteristic noticeable in these two birds is that 
 their bodies are carried more nearly on the level than is 
 the case with most Leghorns. While this has never been 
 demanded in the breed, it can be seen by referring to the 
 few that carry backs nearly level that the saddle reaches 
 up on the tail better when the back is carried that way. 
 In the next cockerel, No. 21, this point is well illustrated. 
 With the back sloping greatly and with the tail carried 
 high, it is next to impossible to find or to train the feath- 
 ers of the saddle in a gracefully curved line up on the base 
 of the tail. In Nos. 15, 17, 21, 22 and 23, it will be seen 
 that the lines from the back to the tail have a graceful 
 curve. Such lines are always much admired Ijy Leghorn 
 fanciers. 
 
 In cockerel No. 10 the sweep is also concave, but it is 
 short and the angle of back and tail is more abrupt than 
 has been -,een on Mr. Young's best winners of the last two 
 or three years. At that time, 1905-1906, he led in his 
 class wit! first honors at Boston. In the following year. 
 
 vantage, nor does the saddle take so graceful a sweep as 
 is the case with Mr. Young's later winning males. The 
 improvement over this bird will be readily seen when 
 comparing it with a portrait of Edward 12th. 
 
 A feature that always adds charm to the beauty of a 
 fine Leghorn female is a wealth of long saddle hackle 
 feathers and as some of the males develop. Old "Butter- 
 legs," No. 18, group 4, first Boston cock shown by Elm 
 Poultry Yards in 1907, possessed an extraordinary length 
 in this section. A glance also at No. 4, group, 1, No. 12, 
 group 2, and No. 15, group 3, teaches one the value of such 
 feathers to a show bird. In the pose of No. 12, although 
 the back does not appear long the exceeding great wealth 
 of saddle plumage adds much to the bird's furnishing and 
 his general high-class appearance. In natural spread of 
 tail, this cock, No. 12, exceeds any other male in the col- 
 lection. We imagine that this feature might be overdone, 
 yet we find all Leghorn fanciers pleased to see their birds 
 carry their tails well spread, the common fault being that 
 the tail is carried too much contracted, which makes a 
 poor display of the fine plumage the bird may possess. 
 We previously referred to Nos. 4, 15, 17, 21 and 22 as fine 
 Standard tails. 
 
 The best formed Leghorn tails from the rear view are 
 not held close with the tail proper feathers tightly closed, 
 but open out at the bottom feathers perhaps two or three 
 inches, besides this the top of the tail should not be 
 formed like a sharp wedge, but should be rounded at the 
 base where the saddle will find ample support to rest and 
 
nroup 4— Nos IS to 21; Cock No. 18 shows a wealth' of beautiful, long saddle plumage. No. 19 was the first St. Louis 
 W'vild's Fair pullet. She had a full, rounded breast, long body and beautifully spread tail. No. 20 was the second St. Louis 
 W;/i-ld's Fair cockerel. He had a long body and carried his tail at 45 degrees. Note that the bodies of both Nos. 19 and 20 
 ar,s carried nearly on the level. No. 21 was an exceedingly flashy styled cockerel, first at Boston, 1907. He had elegant curves 
 in all sections and was owned by Elm Polutry Yards. 
 
 form a concave sweep up over the tail coverts. The breast 
 of the Leghorn should never form angular outlines, but 
 be as round as the breast of a pigeon. It should not be 
 flattened in front of the wing shoulders, but should round 
 boldly forward. The breast bone should extend well for- 
 ward and form a rounding curved line that continues in 
 an unbroken curve to the neck. Nos. 1 and 3, group 1, 
 show breasts that are very scanty and are poor breasts 
 when compared with such as Nos. 4, 13, IS or 21. 
 
 The Leghorn is not bred as a large fowl, but on ac- 
 count of its very rapid maturity is profitably hatched and 
 reared for "squab broilers" to be killed when about one 
 and one-half pounds, forming tender morsels for special 
 high-priced trade. This is one reason why the full, plump 
 breast and breast bone of good proportionate length 
 should be encouraged. It is a fact also that the full, well- 
 muscled breast always denotes vigor, strength and physi- 
 cal perfection, in other words, thrifty, practical fowls for 
 money makers on the farm or for fanciers' favorites on 
 country estates and in the show room. 
 
 As foragers for a large portion of their keep, these 
 fowls should be particularly strong on their legs. When 
 selected to a stilty type, there is great difficulty in keeping 
 the back and breast of proportionate breadth and in pro- 
 ducing close hocks. No. 1 is a specimen in which the 
 hock joints of the legs are close together. No. IS, group 
 3, stands with particular strength on his legs. Every 
 muscle appears to be firm from the ground up. 
 
 As a rule. Leghorns have very well formed feet. It 
 might prove very disastrous to breed from one with weak 
 or crooked toes, even though the specimen possessed 
 many other fine qualities. When the breeder realizes that 
 so much of the bird's general symmetry, his carriage and 
 perfection of pose and style so much depend upon perfect 
 feet, he will not be tempted to breed from birds that are 
 not perfectly sound in this section. 
 
 In our attempt to keep the younger fanciers posted 
 and to help the distant fancier who is not able annually 
 to reach the important eastern shows, we would like to 
 state that in the article published on page 74 on 
 "Heads, Comb, Wattles and Ear-lobes," we advocate the 
 selection of birds showing fine combs and are pleased to 
 say that several leading White Leghorn fanciers have fully 
 decided to select birds with small, fine combs, such as are 
 illustrated in cockerel No. 24 and in hens Nos. 25 and 26 — 
 both because of the neatness of such head gear and be- 
 cause such combs stand the winter frost best and birds 
 
 possessing such combs have been found by practical 
 breeders to equal as layers females that have much larger 
 combs. It is the earnest desire of Leghorn fanciers to 
 combine in their favorites all that is practical with every 
 possible point of beauty. They desire to make them truly 
 attractive and of value to the million. 
 
 Progressive White Leghorn Females 
 
 One of the females that was used most successfully in 
 producing Leghorns that would set the fashion was the 
 well-known "Edna," (No. 14, group 3) first as pullet at 
 New York in 1902 and first in pen at Boston 190S. Her 
 portrait as a pullet in group 3 is considerably foreshort- 
 ened, but in group 2, No. 9, she shows her unusual length 
 and low carriage of tail to good advantage. Mr. Young's 
 first prize pullet at New York in 1907 resembles her in 
 head points and great length of body. The 1907 winning 
 pullet. No. 27, is more nearly perfect. in her symmetrical 
 style of carrying herself. Her full breast, long keel bone, 
 long back and beautifully spread, low carried tail prove 
 how much in harmony these sections can be combined in 
 the typical, popular "laying type." 
 
 In the pullet grouped with this one, No. 28, another 
 
 Nos. 22 and 23:— In order to illustrate huw well the long 
 body of the modern Leghorn may be carried nearly on a level 
 when the birds assume poses expressing both the spirited and 
 quiet mood, we present these two poses of first pen cockerel at 
 the last New York show. Most males of the old type when 
 startled or excited so that they stretched upward in front would 
 stand like bantams on tiptoe, tirop the wing points very low and 
 slope the back, thus changing the entire style. In the modern 
 type we have a showy bird in all points, but we have a bird 
 
 can carry himself 
 
 bly 
 
 72 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 one of Mr. Young's productions, it is plain that the long- 
 appearing bodies of such birds are not dependent upon 
 pose. Such birds are of good size when handled, besides 
 having the capacity for producing quantities of generous 
 sized eggs. When such good size can be obtained and 
 established in combination with pretty style and flashy 
 show points, one cannot fail to recognize the value o{ 
 such birds. The very longest bodies do not necessarily 
 express Mr. Young's up-to-date ideal as he has often 
 pointed it out to a group of Leghorn enthusiasts studying 
 their fine points. 
 
 In No. 11, group 2, once first at New York and three 
 times first at Boston, and in No. 26, first hen at New York, 
 1910, we see show room Leghorn fashion for females quite 
 well illustrated. This type has been described by Mr. 
 Young as exhibiting the "crescentic" underline of 
 body. This line is 
 best seen in the 
 form of the smooth 
 body of the female, 
 although it can be 
 well recognized by 
 experts in the male 
 possessing the type. 
 Nos. 10, 13, 15, 17, 
 21, 22 or 24 are ex- 
 amples tending to- 
 ward this ideal. The 
 No. 11, group 2, 
 hen was perhaps 
 the best type of ex- 
 hibition hen pro- 
 'luced to the date 
 of her showing. No. 
 -(J, of those illus- 
 No. 24— "Edward 12th." a 1907 D. W. trated, is nearest to 
 Young cockerel that set the fashion ^hp nrpspnt rln-,, 
 for several generations. '"^ p r e s e n t-ri a y 
 
 Nm- _•:, ;iim1 It;;— Thr.se birds have neat combs and are .very 
 near llie ideal type, having long bodies with a graceful con- 
 cave line to the low carried tails. Their bodies are carried nearly 
 on the level and they have full rounded breasts. No. 26 Is of an 
 especially attractive style. She was first hen at New York, 1910. 
 
 fashion and spirit of the down-to-date winning White Leg- 
 horn hen. Note the arch of her neck, the proininence of her 
 breast and the sweep of her back. Even the underline of 
 her body forms a graceful curve. No wonder Geo. H. 
 Burgott said "They are a bird of curves." In comparing 
 Nos. 25 and 26 one must admit that pose, while it affects 
 the apparent length to a degree, the actually long bird 
 even in the most spirited pose, such as shown in No. 26, 
 exhibits an elongated type. 
 
 By noting Nos. 11, 25, 26 and 27, it will be observed 
 that these modern Leghorns are of unusual length from 
 the top of the wing where it joins the back, straight back- 
 ward to where the rear of the cushion joins the sides of 
 the tail proper. This is a point considered by leading ex- 
 perts as of great importance to the successful modern 
 show-room Leghorns, although it has been a feature quite 
 uncommon. 
 
 Nos. 27 and 25: No, 27 was a winning pullet in 1907 and she carried herself in re- 
 markably good style, having many points of excellence. No. 2S is another D. W. Young 
 pullet illustrated here to show that this type of bird is not dependent upon its pose in 
 order to appear to have a long body. They really have good size when handled. 
 
Heads, Combs, Wattles, and Ear-Lobes 
 
 The Siogle Comb of the Leghorn— II is a Type of Comb Fitted to be the Crowning Glory of These Sprightly 
 
 Ilirds— A Perfect and Defective Head Shown by Sewell Drawings— Attributes of a Standard 
 
 Head — Defects and Merits Found in the Head and its Adjuncts Illustrated 
 
 by Photographs of Many Prize-w^inning Leghorns. 
 
 Kranblan 
 
 HE original Ballus Bankivus 
 'or jungle fowl that authorities 
 claim was the father of all the 
 domestic races of chickens had a 
 small, trim single comb, such as 
 is usually found on small game 
 fowls. There have been many 
 variations from the single type 
 of comb, due to domestication 
 and changes of environment and 
 conditions. They are quite un- 
 e.xplainable, but nevertheless 
 marked and definite in their ten- 
 dencies and they frequently recur 
 in old established strains. 
 The single comb, as we would naturally expect, is the 
 commonest type of comb and on many kinds of birds this 
 style of comb proves to be the most attractive. It is 
 usually found on the races that have large tails, adding a 
 bright touch of gay 
 color which balances 
 well with their form 
 and is in harmony 
 with the symmetri- 
 cal make-up of a 
 particularly showy 
 bird. On the grace- 
 fully plumaged Leg- 
 horn the single 
 comb has long 
 been bred to a def- 
 inite ideal by Amer- 
 ican fanciers in or- 
 der to establish 
 qualities that are 
 recognized as being 
 beautiful. It must 
 be kept in mind that 
 qualities of beauty 
 in a comb as well 
 as in plumage are 
 best when of such a 
 nature that they will 
 not easily spoil or 
 become out of shape 
 by a little abuse in 
 
 transportation. Especially is this true if the fowl is to be 
 of value as a show bird. 
 
 The comb of the male must be of such substance that 
 it will not fall over with slight bruising or become flabby 
 and lop when placed in the warm temperature of an ex- 
 hibition hall. It must stand erect and firm, therefore must 
 have good gristle and fiber. 
 
 When a bird is in vigorous health its comb, if of the 
 right kind, should keep its shape as well as its bright color 
 in spite of the changes suffered in transit and while being 
 shown. 
 
 Resides being erect, firm and straight on the head 
 from ir.jnt to rear, one of the chief aims of exhibiting 
 
 74 
 
 L. Se« 
 
 ell 
 
 An ideal Leghorn comb showing the 
 desired ■ five points with properly 
 shaped blade and rear point. For de- 
 scription see text of article.— F. L.. 
 Sewell. 
 
 fanciers has been to produce the comb with "just five 
 points," besides the one at the extreme end of the rear 
 blade. 
 
 The outline of an ideal (which we present herewith) 
 will express this form of comb having the desired five 
 points better than words can describe it. It takes con- 
 tinued, precise selection and breeding, using only five- 
 pointed combs in both sides of the parent stock, to estab- 
 lish the habit in any strain of producing many finely 
 formed combs with the ideal number of points. 
 
 The five-pointed "Leghorn" comb was long ago de- 
 cided upon as the nearest approach to ideal form and 
 symmetry on the head of the breed. It certainly would 
 be difficult to conceive a more elegant decoration for the 
 heads of these birds than the present handsome comb. 
 
 The entire blade and main part of a fine Leghorn 
 comb is not thick and coarse, but comparatively thin and 
 fine. The points or spikes are rounded as they approach 
 the tips, but oblong where they join the main blade. In 
 fine combs the sur- 
 face is minutely 
 grained and might 
 be compared to fine 
 grained leather. 
 
 The height of 
 the comb from 
 above the eye is 
 apt to be about 
 equal to the length 
 of the wattles and 
 the wattles are 
 about twice the 
 length of the ear- 
 lobes. The front or 
 first point should 
 always be the smal- 
 lest and each point, 
 excepting the fifth, 
 is larger than the 
 one next forward. 
 The third and fifth 
 points are usually 
 about equal in size 
 on nicely formed 
 Leghorn combs. 
 Fanciers prefer to 
 see the points lean very slightly backward rather tha» to 
 have them appear to be radiating from one center, or as 
 someone has expressed it, "like the teeth on a circular saw." 
 The last point at the end of the rear blade gives a nice 
 finish and' smartness to the comb when its tendency is to 
 bend very slightly upward; and it is a fine feature of a 
 show comb when the blade terminates in just a single 
 point. A comb that is free from irregular indentations is 
 much to be desired. The removal of irregularities of the 
 comb has always been a sore temptation to the exhibitor 
 who may be inclined to unfair competition. 
 
 The blade of a fine Leghorn comb stands out toward 
 the back, clearing well away from the head. As the Stand- 
 
 wattles and ear-lobes that are often 
 found and that make a bird a cull no 
 matter now well bred.— F. L. Sewell. 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 75 
 
 arc! of Perfection says, it should have "no tendency to io\-m- 
 low shape of neck," or even to fall close to the head, but" 
 it should gracefully clear it with a nicely curved edge up 
 to the terminating point. From front to back the fine 
 comb will be straight and firmly set on the head, free 
 from any bent, twisted or wrinkl d places; and aside from 
 the finely grained surface, it should be quite smooth. 
 
 Readers may think I dwell too long upon the qualities 
 of a fine comb, but when one observes how rarely a first 
 prize is ever given to any but the Leghorn with an ele- 
 gant comb, the necessity for keeping this section up to 
 the Standard will be understood. 
 
 The last standard description for the Leghorn head 
 was "Short, deep;" in the present issue we read 
 "Moderate in length, fairly deep." The fine Leghorn head 
 is moderately small, nicely rounded and the neck tapers 
 nicely to where it joins the skull. The eyes are "nearly 
 round," and are bright and alert in expression. It is very 
 seldom there is any expression of cruelty in the Leghorn 
 
 finishing touches to the genuinely superior, all-round- 
 standard-quality show bird, and these rarely attained 
 fancy exhibition points help a long way toward deciding 
 whether the bird is to be a prize taker and a great profit 
 maker. 
 
 On the correctly plumaged Leghorn the edges of the 
 earlobes and wattles that join the feathered side are not 
 buried or covered by coarse feathers, but the plumage 
 appears neatly tucked up under them. 
 
 The Defective Head 
 
 In contrast to the regular, gracefully curved lines of 
 the ideal, there are the coarse, irregular defects, all too 
 commonly found and reproduced where indifferent mating 
 is permitted. With the profitable demand constantly in- 
 creasing for standard-bred fowls of exhibition quality, it 
 pays and pays well studiously to cull out the defective 
 specimens, for their defects are sure to be repeated and 
 often exaggerated in the annual reversion to the original 
 
 face. This race is the personification of industry in "hen- 
 dom" and it is only natural that the expression should in- 
 dicate this habit. 
 
 From the "nicely curved" beak hang the thin wattles 
 which fanciers desire to see well rounded with the oblong 
 edges, curved forward, not hanging in wrinkled folds 
 close to the neck. To hang properly they will have to be 
 almost perfect in conformation and manner of attach- 
 ment. The manner in which they are joined to the beak 
 is very important and if they are wrinkled at the beak 
 they are almost sure to hang irregularly. 
 
 Perhaps one of the most characteristic fancy features 
 of the modern show Leghorn is its ear-lobes. They must 
 be soft, smooth and spotless in surface, like a new kid 
 glove. The object of this article is not to take up any dis- 
 cussion of color, but we will state here that perfection of 
 the lobe demands a life-long perfect condition. Even a 
 slight sore or frost bite, bruise or scar will mar the beauty 
 of the lobes almost irreparably. If you are looking for 
 Leghorns that have always been well cared for you will 
 find that perfect lobes are an almost infallible indication 
 of good care. 
 
 In general outline the lobes are oval or "bioadened 
 almond shape," as the Standard describes them. The 
 upper end of the lobe is commonly the larger. They 
 should not be puffed or in any part "lumpy," but rather 
 thin, smooth and free from wrinkles or indentations. To 
 produce a lobe approaching perfection is a real achieve- 
 ment and it adds much to the beauty of a show bird. Of 
 course it is a fancy section and on a poorer specimen 
 would be little thought of. We are writing here of the 
 
 parent birds. Only the closest selection of the best will 
 insure progress. Breeding from such birds is bound to 
 bring improvement. The sketch showing "defective" 
 qualities is not imaginative, but is a combination of some 
 of the more common irregularities that appear in the yard 
 of the man who permits his fowls to mate and produce 
 "any old way." Coarseness from careless breeding here 
 brings the natural product — a cull. Domestication with- 
 out care and studious breeding breaks up the line of an- 
 cestry and the habit of producing a certain type. This 
 illustration is a fair example of a product of blood lines 
 that instead of being adapted to rules that harmonize, ex- 
 hibit mixed, contrary natures. The comb twists and has 
 grown in a very irregular manner. It puckers from over- 
 growth in front over the nostrils. Many serrations of un- 
 desirable shape have developed. There are double serra- 
 tions, sprigs at the rear and two large points have out- 
 grown their strength and lop over. At the front the com^ 
 extends too far over the beak; at the back it is so far 
 overgrown that the blade pushes against th« neck where 
 it joins the head, producing an irritating sore where the 
 comb has broken. The face, wattles and ear-lobes are 
 also very coarse and wrinkled, the wattles being uneven 
 in length. Where the wattles and the face join the beak 
 and mouth there are rough lumps that add only ugliness 
 and grossness to the face and head. 
 
 "Well," you say, "that is a cull, he will be eaten." He 
 ought to be, but some breeders send this kind to market 
 and the marketman says to Mr. Suburbanite, "That's a 
 Leghorn. They are great layers," and the outcome of it 
 is that such a bird heads a pen of "Leghorns." After Mr. 
 
Suburbanite rears a flock from that male and a number of 
 equally poor females, his more-knowing neighbor is called 
 over to pick out the "finest" for next year's breeding. If 
 his neighbor (who may be informed) is honest, they will 
 decide that the whole season has been spent rearing "just 
 a flock of culls" worth only the price per pound at the 
 same market where their sire and dams were purchased. 
 
 Heads of Prize Winning Males 
 
 When comparing these Leghorn heads and combs, it 
 should be borne in mind that they illustrate the leaders 
 of a breed that has been well established and pure-bred in 
 America for nearly half a century. Variations will not be 
 so great or at once so noticeable as during the first ten 
 years of the history of a variety. However, sufficient 
 variation will be seen to show that there is opportunity 
 for careful selection and breeding to the ideal. 
 
 The earliest of this collection to appear before the 
 public was cock No. 7 group two. He was shown by Ezra 
 Cornell and won first at New York, 1899. This strain was 
 built rather high on the legs with sloping backs and rather 
 close plumage and not large tails. The comb is not un- 
 like the description of the bird — "up in front, rather slop- 
 ing to the rear." The base of the points of nearly all 
 male Leghorn combs, or we might call it, the line where 
 the serrations join the blade of the comb, slopes slightly. 
 Some are not far from level. A few will be found to be 
 carried so that the line is elevated as the points are 
 counted backward. In the latter style the rear blade will 
 be found to extend well up away from the head where 
 the neck joins. 
 
 No. 7 shows a straight comb well joined to the head, 
 quite free from wrinkles. The second and third points are 
 too high. The rear blade loses character by a sixth point. 
 In general form the wattles are fair, but look somewhat 
 thick and heavy. The general outline of the ear-lobe is 
 good, but it is rather thick and puffed. The eye looks a 
 trifle small. The neck arches well behind and is joined 
 neatly to the head. In front the neck is rather straight. 
 
 No. 11 was first winner at Pan-American. 1901, and 
 was sold by Ezra Cornell to White Leghorn Poultry 
 
 Yards. It was a smart, high-stationed cockerel with quite 
 regular and sharply defined points on the comb. The 
 blade terminates in a double instead of a single point and 
 is straight instead of nicely curved on the lower edge, but 
 extends well back away from the head. The wattles are 
 neat and nicely rounded. 
 
 No. 15, Group 3, the next to appear in 1903, was D. 
 W. Young's "Arch 1st," the first winning cockerel at 
 New York. He possessed a comb with just five point: 
 and the rear blade had the desired "one terminal point." 
 The back end of the blade is rather square. The fifth 
 point might look better just a little shorter and the curve 
 of the front over the beak might be a trifle bolder. The 
 wattles to balance the comb could be a very little longer. 
 The ear-lobes are fine and the whole head shows a valu- 
 able bird as a breeder for Standard points. 
 
 No. 13, Group 3, was the first winning cockerel at 
 Boston, 1903, and was owned by Chas. J. Fogg. He was 
 a sturdy young bird with plenty of size for a young Leg- 
 horn and was of a fine, vigorous type, having firm plumage 
 and full rounded breast. The comb is very straight and 
 regular, although it shows six instead of five points. 
 Breeders have agreed upon five points for the ideal al- 
 though some would be quite willing to fancy six were that 
 the ideal number instead of five. The lobes are well 
 formed and of nice size. The wattles are of proportion- 
 ate length, considering the comb and are well formed ex- 
 cept that they turn backward a little on the front edges 
 which should hang so as to form a moderate curve for- 
 ward. 
 
 No. 9, Group 2, was the second winner at the World's 
 Fair at St. Louis, 1904. He was not quite so matured as 
 are the birds usually seen at the winter shows, but he was 
 well balanced in bodj and general form. The comb does 
 not show quite the refinement and niceness about the ar- 
 rangement of points that could be desired. The fourth 
 point is too broad at the base to harmonize with the rest. 
 
 In No. 3, Group 1, we see another upstanding type of 
 similar blood lines as the first two mentioned. This cock 
 was a winner at Rochester, 1904, and was owned by the 
 
 White Leghorn Porltry Yards. The general for 
 
 thi 
 
 Group 3: No. 16 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 77 
 
 comb is shapely. The blade is straight and free from 
 wrinkles. The first point in front has not been preserved 
 and the fourth and fifth points are too long and narrow. 
 The rear blade would be finely shaped but for the pro- 
 jection extending a little way out at the back. The wattles 
 are too short and small for the size of the comb. The 
 general shape of the comb is nearly correct. The neck is 
 a little straight in front. 
 
 At the Chicago, 1905, show, White Leghorn Poultry 
 Yards exhibited cock No. 6, Group 2. This cock was lon<; 
 
 feathered and had a large comb, but it was remarkably 
 straight considering its size. It is too heavy and large in 
 the rear, extending too low and close to the head'and 
 neck to please Leghorn fanciers. This is the Jargest 
 .\merican bred comb shown in this collection of lieads. 
 The ear-lobes of this bird are too thick and beefy and 
 show wrinkles and a rough surface. The wattles, con- 
 sidering their size, are well formed. 
 
 To show the effect of producing still larger combs, we 
 have placed at the right-hand end of Group 1, No. 5, the 
 head of an English White Leghorn male shown at Hors- 
 ham, Sussex, in 1905. American fanciers would class this 
 as a Minorca, and it is much closer to the Minorca head 
 seen in this country than it is to an .American Leghorn 
 head. The coarse surface and large, thick points have 
 been avoided by Leghorn breeders 
 here in America for more than a 
 quarter of a century. The wattles are 
 very large and their front edges curl 
 backwaids as do large wattles on 
 Minorcas. In fact his comb, lobes 
 and wattles are what would be ex- 
 pected, here in America, on the Min- 
 
 caused it to grow an angle not far below where it joins. 
 The arch of the neck is a beautiful curve and the plumage 
 has an elegant surface. 
 
 No. 2 shows a gracefully formed mature cock with 
 neatly formed head and good expression of eye. The 
 comb has just five points, but they are not tapered enough 
 and the rear blade droops too much on top. The main 
 part of the comb is slightly dished or bent. The wattles 
 and lobes, partly on account of age, are a little rough. 
 
 Xn. 4 is a head of characteristic Leghorn type and 
 neatness. The face is fine, round and 
 clearly defined and the eyes are in- 
 telligent. The beak is perfectly curved 
 and the comb and lobes are nicely 
 balanced. The comb, it will be ob- 
 served, possesses only four points, 
 which is unusual for a comb of such 
 regularity with the front over the 
 beak so well curved up to the first 
 point. While it is not desirable to 
 have so few points in combs, the ten- 
 dency to fineness in the head is much 
 to be preferred to any degree of 
 coarseness. There is no doubt that a 
 bird having such a head and comb 
 would prove a valuable breeder. 
 
 Xo. 10, Group 2, shows a pose of the head often seen 
 when a bird is carrying its body too high in front to pre- 
 serve the well-balanced appearance demanded by show 
 birds. The head appears to be of good width, but is 
 drawn backward so that the rear blade appears to be more 
 slanting than it would if the head were held more nearly 
 on the level. The form of the points and serrations of the 
 comb are moderately good. The front of the comb to the 
 first point, also the front edges of the wattles, do not 
 curve smoothly but have irregular outlines. In this pose 
 the neck appears to be too straight and is not arched well 
 at the back. 
 
 No. 12, Group 3, was the winning cock at New York 
 in 1906. He was a mature male of superior elegance and 
 
 1905 was a red-letter year at Bos 
 ton for D. W. Young's White Leg 
 horns. Three of his male birds woi 
 first prizes. No. 1, Group 1, being th( 
 cockerel that won first at Boston that 
 
 year. No. 2 was the cock heading oiam 
 
 first pen and No. 4 was the first cock 
 
 in open class. These males are of an old strain that in 
 late years has led the fashion in New York's White Leg- 
 horn classes. 
 
 No. 1 exhibits a firmly set, medium-sized comb. The 
 front over the base of the beak is slightly wrinkled. The 
 points increase in size to the fifth instead of the fourth, 
 which should be the largest. Below the terminal point on 
 the rear blade is a nick and the fourth point shows a small 
 lump in front instead of tapering smoothly. The beak, 
 face and eyes are nicely formed, the eyes being particularly 
 round and bright. The ear-lobes and wattles are well 
 formed, the latter showing the result of an accident that 
 
 style and reflected great credit on Mr. Young as a 
 breeder. This bird was chosen as a model for the 
 Reliable Poultry Journal's color-plate for December, 
 1906 (reproduced on the frontis page of this book.) The 
 character of the bird's graceful type is well expressed in 
 this portrait of his head and neck. The entire make-up 
 shows symmetrical proportions and the "curves" so much 
 sought by Leghorn fanciers are expressed in every line. 
 From beak over tip of points to rear point of blade, the 
 comb is beautifully curved. The large lobes form well 
 shaped oblongs; the neck and breast curve well in fron'. 
 and the arch of the neck is good. It is all true Leghorn 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 The firm texture of the comb is emphasized by the way 
 the long rear blade extends backward, as though in no 
 danger of drooping. The lobe is the largest, except per- 
 haps on No. 5, of any in this collection, yet the face re- 
 tained its pure red surface. 
 
 Attention is called to the pose of No. 17, Group 3. 
 The head is turned quartering — slightly to the front. It 
 takes a bird having a finely hackled and arched neck to 
 exhibit such a nice curve from the point where the head 
 joins the shoulders when posed in this manner. This 
 view shows the erect position of the serrations, but it 
 does not show that they lean backward as in No. 12, 
 which is another view of the same bird. An unusually 
 long plumaged cock that won first at Boston, 1907, was 
 shown by Elm Poultry Yards. His picture is No. 8. There 
 is a proud bearing in the pose of this bird, and the neck 
 with its bold arch is joined nicely to the head. The ex- 
 pression and form of the eyes are fine. The surface of 
 
 on the Leghorn female. One old breeder whose Leghorns 
 won at many leading shows twenty years ago, told us he 
 succeeded best in producing fine-combed males by using 
 females that had medium-sized combs that stood "straight 
 upright," and that he produced the most showy females 
 by breeding from males whose big combs were loose in 
 fiber and fell somewhat limp "to one side." This we note 
 is now practiced by some English breeders of Minorcas, 
 but we do not believe it is practiced to any extent by our 
 Leghorn breeders in America. 
 
 The modern sized female Leghorn comb, to be cor- 
 rect, should stand nearly erect in front, including the first 
 point, the remainder of the comb drooping gracefully to 
 one side. Following are some of the chief requirements 
 to be sought in a female Leghorn head: A proud pose; 
 brightness of eye; graceful curves of the lines of the head, 
 comb, wattles, lobes and beak; proper joining of the head 
 with neck; finest in the surface of the face, comb, wattles 
 
 odel in 1901 but would not be today. No. 2S was a 
 
 the comb, however, is excessively rough grained and the 
 points, although five in number, are not well defined in 
 shape. The lobes are more oblong than "almond" shaped. 
 
 The cockerel winning first at Boston, 1907, No. 14, 
 Group 3, also belonged to Elm Poultry Yards. He was 
 a male of extreme curves and sprightliness. He had one 
 of the most crescentic formed backs and saddles that 
 could be imagined. The third, fourth and fifth points of 
 the comb are nicely formed, but the first two front points 
 are not good and the rear blade droops somewhat, being 
 too close to the head. The wattles and ear-lobes are a 
 little too short to balance the height of the comb. Alto- 
 gether, however, it is a neat head. 
 
 No. 16, Group 3, shows an elegantly proportioned 
 cockerel that won first at New York in 1907, and that the 
 judge claimed was the most typical Leghorn male he had 
 ever seen. This head shows beautiful proportions and it 
 would be difificult to criticize it, except on the first two 
 points of the comb. These are not properly separated and 
 the coarseness of the fleshy lumps where the wattles join 
 the mouth, is objectionable. This last is a point often over- 
 looked, but one that may detract from the expression of 
 an otherwise fine head. It is often found on Mediter- 
 raneans with large combs and wattles. 
 
 Heads of Winning Female Leghorns 
 
 Although the "Little Italian" is well known by her 
 head gear, these adjuncts vary considerably in size and 
 form, often so much as to change the characteristic ap- 
 pearance to those who are not familiar with the styles of 
 head-dress these jaunty birds afifect. 
 
 The Standard demands a comb that falls to one side 
 
 and lobes; correct number of points on the comb: the 
 manner in which it rises in front over the beak and droops 
 to the side. 
 
 The spirit of the bird has much to do with her show- 
 ing a fine head and comb to good eiifect. Some birds are 
 so nervous and twitch their heads so constantly that an 
 attempt to examine it while a bird stands in its cage is 
 well nigh useless. Other birds, although this is rarely the 
 case with healthy Leghorns, may be found moping in the 
 far corner of their cages. To find them alert and inter- 
 ested in every passing observer, not frightened or fidgety, 
 but posing in jaunty self-consciousness, is pleasing and 
 this style should be encouraged in the Leghorn. 
 
 Nos. 18 and 19, Group 4, date back to 1902 at Boston 
 when Chas. J. Fogg won all four firsts in the open classes. 
 The birds were fine for that day, truer to Leghorn type 
 than those that had been winning at many of the im- 
 portant shows. They have not the slender, reachy style 
 of neck, but show daintiness and well-curvod lines. The 
 comb in No. 18 is a little thick and wrinkled over the nos- 
 trils. The eyes of both are round and bright. The head 
 of each is well rounded. The front of the comb of No. 19 
 takes an unusual bend toward the side on which it falls, 
 as if originally the comb had started to turn the opposite 
 way. 
 
 In 1901 another large Leghorn pullet, No. 27, Group 
 6, was placed before me as a model. This bird was some- 
 what above the average of the larger Leghorn females 
 shown today and was looser in feather. The comb had 
 too many points, and after falling over to the side was 
 inclined to turn upward. The comb is too large to suit 
 present-day breeders. 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 79 
 
 32. 3i 
 
 No. 21 was one of the earliest Leghorns we photo- 
 graphed at New York. This picture is placed in this col- 
 lection to illustrate a pose peculiar to very nervous Leg- 
 horns. The neck just below where it joins the head is 
 much bent, like the upper part of the letter "S." It has an 
 excessive arch and curves in at the throat under the 
 wattles. Nos. 24 and 28 illustrate better poses, the latter 
 being quite the correct form. 
 
 No. 20 shows too much of a bend at the juncture of 
 the head and neck. In this head the comb is nicely 
 formed, but falls too limp and close to the face. 
 
 No. 31, Group 7, may be said to be just the opposite 
 from the two preceding. The neck is too straight and 
 stiff where it joins the head. The pose makes the bird ap- 
 pear proud, but it lacks the desired graceful curves over 
 the back of the neck. This comb is about right in size. 
 It has an unusually large lobe, which 
 when smooth and as good as in this 
 specimen is highly valued. 
 
 No. 34 shows another long, 
 straight neck, longer in proportion to 
 the bird than was No. 31 and the neck 
 is rather straight in front as well. 
 
 Nos. 32, 33 and 34 show nice 
 small combs that approach Standard 
 requirements. When viewed from 
 the side they show most of the base 
 of the comb and the head. No. 34 
 shows a comb that rises nearly 
 
 "erect" in front, while No. 32 makes a mems, inc 
 
 gradual curve at the front of the 
 
 comb, the points continuing the curve to their extent, 
 giving a pretty eflfect. No. 33 has a very small comb that 
 droops hardly to the eye. The second point as well as the 
 first is nearly upright. This head and neck belong to one 
 of D. W. Young's finest breeders and most noted New 
 York winners. She was a hen of clear cut Leghorn style 
 and exhibition quality. The wattles on all four of this 
 group are of show room fineness. In regard to form of 
 heads and beaks, all those in this group are fine. In No. 
 33 there is a tendency to be perhaps too fine, or "delicate" 
 might express it better. 
 
 When the somewhat larger comb is produced on a 
 Leghorn female that shapes itself into a graceful, almost 
 faultless form and shows perfect color in the show room, 
 on an extra fine bird, it is very apt to receive its share of 
 admiration and perhaps the first ribbon of honor. The 
 small single head with the initial "T" is a specimen of this 
 type that won first for D. W. Young in 1908-1909 at New 
 York. There is a persistent feeling among poultrymen, 
 which comes no doubt from experience, that these beauti- 
 ful large combs when they appear in a standard-bred 
 strain, are an indication of unusual vigor in the egg-pro- 
 ducing organs. Many experienced breeders assert, how- 
 ever, that their birds with small standard combs keep up 
 to the highest requirement for egg production. Personally 
 we cannot help admiring such a comb when it is so grace- 
 fully formed as this one and its bright color serves to add 
 gaiety to a specimen of solid colored plumage. The 
 wattles of this bird are larger than are considered ideal, 
 but they are in harmony with the size of the comb and are 
 quite symmetrically carried. 
 
 No. 22. Group 5, won first as pullet in New York 1902; 
 also won second as hen for Mr. Young in 1903, again in 
 exhibition pen won first at Boston, 1905. As a pullet her 
 comb was quite as attractive as the specimen seen in the 
 initial letter. Like many others, when she aged, the comb 
 grew somewhat coarse. On this head it stood very well in 
 
 front, even when grown quite large. The wattles are not 
 large enough to balance the comb as they did when the 
 bird was a pullet. The comb seems to have outgrown 
 them. The lobe turns squarely instead of being nicely 
 rounded at the lower edge. The head is of fair length 
 and indicates the length of back and cushion which the 
 hen possessed. She carried her tail moderately low as a 
 hen and transmitted this fashionable quality to many suc- 
 cessful winners. 
 
 No. 23 presents a front view of a comb that closely 
 approaches standard description. Some fanciers might 
 desire it to be a little smaller, but this style is very attrac- 
 tive on exhibition hens. This pose was photographed when 
 she won first in exhibition pen at Boston. Her comb shows 
 just five well defined points. The front was well up, the 
 remainder bending gracefully over and not falling too 
 
 
 close to the face. The points are well divided and nicely 
 tapered. The front point is not so well shaped as it might 
 be, being too blunt. The wattles are of proper size to go 
 well with this size of comb. 
 
 No. 28, Group 6, is another of Mr. Young's famous 
 winners. Three times she won first at New York and once 
 at Boston. She was a hen of queenly carriage. Her comb 
 forms almost a perfect curve over the top as it droops its 
 five regularly formed points. This comb and No. 23, 
 Group S, are types that a breeder can depend upon to pro- 
 duce both males and females for exhibition. The ear-lobes 
 and wattles of No. 28 are well set on and nicely formed. 
 The lobe is nearly flat and free fronm wrinkles. The eye 
 is well placed and rounded in shape. The head is deep and 
 well set on a neck handsomely posed. The carriage of 
 the whole head is typically Leghorn in spirit. 
 
 Nos. 26 and 29, Group 6, show two views of a busi- 
 ness-like looking hen, although when compared with such 
 heads as Nos. 23 and 28, her head fails in show fluality. In 
 No. 26 there is lack of depth of head and face. The eye is 
 more sunken and not so bold. The face and beak are 
 longer drawn out and the comb is not set on firmly, show- 
 ing a weakness in the form of wrinkles over the beak 
 and breaking down at the rear blade instead of turning 
 over in a gradual curve. The first point is not well de- 
 fined, taking only the form of an angle and the third and 
 fourth points join as a double point.. The wattles drop 
 too straight in front and the throat looks weak. 
 
 No. 25, Group 5, is not unlike No. 26 in the form of 
 the head, face and throat, although she appears stronger. 
 The comb is nearer standard, but has six serrations and 
 points. A wrinkle extends across the wattle. The neck is 
 carried with less grace of outline than shown in the ma- 
 jority of this collection. It looks too straight. 
 
 Nos. 24 and 30 are two views of a specimen that coulc? 
 carry herself in a pleasing fashion. In No. 24 she show!» 
 a really charming pose. The points of the comb are rathei 
 
80 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 clumsy, the la^t three occupying nearly the entire top of 
 the comb and it all falls too limp and close to the head. 
 The wattles are smooth, but not as tidy and well curved 
 in outline as they should be. The ear-lobes drop too low 
 and pointed. They should be a broadened-almond shape, 
 not long and pointed as these are. The neck should show 
 nicer curves as it extends to the head. This indifferent 
 modeling is caused in a degree by the looseness of 
 plumage; the surface of Leghorn plumage should be firm 
 and smooth. 
 
 After studying the Leghorn comb we conclude that it 
 is one of the surest trade-marks of high breeding to 
 Standard qualities, and this index of health and pro- 
 ductiveness is worn in the most conspicuous place. The 
 gay color of the comb always attracts attention, while the 
 comb itself is often one of the first points of consideration 
 in placing awards, hence the importance of maintaining its 
 beauty and establishing its regularity of size and form ap- 
 peals to all fanciers who strive to improve, till it nears 
 perfection, the widely popular and profitable Leghorn. 
 
 RST PKIZE PEN OF WHITE LEGHORNS AT NEW YORK. 1907 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 Buff Leghorns of the Past 
 
 History of the Early Importations. Improvement in Type and Color Made by American Fanciers. Results 
 Obtained by a Pioneer Breeder and Fancier ■with Imported English Leghorns. 
 
 Professor W. P. Wheeler 
 
 Ix\ REGARD to the Buff Leghorns, I think about the 
 first shown on this side were those in a pen at New 
 York in the winter of 1890-1891 (?) These August 
 D. Arnold imported from a dealer in England, and not, I 
 tliink, a breeder. They were almost anything, however, 
 except buff. That year, soon after the show, I think, he 
 imported much better birds— the best he could get from 
 Mrs. Lister-Kay and others. 
 
 In 1891 I imported from the yards of Mrs. Lister- 
 Kay, a male and two females (young of preceding year) 
 for Mr. Bishop of Verona, 
 
 who bred Buff Leghorns 
 for several years, but did 
 not exhibit. He got stock 
 — or rather eggs — liber 
 ally from Mr. .\rnok' that 
 fii St year. 
 
 As you might expect 
 very few real Buffs w ere 
 raised anywhere for se\ 
 eral years. Mr. .\rnold 
 imported freely for a few 
 years, bringing over in 
 1892 some of the best ex 
 hibition females he could 
 obtain, and a few exhibi- 
 tion males. His later im- 
 portations were alto- 
 gether from the yards of 
 Mrs. Lister-Kay, I be- 
 lieve. 
 
 In 1892 I imported 
 from the yards of Mrs. 
 Lister-Kay a breeding 
 cockerel for Mrs. Wheeler 
 — the best bird for breed- 
 ing I knew of, and I still 
 think about the best then 
 available anywhere. He 
 was a very dark bird, al- 
 most red, but very useful 
 at that time, being of solid 
 color and fairly even — a 
 combination of not any 
 too frequent appearance. 
 This bird was mated dur- 
 ing the early part of 1893 
 with hens from Mr. 
 Bishop, and later in the 
 
 season, with a few of Mr. .Arnold's best hens — Mr. .Arnold 
 and Mrs. Wheeler both hatching chicks from this mating. 
 .\ few very good colored young birds were grown that year, 
 but of course they were a very small percentage of the total. 
 
 Early in 1894 and later I got from England, for Mrs. 
 Wheeler, three more females — one of them a Palace win- 
 ner of a cup and first elsewhere, an exceptionally fine bird, 
 although better from the English point-of-view than from 
 that of our show rooms. This hen died before any chicks 
 were secured from her, unfortunately. 
 
 
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 BUFF LEGHORN COCK 
 One of the best colored males ever exhibited at New 
 ■th as a breeder, being the sire of i 
 
 We did not go outside of the United States again for 
 stock. I helped Mrs. Wheeler in mating and looking after 
 her birds from the first, and later, owing to Mrs. 
 Wheeler's ill health, have taken entire charge of them. 
 We never sold any eggs and have sold no birds for many 
 years. We have kept the Buffs as pure as when intro- 
 duced into the United States, and we have kept them 
 somewhere near the upper level of the breed, for we keep 
 very few and only breed from a small pen of the best we 
 have. But I have had neither the time nor opportunity to 
 look up, always, satisfac- 
 tory birds when new 
 Idood was needed, so have 
 not bred every time as I 
 should consider best. 
 
 Several of the parents 
 —three generations back 
 — of the Buffs I first im- 
 ported were brought into 
 England from Denmark, 
 I think, about 1888. These 
 were ancestors of Ar- 
 nold's best birds also. In 
 the earlier breeding of the 
 Buffs the best colored 
 birds as to plumage, came 
 usually with willow or 
 greenish legs, or were of 
 a type not Leghorn, with 
 softer feathering and 
 clumsier shape. Of the 
 progeny those most typi- 
 cal of the Leghorn were 
 given to an excess of 
 white in plumage. In the 
 earlier breeding the males 
 were perhaps better than 
 females, except for the 
 irreat prevalence of white 
 in tail plumage, and fewer 
 .if the males were saved 
 tor breeders, of course. It 
 was advised by Mrs. 
 Lister-Kay that late 
 hatching be practiced in 
 May, which was late for 
 England, as the chicks 
 then would follow more 
 closely the better color of 
 the sire. Results were generally in accord with this ad- 
 vice, I believe, and I suspect still hold true for a majority 
 of the matings, when it is followed. 
 
 Aside from their interest to the fancier, the Buffs 
 were popular with some poultrymen because of their busi- 
 ness capabilities. The Buffs kept by the late Ezra Cor- 
 nell at Ithaca and by T. E. Sherman at Franklinville, were 
 good egg machines, and Mrs. Wheeler's birds were also. 
 I do not remember how Mr. Arnold found them in this 
 respect. 
 
Mating for Color and Shape 
 
 Proper Selection of Breeding Stock to Produce Exhibition Bait Leghorns. 
 Au«ua< D. Arnold 
 
 PERHAPS no breed or variety of fowls ever had 
 so much opposition as had the Buff Leghorn 
 when first introduced to American fanciers, but 
 today they stand on an equality with their cousins, the 
 Whites and Browns, and score just as high in the show 
 room. The improvement made in this, variety since its 
 advent to this country has been phenomenal. No one has 
 noticed this more than the writer, who introduced the first 
 of the birds to the fanciers of America, and has bred and 
 exhibited them for nearly ten years. 
 
 The first birds of the variety that ever set foot on 
 American soil were imported by the writer in the fall of 
 1890. They were put on exhibition for the first time at 
 the Hagerstown fair that fall, and later on at Madison 
 Square Garden, New York. Some fanciers took a fancy 
 to them and predicted a warm place for them in the 
 hearts of the American fanciers, while others saw fit to 
 say all manner of evil against them. Quite a number of 
 our leading fanciers, however, took them up, paying high 
 prices for stock and eggs, 'and were willin.2- tn accept what 
 
 BUFF LEGHORN COCK, 1895 
 
 One of the early type ot E-.ft Leghorr 
 heavy body and large comb of the Englisl 
 bred and exhibited by August D. Arnold. 
 Leghorns in the United States. 
 
 males, excellent In color, but showing the 
 Leghorn. The bird illustrated above was 
 the pioneer importer and breeder of Buff 
 
 was on hand as foundation blood. Most of the birds im- 
 ported at that time were of uneven color, and possessed 
 as much white in tails and wings as they did buff. Many 
 birds had blue, and others willow legs. By a few years' 
 breeding we succeeded in getting black in tails instead of 
 white, which was preferable at that stage of the breed, 
 and in a few more years a great improvement was no- 
 ticed in color of wings and tail, also in leg color. So that 
 today there are some specimens that come near perfec- 
 tion. Much work is still on hand, however, for the pro- 
 gressive fancier along the line of improvement. 
 
 We find very few really good combs in this variety, 
 especially in males, while we find some strains that are off 
 in leg color. We have noticed this particularly where 
 undercolor is ignored. If you would keep the rich yel- 
 low leg and skin, watch the undercolor closely. Short 
 legs, squirrel tail, and under size, all must be kept out of 
 our flocks; yet as regards size, we do not believe in 
 breeding a Leghorn up to the size of a Minorca. A fair- 
 = i7ed Leghorn is what should be sought after. Great care 
 should be taken so that two light 
 birds may not be mated together; 
 and always keep in mind the "cot- 
 ton tails" which the BufI Leghorn 
 was so apt to sport when first in- 
 troduced to American fanciers. It 
 is much better to breed dark birds 
 together than light ones. Good re- 
 sults can be had from mating 
 medium colors together for a sea- 
 son or two, but it is safe to keep 
 on the dark side. As good a mat- 
 ing as we know of is a lot of fe- 
 males of a dark buff, with a male 
 one shade darker. When we say 
 dark buff" we do not mean red, 
 but a medium dark. 
 
 The beginner should aim to 
 get his start in any variety from 
 an experienced breeder (one who 
 has made a study of a breed), 
 knowing that culls from such a 
 breeder are worth more to breed 
 trom than the best birds from the 
 \ards of a breeder who has had 
 \ ery little experience in the va- 
 riety he wishes to take up. He will 
 also need to learn that off-colored 
 chicks will come from the best 
 matings, no matter how much ex- 
 perience the breeder has had. This 
 is as it should be, for if every bird 
 raised should happen to be a per- 
 fect bird, the fancier's work would 
 soon be at an end. The scarcity of 
 the diamond has much to do with 
 its value. 
 
 The shade of buff that is called 
 for by the Standard is what so few 
 can comprehend. Even judges 
 seem to differ on this point. In 
 our minds the shade of buff is not 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 of such great importance, as long as it does not prove 
 either of the two extremes. A medium buff is what we 
 should strive for. Evenness of color, too, is of the greatest 
 importance; all sections should be one even shade. 
 
 Very few persons who now have the pleasure to look 
 at the beautiful Buff Leghorn as it appears in our leading 
 shows have any idea of the cost, patience and time it has 
 taken to place it in the position it now occupies in the 
 poultry world. Pardon us for saying that we have spent 
 a small fortune to get this breed before the fanciers of 
 this country. We have paid out many hundred dollars 
 
 for birds we imported, having paid over $800 for eight 
 birds from the yards of Mrs. Lister-Kay, of England, be- 
 sides buying a number at prices running from $30 to $75 
 per head, and nearly one hundred additional breeders, 
 none of which we got for less than fifteen dollars per head. 
 In conclusion we will say that all real fanciers should 
 be proud of the success that has crowned the efforts of the 
 fanciers in America in improving and getting this valu- 
 able variety of the Leghorn family so near perfection. We 
 shall feel ever proud of the honor of introducing the beau- 
 tiful Buff Leghorn into this country. 
 
 Modern Buff Leghorns 
 
 Their Great and Growing Popnlarity. Excellent Market Properties. Improvement in Type and Colo 
 to Feed, Train and Condition for the Show Room. 
 
 I DO NOT think there is any variety that has made 
 such rapid strides in the past three or four years as 
 the Single Comb Buff Leghorn. Especially during 
 the past year a veritable Buff Leghorn wave has swept 
 the country from coast to coast. 
 
 In corresponding with several of the leading special- 
 ists, I find their cases the same as my own: they are ab- 
 solutely unable to fill orders for eggs and breeding stock, 
 the demand far exceeding the supply in all instances. I 
 have been refusing orders for the past three months. 
 
 Now, fellow fanciers, "where there's smoke, there's 
 fire," and where there is a demand for a certain variety so 
 large that orders are being turned away the country over,, 
 I think you can safely say this particular variety is mak- 
 ing good and the public is waking up to the fact that it 
 has been losing a good thing and it is -getting busy in 
 order to procure this good thing as soon as possible; 
 hence the shortage. 
 
 A statement of some of the qualities on which we 
 Buff Leghorn cranks base our claims, will not be amiss. 
 
 First, they are the hardiest of the Leghorn family, 
 inheriting a rugged constitution from their birthplace, 
 Denmark. They are less susceptible to the general ail- 
 ments of other breeds and one rarely finds a bird out of 
 condition. They mature very fast and if hatched by hens 
 are soon able to shift for themselves. Both as chicks and 
 as matured fowls, they require much less feed than the 
 Whites, Browns and other varieties of Leghorns. I have 
 found that they will lay farther into the molt and will 
 start sooner when coming out than the Whites. It is an 
 acknowledged fact that they will breed truer to color than 
 any other buff variety. For broilers "they are it," making 
 a one or one and one-half pound broiler quicker than any 
 variety I know of. They dress a beautiful shade of yel- 
 low, so much desired in our high-class markets. They 
 lay a large, pure-white egg and "are on the job" month 
 in and month out. Some visitors, when here buying stock 
 or eggs for hatching, have said: "I do not wish anything 
 but utility stock, for I have been told exhibition birds do 
 not lay as well, being bred too fine." 
 
 For answer I take them to my breeding house and 
 show them the egg record of my first Buff Leghorn pen 
 at Madison Square, 1909. There are six females in the 
 pen and in the month of March they laid 130 eggs. Need- 
 less to say, I usually make a sale of exhibition stock. 
 
 There are two things which Buff Leghorn breeders 
 
 have to improve; first, head points; second, tail carriage. 
 
 Going through this class at New York, Philadelphia 
 and Boston, you find the males very apt to be coarse in 
 comb. They are large and beefy and the back of blade 
 falls over; they also show heavy thumb marks. The tail 
 carriage is apt to be too high and the tail not fully fur- 
 nished, having a pinched look. I would like to say here 
 that I am not in favor of the other extreme, i.e. the tail 
 carried almost horizontal with the back. I believe there 
 is a happy medium, and when we have our males with 
 tails horizontal with their backs we are getting away fromi 
 
 r~':^4^^!^ 
 
 i 
 
 FIRST PRiIe hen AT BOSTON SHOW 1910, 
 5HAPE ANb COLOR SPECIAL' PREh Si OVNEb BY 
 MONMOUTH POULTRY FARMS FRENEhU N- J- 
 
 The Buff Leghorn hen illustrated above distinguished 
 lerself by winning both the color and shape specials 
 It Boston, 1910. 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 the true Leghorn type. For myself, I think the ideal car- 
 riage is a trifle less than forty-five degrees. That is what 
 I am trying to produce in my males. 
 
 We cannot be too particular in mating, for on this 
 •depends the success or failure of a breeding season. It 
 is much better to have three breeders, all having the re- 
 quired points, than ten in your yard with ofif-colored feath- 
 ers, bad combs and general defects. There are two con- 
 siderations to have constantly in mind — type and color. 
 Select your male which is to head your pen and have him 
 as near the Standard as possible. A good five-point comb 
 is best; not having this, select a four-point comb, but do 
 not go below four. Have the comb set firmly on the head 
 so it will not tend to lop and avoid thumb marks. Do not 
 have the comb follow the neck, but stand well out from 
 the head. You want a good, full-rounded breast and a 
 nice curve from base of comb to top of saddle feathers 
 and then following with easy curve over with sickle feath- 
 ers. Have him well up on his legs; avoid short shanks, 
 for many a good bird otherwise has been turned down 
 by the judge on this account. Never pass a male with de- 
 cided .white showing in tail or wing feathers; a little 
 smoke in tail is not a bad defect in the breeder, but of 
 
 iUFF LEGHORN COCKEREI 
 
 A Buff Leghorn male of 
 
 lear tail is the thing. Have as deep a bay eye 
 as possible. An even shade of buflf is desirable with no 
 decided red on wing-bow or back. Be sure to keep away 
 from the red shade, as so many breeders' birds of true 
 Leghorn type have the Rhode Island Red color. Now se- 
 lect your females to fit in with your males and have them 
 strong where your male is weak. Be sure of this as it will 
 help to counteract his faults in the offspring. Do not use 
 females having shafting or those much lighter or darker 
 than the male, otherwise mealiness and ofif-colored 
 youngsters will be the result. Have their combs neat, 
 folding over to one side, and their tails full and carried 
 with a nice sweep from the back. A good, full-tailed fe- 
 male is a great asset in the breeding pen. 
 
 With these facts clearly in mind, I do not think one 
 can go far wrong. 
 
 Raising Winners 
 The care of the young stock is of great importance. ! 
 believe the conditioning of a show bird should start when 
 it leaves the shell, not two or three weeks before the 
 show. 
 
 Buff youngsters demand shade and plenty of it. If 
 they are exposed to the summer sun day 
 in and out, when matured they will have 
 a faded look, not having the same lustre 
 as chicks that have had shade and green 
 runs in which to grow. Do not allow 
 your young stock to be chilled or over- 
 heated, for should this once happen they 
 will not mature the way they should and 
 you will have runts and sickly birds on 
 your hands. Keep them scratching all 
 the time: better have them a bit hungry 
 than fully satisfied. When early fall 
 comes select your choice specimens and 
 put them by themselves, so that they 
 will not run any chance of breaking 
 feathers or getting into fights, the result 
 being torn wattles, marred earlobes, etc. 
 Very choice birds — those which look like 
 the "real thing" — I put by themselves in 
 nice grassy runs with plenty of shade. 
 Only by these careful methods can one 
 hope to win the coveted blue at Madison 
 Square or other leading shows. Condi- 
 tion is half the battle. 
 
 Care of Old Stock 
 
 The care of your old stock is just 
 about as important. As soon as the 
 breeding season is over, I take the males 
 away and put them in a house which I 
 have built especially for them. Each has 
 a nice grassy run which is entirely cov- 
 ered by burlap so the sun cannot reach 
 him. There is a small roosting room 
 .^x4 feet with a burlap window. A three- 
 foot board fence separates the runs so 
 they cannot fight over it and injure each 
 other. A foot wire is on these boards 
 and all the top is covered. Their legs 
 are looked after each week, so as to 
 keep the scales soft and in good condi- 
 tion, in order that they may shed them 
 easily. With this careful attention your 
 old stock will be as fresh and will have 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 as tine an appearance as your youngsters when fall ar- 
 rives. 
 
 Your choice females should be treated in the same 
 manner. From what I have seen I am sure that many 
 breeders neglect this careful handling of old stock when 
 the breeding season is over. 
 
 Conditioning for the Show Room 
 
 The conditioning of Buff Leghorns for our big shows 
 begins when the chicks leave the shell; with the old stock, 
 when the breeding season is over. Chicks hatched from 
 prize matings — they are the ones from which you expect 
 
 FIRST PRllE auFF LEGHORN COCKEREL, WINNER OF 
 SHAPE & COLOR SPECIAL, MADISON SQUARE GARbEN 1910. 
 Bred g^Owrvecj. E,-, 
 Wm. H-HEIL- R-F-l3-tt3. EASTON PA- 
 
 A beautiful Buff Leghorn male in color, being an even 
 golden buff over neck, back and wing-bows; tail and wing 
 feathers solid buff. In shape this bird is excellent, coming 
 very close to the advanced type of the modern White Leg- 
 horn male. 
 
 your next season's winners — ought to have extra care as 
 soon as hatched. Put a hen with some young ones in a 
 large grassy run with plenty of shade, for Bufifs must 
 have grass to run on and plenty of shade — the grass to 
 keep their legs yellow and in good condition and the shade 
 so they will not be bleached out when fall comes. 
 
 When the chicks are about four months of age, se- 
 lect the choicest specimens and put them by themselves. 
 Do not allow a very promising cockerel to run with a 
 large number of males, as he is likely to lose a sickle, have 
 an ear-lobe torn or some such accident which would mar 
 him. Separate your pullets and cockerels as soon as pos- 
 sible. When the show season comes around, select the 
 pullets and cockerels which you have had in mind and put 
 them in your conditioning room, selecting three or four 
 more than the number you intend to show;. as often one 
 or more birds will go back at the last moment and then 
 you will be short a male or a female. I usually put my 
 
 birds up a week before the show, as I find in that time I car> 
 have a bird about right. Begin by walking past the cage 
 and speaking to the birds. Do not start at once to handle 
 them, for if thoroughly frightened at the start it is a hard 
 matter to train them and training is half the battle. When 
 they become accustomed to your presence and voice, stop 
 in front of the cage and pass your hand over the outside 
 until they become quiet; then open the door and gradu- 
 ally get your hand near them. After awhile they will 
 allow you to smooth them and then I begin the course of 
 posing; that is, having them stand wherever you place 
 them with the head in any position you wish. You would 
 be surprised how much little things count with a judge. A 
 well-trained bird often catches the judge's eye, even if it 
 is a bit inferior to the one in the next coop that is un- 
 trained. 
 
 The toilet of your birds is a most important factor. 
 I spend one-half hour each day on each bird. With a silk 
 handkerchief, beginning from the base of the comb, I rub 
 down with easy motion, covering every portion of the 
 bird. By the week's end the bird has a beautiful luster. 
 The legs are washed several times and every particle of 
 dirt is taken from beneath the scales. A very little sweet 
 oil, with a few drops of turpentine, is used to rub the legs 
 after each washing. This brings out the rich yellow. Be 
 careful not to rub too far up on the shanks and stain 
 the feathers. 
 
 Before shipping look over the shanks and webs well 
 for stubs. Treat the comb with a very little oil and then 
 rub it well. Before putting the birds in the shipping coops 
 I give each a two-grain quinine pill. I find this is ex- 
 cellent to ward off colds. The shipping coops aie made 
 of light wood and the inside is lined with muslin to keep 
 off drafts or any dirt which may sift through the cracks. 
 Muslin also covers the top under the top slats. One can- 
 not be too careful of birds in transit. 
 
 Feeding Show Birds 
 
 The feeding of your birds while in training quarters 
 is quite a problem. I give them three meals a day. The 
 morning meal is a little scratching feed. At noon they 
 get a mash just moistened with scalded milk, at night, 
 cracked corn. During the day when training them I give 
 small bits of fresh meat or some green food. You will 
 find they will always be at the door expecting this or that 
 dainty. Never leave food in the cups. Give them a cer- 
 tain time to clean up their feed and if any is left take it 
 away. Many a bird has gone stale on his feed by having 
 it left before him. 
 
 Conditioning Old Stock 
 
 Now a few words about conditioning the old stock. 
 As soon as the breeding season is over I take the males 
 out of the breeding pens and put them in a cockerel 
 house. Each pen has a grassy run and the top is covered 
 with burlap so the sun cannot get on them. During the 
 time they remain in this house their legs are treated each 
 week in order to keep them in good condition and to 
 make it easy for them to shed their scales. The prize 
 hens are treated in the same way and when fall arrives 
 and you take the males and females out of summer quar- 
 ters you have birds with beautiful plumage, not bleached 
 out by the sun, with legs in fine shape and in sound 
 physical condition. 
 
 The toilet of the old stock while in the conditioning 
 room, is the same as that of the youngsters. 
 
>0LCE:T;plRST,NE:VVY6RKn)eCig<57- " rCoCRTFlRSrwrnHERTATSOBWH- 19«7- HfcM , F-IR5T prize wiHMtR.ftUBURHl 
 .^•WmntR OP- HRST PRIZE- • ' StCoMDPRlZ6,NEW YORK,D&C1907. ittont) wiMHtR AT N&W YORK-DfcClS 
 -'iTOM.19o5'' Ll WrNNfcR op- TMIRB. AT Boston, 1905- and StConD AT BOSTOW* ».^08 • 
 . RoDNErY A-KINAPP ■ BlMCiHAM-T ON . M-V- 
 
 Trio of Buff Legfiorn Winners. 
 
 Buff Color Breeding Problems 
 
 Looking to Nature for Instruction in Breeding Buff Plumage. Too Much Importance Attached to Undercolor. 
 
 E2:ra Cornell 
 
 MY EXPERIENCE with Bufif Leghorns has been 
 entirely different. I came into possession of 
 my first Buffs more by the result of Circum- 
 stances than through any real desire at the time to breed 
 them. They were an inferior lot of birds, but I kept them 
 and gradually became interested in the breed. I bred and 
 exhibited them five years before I was able to win a single 
 first prize with them at New York. It probably cost me 
 more to improve these birds than it would to have started 
 as I did with the Whites, but on the other hand I un- 
 doubtedly got a good deal of experience in breeding them 
 that I would not otherwise have gotten, so it is a ques- 
 tion, after all, which of the two ways of starting is, in the 
 long run, the cheaper and better for a beginner. 
 
 What I have written on Whites relates equally well 
 to Buffs, excepting of course the refernce to color of 
 plumage. First let us see what the standard requires for 
 the female plumage. "Surface color throughout one even 
 shade of rich golden buff, f:ee from shafting or mealy ap- 
 pearance, the head and neck plumage showing a metallic 
 lustre of the same shade as the rest of the plumage; 
 undercolor a lighter shade as free as possible from all 
 foreign color. Other things being equal, the specimen 
 showing richest undercolor shall receive the preference." 
 The best buff color to be found today is on the Buff 
 Leghorn females. No other breed of Buffs is so absolutely 
 free from all foreign color or possesses a more even shade 
 of buff. The Buff Leghorns have more of a metallic 
 lustre than the other Buffs, which gives them a slightly 
 different appearance, but it is due to their having harder, 
 closer fitting feathers. Many breeders have been much 
 retarded in getting a fine plumage by laying altogether 
 
 too much importance on undercolor. They would have 
 been, in many cases, far better if they had never consid- 
 ered undercoloi at all. A bird with a smoky or foreign 
 undercolor should be discarded, but aside from this it is 
 hardly worth considering. The best Buff Leghorn fe- 
 males I have ever seen, both for exhibition and breeding, 
 have had the lightest undercolor. The Standard says, 
 "Other things being equal, the specimen showing the 
 richest undercolor shall receive the preference." (The 
 word "richest" is usually translated in this case to mean 
 darkest). This may be all right, but be absolutely sure 
 that other things are equal before giving a deep under- 
 color any preference or consideration. 
 
 Leghorns have comparatively hard, close fitting 
 feathers. In such feathers the coloring matter always con- 
 centrates in the surface or harder part of the feather; this 
 is according to nature and you cannot change it. Look 
 at some of our most highly colored wild birds — the 
 Scarlet Tanager, the Oriole, or even the Canary, and you 
 will find an undercolor which appears white in compari- 
 son to the surface. Take these same brilliant feathers 
 and lay them in the sunlight over a darker undercolor and 
 you will deaden the color. The rays of light pass through 
 the surface plumage, and on striking the light undercolor 
 are reflected, much intensified, which gives the plumage 
 its extreme brilliancy; whereas if the rays of light on 
 penetrating the surface were to strike a dark undercolor, 
 they would be absorbed and the surface color deadened. 
 There are three ways of deepening undercolor, all of which 
 are undesirable in the case under discussion. First, by 
 deepening the surface color, which is merely overloading 
 the plumage with coloring matter; second, by loosening 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 up the feathers and getting a more Huffy phiniage; third, 
 by getting a mealy surface; which is nothing more oi less 
 than a separation of the primary colors which combine to 
 make buflf and which must be thoroughly blended if you 
 are to get a good buflf. That I have just written applies 
 especially to the females; the males have a deeper under- 
 color, but it is not so apt to be solid. Cockerels are some- 
 times found with some white in undercolor of hackle, 
 which, as the bird grows older, will probably appear on 
 the surface. A male bird should have sound undercolor. 
 This is important, although it makes little difference 
 whether it i^ light or dark. The sliade will, as a rule, cor- 
 
 respond with and depend on the shade of the surface 
 color. Many of our best Buff' Leghorn males for stock 
 purposes have a rather dark, a smoky color in the hidden 
 web of the main tail feathers. Many seem to think that 
 this is essential, although I can see no reason for it; some 
 of my birds have it and some have not. I am unable as 
 yet to say whether it is of any importance or not, but if 
 a bird is otherwise good, I care but little whether or not 
 he has a slight smoky cast in the hidden web of the main 
 tail feathers. The best Buff Leghorns I have owned and 
 known have, like the Whites, been produced by Standard 
 
 Buff Leghorns for Show and Table 
 
 [nbreeding Necessary to 
 
 JUST a few words to the beginner in breeding Buff 
 Leghorns. First get good stock or eggs from a 
 reliable breeder for your foundation. If you start 
 right you will go right. In mating up your pens for breed- 
 ing, first pick out a good male bird with an even golden buff 
 surface color with some bronze feathers in tail color, the 
 bird to carry tail rather low; comb as near five points as 
 you can get it, with broad base and standing erect, back 
 of comb to be well clear of neck; lobes white and as free 
 from red as possible; also a good yellow leg and the bird 
 to stand well up on his legs. We cannot get all the good 
 points in one bird, but we must get as near as we can and 
 then make up the defects with the females. I like to breed 
 from birds with clear buff wings, and hackle clear golden 
 buff clear down to the skin, then you may expect good 
 young stock and you will not be disappointed. In picking 
 out the females to go with this male get them as near an 
 even color like the breast of male, with good combs and 
 lobes and yellow legs; wings clear buff, but if you are 
 breeding to a light colored male some dark bronze in 
 wing feathers will do all right, in fact it is best to breed 
 both ways; in using two pens a person can do that. Now 
 the females to go with the dark-tailed male may have the 
 tips of tail feathers a very light buff, almost white. I like 
 a good, deep undercolor in females, and in the dark male 
 a very strong undercolor. In using females with some 
 very light buff feathers in tail tips I keep the smut away 
 and produce the rich golden buff. When you have a pen 
 of good old birds keep them to breed from and save some 
 of your very best pullets each year to breed from after 
 they are a year old, then you will get good, strong chicks 
 and eggs that will hatch in the incubator. By the way, 
 that is the way to hatch chickens and beat the lice, but 
 you must go still further and raise your chickens in a 
 brooder. So many people make the fatal mistake of giv- 
 ing the chicks over to the hens to raise; do not do it. We 
 have not had to use any kind of louse destroyer now for 
 two years, and my birds are free from lice. We do not 
 let a hen sit on a nest over night, but provide good dust 
 baths for them, and they will take care of themselves. If 
 you have a good male bird that just suits you and you 
 want to stamp his good qualities upon your flock, breed 
 him back on his pullets, even to the third generation. I 
 have the finest male bird I ever saw, and have refused a 
 very high price for him several times; he wins first money 
 wherever shown; he is just a grand bird, and I have bred 
 him back to his pullets to the third generation, and his 
 get have always won their share of prizes and the top 
 
 Fix Desirable Characteristics. Teniperament of Birds Depends Much on 
 Attendant. Details in Breeding for Exhibition. 
 William H. Bushell 
 
 prizes at that. This year is a surprise to me and all the 
 breeders who visit my yards. The young stock are even 
 in color with good Leghorn shape, and very few culls. We 
 cannot get enough culls for our table. Some people claim 
 that Leghorns are wild, that you cannot keep them inside 
 a ten-foot high fence; I keep mine inside a four-foot fence. 
 It is the people who handle the birds that are wild. Go 
 among your birds quietly and feed them out of your hand 
 little knick-knacks. Teach them from the start that you 
 do not intend to hurt them, and do not try to catch them 
 to show to everybody who comes your way. If you take a 
 stranger into your yards with you, you go first and take 
 some food they are fond of, and get your chicks all around 
 you and show the people how nice and tame your birds 
 are. 
 
 Now a few words about Buff Leghorns as winter 
 layers. I consider them the best winter layers we have 
 had. To get eggs in winter, in the first place you need a 
 good, tight house and plenty of room for them, with a 
 scratching room partitioned off, and a dust room. I give 
 fifty pullets a house eight by twenty-four feet, divided into 
 roost room, scratching room, and dust room. I renew 
 the straw once a week in the scratching room, and I do 
 not let my birds go outdoors all winter. After they are 
 housed a week they stop fretting and start to laying. If 
 you let them run out every good day, and shut up stormy 
 days it keeps them restless, but to keep them shut up all 
 the time, they lay regularly. We feed wheat in the morn- 
 ing and raw vegetables at noon and a mash of coarse 
 beans and oats and some wheat, mixed with a pint of 
 meat meal to fifty hens. This we scald at noon and feed at 
 night. We scatter a few handfuls of millet seed in the 
 straw once a day, also feed some alfalfa hay or clover 
 twice a week, and give warm water to drink. One thing I 
 do like about the Leghorn pullets is, the more you fuss 
 with them in the winter the more eggs you will get. I do 
 not think you can get a Buff Leghorn pullet too fat if you 
 will see that they keep their food eaten up clean. You 
 need not worry about not giving them a light feed at 
 noon. My observation is with them if you want eggs feed 
 for th^m and keep the house just warm enough so the 
 pullets' combs will not freeze, and my way to do that is 
 during extreme cold weather, shut off the dust room part; 
 that makes less room for the birds to. keep warm. Just a 
 word about the table qualities of the Buff Leghorn. They 
 are not surpassed except by the Indian Game. You will 
 never tire of their meat. We can use them three or four 
 times a week and still be chicken hungry for the next one. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 Black Leghorns 
 
 One of the Most Popular Varieties of the Leghorn Family in Europe — There it is Bred Extens 
 Production — Bred Principally for Exhibition Purposes in England and America. 
 
 THE following brief but comprehensive description of 
 Black Leghorns was written by R. C. Haeger and 
 appeared in a former edition of "The Leghorns:" 
 
 'Black Leghorns were first imported from Italy in 
 1872 and admitted to the Standard in 1876. Although not 
 red extensively until the last three or four years, still 
 they are forging their way to the front, and 1 see no rea- 
 son why they are not equal to any of the other Leghorn 
 varieties, while in some things I think they surpass all 
 others. Their plumage being a black throughout does not 
 soil as easily as that of any other color. LTnlike most black 
 fowls, they are fine for table use, dressing yellow, and the 
 flesh being of fine quality. 
 
 ".As to fancy Eoints, the Black Leghorns are exactlj 
 like the Browns and Whites in symmetry. The plumage 
 should be a glossy black, although we find a great many a 
 dead black, which should suffer a cut for color. Breeders 
 should be careful of color of eyes, because I think Minorca 
 1)loo.d has brought in not alone dark eyes, but also black 
 shanks, coarse heads and shape of body. What would 
 Franklane Sewell think of a Langshan with a bay eye' 
 Although judges do not cut as frequently as they should 
 on color of the eyes, still I think it is of great importance 
 
 "Another question among the admirers of this \a- 
 riety is, color of shanks. When first admitted they were 
 to be yellow, but finding they could not get as bright } el- 
 low as they wished, this was changed to the black. Then 
 again they were changed to yellow or yellowish black, 
 and that is what the Standard now calls for. In regard 
 to this argument, I will say that I do not try to breed 
 yellow shanks, first, because I do not think a solid yellow 
 shank belongs with a black plumage. None of our other 
 Ijlack varieties call for yellow shanks. Then why call for 
 them on Black Leghorns? Second, because I know that 
 nine-tenths of yellow-legged Black Leghorns either 
 throw off-colored feathers while chicks or when they molt 
 out as fowls. The best of them will do this, and that is 
 my principal reason for not trying to breed yellow 
 shanks. 
 
 "I hold that the only color, and the proper color for 
 their shanks should be a yellowish black. I do not mean 
 l)y this that they should have a slaty black, but a bright 
 yellowish black on the shank, with the upper side of the 
 toes and the lower side of the toes and feet a pure yel- 
 low. By breeding the shanks and toes this color, we can 
 keep the plumage and other sections where they belong. 
 
 "I think this question ought to be brought before 
 the judges as well as the breeders, for a careful consid- 
 eration, as hardly two judges cut alike on the color of the 
 shanks. I have score cards by several of the best judges, 
 and only two so far, have taken a yellowish black as 
 standard color. Some would cut half a point, while the 
 next one would cut one and a half points. Now while the 
 standard calls for a yellow or yellowish black, I can not 
 see why a yellowish black is not as near perfect as yellow 
 but there are judges who do not think that way. 
 
 "I would like to hear what the judges, as well as 
 breeders, have to say about this, as it should be settled. 
 
 so breeders may know what to aim for in breeding, as 
 well as to know what to bring out in the exhibition 
 room." 
 
 In view of the above expressed opinion relating to 
 the color of shanks, it will be interesting to read what 
 Adam F. Noll, one of the most successful breeders of 
 Black Leghorns in America, has to say regarding yellow 
 shanks on Black Leghorns. Mr. Noll writes: 
 
 "The Black Leghorn when first discovered had dark 
 or wilhnv shanks, but b3' careful breeding they are today 
 
 Reproduced from a photograph by L. P. Graham. The male 
 istrated above, while rather coarse in comb and lacking a 
 11 furnished tail, is nevertheless a fine type of the variety, 
 ling most excellent, as the light and shade of the 
 
 picti 
 
 seen with solid yellow legs. I have bred them for nearly 
 twenty years for eggs and for the show room and know- 
 that S. C. Black Leghorns are one of the best varieties 
 both for utility and show room bred today. They are a va- 
 riety that do as well in confinement as on free range. The 
 cost of feeding is not so large as the heavier breed. 
 
 "They are heavy winter layers when eggs are high in 
 price and make a good plump fowl when dressed for the 
 table. They always look clean in the pen, for being black, 
 they do not show dust or dirt the same as light feathered 
 fowl. When hatched they are strong and healthy, grow- 
 
i)0 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 ing rapidly to maturity, will have wing feathers in one 
 week and start to lay in about five mouths, a nice size 
 egg with white shell and good flavor. 
 
 "They have red combs, face and wattles, pure white 
 almond shape lobes, rich glossy black feathers and bright 
 yellow legs, a sight which is pleasing to the eye, so you 
 make no mistake when you start to breed Black Leghorns." 
 
 Black Leghorns in England 
 
 Rev. T. \V. Sturges, is one of the leading authorities 
 on poultry culture in England, furthermore, he is a great 
 admirer of the Black Leghorn fowl and in "The Poul- 
 try Manual" the newest and one of the most complete 
 books on poultry culture befo.e the public today, Mr. Stur- 
 ges, the author, devotes considerable space to Black Leg- 
 horns from which we take the liberty of reprinting the 
 following pertinent and interesting paragraph: 
 
 "This is one of my prime favorites, and after twelve 
 years' persistent breeding it still holds first place. I know 
 of no other variety which combines so many good quali- 
 ties. It is still a popular fowl, and though it has suflfered 
 like many others from the fierce competition of the newer 
 breeds, it still holds its own. 
 
 "Apart from its beauty as a study in broadcloth and 
 gold like a gentleman in evening attire, it has an elegance 
 of its own, and is as typical in its form and as noble in its 
 , carriage and outline as any of its numerous relatives. 
 
 "The foundation of its success, however, is its super- 
 excellent character as the premier egg-producer of today. 
 It would not be difficult to raise birds which would average 
 200 eggs apiece in the year, and I have often had individual 
 birds to exceed this figure, and, next to the Black Minorcas, 
 I know of no other breed which lays eggs of such a size, 
 
 BLACK LEGHORN HEN 
 Reproduced from a photograph by L. P. Graham. A beauti- 
 ful hen in head points, with good length of body, well set tail. 
 Plumage a lustrous greenish black. 
 
 except the exhibition White Leghorn. The average 
 weight is seven eggs a pound, and often six will weigh as 
 much. It is true they are white and have to overcome 
 the English prejudice for tinted eggs, but their size and 
 quality easily accomplishes this, and as the birds are as 
 hard as nails, and will lay well in the winter, and do 
 well in confined quarters, they lay when 'eggs are eggs' 
 and in great demand. 
 
 "That they can hold their own in competition with 
 all other breeds is shown by the fact that, at our great 
 International Show, they have more than once carried off 
 the trophy for the best fowl of any breed in the compe- 
 tition against 4,000 others of all breeds and colors. 
 
 Purity of Descent 
 
 P "The Black Leghorn is of pure Italian blood, and has 
 y long been known and bred in Italy, as well as in Ger- 
 ymany, Switzerland and Belgium. Some of the best are 
 found today in Belgium, while the rank and file are a 
 common sight throughout the Continent. They were 
 known in America at the same time as the White and 
 Brown varieties, but were neither 'made' nor introduced 
 to us from there. In 1881 I saw tfiem by the thousand 
 dotted here and there over the whole of Switzerland, and 
 again in 1886, in Germany and Belgium as well. Shortly 
 after this period they were known and exhibited in Eng- 
 land, and some of the best were imported from Belgium. 
 In their original home fanciers are few and far between, 
 and the birds run wild, and, for the most part, uncared for. 
 They are small biids, naturally, under such conditions and 
 as wild as sparrows, but prodigious layers. I found them 
 { in all altitudes, from the borders of the Italian lakes in 
 \ perpetual summer to the highest mountain passes amid 
 ' 1 the eternal snows, and they seemed to thrive alike in all. 
 Their Improvement 
 "With the additional care and feeding bestowed upon 
 them by expert fanciers, and care in selection, they soon 
 began to put on extra size and to improve in color. But 
 many of them, even in the exhibition pen, had dusky legs 
 and stained ear-lobes, with very indifferent head points, 
 while neatly all the males showed white in the tail sickles. 
 As classes began to fill better, and the Blacks began 
 to assume gentlemanly attire, general attention was 
 attracted to them, and fanciers of the older and better- 
 known breeds began about 1900 to take them up and set 
 about to improve them. ****** 
 
 "Character and type were lost in a great degree, and 
 this has been most noticeable during the past two or 
 tliree years, while the angularity of the Minorca has dis- 
 placed the rotundity of the Leghorn. As the birds gained 
 ui size they lost much of their alert and sprightly car- 
 riage, and in^some measure their hardiness. Some Blacks 
 shown last year almost rivalled the White Leghorns in 
 size. This is a pity, and if continued will spell decline, if 
 not decay, in a vigorous and useful race. 
 
 "So far as I know the infusions are all of Mediter- 
 
 yi-anean blood, although traces of feather on the shank 
 
 S occasionally point to a touch of the Langshan, which 
 
 '^may have crept in, mingled with the Minorca blood. These 
 
 ^changes are only confined to a few breeders, and Blacks 
 
 of the true Leghorn type are still found in hundreds of 
 
 fanciers' yards. The Black Leghorn has so much good 
 
 in its foundation qualities that all that was necessary 
 
 could have been evolved without this 'haste-to-be-rich' 
 
 admixture and care will have to be taken lest the essential 
 
 features die. 
 
Silver Duckwin^ Leghorns 
 
 One of the Handsomest and Most Useful Varieties of the Leghorn Family. 
 J. H. Drevensledt 
 
 only, 
 
 SINCE their introduction in the United States, less 
 than twenty years ago, Silver Duckwing Leghorns 
 have virtually remained at a stand-still, as far as 
 any public interest in them is concerned. The few 
 breeders in this country who bred and exhibited Silver 
 Duckwin^- Leghorns did their share to improve the va- 
 riety to a point where in characteristic shape and grace- 
 ful carriage, they rivaled the best specimen seen in the 
 White variety, the winning females at New York being 
 especially fine in type. But notwithstanding the beauty 
 of form and color markings, they never became as popu- 
 lar as their excellent qualities deserved. 
 
 Of their early history in America, very little has been 
 said or written since their appearance in the show room 
 in the early 90's. Mr. J. W. Fiske of Passaic, New Jersey, 
 one of the pioneer breeders of Silver Duckwing Leghorns, 
 in this country and a most successful exhibitor of them 
 at the lea ing shows, kindly furnished us with the follow- 
 ing data. 
 
 "In reference to the Silver Duckwing Leghorns, 
 would say that in October 1893, I purchased four Silver 
 Duckwing Leghorn pullets from a party in Massachu- 
 setts. From another party, whose name and address I 
 cannot recall at the present time, I purchased a Silver 
 Duckwing Leghorn cockerel. In November, 1894, I pur- 
 chased two more cockerels from a party by the name of 
 Hurd in Massachusetts and in March, 1895, one cockerel 
 from a party by the name of Hanchett in Westfield, Mass. 
 My experience with this breed has been quite limited, al- 
 though I had quite a number during the ten years that I 
 kept them. I found it very difficult to raise first-class 
 birds and thought that I would import some eggs from 
 England. In February, 1895, I ordered three dozen eggs 
 from Mr. H. Hesford, St. Johns, Eng., and three dozen 
 from Mr. H. Hinson, St. Ives, Eng. From these eggs, I 
 hatched six chickens; three only, lived. The result, of 
 course, was very discouraging and I wrote Mr. Hesford 
 and he sent me an- 
 other sitting of 
 eggs, but only two 
 chickens were 
 hatched. These did 
 not amount to 
 much and both 
 died very shortly, I 
 then ordered in 
 October, 189 5, a 
 trio of Silver Duck- 
 wing Leghorns and 
 a pair of Golden 
 Duckwing Leg- 
 horns from Mr. 
 Hesford. They 
 were leceived in 
 good order. I ex- 
 hibited a pair of 
 Golden and a pair 
 of Silvers in Bos- 
 ton in January 
 SILVER DUCKWING LEGHORN HEN 1896; the Golden 
 A very good model of the active, Duckwing cockerel 
 sprightly type of Leghorn female, the 
 body lines being very graceful. 
 
 ake, in our opinion. 
 
 caught cold and did not recover. I raised quite a number 
 of Duckwings and disposed of nearly all, sold quite a 
 number of eggs, but a number of the people to whom 
 I sold the eggs complained that the chickens did not 
 show good color, 
 when matured. I 
 bought the entire 
 stock from a party 
 by the name of 
 Fuller in Allen- 
 town, Pa., and ex- 
 hibited, from time 
 to time, in Boston, 
 New York and lo- 
 cal shows, but the 
 competition was 
 not very keen; not 
 more than two or 
 three at the most, 
 competing. I prob- 
 ably won my share 
 of blue ribbons and 
 was very much in- 
 t e r e s t e d at the 
 time, but the last 
 
 JUN COCK 
 
 SILVER DUCKWING 
 
 .- male of good type, but does not 
 few years I have show the characteristic Leghorn car- 
 , , ,..^, ,. riage of the body and neck, owing to 
 
 had very little time the rather low pose of the bird when 
 to devote to photographed. 
 
 poultry raising and sold the entire lot about eight years 
 ago. I trust what little information I have given you will 
 be all that you require and am very sorry that I cannot 
 give you a better account." 
 
 Thomas Peer, Fairfield, New Jersey, has bred Silver 
 Duckwing Leghorns for quite a number of years, and 
 being a successful and experienced breeder of BuflE, 
 Brown and White Leghorns, Mr. Peer's opinions on the 
 comparative values of the different varieties are entitled 
 to considerable respect, consequently we submitted a 
 number of questions to him, to which Mr. Peer sent the 
 following answers: — 
 
 1. How do Duckwings compare with other varieties 
 of Leghorns as layers? 
 
 I have bred White Leghorns and Browns and Buffs 
 and 1 know from my personal experience that the Silver 
 Duckvirings are just as good layers as any of the other 
 varieties. Mr. E. G. Wyckoff told me that the Silver 
 Duckwings were the best layers that he had on his place. 
 
 2. Do Duckwings breed true, i.e., do they re- 
 produce as large percentage of exhibition males and fe- 
 males as Browns or Buffs? 
 
 I can honestly say that the Silver Duckwings breed 
 more true than the Buffs or Browns and produce a much 
 larger percentage of exhibition males and females. 
 
 3. Is it necessary to use double mating to produce 
 both exhibition cockerels and pullets or can both be ob- 
 tained from single matings? 
 
 Last year I used double matings, this year I did not 
 and I find that I have just as many good chicks in propor- 
 tion to the number hatched as I had with the double mat- 
 ing. 
 
 91 
 
92 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 4. Do you think it correct as well as beneficial to 
 the variety, to have hackle and saddle feathers strongly 
 striped with black? 
 
 I like the hackle and saddle sections strongly striped 
 with black, but I cannot say for a certainty whether it is 
 correct and beneficial to the variety. I know that I have 
 a larger percentage of well striped ones than I have of 
 those that are not well striped. 
 
 5. Do you think Duckwings will become as popular 
 as Browns when their good qualities are better known 
 than they are now? 
 
 Yes I think Duckwings will become as popular as 
 the Browns when their good qualities are better known. 
 They certainly are very pretty and will average more 
 
 pounds to a flock than most any variety of the Leghorns. 
 They are great layers and great foragers. They certainly 
 are a fine table fowl and they dress nicely, the skin being 
 very yellow. 
 
 When Mr. Wyckofif imported the Silver Duckwings 
 in 1905 or '06 the birds were very coarse in comb. Have 
 overcome that fault to a very large degree so that now 
 nearly every male bird has a small and perfect comb. 
 
 I bought eggs from Mr. E. G. Wyckofi at $15.00 per 
 sitting and from this stock I established my strain which 
 is second to none in this country. My stock is far su- 
 perior to any that Mr. Wyckofif ever had and I know that 
 any one who starts in with the Silver Duckwings will 
 never be sorry. 
 
 First Exhibited in America in 
 
 Red Pyle Leghorns 
 
 1900, but Bred More Extensively Since 1909- 
 Standard Color. Valuable as Egg Producers. 
 
 Georie E. Howell 
 
 to Mate and Breed for 
 
 IT IS ten years since the Red Pyle Leghorns came 
 before the public. To an English Leghorn fancier 
 belongs the credit of originating them. Five years 
 later they made their appearance in America, being shown 
 at Madison Square Garden by several exhibitors two 
 years in succession; and then they seem to have dropped 
 out of the running until the 1909-10 show, when they 
 again made their appearance at the Garden. 
 
 Xot being assigned a regular class, they competed 
 against all other non-standard aspirants for public favor. 
 The even type of these birds, their "classy" appearance, 
 and the strong evidence of their useful qualities, won for 
 them every first and second prize in the class to which 
 they were assigned. 
 
 There is nothing similar to the color of their plumage, 
 excepting the Pyle Game and Game Bantam, and to see 
 a pen of these busy and active birds with the sun's rays 
 full upon them is a picture for a painter. The rich color- 
 ing of the male flashing in and out among the brown- 
 breasted females as they scratch in 
 the litter in the pen, is a pleasing 
 sight to any fancier. 
 
 One of the greatest points in 
 their favor is their ability as winter 
 layers. They do not mature so quickly 
 as the Browns, Whites or Buflfs; being 
 a opund or more heavier in weight; 
 but when they get started about No- 
 vember first, there is nothing in the 
 shape of cold weather that will dis- 
 courage them. Their eggs rank well 
 in size, being equal to some Minorca 
 eggs, as large as the best Buff Leg- 
 horn, larger than the White, and 
 nearly as large again as the Black, 
 Brown or Duckwing eggs. The color 
 of the shell is transparent white. 
 
 There have been articles appear- 
 ing in praise of the various varieties 
 of Leghorns, diflferent writers lauding 
 their favorite variety of the breed and 
 crediting it with all the virtues and 
 none of the faults of the other breeds. 
 
 REEDING PEN 
 
 LEGHORNS 
 Owned and bred by George E 
 
 -Ml who have bred each variety of Leghorns know these 
 claims cannot be and are not real in fact. No one variety 
 of Leghorns has all the virtues. Their mission in life is 
 to lay a large number of eggs, and they all fulfill that 
 mission — some more than fulfill it, others less. 
 
 It is not the object here to make any claim for the 
 Pyles that cannot be realized in breeding them. Game 
 blood, undoubtedly, was used in creating them, and it is 
 useless to deny it, as common sense must teach one that 
 the Pyle markings could not be obtained in any other 
 way. When dressed for the table this fact becomes more 
 apparent by the appearance of the carcass. The skin is 
 a rich golden yellow that looks like butter, and the car- 
 cass is plump and round, giving it a first-rate table ap- 
 pearance. Pullets will weigh four pounds with the head 
 and feathers off, cockerels five, hens five, and cocks six. 
 
 Now, to my way of thinking, this is an ideal general 
 purpose fowl, large enough for the table and of a quality 
 to tempt the epicure. The eggs are white in color and 
 ' are large enough to be especially se- 
 
 lected; and they can be had in winter 
 when most sought after. The plumage 
 is rich in color and not commonplace 
 or monotonous to look at; and when 
 spread over a fowl of the real Leg- 
 horn shape, with Leghorn style and 
 characteristics, large pure white ear 
 lobes, and a comb which every Leg- 
 horn breeder recognizes as perfect, I 
 submit we have a fowl which has well 
 earned its right to public favor and 
 pulilic patronage. 
 
 In selecting a pen of Pyle Leg- 
 horns for breeding purposes, great 
 attention should be given to the color 
 and style of the male. Let this color 
 be rich and breast clear white, if pos- 
 sible, although it is hard to get as yet 
 in a high top -colored bird. Mate this 
 bird to females that are perfect 
 "dreams" in shape, with solid brown 
 breasts and free from ticking in 
 the balance of the plumage and 
 
 RED PYLE 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 93 
 
 nicely serrated, medium-sized combs, strong at base 
 where set on the head and free from wrinkles or folds. 
 For cockerels add two or three females with the red 
 wing and some red in top color, provided, first, that 
 they have white ears, and second, a small comb, erect, if 
 possible. 
 
 The greatest point of beauty in a Pyle Leghorn -is 
 the white ear. The red stripe in the hackles of both male 
 and female sets the ear off nicely. 
 
 Under the refining influence of the fancier's hand they 
 will lose a trifle in weight, improve in shape, and no doubt 
 gain in egg production with selection for prolificacy. 
 
 Standard for Red Pyle Leghorns 
 
 The Following Standard for Red Pyle Leghorns Has Been Prepared by George E. Howell: 
 
 THE following Standard for Red Pyle Leghorns h 
 been prepared by George E. Howell: 
 
 Shape of male and female should conform 
 description given in .American Standard of Perfecti* 
 pages 109 and 110. 
 
 Disqualifications 
 
 ted co\ 
 ckerels 
 
 one-half surface of ear-lobes 
 formed backs, wry tails, side 
 sprigs on combs, 
 shanks other than 
 yellow in cock- 
 Color of Male 
 Head; Plum- 
 age, bright orange 
 or light red. 
 Beak: Yellow. 
 Eyes: Red. 
 Comb: Bright 
 Red. 
 Wattles: Bright 
 
 Ear-Lobes: 
 hite or creamy 
 
 ite. 
 
 and 
 
 RED PYLE LEGHORN COCK 
 First Prize at Madison Square Garden. 
 New Yorls, 1909-10. Bred and exhibited 
 by George E. Howell. 
 
 Shank: 
 Toes: Yellow. 
 
 Xeck: Hackle, 
 orange or light 
 red, free from 
 dark stripe down 
 center of feather. 
 
 Back: Red or 
 crimson. 
 
 Saddle: Orange or light red, free from black stripe. 
 
 Breast: White. 
 
 Body and Stern: White. 
 
 \^'ings and shoulders: Wing- fronts, white, wing- 
 bows, red or crimson, wing-coverts, white, forming 
 distinct bar across wing; primaries, white except lower 
 feathers outer web of which is bay; secondaries, part of 
 outer web forming wing-bay, red, remainder of feathers, 
 v.-hite. 
 
 T.iil: White. 
 S ic k le s a n d 
 Tail Coverts: 
 White. 
 
 Thigl 
 
 Wl 
 
 Color of Female 
 Beak: Yellow. 
 Eyes: Red. 
 Face: Bright 
 red. 
 
 Comb: Bright 
 red. 
 
 , Wattles: Bright 
 red. 
 
 Ear-Lobes: 
 W'hite or creamy 
 white. 
 
 Shanks and 
 Toes: Yellow. 
 
 Head: Plumage, white feathers edged with bay 
 
 Neck: Hackle, white feathers edged with bay. 
 
 Back: White. 
 
 Breast: Bay or Salmon. 
 
 Body and Stern: White. 
 
 Wings: White. 
 
 Tail: White. 
 
 Thighs: White. 
 
 RED PYLE LEGHORN PULLET 
 irst Prize at Madison Square Garden, 
 V York, 1909-10. Bred and exhibited 
 George E Howell. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 Leghorns in England 
 
 Absence of Shnpe-Dislincdveness From That of the Minorca— Characteristics of 
 the Euglish Bred Leghorn. 
 
 I HAD just turned from the Minorca display, and 
 stepped across the aisle to the Leghorns, at the 
 Royal Show which was being held at Norwich, Eng- 
 land, and it was then that I noticed mast vividly the ab- 
 sence of that shape distinctiveness which gives these two 
 races their individuality, and so plainly characterizes the 
 one from the other in the American show rooms. 
 
 The sprightly alertness and graceful lines of the 
 American Leghorn did not characterize the English birds. 
 In England, the birds are bred to a rectangular body 
 shape with long legs, heavy combs and wattles and 
 pendant lobes. The cocks are bred to weights of 7 to 8 
 pounds, and the hens to 6 and 7 pounds. "Size" is one 
 of the first considerations with the English judges and 
 breeders and is given a valuation of 15 points as against 
 4 points which have been allotted by the makers of our 
 "Standard." 
 
 Ear-lobes are the leading feature of the head and are 
 valued at 15 points. The Poultry Club Standard requires 
 that they be "well developed and rather pendant." Comb 
 is allotted 12 points and here the judge again seeks size, 
 and desires that the comb extend vvrell beyond the back of 
 the head, and follow the line of the hackle. In the female, 
 the refined American comb is not seen, but, rather a 
 heavier, larger appendage which forms one loop over the 
 beak and then droops down on the opposite side. 
 
 These were the kind of birds that were exhibited at 
 the Royal Show, and a very good display it was, meas- 
 ured by the English ideal. But, to those schooled in the 
 fancy of the United States and Canada, the yellow shanks 
 of the birds alone, and not their conformation and size, 
 would have distinguished the Leghorn from the 
 Minorcas. 
 
 American Leghorns in England 
 
 The English Standard specifically calls for large 
 Leghorns and a wedge-shaped body — two factors that 
 have from time to time, been the basis of argument for 
 the breeding of larger birds of heavier type in America. 
 I have always maintained that the Leghorn should have 
 the size and strength necessary for the fowl's continued 
 production of very many eggs. But, the English Leghorn 
 IS a notoriously ordinary layer at home, and on one large 
 utility plant, I found imported American and Australian 
 White Leghorns being kept for eggs, the English birds 
 having been given up some years ago. It would seem 
 that the size and also the type of our birds is conducive to 
 their continuance as a favorite on our commercial egg 
 farms, and it seems to me that we can do no better than 
 maintain our present size and enjoy the gracefulness and 
 beautiful finish of our Standard birds. 
 
 An English Criticism of the American Type 
 
 The day of an "International Standard" may come, 
 liut at present America and England are measuring Leg- 
 liorn values according to vastly different standards. Both 
 cherish their own ideals and there is beauty for each in 
 the birds of their own breeding. 
 
 When the proposed Standard illustration which was 
 -uggested to take the place of the Leghorn picture in the 
 "Misfit 1910 Standard" came out in the "American Poul- 
 try World," I was in London, and I clipped the illustra- 
 tion and mailed it to Andrew Leitch, Cameron Bridge, 
 I'ife, N. B. In response he wrote: "Yes, our ideals seem 
 far apart. I like your Standard in cocks except comb 
 which I think is a shade rocky, i.e., serrations not bold 
 enough and spikes are too much on a level. I like them 
 to rise from front to centre and fall off from centre to 
 back. The hen's tail is not carried close enough for my 
 liking. The gay tails get the cold shoulder from me. How- 
 over, yours are the layers." (See illustration, page 28). 
 
 Mr. Leitch is a breeder of Black Leghorns and his 
 Ijirds are well known throughout Scotland and England, 
 and the illustration on this page reproduces one of his 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 winning males. The White Leghorn head is of a cock- 
 erel that won first at both the Dairy and Crystal Palace 
 Shows, England. He was bred by Whitaker and Toot- 
 hill. Poole, Leeds. This head is not an extreme type but 
 the desired type in England, this bird having won (in ad- 
 dition to the above) 1st at both the Leghorn Club and the 
 White Leghorn Club shows, and special for the best bird 
 in the Crystal Palace Show, 1910. 
 
 Brown Leghorns at the Royal Show 
 The Brown Leghorn males at the Royal were 
 
 bit 
 shorter on leg and not as long in back as the Whites, and 
 the Brown females were finer in bone and more after our 
 Leghorn type. But, in color and 
 feather markings, the males offer a , — 
 contrast to American ideals. The top 
 color is light — about the color of our 
 pullet breeding males — and the saddle 
 is of this orange color without the 
 black striping. 
 
 The Blacks 
 
 The Black Leghorns numbered 
 about the same as the White and 
 Brown. With the S fold in their 
 comb, their rather long backs and big 
 size, the females are well nigh identi- 
 cal to the English Minorca type. The 
 males are somewhat shorter in back 
 and leg than the Minorcas, yet like 
 the other varieties, they are styled 
 after the Minorca fashion with their 
 heavy comb, large lobes, long wattles, 
 rectangular body without the concave 
 sweep to tail, and rather heavy bone. 
 The Buffs 
 
 The Buff Leghorn which has 
 come to hold a place in America sec- 
 ond only to the White variety, was 
 originated in England. Those at the 
 Royal were of the rich surface color 
 which the English prefer. On the 
 other hand, the under-color was lighter in the females 
 as the judges are not so critical as to the shade of the 
 under-plumage. 
 
 A New Variety, the Blue 
 
 The Blue Leghorns shown were of a solid color, free 
 from lacing. The variety came from a cross of Black and 
 White Leghorns, so in type and size the Blues are about 
 what the English seek in this breed. 
 
 Blue is the most difficult of the two composite colors, 
 buff and blue, to breed. The one comes as a mixture of 
 red and white while the latter comes from the crossing of 
 black and white fowls. 
 
 Blue is a color that is difficult to establish in a va- 
 riety, for there is always a strong tendency toward black 
 and white, and after selective breeding has been carried 
 on for a number of years, the color is secured on only a 
 fair number of birds in each brood. Therefore, the Blue 
 Leghorn with only a few years of breeding behind it will 
 perhaps not be taken up in America with the enthusiasm 
 that was accorded its predecessor, the Buff Leghorn — -at 
 least, not yet. 
 
 I visited one breeder of the variety in England who 
 told me that his matings in 1910 were a failure. He had 
 penned a blue male with blue females, and many of the 
 progeny were white and the best of the youngsters were 
 too light in color. So this year he headed his yard with 
 a black male and mated him to rather light blue females, 
 and the result was far better. 
 
 If blue as a plumage color could be perfected, if pea- 
 cock blue could be bred, the birds that wore it would rival 
 the most pleasing color schemes that we enjoy in our 
 most attractive varieties. 
 
 But, intricate and beset with discouragements as its- 
 breeding problem now is, blue is essentially a color for 
 the novice. The development of each 
 of the colors and feather markings 
 can be traced to an early period when 
 they were still crude, unestablished 
 and often undetermined in all particu- 
 lars, and then their development — I 
 think— cannot be attributed to breed- 
 ers who had acquired skill from 
 the long breeding of some other 
 variety, but must be credited to pro- 
 gressive, studious, persistent begin- 
 ners who taking up the race when it- 
 was young became familiar with the- 
 tendencies in its breeding, became ab- 
 sorbed in their task, and at last be- 
 came masters of the color. 
 ] In the past I have too often said 
 
 I of this or that fowl: "It is not the 
 fowl for the beginner," but if those 
 who are coming on did not take up- 
 the new, who would? Henceforth I 
 think it would be well to say of these 
 new races: "It is the fowl for the pro- 
 gressive, earnest, persistent man with 
 whom commercialism is not an imme- 
 diate consideration." 
 
 SHORN HK.VD The Silver Leghorn 
 
 A Silver Leghorn cockerel and 
 pullet with ratlier neat heads were shown at the Royal. 
 As the silvery tone of name would imply, this is a beauti- 
 ful variety, well-deserving of more attention in America. 
 In the male, the white hackle and silvery white back, the 
 greenish black breast against which is laid a pure white 
 wing with a solid black band across it, the black body, and 
 the lustrous black tail; in the female the silvery head, 
 steel gray back and body, and salmon red breast, make a 
 flock of which the master is of striking color and the 
 mates of soft and tender hue. Add to this the bright red 
 comb of the Leghorn which bespeaks vigor and early ma- 
 turity, and the graceful lines and active bearing of this 
 stylish fowl. 
 
 The Other Varieties 
 Cuckoo, Pyle and Partridge Leghorns are also bred 
 in England in limited numbers, but none were shown at 
 the Royal. A pair of each of Rose Comb Brown, White 
 and Buff Leghorns were shown and in each instance they 
 were prefaced as "American Rose Combs," for only the 
 Rose Comb Black Leghorn has a place in The Poultry 
 Club Standard. 
 
English Baff Leghorns 
 
 Color Improvement and Increased Size Chiefly Noticeable Since The! 
 From Denmark iu 1888. 
 
 THE foundation slock of the American Buflf Leghorn 
 was imported from England twenty years ago. The 
 progress made by breeders of Bufif Leghorns in the 
 United States and Canada in the improvement of both 
 color and shape of beautiful BufTs has been so great, 
 that in type the latter equal the White and Brown varie- 
 ties, while in evenness and soundness of color, the Amer- 
 
 #' 
 
 The above illustration is reproduced from "The Feath- 
 ered World." England. The subject illustrated is Colonel 
 Allatt's Buft Leghorn Cock, winner ot first and challenge 
 cup at the Crystal Palace Show. 1910; first silver challenge 
 bowl and gold medal. Buff Leghorn Club Show, Ingleton. 
 1910. This English Buff Leghorn male approaches the 
 American type closer than any other we have ever seen 
 illustrated in recent years. The comb like on all English 
 Leghorns is rather large and too thick over the beak; neck, 
 back and tail are well outlined, but more length of fehank 
 and thigh would improve the type from the American point 
 
 ican Bufif Leghorn surpasses most of the other bufif varie- 
 ties of poultry. 
 
 It will be interesting to American breeders to learn 
 how Buflf Leghorns have fared in the hands of English 
 breeders, so we reprint below an article written by a 
 member of the English Bufif Leghorn Club which ap- 
 peared in "The Feathered World," England, July 21, 1911. 
 We also reproduce the ilhvstrations of the Crystal Palace 
 96 
 
 winner of 1910, published in tlie same issue of an English 
 contemporary, as the t\'pe portrayed is an unusually good 
 one from the American point of view. We quote: 
 
 As is well k-nown to persons interested in what is 
 generally known as the Mediterranean breed, all Leghorns 
 originally came from Italy, although the breed was first 
 sent into England from America in 1870, in which year 
 Mr. Tegetmeier imported a pen of Whites. Two years 
 later the Browns (or as they were then called Red Leg- 
 horns) followed, also from America. Mr. L. C. Verrey, 
 who has had over thirty years' experience with Leghorns 
 of all colors, except Blues, was the first Englishman to 
 own a Buflf Leghorn. 
 
 He purchased a hen that was exhibited at the Crystal 
 Palace Show of 1888 by Mr. J. Pedersen Bjergaard, of Den- 
 mark, and afterwards obtained other birds of the same 
 variety from Denmark. This little hen, though unnoticed 
 by the Palace, took 2nd at Derby Show about a month 
 afterwards, in a class for A. O. C. Leghorns. She was 
 bred for utility purposes alone; but, as Mr. Verrey ex- 
 presses it in his well-known book "The Leghorn Fowl," 
 she was also even colored, "good in points and full of 
 Leghorn characteristics." 
 
 At that time the hens were a uniform chamois or 
 li.uht bufif, the cocks being of a darker color on breast 
 and back, with white in the centre of the tail feathers. The 
 birds did not, however, always breed true to color, and 
 the quality of the ear-lobes and brilliancy of leg color left 
 ample room for improvement. 
 
 The prevailing caprice of the English fancier of today 
 is to breed everything to an excessive and unnatural size, 
 an excellent development for table requirements, but in the 
 case of the lighter breeds undoubtedly detrimental to lay- 
 ing capacity. 
 
 There are two Buff Leghorn clubs whose members 
 are quite in accord on this point, and who are striving to 
 retain the original characteristics of the breed, and to 
 maintain the old reputation of the variety as a prolific 
 layer of large white eggs. They favor a lively, active 
 bird, the widest of foragers, the smallest of feeders. .-\ 
 heavy, sluggish bird with beefy comb finds no favor with 
 them. They aim at the maintenance in the variety of the 
 record combination of fancy and utility, which was estab- 
 lished by the fineness of quality of the first Bufif Leghorn 
 imported into England. 
 
 These two clubs are the American Buflf Leghorn 
 Club, of which Mr. F. A. Tecktonius, of Racine, Wiscon- 
 sin, is president, and the English BufI Leghorn Club, of 
 which Colonel Sandbach is president. 
 
 The Americans have been more conservative with 
 regard to size than have English fanciers. In Bermuda 
 two Buflf Leghorn cocks, one from America and the 
 other from England, can be seen running side by side, 
 and there is a visible diflference in their weights. The 
 show bird of the island, to be seen strutting about the 
 grounds of Government House, is the English Buff Leg- 
 horn cock, and he has taken a prize in the show pen at 
 home. This bird was selected for exportation to Sir 
 Walter Kitchener, on account of his very hardy constitu- 
 tion and as being possessed of the essential attributes of 
 his breed. His weight is a little over 4^ lbs., but he looks 
 big by the side of his American comrade. Although dif- 
 fering in size they are both of the same active and vigor- 
 ous type that obtains in the best of layers of the Leghorn 
 family. This, in the opinion of the Buflf Leghorn clubs, is 
 a first essential. 
 
 In the laying competitions that have taken place re- 
 cently in England at diflferent places, the average weight 
 of the Danish and American Leghorns (irrespective of 
 color) has been about 3 lbs. 10 oz., and this approximates 
 closely to the weight of the exhibition BufT Leghorn pul- 
 let. 
 
 .^n increase over this average weight is, however. 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 permissible, because Leghorns up to S lbs. in weight have 
 taken part in laying competitions in this country. Many 
 believe that an increase over the average weight of the 
 .American layers is due to a cross with one of the sitting 
 breeds, and that if the increase of size is not overdone it 
 is advantageous as conducive to a larger number of eggs 
 in the winter months, and this is rather to be encouraged, 
 provided it does not affect the size of the eggs or the total 
 number laid within the year. It must, however, not be 
 forgotten that the food bill depends to a great extent on 
 the size of the bird, and that, looking at fowls entirely 
 as egg producers, which is their principal office, the value 
 of the eggs on one side against the cost of the food on 
 the other is the fundamental and only source from which 
 a profit can be derived. It is on these economical lines 
 that the Danes, the Americans and the Australians keep 
 down tlie size of their Leghorns as much as possible. 
 
 We claim, therefore that bred on these lines our exhi- 
 bition birds are but glorified specimens of the variety, re- 
 taining their economic value as layers, and that there is 
 only one stamp of Buff Leghorn which can be seen in the 
 farmer.-.' fields and in the exhibition pen. 
 
 It would be easy to quote extracts from communica- 
 tions from those who keep and favor the variety, showing 
 the high opinion held as to their laying power, but such 
 testimonials emanating from interested parties are some- 
 times of little value. They are apt to bring to mind the 
 story of the gentleman who wrote, "My fowls are laying 
 atrociously, but my poultryman is a first-class liar and 
 keeps up the reputation of the firm." 
 
 It is, however, to the point that a week or two ago a 
 gentleman who has studied poultry farming for many 
 years in America and Europe, writing on "Modern 
 Economical Poultry Keeping," proposing the keeping of 
 from 2,000 to 3,000 birds on an acre, says. "The fowl for 
 egg forming should be the Buff Leghorn." And I believe 
 he is not a member of any specialty club, nor a breeder of 
 the variety he recommends. 
 
 WHITE LEGHORN- PULLET 
 South Afr 
 
 ibited by Geo. Pat 
 
 ntein. JohannesburiT, South .\fr 
 
 White Leghorns in South Africa 
 
 MR. PATMORE in a letter dated July 29, 1911, ad- 
 dressed to F. L. Piatt, Associate Editor, Reliable 
 Poultry Journal, makes the following introduc- 
 tory statements relating to his strain of White Leghorns: 
 "I call my birds South African as I bred them 26 years 
 and have been very careful not to get the birds too big 
 and clumsy. They are splendid layers, the eggs averaging 
 six and seven to the pound. 
 
 "I attributed my success to the blending of a pen of 
 birds I imported from America with a pen received from 
 England in the early days of iny poultry keeping out here 
 and making a specialty of White Leghorns; at six dif- 
 ferent shows this year I have beaten the imported English 
 birds. The American White Leghorns are by far the better 
 
 layers when compared with the modern English birds, but 
 they are rather small and seem to get smaller out here 
 after the second year's breeding with them. I do not think 
 breeders can do better if they want a good all round 
 White Leghorn than to follow my example. Of course, it 
 takes time to bring them up to win at shows and be pro- 
 lific layers, but I can safely say that I have accomplished 
 this with my White Leghorns." 
 
 The specimen illustrated above, while showing the 
 desired length of body lacks the fine and graceful lines of 
 the American Leghorns. The comb, head, neck, back, 
 body and tail are more of the Minorca type, but for utility 
 purposes the shape of the South African White Leghorr 
 is very good. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 Jud^in^ Leghorns 
 
 How Judging is Done by the Score Card— Instruction in Scoring as Practiced by Judges in the Show Rooms 
 
 D. E. Hale 
 
 IN JUDGIXG Leghorns or any other breed one must 
 first familiarize himself with the score card. The 
 score card as shown below is a reproduction of the 
 oflicial score-card of the American Poultry Association, as 
 revised and adopted at their annual meeting held at Ni- 
 agara Falls, August, 1909. Some of the sections that were 
 on the old card were divided at this meeting, making 
 twenty sections, divided as follows; 
 
 Annual Shovv' 
 POULTRY ASSOCIATION 
 
 Jan. 10. '10 Date 
 
 Official Score-Card .American Poultry Association 
 
 Exhibit 
 Breed 
 
 Juhn Doe 
 [Iroirh Lrij. 
 No. Band 
 
 
 SHAPP. 
 
 Color 
 
 Remakk.s 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 .4 
 
 
 
 Size. .. 
 
 Sraall Z 
 
 Condition 
 
 
 
 Frosted Wattles 
 
 Comb 
 
 
 
 
 Head 
 
 
 
 
 Beak 
 
 
 
 
 Eyes 
 
 
 
 
 Lobes 
 
 
 '4 
 
 
 Wattles ' 
 
 
 Wrinkled 
 
 Neck 
 
 •A 
 
 ..J 
 
 JS'ot filled, pnnr ti/is 
 
 Back 
 
 
 Ya 
 
 Lipid Hdiiiiifl 
 
 Tail . 
 
 1 
 
 '4 
 
 llipli. purple litirs 
 
 Wings 
 
 
 '4 
 
 
 
 
 'A 
 
 riirplr l.nrs 
 
 Body and Fluff 
 
 Legs 
 
 'i 
 
 
 
 Short 
 
 Toes 
 
 
 
 
 Crest and Deaid 
 
 
 
 
 Shortness of Feather 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Cuts , ,, 
 
 
 10^ 
 
 Scire 89H 
 
 D. E. Hale 
 
 BraUord 
 
 Judge 
 
 Secretary 
 
 The last two sections, "Crest and Beard," and "Short- 
 ness of Feather," apply to crested breeds and Games and 
 Game Bantams only. 
 
 In order to give some idea of what we are doing in 
 applying these valuations, etc., we must quote from the 
 
 Revised Standard, the Scale of Points as applied to Leg- 
 horns. 
 
 Scale of Points 
 
 Symmetry 4 
 
 Size 4 
 
 Condition 4 
 
 Comb 10 
 
 Head: Shape, 2; Color, 4 6 
 
 Eyes: Shape, 2; Color, 2 4 
 
 Beak: Shape, 2; Color, 2 4 
 
 Wattles and Ear-Lobes: Shape, 4; Color, 6.... 10 
 
 Neck: Shape, 3; Color, 4 7 
 
 Back: Shape, 5; Color, 4 9 
 
 Breast: Shape, S ; Color, 4 9 
 
 Body and Fluff: Shape, 2; Color, 3 5 
 
 Wings: Shape, 4; Color, 4 8 
 
 Tail: Shape, 6; Color, 4 10 
 
 Legs and Toes: Shape, 3; Color, 3 6 
 
 100 
 We note by the above "Scale of Points" that a per- 
 fect bird is lepresented by 100 points. In scoring a bird 
 we take each section, as a whole, and deduct from the 
 valuation of that section whatever per cent, we think it is 
 defecient. For example you will note on the score card 
 that symmetry is cut one point. As this section is valued 
 at four points the judge considered that it lacked twenty- 
 five per cent, of being a perfect specimen when judged 
 as a whole and thus cut it one point. When we speak of 
 "cuts," which we will do quite frequently, we mean deduct. 
 After examining the bird section by section and writ- 
 ing the cuts, or amount of deductions, on the score card 
 as shown in Fig. A., the total cuts are deducted from 100 
 giving us the score of the bird. 
 
 The Leghorn Male 
 
 Let us first study the proper shape of a Leghorn, 
 taking the male first. Note the drawings of the perfect 
 specimen as shown on page 28. then study your Stan- 
 ard and get the shape description firmly fixed in your 
 mind. The charts shown herewith are probably the best 
 drawings ever made of a Leghorn. The head is of mod- 
 erate length and fairly deep while the beak is nicely 
 curved and of moderate length. The eyes are of moderate 
 size and nearly full, while the face shows a well-rounded 
 appearance and smooth, matching well the wattles and ear- 
 lobes. Study the shape of these latter and you will note 
 that they show no folds or wrinkles. The comb is as it 
 should be; well proportioned, smooth and has the proper 
 number of points or serrations, the fourth, or next to the 
 rear one, is the highest. Note the distance from the beak 
 to the first point and also note the blade at the rear and 
 the distance from the head. You will also note, if you 
 look closely, that the fourth point is about the same length 
 as the base of the comb is deep, measuring from the 
 base line of the comb to the base line of the point. This 
 will give you an idea of proportion as applied to size of 
 serrations. The breast is full and well-rounded while the 
 neck shows the proper length and arch, joining the back 
 in a graceful curve, continuing the downward slope t-o- 
 center of back where it rises with a beautiful sweep to. 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 the large, well-spread tail carried at an angle of 45 degrees 
 and covered with long, well curved sickles and abundant 
 coverts. The shanks and thighs are of proper length, giv- 
 ing us a bird that is truly a bird with an alert appearance 
 and graceful curves. 
 
 The Female 
 
 Make the same study of the female drawing. Many 
 questions are asked in regard to how a female's comb 
 should droop. You will note that the front part of the 
 blade and the first point stand erect while the rest gradu- 
 ally droops to one side. Held erect it resembles the male 
 comb in shape having five distinct points, the fourth one 
 being the highest, the others shorter as they approach the 
 front and rear. The female's comb is finer in texture than 
 the male's and same can be said of wattles. The ear-lobes 
 have the same almond-shape and are also smooth and fine 
 in texture. Note the long, rather slender and gracefully 
 arched neck coupled with the same graceful connection — 
 no break at junction — with the back, having the appear- 
 ance of being a little longer than the male, connecting 
 with a fine, well-spread tail carried at an angle of forty 
 degrees. You will note that there are seven main-tail 
 feathers on each side and that about half of each feather 
 shows when viewed from the side. Bear this in mind and 
 you will always note, at a glance, a properly spread tail. 
 The breast shows the same full, round appearance as the 
 male and with the legs of proper length we have a beauti- 
 ful, active bird of curves. 
 
 Symmetry 
 
 The first section shown in the scale of points is 
 Symmetry. 
 
 Webster defines Symmetry as "A due proportion to 
 the several parts of a body to each other; or the union 
 and conformity of the members of a work as a whole." 
 Some score-cards show it as "Typical Carriage," which is 
 defined in the Standard as "expressing a characteristic, in 
 color or form, representative of a breed or variety." 
 "Representative of a breed or variety" — please remember 
 that, as it is the main point we wish to make. 
 
 In order to show our readers that this section was dis- 
 cussed years ago, allow us to refer to Mr. B. N. Pierce's 
 book on "Wyandotte Culture." He says: "It may be well 
 to remark, that among breeders, writers and judges, a 
 great variance of opinion has been advanced relative to 
 the importance of retaining this section in the future 
 Standard. We know of no reasons, neither have any been 
 presented in the various publications, proving that the 
 symmetry section is either wrong or baneful in its in- 
 fluence on the well-being of thorough-bred poultry, or that 
 by its use an incorrect value of the merits of a specimen 
 is given." Mr. Pierce again says: "Symmetry, as a special 
 feature in connection with our system of arriving at the 
 merits of a fowl, is doing its own good work, and results 
 in holding the characteristic shape of the various breeds 
 of fowls distinct from each other, immediately detecting 
 any encroachment of the one upon the other, by reason of 
 its being a guide to the intelligent breeder as to the true 
 and complete shape of the Standard specimen, no matter 
 whether he is breeding fowls in Maine, California, Texas 
 or Rhode Island. It is the shorthand way of acquiring 
 and understanding the recognized or Standard shape of a 
 specimen of fowls." 
 
 If we study and understand the Standard require- 
 ments of a fowl, study each section, also its general 
 outline, how the parts or sections should fit together in 
 harmony, in fact, get the ideal shape fixed in our mind as 
 
 shown in the Standard drawings and description; the min- 
 ute we get a good look at a bird we know whether it is 
 typical of the breed it represents or has symmetry. 
 
 In Leghorns we have a breed that is described in the 
 Standard as being a breed "of comparatively small size, 
 of great alertness and of graceful curves." It also says 
 that "decidedly short backs, short shanks and low-set 
 bodies are objectionable." 
 
 We believe that a fowl's symmetry should be judged 
 before the bird is disturbed. Especially is this true of the 
 Leghorn. They are naturally of a nervous disposition and 
 at the first indication of fright or nervousness they will 
 draw their tail up, sometimes to a perpendicular position 
 or even farther which makes it a "squirrel tail" and dis- 
 qualifies the bird. Approach the cage carefully and look 
 at the bird before disturbing it. See if each section is well 
 developed and fits one with the other giving it a finished 
 or typical appearance. If its breast is too fell, spoiling 
 the well-rounded outline effect as shown in the chart, cut 
 one-half to three-fourths. Neck too short and thin, not 
 arched, or too long and straight, not filled, giving it a 
 scraggly appearance, cut one-half to one. Tail too high 
 and pinched making the fowl look narrow at the rear, cut 
 one to two. Tail too short, cut one-half. Legs too short 
 and close together, cut one-half. Right here we wish to 
 say that Leghorn exhibitors should put more time in 
 training their birds to stand in a natural position, when 
 the judges comes around, they will not try to fly through 
 the top of the cage. A Leghorn can be trained as well as 
 any other breed and a breeder should not expect to fall 
 back upon the excuse that they are nervous and ask the 
 judge to put them on the floor to get a good view of their 
 shape, etc. A little patience in training a Leghorn will 
 make it as tame as any fowl and save many a hard cut on 
 symmetry. The Leghorn breeders should nave no more 
 right to expect a judge to spend more time in getting a 
 proper shape on his bird than any other breeder has. 
 
 You will soon get so that you will notice the defects 
 mentioned above, at a glance and make up your mind 
 whether the specimen should be cut one-half, one or one 
 and one-half. A successful judge must thing quickly and 
 act quickly. The minute you begin to hesitate and study 
 as to the amount of the cut you begin to fail. Any exper- 
 ienced, reliable judge will tell you that ninety-nine times 
 out of one hundred his first impression is the best. 
 
 Remember this section is worth four points and when 
 you cut a fowl one for symmetry you mean it is, in your 
 opinion, one-fourth or twenty-five per cent, to the bad. 
 There is no system that we know of that can be success- 
 fully applied. The best way is to use your own judgment. 
 You know this section is valued at four points and when 
 you are judging symmetry, just forget that there is any 
 other section to tlie bird; no matter if some exhibitor does 
 tell you that you are cutting twice. Judge the bird as a 
 whole and deduct whatever you think is lacking from per- 
 fection. If four points represents one hundred in this sec- 
 tion, all right. If the bird is, in your judgment, twenty- 
 five per cent, off, cut it one point for symmetry. They 
 tell us "it is like a two-edged knife, cutting both ways;" 
 , one for symmetry because the bird has a bad tail or a bad 
 breast and then cutting these sections again for shape 
 when we come to them. That is not true. If symmetry is 
 worth four points and a breast is worth five for shape and 
 tail six for shape, we are not cutting twice. If you do not 
 use this section of symmetry in scoring your specimen, 
 then you should deduct your total cuts from ninety-six in- 
 stead of one hundred. 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 As the Leghorns have no weight section, no Standard 
 weights being applied to them; they come under the sec- 
 tion Hsted as size. This section has also been reduced in 
 valuation from eight to four points inasmuch as any fowl 
 having a weight clause that is two pounds under Standard 
 weight is not to be considered, or in otTier words, disqual- 
 ified. There are many judges who never cut a Leghorn 
 for size claiming that they have no given size. In our 
 opinion, this is a grave mistake and results in many di- 
 minutive specimens winning a prize that ought not be- 
 cause they will never be 
 lai ge enough to become good 
 bl-eeding specimens. We be- 
 lieve that these small "ban- 
 tam" Leghorns should be cut 
 from one to two points in 
 order to discourage the breed- 
 ing of such specimens. We 
 do not want a coarse, over- 
 grown specimen looking 
 more like a Minorca or Ply- 
 mouth Rock in shape, but we 
 do believe in having them 
 large enough to be good 
 sprightly business birds. 
 
 Disqualifications and General 
 Shape 
 
 Up to this point we have 
 not found it necessary to 
 take the bird out of the cage. 
 It might be well to take no- 
 tice of a few things before 
 doing so and perhaps be 
 saved the extra work of 
 handling the specimen. 
 
 If it is a single comb 
 male and you may be able to 
 note any side sprigs, if it has 
 them, and as side sprigs dis- 
 qualify, it is well to look for 
 them now as well as when 
 handling the specimen. A 
 Icpped comb, lopped over far 
 enough to disqualify would 
 also show at a glance. In 
 order to disqualify it must fall 
 to come below the horizontal 1 
 to lop. Understand this only applies to the single comb 
 male. Squirrel tails, that is those that are carried in front 
 of an imaginary perpendicular line from the base of the 
 tail, one that points more toward the head than the rear, 
 disqualifies. 
 
 Feathers or down on shanks or toes now disqualify 
 and can sometimes be noticed before handling the bird. 
 Side 'sprigs on single comb females disqualify but cannot 
 always be seen until a specimen is handled on account of 
 '.he comb which should droop to one side. In the rose 
 :omb varieties a lopped comb, to disqualify, must fall 
 jver to one side far enough to touch the fowl's head. A 
 comb that is so large as to obstruct the sight also dis- 
 qualifies. That means that if you hold a fowl so that 
 you can look right at the point of its beak and cannot 
 then see the fowl's eye on account of the large or "beefy" 
 condition of the comb, it disqualifies. 
 
 After taking the specimen out of the cage you will 
 c:-a"-ine for crooked back which can be detected instantly 
 
 ►•er to one side so far as 
 : where the comb begins 
 
 by passing the hand down the fowl's back. -V crooked 
 back, also deformed beaks disqualify. The color disquali- 
 fications will be taken up under the different varieties as 
 they are explained herein. 
 
 In getting the shape of a fowl and cutting the differ- 
 ent defects we proceed as follows; If we think the neck 
 looks too long, or if in poultry show parlance, it is "not 
 filled," that is, full of undeveloped feathers, giving it a 
 scrawny appearance mentioned under symmetry, the cut 
 is from one-half to one. If the back, which is worth five 
 points for shape, is too long, too narrow, too flat, saddle 
 "not filled," too narrow, or 
 too flat at the shoulders, etc., 
 cut from one-half to two as 
 in degree. 
 
 Xow look at the tail and 
 see if it is carried at the right 
 angle. Is it well spread and 
 well developed? Remember 
 the instructions under de- 
 scription of "The Female 
 in regard to a .well- 
 spread tail. Should there 
 be an angle at the base of 
 and in front of the tail, it is 
 probably carried too high 
 and should be cut from one- 
 half to two and one-half. The 
 breast on a Leghorn should 
 be "full and well-rounded;" 
 should it show undeveloped 
 and narrow the cut should be 
 one-half to one and one-half. 
 If a female's breast is unde- 
 veloped yet has the large 
 pendulous crop as is some- 
 times seen in hens the cut 
 should be one-half to two. 
 The body is "moderately long 
 and fairly straight from point 
 to rear;" should it be too 
 deep, bagged or "down be- 
 hind," or too loosely feath- 
 ered, the cut should be from 
 one-half to one. If the bird's 
 legs are too short, cut one- 
 half to one. Knock-knees 
 should be cut from one-half 
 t from one-half to one. Crooked 
 It each. Absence of spur on cock 
 
 too k 
 
 toes are cut one-half poi 
 
 bird is generally cut one-half point each. 
 
 In looking at wings it is best to hold your cuts for 
 shape until you have the fowl in your hand as there may 
 be some broken or missing flight feathers. You should, 
 however, see that the wings are carried in a proper posi- 
 tion and not slipped. By slipped wings we mean one 
 where the primaries fall or hang down and are not "tucked 
 up" under the secondaries as they should be. This is 
 caused sometimes by a feather or two being missing 
 where the primaries and secondaries are connected and 
 sometimes by a muscular weakness. It should be cut from 
 one to three points, depending upon whether it is one or 
 both wings that are slipped. This defect will transmit or 
 reproduce and really should, in our opinion, be made a 
 disqualification; therefore it should be cut hard enough to 
 throw the specimen out of the ribbons and discourage the 
 breeding of such specimens. Now we are ready to take 
 the specimen out of the cage and examine it for color and 
 other defects. Do not reach in and grab it by one leg and 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 drag it out, thus taking 
 chances on breaking wing 
 feathers; take hold of one 
 wing, from in front, near the 
 body and you can turn the 
 bird in any position you wish. 
 Then lead it out of the cage 
 and as you do so, with your 
 other hand grasp its legs at 
 the hock joint letting the 
 bird's body rest on your arm. 
 The fowl is thus held se- 
 curely and comfortably and 
 can be easily examined with- 
 lait danger of injury. 
 Condition 
 The next section we no- 
 tice on the score card is condition. 
 It is valued at four points and is 
 one of the most difficult sections 
 on the list to explain in writing. 
 No definite rule can be laid down 
 for cutting defects found under 
 this section. The judge has here 
 got to go slow to show his wisdom 
 and "horse sense." He has got to 
 be familiar with the different dis- 
 eases, the effects of freezing or 
 frost-bite, injuries, etc., dirty and 
 broken plumage and whether there 
 is a poor condition from over- 
 feeding or starving. Condition as 
 referred to in the Standard means, 
 "the state of a fowl as regards 
 health, cleanliness and order of plu- "^ 
 
 mage." Some birds will catch a cold 
 
 on being shipped to a show and just begin to show it when 
 judged. In these cases the judge will generally consider 
 the specimen, cutting from one-half to one and one-half. 
 If, however, the bird has a well-defined case of roup or 
 other contagious disease, it should at once be removed 
 from the show-room, and if the superintendent has not 
 noticed it before the judge gets to it, the judge should 
 notify him at once and have it removed. 
 
 Frosted combs and wattles should receive a cut of 
 from one-half to two, depending upon whether they are 
 just slightly frosted or whether they are festered. 
 
 Soiled plumage that looks as if the exhibitor had 
 made no effort to get the bird in good condition, should 
 he cut from one-half to two points. If they look as if 
 they had been clearked up in nice shape and become soiled 
 in being shipped to the show or from dirty coops caused 
 Uy careless show management, the judge can be a little 
 lenient with such specimens. 
 
 If the bird is too fat from over-feeding and has "gone 
 down behind," as they say, it should be cut from one-half 
 to one and one-half points. 
 
 Scaly legs. There is no excuse whatever for showing 
 a bird with scaly legs because they are so easily cured. A 
 good scrubbing with hot water and soap, then a little kero- 
 sene, lard or vaseline applied twice a week for two weeks 
 will cure the worst case that ever existed. 
 
 Whenever you cut for condition note in the remarks 
 column of the score card the reason. (See Fig. A.) 
 Comb 
 This is the most valuable section of the Leghorn, 
 being valued at ten points and only shape to be consid- 
 
 ered. There are manj- defects to be looked for and this 
 section is one liard to breed and get good. 
 
 Single Comb 
 
 Most breeders seem to understand that there should 
 be five or more points or serrations and that every point 
 more or less than five should be cut one-half point each. 
 For example if a comb has six points cut it one- 
 half point, if it has four points cut one half; if it has seven 
 or three, cut one point, etc. We hear many exhibitors re- 
 mark "there is a good comb, it has five points," or "there 
 is a poor comb, it has six or seven points," as the case 
 may be. They do not seem to realize that if all the ser- 
 rations were missing it would only call for a cut of two 
 and one-half points and we would still have left a valua- 
 tion of seven and one-half points to cover other defects. 
 Let us look at some of the other defects illustrated here. 
 In Fi,g. 1, we have not only a perfect comb, five serrations, 
 line in texture, free from folds and wrinkles, the blade of 
 Iiroper proportion and fitting the head perfectly, but the 
 eye, beak and wattles and ear-lobes all show perfect shape 
 and are well worth careful study. In Fig.2, we have a 
 comb that is a bad one and one that no fancier should 
 allow in his breeding yards. Let us score it. In the first 
 place it has ten serrations calling for a cut of two and one- 
 half (five points too many). The serrations are uneven 
 and should be cut one point for that defect. It has a 
 bad thumb-mark on the side and this defect is never cut 
 less than one point. It follows the head too closely and 
 too far back and should be cut at least one-half for that 
 defect, making a total of five points or fifty per cent off. 
 
 In Fig. 3, we have a comb not as bad. It has seven 
 serrations which call for a cut of one point. It is too thin 
 at the base causing the comb 
 to wilt or start to lop over, 
 especially when confined in 
 a warm place for a few days; 
 such combs get a cut of one 
 point for thin and light base. 
 The points of the serrations 
 tuin at the top and should be 
 cut one-half point, making a 
 total of two and one-half. 
 These thin combs generally 
 stand up and look fairly good 
 when the bird is out in the 
 open but a warm room and 
 rich food, especially bone or 
 meat, will soon cause it to go 
 over. For those who have 
 females with thick coarse 
 combs not inclined to droop 
 these thin male combs are 
 sometimes useful in breeding 
 to produce pullets with a 
 nicely drooped comb. 
 
 In Fig. 4, we have an- 
 other defective comb, one 
 that used to be quite com- 
 monly met with in the show- 
 room, but we are pleased to 
 say are fast disappearing. It 
 has seven serrations, so cut 
 it one point. The twist or 
 fold in front should be cut 
 one. The blade is high and 
 too long which should re- 
 ceive a cut of one-half and it 
 
103 
 
 THE LEGHORXS 
 
 is rough or uneven which 
 should also get a cut of one- 
 half, making a total of three 
 points. 
 
 Let us, while on combs, 
 study a few female combs. 
 Look at the female chart on 
 page 28 and you will note 
 that it has the five serrations 
 and the front portion and the 
 first serration stand erect, 
 the balance gradually droop- 
 ing to one side. 
 
 In Fig. 5, we have a female comb that is quite com- 
 mon in the show-room. One's first impression is that it 
 B a pretty good comb but it is too loose on the head 
 and is liable to fall to either side. The serrations are too 
 long and uneven and should be cut one-half point. The 
 general shape of the comb is bad and this style comb gen- 
 erally looks coarse. We would cut it one point for this 
 defect. The blade is poor shape 
 and rough and should be cut 
 one-half, making a total of two 
 points. 
 
 In Fig. 6, we have another 
 defective female comb. It is too 
 stiff and upright and falls both 
 ways which should be cut two 
 points on general shape. It only 
 has four serrations which gets 
 a cut of one-half and the rear 
 blade falls too far forward 
 which should be cut one-half, 
 making a total of three points. 
 In Fig. 7, we have a very bad female comb and one 
 that should never be used in a breeding pen if you have 
 any desire to improve this section. It is rough, coarse and 
 irregular and should be cut about three and one-half to 
 four and one-half for general poor shape. It has the cor- 
 rect number of serrations but falls both ways and is poor 
 all over. Such a comb should be cut so severe that the 
 breeder would be discouraged from breeding it. 
 
 Rose Combs 
 
 Let us also take up the rose comb. In Fig. 10, we 
 have illustrated a perfect male rose comb. Note that it is 
 
 ,'-V5o. 
 
 nearly on a line from front to 
 rear of spike, a slight rise being 
 noticed over crown of head. 
 You will also note that the 
 spike appears to be separate 
 and not a continuation as in the 
 Wyandotte. The spike does not 
 follow the head but is elevated. 
 Notice also the corrugations on 
 the comb. Notice the space be- 
 tween the eye or top of the 
 head and the comb. 
 
 In Fig 8, is shown a lopped 
 comb; one that falls over far enough to come in contact 
 with the fowl's head. If it touches the head it disqualifies. 
 If it Joes not it is very bad anyway, but would not dis- 
 qualify. It has a hollow center or seam through the center 
 which should be cut one point. It is too wide in front 
 which should be cut one-half and two points for general 
 bad shape, making a total of three and one-half. 
 
 In Fig. 9, we have a comb that is wider at the rear 
 than in front. It is very unevenly corrugated and has a 
 
 hollow center. It should be cut one and one-halt tor gen- 
 eral poor shape, one point for hollow center or front and 
 one point for smoothness, making a total of three and 
 one-half. 
 
 So one can readily see that the comb is quite a study 
 and the comb that gets off with a cut 
 of one and one-half is a pretty good 
 comb. 
 
 Heretofore we have been speak- 
 ing of the Leghorn in general cover- 
 ing all varieties but as we now come 
 to those sections in which color is 
 considered we will take each variety 
 sepaiately and in the order named in 
 the Standard. 
 
 Brown Leghorn — Male 
 Head is the next section listed 
 on the score-card and is valued 
 at six points, tvi'o for shape and four for color. The 
 shape has been explained in the explanation of the Leg- 
 horn male. Should it be too long and narrow having 
 what is termed a "snaky" or "Gamey" appearance, cut 
 one-half. In color it should be "dark red" and it is very 
 seldom that it receives a cut. Should you find one with 
 head plumage too light colored or with a tendency to be 
 laced, cut from one-half to one. 
 
 Eyes are the next section and valued at four points, 
 two each for shape and color. If blind in one eye, cut one. 
 If the eye has run out leav- 
 ing only the socket, the cut 
 should be one and one-half. 
 The color of the eye should 
 be a "reddish bay." If too 
 light being more of a golden 
 than a red, cut one-half to 
 one. If green or what is 
 spoken of as "fish eyes," cut 
 one point each. 
 
 Beak is also valued at 
 four points, two for shape 
 and two for color. This sec- 
 tion was formerly incorpor- 
 ated under head section but 
 is now treated separately. Remember deformed beaks dis- 
 hafqualify. A beak too long or too straight should be cut 
 one-half. If too light in color being more of a yellow than 
 "horn," which is very seldom found, cut one-half. 
 
 Wattles and ear-lobes are next and valued at ten 
 points, wattles being valued at four and ear-lobes at six. 
 Your attention was called to them in connection with 
 Fig. 1, where you see them as they should be. Note that 
 tlie ear-lobe is small considering 
 the size of the bird. It is claimed 
 by old breeders that in breeding 
 them too large there is danger of 
 their developing red edges which, 
 if continually bred is liable to 
 cause white in the face and as 
 "white in the face of cockerels and 
 pullets disqualify" it is important 
 to guard against such defects or 
 you will be liable to breed dis- 
 qualified birds. 
 
 In Fig. 2, is shown a poor set of wattles and ear- 
 lobes. The wattles are too long, uneven and folded. Such 
 wattles should be cut at least one point. The ear-lobes 
 are rough or folded, giving them a lumpy, unsightly ap- 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 103 
 
 pearance and should be cut one point for shape. While the 
 Standard says ear-lobes should be "white or creamy 
 white," white is preferred and such an ear-lobe as shown 
 in Fig. 2, is generally yellow and showing red edges — if it 
 is yellow or reddish cut from one-half to one and one-half 
 for color. 
 
 In Fig. 3, we have a pair of wattles that are even in 
 length but are folded and hang poorly. Such wattles 
 should be cut one point. Judging the ear-lobe as shown 
 here we should cut it at least one-half, as it has the appear- 
 ance of having a hollow center and is too pendulous in 
 character. 
 
 Fig. 4, shows a wattle fairly good in shape being, per- 
 haps, a trifle flat in front and at the bottom and deserving 
 a cut of one-half. The ear-lobes are not rounded or 
 smooth. They look lumpy, irregular and red and should 
 be cut at least one for shape and two for color. Remember 
 that "red covering more than one-half of the ear-lobe in 
 cockerels and pullets will disqualify." 
 
 Neck 
 
 This section is valued at seven points, three for shape 
 and four for color, and as a rule is very good in shape. The 
 most common defect found in shape of neck is when not 
 in full plumage causing a break in the plumage that spoils 
 the curve or arch. A cut of one-half will generally cover 
 it. In color the neck should be of a "rich, brilliant red, 
 with a lustrous greenish black stripe running down the 
 middle of each feather tapering to a point near its ex- 
 tremity, the red to be free from black." The latter part of 
 the above description is important, viz.: "tapering to a 
 point near its extremity, the red to be free from black." 
 It is important that the black tip be free from red and 
 that the red tapers to a point, otherwise the beautiful 
 st'-iped or laced effect is lost. Examine the chart on page 
 28 and you will get a good idea of how they should be. 
 The shaft of the feather should be black and where red 
 shafts are noticed the cut should be from one-half to 
 two as in degree. Where the black and red are inter- 
 mingled, giving a mealy appearance the cut should be 
 from one to two and one-half. Where the tips are black or 
 splashed the cut should be from one to two and one-half. 
 White in under-color should be cut from one and one-half 
 to two and one-half depending upon the amount of white. 
 
 Back 
 
 Back section is valued at nine points, five for shape 
 and four for color. Shape description and cuts have been 
 explained under "disqualifications and shape." This sec- 
 tion has been increased two points in valuation, the extra 
 two points being added to shape, as it is generally con- 
 ceded that the back is one of the most important sections 
 there is. There is so much chance of getting back too 
 long, spoiling the shape and symmetry of the whole bird 
 that the old Standard did not give enough valuation to 
 shape so that a judge could cut hard enough to discourage 
 the breeding of such specimens. This increased valuation 
 on back shape will be a good thing for the breed. The 
 back should be of medium length, the saddle rising in a 
 short concave sweep to the tail. If too long or too nar- 
 row cut one-half to two as in degree. If too short giving 
 the bird a blocky appearance cut one-half to one. If flat 
 showing a break at junction of neck or tail or both, cut 
 one-half to two and one-half as in degree. The lowering 
 of the tail carriage gives the back a longer appearance 
 than formerly so breeders must watch and discount hard 
 those diminutive specimens with the extremely long 
 backs. 
 
 In color the back should be red striped with black, 
 same as hackle. The saddle feathers are broader and the 
 saddle hangers longer. Breeders gave their best atten- 
 tion to this section for years and made great improve- 
 ment. The defects most commonly found are mixed 
 black and red edges which should be cut from one-half to 
 one and one-half. When red shafts are discovered cut 
 one-half. Red centers or those failing in the black strip- 
 ing, giving the back a red or mealy appearance should be 
 cut from one to two as in degree. If the striping shows 
 only on one side of the shaft, cut one point. In breeding 
 for exhibition cockerels a good strong black stripe in 
 hackle and saddle is desirable. The light or "lemon" col- 
 ored necks and saddles are used to produce exhibition 
 pullets. You must breed to get the striping in proportion 
 to the feather if you wish to get a perfect saddle on cock- 
 
 erel 
 
 Breast 
 
 This section is valued at nine points, five for shapf 
 and four for color. The shape valuation was reduced on( 
 point at the recent revision of the Standard. Remember 
 the shape should be "full and well rounded." That does 
 not mean deep and broad like some of the other breeds 
 but "well-rounded." If too narrow, flat or undeveloped 
 cut one-half to one. If too low and not carried well up, 
 cut one-half. In color it should be "glossy black." The 
 most common defect found here is purple barring which 
 should be cut one-half to two. 
 
 Body and Fluff 
 
 This section was reduced one point in valuation and 
 is now valued at five points, two for shape and three for 
 color. There are few defects found in this section and 
 we generally include crooked breast or keel-bones here 
 instead of breast as the defect is generally found below 
 the breast, generally between the thighs. Crooked breasts 
 or keels should be cut from one-half to two as in degree 
 and in "remarks" column on the score card, the clerk 
 should write "C. B." or "C. K." for crooked breast or 
 crooked keel so the exhibitor would understand the cut. 
 In color this section should be black. Should it show 
 red colored or mossy feathers the cut should be from one- 
 half to one. 
 
 Wings 
 
 Wing section is valued at eight points, four each for 
 shape and color. They are generally good in shape. 
 Broken or missing flights are cut one and one-half each. 
 White in wings of Brown Leghorns disqualifies except at 
 base of primaries in cock birds and if found there it is 
 cut one and one-half point. Other shape cuts are de- 
 scribed under "disqualifications and shape." In color the 
 bows should be rich, brilliant red; the wing fronts black, 
 while the primaries are black with the lower web edge'l 
 with brown. The secondaries should be black, the lower 
 web having a brown edging of sufficient width to make 
 a wing bay of the same color. The coverts should be 
 greenish black forming a well defined greenish black bar 
 across the wing when folded. The most common defect 
 found is poor wing barring, the smutty appearance of 
 shoulders caused by the mixing of the red and black. 
 These defects should be cut from one-half to one and 
 one-half. 
 
 Tail 
 
 Another important section with a valuation of ten 
 points, six for shape and four for color. Sha>e valuation 
 has been increased two points. It is seldom we find a 
 Leghorn male tail that can be passed without a cut. Being 
 
104 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 of a very nervous disposition (as explained before) their 
 first inclination, when disturbed, is to draw their tail up 
 to a perpendicular position. Remember what we said 
 about training your fowls to pose naturally. The judge 
 should give the bird a chance and try to catch it in a nat- 
 ural pose but he does not have much time to wait for it. 
 When a tail is naturally carried high there is generally a 
 break or angle at the base and in front. A tail carried too 
 high should be cut from one-half to two. A decidedly wry 
 tail disqualifies. Remember it must be "decidedly wry." 
 Leghorn tails are so long that it quite often happens the 
 coops are too small causing the tail to touch the sides of 
 the coop whenever the bird moves, causing it to carry the 
 tail first on one side, then on the other. This is not a 
 "decidedly wry" tail and should not disqualify although 
 the tail should be cut from one to two points as in de- 
 gree. If the coverts are short showing only the main 
 tail, cut from one-half to one. Missing sickles should be 
 cut one and one-half point each. In color the tail should 
 be black. Purple bars should be cut from one-half to two 
 points as in degree. Any white in the tail of cockerel dis- 
 qualifies. In cock birds one inch or less at base of tail 
 is allowed but is cut one and one-half points. 
 Legs and Toes 
 This section is valued at six points, three each for 
 shape and color. Shape defects have been described. In 
 color, shanks should be yellow and the toes, yellow or 
 dusky yellow. If faded and light, cut one-half to one and 
 one-half. 
 
 Brown Leghorn Female 
 Study well the illustrations in the Standard, as well as 
 chart 2 on page 28 as this shape will answer for all va- 
 rieties. 
 
 In scoring the Leghorn female; symmetry, disqualifi- 
 cations, shape and head points have been taken up be- 
 fore under the general headings and also in male descrip- 
 tions, so we will start with the head section which is 
 valued at six points, two for shape and four for color. In 
 color it should be golden yellow tinged with a light 
 brown. Its shape should be "short, deep"; similar to the 
 male but finer. Should you find one of the long, narrow, 
 "snaky" or "Gamey" kind cut it one-half. Should the 
 head plumage be too dark or red, cut it one-half to one. 
 The ear-lobe and eye, color and shape, should be cut as 
 explained under those sections as described for male. 
 Neck 
 This section is valued at seven points, three for shape 
 and four for color. Chart 2 shows very plainly the shape 
 and striping of the feathers. The color description has 
 been changed to read "golden-yellow" instead of "rich" 
 orange-yellow," broad stripe down the center of each 
 feathers tapers to a point near the extremity. The same 
 caution and in struction as applied to the male neck in re- 
 gard to striping should be observed here in connection with 
 the female. It is claimed by most breeders that in order to 
 get the nice seal brown so much desired on back, wings 
 and coverts that they are quite liable to get a little pencil- 
 ing in the neck or hackle feathers and this seems to be the 
 general rule. It has often been talkd of that the Standard 
 ought to be changed in neck description so as to allow 
 the penciling but as long as it calls for the black striping 
 we must judge them accordingly. If the neck is too long 
 or "Gamey," not filled, as mentioned before, cut from 
 one-half to one. If there is a break at the junction with 
 back, caused by the feathers being too short, cut one-half 
 to one. In color, if the black centers are slightly penciled 
 
 the cut should be one-half point. If the yellow or red 
 runs into the center of the feather enough so that it fails 
 to show black, cut from one-half to one and one-half. - If 
 the black extends through the tip of the feather so as to 
 spoil the laced eftect on the outside, cut from one-half to 
 one and one-half. 
 
 Back 
 
 This section, you will remember, has been increased 
 in value and is now valued at nine points, five for shape 
 and four for color. In shape it is described as "medium in 
 length." The color should be light brown finely stippled 
 with a darker brown, the lighter shade predominating; 
 greater value is given to fineness and sharp definition of 
 stippling; also to evenness of color and freedom from 
 shafting rather than to any particular shade of color. It 
 is important to secure the effect produced by a soft even 
 brown not suggestive of gray, which is one extreme to be 
 avoided, and red, which is the other extreme — the parts of 
 the feathers not exposed, to be brown, shading into slate 
 in fluflf, or under-color. We. see too many dark colored 
 females where the color might be described as black stip- 
 pled with a dark brown. Such specimens might do for 
 breeding exhibition cockerels, but they are too dark for 
 exhibition females and should be cut for this defect from 
 one-half to two and one-half. 
 
 Shaftiness should be cut one-half to one and one- 
 half. Red, or as it is commonly spoken of "brick" color, 
 should be cut from one to two. 
 
 If the back is too long or too narrow, cut from one- 
 half to two, as in degree. If too short, giving the bird a 
 blocky appearance, cut from one-helf to one. If flat, or it 
 fails to rise as it meets the tail, cut one-half to one point. 
 If it shows a cushion similar to the Wyandotte, cut one- 
 half to two. 
 
 Breast 
 
 This section has been reduced one point in valuation 
 and is now valued at nine points, five for shape and four 
 for color. In shape it should be well-rounded and full, 
 the color should be the same rich salmon, shading off 
 lighter under the body; free from shafting. If too full 
 or too narrow, cut from one-half to one and one-half. If 
 it fails to show a nice, rounded-out appearance, cut from 
 one-half to one. If not deep enough through from 
 shoulders to keel-bone cut from one-half to one. The 
 most common defects found in color is shafting which 
 should be cut from one-half to one; and the black or 
 brown edging which should be cut from one-half to two 
 points. 
 
 Body and Fluff 
 
 This section has also been reduced one point in valu- 
 ation and is now valued at five points, two for shape and 
 three for color. In shape the body should be of medium 
 length; the fluflf, rather short and developed more than in 
 the male. The body color should be a light brown stip- 
 pled with a darker brown while the fluff should be a slate 
 color plentifully tinged with brown. It is very seldom 
 that this section is cut any for color. Occasionally a slight 
 edging will be discovered as described in breast and 
 should be discounted one-half to one point. If the shape 
 of the body is too narrow spoiling the nice plump appear- 
 ance of this breed cut from one-half to one point. If the 
 breast or keel-bone is crooked, cut from one-half to one 
 and one-half as in degree. 
 
 Wings 
 
 This section is still valued at eight points, four each 
 for shape and color. In shape they should be large and 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 105 
 
 well folded while the color should be small feathers stippled 
 as described for back; primaries slaty-brown; secondaries, 
 brown, the outer web finely stippled with a lighter brown; 
 coverts same as back. In speaking of large wings on a 
 Leghorn, it is not meant a large clumsy wing but large for 
 the size of the bird. This breed being unusually sprightly 
 and quick it is natural that this section should be more 
 developed than on some of the heavier breeds. When in 
 repose the wings should be nicely folded against the sides. 
 If they fail to fold as they should and have a droopy ap- 
 pearance they should be cut from one-half to one. If the 
 feathers are broken or missing, cut one and one-half point 
 each. Remember that white in wings disqualifies and it 
 is for this reason that broken or missing flight feathers 
 are cut so hard. In color the most common defect is the 
 brick color running down on shoulders and sometimes 
 down onto the center of wing; where found this defect 
 should be cut from one-half to two points as in degree. If 
 any black or smutty edging is discovered, cut from one- 
 half to one and one-half. 
 
 Tail 
 The valuation of this section has been increased two 
 points and is now valued at ten points, six for shape and 
 four for color. In shape it should be carried at an angle 
 of forty degrees, long, full and well spread. Remember 
 what we said about a well-spread tail and there being 
 seven main-tail feathers on each side. If tail is carried 
 too high, cut from one-half to one and one-half as in de- 
 . gree. Broken or missing main-tail feathers should be 
 cut one point each. A pinched or "Gamey" tail should be 
 cut one-half to one and one-half. In color the tail should 
 be black except the two top feathers which are stippled 
 with light brown while the coverts are same as back. If 
 any brown appears in the main-tail feathers except the 
 two top ones, cut from one-half to one point. If the two 
 top feathers fail to show any penciling, cut from one-half 
 to one. If brown tips are discovered with a sort of gray 
 shading, cut them from one-half to one and one-half. 
 
 Legs and Toes 
 
 This section is valued at six points, three each for 
 shape and color. The thighs are described in color as 
 slate, plentifully tinged with brown; shanks, yellow. 
 Toes, yellow or dusky yellow. If the legs are too long or 
 too short cut from one-half to one as in degree. Shape 
 defects such as knock-knees, etc., have been described. 
 Color cut as described for male apply here. 
 
 White Leghorns 
 
 .Ml requirements and cuts as to shape, combs, wattles, 
 eyes, face, symmetry, shape disqualifications, etc., ex- 
 plained above, are the same as for this variety. We find 
 a few color changes in this variety as follows: Beak 
 must be yellow, instead of horn; ear-lobes must be white 
 instead of "white or creamy white" and legs and toes must 
 be rich yellow instead of yellow. The plumage must be 
 pure white, including quills, web and flufif. "Feathers other 
 than white" and "legs other than yellow, except that red 
 showing down the outside of shanks, back of scales," will 
 disqualify. The most common defects and cuts are ex- 
 plained as follows: Creaminess in any part of the plum- 
 age cut from one-half to one and one-half in each section 
 where found. Brassiness should be cut from one to two 
 in each section where found. Be careful and not confuse . 
 brassiness with creaminess. The latter is generally caused 
 by an excess of oil in the quill which is used up as the 
 feather matures while brassiness is generally found only 
 
 on the surface and if you rai^e the feather that looks 
 brassy you will no doubt lind that the quill is pure white 
 and that the brassiness does not extend below the sur- 
 face. These two defects could not be defined any better. 
 .A. brassy feather has a metallic, brassy look while a 
 creamy feather looks oily or creamy. Faded shanks and 
 toes should be cut from one-half to one and one-half. 
 Broken or missing flight or main-tail feathers should be 
 cut one and one-half points. Ticking, that is small gray 
 spots in plumage should be cut one-half to two in each 
 section where found. .You will generally find it in your 
 whitest specimens. 
 
 BufT Leghorns 
 The same general descriptions and cuts for shape, 
 etc., govern the Bufifs as have been explained under gen- 
 eral headings and also for the Brown variety. There are 
 no plumage disqualifications for this variety. The same 
 ear-lobe disqualifications as appleid heretofore apply hare 
 and the same shank disqualifications as apply to the 
 Whites, apply here. 
 
 The legs and toes are now described as a "rich yel- 
 low," instead of "yellow." The plumage color is described 
 as being a rich, golden buff. We all know that there are 
 several dififerent shades of gold but the general under- 
 standing is that cinijamon is the extreme dark shade and 
 lemon the extreme light shade and a happy medium is de- 
 sired. There is not so much flemand for a certain shade 
 as there is that the specimen be of an even color through- 
 out. While most breeders prefer black to white, if they 
 must have one or the other, both are equally objectionable 
 according to the Standard and must be punished accord- 
 ingly. Some of the common defects found and cuts for 
 same are as follows: Light colored shafting should be cut 
 from one-half to one and one-half in each section where 
 found, as in degree. Mealiness, generally caused by a mix- 
 ture of a light and a dark strain, should be cut from one- 
 half to one and one-half in any section where found. 
 Black or white should be cut from one-half to the color 
 limit in whatever section it is detected. All things being 
 equal the specimen with the richest under-color should 
 
 Black Leghorns 
 
 We are pleased to note that this variety is gaining in 
 popularity. The same general shape requirements, shape 
 disqualifications, combs, wattles, ear-lobes, etc., and cuts 
 for shape apply here as explained in the preceding pages. 
 Feathers other than black and shanks other than yellow 
 or yellowish-black will disqualify. The beak should be 
 "black shaded with yellow" and when found too light in 
 color should be cut one-half point. The plumage should 
 be a rich, glossy, greenish-black throughout. The most 
 common defect is purple bars vvhich should be cut from 
 one-half to two wherever found. A good thing for the 
 black breeders to rememeber is that by mating male and 
 females that have exceptionally black under-color, the 
 tendency is to breed the purple bars. Remember that 
 feathers other' than black will disqualify. Look out for 
 the large coarse combs as we do not want Minorca combs 
 on a Leghorn; the same can be said of the shape through- 
 out. 
 
 Silver Duckwing Leghorns 
 
 Same general description and shape disqualifications 
 as given in the preceding pages apply here. There are no 
 special color disqualifications on this variety. Eye color 
 is the same "reddish bay" as for the others. The ear-lobes 
 of the male should be white but the females' lobe may be 
 
106 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 "white or creamy white." This allows some latitude in 
 the female ear-lobe that is not allowed in male which is 
 necessary on account of the yellow or salmon pigment in 
 the color of the female plumage. 
 
 Color of Male 
 The head plumage should be silvery white and if any 
 brassiness is found it is generally covered by a cut of one- 
 half point. The feathers of the neck have a silvery white 
 edging with a lustrous, greenish black stripe down the 
 center of each as explained for the Brown Leghorn 
 except that silvery white edging takes the place of 
 vJe red. The defects and cuts as explained there will 
 apply here; merely substitute silvery white for red. 
 The back is silvery white with the saddl striped same 
 as hackle. Any brassiness found in back cut from 
 jne to two and the same saddle defects as explained 
 under the Brown Leghorns apply here, except sub- 
 stitute silvery white for red The wings have the bows 
 of silvery white with the primaries black, their lower web 
 edged with white (used to be silvery white). Secondaries, 
 black with lower web edged with white of sufficient width 
 to secure a wing bay of white. Coverts are a lustrous 
 black so as to form a wing bar when wing is folded. Any 
 purple barring found in wings cut one-half to two. Any 
 brassiness in wings cut from one to two. If black and 
 white are mixed spoiling wing bay and wing bar causing 
 a smutty appearance, cut from one-half to one and one- 
 half. Breast and body and fluff should be black. Purple 
 bars cut one-half to two. Any gray edging cut from one- 
 half to one and one-half. Under-color should be slate. 
 Legs and toes should be: thighs, black; shanks, yellow; 
 toes, yellow or dusky yellow. Faded or light leg color 
 should be cut from one-half to one. The tail should have 
 the sickles and upper coverts a lustrous black; the lower 
 coverts, silvery white. Purple barring is cut from one-half 
 to two. Should there be any gray mixed in the black cut 
 from one-half to one. Should the lower coverts not be 
 white cut from one-half to one. 
 
 Color of Female 
 
 Head color should be silvery white; if any brassiness 
 cut one-half. Eyes are the same. Ear-lobes may now be 
 white or creamy white as explained above. Neck de- 
 scription and cuts are the same as for male. The back 
 should be light gray, stippled with black. Look out for 
 shafting and brassiness and cut as described above. The 
 breast should be a light salmon extending well up on the 
 throat and shading to gray near the body. The color de- 
 fects are liable to run to gray which should be cut from 
 one-half to one and one-half. Shafting should be cut as 
 described above. The body and fluff should be ashy gray 
 stippled with black and it is very seldom found necessary 
 to cut this section. The tail is black except the two top 
 feathers which must be stippled with gray; coverts are 
 light gray stippled with black. Look out that the gray 
 stippling does not extend into the black main-tail feathers, 
 in which case it should be cut one-half to one. Lack of 
 stippling in top feathers should be cut one-half to one. 
 Legs and toes are: thighs, light gray; shanks and toes, 
 yellow. Faded legs should be cut from one-half to one 
 and one-half. 
 
 Summary 
 
 We do not expect this article to cover all the points 
 that one will run across in judging Leghorns as there are 
 many points that come up from time to time where one 
 must use his judgment. You should have a Standard of 
 Perfection and know it letter perfect, then by making use 
 of the points mentioned here you ought to be in a fair way 
 toward scoring them pretty close to where they belong. 
 Study the requirements, then study the breed and the va- 
 rieties as you handle them. Do not be afraid or 
 ashame.' to ask and to take the advice of old breeders. 
 Be feailess and just in your application of the Standard 
 and do not be afraid to acknowledge and rectify mistakes. 
 For the beginner, the Brown Leghorn is one of the 
 hardest breeds there is to judge, but once you know them 
 thoroughly they are as easy as any. 
 
 
 
 y^/l/fS yrTf/i 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 Coinniercial Leghorn Farms 
 
 Rapid Growth of the White Leghorn E^ii Industry in the United States. Remarkable Increase in the 
 Production of White Eggs. Methods of Hatching, Rearing and Feeding Leghorns on Large Com- 
 mercial Poultry Plants. Grading, Packing, Shipping and Marketing Eggs and Squab 
 Broilers for Market. Noted Leghorn Farms in the East «ud West. 
 
 TO THE white shelled egg the establishment of a 
 great industry is due. The multiplication of com- 
 mercial Leghorn egg farms all over the United 
 States has been rapid in the last decade and there seems 
 to be no limit to the production of white eggs in the years 
 to come. The demand for choice white shelled eggs far 
 exceeds the supply at present, and as the country ex- 
 pands, population increases, the consumption of eggs will 
 grow and expand in a similar ratio, or if we mistake not, 
 will increase greatly in proportion to the present de- 
 mand. The value of eggs as food is being better under- 
 stood and appreciated since the prices of meats have 
 soared upward to a point where they become almost pro- 
 hibitive with many families. Milk, cereals and eggs con- 
 sequently become more staple articles of food than in 
 former years. 
 
 It is true eggs have advanced in price, but eggs even 
 at five cents each are cheap, wholesome and nourishing 
 food. 
 
 Potent Influence of the Leghorn Fowl. 
 
 The cause of the increasing demand and popularity 
 of white shelled eggs must be attributed to the gradual 
 and potent influence of the Leghorn fowl in shelling out a 
 uniform product that looked fresh and attractive to the 
 buyer. A dozen clean white eggs in a neat carton dis- 
 played on the counters of first class grocery and fruit 
 stores proved a powerful educator to the buyer and 
 seller. The mixed or motley looking eggs of all sizes and 
 colors formerly displayed in baskets, no matter how 
 fresh they may have been, lacked the selling quality of 
 the uniform product. 
 
 But when and where did this demand — formerly and 
 erroneously called a fad^originate, is a mooted question. 
 -■^s far as this country is concerned, we believe New York 
 City was the first market that classified White Leghorn 
 eggs and put a premium on the price of the latter, and 
 it was in the early seventies that this took place. But 
 all white eggs in those days were not laid by Leghorns, 
 for we remember most vividly the first basket of white 
 eggs we ever saw, and that was in Yorkville, then a 
 suburb of New York City, now a densely populated por- 
 tion of Greater New York. These eggs were brought 
 over from Long Island by a farmer who had a flock of 
 Black Spanish fowl, to the city markets, where they were 
 sold at a much higher price than was obtained for mixed 
 lots of eggs on sale. These eggs weighed seven to the 
 pound, were chalk white in color and presented the most 
 attractive appearance of a hen fruit we ever saw. In after 
 years we remembered these eggs and at the first oppor- 
 tunity when we began farming in 1883, purchased some 
 Black Spanish eggs for the purpose of hatching and 
 building up a flock of layers that would produce the fin- 
 est white eggs for the family and market trade. But the 
 
 Wyandotte fever was too strong upon us and we dis- 
 carded the Spanish to take up the Silver Wyandottes. 
 Occasionally we would find such Spanish eggs in the mar- 
 kets, but the advent of the Leghorn soon crowded out the 
 Black Spanish, the latter breed having become strictly 
 a fancier's fowl, where the length and smoothness of the 
 white face was of far more importance than the beauti- 
 ful large white eggs the hen shelled out. The Minorca 
 also appeared on the scene shortly after and put the final 
 kibosh on the Spanish, as Minorcas proved prolific layers 
 of large white shelled eggs. 
 
 It was in the eighties that "Jersey Leghorn" and 
 "White Leghorn Eggs" began to appear moie frequently 
 in the New York markets, although all white shelled 
 eggs, whether laid by a Leghorn, Houdan, Minorca, An- 
 cona or Hamburg were sold as White Leghorn eggs. New 
 Jersey was the pioneer state in this White Leghorn 
 industry and ranks today as probably the greatest Leg- 
 horn state in the Union, in the commercial value of the 
 eggs, as well as in the quantities produced annually. 
 
 In Europe, Denmark has been actively engaged in the 
 production of high-class eggs, the Danes being strongly 
 inclined to favor the Buff Leghorn, which they can justly 
 claim to have originated. But the Danes go in for uni- 
 formity in size, perhaps more than they do for color, se- 
 
 A blue ribbon winner at Boston and a typical S. C. 
 Black Leghorn female with excellent color in all 
 sections. Owned by Turtle Point Farm, Saratoga 
 Springs, N. Y. 
 
108 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 lected brands of Danish eggs weighing 28 4-5 ounces to 
 the dozen, while the average weight of first class Leghorn 
 eggs in this country will run 24 ounces to the dozen, 
 and it is the 2 ounce white egg that seems to be most 
 popular and profitable, and in this respect the white egg 
 is King and the Leghorn hen is Queen. 
 
 New York Hotels Favor White Eggs 
 The great hostelries of New York were not slow 
 to realize the value of white shelled eggs for the breakfast 
 table, and to them many Leghorn breeders owe their start 
 and success as commercial egg farmers. Knapp Broth- 
 ers, whose beautiful White Leghorns started the poul- 
 try fancy twenty years ago with their winnings at Amer- 
 ica's leading shows, were among the first poultry raisers 
 in the Empire state to engage in the production of White 
 Leghorn eggs for the New York hotel trade, although 
 James Forsyth, a well known Leghorn and Houdan 
 breeder in those days, also shipped eggs from his farm 
 at Owego to the Gilsey House, the Knapps sending their 
 product to the Fifth Avenue Hotel, if we are not mis- 
 taken. The prices for strictly choice Leghorn eggs at 
 that period ranged from 25 cents to 45 cents a dozen in 
 case lots. 
 
 Other hotels followed suit and began to make con- 
 tracts with the Leghorn breeders in New Jersey and 
 New York for regular supplies of white eggs, but at 
 the old Ashland House, the headquarters of the poultry- 
 men in New York for many years, Mine Host, Brock- 
 way, stood pat with his famous brown eggs (and excellent 
 eggs they were), the best Mr. Brockway could buy from 
 New England egg farms. 
 
 California Egg Farms 
 
 But New York is not alone in the white egg field. 
 The demand for fresh white shelled eggs is becoming 
 general in all parts of the country, the Pacific Coast being 
 especially partial to them, the Petaluma district in 
 California being one great white egg market, in fact 
 California is destined to be the greatest Leghorn country 
 
 of the future, to judge by the reports received from dis- 
 interested observers of the commercial egg farm indus- 
 try in that state. 
 
 John F. Ritz, a successful poultry breeder and judge 
 of Pennsylvania, visited the Pacific Coast last winter and 
 furnished us with some interesting data relating to Leg- 
 horns in that country. Mr. Ritz writes: 
 
 "As to Leghorns, California is the Leghorn state and 
 it is safe to say that 75 per cent of the poultiy in that 
 state are Leghorns. In or about Petaluma 98 per cent 
 are Leghorns, and Petaluma is the greatest chicken city in 
 the L'nited States, in fact there is no other business but 
 chickens and poultry supplies in the whole town of 8,000 
 inhabitants and I believe there are three million Leghorns 
 within a radius of 20 miles of Petaluma. As to figures 
 and prices, will say they sell their old hens by the dozen, 
 they bring from $5.00 to $6.00 per dozen, and pullets 
 $9.00 to $10.00. Eggs bring much more than we get in 
 the East. On November 20th eggs were bringing in " 
 Petaluma 54 cents cash and 56 cents on time. I wanted 
 to know what time was and was informed that if the 
 poultrymen wait 14 days for the money they get 56 cents, 
 there is no commission or express of¥ those prices, but 
 cash for all one brings in, and while I was walking about 
 the town I saw not less than a car load of eggs come 
 in on wagons, some had one crate, others two and so on, 
 many of them bring eggs in every day, the same as we do 
 here with milk, ana you would very seldom see a wagon 
 m the town unless it had eggs, chickens, feed or incu- 
 bators on it." 
 
 Poultry Census of Hayward, California 
 
 J. W. Caldwell. Secretary of the Hayward Poultry 
 Producers' Association, Inc., in response to our letter 
 asking for data relating to the commercial Leghorn 
 farms in his section, reports the following interesting 
 figures relative to the poultry industry: 
 
 Number of poultry ranches 167 
 
 Hens carried 63.920 
 
 Hens prospective for 1912 98,765 
 
 "Japanese have some 1,550 hens. The poultry indus- 
 try of Hayward and vicinity is of recent date and is 
 growing by leaps and bounds. We have a very pro- 
 gressive poultry association for the purpose of buying 
 feed, etc. and the disposing of eggs and poultry." 
 
 View on Spring Water Poultry Farm, Stockton, N. J., showing brooder house and runs, and to the left the in- 
 cubator cellar with laying house above. S. C. White Leghorns are bred on this plant. A glimpse of the 
 residence o£ Mr. and Mrs. F. J. Eppele, props.. Is also shown. After visiting nearly fifty poultry farms in America 
 during the fall of 1911. Dr. Schulke, of Trittau, near Hamburg, Germany, remarked: "In a way this plant did 
 not look to me like a poultry farm; it reminded me more of a German Military Station, where everything has Its 
 place and everything is in its place." 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 109 
 
 This is a remarkable showing for a single township 
 to make, the increase of nearly 35,000 hens in twelve 
 months indicating the rapid growth of the business being 
 noteworthy. If other townships in California show the 
 same ratio of increase, the poultry census for the entire 
 state will prove a revelation, as well as an inspiration to 
 poultry raisers of the United States, and more especially 
 so to the advocates of the American hen, who through 
 their earnest efforts and hard work have succeeded in 
 building up a billion dollar industry in the country. 
 
 In Colorado and New Mexico Leghorn egg farms 
 are being rapidly developed in order to meet the largely 
 increasing demand for the spotless fresh white egg by 
 the sanitariums in the Rockies and by the grocers and 
 soda water fountain caterers in the cities. One Leghorn 
 farm in New Mexico carries 10,000 layers annually, the 
 eggs produced bringing from 45 to 75 cents a dozen, ac- 
 cording to the season. The many sanitariums located in 
 the mountain sections of New Mexico and Colorado are 
 the heaviest buyers of these strictly choice eggs, as the 
 latter form one of the chief foods of the thousands of in- 
 valids who winter there in search of health. 
 
 White Eggs in the South and East 
 And southward also the white egg is becoming a great 
 market commodity. In Washington, D. C, and Rich- 
 mond, Va., White Leghorn eggs command the top notch 
 prices, which has stimulated poultry industry to such an 
 extent that Leghorn farms are being established in large 
 numbers below the Mason and Dixon line. Even in staid 
 old Boston, where the brown shelled egg is esteemed 
 as highly, and valued as dearly as the traditional Boston 
 beans and brown bread, the little white body of the 
 feathered tribe, the Leghbrn, is gradually obtaining rec- 
 ognition and white shelled eggs are no longer consid- 
 ered a New York fad, but have found favor with some 
 hotel stewards and in the markets. The story of brown 
 ■eggs being better than white ones is all moonshine, but 
 originated in England, owing to the fact that dark shelled 
 eggs were preferred to white ones, because the former 
 were home grown, the white ones imported, consequently 
 the brown ones were fresher. Perhaps the descendants 
 of the Puritans and Pilgrims may have inherited this be- 
 lief from their English ancestors, which may in a meas- 
 ure, account for the popularity of brown eggs in Boston 
 and other New England cities in the past. 
 
 Why the Leghorn is Popular 
 
 The reason for this great popularity of the Leghorn 
 hen as a producer of white eggs is due to her ability to 
 produce the largest number of marketable eggs at the 
 lowest possible cost of maintenance under varying and 
 trying conditions in all climates. 
 
 Being naturally a hardy fowl with a quick, nervous 
 
 temperament, the Leghorn will respond to the intelligent 
 care and treatment of the poultry raiser more satis- 
 factorily than most other breeds. It will work where 
 other breeds loaf. 
 
 Leghorns As Layers 
 
 The old saying "The hen that lays is the one that 
 pays" might have been true when applied to farmers' hens 
 that picked most of their living on the farms and in the 
 barnyards, but today with higher prices of grain and a 
 most exacting market as to the quality of the eggs, it is 
 the hen that lays the two-ounce egg of superior qual- 
 ity that pays for her keep and leaves a balance on the 
 light side of the ledger. This the Leghorn hen can do 
 and do well. 
 
 In Farmer's Bulletin, No. 51, issued by the United 
 States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, 
 the Leghorns are classed as follows; 
 
 "Leghorns are the best known of the egg producing 
 varieties of the Mediterranean class. They are the premiers 
 in laying and the standard by which the prolificness of 
 other breeds is judged. The Leghorn fowl holds the 
 same place among poultry that the Jersey holds among 
 cattle. The question of profit in poultry has been decided 
 in favor of the egg producing breeds. Leghorns are lively, 
 active and of a restless disposition, the best of foragers 
 and will pick up a good deal of their living during the 
 year. They are light eaters and the cost of raising them 
 to maturity is about one-half of the Asiatic varieties. 
 They mature early and feather quickly, the pullets often 
 begin laying when four and a half months old. They are 
 the best of layers, averaging between ISO to 200 eggs 
 a year. These eggs are pure white in color and weigh 
 about ten to the pound. As table 'fowl they are fairly 
 good; by many they are considered excellent; the only 
 thing that can be said against them is that they are small 
 in size. Altogether, they are one of the most profitable 
 breeds of poultry that can be kept on the farm, and the 
 cheapness of their keeping will allow the raising of two 
 Leghorns for the cost of one Asiatic. The White Leghorn 
 is the most generally bred of the Leghorn varieties. It 
 is, no doubt, the most advantageous to breed for profit 
 and the easiest to raise on the farm. Being of one color 
 in plumage, these birds are more successfully raised and 
 cared for than the parti-colored varieties. It has been a 
 matter of much speculation as to which variety of Leg- 
 horns is most prolific in egg production. This is a dif- 
 ficult question to adjust properly to the satisfaction of 
 the specialty breeders, but from a conservative stand- 
 point, it is generally considered that the Whites have 
 slightly the advantage over the others. Phenomenal indi- 
 ■ vidual egg records have been made by almost all varie- 
 ties, but the foregoing opinion is based upon the general 
 results obtained from various sources." 
 
 When Leghorns are kept under intensive culture on 
 commercial egg farms, the results will even be more sat- 
 isfactory ' than the above summary of the value of farm 
 raised Leghorns as layers goes to show. Eggs from such 
 egg farms are larger in size, in fact, will often exceed 2 
 ounces each, but the marketable eggs will average eight 
 to the pound in most flocks. As a Leghorn hen will, when 
 
 ¥VJ¥ 
 
 Laid 229 eggs 
 
no 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 selected from a laying strain, shell out twelve dozen 
 eggs a year, a good profit will be assured to the keeper, 
 provided he can keep his expenses within reasonable 
 bounds and retain the trade that demands and pays for 
 the highest grade eggs. As it costs from $1.00 to $1.50 
 per capita to feed Leghorns one year, the cost of each 
 egg produced would be a little less than one cent for 
 the feed alone. To this must be added the cost of th^ 
 labor, interest on investment and shipping and marketing 
 expenses, which vary considerably in different localities 
 and according to the size of the poultry farm. 
 
 200 Egg Layers 
 
 The "200 egg hen" has been exploited in print so fre- 
 quently and persistently that the impression has been 
 created that large flocks of White Leghorns exist in 
 which the yearly average of the hens is 200 eggs per 
 capita. That individual Leghorn hens have laid 200 eggs 
 in one year is true, and some specimens have even done 
 much better than that, but these are the exceptions, not 
 the rule. That at some future time flocks of Leghorns 
 will be bred to lay 200 eggs per hen annually seems 
 reasonable to suppose, as by continued and careful selec- 
 tion of the best layers, the producing capacity of the 
 flock will be gradually increased to the limit consistent 
 with old Dame Nature's laws. 
 
 Personally, we believe a safe and profitable limit to 
 be 150 eggs per annum, these eggs to be produced at a 
 season when eggs bring the highest prices. Hens can be 
 forced to reach this limit and have sufficient time left to 
 moult and repair the strain to the system caused by con- 
 tinuous heavy laying. 
 
 Building Up a 200 Egg Strain 
 
 What we, in our opinion, consider the first systematic 
 experiment to build up a strain of 260 egg layers, was 
 begun by Charles Adair at the Cyphers Incubator Com- 
 pany's Farm, Elma, New York, several years ago. Mr. 
 Adair, who has charge of the latter, is a most enthusiastic, 
 hard working and painstaking poultryman, one who has 
 the true Missourian creed of "I want to be shown." In 
 other words he takes nothing for granted, but wants 
 the facts to prove his case. 
 
 A little over two years ago he purchased four hun- . 
 dred White Leghorn hens that had a pen average of lay- 
 ing 185 4-5 eggs per capita in one year. He has now 
 167 hens, two years old that by trap-nest method have 
 laid 200 eggs each or better. One hundred and four of 
 their daughters (yearlings now) in lOyi months averaged 
 180 eggs each. On December 1, 1911, Mr. Adair had 600 
 pullets bred from the "200-egg hens," besides a large num- 
 ber of cocks and cockerels of the same blood. The ex- 
 
 periments will be continued on a large scale each year 
 and the matings will be confined to the same line of blood, 
 i. e., the males from the most prolific laying dams will be 
 mated to hens that have made records of 200 eggs or 
 over and to their pullets. 
 
 The illustrations on this and pages 109, 111, 112, 
 are from photographs of the most prolific layers on the 
 farm. The laying record made by each is printed below. 
 The latter are remaikable in showing what can be accom- 
 plished by intelligent and scientific selection of hens that 
 have equalled or passed the 200 egg per year mark, in 
 having this egg laying trait perpetrated in their progeny. 
 
 The building up of the great milk and butter strains 
 of Jersey and Holstein cattle was founded on the careful 
 selection of the cows that produced the largest milk and 
 butter records, and breeding them to their sires that de- 
 scended from dams of known or equal proficiency in this 
 respect. "Like begets like," an old and true saying, is 
 even more potent in the transmission of the practical pro- 
 ducing qualities of animals than it is in the breed charac- 
 teristics of type and color. 
 
 But as far as poultry culture is concerned, this great 
 law has not received the attention or intelligent applica- 
 tion from poultry breeders which it deserves. 
 
 No doubt it will take more time, patience and per- 
 severance to select the "hens that pay" than it does to 
 select the heavy milkers, but in the end it will prove the 
 most profitable business a poultryman has ever under- 
 taken. 
 
 The feed the "200 egg hen" consumes is not much 
 greater than that of the one that lays an even hundred or 
 less. 
 
 Remove the drones and keep the busy bees — the 
 layers. 
 
 Retail Prices of Eggs 
 
 One of the shrewdest, oldest and most successful 
 poultry breeders in the United States, a man who has 
 made a fortune in breeding one variety of poultry, re- 
 cently remarked when questioned as to the poultry busi- 
 ness being overdone, "Why, it has not begun yet." 
 
 And in no other branch of the poultry industry is this 
 more observable, applicable than in the egg business. 
 The latter is still in its infancy. Fresh eggs at this writ- 
 ing (December, 1911) are at a premium. This is es- 
 pecially so with the higher grade of eggs as the following 
 prices marked by the leading retail grocers in New York 
 will show: 
 
 Nevv' York, November 22, 1911. 
 Acker, Merrill & Condit 
 
 Selected 40 cents 
 
 Maplehurst Fresh 51 cents 
 
 Germless White Leghorn 73 cents 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 Park & Tilford 
 
 Ordinary 48 cents 
 
 Extra Fresh White 68 cents 
 
 Charles & Co. 
 
 Very best Leghorn 70 cents 
 
 Fresh 56 cents 
 
 Selected 52 cents 
 
 Ordinary 36 cents 
 
 The range of prices given above points out the rela- 
 tive value of the different grades. These prices are some- 
 what higher than in 1910, although the price of guaran- 
 teed fresh White Leghorn eggs has not changed ma- 
 terially in the past few years, as the demand is far greater 
 than the supply. The germless brand of White Leghorn 
 eggs seldom drops below 70 cents in the fall and winter 
 months. Germless eggs are sterile and are conceded to 
 keep better than fertile eggs. The latter will spoil quickly 
 when subjected to a temperature of 85 or more degrees 
 for any length of time. 
 
 Where eggs are sent to hotels and first-class retailers, 
 
 the price for fancy strictly White Leghorn eggs will bring 
 
 in case lots as high as 40 cents a dozen the year around. 
 
 In Buffalo, New York, the retail prices of eggs on 
 
 December 1st, were as follows: 
 
 Western storage, 24 cents per dozen. 
 
 New York State (storage) 32 cents per dozen. 
 
 Fresh eggs in cartons, 55 cents per dozen. 
 
 Extra selected strictly fresh, 60 cents per dozen. 
 
 The extra se- 
 lects are nearby 
 products that are 
 received every 
 other day, the 
 fresh eggs in car- 
 tons being re- 
 c e i V e d weekly. 
 i'^^^^t One of the lead- 
 i n g department 
 stores reports a 
 great scarcity of 
 strictly fresh 
 eggs on this 
 date, only small 
 consignments of 
 five or six doz- 
 en being re- 
 ceived occasion- 
 ally. These sell 
 readily at SO to 
 55 cents per doz- 
 en. Last year 
 this fi.m paid 50 
 
 , ^ 1. -TKTv.-^ TV -tr T ij cents per dozen 
 
 ig-le Comb White Leghorn Hen. Laid . . , ^ , 
 
 238 eggs in one year. for strictly fresh 
 
 eggs — guaranteed 
 and retailed them 
 at 55 cents per 
 dozen. It is fair 
 to assume then 
 that 55 to 60 
 cents per dozen 
 for fresh laid 
 eggs are the rul- 
 ing prices in Buf- 
 falo at this sea- 
 son of the year. 
 Germless White 
 Leghorn eggs, 
 however, rule as 
 high in price in 
 Buffalo as in 
 New York, but 
 the produc- 
 tion of this brand 
 of eggs is limited 
 to one large poul- 
 try farm at pres- single 'comb Wl ite Leghorn Hen. Laid 
 ent in this sec- 242 eggs in one year, 
 
 t i o n of the 
 
 Empire State. Several new Leghorn egg farms 
 with large egg producing capacity have been 
 started in the vicinity of Buffalo in the past year and 
 when these large plants are fully stocked with White 
 Leghorns next season, the supply of high grade white 
 eggs will be materially increased. No doubt but the de- 
 mand for eggs will increase in the same or even greater 
 ratio as the supply. 
 
 Wholesale Egg Prices 
 
 Following are the wholesale egg quotations on De- 
 cember 4, 1911: Per doz. 
 
 New York, fresh gathered extras 42 to 44c 
 
 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and nearby firsts.... 36 to 44c 
 
 Chicago, firsts, grading 45 per cent fresh 28 to 30c 
 
 St. Louis, extras 34 cents 
 
 Kansas City, extra 34 cents 
 
 Boston, fancy eastern 48 to 50c 
 
 Indianapolis, extra fresh 35 cents 
 
 San Francisco, firsts and fresh ranch extras 45 to 51c 
 
 Petaluma, extras SOJ^ cents 
 
 As the latter city is the center of the White Leghorn 
 egg industry in California, the following table of ship- 
 ments for one week will convey some idea of the extent 
 of the egg business in that city. Eggs 
 
 1911 Dozen 
 
 Monday, November 20 12,888 
 
 Tuesday, November 21 20,808 
 
 Wednesday, November 22 13,068 
 
 Thursday, November 23 12,528 
 
 Friday, November 24 15,084 
 
 Saturday, November 25 14,760 
 
 Total 89,136 
 
 No. 1—4470 
 Laid 248 eggs 
 
 No. 1—4481 
 Laid 218 eggs 
 
 No. 1—4486 
 Laid 216 eggs 
 
112 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 The ca>h value of these >hii>iiieiU> will exceed over 
 $4U,000 fur the Veek, a must gratifying demonstration uf 
 the far reaching importance of co-operative organization 
 among producers for the purpose of marketing their pro- 
 ducts in the best possible condition to realize the high- 
 est prices. 
 
 We have quoted the highest prices obtained in the re- 
 tail and wholesale markets of the United States for the 
 best grades of eggs only, as a progressive farmer or 
 practical poultry raiser should aim to produce and market 
 
 the history of their distribution as do the men 
 who linally devour them. 
 
 "To these fir-t ;iim1 la-t {>• 
 duct, the eggs arc (.iilur .^ I 
 
 /omer 
 
 "JOSEPHINE 
 
 First R. 
 Boston. 1911. 
 Springs, N. Y. 
 
 only the best. It means a difference of twenty cents per 
 dozen to those vi'ho deliver the right kind of goods, as 
 the quotations for ordinary mixed eggs of uncertain age 
 and doubtful quality will range from 20 to 30 cents per 
 dozen below those of prime or fancy quality. The com- 
 mercial egg trade conducted in the large markets of the 
 United States is a business requiring the keenest judg- 
 ment on the part of the buyer and seller. 
 
 The Egg Trade 
 
 I~rom the "Grocers' Encyclopedia," one of the most 
 valuable and authentic books of its kind, we reprint the 
 *ollowing comprehensive article on the egg trade: 
 
 "The original owners of the eggs know as little about 
 
 -sons who handle the pro- 
 or bad, and there's an end 
 on it. But to the ni.m \\h<, hniKlIes them between the farm 
 and the breakfast table they are Fancy. Fresh, Fresh 
 Gathered, Storage Tacked, Storage, Limed, Known Marks, 
 Extras, Firsts, Seconds. Dirties, Checks, etc. The dis- 
 tinctions become very necessary when one realizes that 
 practically the whole enormous egg business is conducted 
 by telegraph and that the dealer who purchases a car- 
 load of eggs has no opportunity to examine them until 
 they arrive. 
 
 "With the exception of those which, because of their 
 proxiinity to a large city, can profitably be shipped by ex- 
 press, eggs always travel in refrigerator cars — winter as 
 well as Slimmer, for the heavy construction of the peram- 
 bulating ice chests is equally serviceable for protection 
 against cold and heat. One carload contains four hundred 
 cases, or one hundred and forty-four thousand eggs. 
 
 "On large poultry farms, eggs are produced and 
 handled very much as the product of any other factory — 
 the poultry man knows his cost of production by dozen 
 or case — but the greater part of the country's egg supply 
 is still represented by accumulations from thousands of 
 .uenernl f;irniers scattered all over the country. 
 
 "The history of one of these farm eggs reads like 'a 
 uatheriny of the clans.' The hen that laid it may be the 
 I>ro|iLrty of a small farmer in a Western state, located 
 titty or a hundred miles froin the nearest good-sized town. 
 lilt e.yg is one of a dozen that the farmer takes to the 
 lu•are^t village store and either sells for a small sum of 
 money or barters for sugar, calico, tobacco or some other 
 commodity that he needs more than he needs eggs. 
 
 "Other farmers in the neighborhood are doing the 
 same and the store is thus the recruiting station for a 
 goodly coinpany of eggs that must necessarily find a mar- 
 ket somewhere else. These eggs are sent to a larger cen- 
 ter, where they pass into the control of a large or small 
 shipper who mobilizes them, to continue the figure, no 
 longer by companies but by battalions, regiments and 
 armies — i. e., carloads. 
 
 "When the shipper has a carload of eggs ready for the 
 eastern market, he telegraphs the fact to an eastern 
 dealer. A certain amount of dickering goes on over the 
 wire, and the eggs are finally sent East. The eggs are not 
 though for immediate consumption, hence the necessity 
 for the refrigerator car and the storage warehouse to re- 
 tain the condition m which they were purchased. 
 
 "Comparatively few eggs are found to be bad, and all 
 shipments are now sold 'at mark,' a technical way of say- 
 ing that a case of eggs at wholesale is supposed to be 
 within a small percentage of the requirements or stand- 
 ard of each grade, and there is no rebate for damaged 
 eggs. Formerly there was a rebate during a part of the 
 year that was called the 'loss off' season, because a cer- 
 tain percentage of the eggs were not expected to coine 
 up to the standard of the various grades. 
 
 "There are very few disputes between shippers and 
 dealers that are not settled peaceably between the persons 
 directly concerned, but occasionally they form the basis 
 of expert examination by either the Chamber of Com- 
 merce or Fruit and Produce Exchange inspectors, some- 
 times, indeed, getting as far as the Arbitration Com- 
 mittee." 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 Care in Selecting and Shipping Eggs 
 
 To produce the strictly fresh and choice white eggs 
 that command the top notch prices in the best markets is 
 a serious business, requiring honesty of purpose and a 
 thorough knowledge of the art of feeding and handling 
 of the laying stock to obtain the best results. An egg 
 must be above suspicion, for like butter, it is easily tainted 
 if improper food and unsanitary conditions are tolerated 
 by the producer. For it must be borne in mind that the 
 eggs that bring the highest prices furnish the substantial 
 portion of the morning meal in many instances, while 
 they are often the chief food given to invalids in sani- 
 tariums. Such eggs must not only be absolutely fresh, 
 but palatable as well. 
 
 An egg is an egg with the majority of people and as 
 long as it is edible, it will pass without any serious loss 
 to its reputation as an article of food. But there are thou- 
 sands of consumers that know the difference between the 
 fresh, rich and fine flavored egg and the ordinary storage 
 or badly handled farmer's eggs. 
 
 We had considerable experience in the egg business 
 twenty-five years ago catering to private families and a 
 hospital in New York City. It was a side line with us, 
 while engaged in dairy farming in New York State. As 
 our own flocks could not supply the demand for strictly 
 fresh eggs, we made contracts with farmers and small 
 poultry raisers in our vicinity to deliver strictly fresh 
 eggs twice a week, paying five cents a dozen above the 
 market price for all such eggs. . 
 
 We experienced little or no trouble in getting the-pro- 
 ducers to live up to their contracts, as far as the smaller 
 poultry raisers were concerned, the latter being principally 
 women, who took great care of their poultry and could be 
 depended on to get even a good supply of fresh eggs from 
 their hens in October, November and December, when 
 eggs were at a premium. The hens kept on these small 
 plants were principally White and Brown Leghorns, but 
 with our easy going neighbors, the farmers, we had more 
 or less trouble. We could not always depend on their 
 delivering the goods as per agreement, especially in the 
 fall of the year, when their hens failed to shell out the 
 required number of eggs. It was at such times that we 
 were compelled to examine the eggs very closely, as some 
 of our neighbors would work off the eggs salted down in 
 the summer months, for fresh ones supposed to have been 
 laid in the fall. Neither could we always depend on the fresh 
 laid eggs being carefully and systematically gathered on 
 such farms. It was the old story of the farmer who would 
 give his horses the best of care, feed and groom his cows 
 to produce the cleanest and richest milk, yet allow the 
 hens to shift for themselves. 
 
 Yet the gross profit per cow would rarely exceed $25 
 per annum, whereas a flock of twenty-five Leghorns would 
 pay him a net profit of twenty-five dollars a year, even 
 at the lower prices of eggs in force twenty-five years ago. 
 
 The Cause of Poor Eggs in Our Markets 
 
 This indifference of the farmer toward the hens on his 
 farm, is the cause of the thousands of dozens of poor, 
 stale and unattractive eggs finding their way into our 
 markets. Commission dealers have been justly censured 
 and fined at times for disposing of "rots and spots," but 
 in order to get a supply of the latter, there must be a 
 source, and it needs no Sherlock Holmes to discover 
 the latter. 
 
 An egg gathered the day it is. laid will keep in edible 
 condition a very long time if kept in a temperature not 
 exceeding fifty-five degrees to sixty degrees. With our 
 excellent cold storage plants eggs that are sweet and 
 sound when placed in the latter, will be found fit for 
 consumption months afterward. 
 
 There can be no reasonable excuse then for the ex- 
 istence of the "rots and spots" and all other kinds of stale 
 eggs in our markets. 
 
 We believe the commercial Leghorn egg farms of the 
 United States to be indirectly responsible for the gradual 
 higher standardization of the American egg trade. The 
 men who have engaged in this industry have built up 
 large plants, equipped them with thousands of White 
 Leghorns and found a most profitable market for their 
 products. 
 
 The smaller poultry raisers have taken their cue from 
 larger ones and better, cleaner and more uniform pro- 
 ducts are the result. 
 
 The farmers of this country are slowly beginning to 
 realize the value of applying intelligent methods in hand- 
 ling their poultry products, thanks to the good work done 
 by the agricultural and poultry press and agricultural ex- 
 periment stations. 
 
 What the thrifty Danes did in building up a great co- 
 operative egg trade, that has made the Danish egg almost 
 as famous as the Danish butter, can be accomplished by 
 the farmers of the United States. 
 
 In the succeeding articles of this chapter, the methods 
 of successful commercial Leghorn farmers are given. 
 They will bear most careful study by all persons interested 
 in making poultry pay, and pay well. What applies to 
 Leghorns as profitable producers of eggs and squab 
 broilers will apply with but little modification to all other 
 laying breeds. It's the quality of the product, rather than 
 the source of it, that determines its market value. 
 
A POPULAR STYLE OF POULTRY HOUSE IN THE VINELAND, N. J., DISTRICT. 
 
 In this tract, which has become noted for the number of Whi 
 individual plot of ground, whether town lot or farm, seems to have 
 follows that the poultry houses and appliances 
 Illustrated herewith is on the poultry plant of 
 
 15 by 20 fee 
 
 continuous" type. 
 
 Leghorns kept for egg production, every 
 flock of White Leghorns. Naturally It 
 very simple and decidedly practical. The house 
 hinson, Vineland, N. J. " '- "' "- " """ ' 
 It holds 500 White Leghorns. Most laying houses on 
 of the new houses are being built with a hood roof. 
 
 White Leghorn Farms of Vineland, N. J. 
 
 Fortunately Situated Within Easy Distance of the Greatest Markets in this Country, Possessing an Excellent 
 
 Climate and Suitable Soil. Vineland, N. J., is Establishing a Reputation for Marketing Prime 
 
 Quality White Leghorn Eggs That Bring a Premium Over the Highest New York 
 
 Prices. Wholesale Production of Eggs in a Retail Manner. 
 
 Co-Operative Selling of Market Eggs. 
 
 VINELAND is situated in southern New Jersey on 
 the border of the pine belt, and the wind coming 
 from the north carries the aroma of the woods 
 and is tempered by the trees in its coming. Vineland 
 lies between Delaware Bay and the seashore, and the 
 warm gulf stream that flows up the eastern coast gives 
 to this region a mild and equable climate. The soil is 
 sand — there can be no doubt about that. There is white 
 sand, and yellow sand and blue sand frosted with white. 
 This was once a part of the prehistoric bed of the Atlantic 
 Ocean. The ground quickly becomes barren when chick- 
 ens run on it, but it does not become tainted because its 
 porous nature permits it to cleanse itself like a sieve 
 filled with water. 
 
 The city of Vineland itself covers a square mile, but 
 what is known as the "Vineland tract" embraces the 
 whole of Landis township. Within a radius of three or 
 four miles from Vineland City S. C. White Leghorns are 
 kept for the production of eggs on almost every indi- 
 vidual plot of ground. During a drive through that com- 
 munity one day I saw more poultry houses than I had 
 ever seen before in a much longer journey among poul- 
 try farms. The secretary of the Vineland Poultry Asso- 
 ciation estimates that there are over eighty-five thousand 
 White Leghorn hens and pullets on 'this Vineland tract. 
 The different flocks range in size from a few fowls kept 
 in back yards to one plant where two thousand birds 
 are kept. 
 
 The Different Methods Employed 
 
 Poultry culture is becoming more and more of a 
 science. The experience of different poultry keepers is 
 recorded and classified. Poultry operations may never 
 be conducted with absolute certainty, for unknown causes 
 will continually be potent factors with which it is quite 
 impossible always to cope successfully. However, today 
 an experienced poultryman can forecast the result of the 
 season's work with greater certainty than ever before. 
 As fundamental principles that make for greater certainty 
 of results are being established one by one, it behooves 
 the poultryman to keep in touch with the progress of 
 the times and to avail himself of the results of the ex- 
 perience of others. 
 
 At Vineland I noticed that all the poultry houses 
 admitted sufficient sunlight and a plentiful supply of fresh 
 air. The value of these two free gifts of nature has been 
 established and is thoroughly appreciated by successful 
 poultry raisers. The realization that fresh air and sun- 
 shine are necessary to the health of fowls has had much 
 to do with the change from the days of tight houses, 
 when the Leghorn race of fowls was looked upon as a 
 tender breed, to the present time when the Leghorn is 
 considered to be a hardy bird. 
 
 Aside from the fresh air fronts, the poultry houses at 
 Vineland are built either according to the preconceived 
 ideas of the owner or after the pattern of poultry houses 
 
 115 
 
116 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 that are in operation on successful and well-known plants. 
 There are a great many long laying houses, most of them 
 being divided into pens. In some cases these pens are 
 small; but the majority of them hold 100 birds each. In 
 houses that are wide as well as long, some of the pens 
 hold four and five hundred birds each. One of the large 
 houses measured 100 feet in length and 36 feet wide. This 
 was divided into three pens each 33 by 36 feet. 
 
 On some plants colony houses are used, the Tolman 
 house being the favorite. Because of the heavy winds 
 from the sea, a small and high colony house cannot stand 
 long before being blown over. The long laying houses 
 are seldom less than 15 or 16 feet deep and have canvas 
 fronts, in order that the birds may be protected from the 
 winds. The Tolman houses, wide open in front, are often 
 elongated for the same reason and so little snow falls 
 in the winter that the roof flattened with the added depth 
 easily bears up under the light weight. 
 
 On page 115 we show a long laying house on the 
 plant of E. R. Hutchinson, Vineland. It is 15 by 100 feet 
 
 A VINELAND, NEW- 
 
 FLOCK OF WHITE LEGH 
 
 poultry pi 
 
 )f Paul 
 
 A view of a flock of White Leghorns on the 2 2-3 
 Van Deusen, Vineland, N. J. In 1910 Mr. Van Deusen's gross receipts were 
 $3,733.02 from his poultry and grarden and his feed hills totaled $1,283.22, leaving 
 the balance as the income on his investment and as recompense for his ye '" 
 labor. For the type of Leghorn grown at Vineland see cut page 117. 
 
 in size and is divided into five pens, IS by 20 feet, each 
 holding 100 birds. Mr. Hutchinson was the first to use 
 the hood-roof which projects over the front of the house, 
 but recently several houses like it have been built. It is 
 essential if the roofs of the buildings are covered 
 with roofing paper that the best quality be used, as the 
 winds from the south coast soon tear oflf cheap paper. 
 
 Dry Mash is Hopper Fed to the Layers 
 
 The methods of feeding at Vineland do not vary as 
 much as the contents of the feeds which vary with the 
 individual. In every pen on every farm you will find 
 dry mash. It may be fed in a Boston hopper, or in a 
 home-made wooden hopper or in an open wooden box, 
 but it is there before the layers constantly and they have 
 free access to it. Vineland poultrymen will tell you that 
 this hopper fed dry mash is so vitally important to suc- 
 cess that it may be laid down as the first principle of feed- 
 ing for egg production. 
 
 J. W. Scull, one of the pioneer White Leghorn egg 
 farmers of the Vineland Tract, generously gave me his 
 mash formula, which is as follows: One portion each of 
 bran, cornmeal, rolled oats, white middlings and beef 
 scrap, one-half portion each of charcoal and grit. This is 
 
 thoroughly mixed and fed dry by being placed in hoppers, 
 which are accessible to the birds at all times. At night 
 Mr. Scull feeds cracked corn and oats in the proportion 
 of two parts of the former to one of the latter. These 
 grains are mixed and fed in the litter, allowing one quart 
 to every twenty hens. By far the majority of poultry- 
 men on the Vineland Tract feed v/heat at night. Mr. 
 Scull does not, however, as he aims to feed the wheat 
 in his dry mash in the form of white or flour middlings. 
 The white middlings, he said, cost him $1.80 per 100 
 pounds. As it is not unusual on the Vineland Tract, 
 Mr. Scull does not feed his birds any breakfast, so it 
 will be seen that he feeds his birds but once a day, which 
 is about 4 P. M. when the grain is scattered in the litter. 
 Of course the birds have access to the dry mash at all 
 times. 
 
 Vineland poultrymen aim to minimize labor. This 
 economy of labor does not arise from an indifferent or 
 lazy spirit. They are economical at every turn — in the 
 construction of their poultry buildings and in their feed 
 as well as in their labor. A poultry- 
 man should not be too busy. He 
 needs time to watch his birds, to con- 
 sider, to plan and he should not be 
 carrying food and water all through 
 the day. 
 
 Past and Present Vineland 
 
 As I stood in Mr. Scull's yard, at 
 the outskirt of the city, I could see 
 two other poultry plants across the 
 commons, another was on my right, 
 and I said to Mr. Scull. "How many 
 Wliite Leghorns are there within a 
 radius of a mile from your home?" 
 .\fter carefully enumerating the 
 flocks of his neighbors he replied, "I 
 can safely say there aie 15,000. Mr. 
 Scull said further that when he settled 
 in Vineland ten years ago there were 
 but two flocks of White Leghorns on 
 the Tract. Five years ago the birds 
 numbered 7,000 to 9,000. Vineland, 
 as a great White Leghorn community, is of recent 
 growth. Its rapid development has been made possible 
 by its 100-mile distance from the New York market and its 
 sandy soil and mild climate. While it is true that these 
 three factors, so necessary to successful egg farming, 
 existed, nevertheless the development of the Vineland 
 Tract as a Leghorn country should be attributed to the 
 real estate operators. A real estate man in Vineland told 
 me that his firm is spending $50 a week advertising Vine- 
 land and that it has been doing so for several years. The 
 Tract is advertised as a great poultry, fruit and garden 
 truck country and I was told that lately nine out of 
 every ten people who buy a place in the district raise 
 White Leghorns for egg production. 
 
 Those who are already in Vineland have a remu- 
 nerative market for stock males, for yearling hens for 
 breeding purposes, for ten-week old pullets, for eggs for 
 hatching and for baby chicks. The new comers buy them 
 and their sale adds to the "commercial income" and gives 
 the owners a handsome profit, but those who are going 
 into the district should figure their profits as the differ- 
 ence between the cost of production and the selling price 
 at the New York market. I am especially interested in 
 those beginners who, perhaps leaving the city and the 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 117 
 
 office, seek the profits of egg farming and the quiet and 
 freedom of the country. The future greatness of the 
 Vineland Tract depends upon their individual success. 
 
 Market Conditions for New Comers 
 
 Many of the already established egg farms on the 
 Tract have a select market to which they have catered 
 for several years and being individually known they se- 
 cure the highest New York quotations and oftentimes 
 two cents per dozen over the New York price. In turn 
 they sell their yearling hens after they have passed the 
 pullet year as "breeding stock" at $1.25 per head. They 
 have other sources of income from their poultry, such as 
 eggs for hatching, baby chicks, etc., and are making about 
 all .the money possible out of their products. But the 
 new comer, what of him? 
 
 If. as a poultryman, I anticipated embarking in egg 
 'arming down at Vineland and I should go there to look 
 the ground over, I would not be particularly interested 
 in the types of houses I found, nor would I inquire at 
 length into the feeds and methods of feeding employed 
 there, for I have my own opinions on those subjects, but 
 I would inquire into the market for 
 my products. I would realize that 
 after I had produced the eggs I would 
 have to sell them and every time I 
 increased the selling price one cent it 
 would be a whole cent of profit to 
 put into my pocket. If upon inquiry 
 at Vineland I should be told that 
 there are markets in New York to 
 which I could cater individually, it 
 would not appeal to me particularly, 
 for I could go to Lakewood or some 
 place else and still cater to those 
 markets, but if I should say at Vine- 
 land, "My success depends upon the 
 markets," and I should be told "The 
 Vineland Poultry Association has an 
 outlet for you," that would mean a 
 great deal to me and I would inquire 
 into that outlet to learn how it is 
 secured and the prices obtained for 
 the producers. 
 
 Small individual producers are 
 given little consideration. They can- 
 not make the money that a big pro- 
 ducer can. If the buyer has to hunt 
 up three or four producers to secure 
 enough for a shipment, he will not 
 pay as big a price as though he could 
 have been saved the trouble by buy- 
 ing in one lot. Note the small stores 
 in large cities. Not much buying 
 is done in them, for the people 
 seek the large market places. Though 
 a White Leghorn farm at Vineland may carry 700 to 1,000 
 layers, its shipment of eggs when it reaches New York is 
 as a handful of sand on the beach. 
 
 Through co-operative marketing, however, the Vine- 
 land output of eggs is a factor to be reckoned with. 
 Shipping together through a common outlet, the Vine- 
 land producers can supply IS crates of strictly fresh eggs 
 at any time with no advance notice. The Vineland pro- 
 duct goes forward with a "force" because.it is numerically 
 strong and it is an eflficient and influential force because 
 "Vineland eggs" stand for eggs that have been grided 
 as to color and sorted as to size and, most of all, pro- 
 
 '%\ 
 
 birds 
 
 Leg- 
 
 TYriCAL UTILITY WHITE LEGHORN 
 
 A White Leehorn pullet which we 
 picked from a flock of ut 
 the Vineland. New Jersey, 
 horn district. This pullet shows the 
 good size characteristic of the Vine- 
 land "egg machines," also the long 
 body and well developed posterior sec- 
 tion, which gave her the appearance of 
 a hen. Of course she was a carefully 
 selected model. At their last show the 
 Vineland Poultry Association intro- 
 duced a "utility class" and premiums 
 were given on live utility poultry. By 
 experimenting and the competitive 
 comparison of the birds exhibited the 
 
 number of birds of that type which 
 give the best results to the average 
 
 duced on up-to-date, clean poultry farms and were laid 
 by thoroughbred hens that have been fed sound grain and 
 last, but not least, these eggs are marketed while 
 strictly fresh. 
 
 All this means that when Vineland eggs are quoted 
 at a fair premium above the highest New York quota- 
 tions they still find a ready sale, for buyers know the 
 worth of the Vineland product. Vineland eggs can be 
 printed on the menu cards of the hotels and the pro- 
 prietors profit thereby, for these eggs can be eaten with 
 a relish and without fear. An advertised and premium 
 coiTimanding output of this kind would make the Vineland 
 Tract appeal to me if I were a beginner seeking a loca- 
 tion. To furnish an outlet of this kind is what the Vine- 
 land Poultry Association is working for today. 
 
 Co-operative Marketing At Vineland 
 
 The poultry association at Vineland is composed of 
 some 200 members and it is incorporated. As an associa- 
 tion it is marketing the eggs of those members who wish 
 to enter the co-operative arrangement. The hard work 
 the officers are doing is a tribute to their earnest desire 
 to make a greater and more suc- 
 cessful Vineland Tract. 
 
 It ships the eggs under its own 
 name and positively guarantees 
 them, thereby establishing a reputa- 
 tion for the Vineland products, 
 which eventually will prove to be an 
 asset to the whole Vineland com- 
 munity. They can thereby increase 
 the profit on eggs produced by the 
 Vineland poultrymen. Through the 
 intrinsic value of their eggs the asso- 
 ciation is making the name "Vine- 
 land" synonymous with freshness, 
 cleanliness and purity. I use these 
 three woids advisedly. An egg can 
 be fresh, its shell clean and if laid by 
 a healthy hen that has been fed 
 sweet grain, it is pure. Already 
 there is one commission man in New 
 York who, I was told, handles some 
 of the output of the Vineland Asso- 
 ciation and does not charge a com- 
 mission for doing so. 
 
 The eggs which the association 
 ships are brought to the association's 
 egg exchange which is located on 
 East Avenue, Vineland. These eggs 
 are brought in on Mondays and 
 Thursdays. At the exchange they 
 are candled for blood spots, etc., by 
 a candler in the regular employ of 
 the association. He then sorts the 
 eggs as to size and they go for- 
 ward as "No. 1 White Hennery" and "No. 2 White 
 Hennery." They are graded as to color, the white, 
 cream and brown shelled ones being shipped under their 
 respective classification. All this is done to establish a 
 reputation for Vineland Poultry Association eggs, for a 
 known standard of quality is essential to obtain higher 
 than the highest New York market quotations. It is 
 estimated that when the maximum rapacity of the egg ex- 
 change is employed, the cost of this work is one-half cent 
 per dozen. It seems to me that the time that it saves 
 the poultryman which he can devote to other work, is 
 alone worth this cost. 
 
118 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 The eggs are shipped under the seal of the Vineland 
 Poultry Association with the contents of each case plainly 
 marked on the label. When the case is opened the label 
 is broken. The eggs go by freight, leaving Vineland at 
 4:45 P. M. and reaching New York in time for the 2 A. M. 
 market the next morning. The express does not give 
 better service and the express rate on a case holding 30 
 dozen is 44 cents, which, however, includes free delivery 
 at destination. The freight rate is 14 cents and the 
 delivery in New York is 10 cents. The cases are not re- 
 turned and they cost from 12 cents to IS cents each. 
 
 In 1910 when the co-operative plan was inaugurated, 
 the association collected the eggs by wagon. Including 
 the cost of the driver, the maintenance of the exchange 
 where the candling was done, the crates and packing, 
 the service was estimated to cost the producers 3 cents 
 per dozen for the eggs they shipped. After several months 
 of operation, however, the cost was found to be less than 
 that, or $.0278 per dozen. Starting in the middle of Jan- 
 uary, 1909, and continuing until the middle of May, 1909, 
 when the wagon was abandoned and the eggs were de- 
 livered to the exchange by the poultrymen themselves, 
 the total gross receipts of the association were $12,523.14- 
 The average price per dozen received was $.2698. I 
 thoroughly believe that the co-operative marketing of 
 the well-produced, carefully graded and sorted product 
 will increase the income on it. 
 
 The best markets in America are near Vineland. New 
 York is 115 miles away; Philadelphia 34 miles and the 
 Jersey coast resorts, including Atlantic City, are on the 
 right hand. The summer hotels along the coast should 
 mean pretty nearly winter prices throughout the summer 
 months when the cost of producing eggs is the least of 
 all the year. The success of the beginner at Vineland, as 
 elsewhere is ultimately dependent on the outlet which 
 he can secure for his products, and at Vineland through 
 combined marketing, the association can be inquiring into 
 these great egg markets, while the poultryman devotes 
 himself to securing heavier egg production. 
 
 When the Layers Pass Their Prime 
 
 In addition to eggs, there are two other products that 
 an egg farm has to market— hens and cockerels. When 
 the birds have passed the accepted period of prolific lay- 
 ing, they are sold. Trapnests are not employed on utility 
 plants and no doubt oftentimes a hen is marketed that 
 would be good 
 for some time to 
 come as a layer. 
 I know of one in- 
 stance of a hen 
 that was said to 
 have laid 1,002 
 eggs in 7 years. 
 If she had been 
 sent to market 
 the summer fol- 
 lowing her sec- 
 ond or even third 
 birthday, which 
 are the usual kill- 
 ing times, the 
 owner would 
 have been the 
 loser, but when 
 hens are flocked 
 together in great 
 numbers, they 
 
 SHELTERED WATER PAN. 
 
 pan for cleanbing. It can be filled, if 
 desired, with a watering can without 
 disturbing the top. 
 
 SHELTEREEi \^■ATER PAN. 
 Fig. 1.— A water pan with a shelter 
 for the use of the growing pullets on 
 the range durine the summer. It adds 
 greatly to the comfort and well being 
 of the fowls to have clean, cool water 
 to drink. A good device In use on 
 some of the poultry plants in the 
 Vineland, N. J., Leghorn district. 
 
 are not consid- 
 ered individually. 
 They are "egg 
 machines" hatch- 
 ed in incubators, 
 reared in brood- 
 ers, put in laying 
 houses in the fall 
 and fed for heavy 
 egg production. 
 When, generally 
 considered, their 
 period of useful- 
 ness is over, their 
 carcasses are 
 marketed and 
 younger birds 
 take their places 
 in the laying 
 houses. The hens 
 are usually mar- 
 keted in August 
 just after the 
 laying stretch 
 
 that continues through the winter and spring and just be- 
 fore they go into the moult. They net the poultryman 
 from 13 to 14 cents a pound. 
 
 The production of pullets and cockerels on the Vine- 
 land Tract is about even. Almost all the pullets are saved 
 and almost all the cockerels are marketed. They are 
 grown into broilers as quickly as possible. By August the 
 price drops to 18 cents a pound and cockerels then weigh 
 from 2^ to 3 pounds. Two pound White Leghorn broil- 
 ers earlier in the season bring about 30 cents a pound. 
 Squab broilers are the most profitable, for the cockerels 
 are then sold when eight to ten weeks old and early in 
 the season bring from 50 cents to 60 cents a pound. If 
 they are plump and properly dressed and their skin is 
 deep yellow a premium of 10 cents is often paid on 
 each bird. 
 
 Twenty-four years ago, with the advent of incubators 
 and brooders, Mr. and Mrs. A. P. Arnold went into the 
 broiler business at Vineland. Of late years they have 
 kept White Leghorns for eggs, but because of their long 
 experience in producing prime broilers, I give their feed 
 ration for fattening the Leghorn cockerels into plump 
 broilers. Five pounds of bran, 20 of cornmeal, 10 of beef 
 scrap, 5 of oilmeal, 5 of cotton seed meal, 5 of alfalfa, 
 21/2 of charcoal, 2 of grit and 2 of oyster shell and a hand- 
 ful of salt. This is mixed with a shovel and fed dry in 
 troughs and it is kept before the cockerels all the time. 
 At night the birds are fed all the cracked corn they will 
 eat. It takes two weeks to fatten the cockerels, but "if 
 they do not fatten in that time, let them run again. It 
 is too rich a food to feed longer than two weeks," said 
 Mr. Arnold. 
 
 The cockerels on the Vineland Tract are not hatched 
 at a time when they will make the highest priced broilers. 
 They are hatched with the pullets at a time when it is 
 best to hatch pullets intended for work in the laying 
 houses the following fall and winter. Several Vineland 
 poultrymen told me that March pullets are too early 
 hatched for their climate. March hatched pullets lay their 
 first clutch of eggs the following September, starting 
 oftentimes in August. Then in October they start in for a 
 six weeks' "secondary" moult. April pullets are preferred 
 and in the average season they go through without moult- 
 ing. It seems to be a common opinion that they should 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 119 
 
 not start to lay much before they are six months old, 
 for if they are force-fed for early egg production and lay 
 at S months, they likewise will go into a secondary moult. 
 While in Vineland I had the pleasure of attending a 
 meeting of the Vineland Poultry Association. At that 
 meeting the cost of producing the pullets was discussed 
 and it seemed to be the general opinion that the sale of 
 cockerels would about half pay for carrying the pullets 
 to laying age. After starting to lay the cost of feed was 
 estimated at from 10 to 12 cents per bird per month. 
 The average egg yield of the flocks was variously esti- 
 mated at from 120 eggs to 150 eggs 
 per bird per year. 
 
 A Successful Vineland Plant 
 
 There are on the Vineland tract a 
 number of really successful White 
 Leghorn egg farms. One that inter- 
 ested me especially was that of Paul 
 Van Deusen, who lives at the edge 
 of the city. He has gas for the hov- 
 ers in his brooder house and running 
 water on h's plant. He has just 
 2 2-3 acres of ground. The poultry 
 buildings and yards cover lyi acres. 
 If it were not that the soil is very 
 sandy and birds can be kept on the 
 same ground year after year, I would 
 say that Mr. Van Deusen had too 
 small a plant. Last year he kept 
 525 pullets and 250 hens. Mr. Van 
 Deusen said that the pullets averaged 
 165 eggs each during the year. The 
 best ten months of the year the hens 
 averaged USyi eggs each. This was 
 from November, 1909, to September, 
 1910. Mrs. Van Deusen, who kept 
 the books, gave me the following 
 figures, which cover the year: 
 
 Total receipts $3,733.02 
 
 Feed, straw, grit, etc 1,283.22 
 
 The difference is in the income for the year's work. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Van Deusen do all the work themselves. 
 In the springtime, however, when Mrs. Van Deusen is 
 out with the little chicks, she hires a neighbor to come 
 and help in the house, and Mr. Van Deusen hires a man 
 to whitewash for him each year, also a farmer to plow 
 his garden. 
 
 Mr. Van Deusen went to Vineland nine years ago 
 and rented a 40-acre farm. He moved to his city plot five 
 years ago. His income is not wholly from his commercial 
 poultry and eggs, as he has quite a trade among the new 
 comers to the Vineland Tract who wish to "stock up." 
 I mention him in this connection, however, for the rea- 
 son that he went to Vineland willing to farm it and work 
 hard, and he drifted into the poultry business because the 
 greatest profit was to be derived from it. As a poultry- 
 man he has worked hard. Many, I fear, seek the poultry 
 business underestimating the amount of work to be done 
 and the importance of it. 
 
 Figs. 1 and 2 shown on page 118 are reproduc- 
 tions of photos taken on Mr. Van Deusen's plant. They 
 
 illustrate a watering pan and shade cover for the use of 
 the growing chickens on range in the summer time. The 
 pan is of galvanized iron 4 inches deep and 16 inches 
 square and it holds 16 quarts. Mr. Van Deusen said that 
 there was sufficient water in it to last 100 growing birds 
 for one day. 
 
 I was interested in a home-made brooder on the plant 
 of J. W. Scull. Brooders resembling this one in con- 
 struction are in operation on several plants in the Vine- 
 land Tract. The top is of burlap tacked to a wooden 
 frame. A 2-inch black iron pipe is used and the fumes 
 
 City Market. 
 
 of the lamp rise and pass out through this pipe, which 
 becomes warm and the heat radiates from it into the 
 brooder. Directly over the lamp blaze is an elbow in the 
 pipe, for the lamp sets on the outside of the brooder 
 box instead of underneath it, as is the case with other 
 similar brooders on the Tract. The heat from the lamp 
 rises against the elbow and warms it very much. Over 
 the elbow is a stove-pipe sleeve. The cold air passes in 
 at the bottom of this sleeve and being heated by the 
 warm iron elbow, rises into the hover, thus in addition 
 to the radiation of the heat from the iron pipe, there is a 
 continual supply of fresh, warm air entering the hover. 
 Judging by the chickens I saw in these brooders, I should 
 pronounce it a good one. 
 
 When I visited Mr. Scull some of his brooders had 
 not been cleaned for three weeks, but his chickens were 
 good. To the unreflective who visit his plant or some 
 of the other Vineland plants, the methods employed 
 may appear as "crude," but since they produce satis- 
 factory results it seems to me they should be spoken 
 of as being good. Certainly they are well worth the time 
 I spent in inquiring into them. 
 
E^g Farming in California 
 
 Petalams Conditions Favorable for Successful Poultry Keeping. Methods of Housing, Feeding. 
 Incubating and Brooding on Small and Large Egg Farms. 
 
 James Dryden 
 
 Professor of Poultry Husbandry. Oregon Agricultural College and Experiment Stat 
 
 n. Corvallis, Oregon. 
 
 POULTRY-KEEPING is not a specialized industry 
 in this country or in any other country. The 
 great bulk of poultry products come from farms 
 where a system of mixed husbandry prevails. The poul- 
 try district of Petaluma, California, offers, however, an 
 exception to this rule. It is a district that stands alone. 
 There are special poultry farms in other districts, but 
 there is no district in this country or in any other country 
 so extensively and exclusively devoted to poultry-keeping 
 as Petaluma. 
 
 During the past year the poultry farms of that dis- 
 trict produced some 80,000,000 eggs, and eggs and poul- 
 try shipped from Petaluma had a value of some $2,500,000. 
 The town of Petaluma has a population of about 8,000 
 people and as many more within a radius of five miles. 
 These people are almost wholly dependent upon the 
 poultry farms. 
 
 It will enable us to grasp these figures better if we 
 do a little figuring. If the year's product of eggs were 
 loaded on to wagons, a ton on each, it would make a train 
 of wagons about twenty miles long. If the eggs were 
 placed on the ground in a row, end to end, they would 
 reach from Petaluma to Chicago. 
 
 Petaluma, therefore, becomes an interesting field of 
 study in seeking an answer to the question, shall we 
 make poultry-keeping a specialized business? During the 
 past six years I have made three visits to the fariis of 
 Petaluma, the last being made in February, 1910. 
 
 Examples of Profit-Making 
 
 I think I discovered there evidence that shows that 
 special poultry farming is profitable at Petaluma. That 
 does not imply, of course, that it is always profitable or 
 that it cannot be made profitable in any other section of 
 the country. If it cannot be made to pay at Petaluma it 
 is my opinion that it cannot be made to pay anywhere else. 
 Let us discuss this point a little. 
 
 It is easier to find evidence of no profit than of profit. 
 You can see the evidence by looking over the fence with- 
 out looking over the ledger account. One does not have 
 to investigate far to find evidence of failure at Petaluma. 
 Failures are due to one cause and another. I will men- 
 tion only one cause. The fame of Petaluma has gone 
 abroad as a great poultry district. Undoubtedly ex- 
 aggerated statements of the money to be made there have 
 been published. At any rate, great numbers of people 
 come to Petaluma from different sections of the country 
 to engage in poultry farming. The price of land shows 
 that there is a great demand for poultry farms. As much 
 as $500 an acre is paid for land near town for poultry 
 farming. Ten miles from town as much as $100 an acre 
 is paid for "chickens only." This shows the demand for 
 land. A great many of those who start in the business 
 there know little or nothing about it, and, of course, many 
 of them fail. There are many such cases. It would be 
 safe to say that there are more failures than successes, 
 but if we can find profitable farms, even though they may 
 be few, it will show that money may be made in the 
 business. 
 
 I heard of a great many who were making money. It 
 was sometimes hard to get the evidence. Not many poul- 
 trymen keep books or know exactly what they are mak- 
 ing. Some few do. Here are a few cases of profitable 
 farming: 
 
 On a seven acre farm near town the food bill for the 
 year was $2,203.50, and the eggs sold for $4,455.61. I 
 looked over the books and found an accurate account of 
 the amount of food purchased and the number and value 
 of eggs sold each month. I quote the egg sales for some 
 of the months, showing the best month and the poorest: 
 December, $495; October, $448; January, $250; February, 
 $220. This was the result from 1,500 hens. The work was 
 all done by one man, assisted at times by his wife. 
 
 On a farm of ten acres there was an outlay of $2,300 
 for feed for hens and young stock and receipts of $4,700. 
 The number of hens was 1,800 in this case. 
 
 On a farm of over a hundred acres with 6,000 hens 
 there was a profit of over $1 a hen. The food was all 
 purchased and hauled two or three miles from a railroad 
 station. Ten cows were kept on the place. Two men 
 and a boy did all the work. 
 
 These are well authenticated cases and will serve the 
 purpose of showing that money can be made. There are 
 numerous others, probably just as successful, whose rec- 
 ords I did not secure. 
 
 Petaluma Conditions 
 
 The conditions are very favorable for successful poul- 
 try keeping. I know of no place where, on the whole, 
 the conditions are more favorable. 
 
 First, I believe the climate to be very favorable. There 
 are few places in the country less subject to extremes of 
 temperature than Petaluma. This is due to the influence 
 of the Pacific Ocean, the coast being about fifty miles 
 away. There is no snow and very little frost. There is 
 no extremely cold weather. On the other hand there is 
 no extremely warm weather in summer. The rainfall is 
 moderate, amounting to 25 to 30 inches — I have not the 
 exact figures. On the whole, the climate is very favorable. 
 
 The soil conditions may also be classed as favorable. 
 -^s a general rule the soil is light and porous. There is 
 good natural drainage, the country being somewhat roll- 
 ing and in places hilly. Some of the land is somewhat 
 
 THE THK 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 131 
 
 gravelly, and the fowls find all the grit necessary in the 
 fields on many of the farms. 
 
 Petaluma Methods 
 
 Another point that has a good deal to do with Peta- 
 luma's success is nearness to good markets. San Fran- 
 cisco, less than 40 miles from Petaluma, is one of the 
 best markets in the United States for poultry products. 
 During the past winter Petaluma poultrymen received as 
 high as 55 cents a dozen for eggs wholesale, and 20 cents, 
 I believe, has been the lowest this year. 
 
 Among unfavorable conditions that may be mentioned 
 is the relatively high price of feed. Practically all the 
 feed has. to be shipped in, a good deal of the wheat com- 
 
 STYLE OF HOUSE ON H. A. GEORGE'S FARM, SHOWING 
 
 NESTING ARRANGEMENT LID OPEN. HOUSE 8 
 
 FEET, BT 12 FEET, 4 FOOT WALL. 
 
 ing from Oregon. In this respect Petaluma is rather at 
 a disadvantage compared with most other sections. 
 
 On the whole, however, it would be difficult to find 
 any other section of the United States where the condi- 
 tions are better for successful poultry-keeping, though 
 they may not be ideal at Petaluma. 
 
 But climate, soil and markets do not make the poultry 
 farm. They help make it. Poultry will thrive under a 
 great variety of conditions. It is not very often necessary 
 to blame the climate for failure to make profit in the 
 business. At the same time, market and climatic con- 
 ditions may make a difference between profit and loss, 
 though failures in poultry-keeping are usually due to 
 other causes. 
 
 As to the Petaluma methods, I will discuss them in 
 the following order: First, housing; second, feeding; third, 
 incubation and brooding. 
 
 Housing 
 
 The colony house is practically the only house in use 
 on the farms at Petaluma, and there is a good deal of 
 sameness about their construction. In studying the 
 methods of housing, one of the first questions that c:i' 
 to me was, where did these Petaluma poultrymen i 
 authorities for their methods? It looked to me as though 
 they had been careful to read every poultry book and 
 every poultry paper on the subject and then gone and 
 done the exact opposite. In speaking of housing, I will 
 speak also of land or yarding conditions. 
 
 The house may be perfect and yet the outdoor condi- 
 tions may be such as to bring disaster. I think I could 
 show, if I had time and space, that fowls will thrive in a 
 great variety of houses if the outdoor conditions are 
 right. The house is often blamed unjustly for failures. 
 
 The colony house and the colony house system of 
 yarding, in my opinion, has had as much to do with the 
 success of Petaluma as any other thing. 
 
 The prevailing type of house, on the small farms, as 
 well as the large, is a house built of a size that may be 
 easily moved by a team of horses. They don't vary much 
 in size, the usual size being about 7x12 ft. or 8x12 ft., with 
 a gable roof. It is built on the box plan of construction, the 
 frame consists of runners to which cross pieces are bolted 
 at the ends, the plates, and four rafters. The siding is 
 nailed on vertically, nailed to the runner and the plate at 
 top. These boards serve to support the sides without 
 studding. In some cases the cracks are battened; as often 
 they are not battened. On one of the most successful 
 farms there the houses are not battened and the owner 
 told me he had no trouble from roup from this cause. 
 He said, however, if he were to close the house up all 
 around and leave one crack for the wind to whistle 
 through he would expect all kinds of trouble from roup. 
 Some use shingles on the roof, while some use "shakes," 
 which are much cheaper. In some cases there is a floor 
 in the house, while in others there is none. One of the 
 best farms I saw had floored houses. The owner said 
 the floors facilitated cleaning. 
 
 This house is made to accommodate 100 hens. That 
 means about one square foot of floor space per hen. 
 ere's where they run up against poultry authorities. 
 The "authorities" used to insist on about 10 square feet 
 per fowl. This is the bare fact, however, the large suc- 
 cessful farmers consider one square foot per fowl suf- 
 ficient. Under such conditions, of course, the whole 
 house is taken up with roost poles; that is, the whole 
 space is used for roosting. On some of the farms the 
 perches are run through the house; that is, holes are cut 
 in the siding at each end and the poles rest in these holes; 
 then when the house is to be cleaned out the poles are 
 pushed out and the whole house is clear for the man to 
 work in. I was informed that on a 6,000-hen farm two 
 men could clean out all the houses in a day and a half. 
 This work was done by scraping the droppings from the 
 floor, shoveling them into a sled, scattering lime on the 
 floor and hauling the droppings away. 
 
 This house is used only for roosting; another house, 
 usually smaller, is used for laying. 
 
 The colony system is this: A colony of fowls on the 
 large farms usually means 200 hens. That is, two hundred 
 hens run together on free range at a considerable dis- 
 tance from any other colony, say several hundred yards. 
 They have so much range that the grass is never eaten oflf 
 the fields. Two roosting houses and a laying house are 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 placed together, the center one being the laying house. 
 The laying house sometimes serves the double purpose 
 of a laying and feed house. One end of the house 
 is partitioned ofif for a feed bin — a self-feeding bin or 
 hopper. Several sacks of whole vi^heat are stored in this 
 bin and by opening a door at the bottom the hens are 
 allowed access to the wheat, the practice being to open 
 this bin or hopper in the afternoon for the fowls to eat 
 at will. 
 
 The houses are all built on runners, but the plan of 
 moving them does not seem to be universal. On farms 
 that I visited three years previously the houses had not 
 been moved in the interim. In practice, the colony house 
 is not always moved. On some of the farms the land is 
 somewhat hilly and sheltered places are selected for the 
 houses, and they are usually left there rather than move 
 them on to more exposed places. It looked, however, 
 on some farms, as though the houses were allowed to re- 
 main without moving as a matter of neglect. 
 
 While the house I have described is the typical one at 
 Petaluma and is used on small ranches as well as large 
 ones, there are many other styles. There are houses of 
 cement and houses of galvanized iron; there are cheap 
 houses and expensive houses; there are open-front houses; 
 there are large houses as well as small ones; stationary 
 houses as well as colony houses, as may be seen by the 
 illustrations herewith. But the small house described is 
 used on the great majority of farms, large and small, and 
 it is this house that has given Petaluma its reputation. 
 
 The Free Range System 
 
 On the larger farms the fowls have unlimited range 
 of grass land or pastures. They have so much range that 
 they cannot possibly eat the grass off. Many of the larger 
 farmers run dairy cattle on the same land to eat down the 
 pasture. The cows, however, are subsidiary to the chick- 
 ens. On one farm of some 200 acres with 5,000 hens, 
 some 40 Jersey cows were kept, some of them from the 
 most noted herds of the country. The owner, however, 
 
 FURNISHES THE HEAT. THE CHICKS KEEP 
 FROM THE STOVE. 
 
 informed me that the chickens had paid for the cows and 
 for the large dairy barn on the place. The skim milk 
 from the cows was used for the fowls. 
 
 The poultrymen with the large farms are undoubtedly 
 handling the business at greater profit than those on 
 limited acreage nearer town. It may not seem reasonable 
 to say that the man with 5,000 hens on a farm of 100 
 acres, or even 200 acres, can get better results with the 
 same amount of labor by colonizing his hens all over the 
 farm, than the man with 20 acres and 5,000 hens. The 
 saving of steps by building houses close together doesn't 
 necessarily lessen the labor or reduce the cost of produc- 
 ing a dozen of eggs. It is a question largely of main- 
 taining the vigor and productive qualities of the fowls, 
 and where the acreage is so limited that the ground is 
 kept bare of vegetation the year around, and where the 
 ground is muddy in wet weather and hard and warm in 
 dry weather, the fowls are not under natural conditions; 
 the conditions are more favorable for loss of health or 
 vigor in the fowls. While poultrymen are making money 
 on small farms, it is uphill work compared with the 
 large farms. 
 
 Feeding 
 
 Some of the methods of housing may shock some of 
 our eastern poultry-keepers and poultry authorities. They 
 are likely to be further shocked at the Petaluma way of 
 feeding. For instance, how often do we read something 
 like this: "Don't give the hens much soft food in the 
 morning or they will 'lazy around' all day and get fat 
 and never lay. If soft food is fed at all, feed just as much 
 as the hens will clean up in ten minutes, and no more." 
 The Petaluma people do just the opposite. They feed a 
 soft food early in the morning and they give them enough 
 of it to last them till noon. The hens eat far more soft 
 food than whole grain, and yet they produce some eggs. 
 Now there are some poultrymen who do not feed this 
 way. Some feed dry food altogether, and some ring in 
 different combinations, but in this article I am writing of 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 123 
 
 A HOUSE FOR SROODY HENS. HENS 
 
 ARE DROPPED IN THROUGH 
 
 THE ROOF. HOUSE HAS 
 
 SLAT FLOOR. 
 
 typical poultry farms, of the average poultry farms and 
 the average poultry farmer of Petaluma reads all that is 
 said about feeding hens and then does the opposite. He 
 feeds soft mash heavily. Mr. Hyatt, one of the success- 
 ful poultrymen, who has been in the business for some 
 ten or twelve years, said that he fed about 3^ pails of 
 soft food to one of whole grain. The method is to let 
 the fowls eat as much soft food as they want during the 
 forenoon and as much whole wheat as they want in the 
 afternoon. 
 
 While that method is pretty generally practiced, there 
 is less agreement as to what shall constitute the mash. 
 Wheat, of course, is the base of all 
 rations, but 1 found -lo two poultry- 
 men mixing up iho same kind of 
 mash. One mar. fed boiled wheat 
 and horse meat mixed with shorts, 
 another fed 5 sacks of meal — wheat, 
 corn, etc., and one sack beef scraps, 
 mixed with skim milk. Another feeds 
 this way: 40 sacks wheat, 40 sacks 
 corn. 40 sacks middlings, 40 sacks 
 barley, SO sacks bran, 7 sacks char- 
 •oal, mixed with milk and meat soup. 
 He feeds 200 lbs. horse meat a day 
 which is boiled and the soup and 
 meat mixed with the meals. An- 
 other uses rolled barley, bran and 
 shorts, ground corn and beef scraps, 
 and sometimes uses horse meat in- 
 stead of beef scrap. Another uses 2 parts good shorts, 
 1 part middlings, 1 part bran, 1 part fresh horse meat 
 or cattle meat and in winter adds 1 part corn; some- 
 times a little pepper, always salt and charcoal; mixed with 
 water. 
 
 This mash is fed in long covered troughs. If there 
 are cattle in the same field, the feeding ground is 
 fenced in. 
 
 Early in the afternoon wheat is fed as much as they 
 will eat before going to roost in the evening. This is 
 usually thrown on the ground or fed in hoppers. On one 
 large farm a self-feeding bin is opened about one o'clock 
 and closed at night. On Mr. Roerdan's farm a boy of 
 fourteen feeds wheat to 6,000 hens in about half an hour. 
 He does it this way: At 1 o'clock he jumps on his grey 
 pony and rides over the farm of 120 acres opening up the 
 feed bins. I caught the boy with the camera as he was 
 making the rounds. He jumped ofif the horse, opened 
 the door, and jumped on again about as quick as I could 
 snap the camera, and was ofif to the next colony on the 
 lope. How long would it take a man to feed 6,000 hens, 
 carrying pails of wheat, opening doors and gates, kicking 
 the wheat under the litter, in a long continuous house? 
 The other way of feeding of 6,000 hens is a pleasant diver- 
 sion for a boy with a pony. Here is a little food for 
 thought for those who insist on keeping the chickens 
 close together on small acreage so as to economize 
 the labor. 
 
 Incubation and Brooding 
 
 Petaluma's poultry industry is founded on artificial 
 incubation and brooding. Its successes will be measured 
 largely in proportion to the success of the incubator and 
 brooder. In this part of the business developments have 
 been following thick and fast the past few years. To keep 
 up with the procession one must visit Petaluma about 
 every year. 
 
 Hatching the Chicks 
 
 Four or five years ago each farmer, and when I speak 
 of farmer I mean poultryman, for every farmer there 
 is a poultryman, each farmer four or five years 
 ago, hatched and raised his own chickens by using 
 incubators, individual brooders ranging in size from 150 
 to 500 eggs. Now the hatching has become a specialized 
 business. Men make a special business of hatching chick- 
 ens; they do nothing else. There are probably a dozen 
 hatcheries with capacities of 10,000 eggs up to 60,000 or 
 more, and though I haven't the figures I have no doubt 
 that those hatcheries during the past season, hatched con- 
 siderably over a million chicks. 
 These chicks are not all retained in 
 Petaluma. Many of them go several 
 hundred miles away as day-old 
 chicks. Many of the poultry farmers 
 buy their chicks from the hatcheries. 
 Not all of them, however. Some of 
 the most successful farmers were in- 
 cubating their own chicks, but the 
 business of the hatcheries has been 
 growing rapidly the past two or three 
 years and the past spring it was 
 hard for the hatcheries to fill their 
 orders. 
 
 The hatcher works on a basis that 
 will give him a certain profit for his 
 labor whether he furnishes the eggs 
 or merely does the hatching of the 
 eggs. Where the farmer takes his eggs to the hatchery 
 the hatcher charges him from 3 to 4 cents for every chick 
 delivered, the price depending some on the fertility of the 
 eggs. 
 
 When the hatcher furnishes the eggs as well as the 
 chicks, he charges from about 7 to 10 cents a chick, de- 
 pending on the price of eggs at the time. 
 
 Brooding 1,500 Chicks in a Flock 
 
 The farmer takes the chicks from the incubator home 
 and puts them in brooders already prepared for them, 
 but during the past season large numbers of the chicks, 
 instead of being taken home, were taken to another man 
 to raise. Here is another special business that has sprung 
 up, that of raising the chickens. This has been brought 
 about by a new system of raising the chicks, and I want 
 to prepare the poultry writers for another shock. Any- 
 one who has read poultry gapers at all has read some- 
 thing like this: "Don't put more than 50 or 75 chicks to- 
 gether in a brooder." This special business of raising the 
 chickens has grown up around the possibility of keeping 
 as many as 1,500 chickens together in a flock with a brood- 
 er stove to keep them warm. 
 
 I saw 1,500 chicks taken out of incubators, put in 
 boxes holding 100 each, but divided into partitions hold- 
 ing 25 each; helped an old man of 72 years old load them 
 on a wagon; rode with him through the streets and two 
 miles out in the country; helped him put them in a little 
 cheap house 20x20 ft. The brooder stove had been lighted 
 an hour before and the house was warm with a brooder 
 temperature. The stove was in the center of the room 
 and has an oil burner, the fuel being engine distillate, fed 
 from a 10-gaIlon tank attached to the outside of the 
 house. The chicks were soon scampering around the 
 room, keeping a certain distance from the stove, how- 
 ever. A fence made of 1-inch poultry netting 12 inches 
 high, with burlap sewed on both sides of it, was put in a 
 
124 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 circle around the stove and about six feet from it. The 
 purpose of this fence was to keep the chicks from getting 
 back into the corners before they learned where the heat 
 was. About the second day this fence is taken away and 
 the chicks given the whole room to run in. 
 
 The gentleman, 72 years of age, Mr. Carpenter by 
 name was raising 5,000 chicks at one time in this way, and 
 making his living by it. At three months of age the pul- 
 lets went to the farmer who furnished the eggs to the 
 hatchery. This is the second year Mr. Carpenter had 
 been doing this and when I saw him he was well pleased 
 with the result. Another gentleman, without help, was 
 raising 8,000 in this way. Others were following the same 
 special business. Quite a number of the farmers were 
 using the same brooder system. 
 
 The special advantage of this system is the saving of 
 labor it makes possible. One brooder of this kind will 
 take care of as many chicks as 15 or 20 ordinary individual 
 
 brooders. The distillate costs 9 cents a gallon, and the 
 stove will use from 6 to 9 gallons a day, depending on the 
 weather. Some think 1,500 is crowding the brooder a 
 little and do not put more than 1,200 in it. The stove 
 is kept hot enough so the chicks will keep back two or 
 three feet from it. At night they lie in a circle around 
 the stove and the larger the circle the less crowding there 
 is. If the fire goes down the circle contracts and there is 
 too much crowding. During the day they run all over the 
 floor, and they are a busy, spectacular lot. There is no 
 prettier sight in chickendom. They have no lack of ex- 
 ercise. They get it running foot-races around the room. 
 One problem is to feed them so as to prevent what a 
 cowboy would call a stampede or what a football fan 
 would call mass playing or bucking the line. If a bit of 
 meat were thrown in the room there would be a scramble 
 rivaling in intensity that of the football players in buck- 
 ing the line for a touchdown. 
 
 E^^ Farming in Greater ISew York 
 
 Profitable Results Obtained from Intensive Poultry Raising by the Pr 
 in the City of Brooklyn, New York. 
 
 ipal of a Public School 
 
 Rudolph P. Ellis 
 
 THREE years' experience in poultry keeping does 
 not entitle me to speak otherwise than as a novice; 
 and I am induced to set forth what has been ac- 
 complished on our plant solely because I believe that an 
 account of our methods will prove interesting — and I trust 
 of some aid — to the many who, this year, will try their 
 hand at poultry raising. It is also because I am firmly 
 convinced that there are money and pleasure to be ob- 
 tained from poultry, worked as a side line, and that there 
 are very many who could add considerably to their in- 
 come by employing their leisure in well-directed efiforts 
 at poultry raising. 
 
 My interest in poultry extends back many years. As 
 a boy I used to figure out profits on paper; and contrary 
 to the usual experience of those who try to realize on 
 their "paper profits," I have exceeded even my boyish 
 dreams. I will frankly admit, at the start, that I am an 
 enthusiast about the hen — as a commercial proposition. 
 Who would not be, if she showed a profit of $3.74 in 
 one's novice year, and does better each succeeding season? 
 
 Where to Locate — Variety to Breed 
 
 It is necessary at the start to determine which line is 
 to be followed — the fancy or the commercial. There is 
 a great deal of pleasure and honor, and a good income 
 for a number, to be obtained in the "fancy," but we chose 
 the "commercial" end because we knew there were a 
 number of well known commercial plants that were pay- 
 ing very well and the market for fresh eggs is practically 
 unlimited. All that is said in this article, therefore, is said 
 from the commercial standpoint. 
 
 Once your aim is settled, the first problem that con- 
 fronts you is location. Where shall you start? Start 
 where you are. Our beginning was on a plot sixty feet 
 by fifty. Anybody, it seems to me, can secure that much 
 ground. To the city man, espec'^^lly, I would say: Do 
 not make the mistake of rushing i, the country to start 
 the poultry business. Try it in a city suburb — where you 
 can get a high price for your eggs, whether you have a 
 dozen or a case to sell. 
 
 A great deal has been written about the merits of the 
 various breeds. Personally, I do not care for the poultry 
 (meat) end of the business — #iere is too much competition 
 with the cold storage product. We adopted the egg end 
 of the business as our main line, because of the high 
 prices that can be obtained for a fresh egg in the city. 
 If eggs are desired, few will dispute the claim that the 
 Single Comb White Leghorn is the bird to choose. Her 
 merits are briefly summed up as follows: 
 
 1 — -She is smaller and costs less to maintain and 
 less to house. 
 
 2 — She is active and stands confinement well. 
 
 3 — When once raised she will stand rougher treat- 
 ment than birds of the American type. 
 
 4 — She does not need the care in feeding just the 
 proper amount that a Plymouth Rock does to keep in 
 condition. 
 
 5 — She matures six to eight weeks earlier than any 
 of the American class of fowl, which means she can be 
 hatched just so much later in the spring — a mighty im- 
 portant advantage on an egg plant. To secure winter 
 layers of the. Rock class, one must hatch them in February 
 and March, when fertility and weather conditions are not 
 at their best. An April or May Leghorn will lay by No- 
 vember. All these things we discovered before starting, 
 so we chose the Leghorn. 
 
 It has been well said that the strain counts for more 
 than the breed. All Leghorns are not good layers. Prize 
 winning strains at the great shows are not necessarily 
 good egg layers. You can breed five points on a bird's 
 comb. You can breed shape and color. You can also 
 breed perforrhance — the egg laying habit. Therefore se- 
 lect your stock from a proven strain of layers. It is 
 mighty important to the commercial poultrymen whether 
 a certain amount of time and labor and money will pro- 
 duce a hundred eggs per year from a hen or whether the 
 same investment will produce one hundred fifty eggs. It 
 is not claiming too much to say there is that difference in 
 the performance of different strains under the same con- 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 ditions. At the start we purchased thoroughbred Leg- 
 horns of proven laying qualities. It is important to get 
 thoroughbreds, as in no other way can you secure birds 
 uniformly alike, and hence susceptible of uniform treat- 
 ment. The trouble with the mongrel flock is that what 
 suits one type of bird does not quite suit another. 
 
 How We Began 
 
 There are three ways of starting your flock. The 
 first is to buy matured stock, and hatch the eggs they 
 lay; the second is to buy the eggs they lay, and the third 
 is to buy the chicks newly hatched — the so-called "day- 
 
 Fig. 1. — Aurora Leghorn 
 Farm's portable modified, 
 Tolman Fresh Air House. 
 "Style A," size 14x14. Note 
 muslin screens. The house 
 is raised off the ground, 
 allowing free circulation 
 of air, thus preventing 
 dampness. 
 
 old chicks." Despite all 
 that can be said in favor 
 of either of the first two 
 methods, the fact remains 
 that you are buying possi- 
 bilities. But when you 
 buy a chick, you have 
 something to start with. 
 So we bought thorough- 
 bred White Leghorn 
 chicks at approximately 
 twelve x:ents each — buying 
 during three months 
 
 some two hundred fifteen in all, and we purchased two 
 standard brooders. Our initial outlay did not exceed sixty 
 dollars and we soon had the beginnings of a future "plant" 
 on the fifty by sixty plot in the rear of our Brooklyn 
 house. 
 
 It is a fatal error to start on too large a scale. It is 
 also a fatal error to start with so few chickens that they 
 are not a serious proposition worthy of your care and 
 consideration. We aimed to have between sixty and 
 eighty pullets the first winter. We raised seventy-two 
 pullets out of the two hundred fifteen chicks purchased, 
 and eighty-two cockerels — one hundred fifty-four in all, 
 which is about seventy-two per cent of the entire num- 
 ber. A good many people do better than that; but we 
 
 Fig. 2. — Interior of 
 
 •Style A • ouse showing clear floor 
 
 
 method of bolting sections together 
 
 
 
 trapnest; B, exterior ar 
 
 d interior view of trap sprung by 
 
 hen on entering, C, trap 
 
 unset and shoved out of the way. 
 
 are glad if we can, on a larger scale, get one good pullet 
 for each three chicks hatclied. Many plants figure one 
 out of four. 
 
 Chicks Artificially Hatched and Brooded 
 We did not do any incubating until the second sea- 
 son. We then ran off three hatches from a two hundred 
 twenty-egg machine, getting 187, 176 and 155 chicks re- 
 spectively. We have never set a hen, and never expect to. 
 It is too small potatoes to bother with — commercially. 
 When you can get a three hundred ninety egg machine, 
 with twenty minutes care a day, to give you as high as 
 three hundred sixteen fine healthy chicks, you do not 
 care to bother with hens. Our incubator capacity for the 
 coming season will be approximately five thousand eggs 
 and we shall hatch all our Leghorns in April. This will 
 insure their reaching maturity well before November. 
 
 On our plant we make it a point of having our chicks 
 as nearly the same as possible. We have found that 
 shifting chicks from brooder to colony houses entails loss 
 and great trouble, so we have come to adopt the so-called 
 colony brooder, in which the chicks can be raised to ma- 
 turity. We place sixty chicks in a three feet by six, two- 
 compartment colony brooder and cull out the cockerels 
 as soon as we can distinguish them. These are fattened 
 for broilers and disposed of as rapidly as possible. We 
 find it does not pay to mature a Leghorn cockerel unless 
 you wish to keep him as a breeder. When losses are 
 taken into consideration, this will leave approximately 
 twenty-five pullets in each 
 colony brooder, which is an 
 ideal number. They will 
 thrive. Overcrowding is 
 fatal to success. Only vig- 
 orous birds will prove to be 
 winter layers. 
 
 Food for the Chicks— White 
 Diarrhoea 
 
 We have not found that 
 we can improve on the dry 
 grain method of feeding 
 brooder chicks. For the first 
 three days we feed bread 
 crumbs and hard boiled eggs, 
 chopped fine. Thereafter, we 
 use a good prepared chick 
 food until the chicks are ten 
 to twelve weeks old, when 
 they are gradually weaned, 
 and cracked corn and whole 
 wheat in equal parts are sub- 
 stituted. Beef scrap is fed 
 from the tenth day on. Char- 
 coal and grit are kept constantly before them, and their - 
 water is supplied in sanitary fountains and renewed three 
 times daily. 
 
 Much loss is sustained through the ravages of white 
 diarrhoea. An effective preventive is to put a teaspoon- 
 ful of five per cent carbolic acid (commercial solution) in 
 ten quarts of water. Use this as drinking water from the 
 start until chicks are ten to twelve weeks old, and you 
 will have little trouble with diarrhoea. 
 Housing the Birds 
 When the chicks reach the age of three months, the 
 brooder is converted into a colony house and they are 
 given the freedom of the enclosure. All those that appear 
 backward are disposed of as broilers, and only the vig- 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 orous specimens are kept. A weakling will never make a 
 layer of sufficient worth to pay her board. 
 
 Right at the start we avoided two common errors. 
 We did not build ramshackle houses in which no hen 
 could well thrive, nor did we overcrowd. At the very 
 least, three square feet of unencumbered floor space must 
 be allowed per hen; and furthermore, this holds good 
 only where the flock numbers fifty birds or over. For 
 smaller flocks, four and even five square feet must be 
 provided. This is a matter of vital importance, and one 
 on which I have personally noticed most beginners go 
 wrong. It follows, as a natural consequence, that the 
 flock of fifty or even larger numbers, is the most economi- 
 cal to house. The old idea of the "long house," divided 
 into numerous connecting small pens, has been abandoned 
 on the most successful commercial plants. The birds are 
 housed in separate houses, in flocks approximating fifty. 
 
 Starting on a city lot, and appieciating that we would 
 have to move a number of times, before we were finally 
 settled in a permanent location, we were put to it to make 
 our houses portable. After much diligent search, we 
 could find nothing portable of suitable construction. It 
 was about this time that the "fresh air" houses were being 
 much talked of, and satisfactory results were being ob- 
 tained in all localities. The "fresh air" principle has 
 probably done more for the success of the poultry plant 
 using it than any other idea that has been advanced in the 
 last decade. 
 
 The many articles that ap- 
 peared in Reliable Poultry 
 Journal describing the "Tol- 
 man Fresh Air House" de- 
 cided us. Just before starting 
 to build, however, Mr. H. 
 Heidenhain's article outlining 
 his modification of the Tolman 
 house, appeared in the May. 
 1906, issue of the Reliable 
 Poultry Journal. We set about 
 planning this house on the 
 portable scheme and erecteil 
 our "House A," an interi-ii- 
 and exterior view of whicli i- 
 presented herewith. The up- 
 rights are two by three spruce 
 and are bolted firmly together. 
 Each side is made in four sec- 
 tions, and the roof and floor 
 are in twelve sections each, 
 making forty sections in all. 
 Except for the portable feat- 
 ure, the house is identical with Mr. Heidenhain's plan. 
 We use upper and lower muslin screens in each door, 
 which are closed at night or during storms. We find it of 
 great advantage to have these screens outside instead of 
 inside, as in this way the necessity of opening each house 
 to close the screens, is obviated. 
 
 The accompanying photographs of our "House B" 
 show how we modified an old time glass front house to 
 the "fresh air" type, by taking out the two middle win- 
 dows and substituting screen doors and muslin frames. 
 
 We also adopted Mr. Heidenhain's plan of keeping 
 the hens in the house the entire winter. The floor was 
 covered to a depth of six inches with sawdust of a 
 coarse variety (planer shavings) in which the grain was 
 scattered to enforce the needed exercise which is so es- 
 
 sential to winter egg production. This 14 by 14 house 
 wintered the seventy-two pullets, and our egg yield ex- 
 ceeded forty-five per cent the entire winter, with eggs 
 selling from the door at fifty cents a dozen. We did not 
 have a case of sickness in the house the entire winter. 
 
 The droppings board was cleaned, without fail, each 
 morning. The floor space of the house being entirely 
 clear, the birds were forced to roost during the day on 
 the perches, thus keeping the sawdust clean. We ascribe 
 much of our success to the scrupulous cleanliness of the 
 houses and nests. Little as it may be supposed, hens 
 like nice, clean, sunny quarters; and a happy and well-fed 
 
 
 FiK, 3. — .\urora Leghorn 
 Farm's "Style B" house, a 
 modified, glass front 
 house. Note the wire 
 screen doors with muslin 
 frames hooked back for 
 summer use and the win- 
 dows open. 
 
 pullet cannot fail to re- 
 spond to such surround- 
 ings. 
 
 Value of Green Cut Bone 
 
 We are inclined, how- 
 ever, to ascribe much of 
 our success in securing 
 winter eggs to the feed- 
 ing of green cut bone. 
 We would not be with- 
 out this food at any cost. 
 Three pounds for each 
 
 one hundred fowls, fed daily, will produce more eggs than 
 any food with which we are acquainted. There is no 
 comparison between green bone and beef scraps. 
 
 From the start we have endeavored so to conduct our 
 plant that a system could be devised which is susceptible 
 of application on a larger scale. We have tried not to 
 get into the habit of giving the few houses of chickens 
 which we have so much care that it would be impossible 
 to carry the system out on a large scale. It is here that 
 so many fail. We hear talk of the "five-hundred-hen man" 
 and the "one-thousand-hen man," and of the "few two- 
 thousand-hen men." Our hens received no more care 
 or supervision than we could supply to same hens if ten 
 or twenty times the number were kept. 
 
 Bearing in mind that we wished to secure a system 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 127 
 
 that was susceptible of being carried out on a large scale 
 ultimately, we adopted the Maine Experiment Station 
 system of feeding. This is to scatter in the litter each 
 night after dark, four quarts of cracked corn per one hun- 
 dred birds, and at ten A. M. to scatter four quarts of 
 whole wheat in the litter. Supply fresh water each morn- 
 ing and feed the green bone one-half ounce to a hen. At 
 noon feed green food — cabbages, which we obtain from 
 the farmers about; otherwise, alfalfa. There is kept be- 
 fore the fowls all the time a dry mash consisting (by 
 weight) of two parts bran, one part wheat middlings, one 
 part corn meal, one-quarter part oil meal, one part beef 
 scraps. This is fed in hoppers. Oyster shell, grit and 
 charcoal are before the fowls always. 
 
 Hens kept as a side line on this system can be tended 
 night and morning, if necessary, with equally good re- 
 sults. All grain could be scattered at night and the bone 
 and green food fed when watering in the morning. 
 
 Fertility of the Eggs 
 
 It is generally conceded that it is not necessary to 
 keep males with the pullets in order that a good egg yield 
 may be obtained. We have found, however, that it is ad- 
 visable to keep one or two males in a house with sixty 
 females. Left to themselves the females are apt to pick 
 at one another. Such a male is of course of no use later 
 as a breeder, and we, therefore, use old cocks in the 
 laying house. 
 
 One of the difficult problems that is ever before the 
 poultryman is the question of fertility. I append a table 
 showing the fertility of our eggs last season. 
 
 Aurora Leghorn Farm, Fertility of Hatching Eggs, 1908 
 
 Per Mo. 
 
 Teated Cant Oiieks 
 
 Date Set No. Eggs Out Fertile Hatched 
 
 March 8 129 11 .92 78 
 
 March 15 121 8 .93 94 
 
 March 23 391 35 .91 291 
 
 April 3 220 22 .90 149 
 
 April 8 120 6 .95 91 
 
 April 17 391 43 .89 287 
 
 April 29 120 11 .90 83 
 
 May 9 390 36 .91 234 
 
 May 9 390 38 .90 235 
 
 May 13 390 36 .90 289 
 
 May 16 390 26 .93 316 
 
 May 27 '. 12U 11 .90 99 
 
 May 31 390 69 .82 143 
 
 May 31 390 ■ 72 .81 187 
 
 June 6 390 85 .78 230 
 
 June 13 390 96 .75 251 
 
 June 18 120 36 .70 74 
 
 June 28 390 150 .62 191 
 
 June 28 390 141 .63 179 
 
 July 4 390 111 .71 173 
 
 July 10 390 69 .82 272 
 
 The two machines set on May 9th were delayed in ar- 
 riving and were set with eggs that had been saved for 
 them, the oldest eggs being four weeks old. This resulted 
 in relatively poor hatches. It will be noted that the ma- 
 chines filled immediately afterwards with eggs not over 
 a week old, gave the best hatches of the season. 
 
 All our machines are of the same make — concededly 
 one of the btst manufactured. Yet we notice a marked 
 difference in their performance for which we cannot ac- 
 count. 
 
 How We Get Fertile Eggs 
 
 It will be noticed from the table above that we had 
 very excellent fertility up to the end of May — which marks 
 the end of the setting season for the commercial farmer. 
 We account for this as follows: 
 
 Our males are kept separated from the females from 
 October until February. They are made to "rough it," be- 
 ing allowed out in all kinds of weather; whereas the hens 
 are kept confined in the fresh air houses all winter — from 
 Thanksgiving to St. Patrick's Day. When we mate up, 
 we put in one cockerel to twenty females. This is done 
 about two weeks before the fowls are let out. When they 
 are allowed out, the flocks have free range. We then in- 
 troduce enough additional males to make the proportion 
 one to fifteen, and we find by this method that all the hens 
 receive attention, as the cockerels introduced last, acquire 
 a following of their own. In this way a more natural se- 
 lection is affected. The birds will mate themselves bet- 
 ter than we can do it for them. All specimens being of the 
 type we desire, we do not seek "special matings." 
 
 We keep our hens two years, and we find that they 
 lay as pullets much better than as hens. If it were not 
 that we need the hens as breeders, we would keep only 
 pullets. We have not tried the enforced molt on the Van 
 Dresser system of withholding food for two or three 
 weeks and putting the hens on a grass run, some time 
 in July or August. We object to doing this, as we con- 
 sider it unnatural to force the molt, and feel that it is 
 bound to hurt the vitality of the hen, which we wish to 
 use as a breeder. We are probably wrong, but "stick 
 close to nature" is our motto, and we are satisfied with 
 our results. 
 
 What We Have Accomplished 
 
 And now as to results. Ours is an egg farm. We 
 cater to the largest market in the New World. It has 
 been said that if all the vacant land within fifty miles of 
 New York City were to be occupied by poultry farms, 
 they could not begin to supply the eggs used within the 
 city. Furthermore, western and market eggs generally 
 are so stale when they reach the consumer in this city, 
 that there is an unlimited deinand for really fresh eggs 
 (not over three days old) at prices ranging from forty 
 cents to sixty cents per dozen. To substantiate this state- 
 ment I will say that we accept the entire shipments of a 
 number of men who buy and raise our day-old chicks, 
 and put these eggs out to our private trade. We can do 
 this fairly, as the chickens are really the same as our own 
 and their eggs are consequently quite uniform with ours. 
 We guarantee these men that they will receive fifteen cents 
 above the average market price on the New York Produce 
 Exchange. This is net to them. 
 
 Our egg yield in our novice year was 144.4 eggs per 
 hen. In our second year it was 162.4, and this year it 
 bids fair to exceed that mark. Of course we started 
 small. The first year we had one house full — the portable 
 "Style A" illustrated herein. At the end of the year, we 
 took down our portable house and moved to the two- 
 acre, old homestead at East 49th street on the old Mill 
 Lane — quite an historic road in Brooklyn in Revolu- 
 tionary times. That winter we had two hundred forty 
 layers and this winter we have three hundred and twenty 
 layers. For the winter of 1909 we. are planning to have at 
 least six hundred layers. 
 
 The increase in our average egg yield is due to trap- 
 nesting all layers and selecting therefrom those that pro- 
 duce over one hundred sixty eggs per year. Only vigorous, 
 well-sized birds, in excellent condition are taken. We 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 breed hens in their second season with early hatched 
 cockerels that have been kept separated. The fertility 
 we get has been shown above. 
 
 The first year we netted $3.74 per hen. This was after 
 allowing an expense of $1.42 per bird. There was no 
 labor expense that year, and our price ranged from 3Sc 
 to SOc per dozen. The second year our expense per bird 
 was $1.79, including the hire of a boy for a few hours 
 daily; but as our prices ranged from 40c to 60c per dozen, 
 we had gross receipts of $5.96 per hen, which left $4.17 
 net profit for our own labor and investment. 
 
 In these figures are not included any profit made 
 from the sale of "day-old" chicks. All eggs were charged 
 up at the price at which they would have sold as table 
 eggs. This year we shall set thirty thousand eggs, selling 
 all chicks we do not need, at twelve cents each. 
 
 In figuring cost per bird we have charged the cost of 
 maintaining the males against the hens. That is, we 
 have divided all expenditures by the number of hens 
 kept. Before doing this we subtracted the value of the 
 
 males used as table poultry and those sold as breeders. 
 We think this a fair enough way to keep the books. Run- 
 ning an egg farm, our unit is the layer; and if males 
 have to be kept as a part of the breeding establishment, 
 we deem it just to charge their expense against the hen 
 in figuring her annual profit. 
 
 We also find that the cost of hatching and raising a 
 layer is fully equaled by the receipts from the sale of 
 her when we are through with her. This is more es- 
 pecially true when we consider the returns from the sale 
 of the surplus cockerels as broilers. It costs us sixteen 
 cents for feed to raise a thirty-seven and one-half cent 
 broiler, leaving us over twenty cents to apply on the value 
 of the eggs incubated, the oil, and the feed of the pullets 
 for the first two months. We can always sell our two 
 year old hens at more than a dollar apiece, and in the es- 
 timation of profit per hen we have not added the profit 
 from this source, because we have not kept accurate rec- 
 ords on these points. A more accurate method of book- 
 keeping would merely show a larger profit per hen, than 
 that already credited. 
 
 Leghorn Broilers for the Hotel Trade 
 
 The Production of Squab Broilers a Most Profitable Branch of the Poultry BuHiness. Best Methods 
 
 of Killing, Picking, Packing and Shipping Broilers to ^ew York Hotels. 
 
 Forcing and Fattening Broilers. 
 
 Propr 
 
 J. Courtney PunHerford 
 
 of Monmouth Poultry Farms, I 
 
 THE broiler end of the poultry business is a problem 
 which is of deep interest to every breeder, es- 
 pecially the large producer. We usually figure 50 
 per cent cockerels from our entire season's output of 
 young stock. Now, take the farms which aim to hatch 
 6,000 chicks, and mature 2,500 pullets for the fall trade 
 and their own use. They will have anywhere from 2,500 
 to 2,700 cockerels to dispose of. Naturally, no one farm 
 could sell the above number of matured males, nor one- 
 half that number. So the question arises how to dispose 
 of them in the most profitable way, and clear the farm of 
 them as soon as possible. 
 
 Any well conducted farm will have special cockerel 
 matings from which they expect to select their show 
 birds for the coming season, also their breeders and sell- 
 ing stock. The average run of males from these matings 
 will be of a much higher grade than from the general 
 utility pen. These are the males we keep, and the large 
 
 quantity of utility cockerels are left to be disposed of 
 within 10 to 12 weeks from birth. 
 
 Disposing of the Utility Cockerels 
 The question then comes up, how to dispose of them, 
 when to dispose of them, and the price to be obtained. 
 There are two classes of broilers; squab broilers, weighing 
 14 ounces to one pound and the lJ/2 to 1^ pound broilers. 
 From my experience there is more money in the squab 
 broilers as they can be ready for market in from seven 
 to eight weeks and command within 20 cents of the 1^ 
 to 1^ broilers, which need from 10 to 11 weeks in which 
 to be ready for the market. 
 
 When one has a large number of broilers to market 
 he ought to make a contract where he can obtain the 
 highest price, not be satisfied with- the market quotation, 
 which is extremely low, and will not pay for labor and 
 tVi.-il. Tl-e high class New York hotels are the places to 
 
 This illustration shows the Office of Monmouth Poultry Farm, also a portion of the Buff Leghorn Breeding House. Pens 
 are 10 by 14 and runs 75 feet long. Young apple trees are planted in the yards for shade, and are bearing for the first 
 time this year. Muslin frames are used in winter time. This House is 150 feet long and contains 200 breeders all put up 
 In special matings. 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 129 
 
 go. They are willing to pay for quality and are always 
 looking for soine reliable farm to deal with. It is hard, 
 I admi?, (pardon a slang expression) "to get next" to the 
 steward, as this personage is usually hemmed in and 
 guarded as closely as the president of the United States, 
 .and when a business card with the words "Dressed Poul- 
 try or Eggs" on it, is sent down, the usual reply is, "Mr. 
 X. is very busy and cannot see you." 
 
 Dealing With Hotel Stewards 
 
 Nevertheless, perseverance has its reward and you 
 at last enter his august presence. The first question 
 which is hurled at your head is "why should I change 
 my supply as I am very well satisfied?" If you have 
 confidence in yourself and your output you at once be- 
 gin to show him why your broilers are better than those 
 of the other fellows. Then question of price arises. I 
 would say here that most of the larger, strictly high- 
 class hotels pay about the same for squab broilers, any- 
 where from $1.00 to $1.20 per pair and for broilers weigh- 
 ing IH to 1^ lbs., $1.20 to $1.60 per pair. Being a con- 
 vincing talker we will say that you are given a trial order 
 of ten pairs. When received, and if the shipment lives up 
 to your description, you have a standing order. A farm 
 cannot be too careful with each shipment made. I remem- 
 ber a case when I almost lost the contract through the 
 carelessness of my packer, by his putting in a pair of 
 broilers which were most inferior to the rest and also 
 had torn breasts. It took a good half hour on my part 
 assuring the "power that be" that this would not oc- 
 cur again. 
 
 Specimens Must Be Uniform 
 
 What is most essential is that shipments must be 
 uniform, they must be dry picked; they must not show a 
 lot of dark pin feathers and when dressed should present a 
 
 This illustration shows the pickers at work and the 
 broilers being killed by the sticking process. The tub at 
 the right Is where the broiler is thrown as soon as picked. 
 This is filled with cold water and takes out the animal heat. 
 The crate on the left is filled with cockerels awaiting killing. 
 Notice the box at the killer's feet which is filled with bran. 
 The bird hangs over this and is allowed to drip after the 
 sticking. After the shipment is made, the bran and blood 
 are mixed up in a mash and fed back to the broilers which 
 are coming on. This is greatly relished by them. 
 
 nice yellow skin, with well rounded breast and plump, 
 meaty legs. The heads are always left on with the feath- 
 ers half way down the neck. The feet and legs should 
 always be well washed and the mouth, bill and face 
 thoroughly cleansed and all signs of blood reinoved. 
 
 A great deal depends on your pickers. They should 
 be extremely careful not to tear the breast or any sec- 
 tion of the broilers, as the stewards are always particular 
 on this point. 
 
 Best Method of Killing and Packing 
 
 The best method of killing, in fact the only right way, 
 is by sticking or cutting the jugular with a long, sharp- 
 pointed knife, then allowing the bird to bleed a bit and 
 
 The above illustratic 
 box contains 20 pairs of 
 
 in paraffine paper. The boxes have holes bored in all four 
 
 rculation of air, also for a drain for 
 
 heavy sheet of parafCine paper is 
 
 ■-- then a thin layer of excelsior 
 
 the melting ice. Anothe. . 
 placed over the top broiler 
 and the lid is nailed on. 
 
 plucking at once before the feathers become set. So skill- 
 ful and quick is the expert picker, that I have seen a 
 broiler nearly featherless, jump out of the picker's lap, 
 showing that quite a little life remained. 
 
 Each broiler should be wrapped in parafiine paper, 
 for some might drip a little blood from the mouth and 
 unless thoroughly wrapped would soil the rest. Also this 
 prevents the ice from coming next to the skin, and yet 
 keeps the shipment in perfect condition. As each bird is 
 finished it is thrown in a large tub of clean, cold water, 
 in order to take out the animal heat. Before wrapping 
 each broiler's head, mouth and feet are washed and any 
 'oose feathers plucked off, so as to present a nice, neat 
 appearance. 
 
 Shipping Packages By Express 
 
 The packing box should have holes bored in the bot- 
 tom, sides and top, to allow a circulation of air and the 
 melting ice to run off. The box should also be perfectly 
 clean with no odor, and as light as possible to reduce ex- 
 pressage to a minimum. 
 
 PERISHABLE, KEEP COOL, should be printed in 
 large letters on each tag, so the Express Co. will not put 
 your shipment under a pile of other goods. In all my ex- 
 perience of shipping broilers I have never had a shipment 
 arrive in bad condition, simply through taking every 
 precaution. And I would say that the shipper cannot be 
 too careful, for it is always "up to him." 
 
 Removing the Down From Squab Broilers 
 
 A squab broiler will usually pick with quite a little 
 down showing, and we obviate this by using an alcohol 
 flame and holding the bird just far enough above this so 
 . it is not scorched and yet so all the down is taken oflf. 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 This is done before the squab is put in the tub, and it 
 will then present a perfectly smooth, clean surface. 
 
 Forcing and Fattening Broilers 
 Some farms prepare their broilers by cooping them up 
 a week or ten days before shipment and forcing them to the 
 limit with fattening foods. This is no doubt a little quicker 
 way to bring them along, but I know that many are forced 
 off their feet by this method and simply go light. I have 
 never used this method, but simply do not allow the cock- 
 erels wfhich I intend for market the unlimited range I would 
 the 'males I intend for breeders, and feed th'l^ more 
 'fattening foods, such as corn and a good fattenilig mash, 
 also feed them three times instead of twice daily. I have 
 had good success this way and never have a lot off their 
 feet and going back. If broilers are forced to the limit 
 they have to be marketed on the exact date when they 
 are ready, for if they are not, from that date they will be- 
 
 gin to lose. Shipping on a certain date is not always 
 convenient, for the hotel might have a surplus on hand 
 and wish you to delay a week. This makes it bad, for it 
 is most hard to keep them right for a week longer, es- 
 pecially if they are what we call "ripe." By the method 
 I use if we are asked to skip a week or even two, we 
 have no fear of their "going back" and simply gradually 
 cut their ration down a little which does not react on 
 their system in any way. Of course, each farm has its 
 own system of feeding and conditioning, and the one 
 which gives the best results is the one to be followed. 
 I have simply stated the one from which I derive the most 
 good. Above all things do not feed a lot of cockerels, 
 which if allowed to mature, will be sent to the commis- 
 sion house and be a losing game, but market them when 
 they are broilers and do not be content with a nominal 
 price, for the high prices are awaiting you if you will 
 only go out and make the effort to obtain them. 
 
 Ho\^ to Make White Leghorns Pay 
 
 The Story of a Saccessful Poultry Farm iu Pennsylvania, From Which the Owners Cleared $1,900 
 
 Profit in One ITear and Increased (he Original Investment of Tw^o Thousand Dollars 
 
 to Over Seven Thousand Dollars in Six Years. 
 
 Le Roy Sands 
 
 IN WRITING this article, it is my intent to tell of 
 the qualifications that I think one must possess to 
 become a successful poultryman, and also describe 
 the methods that enable us to make a net profit of nearly 
 two thousand dollars from eleven hundred S. C. White 
 Leghorns, during the past year. 
 
 In the first place, one of the first essentials for suc- 
 cess in poultry breeding is an inborn liking for the busi- 
 ness. It is plainly evident to succeed in any line that 
 we must possess a strong liking for the lines we are to 
 follow, otherwise we will fail to put forth our best en- 
 ergies, and as success is measured in proportion to the 
 efforts that we put into our business, unless it be our best 
 effort, we can not expect our full measure of success. 
 
 Poultry raising in any of its branches if followed for 
 financial ends, becomes similar to a manufacturing busi- 
 ness and the same as the manufacturer of machinery, 
 shoes, etc., requires the same application of business 
 methods in order to succeed. In other words, you must 
 keep books with your hens, charging every item of labor, 
 food, etc., and giving credit for all returns. With such 
 business methods mix a liberal amount of common sense 
 and the balance is easy. 
 
 About six years ago I decided to enter the poultry in- 
 dustry with the view of building up a business that would 
 prove profitable from a financial standpoint. I interested 
 a friend in the project and we secured a farm' of twenty- 
 two acres with a very desirable southern slope and good 
 natural drainage. The farm secured we immediately 
 erected buildings and began operations. By constant 
 watchfulness and close attention to details, our first ef- 
 forts were flatteringly successful, and we planned to in- 
 crease the plant. Each season we have made additions to 
 our buildings or equipment, doing this out of the profits 
 of this business. Beyond our original investment we have 
 never invested a dollar in the plant except that derived 
 in profits from the business. Starting with one building, 
 we now have four large laying and breeding houses, an 
 incubator cellar, equipped with a mammoth incubator; 
 
 besides several individual machines, a brooder house with 
 a hot water brooding system of twenty hovers and several 
 colony houses and brooders equipped with adaptable hov- 
 ers. In addition to this we have made extensive improve- 
 'Btents upon the farm in the way of clearing up rough 
 .fields and putting them under cultivation in order to se- 
 cure better range for our birds. We also drove a ninety 
 foot well and erected a wind mill with a storage reservoir 
 of large capacity. The water from this is piped to all 
 buildings on the farm, giving us a convenient and never 
 failing water supply. All of this and many other small 
 details have been accomplished in a period of six years. 
 Starting with an original investment of approximately two 
 thousand dollars, we now have a plant worth at a very 
 conservative estimate, seven thousand and five hundred 
 dollars, above all of this we have a neat bank balance to 
 the credit of our hens. This has been accomplished by 
 applying strict business methods, that is, by keeping books 
 with our hens, charging every dollar invested up to them 
 and placing to their credit every dollar received from sales. 
 Not only have we inci eased the original value of our 
 plant ov«r three-fold, but we have a balance to the credit 
 of the business that more than off-sets the original in- 
 vestment. So much for the financial side of the business 
 and the methods to which I attribute our success. 
 
 Houses 
 
 I will now say a few words in regard to houses; these 
 are all of the curtain front type, the design varying to 
 suit our own ideas. One of these may be seen by re- 
 ferring to the illustration on page 132. They are all con- 
 structed with three tight sides with front composed of 
 windows and muslin curtains. The curtain is placed high 
 enough above the floor so that the cold draughts can not 
 strike the birds when confined to the house. The window 
 is added to give additional light to the interior on days 
 that the weather is such that the curtains can not be 
 opened. The houses vary in width from twelve to twenty 
 feet and in length from forty feet to one hundred and ten 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 131 
 
 feet. Concrete floors are laid in each, making them prac- 
 tically rat proof and also easy to clean. 
 
 Proper housing is one essential to success, but the 
 most important is good stock. This should be of the 
 best, as more depends upon this one point than any other 
 part of the business. In starting, we secured the most 
 vigorous birds obtainable and by careful breeding, good 
 food and strict attention to cleanliness, as well as numer- 
 ous other little details that only come by experience, we 
 have kept them so. 
 
 Our plant was started principally for commercial pur- 
 poses, the breeding of birds that would produce a profit, 
 a profit on the product sold at regular market prices. 
 But as our operations extended and as our success has 
 become known, a demand has been created for breeding 
 stock, eggs for hatching and baby chicks and this prom- 
 ises to develop into a profitable branch of the business, 
 and we expect in the future by catering to the demands 
 of this trade to greatly increase our profits over those 
 shown in the past. The value of standard-bred poultry is 
 fast becoming recognized and the breeder who makes a 
 specialty of producing healthy, vigorous stock with utility 
 qualities well developed, yet keeping well within bounds 
 of standard requirements, is bound to have ready demand 
 for stock, eggs for hatching, or day-old chicks. We look 
 upon the latter as a very promising branch of the in- 
 dustry and the demand for baby chicks is already greater 
 than we are able to supply with present equipment. 
 
 Marketing the Product. 
 
 First comes the production of the product, then the 
 
 arketing. Hi 
 
 is just as essential that the little de- 
 
 tails be not overlooked as in any other part of the busi- 
 ness. It behooves us to secure the best market at the 
 best prices for our product. We ship mostly to the high- 
 class retail stores in New York City, where we receive a 
 premium over market quotations. To be sure, at some 
 seasons it is necessary that we turn a few cases of eggs 
 in to the commission man. His fee for handling these 
 is 5 per cent. This makes a slight difference in the price, 
 but the surplus has to be marketed. The prices range 
 from 2Sc per dozen in the season of plenty to 60c per 
 dozen when fresh laid eggs are scarce. To secure the 
 highest quotations, they must be strictly fresh, carefully 
 graded and clean. We use the ordinary thirty-dozen-egg 
 case and shipment is made by express. 
 
 Capacity of Plant 
 
 The housing capacity of our plant at the present time 
 is twelve hundred hens. This is the number placed into 
 winter quarters, usually this is reduced somewhat during 
 late winter and early spring by selling breeders. The 
 birds are put into the winter quarters about October first. 
 Those not used for breeders are fed for egg production 
 and are kept as long as they prove profitable. As soon 
 as they stop laying they are marketed, as it is important 
 to dispose of non-producers as quickly as possible. We 
 plan to have our stock consist of 60 per cent pullets and 
 40 per .cent hens, and have been successful in keeping 
 to about this average. 
 
 The production of eggs has averaged approximately 
 one hundred thirty-two eggs per hen for the entire flock. 
 Some selected birds do considerably better, but consider- 
 ing the size of the flock we are very well satisfied with the 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 5 
 
 k _ 
 
 
 JMK^b-j--^' .;,|' i /'T' ij^li---'' , . ^ifcH|_', i^^^^^ 
 
 ^^^^^WBlt;, ^- 
 
 L ^ n -;t « 
 
 fP'^W 
 
 '''':,.%,' ^'^''^''-m 
 
 f^- 
 
 :')l'^^^^^i^BHP^ 
 
 MlUMiii 
 
 PI-.... -.M^^ ... 
 
 A bird's-eye 
 
 jkjnmouth poultry farm. FRENEAU, N. J. 
 fair idea of 
 
 ind yards, tliough there 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 showing. The average price received for these during 
 the past year was 31 J4 cents per dozen. The sales from 
 the plant the past year reached a total of $4,400 at mar- 
 ket prices. The expenses, including feed, labor, upkeep 
 xif .plant, etc., were a little under $2,500, leaving a net 
 profit of over $1,900 for the season's work. 
 
 As both my associate and myself are engaged in 
 other iines and devote only a small portion of our time 
 to actual work on the plant, it seems to me as if this were 
 doing fairly well. This figure can be increased by increas- 
 ing the stock, which can be done with only the extra cost 
 of feed and no increase in the cost of labor. 
 
 The laying stock are housed on the unit system, each 
 flock containing from 100 to 400 head. These are pro- 
 vided with generous range during the open season, in fact 
 the range is of such size that it is never bare. The breed- 
 ing stock are kept in flocks of 20 females to one male. 
 
 breeding stock be strong, vigorous and well matured. 
 This not only has a material bearing on the hatching of 
 the chicks, but on the raising as well. All know, who 
 have had experience, that it is one thing to hatch a chick, 
 but quite another to raise it. The average hatch at our 
 plant is about 65 per cent of the eggs incubated and we 
 rear an average of 85 per cent of the chicks hatched. 
 This I consider very good and I think it bespeaks well 
 for our general conditions. 
 
 When the chicks are first hatched they are placed 
 under the hovers of a continuous hot water brooding 
 system, and are kept here until about four weeks of age, 
 when they are transferred to colony houses, which are 
 equipped with adaptable hovers. Here they are allowed 
 to range when weather conditions will permit, and this 
 system gives the best results of any tried thus far. The 
 chick is given plenty of heat during the critical period 
 and receives careful attention from the attendant. After 
 
 In the group of illustrations above is given several views of the Sands & Beilman poultry farm, Hawley, Pa. In the 
 lower picture a general view of the main buildings is to be had, on the right is the brooder house and Incubator cellar, while 
 on the left is shown one of the laying houses. This house is 110x15 feet, contains five pens in which a total of 405 birds 
 were kept during the last year. The average egg production was 148 eggs per capita from the birds confined in this house. 
 
 These are changed frequently, thus insuring high fertility. 
 The dry mash system of feeding is followed and a 
 mash composed of equal parts bran, corn meal, middlings 
 and crushed oats with 10 per cent to 15 per cent of beef 
 scraps added is used, and is kept before the birds at all 
 times. During the winter about one-fifth alfalfa is added 
 to the above. A feeding of grain is given in the morning 
 and afternoon. This is usually composed of 35 per cent 
 wheat, 30 per cent corn, 10 per cent barley, 5 per cent 
 buckwheat and 20 per cent oats. This is varied some ac- 
 cording to season and prices. These rations have given 
 us the best results and I think them the best suited for 
 our conditions and locality. In addition to these plenti- 
 ful supply of shells, grit and charcoal is always provided, 
 with a constant supply of fresh water. Many claim that 
 liberal feeding of yellow corn produces a creamy cast to 
 the plumage. I have used both kinds and from my ex- 
 perience would say that I can see no ill effects from 
 its use. ^. 
 
 Hatching and Rearing 
 
 Both the small incubators', and a Candee Mammoth 
 Incubator are used for hatching purposes, a large capacity 
 being required, owing to the rapidly growing demand 
 for baby chicks, this branch of the industry having added 
 materially to our profits during the past season. 
 
 To get good strong chicks it is necessary that the 
 
 removal to the colony houses, the close attention is not 
 required as the chick, if it be a good o.ne, is then well 
 on its way as a later profit producer. 
 
 As soon as the cockerels begin to become trouble- 
 some, they are removed to runs by themselves and are 
 marketed as broilers when the weight of three pounds 
 per pair is reached. 
 
 Practically Free Range is Given All Stock 
 
 The range is cultivated and seeded to oats, clovers 
 and grass seeds in the early spring. The clover and 
 grass get a nice start and make fine pasture for the birds 
 during the fall until the ground is frozen up. About 
 one acre of range is allowed to every one hundred birds. 
 This may be alteinated so while one is growing a new 
 crop of green food, the other may be used. With this 
 system the range is kept sweet and the evil of contamina- 
 tion that is ever present in the small yards is entirely 
 disposed of. 
 
 In conclusion, I wish to say that I think anyone 
 possessing a liking for the poultry business can duplicate 
 our success, providing they go slow and only increase the 
 business as the earnings from the plant warrant. That 
 is, do not invest every cent of profit received, but keep 
 a small balance for a working capital. It is those who 
 rush blindly into business that make failure of it. outline 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 133 
 
 your plan at the start and adhere closely to it. When we 
 started in the business we decided that only such im- 
 provements or additions should be made as were justified 
 by the earnings of the plant. 
 
 We have proven to our own satisfaction that S. C. 
 White Leghorns may be kept at a nice profit. That it is 
 necessary to make haste slowly in the poultry business 
 if success is to be your goal. That a fondness for the 
 
 business and some experience is necessary if you are- 
 to be successful. 
 
 That strict business methods are essential in this aa. 
 well as any other business if you are to succeed. 
 
 That cornmon sense is one of the main essentiafs 
 and that strict attention to the little details is an abso- 
 lute necessity. 
 
 Typical California Leghorn Farms 
 
 Winter Climate Ideal for Intensive Poultry Culture. Style of Low Cost Houses 
 Csed by Successful Egg Farmers Illustrated. 
 
 Profes 
 
 Poullry Husbandr 
 
 Static 
 
 IN the neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, there 
 are a number of poultry farms that offer favorable 
 opportunity for studying intensive methods. It would 
 be difficult to find a winter climate that was more ideal 
 for intensive poultry culture than some sections of South- 
 ern California. 
 
 One of these farms or "chicken ranches," as they are 
 called there, adjoins the city limits of Los Angeles, almost 
 within a stone's throw of the Cawston Ostrich Farm. It 
 is owned by Charles G. Weaver. It contains four acres 
 and at the time of my visit about 1,200 hens were kept 
 on it. It is located on rather a light sandy soil, not too 
 light, however, for the growth of crops, as it was the plan 
 ■ to cultivate and grow something on the land every year, 
 and at the time of my visit quite a number of the yards 
 were covered with a good growth of oats, etc. Crops 
 will grow here the year around. The yards were in sani- 
 tary condition, and there was no hard baked ground that 
 the chickens couldn't get theii toes into. 
 
 A Small Start 
 
 Mr. Weaver started in the chicken business here eight 
 years ago with 35 chickens. He bought the four acres 
 and made the first payment on borrowed money. The 
 land is now worth some two thousand dollars an acre 
 for building purposes. In 1909 he started the year with 
 500 hens, but sold them off during the summer to 325. 
 His profit that year was $1,800 above cost of feed and 
 hired help. The next year he started with 850 hens, 
 thinned them out to about 600 before the next pullets 
 started to lay, and he cleared $2,500 over feed and hired 
 help. He begins about August to kill off the hens. 
 
 The total egg yield for 1909 was 86,519. The yield for 
 the following year up to October first, was 90,870. The 
 total receipts of the farm for the first year were $6,493.31; 
 the last year, till October 1st, $5,235.48. The statement 
 showed that the receipts for eggs and poultry and the 
 receipt for breeding stock and eggs for hatching, were 
 about equal. The flock w^s bred along utility lines, but 
 he has some show birds and occasionally gets a good price 
 for them. 
 
 The highest price received for market eggs was 5Sc, 
 and the lowest 18 cents per dozen. 
 
 The best month in egg yield during the first year was 
 March; the poorest November. The second year the April 
 yield slightly exceeded that for March. While this agrees 
 with conditions in the cold eastern states, I should expect 
 were the figures obtainable, that there would be a higher 
 percentage production here in the winter months than in 
 the cold states, due to a more favorable winter climate. 
 
 The eggs were sold to retail dealers, though quite a 
 number were sold for incubation purposes at $6 per hun- 
 dred. He has secured as high as $25 for a breeding cock- 
 erel, though he makes no specialty of breeding fancy stuff. 
 
 Style of Houses Used 
 
 I want to call special attention to the style of houses 
 used on this place. The houses show that Mr. Weaver 
 has also learned the importance of fresh air in the egg bus- 
 iness. The photographs herewith show his style of house. 
 There were two houses of this kind on the place, each 
 200 feet by 12 feet. It is 4 feet high at back, 8 feet at cen- 
 ter and 6 feet at front. The front is entirely open, as will 
 be seen. The house is very cheaply constructed. Includ- 
 ing the fencing for yards and water pipe, the cost was- 
 about $360. The rafters are of 2x3-inch stuff placed 2]/^- 
 feet apart. On the top of the rafters two-inch wire net- 
 ting is placed and this is covered with sanded roofing 
 paper. The house is divided into ten sections, making- 
 each section 20 feet wide. For each section there is a 
 yard 50 feet long. Sixty to seventy hens are kept in each 
 section. There are three perches at back of house, made 
 of lx2^-inch material. Underneath the perches there is a> 
 platform to catch the droppings, but there is no floor. The 
 house is set on a cement wall. There is a tight board par- 
 tition between each section. 
 
 During the first visit I made to the place, which was- 
 about the end of February, 308 eggs were gathered in the- 
 house shown in illustration. A month later, on anotheii 
 visit, I helped Mr. and Mrs. Weaver gather 326 eggs from 
 the same house, containing 600 pullets, and took the pho- 
 tograph of the buckets of eggs. From this house the eggs 
 are all marketed. All the hatching eggs were secured in 
 another house, in which yearling hens were kept. Mr. 
 Weaver believes that the eggs from hens produce better 
 chicks than those from pullets. 
 
 STTLF: of houses USED ON CALIFORNIA POULTRY FARMS 
 
Feeding and Housing Leghorns for Profit 
 
 Best Methods aud Rati 
 
 ins for Growing Chicks from Shell to Maturity, for Laying and 
 Breeding Stock. Honsing and Yards. 
 
 IN THE October and Xovember, 1910, issues of Amer- 
 ican Poultry World a most valuable and interesting 
 White Leghorn breeder's symposium appeared, in 
 which many of the practical details of breeding White 
 Leghorns for market were discussed by experienced 
 breeders of White Leghorns. 
 
 Among these, the most important were those of feeds 
 and the methods of feeding and housing. 
 
 The answers to this symposium were received from: 
 H. F. Humphrey, New York; J. Courtney Punderford, 
 Monmouth Poultry Farm, New Jersey; Huber Bros., Wis- 
 consin; Sands & Beilman Poultry Farm, Pennsylvania; N. 
 V. Fogg, Kentucky; F. W. Christie, Wayne Poultry Farm, 
 New York; A. M. Pollard, Grandview Poultry Farm, Con- 
 necticut; H. F. Meister, Missouri; John H. Piper, Ohio; 
 R. J. Elliott, Elliott Poultry Farm, Ohio; Geo. B. Ferris, 
 Michigan; Harlo J. Fiske, New York; J. LeRoy Cunning- 
 ham, Pennsylvania; Frank Neville, Michigan; S. B. and E. 
 W. Twining, Pennsylvania; C. M. Walker, Virginia; F. S. 
 Nicholson, New York; G. L. Wheeler, New York; W. R. 
 Sperry. Christy Poultry Farm, New York; Turley & Sco- 
 bee. Kentucky. 
 
 First — State in detail the best ration and methods for 
 growing White Leghorn chicks from shell to maturity. 
 
 "Whole grain mixture morning and evening 400 lbs. 
 wheat, 200 lbs. oats, 100 lbs. corn. Dry mash in hoppers, 
 100 lbs. middlings, SO lbs. bran, 50 lbs. ground oats. Beef 
 scrap in hoppers." Frank Neville. 
 
 "Morning of third day feed dry wheat bran, keep 
 same always before them after the third day. When one 
 week old feed good quality commercial chick food in 
 litter with plenty of green stufif and a feed of fine ground 
 fresh beef once or twice a week after the second week. 
 Keep all water vessels clean with fresh water always be- 
 fore them after the first feed. After eight weeks feed same 
 as laying stock." Huber Bros. 
 
 "When twenty-four to thirty-six hours old feed with 
 johnny cake made with excelsior meal. Feed this for two 
 days about six times a day, then alternate feedings with 
 
 Feeding Time at Pine Park Poultry Fiirm, 
 
 a good commercial chick food. Our method of preparing 
 excelsior meal is 20 lbs. corn meal, 15 lbs. ground oat^, 
 10 lbs. ground barley, 10 lbs. wheat bran. At five days 
 keep dry mash before them all the time, excelsior meal 
 with 5 per cent beef scrap added. Plenty of green stuff, 
 grit and fresh water all the time. At six weeks we use 
 larger grain ration and change mash mix. Grain mix at 
 this time is 60 per cent wheat, IS per cent cracked corn, 
 10 per cent hulled oats, 15 per cent kaffir corn. Mash mix 
 is 35 per cent wheat middlings, 30 per cent wheat bran, 
 IS per cent ground oats, 20 per cent corn meal, add one- 
 tenth of bulk of good beef scrap, also can add one-fourth 
 bulk shredded alfalfa in case of shortage of green stuff. 
 It is easy matter to sprout oats which are good for early 
 chicks, later chicks should have grass runs. We prefer 
 raising all chicks in brooders. Keep everything clean, 
 disinfect occasionally." Sands & Beilman Poultry Farm. 
 "The first feed is grit, then I start in with a prepared 
 chick food which I continue until they are about three 
 weeks old, when T mix in some fine cracked corn and 
 wheat, .^fter they are old enough to leave the brooders 
 I put them in colony houses and give them free ran^'e 
 and feed them twice a day, whole wheat and cracked 
 corn with some whole oats." H. F. Meister. 
 
 "Start with some good chick food and bran always 
 before them. As soon as possible put them on cracked 
 corn (fine) and cracked wheat. When on free range feed 
 regular cracked corn and whole wheat and a balanced 
 dry mash. Plenty of fresh water and clean colonies and 
 entirely free range will produce the best of youngsters." 
 J. C. Punderford. 
 
 "First ten days, (wheat bran, dry) fine ground wheat 
 and corn, broken rice and a little millet. From ten days 
 on, cracked corn and wheat, 2-3 corn, 1-3 wheat for grain; 
 mash of 3 parts bran, 1 each of ground wheat and corn. 
 Green bone three times a week." J. LeRoy Cunningham. 
 "Cracked oats at first. Bran and meal always before 
 them after one week, commercial chick food taking place 
 of oat meal. Then to wheat aud cracked corn. Beef scrap 
 fed occasionally. Pure water always. Free range if pos- 
 sible." C. M. Walker. 
 
 "Do not feed for forty-eight hours, then a good chick 
 
 food until eight weeks old. After that equal parts good, 
 
 clean, white cracked corn, white wheat, and oats until four 
 
 months. After that plenty of beef 
 
 scraps." Harlo J. Fiske. 
 
 "Commercial chick food first week, 
 then wheat, hulled oats and a mash of 
 equal parts bran, corn meal and mid- 
 dlings. Good grass range and plenty 
 of clean, fresh water." S. B. & E. W. 
 Twining. 
 
 "We feed a prepared food from the 
 shell, with beef scraps, oyster shell 
 und grit. Plenty of green food after 
 they are ten days old." Turley & 
 Scobee. 
 
 "Corn, oats and wheat in some 
 form. Animal and vegetable foods. 
 Both wet and dry mashes and John- 
 ny cake. We have come to the con- 
 clusion that many people do not feed 
 variety enough. We find that animal 
 and vegetable foods are as essential 
 for rapid growth as are the grains. 
 The more they will eat of the proper 
 kinds of food, the faster they will 
 L;row." W. R. Sperry. 
 
 "First, good vigorous breeding 
 >tock; second, well hatched chicks; 
 third, a good chick food for first two 
 months, a good dry floor with plenty 
 of nice clean fine litter to scratch in, 
 a careful feeder who will give enough, 
 Init will not overfeed and will keep 
 them busy. A grass run is an advan- 
 
 134 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 135 
 
 tage. After two months, a dry mash before them all of 
 the time, grain feed twice a day. Later one of these grain 
 feeds is dropped." F. S. Nicholson. 
 
 "After the chicks are hatched they should not be 
 given anything to eat until they are forty-eight hours old. 
 Then they should receive a drink of water and their first 
 food. This should consist of a hard boiled egg and some 
 dry bread crumbs, crushed very fine, slightly moistened with 
 a little boiled milk. Continue with this feeding for two 
 or three days, then begin feeding a little chick food. Feed 
 the chick food four or five times a day, feeding only a 
 small quantity at a time. Start weaning the chicks when 
 they are two weeks old by adding to the chick food 
 cracked wheat, cracked corn and hulled oats. Feed all 
 grain in litter. When they are five weeks old start feed- 
 ing a mash consisting of the following ground grains — 
 equal parts wheat, bran, wheat middlings, ground oats 
 and corn meal. This should be moistened with milk 
 and fed very, very dry, the mash to be fed in the after- 
 noon in small troughs. Keep clean water, fine charcoal, 
 fine beef scraps and grit or sand before the chicks at all 
 times. If the chicks are not on a grass run, give them 
 plenty of green stuff, cabbage, lettuce, onion tops, rye 
 blades or clover cut very fine make good substitutes. Give 
 the chicks lots of room, never crowd them and keep their 
 quarters absolutely clean. When the chicks are about 
 eight to ten weeks old, put them in colony houses on 
 free range." F. W. Christie. 
 
 "We use the hot air, indoor brooder system with in- 
 door pen 5 ft. X 10 ft. and outdoor yard S ft. x 50 ft. for 
 each brooder section of 75 chicks. As soon as weather 
 permits chicks are placed in colony houses 6 ft. x 10 ft. 
 with free orchard range. Our first feed is charcoal for a 
 bowel regulator, after which we feed a high grade mixed 
 chick food, an abundance of green food, keeping fresh 
 water, charcoal and grit before them continuously. As 
 chicks mature, we change chick food to cracked corn and 
 wheat, feeding a limited amount of green bone and beef 
 scrap. With a small gasoline engine we grind our own 
 food and have thus cheapened the ration." R. J. Elliott. 
 
 "Feed nothing for forty-eight hours after hatching, 
 then scatter in litter small amount of commercial chick 
 food, gradually increasing the amount till the chicks have 
 all they will eat up clean five times a day for two weeks, 
 then three times a day, keeping before them all the tirne 
 a clean dish filled with prepared growing food. At six 
 weeks of age the chicks may be weaned from the chick 
 food, and fed intermediate chick food; at eight weeks old 
 the prepared scratch food may be substituted for the in- 
 termediate. When pullets begin to show signs of getting 
 ready to lay, add prepared dry mash to their ration and 
 continue with the scratch food and dry mash. By follow- 
 ing this system you will produce wonderful layers, and 
 your birds will be in the best possible condition." A. M. 
 Pollard. 
 
 "I use chick food for the first six weeks, also keep 
 beef scrap, grit and charcoal before them after they are 
 six days old. I scatter a little grit and charcoal on the 
 floor in the brooder from the first until they learn to eat 
 it from boxes. From six to ten weeks old I feed equal 
 parts cracked corn and wheat and from ten weeks old to 
 maturity I feed 10 parts wheat, 8 parts cracked corn and 
 3 parts oats. Green bone is used for meat food after they 
 are four months old instead of beef scrap. We raise all 
 our young birds on free range in colony houses 8 ft. x 10 
 ft. Only feed twice per day after they get out on free 
 range and give most of the food at night." N. V. Fogg. 
 
 "Our chicks always have free range after they are 
 two or three weeks old and have usually been kept in col- 
 ony houses most of the time until this age, and fed on 
 bread crumbs, hard boiled eggs, and commercial chick food 
 two or three times a week. Then we give wheat screen- 
 ings fed in alfalfa cut fine. After they are put out on 
 range, we use feeders with wheat principally for grain 
 food and they always grow healthy strong birds." 
 G. L. Wheeler. 
 
 "The ration I feed my Leghorns when first hatched 
 is sand the first twenty-four hours and the yolks of hard 
 boiled eggs up to forty-eight hours. Then give them oat 
 meal and bread crumbs, later barley and ground wheat 
 or cracked wheat fv-r four weeks, when they will be able 
 to eat whole wheat which is my standby, together with 
 
 young clover, sprouted oats and alfalfa and bran damp- 
 ened with milk." John H. Piper. 
 
 "First two weeks chick food and Spratts, with beef 
 scraps and green food always before them. Cracked corn, 
 wheat, buckwheat and oats should be added to ration 
 after two weeks." Geo. B. Ferris. 
 
 "I get the best results by feeding Spratts chick meal 
 from shell to maturity, mixed with equal parts of sifted 
 ground oats and wheat bran, also feed whole corn, wheat 
 and oats, with all the side dishes, including meat scraps, 
 charcoal, grit and green stuff." H. E. Humphrey. 
 
 Second — State in detail best ration, care and man- 
 agement for White Leghorn laying and breeding stock. 
 
 "Too long an answer to tell properly here. Base of 
 our feed is wheat, cracked corn, buckwheat, hulled oats 
 with bran, corn meal and middlings and beef scrap in 
 mash. Lots of cut clover hay or alfalfa." S. B. & E. W. 
 Twining. 
 
 "Ration: — Morning, very light feed of grain (2 parts 
 cracked corn, 1 part wheat, 1 part oats) scattered in deep 
 litter. Dry mash before them after 2 P. M. only. Night 
 feed, same grains in same proportions as morning feed, 
 fed liberally. Oyster shell, beef scraps, charcoal, grit and 
 good pure water before them all the time; also cut clover 
 in hoppers before them at all times in. winter, also for 
 fowls not on free range in summer. Care, deep litter 
 provided once a month, drop boards cleaned every day 
 without fail, nest material changed every two weeks, oil 
 roosts every two weeks, sprinkle lice powder in nests 
 when nest material is changed." A. M. Pollard. 
 
 "For breeding stock I use 10 parts wheat, 7 parts 
 cracked corn and 3 parts oats. This food is fed in litter 
 morning and night and green food and bone at noon. 
 For layers, we use the grain mentioned above in litter 
 morning and night. Feed green food at 11 A. M. and a 
 mash at 2 P. M. containing the following: 10 parts wheat 
 bran, 5 parts ground oats, 1 part wheat middlings, 3 parts 
 corn meal and about 17 parts green bone." N. V. Fogg. 
 
 "During the winter months our feed consists of a 
 warm morning mash of equal parts of ground oats, corn 
 and wheat bran, a noon feed in litter of a mixed feed of 
 oats, wheat, buckwheat and sunflower seed, and a night 
 feed of chopped corn. As the weather warms, the warm 
 mash is done away with and oats and wheat fed in place 
 of the corn. We feed plenty of cabbage, rutabagas, etc., 
 and feed ground green bone three times a week." R. J. 
 Elliott. 
 
 "Spratts food mixed with equal parts of ground oats 
 and wheat bran every other day. I think wheat the best 
 egg producing grain, with a little corn and oats. Pure 
 water three times a day and always cleanliness, which is 
 'next to Godliness.'" H. E. Humphrey. 
 
 "Morning feed: Corn, wheat, buckwheat. Afternoon: 
 Spratts food mixed with bran and cornmeal with beef 
 scraps. Oats constantly before them. Feed liberally, but 
 make them take plenty of exercise." Geo. B. Ferris. 
 
 "As our breeders have free range, we have to provide 
 only grain, which is principally wheat, and surely this is 
 nature's conditioner for healthy stock." G. L. Wheeler. 
 "Ration, winter: Whole grains, wheat, cracked corn 
 (2 parts), white oats, barley and buckwheat. Ground 
 grains for making mash: wheat bran, wheat middlings, 
 corn meal, ground oats and linseed meal, (old process). 
 Green food: cabbage, mangels, alfalfa, clover. Animal 
 food: beef scrap and ground bone. Keep the scratching 
 sheds littered with clean rye or oat straw 6 inches deep. 
 "The first thing the birds should receive in the morn- 
 ing after they come off the roost, is a drink of warm water, 
 this to be followed up immediately with a feeding of 
 hard grain, two handfuls for each bird, or if you choose, 
 the hard grains may be fed in the evening after the 
 fowls go to roost. At 10 A. M. give each pen a head of 
 cabbage or two or three mangels; split the mangels in 
 two. At 11 A. M. give the birds another drink of clean, 
 warm water. At 2:30 P. M. start feeding the mash, to 
 every four quarts of mash used, steam one quart of alfalfa 
 or clover, and add to the mash. Mix very dry and serve 
 warm. Keep in hoppers before the birds at all times, 
 beef scraps, oyster shell and grit. Feed ground bone 
 twice a week if you can procure it at a reasonable figure. 
 
136 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 the litter every 
 
 Remove droppings every day 
 two or three weeks. 
 
 "Ration, summer, from May 1st to October 1st: Omit 
 the buckwheat in the hard grains and use only one part 
 corn. In the mash food omit the linseed meal and alfalfa 
 •or clover and mix same with cool water or skimmed milk, 
 ifeed very dry. In place of straw in the scratching sheds 
 use sand. Feed all hard grains in the yards, that is to 
 say, scatter the grain around the yard. For green food 
 use fresh cut clover and sprouted oats. Beef scraps, char- 
 -coal and oyster shell and grit before the birds all the time. 
 Give the birds cool drink- 
 ing water twice a day. 
 Plow up the yards every 
 fall, and sow to rye and 
 clover. Don't allow any 
 birds in the yards until the 
 rye is five inches tall." F. 
 W. Christie. 
 
 ■"Our method is a dry 
 mash always before them. 
 During the cold weather 
 they have a warm mash 
 about 10 o'clock, a light 
 feed of grain about 1 
 o'clock, and a heavy feed 
 of grain at night, enough 
 so there will be some left 
 in the litter for morning. 
 The mash used is some- 
 what similar to that used 
 by the Maine Experiment 
 Station; consider oats and 
 corn two best grains." F. 
 5. Nicholson. 
 
 '•'We find that with a 
 'slight variation the best 
 'ration for laying and breed- 
 ing stock is the same as 
 for chicks." W. R. Sperry. 
 
 "White Leghorns are the 
 easiest chicks in the world 
 to raise, they are born 
 hustlers and require very 
 little attention. We feeil 
 in hoppers during the sum- 
 mer and in litter after they 
 go into their laying quar- 
 ters." Turley & Scobee. 
 
 "I use wheat, corn and 
 oats wholly, with plenty of 
 beef scrap and green food." 
 Harlo J. Fiske. 
 
 "Dry Mash before them 
 all the time. 100 lbs. bran. 
 100 lbs. meal, 50 lbs. mid- 
 dlings. Beef scrap fed by 
 itself. Wheat in litter in 
 morning, cracked corn in 
 litter at night. If penned, 
 green food must be sup- 
 plied. Pure water. Drop- 
 pings removed regularly." 
 C. M. Walker. 
 
 "Mash composed of bran, 
 ground corn, white mid- 
 dlings, ground oats, equal parts, fed in morning, ^ the 
 bulk steamed alfalfa or clover. In summer clover or alfal- 
 fa is green. Other two feeds use corn, wheat, buckwheat, 
 barley and oats. 10 to 12 pounds beets to each 100 hens. 
 Green bone three times a week, omitting grain food when 
 we feed bone." J. LeRoy Cunningham. 
 
 "My laying stock I feed a mash in the morning com- 
 posed of oat bran middlings, ,\ small quantity of beef 
 scrap. I feed just enough so they will eat it up clean in 
 about a half hour. At noon I feed a light feed of whole 
 wheat, which I throw in deep litter. Late in afternoon 
 
 1 give another feed of grain, about 1 part whole wheat, 
 
 2 parts of cracked corn." H. F. Meister. 
 
 "Give them good clean, dry quarters, plenty of fresh 
 water and all the fresh green stuff you can in case fowls 
 .are yarded. Dry mash before them, mixed as follows: 
 
 GJfAND CENTRAlFAimNeWYOEffBIL 
 
 35 per cent wheat middlings, 30 per cent wheat bran, 35 
 per cent cornmeal, add 1-10 bulk of beef scrap, 1-4 bulk 
 alfalfa shredded. Shells and grit before them. Charcoal 
 also is a good thing. We occasionally mix some fine char- 
 coal in the mash. Grain morning and night of following 
 mixture: Wheat SO per cent, cracked corn 25 per cent, 
 oats 15 per cent, buckwheat 10 per cent. Feed in good 
 litter," 
 
 "Hatch all breeding males with hens; be sure all 
 breeders are first-class in every way. Give your breeders 
 the best of everything you have to give, free range if pos- 
 sible; fine rt=ults can also 
 be had with yarded fowls 
 if proper care is given 
 them." Sands & Beilman 
 Poultry Farm. 
 
 "For layers, morning 
 feed, different whole grains 
 alternated each morning. 
 Green food at noon and a 
 mash at night, slightlv 
 moistened with skimmed 
 mlk (heated) . Plenty of 
 fresh water, oyster shell 
 and grit. Mash made of 
 different ground grains and 
 beef scrap. For breeding 
 stock, same as above, ex- 
 cept dry mash instead of 
 moistened." J. C. Punder- 
 ford. 
 
 "Grain in litter in morn- 
 ing, evening 100 lbs. of 
 wheat, 25 lbs. of corn; hop- 
 per feed oats, bran and 
 beef scrap; at noon, finely 
 cut clover steamed, mixed 
 with middlings." Frank 
 Neville. 
 
 "From 15 to 25 birds in 
 one pen, allowing 3 ft. per 
 bird, 4 is better, with good 
 ventilation, no drafts. 
 Morning feed, good com- 
 mercial scratch food; noon, 
 green food, such as cab- 
 bage, mangels, etc.; night 
 feed, 2-3 oats, 1-3 wheat, 
 keeping good grade com- 
 mercial breakfast mash al- 
 ways before them in dry 
 food hoppers. We have 
 found the above the cheap- 
 est and it produces eggs 
 when eggs are highest." 
 Huber Bros. 
 
 Third — What kind of 
 houses do you recommend 
 for White Leghorns and 
 how much space per bird? 
 "Open air houses to hold 
 about 15 to each pen, pen 
 to be 12x16 ft." Harlo J. 
 Fiske. 
 
 "Open front, 6 square 
 feet." Turley & Scobee. 
 about S square feet of floor 
 
 A graceful and stylish young male, with fine comb an 
 d points, well furnished tail carried at the proper angli 
 : excellent body lines. One of stars of the White Leghor 
 5ses exhibited in 1911. 
 
 "Fresh-air hous 
 space per bird." W. R. Sperry. 
 
 "Shed roof house, 5 ft. in back, 9 ft. in front, 16 ft. 
 wide, with about half of the south front open. 4 square 
 feet." C. M. Walker, 
 
 "Have various kinds. Our best laying flock last win- 
 ter had house room of 10x12 ft. for 40 birds, house had 
 opening in front 15 in. high and about two thirds the 
 length of the house. This was closed only on a very few 
 occasions when the wind blew a storm in, or it was extra 
 cold. Next house built will be an open front." F. S. 
 Nicholson. 
 
 "Large size Tolman house for breeding stock, 100 
 to 125 in each fiock. For layers, partly open front with 
 curtains." J. LeRoy Cunningham. 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 13T 
 
 "Scratching shed house with a roosting room that 
 can be closed. Not less than S sq. ft. floor space per bird." 
 Geo. B. Ferris. 
 
 "Good warm houses with open fronts have proved 
 satisfactory with me. Allow 5 sq. ft. per bird. H. E. 
 Humphrey. 
 
 '.'Continuous houses for laying birds, 25x12 ft., divided 
 into two compartments, one as a scratching shed, the 
 other a roosting room. For breeding birds the houses 
 should be 12 ft.xl2 ft. All windows covered with muslin. 
 Not less than 5 sq. ft." F. W. Christie. 
 
 "I have been using the oidinary shed roof house 
 here in Missouri, but I expect to use the Wood's open- 
 front house hereafter. I allow 4 sq. ft. of house room per 
 bird." H. F. Meister. 
 
 "As our birds are kept mainly at the stock barns 
 on different parts of the farm, do not feel competent to 
 say just how much space a hen should have." G. L. 
 Wheeler. 
 
 "Open-front houses. Our houses are 110 ft. long, 
 divided into five pens IS ft. x 20 ft. with feed roorn 10 ft. 
 X 15 ft. Two windows in each pen and one curtain 3j4x 
 10. Give the fowls about 4 sq. ft." Sands & Beilman 
 Poultry Farm. 
 
 "Open-front houses and about 1 square foot per bird." 
 J. C. Punderford. 
 
 "Houses 16 ft. X 100 ft. for 500 to a flock. Good ven- 
 tilation but no open front." S. B. & E. W. Twining. 
 
 "Open-air type, allowing 5 sq. ft. per fowl." Frank 
 Neville. 
 
 "We use both the continuous breeding and colony 
 house, allowing plenty of fresh air, but use curtain front 
 roosts in cold weather." R. J. Elliott. 
 
 "For layers, a house any length desired and from 16 
 ft. to 18 ft. deep, with partitions every 9 or 10 ft., will 
 give good results. For layers I allow from 3 to 4 sq. ft. 
 space per bird. I use houses 10 ft. x 12 ft. for 1 male 
 and 12 females for breeders." N. V. Fogg. 
 
 "My houses are 14 ft. square for scratching room, 7 
 ft. X 12 ft. for roosting, with a 7 ft. x 7 ft. scratching room. 
 This accommodates IS females and 1 male bird." John 
 H. Piper. 
 
 "Wooden structure with alternate glass and muslin 
 windows, the muslin windows to be open by day and 
 closed at night in severe weather." A. M. Pollard. 
 
 Fourth — What kind of yards and how much space 
 per bird? 
 
 "Yards small, 50x75 ft. «or 100 head." J. Leroy Cuiv- 
 ningham. 
 
 "Yards 100 ft. long and as wide as pens inside. For 
 laying stock free range if possible." J. C. Punderford. 
 
 "Two yards of one acre each used so as to keep sweet 
 and have grass in one all the time. Grow corn in the 
 other each summer, which produces a crop and gives, 
 shade in hot weather." S. B. & E. W. Twining. Uti 
 
 "Yards are 27 ft. wide by 125 ft. long, with plenty' 
 of shade. Yards and house room are all the same size, 
 with canvas fronts for ventilation, that is, from scratching 
 room to roosting room, with top ventilation to scratching 
 room." John H. Piper. 
 
 "All our breeders have big grassy yards, equal to free 
 range. I do not think the size of yard used for layensi 
 has anything to do with their laying, just so it is kept 
 pure." N. V. Fogg. 
 
 "Our breeding yards average 100 square feet to the 
 bird, densely covered with mature plum trees; our laying 
 birds have free orchard range." R. J. Elliott. 
 
 "All the room in yards you can give them, but not 
 less in any numbers than 30 sq. ft. Double yards if pos- 
 sible." Sands & Beilman Poultry Farm. 
 
 "The larger the better — not less than 100 sq. ft. per 
 bird. Runs back and front of houses are the best." F. 
 W. Christie. 
 
 "We have never yarded our Leghorns." F., S. 
 Nicholson. 
 
 "Long narrow yards, 80 sq. ft. yard room." C. M. 
 Walker. 
 
 "Free range." A. M. Pollard. 
 
 "Yards enclosed with 5 ft. fence, allowing 300 sq. ft. 
 per fowl." Frank Neville. 
 
 "We yard our birds as little as possible, preferring 
 to give them all the range possible." W. R. Sperry. 
 
 "30 ft. X 100 ft. for each 100 birds if possible, much 
 less just as satisfactory. Our fences are 8 ft. high." 
 Huber Bros. 
 
 "Free range." Harlo J. Fiske. 
 
 "Our yards are SO ft. x 100 ft. We allow about 15 to- 
 20 sq. ft. per bird." Turley & Scobee. 
 
 "I usually have yards of one-eighth of an acre for 15 
 birds." H. F. Meister. 
 
 "Wire netting 6 ft. high and all the space you can 
 give them." H. E. Humphrey. 
 
 "Large enough to supply them with grass during the 
 summer." Geo. B. Ferris. 
 
 Feeding For Best Results 
 
 Correct Feeding of Leghorn Chicks from Shell to Market as Sqnab Broilers, or to Maturity as Layers 
 
 and Breeders. What to Feed and How to Feed. Balanced Rations of Whole, 
 
 Cracked and Ground Grains for Special Purposes. 
 
 Editor's Note;— Feeding poultrv for profit is a science based on a thorough linowledge of the conditions favorable 
 for the most rapid growth of the chiclcen from the day it is hatched until it reaches the market or laying stage. These 
 conditions are exemplified in the two vital factors in practical poultry raising, viz:--the foods and the feeding. The 
 proper blending of the grains in the daily rations can only h.,- accomplished Ijy careful experimenting and this Involves 
 years of patient study and keen observation before results of real practical value are obtained. The most thorough and 
 comprehensive feeding tests with whole grains, dry mashes and scratch foods, made up to the present time are those 
 conducted by Charles E. Adair on the Cyphers Company Poultry Farm. Buffalo, N. Y. The results obtained from the 
 feeding of different rations to growing chickens and laying hens, as well as the gram formulas used by Mr Adair are 
 reprinted bv permission in this chapter, in a somewhat condensed form, from the latest and most complete bulletin on. 
 "Poultry Foods and Feeding," written by Grant M. Curtis, President of the Cyphers Incubator Company. 
 
 CHICKS ought not be fed at all during the first thirty- 
 six to forty-eight hours after they are hatched. 
 This is true, whether they are hatched under a hen 
 or in an incubator. If hatched by a hen, the instinct of 
 the hen teaches her to remain on the nest until all the 
 chicks are out of the shells and they have had time to be- 
 come thoroughly dry. If your chicks are hatched in an 
 incubator, leave them in the nursery space or drawer forty- 
 eight to seventy-two hours, the temperature of the nursery 
 to be held at about 98 degrees the first day and at 95 de- 
 
 grees the second day. By this means the chicks get used 
 to the 95 degrees and when two days old will be 'hardened" 
 somewhat and ready for the brooder temperature. Mean- 
 time by a wise provision of Nature, all the food that each 
 chick needs will be supplied to it from the yolk of the 
 parent egg that in the latter stages of the development 
 of the chick embryo is enclosed in the chick's body. 
 
 The newly hatched chicks should not be fed or 
 watered in the incubator. When they are thirty-six to 
 forty-eight hours old, place them in a brooder that has 
 
138 
 
 THE LEGHORN'S 
 
 been heated up at least twenty-four hours, thus making 
 sure of its being dry and warm. Have the hover-covered 
 space heated to 95 degrees before the chiclts are put in, 
 as shown by a trustworthy thermometer, the bulb of 
 which is located just above the backs of the chicks. The 
 chicks will raise the temperature three to five degrees 
 when all are under the hover, but do not attempt to lower 
 the heat on this account. Maintain the hover-s'pace tem- 
 perature at as near 95 degrees as you can the first week, 
 gradually dropping to 90 degrees by the fourteenth day, 
 and to 80 degrees by the twenty-first day. For the balance 
 of the time the chicks are in the brooder, run the hover- 
 space temperature at 75 degrees. These temperatures are 
 for the hover-space when the chicks are outside. Always 
 keep the hover-space sufficiently heated so that the chicks 
 can warm up quickly. 
 
 The First Day 
 
 After the chicks have been in their new "home" an 
 hour or two, snug and warm underneath the hover, coax 
 them out and give them their first meal, consisting of one- 
 third stale bread, one-third rolled oats (or oatmeal) and 
 one-third hard-boiled eggs, using shells and all (infertile, 
 mis-shapen, soft-shelled, thin-shelled eggs etc.) mixed 
 with sweet milk if you have it to spare, otherwise with 
 water. Mix crumbly, not sloppy, adding a little chick- 
 size grit or sharp sand and feed all the chicks will eat 
 at each meal. Boil the eggs fifteen or twenty minutes, 
 so the yolks will be mealy. It is a good plan to sprinkle 
 a small quantity of chick-size grit of clean, sharp sand on 
 the nursery food after it is spread out for the chicks to 
 eat. Feed five times during the day, about every two and 
 a. half hours from 7 A. M. to 5 P. M. in late winter and 
 early spring. As the season advances and the days grow 
 longer, it will pay to give the chicks their first feed at 6 
 or 6:30 A. M. Late in the season some poultrymen feed 
 newly-hatched chicks six times a day while they are on 
 nursery foods entirely, giving the first feed at 6 A. M. and 
 the last one at 5 P. M. Feed all that the chicks will eat 
 up clean in a period of fifteen to twenty minutes, seeing 
 to it without fail, that the smaller and weaker ones get 
 their fill. Hard-boiled eggs may be omitted from this 
 nursery food, or pin-head oats can be substituted for the 
 rolled oats or oatmeal, but our choice for best results is 
 the formula as given. Stale bread can be obtained at any 
 bakery, the usual price being one cent per pound. If you 
 have it to spare, give your chicks sweet milk (whole or 
 skimmed) to drink the first week, using drinking dishes 
 that will keep it out of their eyes. If the milk gets into 
 the corners of the chick's eyes it will ferment there and 
 cause sores. Dishes should be kept clean and sweet smell- 
 ing. In the absence of milk, use fresh, pure water, sup- 
 plied in chick-size drinking founts, or shallow vessels 
 arranged so that the chicks can not get wet and thereby 
 become chilled. Dip the bills of a few chicks in the water 
 and they will teach the others to diink. For use on Cy- 
 phers Company Poultry Farm we buy sweet skimmed 
 milk at the rate of 15 cents pei eight gallons. It would 
 be cheap at 25 cents per eight gallon can as compared 
 with water. 
 
 CAUTION: — In feeding chicks and ducklings for best 
 results, make sure, first to last, that they do not get any 
 musty grain or sour food to eat. This is a matter of vital 
 importance. Musty grain (musty to your sense of smell) 
 will at once cause bowel disorder, stunting the growth 
 and resulting in heavy mortality. Sour food is even more 
 harmful. It will cause diarrhoea in little chicks within 
 
 forty-eight hours. Do not feed frozen vegetables 
 to young chicks — nor to adult fowls. Clean all 
 nursery food dishes after each meal — also scrape the feed- 
 ing boards and dispose of the leavings beyond the reach 
 of the chicks or ducklings. Many thousands of valuable 
 chicks are lost every season by carelessness in feeding 
 musty grain and by allowing little chicks to eat various 
 wet mixtures that have started to ferment under the 
 action of the sun's rays. Skim-milk curd, separated from 
 the whey and pressed dry, is a valuable food for young 
 chicks, after they reach two weeks old, but we advise our 
 customers not to use sour milk for little chicks. Sour 
 milk at best is a troublesome article to handle and it 
 pays better to use all milk (whole or skimmed) while 
 sweet. If a supply of milk should turn sour, convert it 
 into curd, discard the whey and feed the curd sparingly 
 by itself or mix it with ground-grain mash food composed 
 of 
 
 30 lbs. Corn Meal 
 
 10 lbs. Red Dog Flour 
 5 lbs. Beef Scrap 
 5 lbs. Bran 
 
 10 lbs. Cut Clover or Alfalfa. 
 Do not feed first sweet milk and then sour milk, as this 
 plan is almost sure to result in serious bowel disorders. 
 Mash food of any kind that is fed moist (crumbly wet) 
 to chicks should be given sparingly, or they will over-eat. 
 This is equally true of home-made "chicken cake" and 
 various moist or wet mixtures. 
 
 The Second Day 
 
 Feed the home-made nursery food as above recom- 
 mended, and while the chicks are eating this food, sprinkle 
 upon it a small amount of high-grade commercial chick 
 food and also sprinkle a little of this food on the litter 
 nearby that covers the biooder or runway floor, which will 
 start the chicks picking at it and scratching for it. A 
 good chick food can be prepared with the following in- 
 gredients; 
 
 30 lbs. Crushed or Clipped Wheat 
 20 lbs. Coarse Corn Meal 
 10 lbs. Hulled Oats 
 10 lbs. Pinhead Oat Meal 
 10 lbs. Crushed Kaffir Corn 
 5 lbs. Cracked Rice (Split Rice). 
 
 To this six-grain, well granulated, balanced-ration 
 chick food, add about one per cent, (by measure), of 
 chick-size grit, mixing thoroughly. Feed in this way five 
 times daily, the same as on the first day, sprinkling a 
 little of the chick food before the chicks on the nursery 
 food at each meal and scattering a handful in the litter 
 nearby. During these two days, after each feeding, push 
 the chicks back under the hover and let them come out 
 later on of their own accord, one or two at a time, in 
 which case they will know enough, as a rule, to go back 
 to the heat. If the chicks are being raised in a brooder 
 house, be sure to place a six or eight-inch board on edge, 
 about a foot away from the front of the hover, so that the 
 chicks will be kept near the source of heat and, therefore, 
 can find their way back to it. In the limited space of the 
 brooding chamber of a separate or individual brooder, the 
 use of a "chick guard" during the first two or three days 
 should not be necessary, unless there are cold corners 
 where the chicks are liable to huddle and remain away 
 from the heat until they become chilled, in which case a 
 si.x or eight-inch guard made of inch or half-inch mesh 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 139 
 
 poultry netting, located near the hover curtain, will con- 
 fine them within safe limits. Brooder chicks have a bad 
 habit of huddling and dozing in the sun's rays near the 
 window and of moving along as the sun spot moves, until 
 the spot disappears, then they are liable lo remain where 
 they are instead of going under the hover. This natural, 
 but dangerous habit, must be guarded against until the 
 little chicks learn to use their "foster mother." 
 Each time you see them huddling in the sun 
 spot during the early days of their brooder life, tuck them 
 underneath the hover, where they can sleep in safety. 
 During this time the chicks need heat, food, drink, rest 
 and sleep — and the rest and sleep are almost as helpful 
 as the other three factors. The first two or three days 
 there is no better place for the chicks to spend their time 
 "between meals" than under the hover, provided this space 
 — their sleeping quarters — is well ventilated and free from 
 drafts. 
 
 The Third Day 
 Give only two meals of the nursery food, supplying an 
 increased amount of dry, granulated chick food, which 
 now should be scatteied broadcast over the litter and 
 stirred into it. Do not neglect to clean the drinking dishes 
 — especially if you are using milk. Pure, fresh water is 
 essential to chick health and rapid growth. A safe rule 
 is to rinse out the drinking dishes at each feeding and 
 refill them with fresh, clean water. Keep a large vessel 
 of water near at hand for this purpose. Many successful 
 poultry raisers start their chicks on the finely-granulated 
 chick food and do not give them any form of nursery 
 food, but we use the nursery food on Cyphers Company 
 Poultry Farm, as here recommended, and have found that 
 it pays to go to the extra trouble. Another successful 
 plan, if the caretaker does not wish to bother with the 
 nursery food, is to use in its place stale bread crumbs 
 (not musty), merely moistened with sweet milk. Feed 
 the same as directed for the nursery food. 
 
 The Fourth Day 
 
 Discontinue the nursery food and use chick food ex- 
 clusively, feeding it by the deep-litter, "scratch-to-live" 
 method as hereinafter described, or as near to this labor- 
 saving, health-promoting, money-making plan as you can 
 ^ome, depending on how you are brooding your chicks. 
 Beginning on the fourth day, supply the chicks all the 
 green food they will eat and continue to do so until they 
 are ready to go on range or to be fattened as broilers, 
 friers or roasting chickens. Start the green food sparing- 
 ly, especially if it is new-grown and full of juice. Early 
 in the season use finely-cut cured alfalfa or clover. Later 
 on, as the chicks increase in size, coarser short-cut alfalfa 
 or clover can be used, also sprouted oats, garden greens, 
 short-cut lawn clippings, etc., though lawn clippings are 
 liable to be tough and less satisfactory. Lawn grass 
 should be cut to one-fourth inch lengths for small chicks, 
 or it may pack in their crops. Lettuce grows bountifully 
 in limited space and is unexcelled as green food for little 
 chicks, but should be fed sparingly until the chicks get 
 used to it. New clover, cut when the plants are 4 to 6 
 inches high, then chopped or put through a clover cutter, 
 makes a fine green food for chicks of all ages. Tender 
 beet tops are good. So are dwarf Essex rape. Swiss chard 
 and kale, especially if fed when young and tender. These 
 greens are excellent for older chicks and for adult fowls. 
 Steam all alfalfa or clover by pouring boiling water on 
 it, using as much water as the amount of alfalfa will take 
 up or absorb. Cover the vessel and allow the alfalfa to 
 
 cool, then feed on boards or in shallow dishes. To get 
 young chicks to eat steamed alfalfa or clover, mix to a 
 crumbly mass with some form of ground grain, such as 
 wheat bran, middlings, ground oats, or the growing mash 
 given to chicks on the first day. One part bran and one 
 part middlings, or one part of each of the three ground 
 grains, mixed with once or twice their total bulk of the 
 steamed alfalfa will make an appetizing green food mash. 
 Once or twice a day feed as much of this mixture as they 
 will eat up clean before leaving it. Other green food 
 should be cut up fine while the chicks are less than a 
 week old; later on, they can pick it to pieces and will 
 benefit by the exercise. Chicks are greedy for 
 sprouted oats and no better green food is available 
 early in the season. If your chicks at any stage of their 
 growth, have not been getting green food, or if you change 
 the kind of green food to something they like better, be 
 sure to begin with a small quantity and feed sparingly for 
 two or three days until they get used to it, otherwise 
 scours and more serious bowel disorders will result. 
 
 Fifth ana Sixth Days 
 
 Feed the same as on the fourth day. Unless the weather 
 is severe, allow the chicks to run outdoors after the fourth 
 day, even if there is snow or ice on the ground, but they 
 must be taught to find their way back into the brooder 
 house or brooder. Extra care should be used in this 
 connection until the chicks learn to go to the heat when 
 they need it. They will not remain out of doors to a 
 harmful extent during bad weather — not after they have 
 learned the way indoors. Driving them in half a dozen 
 times, doing this before they have had a chance to get 
 cold, will teach them the way. After starting the deep- 
 litter method, or a modification of it, still continue to 
 visit the young chicks two or three times daily to make 
 sure they are getting along all right — that they have not 
 developed the habit of huddling in cold corners and are 
 not bothered by enemies, such as rats, cats, etc. Newly 
 hatched chicks entrusted to double-apai-tment brooders 
 should be taught to find their way from the exercising 
 apartment to the warm brooding chamber, to keep them 
 from huddling in cold places. They learn quickly. Herd- 
 ing them two or three times from the exercising apart- 
 ment into the brooding chamber will serve the purpose in 
 a properly constructed brooder. 
 
 The Seventh Day 
 
 Discontinue the milk, if you have been using it in 
 place of water, and from this time on keep an ample 
 supply of pure, fresh water before the chicks all the time. 
 On the seventh day begin giving them beef scrap in small 
 quantities, feeding it in a hopper to prevent waste, or on 
 a board or in open dishes. At the start an ounce or so 
 for thirty to forty chicks fed twice daily is about right for 
 healthy, vigorous chicks. See that the smaller and weak- 
 er chicks get their share. Beginning with the second week 
 —about the fourteenth day — keep beef scrap before the 
 chicks in a self-feeding hopper all the time and let them 
 eat what they want. 
 
 If chicks are hatched late in the season, after vegeta- 
 tion gets a good start, and are on range (with a mother 
 hen, for example), where they can get a goodly supply 
 each day of worms, bugs and insects they do not need 
 other "animal" or meat food, but if chicks are raised in 
 limited quarters, or early in the season, it is necessary to 
 furnish this food in some form, and unquestionably a good 
 grade of commercial beef scrap is the least expensive and 
 most convenient way to meet this close-quarters or out- 
 
140 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 of-season requirement of chick health and normal growth, 
 lit simply is a case of the owner or caretaker having to 
 •do for the chicks what Nature can not do at this time of 
 :yezT, or under conditions imposed by the poultryman. 
 -Another important point is this: Even when chicks and 
 <owls have quite a large yard or space in which to range, 
 ithey are very liable to exhaust, in a few days, the limited 
 supply of worms, bugs, etc., in which case they soon show 
 the need of meat food in some other form. The same 
 is true of what might be called the natural supply of grit 
 and shell-forming materials. To give a dozen or more 
 brood hens the range of a farm is one thing; to raise the 
 .«ame number of chicks or several hundred chicks in re- 
 rstricted quarters, is a very different matter. When chicks 
 are raised or fowls are kept in confinement, the suc- 
 cessful poultryman finds it necessary to supply the green 
 food, meat food, grit (chicken "teeth") and shell-forming 
 materials that the birds require and can not obtain other- 
 lyise. 
 
 Sixth Week 
 
 Give the chicks nothing else up to the sixth week, 
 'except charcoal. Chicks a week old crave charcoal, and 
 when it is first given to them will stand at the hopper and 
 eat until white chicks look black. Charcoal aids digestion 
 and prevents sour crop and bowel trouble. The safe plan 
 is to keep chick-size grit and chick-size charcoal before 
 them from the first, supplying both in a self-feeding wall 
 hopper to prevent waste. Fed in this way, the little chicks 
 can begin eating finely-granulated charcoal when they 
 need it and will not take a wasteful amount. 
 
 Remember, that if best results are to be secured, 
 ■young chicks must not be overheated or allowed to chill. 
 Both cause diarrhoea and expose the chicks to head and 
 lung colds. Fifty to seventy-five per cent of all bowel 
 trouble in young chicks comes from chilling or overheat- 
 ing, and most of the other cases result from incorrect 
 feeding. The day of the self-regulating brooder and 
 brooding hover is here to stay. Newly hatched chicks 
 cannot stand being exposed to changes in hover temper- 
 ature, ranging from ten to forty degrees in as many hours, 
 •which often will be the case if the brooding hover is not 
 self-regulated. Even when self-regulating brooders are 
 used out-doors, they should be placed in the shade, other- 
 wise the temperature on warm, sunshiny days will go be- 
 yond the danger point — well above one hundred degrees 
 for example. Do not try to raise chicks in warm weather 
 without shade. Cloth or burlap tacked on frames or nailed 
 to stakes will answer early in the season. Later on, grow 
 sunflowers in clumps or rows, or plant corn in hills and 
 rows, thus allowing the air to circulate freely on hot, 
 sultry days. Be sure that the ground of an out-door, 
 small-space chick run does not become foul from too long 
 use or from neglect. If yard space is limited, frequent 
 spading and seeding will freshen the ground. If there is 
 room to do so, use a hand or horse plow. Seed with oats 
 or rye, oats preferred. Where yard space is available, 
 out-door brooders should be moved to new ground at the 
 end of each two or three weeks. 
 
 Deep-Litter Feeding of Chicks 
 
 Ideal deep-litter feeding of young chicks, as strongly 
 recommended by us, consists in using eight inches of 
 finely-cut litter in the coop, house or indoor runway oc- 
 cupied by the chicks, but the plan can be modified for use 
 in any size or style of indoor or outdoor brooder by 
 burying chick foods in two to four inches of litter on the 
 floor of the brooding chamber or exercising apartment. 
 
 and this modified form will give good results, though not 
 as much food can be buried at one time in the shallow 
 litter, and therefore, the saving in labor is not so great. 
 
 Ideal Form 
 
 If your chicks have an indoor runway or exercising 
 pen, proceed as follows: Cover the entire floor of the pen 
 with two inches of good litter, short-cut alfalfa or clover 
 prefeired, but hay-mow chaff, cut hay or straw will serve 
 the purpose. Then scatter over this fifteen pounds of 
 finely granulated chick food, next repeat with two inches 
 more of litter, then fifteen pounds more of the food, until 
 you have eight inches of litter and sixty pounds of food 
 in a pen that is meant to accommodate fifty chicks. We 
 do not advise more than fifty chicks in one flock, though 
 seventy-five can be kept together in safety during the first 
 few days. This supply of food will last fifty chicks about 
 six weeks, on the average, together with the beef scrap 
 and green food that is to be supplied. The litter need 
 not be changed during the six weeks. The amount of 
 litter here recommended will remain free from odor a much 
 longer period. Five or six inches of litter for chicks up 
 to fourteen weeks of age will give as good results as eight 
 inches, except that you will have to feed oftener. The 
 chicks should go to bed with full crops. If in doubt about 
 the matter, feel of their crops at night and if they are not 
 well filled, put some more food in the litter. 
 
 Modified Form 
 
 If your chicks are housed in a brooder used out of 
 doors, so that it is better to feed them inside the brooder, 
 especially while they are small, proceed as follows: Cover 
 the floor of the brooder with an inch or two of finely-cut 
 litter, then scatter over this three pounds of chick food; 
 next add another inch or two of litter, then scatter three 
 pounds more of the chick food and cover this with a lib- 
 eral sprinkling of litter. A quart of chick food weighs 22 
 ounces, therefore, three quarts weigh about four pounds. 
 The larger the brooder the more food you can bury in the 
 litter at each feeding. The six pounds here mentioned 
 will last fifty chicks three to five days, the time shortening 
 as the chicks grow older and eat more. Changing the 
 litter once a week is often enough if two inches of litter 
 are used, and once in two weeks if four inches are used. 
 If individual brooders — outdoor or indoor pattern — are 
 used indoors, the chicks should be given a runway out- 
 side the brooder, in which case the feeding should be done 
 in eight inches of litter placed in the runway, as directed 
 in the foregoing paragraph. Early in the season outdoor 
 brooders can be used indoors to advantage, especially in 
 the case of newly-hatched chicks, but the chicks should 
 be induced to exercise freely in dry, well-lighted, fresh-air 
 quarters where they are protected from the drafts. Making 
 them work for all the grain food they get to eat, is the 
 only practical way to compel chicks to take this exercise 
 while they are kept indoors. The same urgent need for 
 life-giving, body-building exercise exists when chicks have 
 only a limited outdoor runway. In all such cases we must 
 provide enough exercise to take the place of the all-day- 
 hunting on range for seeds, bugs, tender green shoots, 
 etc., if we are to raise profitable numbers of healthy, 
 vigorous, large-framed, well-feathered chicks — the kind 
 that grow rapidly, and develop into prime specimens for 
 any use to which we may decide to put them. To chicks 
 that are being raised in outdoor brooders feed the beef 
 scrap, grit and charcoal in hoppers or open dishes placed 
 in exercising apartment. The use of hoppers will prevent 
 a 25 per cent waste. 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 141 
 
 The difference between deep-litter fed and hand-fed 
 chicks is very noticeable. The deep-litter "scratch-to-live" 
 chicks have longer bodies, sturdier legs, are better feath- 
 ered, are healthier and possess greater vitality. They are 
 mostly frame and muscle, while the hand-fed chicks, to 
 which is thrown several times daily all the food they will 
 eat in a few minutes, are soft in flesh, feather out too fast 
 for the growth of the body, are inclined to be inactive, 
 seem droopy after meals, catch cold more easily and de- 
 velop bowel trouble more often than is the case with 
 deep-litter fed chicks. 
 
 For a period of six years we have tested the two 
 methods side by side on Cyphers Company Poultry Farm, 
 all other conditions being equal, and in every experiment 
 the advantage has been clearly in favor of the deep-litter 
 feeding, as judged by the greater number and better quali- 
 ty of chicks raised, without considering the highly im- 
 portant saving in labor and food. The labor item is re- 
 duced fully one-half and, surprising as it may seem, there 
 is 20 to 30 per cent saving in feed. 
 
 Feeding by this work-or-go-hungry plan, we can take 
 six, eight, ten, twelve, fourteen or twenty-weeks-old chicks 
 and by special fattening — a simple process requiring four- 
 teen to twenty-one days' time — can secure tweniy to twen- 
 ty-five per cent more weight in the form of squab broilers, 
 broilers or roasters, than can be obtained by the use of 
 hand-fed chicks of equal ages, while as for layers and 
 breeders, in which size, vitality and perfect health are es- 
 sential to best results, the hand-fed chicks are not in the 
 same class with the big-frame, closely-feathered, vigorous 
 specimens produced by the busy-chick, healthy-chick, deep- 
 litter method. The principal gain, as regards heavier 
 weights, comes from the larger frames that can take on 
 and carry more meat, but additional to this are the better 
 health and extra vigor of the deep-litter-fed chicks which 
 enable them to digest and assimilate more food during the 
 special fattening period. 
 
 Right Care and Correct Feeding to Get Largest Possible 
 Egg Yield 
 
 Layers, as the word is used here, means pullet-hens 
 that are selected, fed and handled with the sole object of 
 getting the largest possible egg yield per layer between 
 the date on which each pullet lays her first egg in mid-fall 
 and the time when these "forced" egg producers start to 
 molt as yearling hens the following summer. 
 
 In breeding and handling these heavy-laying pullet- 
 hens it is not a question of fertile eggs, or of parent values 
 to be transmitted to chicks, because the eggs laid by these 
 birds are to be sold for table use and they will "keep" 
 longer and give better satisfaction if they are sterile or 
 "germless." To run male birds with layers of table eggs 
 is a waste of food, room and labor — furthermore, the pul- 
 lets and hens will lay more eggs in a given length of 
 time, other conditions being the same, if there are no 
 males with them. The period of greatest egg production 
 in the life of a hen, if she is handled right with this object 
 in view, is between the ages of five to six months, when 
 she starts laying and the time, ten to twelve months later, 
 when she enters her first molt. Successful egg-farmers 
 aim to bring the pullets "into laying" in October and 
 November, when the prices for new-laid eggs range high- 
 est on account of the natural scarcity, and they strive to 
 keep them laying at the rate of forty to fifty eggs per day 
 from each one hundred layers up to February 1st, and at 
 the rate of sixty to seventy-five eggs per one hundred 
 hens thereafter until molting time. First to last, they plan 
 and feed with the object of forcing from these layers as 
 
 many eggs as possible by the time they are sixteen, seven- 
 teen or eighteen months old, depending on the breed 
 and early start at laying, at which age, when they are 
 about to rrjolt and stop laying, the owners sell them as 
 market poultry, either live or dressed. In this case eggs 
 are the one thing sought, everything else being sacrificed 
 to that end, but generally the egg-farmer is able to sell 
 the laid-out-hen for as much as it cost him to bring her 
 to the laying period the summer and fall before. 
 
 To insure having these heavy layers at work during 
 the time when their eggs will bring the highest prices, 
 hatch the chicks, as a rule, during March, April or May. 
 June hatched chicks (also late May chicks) can be brought 
 to laying in November, before the severe cold weather ar- 
 rives, but these late-hatched chicks usually will require 
 special feeding in the form of wet-mash and an extra 
 supply of green food. 
 
 Chicks from which the heavy layers are to be obtained 
 should be kept on deep litter and made to work for all 
 they get to eat in the form of cracked or whole grain; 
 Here again we must have large frames, perfect health and 
 great constitutional vigor, if our "egg machines" are to 
 do the work expected of them. In heavy layers we re- 
 quire long, deep bodies, breed and size considered, so 
 that there will be ample room fpr the vital organs and 
 for record egg production. When fourteen weeks old the 
 chicks are to be placed on range, or given as large an 
 out-door runway as can be provided conveniently. It is 
 time now to separate the sexes, as a general rule, unless 
 you have done so at a younger age, as will be the case 
 if you are handling Leghorns and have learned the ad- 
 vantages of disposing of the surplus cockerels as squab 
 broilers, or as pound to pound and a half broilers. The 
 young pullets will do much better if yarded by themselves 
 in flocks of thirty to one hundred, depending on the size 
 of the yard and of their roosting quarters. 
 
 While on range, prior to about September 1st, feed 
 the pullets all alike, but when they are eighteen to twenty 
 weeks old, cull out of each flock any small, backward 
 specimens, place these under-sized pullets by themselves 
 and proceed to "force" them by feeding one or two meals 
 each day of wet mash, made by mixing with the growing 
 or fattening mashes as recommended for chicks on the 
 first day with water, also feeding some form of green 
 food that is rich in protein. For this purpose there is 
 nothing else so good as short-cut alfalfa. One meal daily 
 of the wet mash fed at the noon hour will answer the 
 purpose as a rule, but if the pullets are extra backward 
 give two meals in mash form each day. The object is to 
 get these birds to eat more of the stronger food — a food 
 that is fed in a ground or pulverized state, of which oats 
 and meat meal form a prominent part; also a food that 
 is eaten by the chicks in such shape that they get the full 
 balanced ration, which is not the case when whole grain 
 or cracked grain is fed and they can pick out what they 
 like best and leave the rest in the litter or hopper. 
 
 Late-hatched chicks — June and late May chicks — will 
 need to be "forced" in the same manner if they are to 
 be brought to laying before the cold weather interferes. 
 To these late hatched pullets feed one or two meals daily 
 of the wet mash, as above directed, and be extra careful 
 to see to it that they have an abundance of nourishing 
 green food — all they will eat of it. Bear in mind that in 
 mid-summer natural vegetation is well advanced, has 
 passed the tender, appetizing stage — which is one of the 
 main reasons why late-hatched chicks become stunted in 
 growth and prove inferior to chicks that are hatched at a 
 
142 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 time when natural vegetation is in the best form for their 
 use. Lack of tender vegetation and summer heat form a 
 combination that is too much for young chicks to combat 
 successfully. If late-hatched they must have our help, 
 both in the way of tender green food in ample amount 
 and plenty of shade to protect them from the summer 
 sun. 
 
 Feeding the Layers 
 Put the layer-pullets into winter quarters by October 
 1st to 15th. (we name this period as an average for the 
 entire country), on six to eight inches of good scratching 
 
 STANQARD-SIZE EGGS 
 
 market, where smaller eggs are discounted in price. Pullet 
 eggs range smaller naturally than those laid by mature 
 hens of the same breed or variety, but individual pullets and 
 hens of the same breed and flock also lay eggs that vary ten 
 to twenty per cent in size and weight; therefore, in order 
 to develop a strain that will produce large-sized eggs on 
 the average, all persistent layers of small eggs among the 
 breeders should be discarded. This should be the practice 
 also in the case of pullets or hens that lay misshapen eggs 
 of any description. 
 
 litter, and feed as follows: For the morning meal use 
 coarsely-granulated scratching food, composed of the fol- 
 lowing grains: 
 
 25 lbs. Cracked Corn 
 
 40 lbs. Wheat 
 
 20 lbs. Kaffir Corn 
 
 10 lbs. Oats 
 5 lbs. Buckwheat 
 
 54 lb. Sunflower Seed 
 burying it deep in the loose litter. At noon feed a lay- 
 ing mash prepared as follows: 
 
 100 lbs. Wheat Bran 
 40 lbs. Corn Meal 
 
 40 lbs. Middlings 
 SO lbs. Beef Scrap 
 
 1-3 of Bulk of Alfalfa 
 3 lbs. Salt 
 mixed to a crumbly wet state with cold water. To this 
 wet mash, before feeding, add about thirty per cent of 
 short-cut alfalfa or clover, also five per cent of high 
 protein beef scrap, a bit of salt and one per cent of fowl- 
 size grit, mixing thoroughly. Percentages are by meas- 
 ure, not by weight. Alfalfa is a valuable egg food and 
 gives the desirable rich color to the yolk. The alfalfa or 
 clover should be steamed before using by having boiling 
 water poured on it. Pour on as much water as the alfalfa 
 or clover will take up readily, cover the vessel and allow 
 the contents to steam until luke warm, then add to the 
 mash. It is a good plan to let the alfalfa or clover steam 
 over night. The greener-looking and more tender it is, 
 the better the fowls will like it and they can not eat too 
 much of this food. Alfalfa will soak up water to the ex- 
 tent of about one-half its own bulk. Once a week or 
 oftener add one per cent of charcoal to the mash. 
 
 For the evening meal feed scratching food again in 
 
 litter, feeding enough so that there will be some left for 
 
 the fowls to begin on in the early morning when they 
 
 come off the roosts. In winter time feed as early in the 
 
 morning as convenient and supply the evening meal at 
 
 least an hour before dark, giving the birds enough time 
 
 to fill their crops. In spring and summer feed the 
 
 scratching food about 7 A. M. and 5 P. M. Shake up the 
 
 litter about three times a week with the foot or a fork so 
 
 the grain will work well down into it and the fowls can 
 
 move it to good advantage. Keep the litter dry. If it 
 
 gets wet and is allowed to pack, the grain is liable to 
 
 become musty. In scratching, the fowls work with their 
 
 heads to the light and the litter will need to be 
 
 loosened up and thrown or kicked back toward the 
 
 vvindows. 
 
 Keep the laying mash before the heavy layers all 
 the time in hoppers, also a constant supply of high pro- 
 tein beef scraps, fowl-size grit, charcoal, crushed oyster 
 shells. Look closely after the supply of fresh, clean 
 water and be vigilant against the presence of lice or 
 mites. 
 
 Amount to Feed Layers 
 For each layer allow three ounces of the scratching 
 food per day, or eighteen pounds per one hun- 
 dred layers per day, feeding one and one-half ounces 
 per hen at the morning meal and the same quantity for the 
 evening meal. A quart of scratching food weighs 27 to 28 
 ounces. 
 
 Of the noon feed, consisting of the laying mash that 
 is fed crumbly-wet, give the layers of any breed or variety 
 all they will eat up clean in a period of fifteen to twenty 
 minutes. Allow about a pint for each ten fowls at the 
 first feeding and if they eat this, give them a further sup- 
 ply, about half as much more. Do not feed more than 
 they will eat up clean. Wet mash that is left in the 
 troughs or dishes over night is liable to sour and it is 
 fatal to heavy egg production to allow the layers to eat 
 sour food that will ferment in their crops, or to feed them 
 musty or damaged grains which will result in scours and 
 
 BELOAV STANDARD SIZE 
 
 White Leghorn eggs that average 19 ounces to the dozen 
 would grade about 20 per cent lower in price in New York 
 City and other central markets than the standard-size eggs 
 shown above. 
 
 other bowel disorders. These record layers must be kept 
 in prime condition if they are to yield the greatest profit. 
 Keep the laying mash and beef scrap before them all the 
 time (dry form) in waste-proof hoppers, so that any of 
 the birds that do not get their fill each day of the wet 
 mash (including birds on nests at noon hour) can go to 
 the hoppers at will and help themselves to this special egg- 
 forming ration. 
 
 Some kind of animal or meat food is absolutely neces- 
 
THE LEGHORNS 
 
 143 
 
 sary to a heavy winter egg yield and a good quality of 
 beef scrap is by far the most economical and convenient 
 form in which to supply it. Other forms in common use 
 are ground or cut green bone and chopped or ground 
 fresh meat. Table scraps are excellent, but very limited 
 in supply. Fowls will turn away from beef scrap and go 
 fairly wild over cut green bone or chopped raw meat, but 
 as a rule these ai tides are costly, when the labor of pre- 
 paration is included. Tainted green bone or meat must 
 not be fed to poultry on any excuse. 
 
 Often the addition of animal food, such as beef scrap, 
 to the feeding ration of layers or should-be layers, will in- 
 crease the egg yield 25 to SO per cent within two weeks 
 time. On the other hand, if the caretaker runs out of 
 beef scrap, or other animal food, there is certain to be a 
 decrease in the egg supply within a very few days. In 
 case the layers have been without animal food several 
 days, it is advisable to begin refeeding it gradually, other- 
 wise they are sure to over-eat, causing bowel trouble. 
 Make as few changes as possible in the feeding ration. 
 Any sudden or marked change will at once cut down the 
 egg yield. Feed as here directed, which insures variety, 
 and you will obtain best results. All persons are invited 
 to test this method most thoroughly, in competition with 
 any other successful plan. 
 
 The thirty per cent of short-cut alfalfa that is added 
 to the laying mash that is fed n crumbly-wet form will 
 give the heavy layers all the winter green food they 
 actually require, but still they will greatly relish other 
 green food in the form of mangel wurzels, sugar beets, 
 turnips, carrots, apples, etc. Cull apples are first class. Be 
 sure to feed beets, turnips, etc., in a manner to induce 
 exercise. The active hen is the happy hen — the kind that 
 sings and lays the eggs. A good plan is to cut the beets, 
 turnips, etc., in halves or quarters and hang up by use 
 of a coarse string or wire, so that the fowls will have to 
 reach for the food and follow it as it swings back and 
 forth. Sprouted oats are unexcelled as a winter green 
 food for chicks and adult fowls. 
 
 While the pullet-hen is about it she ought to produce 
 a standard size egg — an egg that will run twenty-four 
 to twenty-five ounces to the dozen in fall and winter, and 
 27 to 28 ounces to the dozen during the spring and 
 early summer. In order to produce large-sized eggs, as 
 well as lots of them, she must be big in frame for the 
 breed, deep-bodied, in the best of health and possess the 
 constitutional vigor to stand the strain of converting the 
 daily supply of food into a pile of eggs which, if kept 
 intact for the year of her greatest performance, would 
 weigh six to eight times more than she does — a truly 
 remarkable, but oft-repeated achievement of the Leghorn 
 breed of Standard-bred domestic fowls. 
 
 Handling Breeding Stock 
 It is from the breeders that you want fertile eggs 
 that will produce large, strong, vigorous chicks. To get 
 chicks of this kind the parent stock must be large-framed, 
 strong constitutionally and in excellent health. In order 
 to secure parent stock of this quality we must give the 
 birds time to develop normally without any "forcing," 
 must house them in comfortable, sanitary quarters, must 
 keep them busy to a healthful extent and must supply 
 them with the food elements that are required to pro- 
 duce bone, sinew, flesh and feathers in the natural, health- 
 protecting way. 
 
 When "on range" chicks and fowls, especially during 
 the spring, summer and fall, can do a good deal to help 
 themselves — to offset any neglect of the owner or care- 
 
 taker in the way of supplying grit, green food, shell-form- 
 ing material, etc. These free-range chicks and adult fowls 
 also find for themselves a healthful variety of food ele- 
 ments in the form of waste grain, seeds, wind-fall fruit, 
 etc., and they spend hours each day, hunting for animal 
 food in the shape of worms, bugs and insects. But in all 
 cases where chicks and fowls are confined indoors, or in 
 limited quarters, it is necessary for the caretaker to sup- 
 ply the various food elements that the birds can not find 
 for themselves, including shell-forming material and 
 "chicken-teeth" in the shape of hard, sharp-edged grit. 
 
 In the first place, be sure that the breeders are housed 
 in clean, dry, comfortable quarters, especially during the 
 cold, stormy months of each year, also that they have a 
 reasonable amount of outdoor freedom on pleasant days 
 and during the open season — spring, summer and fall. Do 
 not fail to have their house dry and the roosting space 
 free from drafts in the late fall, winter and early spring. 
 
 Do your best to give the breeder liberal yard space 
 with grass, rye, oats or at least soft, fresh, clean earth 
 under-foot — also shade that they can go to when they 
 need it. Poultry manure is strong; bare, hard ground soon 
 contaminates; the hot sun over-heats the blood, and when 
 we confine valuable breeders in small, bare yards we not 
 only interfere with egg production, but seriously endanger 
 the health, vigor and lives of the "foundation" of our 
 entire poultry enterprise. The days of 2x4 poultry yards 
 for valuable breeders are numbered, because the public 
 is getting thoroughly tired of eggs sold for hatching that 
 will not hatch, and of buying weakly chicks. For shade, 
 plant corn in rows or sunflowers along the fences or in 
 clumps. Better still, set out plum, peach, cherry or apple 
 trees. Plum and peach trees will give you shade the third 
 year, cherry trees the fourth or fifth year, and apple trees 
 a year or two later, depending on soil, climate and variety. 
 
 Raising Big-Framed, Healthy, Vigorous Breeders 
 
 Chicks that are to be developed into breeders can not 
 be handled and fed to better advantage than by the deep- 
 litter, scratch-to-live method. Six weeks of age is too 
 early, as a rule, to tell which of these chicks you wish to 
 reserve as breeders, therefore at this age "wean" them to 
 a good developing food, consisting of 
 
 30 lbs. Wheat 
 
 20 lbs. Cracked Corn ' 
 
 10 lbs. Kafifir Corn 
 
 10 lbs. Hulled Oats 
 until they are fourteen weeks old, then turn the prospect- 
 ive breeders out on range, placing them in colony houses 
 or large-sized roosting coops, if convenient, and continue 
 to give developing food, keeping the growing mash and 
 high-prctein beef scrap before them in hoppers all the 
 time, also supplying green food, grit, charcoal and fresh, 
 clean water. While these chicks are on deep litter, allow 
 them to run outdoors on clean, healthy ground and be 
 sure that they have plenty of shade. 
 
 Do not feed wet mash in any form to these prospective 
 breeders during the growing se.ason, unless some of them 
 should be late-hatched or under-sized, and you desire to 
 force their growth somewhat. As a rule, however, you 
 are not in a hurry with their growth, nor to have them 
 come into laying. We want big frames, according to the 
 breed; we want bodies large enough to contain normal- 
 sized, healthy, vigorous organs, but we have eight to nine 
 months during which to build up these breeders— eight or 
 nine months from May 1st of each year, for example, be- 
 fore we wish to have the well-matured pullets begin lay- 
 
144 
 
 THE LEGHORNS 
 
 ing in the breeding pens the following January and Feb- 
 ruary. Separate the sexes at fourteen weeks of age, if 
 this has not been done previously in picking out surplus 
 cockerels to be sold as squab broilers, broilers or friers; 
 cull out all cockerels and pullets that you think of using 
 or selling as table poultry or of reserving as forced layers, 
 and aim to give the prospective breeders, males and fe- 
 males, the safest and otherwise best quarters that you 
 have for the season's crop of young stock, because these 
 birds are, or should be, your most valuable youngsters. 
 
 Put the breeder-pullets into winter quarters during 
 October, on the average, or before winter weather arrives, 
 but do not place the male brids with them until shortly 
 before you want to begin using eggs for hatching pur- 
 poses. These winter quarters should have outdoor run- 
 ways for use on pleasant or quiet days. On stormy days, 
 especially during severe cold weather, the best place for 
 the breeders is indoors, provided the houses are dry and 
 well ventilated. 
 
 From this time on, until you wish to start the heavy 
 yield of eggs to be used for hatching purposes, feed as 
 follows: 
 
 Give three meals daily of scratching food morning, 
 noon and night, at the rate of one ounce per hen each 
 meal, burying this dry-grain balanced ration food in eight 
 to ten inches of loose litter. Keep before the fowls in 
 hoppers all the time the growing mash, high-protein beef 
 scrap, adult-size grit and charcoal, also a constant supply 
 of fresh, clean water and once daily — morning, noon or 
 mid-afternoon— give them all they will eat of a green food 
 mash made up of nine parts steamed short-cut alfalfa and 
 one to two parts of the growing mash, using enough of 
 the latter to hold this crumbly-wet food together so the 
 birds will pick at it. Sprouted oats are an excellent green 
 food for these prospective breeders, but their use repre- 
 sents more labor and expense. Handle the breeding males 
 in practically the same manner. 
 
 To stop or prevent early laying by the breeders, sim- 
 ply move them from one house or pen to another, repeat- 
 ing this if necessary. 
 
 Feeding for Fertile Eggs 
 Mate your breeding pens not less than two weeks 
 before you wish to begin setting the eggs or selling them 
 for hatching purposes. Three or four weeks is still better 
 unless the eggs are extra valuable. 
 
 Now that the time has come when you want fertile 
 eggs and lots of them, feed scratching food in deep litter 
 twice a day, morning and evening, allowing an ounce and 
 a half (weighs 27 to 28 ounces to the quart) of this grain 
 food per hen at each meal and give the breeders a noon 
 meal of crumbly-wet mash, consisting of 
 
 20 lbs. Red Dog Flour 
 
 20 lbs. Bran 
 
 30 lbs. Corn Meal 
 
 5 per cent Beef Scrap 
 to which is added thirty per cent of steamed short-cut 
 alfalfa or clover, five per cent of high protein beef scrap 
 and one per cent grit, this food to be mixed with water- 
 tepid water in winter and cold water during warm weather- 
 Each time add a bit of salt and two or three times each 
 week add one per cent of charcoal to this crumbly-wet 
 mixture. Percentages are by measure. Feed this mash 
 in shallow troughs and give the breeders all they will eat 
 up clean in a period of fifteen to twenty minutes at each 
 meal. In feeding mashes of any kind, care should be ex- 
 ercised not to over feed. 
 
 Fertile Egg Mash 
 
 Additional to the foregoing, keep a fertile egg mash, 
 consisting of 
 
 20 lbs. Red Dog Flour 20 lbs. Wheat Bran 
 
 30 lbs. Corn Meal 30 lbs. Ground Oats 
 
 in dry form before these fowls all the time in waste-proof 
 hoppers, also beef scrap, grit, charcoal and crushed oyster 
 shell. By this means hens that are on the nests at the 
 time the noon meal is fed or that do not obtain their fill 
 of crumbly-wet mash during the fifteen or twenty min- 
 utes it is before them, can go to the hoppers at any time 
 and get what they want of the fertile egg mash, beef scrap, 
 etc., and.it is important that they should have this chance 
 if all members of the flock are to lay large-sized eggs 
 and plenty of them. 
 
 Be sure to supply green food daily in some palatable 
 form. A green food mash composed of nine parts steamed 
 short-cut alfalfa and one or two parts of egg mash, fed 
 once daily, preferably at the noon hour, is urgently rec- 
 ommended. Sprouted oats are excellent; turnips, carrots, 
 beets, etc., will answer the purpose. 
 
 Poultry keepers who wish to do so can omit the wet 
 mash, simply feeding the scratching food in deep litter, 
 egg mash (dry) and beef scrap in hoppers and using the 
 green food mash (nine parts steamed short-cut alfalfa and 
 one to two parts egg mash), or giving them green food 
 in some other form and this plan will produce rich, strong- 
 ly-fertile eggs, but not as many of them per layer during 
 the important period from January or February to the 
 end of the hatching season. To increase the egg yield, 
 supply one meal daily of a crumbly-wet mash, composed 
 of ten parts egg mash and three parts of steamed short- 
 cut alfalfa, mixed thoroughly and left before the breeders 
 fifteen to twenty minutes. 
 
 Another practically sure way to increase the egg 
 yield where pullets or hens are a bit backward, is to "add 
 variety" by giving them once each day a moderate amount 
 of cut green bone or finely-chopped fresh meat. This will 
 "rest them" from the beef scrap to which they have been 
 accustomed from the early days of chickhood, and they 
 will respond quickly. However, in case of large flocks 
 this plan is not practical on account of the extra labor and 
 expense. 
 
 Given strong, healthy parent stock, the chicks that are 
 raised as advised in this article and that are fed and 
 managed (in their capacity as breeders) as here directed, 
 will produce large-sized eggs, rich in nourishment — eggs 
 that if fertilized by a vigorous male will give you the kind 
 of chicks that "have the kick in them," the kind that under 
 proper care will grow steadily, in fact, rapidly from shell 
 to market age or to maturity. You want large-sized eggs, 
 rich in nourishment, because these factors are necessary 
 to large-sized, healthy chicks. Nature is compelled to 
 build the chick with the materials you supply. A small 
 egg means a small-sized chick and a "lean" egg — an egg 
 deficient in nourishment — means a weakened chick or one 
 more that will die in the shell. We wish that every reader 
 of these lines could fully realize that it is of the utmost 
 importance that the breeders shall be right and that the 
 hatching eggs shall be right, provided success is to be 
 achieved and profits are to be made in any branch of the 
 poultry business as a stock-growing industry. Without 
 such breeders, and such eggs, the hope of permanent suc- 
 cess and of satisfactory profits will prove to be a will-o'- 
 the-wisp, first to last. 
 
 Healthy, vigorous breeding stock that is properly 
 handled means "hatchable" eggs, and it is a true saying 
 that "chicks well hatched are half raised."