Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1850-07-06
Corrcsp
II. b. MAssER, Esq,
Ded, Sir:

For the advantage of your readers, furn-
lsh you with letter received by me, few
DAYS since, on the subject Of Domestic
Poultry. The writer, as the letter indi-
Gates, is gentleman of learning and ability,
who has given much time and attention to
this important and interesting branch Of
rural economy.
AS the facts stated by him have general
bearing and apply with equal force TO the
breeding of all animals, they have an inter-
est and a value beyond their immediate
purpose and will doubtless be read with
pleasure by all who aim at the progression
and advancement of science, in whatever
form it may appear.
Yours, truly.
KENsINGToN, PHILADELPHIA COUNTY,
Junc 22d, 1850
DEAR SIR Your favor of 10Th inst, is
just received, and having few leisure mo-
ments, will at once briefly respond 10 your
obiging inquiries.
My views have been somewhat modified
with regard TO the different breeds and va
rieties of Domestic Poultry since writing
those letters, extracts from which, presume
you have seen in Dr. Bernci's 'Pouliry Book.
For all practical purposes, now consider the
pure Skaaghae fort, of whatever variety eN-
cepting the rhitc as decidedly the fowl. 1t
is sufficiently well described in the book in
question. The Cochin China fowl is perhaps
not quite 50 accurately described, or portray
ed At the time Of the getting out Of the
book there were but few genuine birds OF
that breed in the country, and they were so
young, as not 10 show fairly all their points.
have a few of the stock there depicted, and
expect in few weeks to receive Il coop from
a London faucier. am not yet prepared TO
say much about these fowls, further than,
that they are nearly allied in every respect
to the Shanghaes-perhaps little SMALLER
The comb wattles, plumage, forms of the
wings size, hue and form of the egg all agree
in every particular.
Good Shanghacs at maturity will average
about IS lbs per pair, say the hen lbs
and the cock 10 lbs. | have a pair that
weigh 20 lbs, the male weighing - lbs. Ii
would be difficult 10 get pure Shanghae
hen 10 90 over lbs, In this, as in oil pure
breeds, there is considerable difference be-
tween the size of the males and females.
disposed of pullet, "A puiiet mind ye, that
had not laid her fist egg, and she weighed
IL. lbs. She was brown Chittazong-the
result OF crossing Malays and other large
fowls from the South of China, and yet
would not give good Shanghae pullet for Il
coop-full of such for breeding from. The
stock from which she came was so crossed,
hat although she was brown and bred 10 4
like crossed brown cock, some Of her chicks
would come white; some black; and some
speckled and many not come at all! Nay so
far as | have been able to ascertain facts,
mongrels or hybrids that are at all fertile, are
only saved from being posterityless by their
progeny rapidly reyerling TO the type OF one
parent or the other. No intermediate race
is founded, but things tend to 90 on, as they
did originally, or they cease to go on at all.
This is even the case with rurieties, as well
as with distinct species. Ii is well known 10
breeders that one of the difficulties with
which they have to contend is what they
technically term 'crying back" Mr.. Dar-
wins discovery; the result Of his great indus
try and experience, that 'the reproductive
system seems far more sensitive 10 any chan
ges in external conditions, than any other
part of the living economy" confirms my
suspicion of the extreme improbability of the
orignation of any permanent, intermediate
reproductive breed by hybridising. 1t would
thus seem, that as far as those organs are
much changed, from their normal condition
in one or other parent, (which we may sup
pose, shown by the fact of their producing
young resembling not themselves but their own
parentsl they are fertile; but when so chan
ged as 10 be incapable of producing such
young, they do not produce at all. AT least,
this is the way in which | am disposed to
interpret the fact The dissection of fer
tile hybrid and the comparison of its repro
ductive system with that of either parent,
might throw some light upon the question,
but il would be nice undertaking, The
fact must appear sufficiently obvious that
such a number of lusees and hybrids have
been produced in the course of ages to stock
the wSrld with an infinite variety of forms,
had not that class of mongreis and heteroge-
nous beings been in themselves of a COM
paTatively unproli6c and transitory nature.
But must hold up. find myself boring
you with my views on breedings, instead of
assigning as was my purpose, some reasons
for avoiding mongrels and not crossing.
| shall not be able TO spare you pair of
the Grey Chittagongs. | sent the only pair
had a few days ago to Charleston, s. c. |
am entirely out of that variety now, with the
exception of few mixed fowls the progeny
of the Grey and darker variety, which would
not be worth their freight 10 your place.
As for the Shanghaes, leeching, etc, they
are generally caught up and taken of, as soon
as they are fealhered sufficiently 10 be out OF