Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-11-26
THE FARM AND HOME.
WHAT cONSTiTU rES A THOR
oUGHRRED FOWL.
fhe Fowl That Breeds Truly-shorthorn
Dairy Cows-Clover In Grain Stub
ble-PouItry Pickinss and
Home Hints.
a Thoroughbred Fowl.


We have but to go back far enough
to fud unless naturalists are sadly
mistaken. that all of our domestic
fowls are descendants OF one wild
species and hence of one blood. Aud
we have but TO consider the fact of
variation and selection to ascertain
how from this one species so many
distinct breeds and still more numer-
GUS var. cites have been derived. With
many OF our breeds we have to go back
but comparatively few years TO know
how they originated.
Take the Plymouth Rock for illustra-
! ton says writer in the Country
Gentleman. Not so very many years
ago it originated in cross OF the
Dominique and the Black Java Since
its origination il We can trust human
testimony corroborated by many OF
the fowls characteristics there has
been added to the Dominique and Java
| blood the blood OF the BrahmaS both
/ light and dark, rs we'll rs that OF sew
eral other breeds. And yet this fowl
made up OF mixed blood. and this
mixture added to by still other for
eign blood, lays claim to be considered
thoroughbred fowl. And why?
(, Simply because it breeds truly. The
great majority of its chickens have
the characteristics of their parents
characteristics that are common 10
| the breed-similar size. shape car.
riage plumuge comb and the like
II we concede to the Plymouth Rock
"a thoroughbred character. and this IS
done by the most intelligent breed
ePs to adopt the language OF Mr.
Webb then we cannot deny a thor.
oaghbred character TO any other breed
or variety which reproduces with fidel-
lty the breed OF variety characteristics.
even though we can prove. instead OF
assuming without prooi-as is alto.
gether too common among many OF
the most intelligent breeders that
1t has an admiNture OF foreign blood.
1t is not how a fowl originated but
how il breeds that is the test OF its
| thoroughbred character.
five apply this test to the Leghorns
we shall find that the most strictly
/ thoroughbred variety are the black
and the white with little to chose be.
tween them. while the brown though
one OF the Oldest does throw chickens
with white feathers in the fights.
and thus does not breed a5 truly 10
| color rs the black or white and the
( newer varieties are certainly not to
be compared with these three. IL
would hardly be fair however. to
expect parti. colored fowl to breed
/ so truly rs u self-colored one and 10
| breed characteristics the Brown Leg
horn breeds rs truly as the other
I arites In breed characteristics tho
black. the white and the brown can
/ safely be put upOC the same plane. but
in variety characteristics l. O.. IN
/ color the blacks and the whites lead
SO you see. I'm willing 10 help MIR
Donnell out little.
Unless we adopt such test as the
one here proposed we shall have a
great deal OF difficulty in claiming a
thoroughbred character for not few
breeds. For example not only the
] Plymouth Rock but the Wyandotte in
all its varieties the Jersey Blue the
Dominique. the Dark Brahma the
Andalusian the Houdan. the Creve-
cEur La Fleche the Colored Dork.
ing the seven varieties OF exhibition
| games. the Russian. with perhaps
others have at some time In their his.
tory had an admtxture OF so-called
| foreign blood. But we. as well as all
Of the most INTEL gent breeders - do
not hesitate to call these fowls thor.
oughbred. These cases are vouched
for by authentic history but in the
nature Of things we should be Obliged
10 find as we went back. rs we traced
| up the stream OF breeding 20 its
founta n head that while there had
been branches here and there which
developed into some now old but then
new breed. these branches crossed and
| recrossed in an intricate manner pro
ducing far more new breeds from the
variation resulting from the ossinr
than from the developing OF any nat.
ural variation. So it seems to m that
we are really Obliged to adopt such a
test II we take anything but the short.
est view Of poultry breeding and to
call any breed or variety thoroughbred
which reproduces its characteristics
with fidelity.
ShOrthDrn Dairy Cows.