Rocky Ford enterprise., 1895-04-18
DAIRY AND POULTRY
INTERESTING CHAPTERS FOR
OUR RURAL READERS.
How Successful Farmers Operate This
Department of tho Ilomcstcsd-lii liints
- to the Care of Live stock and
Poultry.
Limit. of ImpreEnation.

Limits of ImpreGnation.
have noted what has been said In
this paper about Ave days being long
enough separation OF different breeds
to secure purity in breeding. writes
Theo. Sternberg In Colorado Poultry
Journal.
Now one. two, three. or quite num-
ber OF instances where five days or ten
days separation apparently were suf-
rule upon.
I myself quite recently had an ex-
perience quite the other way.
/ have once published this, but 1t
Will do no harm to re-publish 1t.
In the spring of 1898 bought sew
eral settings of Brown Leghorn eggs.
The chicks were Matched In May. Now
had no other Brown Leghorns on the
place. Among other chicks were lot
Of Buff Cochin pullets hatched In jan
uary. These pullets began laying the
latter part of June. In September I
put one of these pullets In yard with
. Bun Cochin. as ! particularly wished
clutch Of chicks from her. The 18th,
I think. Of September. l sold every
Leghorn l had.
Up to the time shut up the pullet
she had run at large with the other
chicks, including the Leghorns. The
pullet laid out a clutch and then wanted
to set. None of the eggs Of this clutch
were set. Alter a time she began lay
ing again. I went to the Worlds Fair
and after my return late In October
saved feven II think evgs to set them.
The Leghorns had been away from the
place fully six weeks before these eggs
were laid. The pullet had been away
from tho Leghorn chicks fully two
months. and the clutch was new one.
a period Of setting having interviewed.
When the chicks Matched there were
I'VE OF them), three were most plainly
Leghorn cross: had the brown striped
back Of the chicks of that breed, had
but few feathers on the legs, and they
feathered out very rapidly. Two ap-
peared to be pure Buzz Cochins, heavily
feathered, clear bun color and feath-
cred out and grew quite like other
Bluffs.
At six weeks of age the Leghorns
were nice broilers and we ate them.
I kept the Bluffs until they began to
get their real feathers. when on exam
ination found that these clear looking
Bluffs had an under color most unmis-
takably Leghorn-the uniform dark
Leghorn under color: and then we ate
them.
Now, am not going to deduce a rule
from this single experience, but sim
ply suggest that this instance is con-
trary to the Ave or ten day rule SO
widely quoted. and points to another
possibility. It is this:
Here were two plain Bluffs as they
appeared without close inspection, but
the Leghorn was there all the same.
Suppose two more Buffs had Matched
. little later than these two-enough
later to have the under color buff. SO
that from an inspection Of the fowl
itself no trace of Leghorn blood could
be seen. Is 1t stating an improbability
to suggest that there yet might be Leg
horn blood enough In them, although
not apparent to the eye. to crop out
in some future generation, to the as
tonishment Of the then breeder. and
another sport Is sported, for the origi-
nal misalliance is forgotten or un-
known, and secure in the decimal sys-
tenn Of mating ON the five to ten-day
rule Of separation, the possibility is
not considered.
am afraid that some of our noted
writer's are sports and care not for
actual demonstration in sufficient in
stances before the rule is sported.
There is another thought in this con-
nection. 1t may be that some hens, for
some reason peculiar to themselves,
when once exposed to crossing influ-
ences. will never again breed purely
and this may be the exception and not
the rule.
To me, am always living, SO far as
my chicks are concerned, in the fu-
ture. enjoy the present in stdyine
the future.
What l mean is, that the interest ir
each chick is how it will breed mex,
year, how 1t is to be mated, ETC., and
| the present is obscured in the interes,
excited In next years breeding. We
come to look upon the produce of the
present in the light Of tools. Next yeal
we shall use our tools and make that
ever sought for. always eluding, i'm.
possible creature. the perfect standard
fowl. and herein lies much. perhaps thu
greatest source of pleasure in the fan
cy, the pursuit Of the ideal.
, However, we must not forget to car,
for the present, or we shall lose tn,
future. Today is the father Of tomor
row, and this years chicks are the par
ents Of the future ones. So we mus
keep up the interest, attend all tn,
shows We can, extend our personal &C
QuaintaAce as much as possible, ant
not forget he dates of the great mid
continental, and attend it In persol
and with our best.