Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1898-10-28
BLACK MlNoRcA VARIETY,
IN old and Valuable Breed That Is In.
3 creasinu Rapfsllv

An old and Valuable Breed That Is In
cresslng Rapidly.
From the history as far as obtain
ehle. the Black Minorca must at all
&vents be regarded as one OF the varie-
ktes and apparently distinct and orig
NAL variety OF that Mediterranean race
Whose general type is found all around
the margin of the Great Sea. or all
fhese varieties none equal the Black
Minorca in solid and real value. They
lay as many If not more eggs, and
their eggs are the largest laid by any
breed, SO that It is generally possible
70 pick out an exhibition dish that will
run about six to the pound. They
Tere known and valued many years in
the west Of England before attracting
Rpy attention elsewhere. All at once
they began to move. and their growth
IN popularity during recent years has
9een enormous. In 1888, several years
Bfter the movement began, the Crystal
Palace show contained but two classes
and thirty-two entries; In 1888 there
&ere six classes and one hundred and
forty entries; in 1889 there were one
hundred and fifty-seven entries in the
elk classes. About this time or a lit
tie earlier, they began to attract the
attention OF the American breeders,
and many importations were made, and
their growth in popularity on this side
OF the Atlantic has been steadily on the
increase ever since, more especially the
past three years. At the last club
meet at Madison Square Garden, New
York. they succeeded in bringing to-
gether the largest and strongest class
ever shown In America, and they were
we'll represented in nearly all the
shows throughout the United States
and Canada.
The original source of this fine breed
appears to be correctly represented in
its name, but II seems to be derived
from more than one Importation. Mr..
Leworthy has said a Mr.. Willis, whom
he knew well, had known the fowl in
Minorca, and Of importations from
there long ago. The Rev. Thomas
Cox, of Castle Cary. was personally in
formed by Sir Thomas Acland that his
father, the former baron, brought some
from Minorca to England direct either
in 1884 or 1885. and that from this i'm
portation the strain has been kept mp
at Holnicate many years, and a great
deal distributed. There is evidence
that the breed was known years before
this, and certain differences In certain
strains bear out the superstition of dis
tinct importations.
1t is thought by some OF our earlier
writers that the Minorca may have
been the original progenitor of the
Spanish, as the tendency OF the Spanish
Is to revert to red in the face. How
ever 1t Is a well known fact that they
are one OF our oldest varieties, and
originally game from Minorca. The
Black Minorca was noted from the
first for its great laying qualities and
for the extra large size of its eggs.
While the present type of the American
Black Minorca has been much improv-
ed over that OF the original importa-
tons into this country, they have not
been injured as to their great laying
qualities OF extremely large eggs; IL
anything they have been improved In
this respect. The present American
type is larger and deeper in body, more
up on legs, closer feathered, and with
combs not SO burdensome as those OF
the original importations.-J. II. San
tee in BLACK Minorca Club Catalogue"