The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-03-07
PROGRESS OF THE HEN
DEVELOPMENT OF THE POULTRY
BUSINESS IN THIS COUNTRY
IS n wealth Producer the American Hen
is Marvel - Tho Standard of Per-
fection - The Green Duck Business IL
Prosueroua-Tbe Pireou Ranciera

Official census figures will show
| that as wealth-producer the Amcri-
can hen is n marvel, says the Chicago
| Record. AS an illustration of the
earning power of this autocrat of the
barnyard it will be well to quote from
! Missouri, the foremost State in the in.
dustry. The report of the Bureau of
| Statistics for the last fiscal year shows
| that the total number of pounds of
| poultry, live and dressed, shipped from
| the ia counties of that State were
| 106,9SS,710 pounds, an increase of 3G.-
| 5OI ,443 pounds over the preceding
year. The total number of dozens of
| eggs shipped from there last year were
| 34,S7o,040, making an aggregate value
to the producers of poultry and eggs
| of $12,00l ,04S.54. The relative lmpor-
| tance Of the poultry industry of that
| State, as compared with the other in
dustries, will be better understood
| when 1t is shown that the total value
| of all corn. wheat, oats, fax, timothy
| seed, clover seed, millet seed, cane
seed, castor beans, cotton seed, to-
! bacco, broom corn, hay and straw,
which was shipped by all the counties
in that State last year did not equal
| the values of the poultry and eggs
| shipped during the same time by over
| $1,000
The American Standard of Perfec.
tion, as drafted and copyrighted by
| the American Poultry Association.
| contains the names of 11J various
| fowls, la of which are due 10 the de-
/ velopment of man. Nature made one
"a comely. wild thing which made
Its home in the jungle along with the
rest of primeval creation. 1t is n long
call from this ancient fowl of ungainly
proportions to the lordly Langshan or
the massive Cochin of the present day,
but the ancestry is certain. The rela.
tion can be traced back further than
| the time of Christian era.
Europe, Asia and America have all
| contributed to the development of the
| poultry and the many and varied
strains that now exist are the result
OF centuries of improvement. Eng
land and America have been foremost
| in the work, however, and the results
accomplished by the fancers of these
two countries in recent years have
| been nothing short of remarkable
BY intelligent breeding these fanciers
have produced fowls of all sizes from
the diminutive bantam to the NAM
moth bronze turkey; one tiny bit of
ieathered vanity weighing only few
ounces-so small, in fact, that 1t can
be entirely covered by pint cup and
the other bulky fowl weighing from
forty to sixty pounds--as much as a
half-grown boy. Results equally as
wonderful have been accomplished in
color effects. We have fowls feathered
In every natural color. There are va
rieties In red, black, brown and white,
with nearly all possible combinations.
besides buff and Andulusian blue. Not
contcnt with this the fanciers have
shown that they can lace, stripe, span
gle or bar the feathers of their birds
In any way to satisfy their individual
fancy. In fact, 1t seems that about all
there is left for them to do along this
line is to put their initials on the
feathers of their birds.
The successful fancier breeds for
beauty and utility combined. If he de.
slres to create new strain he must
be an imaginative soul lie must erect
in his minds eye an ideal fowl and
then persevere in his endeavor to pro-
duce one like it. He Jots down n dc
scriptlon of this visionary bird from
beak to toe nail. II he prefers to go
by the standard he will find that very
eSacting; every detail is looked to
scrupulously; length and color of
comb. arch of neck, length and
breadth of back, length and color of
legs, design and color of plumage, etc.
Having decided upon an ideal he
mates his birds and starts his strain,
,, picking from each brood the most per-
feet specimens and gradually working
toward this ideal through generation
after generation. 1t Is II sort of part
nershlp arrangement with nature, as
ii were
1t requires much time and patience
10 breed line up to anything ap-
proaching perfection. but once attained
the reward Is well worthy Of the effort.
Single birds have sold In this country
Tor as much as $500, while in England
$1,000 has been paid for single speci-
mems The breeder does not depend
altogether upon fancy prices for indi-
vidual birds. however, for his returns.
He profits by the increased produc-
tlyeness OF his focks. For instance,
In the matter of egg laying, it may be
cited that the average American hen
lays about 100 eggs per year. The
practical poultryman goes in for bet
ter results and gets them. Numerous
Instances show whole flocks with an
average of 200 to the hen per year-an
Increase of 100 per cent.
The ''green-duck" industry forms an
other important branch of the poultry
business. "Green ducks" mean impe-
rial Pekins, which Were originally I'M
ported from China, and they are
raised by the thousands and tens of
thousands by artificial means, fed
scientifically and marketed when they
are from eight to ten weeks old. This
Is just before they molt their first coat
or feathers, at which time they weigh
from eight to ten pounds per pair.
Some of them are feu upon celery seed
to give their meat the flavor of the
famous Southern canvasbacks, and so
successfully that the difference can
not he detected Sanorata duol,