Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-11-06
The Buff Varieties.

standard vdIIetteSs anu Oue ouc IA
Bantams. This class includes. there
fore, the Buff Cochins, the Bum Leg
horns. the Buff Wyandottes. the Bun
Plymouth Rocks and the Buzz Cochin
BaEtams. The Argonaut is bum non
standard breed, but as we are dealing
in this article only with the varieties
recognized in the American Standard.
the Argonaut will receive no extended
mention. For this reason, and for the
further reason that 1t is not wholly
bun. but buff with black markings. the
Buff Brahma is omitted. The omission
of non standard varieties is not In
tended as a lack Of appreciation OF
their merits. but simply as limitation
placed upon the scope of this article
says a writer in the Country Gentie-
man.
Buff. when bred to perfection, wnetn-
er in the lighter shade known as 1em-
on buff" or in the darker shade known
as "orange buff" or golden buH' -
an exquisite color, and it is as useiu'
as it is beautiful. 1t is suited Ior he
ly every situation: 1t Is not EASILY
stained: the pin-feathers are not con
spicuous, and for market poultry -
a close rival to the white; il possesse"
a great fascination for the 1ahcier D
cause it's most perfect shade - UNI
cult to produce. In fact, for use or III
beauty there is no color that surpasses
. the buff. .o,orc,,
In its lighter shades 1t has tendency
to degenerate into white. Lemoh-pu
fowls are not unfrequently unsouho III
color. especially in the primaries anu
secondaries of the wings. But Wheh
Oh, n
the white is absent and the shaoe -
uniform over the whole fowl. a lemon
huff has 4 most beautiful ana dehcate
effect. and by some Is thought 10 pe
the handsoriAst solid color found up
on domestic fowls.
Tn the darker shades, buff frequently
70 accompanied with black IN tne
wings and tails. 1t is very difficult 10
nroduce an orange buff fowl whlcn Is
entirely free from black. But Wheh
such a fowl is produced, where there
is one uniform shade of gold over the
whole plumage, when the wing BOWS
are free from red. the breeder mas
achieved a veritable triumph N the az
of breeding, and the fowl will STAND py
the side of an equally perfect lemon
huff with an equal chance OF beiN re-
parded the more beautiful fowl.
few wears ago there was regular
huff boom. The ArgOnaut had APP
peared, closely followed by the bui.
LeghOrn, and then, hot upon the iran Vi
the Buff Leghorn came the Bun Wyah-
dotte and Buff Plymouth Rock. every
Iayborn fancier wanted Buff Leghorns'
and Plymouth Rock and Wyandotte
fanciers made haste to possess the pun
varieties of these breeds. There
seemed to be danger that the otiier
varieties would be neglected ana per-
haps become extinct. so eager were
breeders to possess bun fowls. bu'
this boom, like all its predecessors. Tan
its course, and buff fowls now stand
unon their merits and possess no hcu-
lions values. In the buff boom days
huff fowls were exceedingly popular
.oa,v they possess a reasonable degree
of pnpularity, but nothing like the
popularity of a few years ago. 1hes
will continue, to have their share OF
popularity in the future, but there IS no
resuscitation of boom. Still, II IS
reasonable to suppose. that 1nll re-
cognition of the economic value oil TINS
plumage will add to rather than de-
tract from the popularity of buzz Vari-
cites. and that in the future they Will
he rather more than less popular IMAM
they are now.
The popularity Of this buff boom was
it's delay in appearance. For years we
had possessed the beautiful Bun
Cochin and it's diamond edition, the
Buff Cochin Bantam. but there was not
the slightest indication of a boom. But
when the Argonaut broke the ice ana
the Buff Leghorn followed. without any
preliminary warnings, the boom was
on. 1t was like n dam which had heid
back the waters of popularity FOR
wears. and when the Argonaut had
pierced a small hole in the structure,
the I.eghorn broke the dam entirely
down. and the restrained waters, no
longer under restraint, broke forth in
a sweeping flood. Just why this boom
should have come. no one can explain.
The fact Is plain, but the reason is not
apparent. In some boOms. one can see
the small cloud, watch it grow. and
trace its progress until the cyclone
sweeps over the land. but in the buff
boom no such progress was observable.
1t was not. and then, 10! it was.
However, it did no special damage.
us uecHue WIS HOt, ilke ItS DeSHiihHS,
sudden. but gradual. 1t left behind it
some excellent varieties, beautiful and
useful, and added to the number of
those interested in poultry breeding. I
am inclined to think that, upon the
whole. the buff boom did more good
than harm. A few may have been
caught in it and lost money; a few may
have made extraordinary profits: but
the many who bought buff fowls
realized ordinary profits and avoided
extraordinary losses. While booms, as
a rule, create much damage, this
seems to have been an almost harm
less, II not beneficial, boom.
A breeder of buff fowls has no rea-
son to be discouraged. The color is as
good as any solid color can be. and
will remain permanently popular in
some degree. Perfect specimens will
ways command high prices, and
,ood specimens good prices. 1t still
remains a fact that the highest price
ever paid for a fowl in this country
was paid for bun fowl, and that price
was not boom price either. A color
which can sell a fowl for the record
price, without the addition Of the ficti-
tious value created by a boom, is a
e.