The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1904-01-29
Poultry Notes No. 3.
A BAPTIST


live stock are realizing, at last, the ad-
vantages OF pure breeds. A "pure
breed" is the result OF breeding with
a purpose, that purpose being the con-
tinuation, with increase Of valuable
qualities. Breeding with purpose"
changes not only shape, but the quality
Of every body-tissue. All domestic
fowls are descended from one variety,
the jungle fowl; variations in environ
ment, conditions, and breeding have
made modern differences. The purest
strain Of Jersey, held for a hundred
years with the one aim, beef, will give
the Shorthorn. 1 verify believe that
breeding can change the pug to mas
til, or blood hound to rat-terrier. The
pure bred fowl responds at once to
proper care because 1t is "built that
way" the mOngrel cannot, except slow
ly through the passing years. The
well-known Plymouth Rock is the New
England barn-yard fowl Of 1865, doubl-
ed in size and egg production, and fix
ed in color. This has been done only
by systematically breeding from the
best-colored, largest and best-laying
fowls. Don't you think 5000 expend-
ed this spring in a good trio Il have
none to SELL would be an excellent in
vestment? Next year at this time,
you would have yard Of pure-breds,
that lay because they cannot help It,.
1 came home today, after an absence Of
four days, and found 80 eggs in one
nest.
The classes Of commercial poultry
breeds are Asiatics, Americans and
Mediterraneans, each class having its
distinctive merits and dement's. In
choosing breed we should be govern
ed not only by our fancy, but more es-
pecially by the purpose we wish sub
served. The Asiatics, eXempliiied best
by the Brahmas, are the largest Of do
nestle fowls, running IN weight from
9 to y pounds; they are hardy, heavy
sitters, clumsy mothers, lay about
40 large brown eggs a year and have
coarse grained flesh Of fair flavor, where
the main object is the production Of 4 to
6 pound ROSTERS, this class is indicated.
The best breeds in the American class
are the Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes
and Rhode Island Reds. These weigh
from 81 to 81 pounds, are hardy, rapid
growers, good foragers, find sitters and
mothers, lay about us medium brown
eggs a year, and have flesh Of excellent
flavor. These are the "general-pur-
pose" fowls, the fowls for the farmer or
fancier, who wishes not only plenty Of
eggs, but a fine carcass as well.
In the Mediterranean class the Leg
horn stands easily first, its weight be-
ing from to pounds. They should
lay 300 medium-sized white eggs, are
hardy, non.sitters, with flesh Of fair
quality. They are prominently egg
machines, and make eggs more cheaply
than any other breed Where the main
object in poutry-keeping is egg-get-
ting, this is the breed called for
Petaluma, Col, is a town Of 1900
people and has but one industry, egg
making; the product sells for more than
$500 day and .he egg-machlne Is the
Leghorn. All Mediterraneans lay
white eggs and are non-sitters; other
breeds lay tinted eggs and sit. The
above descriptions are OF well-bred
strains Of the respective breeds. Let
me advise all raisers Of poultry to KEEP
only pure bred fowls aud keep one
breed J. II. &. w.