Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-12-31

shows.
In creating the Black orpington,
Cook had combined the Minorca, Ply
mouth Rock and Langshan breeds, but
he added other strains to create the
White, Buff, Speckled and Spangled
sorts, each a distinct variety. He ex-
perimented for ten years to make the
Buff Orpington and it took Cook sew
enteen years to bring the Spangled
Orpington to a standard type. The
i fowl is valuable both for the table and
as an egg producer. The Orpington
suggest somewhat in bearing the Dork-
ing, the old English cottage breed. but
| it has four instead Of five toes and is
taller and heavier 1t is a clean legged
breed and includes both single and
double comb varieties.
The value of pure bred birds to the
p Lltry industry is that hybrids, how
ever good for the table or for eggs. are
not considered suitable for breeding
from. The crossbred fowls deteriorate
in all good points on breeding farm
and the pure breeds have to be main
tanned to freshen up the stock Of the
market breeders. This accounts for
the high prices of pure bred types that
are exceptionally good individuals.
The shows of poultry and pigeons, for
the situation is somewhat the same
with the latter, to be held each year in
all the cities and at the country fairs
are the distributing places to the buy
ers for utility purposes Of the pure
bred stock The New York show,
which has been held for eighteen years,
is the largest, and the finest types Of
each breed are on view there. At the
last show there were $3.50 exhibits In
the poultry and pigeon divisions.
A record price in Buff Orpingtons Is
$3.50 for an English prize winning
chanticleer, but Black ,Orpington
cock which was only fourth in the class
was tagged at $1,000. There were a
dozen Orpingtons of diffenent types
priced from $500 to $500, and $25 was
the lowest priced one Of the 261 in the
classes. AS new breed many anna
teurs have taken up the Orpington, and
w. L. Davis of Berlin, Conn.,, brought
his home-breds to New York in pri-
vate poultry car, which is the latest
whim Of the gentleman farmer. The
greatest display at New York is in the
two American breeds, Plymouth Rocks
and Wyandottes, 627 and 554 being the
respective number at the last show.
Leghorns, the egg producing Mediter-
ranean type, came next with sos exhi-
bits.
Plymouth Rock exhibitors do not
price their birds as a rule. The only
Barred Rocks priced at the last New
York show were a cockerel at $35 and
pullet at $50, but as the same men
have won the first prizes year after
year it is to be presumed that an out
slider who tries to buy will find HIM
self up against corner in the stock
as they say in Wall street. Prices Of
$50 to 500 dot the catalogue for White
Buff, Pencilled or Partridge Rocks, and
amateurs are more prominent as WIN
ners in these strains. An actor, w.
Barry Owens, who has his farm at
Vineyard Haven, Is "a leading exhibi-
tor Of Orpingtons and White Plymouth
Rocks, and Thomas A. Wise, also a
comedian, exhibits Fanerolles and rails
es them at Croton- on the Hudson In
the season when the theatres are clos
ed. Every pure breed in poultry is in
demand by both amateurs and business
fancier.
Turkeys are not priced, but show
bird cannot be bought for less than
500. Prize geese are quoted from $50
to 5000, and especially good imported
ducks cost the breeders from $25 to $50
each. Show bantams are priced from
IS to s25, but rare sorts are held at
prohibitive figures. A pigeon fancier
thinks nothing Of giving 500 for the
cock or hen he needs. Pygmy pouters
are lust now a fad in the pigeon world.
Aleck Smith, the professional golf
champion, who first became a fancier
in Scotland, is one Of the new Ameri-
can collectors Of pygmy pouters. Fan
tails, jacobins and magpies year in and
out bring the highest prices. The pig
con fancier Is not backed by the de-
mand from utility breeders, as the
poultry fanciers are, and he is collec-
tor from the love Of it and should be
ranked with the amateur collectors of
the rare or beautiful in art, books or
china, for his zeal is heartfelt.
Pheasants are the highest priced OF
all poultry breeds and the costliest TO
raise. A setting Of eggs of the Mon
golian or ringnecked pheasants costs
from $50 to $50, all risks to be assum-
ed by the buyer, while bird of rare
variety may cost $500. The stately and
giantesque Indian game breed COM
mands from $25 to 5000 for cock or
hen, but a few years ago Crystal
Palace winning cock was imported at
a cost Of $1,000. This is al evr 'bition
breed primarily, but as Valuable as the
fountain head strain as the Englsh
bulldog is to the dog breeders.