Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1907-05-30

A''-~~' ITO piAAo diAA obdi 70 Ills oLLdlus
picking from each brood the most
perfect specimens and gradually
working toward this ideal through
generation after generation. It a
a sort of partnership arrangement
with the Almighty; the fancier
attends to the matings, and sees
that they are properly cared for,
white the Lord does the rest.
1t requires much time and patience
to breed line up. to anything APP
preaching perfection, but once at
tanned the reward is we'll worthy of
the effort. Single birds have sold in
this country for as much as $1,000,
while in England still higher prices
have been paid for Individual speci-
mems. The breeder does not depend
altogether upon fancy prices for
individual birds, however, for his
returns. He profits by the increas-
ed productiveness of his focks. For
instance, in the matter of egg laying
1t may be cited that the average
American hen lays about one humid
red eggs per year. The practical
poultryman goes in for better re-
suits, and gets them. Numerous
instances show whole hocks with an
average of 200 eggs to the hen per
year-an lncrsase of 100 per cent.
II this increase in productiveness
could be taken advantage of all along
the line by people raising chickens,
the sum realized annually would add
millions of dollars to the national
wealth. Furthermore, the benefit
derived would not cease with the
additional cash in hand. Natures
two natural foods are milk and eggs.
Egg is everything that goes into
flesh and bone. These are facts
worth knowing as we take an invoice
of the possibilities of Mrs. Hen.
The three most prominent mem.
bers of the large poultry family in
this country are the Leghorns, the
Wyandottes and the Plymouth
Rocks. The Leghorns are the egg
type. They are long in body, light
in weight and very active. Their
average frequently runs as high as
200 eggs per year to the hen. The
Wyandottes are strictly an American
production. They are short in body,
plump, round and heavier than the
Leghorns. They have full breast
development, have yellow legs and
skin, and consequently show up well
when dressed. Their meat is tender,
has fine grain and good flavor, and
they are the ideal table fowl, either
as broilers, weighing from one-half
pound to a pound and a half, or as
roasters, weighing from three to five
pounds. The Plymouth Rocks are
very similar to the Wyandottes, ex-
cept their bodies are longer, and
they will weigh a pound more at
maturity. The Barred Plymouth
Rock is the great American all-pur-
pose bird; the kind the farmer, the
fancier and all swear by. The Wyan-
dotte is a later breed and is fast
growing in popularity, especially
with the breeders, but the old stand
bys, the Barred Rocks, will doubt
less hold their supremacy for many
years.
When poultry shows were first
held few years ago they were very
small affairs, usually pulled off in
some empty storeroom or other
building that could be hired cheap.
Five or six exhibitors would enter
from fifty to $50 fowls, and then dig
down in their pockets to make good
the shortage in expenses. Now it is
different, The poultry show is a
decided event. In New York the
annual show is held in the great
Madison Square Garden, in Boston
IN Mechanics Hall and in Chicago in
the Seventh regiment armory. The
railroads give reduced rates. the
Associated Press renders detailed
reports and thousands of people turn
,ut to see the feathered beauties.
At these big shows the number of
owls on exhibition average form
1000 to 5000, some of them worth
ew dollars, and others worth a few
dollars.
We think we have the fever pretty
'ad nowadays when we plank down