Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1908-04-16

TIC LalAiCl lOdh StaiiodAo Va Cl
lection, a book of some $50 pages,
is often rcferre to as the national
guide of poultry men. This book is
published under copyright by the
American Poultry association,
national organization devoted to
the advancement Of the poultry in
dustry. In this book each class,
breed and variety is set forth, and
each and every variety is described
with great care as to size, form ard
color, and every breeder is aiming
TO produce fowls from year to year
that will come as near as possible
to standard requirements. Won
derful progress has been made by
intelligent and persevering breed
ers, and the choicest specimens are
placed on exhibition at the annual
poultry shows by the breeders them
selves, or are sold to other breeders
for exhibition purposes. At these
poultry shows, poultry judges, or
men we'll versed in the standard re-
Qult lhOIlS anu VIII ildhO Odoi-
ness of jundging poultry, either by
comparing two or more birds to-
gether, or by the use of what is
called the score card, judge the
fowls upon exhibition and cash
premiums or ribbons are given to
those that come the nearest to per-
lection. Comparison judging is the
popular method at fall fairs. mainly
from the fact that poultry at this
season of the year is not in the
pink of condition for exhibition
purposes. The young stock is too
young to be in full feather and the
old stock is in the mou1t, that is,
shedding its old feathers and put
ting on the new plumes with which
to go into the winter season. On
the other hand from Novemsber
to February Is, the season of win
ter poultry exhibits, both the old
and the young fowls are in fine
feather and show up to good advan-
tage. At these shows the score card
is generally used.
These poultry shows or exhibit
tions are of incalculable help in de-
veloping the poultry industry in
all its branches, in that they create
great interest and win an ever in
creasing number of friends for
fowls that are 10th useful and
beautiful. Many people who have
not given the subject careful and
logical thought feel free to ridicule
the beautiful in standardized
poultry. They simply under esti-
mate the great value that beauty
in fowls has been in attracting at
tention, creating interest and win
ming thereby new and lasting
friends for the poultry industry.
1t will be readily understood by
the intelligent reader that whoever
among the breeders Of standard
poultry is able to come nearest per-
lection will be atle to obtain tor
these specimens high prices. The
fact is that in England, where the
standrsrd bred poultry business is
older than in this country, and the
interest is even greater, poultry
shows being held every week in the
year, as high as $1,000 has oeen
refused in a number of instances
for extra choice specimens, as
breeders, while in this country as
high as 500 is paid every season
for extra choice specimens, an
from $500 to as high as $500 has
been refused from time to time to-
some particular bird with prouc
record at leading poultry show
These birds are valuable not alone
for their indivi dual excellence an6
the record they have made, but alst
because they are the result as ;
rule, of years Of careful ant
systematic breeding and carry II
their veins blood that is able TO re
produce the excellent qualities o
characteristics for which this IN
dividual bird is so highly priced.
Here then, is one of the chief Sc
crets of success in breeding stan
dard poultry successfully. In III
beginning, so we are told by me-
who are posted i'll chicken lore
there existed only one kind OF
chicken, black and red Jungi
fowl of uncertain origin. II
claimed that from this one variet,
man has produced, through selec
ton and permanent matings, tn
one hundred or mole distinct Var
ieties of poultry now existence
No doubt this is substantially true
for more than one-half the varietie
Of fo,a,iS now decSribed in IN