The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-02-01


in the history of the Yakima Poul-
try association was held at the
Yakima Grocery warehouse last
week. The show gave the breeders
of this territory a great opportunity
for talkfests. There were busy
groups of animated arguers all about
the show. The chicken Clever" ran
high.
There is no limit to the possibili-
ties in poultry breeding and plenty
of room for argument in the ques-
tions involved. The Yakima show
aims at the one greatest object of
the business, the production of eggs
and the flesh of fowls. The show"
side Of the exhibition was subordi-
mated to the material interests of in
dustry.
The first chicken was a jungle
fowl. Long association with man
and frequent removal to distant
chimes has wrought many changes
in the bird and in the fat, sleek
beauties of the show there is little
that suggests the pheasant-like jun
gle fowl. the unchanged descendant
Of the same parent stem. AS might
be expected, the Chinese put their
Jungle fowl to work long before the
western civilization got acquainted
with 1t. This may account for the
Oriental origin of chop suey. Of
which chicken IL alleged to be an
important component. This hazy
Asiatic origin must, Of course. also
account for the inherent scrappiness
Of the chicken. Down there in the
Malay provinces, where the chicken
FIRST grew into glory and prime.
the fight for pastlme.
The heather Chinese has builded
up from the parent stock. possibly
by accident, possibly by design long
ago conceived, some Of the most val
liable breeds Of fowls, The beefy
.Brahmas. Cochins and numbering
LAngshans are Asiatic chickens,
Then there Is the big black Shang-
hal bird. His outlines are those
that suggest the sturdy Monaghan
sooolie build. Just to be outlandish.
these Asiatic birds are given to the
a1r1volity Of growing feather leggings,
! making them attractive. The real
. eld-timers among show birds shows
himself OF with an air Of conscious
ness.
At the poultry show a most inter-
esting collection of Plymouth Rocks
was be SEEM The Plymouth Rock
Is the most entirely American mem
Der the chicken family,'a barred
Plymouth Rock gives sort of
sturdy stars and stripes effect. The
antecedents of this very American
bird are somewhat like the nations
peoples, rather uncertain and high
y complex. Experts have many
theories but the fact remains that
NO one can tell just what the Ply
mouth Rock is made Of. This bird
is the pride of the farmer and the
despair of the breeder. He is a
hard working, persistent chicken of
good, sober habits and a home-lov-
ing disposition. He has, however, a
careless way of reverting back TO
ancestral traits f color and form
In q most unexpected way. The Ply
mouth Rock cock insists on feather
ing lighter than his sister. and that
sister persists in getting darker gem
Grafton by generation. The breeders
are busy all the time keeping the
Rock family at a happy average for
the show pens. Then there 10 q
hidden streak Of yellow in Plymouth
Rock. 'just his colors." Down there
In the show one could see this crop
ping out in . few Of the birds. The
faaiciers grow grey hairs trying to
keep uswn that braasy tint. for q
prize winning Plymouth Rock there
must not even be Q suggestion OF
yellow. This is quite right. too.
VIII wants a real American chicken
Ito show the yellow?
To the close observer the cages of
the big show exhibits told many in
teresting chapters in the history Of
T. the chicken family. The real sports
of the chicken show were plenty.
Taken all in all. of course. the
bantam, naturally impressed with
its own Importance. was the Beau
Brummel of the exhibition. There is
more strut, crow and vanity in a
bantam than any other chicken born
in captivity. Some of the bantam
tribe of Yakima chicken show had
some claim to real blood The
beautiful fluffy Buff Cochins; who
would want other than them for
pets? There was one prevailing note
in the poultry show room. The un-
mistakable murmur of the bellicose
spirit of the birds arose from the
long row If coops. The warehouse
resounded with the one vibration,
the war cry of the feathered CLAWS
1t was the enforced peace of stJut
cages alone that prevented the she'd.
ing of many feathers and much
blood. Fair tradition to the contra
ny. Notwithstanding, and despite
the dove as the emblem of peace,
the bird is natural born fusser. a
scold, complaint.
Just to give vent to the tenseness
that surcharged the atmosphere of
the show, a few of the cocks mixed
They We're lively contests but as
bloodless as a reading circle debate.
The honors of the arena went to a
strutting little bantam cock, of
course.
Along Top Knot Row.
A Yakima fancier showed some
high-bred ornamental fowls more
of garb than utility. Several coops
of crested Houdans constituted
-''Top-Knot row." The Houdans APP
Ypaared in public wearing striking
collections of home made millinery
: in pure white silver gray surmount-
ing bodices and vests of jettiest
black. The effect was altogether
alt lntx