El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-08-24
PROMINENT and official mem

A PROMINENT and official mem
n Der Of the FL .Paso Poultry as
4 \ sociation was once heard TO say
that if his fowls had the shape and
feather and won the prizes, it mattered
little to him whether they laid many
or few eggs.
Il breed poultry to win prizes, TINS
man remarked, and he might nave gone
farther and, perhaps, would II II hao
occurred to him, and said that ne pre-
ferred that his fowls not lay at all IN
winter, but reserve their energies Tor
the spring, when the demand Tor eggs
for Matching is at its height Men Inlnh-
5n-- SIMILARLY would not hesitate, prob
at,Iv to advertise their birds as nav
ing been bred to lay and pay. Is tnal
honest2 are they true fanciers? think
them decidedly enemies TO the poultry
The idea. obtains among many. people
not poultry men-that scrubs ana
-,fved breeds are harder, lay more
eggs and pay better than any strain OF
highly bred birds, and We find every
day men pinning their taltn 70 cross
bred birds under the deception tha1
10 cross an egg breed and a meat breed
Won get a bird possessed OF the pro-
Efficacy of a record breaklng layeI,
Welding the meat OF the meat Dreeos
and endowed with twice the hardness
- either of the breeds used in the
cross.
The responsibility for all this error
can be placed at the door OF such men
~ those mentioned above-men OF a
single idea, WHO neglect hardness egg
production and all utility points Ior
The feather The temptation to look
orIv to the feather has been greater
than they could resist, and the conse-
ouence is the reputation OF pure DIeo
poultry has suffered. and we ma the
sverage farmer and might say ma
iority of poultry keepers with deep
seated and Incorporating conviction
that a scrub or cross bred Dlro Is
harder and better than a, full blooo-
Now I know they are mistaken, but
= IS a condition which We nave TO
face and the only way to COMBAT II IS
for the breeder OF Thoroughbred pour
try to produce stock that is not only
of the right color, but that is also
strong, hardy, full Of Vitality and that
will Law a large number OF cnOlcesL
eggs and lay winter and summer Inat
ms is possible is being proved by hun
dreds of breeders all over the country
Breeders who under no circumstances
would have in a breeding hen pro
lst-kine in vitslity OF Of known de-
ficiency in egg production, however
perfect the head points and gathering
might be. Standard requirements are
prominent with them, am yet their
IDEAS are not so dwarfed and their aim
50 low as to overlook altogether points
OF utility. but they have combined n
the same bird every point OF useICI-
ness along with artistic requirements.
August a Good Time.
August is q good time TO consider
this question September may be too
late, and certainly December will The
care of the growing birds in August
will to a large extent determine the
size and Tigor of the material flock
Now is the time to spot the blros
and. however, perfect specimens they
may finally become If they have shown
any lack of vitality is evidenced by
slow growth, and drooplneSS IN their
early lives, they should never be placed
in a breeding pen. Proficiency is
recognized characteristic Of all fowls
ting good qualities while others are
persistent in transmitting bad, and the
only way to keep the latter from the
flcck is TO watch the flock from the
day they are Matched, and whenever
YOU notice any quality in a chick you
do not like mark him for finally dis
carding Even the manner OF feath-
erinZ of little chicks can be improved
Nv seIection in their early lives. OF
the same breed and same strain some
will feather too rapidly for hardness,
while others will feather too slowly
some so slowly in fact that when the
size of fryers they are practically
naked, with too little feathering for
protection from inclemency OF the
weather These faults can all be cor
rected by selection early in the life of
your breeding stock
The supreme aim Of the breeder |
should be to preserve and improve ev-
cry strain of vigor and vitality and |
hardness that were wrapped up in the |
chick before it burst the shell, and the |
man who does this is moving in the |
right direction and is contributing his 1
quota to the correction of the errone- I
BUS Impression that scrubs and cross !
breeds are possessed of even c--e sin 1
gle advantage over thoroughbreds.
And yet we must have the feathers, !
and here is where the test of the metal /
IF the fancier comes in To preserve /
he balance between the two require
nents-fancy and utility-is the |
mighty problem Any man ought to be /