Milford chronicle., 1915-03-19

cratic OF the many varieties OF fowls to b.
found throughout the poultry world, anC
of this type, the Black can be said TO b,
by far the most superior.
The origin of the Minorca dates bach
about q century, and during this time il
has always been considered among thI
very best of the utility strains. The mair
purpose of any particular breed of fowlI
can be said to consist of their egg-layins
qualities. These fowls have ever anC
anon fulfilled their mission in life from
the standpoint of layere, under any and
all conditions, and their many breeders
should congratulate themselves that such
a bird as the Minorca, and particularly
the Black Minorca, exists.
The claim was made above that the
MinOrca Is Rristocratic. and indeed this is
true. But they are not fashionable, as
are some Of the many other breeds, which
are, after all, produced only to supply q
short lived fancy.
This breed is peculiar In that, during
all this long period OF breeding, the blood
OF the Minorca has remained pure in all
hOeks. From the smallest OF years ago,
TO the largest and most beautiful speci-
mems seen in the showrooms of to day,
they held comparatively true to standard
in their general makeup.
In an effort to secure some type Of fowl
that will either equal or excel this WON
derful bird, many poultrymen have cross
ed and recrossed other breeds, but with,
out success. Ia fact, many other breeds
have been crossed with the Minorca itself
in the hope OF getting something Of an
improvement on il through the progeny.
This practice, however, has also proved
an utter failure, as there are no fowls
which possess blood lines sufficiently
strong enough to improve on this type Of
fowl, and at the same time add anything
of value TO Its already good record.
Many persons will recommend one
fowl for lts meat qualities and another for
its egg-layinR qualities; thus to get both,
one Is compelled to maintain at least two
breeds. This is unnecessary when the
Minorca is selected, as it ia considered
among the best of all breeds known to
poultrydom to day, for both its egg laying
qualities and its meat.
When 1t comes to producing poultry Of
large size. with tender hesh and plenty of
1t, ana great egg producing qualities, the |
Minerca stands alone in the poultry world. |
And as these are the three most inpor- |
lant qualifications Of a general purpose or |
utility fowls. what better bird for the |
purpose can you get than the Minorca?
The MinOrca is prolific layer of large /
white eggs. They are good foragers and
almost exclusively nonsltters. Their eggs
are larger in size than that Of any other
known variety Their meat is both juicy
and tender, and this alone is greatly re
sponsible for their having been kept pure
through the many years past and is also
one Of the main reasons for their popu.
larity today.
OF course, science has done much
toward improving the Minorca in differ
snt ways, as it has for many other varie.
lies of fowls, and this is especially true IS
regards its comb, color, and its great egg.
qualities. This bird originally
had quite lot Of purple barring on the
but this has been almost entirely /
eliminated by skillfu mating, and in its
Itead rich green lustre has been bred,
which is most beautiful to behold
There are two types OF these birds the s
Jingle and the rose comb varieties. The
dinorcs Of old wore the single comb ex.
.lusivelY, but in order to overcome the s
LANCER Of having the comb freeze and
bus impair their faculties &c layers, the
breeders of this bird in the colder climates, /
ftef years Of trial, succeeded in produc :
ng the same type Of Minorca with the
oee comb that heretofore existed exclu Z
lively with the single comb, and todsy
bis variety is even more popular than n
re the single comb Minorca.