Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-14

taste Of the owner, though 1t lis advisable
to select variety which Is suited To
limited quarters. Some fowls do better in
confinement than others. Also. some
breeds make better table poultry, which
| is an important consideration in backyard
operations. The back-Iotter wants eggs,
of course; at the same time he wants a
fowl that can be killed for dinner, once the
fowl has served its utility as layer. These
features are pointed out in the following
article:
As rule the smaller breeds Of fowls,
commonly spoken of as egg-breeds, such
| as the Leghorns, Campines and Ham
burgs, are not well suited To backyards.
Again, the very heavy breeds, classified
rs meat breeds, which include the Brah-
mas, Cochins and Langshans, are not so
well suited TO side-Iine poultry keeping.
The former are too small for profitable
meat production The latter are too large
for maximum egg production.
Observation-Disclosures varieties are
generally advocated for those who keep
poultry for home consumption, especially
under conditions that require natural IN
cubation and brooding An all-aroIlnd,
general purpose chicken is the ideal bird
for the back-lotter. 1t must be a good
layer and a trustworthy winter layer No
amount Of other favorable qualifications
| can make amends for failure in these
| respects.
But, the back-Iotter does not want to
get eggs at the expense of meat, especially
If he can combine the two. He wants
plump fowl of fair weight, one that will
dress well at all ages from broiler size to
old age Also, he wants a quiet, friendly
~ -
overlooked. Nervous, noisy chickens
which are given TO fence flying and dig
ging up the neighbors rosebed are too
troublesome for the suburban poultry
keeper
AMERICAN BREEDS ARE BEST.
All things considered, the American
breeds hold first place in qualifying for
the backyard flock There is wide list
from which to choose favorite color or
peculiar marking Of the plumage. and
there is choice between rose and single
combs
The American class includes some 20
different varieties and all Of them are
built for business They have definite
purpose They aim at the center of
target of efficiency, and they hit it with
a perfect score. They are intensely prac-
teal and utiitarian, yet they also satisfy
the demands of the most fastidious fancier.
In any ciimaet or locality,
and under any circumstances that will
permit other fowls tn live, there, also, will
! the American breeds thrive and be Of
profit to their keeper.
! There are SIX breeds in the American
class. as follows: Plymouth Rocks, WAN
dottes, Rhode Island Reds, Javas, Doml-
| niqucs and Buckeyes The first three
named are the most widely bred and of
these three the Plymouth Rocks probably
hold first place. In fact 1t IS said that
Rocks, notably the barred variety, are the
most popular fowls IN America.
PIONEER OF FANCY POULTRY
Plymouth Rocks are bred IN six color
varieties barred, white. buff silver
penciled. partridge and Columbian All
have single combs and al possess the same
weight, conformation and other charac-
teristics. The barred variety was the
original Rock, and 70 It rightfully belongs
the title Of the pioneer of American fancy
poultry.
The standard weights for Rocks arc
nine and one-half pounds for cocks, eight
pounds for cockerels, seven and one-half
pounds for hens and SIX pounds for pullets.
They are well proportioned with deep.
full. round breast They are hardy and
NSfSAtdAAF NCAA SNkJNto - ctfCA1 N4AAN&
weather because OF their abundant
plumage They mature in about eight
months and are prolific layers the year
round. The eggs are brown-sheled. as
with all American breeds The hens make
good sltters and dependable mothers
The Nyandottes probaly rank next 10
the Rocks IN popular favor. There are
eight color varieties, As follows: White,
silver. golden, buff, black, partridge silver
penciled and Columbian The Silver
Myandotte is the original and foundation
OF All the other varieties. Originally 1t was
called the Silver-laced Wyandotte
MOST POPULAR WHITE FOWL.
TheMhit..s are by far the most wIdeyly
bred variety In recent years they have
won at many of the cgg-laying contests,
SO that their laying propensities are giving
the sprightly Leghorns considerable ri
valrv. Fact Is, the White Wyandotte is
conceded to be the most popular white
fowl of all-round capabilities IN the world
Her performances are not hearsay
alone Following are some official figures
wnicn show tnat the White Wyandotte
has no superior as layer At the Storrs
laying contest for 1914 all entries of White
Wvandottes made an average production
OF l69 eggs, rs against l52 eggs for White
tNAIttnn no tAES itt bdIESa hpthSr loo
for Rhode Island Reds and 1876 for White
Plymouth Rocks
At tue National Contest, Mountain
Grove. Missouri, in 1914, the White
Wyandottes averaged 100 eggs Their
nearest competitors were Barred Rocks
with an average of t76 In 1916 three Of
the leading contests closed with the fol-
lowing scores:
sToRRS. CONNECTICUT
White Wyandottes .... 1866 eggs
White Leghorns ..... 1864
Barred Rocks ........ 1858 +"
Rhode Island Reds 1857 .
MOUNTAIN GROVE, MISSOURI.
White Wyandottes ..-.. 1878 eggs
Rhode Island Reds . 1877
Barred Rocks ....... 1878
White leghons ... I6l.S
NEWARK, DELAWARE.
White Nyandottes ....... 1857 eggs
White Leghorns .-... 1880 :
Barred Rocks ...... 1880 "
Rhode island Reds 1923