The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-02-12
STANDARD BRED
POULTRY IS HELD
MOST PROFITABLE
us. Bulletin Declares Best
Returns Are Obtained
By Raising Them

Standard poultry, as the phrase is
commonly used in America, is poui-
| try bred to the standards established
by the American Poultry association.
| The object Of making standards
for poultry is the same as the object
of making standards of weight, vol
ume, or quality for any product or
commodity; that is, to secure uni-
formity and establish series Of
grades as a basis Of trading in the
article.
In making standards for poultry
which apply in the process Of pro-
duction the principal points consid-
cred are size, shape, and color.
Breed Characters.
Size and shape are breed charac-
tiers and largely determine the prac-
teal values of poultry. Many stand
ard breeds are divided into varieties
differing in color but identical in ev-
cry other respect.
Color is not a primary utility
peint, but as a secondary point often
comes in for special consideration.
For example, a white variety and a
black variety Of the same breed are
actually identical in table quality,
but because black birds do not dress
for the market as clean and nice
looking as white ones, it often hap
pens that they are not as salable.
When a flock of fowls is kept for
egg production only, uniformity in
color is much less important than
approximate uniformity of size and
type, yet the more attractive appear
ance of a flock OF birds OF the same
color justifies selection for color as
far as it can be followed without
sacrificing any material point.
When a poultry keeper grows his
own stock year after year he ought
by all means to use stock OF we'll
established popular standard breed.
BY doing 50 and by selecting as
breeders only as many OF the best
specimens of the flock as are needed
to produce the chickens reared each
year, a poultry keeper maintains IN
his flock a highly desirable uniform
ity Of excellence in every practical
quality and with little extra care and
no extra cost can have pleasing
uniformity in color.
Each Breed Has Its Place.
To the novice in poultry keeping
1t often appears that there is no real
necessity for so many breeds and
varieties as have been standardized
in America. Further acquaintance
with them, however, shows that al
though color differences are in most |
cases made merely to please the eyes
of persons having different prefer |
ences for color, the differences in !
shape and size which make breed |
character have been developed with /
a view to adapting each to particular |
uses or particular conditions.
Leaving out of consideration the |
breeds kept as novelties, most of |
which originated before industrial |
progress created a large demand for |
poultry products, all the standard /
American breeds of fowls have been |
made and developed on the general |
principle Of practical quality, the /
foundation Of breed, character, and
value.
Qualification of Useful Breeds,
In harmony with this principle the /
common classification Of breeds ac-
cording to their place in the general |
Of poultry production divides /
them into three principal classes,
laying breeds, meat breeds, |
and general-purpose breeds-that is,
breeds that are not as ready and i
persistent egg producers as the lay
Ing breeds, and not as meaty and as
easy to fatten IS the meat breeds,
yet combine in one individual fowl
very good laying capacity with very
good table quality.
The Leghorn, Minorca, AndaIusian,
Ancona, and Campine are we'll
known breeds Of the laying class; the
3rahma, Dorking, and Cornish OF the
meat class; the Plymouth Rock,
Rhode Island Red, and
Orpington of the general purpose
lass.
Characteristics of Egg Breeds.
The breeds mentioned as Of the
aging class, with the exception Of