Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-10-23
Looking Ahead

Yesterday / sent off two coops OF
the prettiest pullets I have ever
raised a couple of cockerels and
some hens. Two months ago l Sc.
lectod the pullets that l wanted for
breeding pens, and had a beautiful
bunch of June pullets in the soy
beans. l never have been situated
Just as l am this year, for l have
two pullets to every CoCkerel in the
flock And there were very few Culls
among them. Were l a pessimist l
would say, but wait till next year
and you will pay for it," 1t seems
to be the law of poultrydom for
the males to be two to one.
The man that helped me coop
this lot said: You could set these
right with your eyes shut
| told him that l could, but for
one thing, / always select a few
with some smut in the pullet's un.
dercolor. That was a surprise. SO 1t
struck me that it is not a sure thing
that all who keep Reds know the adj
vantage Of a little smut in the breed
ing pen. 1t would kill the chances
of a prize winner, but yard with
out some smut in the underCOlo-
soon runs into what is called cot
ton" in the underCOlOr. Consequent
~ [ am going to quote from our
club year book Mr.. Maurice Delano
the head of the famous Owen Farms
flock, says: My pleasure is in breed
ing and raising a bird that is even
and stays even Ton his feet) In 19lO
| raised a cockerel that was undoubt-
edly the richest surface and under
color cOCkerel that had been produced
up to that time, and this male was
absolutely even. He won first at
Madison Square Garden in 1911.
This cockerel's blood is still carried
largely by my male line. In l9l4 L
raised a cOckerel that won first at
the Coliseum, Chicago show and
few weeks later won first at Boston,.
This double winning clearly made
him the champion for the year. l was
offered and refused $1,000 for the
cockerel. This bird was grandson to
the 1911 winner. I am giving this
history to show that I have real eX-
perience in trying to breed to mold
and improve color.
In all my breeding experience /
have never been afraid to use eX-
cess black in NJ matings; neither do
. |
has not done so. Part of my mat
ings each year are clean on both
sides and free from excess, but the
next wear I always work in some of
the blood of a parallel line that car
ries a little excess properly placed.
When mating the champion cockerel
of 1914 I went through my flock very
carefully and placed with him just
the females I had or the proper color
and that balanced perfectly on their
legs. but still lacked two. [ made
trim to the yards Of breeder who
had similar foundation to mine, and
could not find a female TO suit me.
When we reached the last pen he
ktold me il was useless to go in. as
they we're his reserve birds, I asked
permission to handle and finally
asked a price on two pullets that
carried a smut bar, He said they
we're not for sale. When pressed to
put a price on them. he finally
laushinrly said 500 each, and l inn
mediately took them. Even then he
would have liked to have kept the
puIIets, as he had thought his price
prohibitive for smut
How much black is permissible?
Is a smut bar preferable to pepper
Can good birds be produced from
males and females carrying surface
black on the lower breast. and in
the case Of females over the back
and saddle? These are questions
that I hope 10 answer some day. but
today 7 can only state my personal
preference. I have used every pos