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PUBLISHED BY
American PoumwAssoewnoN
LIBRARY
UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Class ^ 2
Book A-.rti .31...
8—1577
Cob
THE
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD
AND BREED BOOK
A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF
ALL VARIETIES OF PLYMOUTH ROCKS, WITH THE TEXT
IN FULL FROM THE LATEST (1915) REVISED EDITION
OF THE AMERICAN STANDARD OF PERFECTION
AS IT RELATES TO ALL VARIETIES OF
PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
ALSO, WITH TREATISES ON BREEDING, REAR-
ING, FEEDING, HOUSING, CONDITIONING
FOR EXHIBITIONS, EXHIBITING— ETC.
EDITED BY A. C. SMITH,
PROFESSOR OF POULTRY HUSBANDRY
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
ILLUSTRATIONS
BY FRANKLANE L. SEWELL.
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY
THE AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION.
INV. '60.
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
The public is expressly forbidden, on penalty of the law,
to reproduce, duplicate, copy, seek to imitate or to make any
improper use of any of the illustrations contained in this
book, all of which arc the exclusive property of The American
Poultry Association, and protected by copyright in the United
States, England and Canada. Permission to make quotations
from the text of this book is granted, provided such quota-
tions are disconnected, few in number, and are used solely
for the dissemination of knowledge ; but these quotations must
not be used to an extent nor in a manner that will injure the
sale of this work, nor may they be used for advertising pur-
poses, as in circulars, catalogues, etc.
Notice is hereby given that any infringement of the copy-
right on the contents of this book will result in immediate
prosecution.
THE AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION.
Copyright , United States, England and Canada, 1919,
by
THE AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION.
All Rights Reserved.
158039
INTRODUCTION.
TO THE 1915 REVISED EDITION OF THE
AMERICAN STANDARD OF PERFECTION,
HE organization of the American Poultry Association
was effected at Buffalo, New York, February, 1873, by
delegates from different state and county associations,
prominent breeders, fanciers, and other interested persons
from different sections of the United States and Canada. Mr.
VV. H. Churchman of Wilmington, Delaware, was the first
president and Mr. J. M. Wade of Philadelphia, the first secre-
tary.
At that time the fundamental object of this organization
was to standardize the different varieties of domestic and
ornamental fowls, and to that end, a complete Standard of
Excellence for all varieties then recognized, was formulated
and adopted which was recommended as the guide for judging
at all poultry exhibitions. The American Poultry Association
has since broadened its scope. Its annual conventions have
visited nearly all of our large industrial centers.
The first edition of the Standard was issued in February,
1874. It has been followed by several revised editions, but
the work of the first Standard makers was so thorough, accu-
rate and far-seeing that but few changes, and these of minor
importance, have been necessary. Many new breeds and
varieties, nearly all of later origin, have been admitted. After
a few editions, the title "Standard of Excellence" was changed
to read "Standard of Perfection" as one, theoretically at least,
more in accord with its prescribed ideals.
Until 1905, all editions contained text descriptions only,
and no attempt was made to delineate ideal fowls. The 1905
edition contains this innovation. The illustrations were line
drawings by the best known poultry artists of that time.
These were received with approval, in sufficient measure so
that the plan of presenting outline illustrations of many of
the leading varieties were continued. The type of illustrations
i
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
was, however, changed to half-tone illustrations of retouched
and idealized photographs of living specimens. These ap-
peared in the 1910 edition after having been approved by the
Thirty-fifth Annual Convention.
It has been the general policy of the American Poultry
Association to revise the Standard of Perfection every five
years, this work being most carefully done by Revision Com-
mittees chosen to represent as far as possible the interests of
all sections of the country and of the different breed classifica-
tions.
The last Revision Committee was appointed at the Thirty-
sixth Annual Meeting at Denver, Colorado, 1911, and the pres-
ent or 1915 edition of the Standard of Perfection includes the
changes and additions made by this Committee with such
further changes or amendments as were voted by the Associa-
tion at its Thirty-eighth and Thirty-ninth Annual Meetings in
1913 and 1914.
The 1915 Standard is the basis for the present work, "The
Plymouth Rock Standard and Breed Book," every detail apply-
ing to this breed in the main Standard being reproduced ver-
batim in this work.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
5
PREFACE.
TO THE PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD
AND BREED BOOK.
FOR a number of years there has been a growing demand
among poultry breeders for the publication by the Ameri-
can Poultry Association of what are popularly known as
Separate Breed Standards — a series of books each one contain-
ing the official Standard description of a single breed, and in
addition, reliable and authoritative information in regard to
the actual breeding of such fowls.
This work the Association has now undertaken and this
Plymouth Rock Breed Standard, the first of the series, will
be followed promptly by the Wyandotte Breed Standard. It
is the intention that additional numbers of the series shall
follow as rapidly as is practicable.
The first step taken by the American Poultry Association
toward the construction and publication of Breed Books, re-
ferred to at that time and even yet, as Breed Standards, was
the adoption at the Thirty-second Annual Meeting, Buffalo,
August 15, 1910, of a resolution presented by Grant M. Curtis.
The presentation and adoption of this resolution was the
outcome of a demand more or less general on the part of the
breeders for separate "Breed Standards," each of which would
describe completely one breed only, in addition to the com-
plete work, the "American Standard of Perfection," which
gives a description of best shape and color type of all breeds
and varieties recognized by the American Poultry Association,
as well as illustrations of both the ideal male and female of any
of the leading varieties ; also, rules by which all breeds and
varieties are judged at the poultry exhibitions of the United
States and Canada, and graphic illustrations of the ideal comb,
feather markings and the most common defects of standard
fowls in shape, color, and markings.
By the terms of the resolution, the scope of the work was
much more comprehensive than the breeders in general had
6
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
expected, and yet, by subsequent action of the Association,
the scope of this work was to be still greatly enlarged. In
another section will be noticed the method of ascertaining by
eminently fair means the relative popularity in the United
States and Canada of the different Standard breeds of poultry.
The report of the Secretary-Treasurer at the Thirty-third
Annual Meeting of the Association in August of 1908, showed
that, according to the certified reports of the Secretaries of
Poultry Associations, holding shows between October 31st,
1907, and March 1st, 1908, in the United States and Canada,
the Plymouth Rocks led all other breeds in number of birds
exhibited.
At the Thirty-sixth Annual Meeting at Denver, August
6-9, 1911, a resolution was passed, providing for a Plymouth
Rock Breed Standard, as the first in the series, and creating a
committee to edit and publish the same.
The Committee appointed, consisting of D. M. Green, S. A.
Noftzger, W. C. Denney, U. R. Fishel and A. C. Smith as Chair-
man, representing, as actual breeders, five of the six Plym-
outh Rock varieties. As yet, the scope of the work had not
extended beyond that outlined earlier in this article, the idea
being to give besides the descriptions, illustrations, definitions,
graphic sketches, instructions to judges, etc., as found in the
Standard of Perfection, a more complete history of each vari-
ety, a more complete and clearer description of the shape and
plumage, the common defects of each, and colored illustrations
of the best natural feathers that could be secured.
The committee as above named, presented a report with
complete manuscript but with no new illustrations to the
Thirty-seventh Annual Convention at Nashville. Tennessee,
1912, but because the time to elapse before the next revision
was held to be too short to warrant the expense of a work of
this kind, the Association voted to withhold publication until
after the next (1915) general revision of the Standard of Per-
fection.
At the Thirty-eighth Annual Meeting at Atlantic City,
August, 1913, this committee sat in conference with the
leading breeders of Plymouth Rock varieties and others inter-
ested and as the result of these conferences, the committee
made a report which outlined a breed standard embodying
several new features, such as articles on single and double
matings, articles especially adapted to the needs of beginners
on mating the different varieties, illustrations showing the
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 7
relative proportions of the different sections, and the various
markings found in the plumage of the different varieties.
The Thirty-eighth and Thirty-ninth Annual Meetings
merely ratiiied'the action of the Thirty-seventh in expressing a
determination to publish Breed Standards after the publication
of the 1915 Revision of the Standard of Perfection, which was
not effected until the Fortieth Annual Meeting at San Fran-
cisco, November, 1915.
By the action of the Association at this meeting, the Breed
Standards were put into the hands of the Standing Standard
Committee, and by the terms of the same resolution, this com-
mittee was empowered to employ artists, clerks, editors, etc.,
to proceed with the work, the expense of which was to be met
by an appropriation by the Association of $2,000.
A Breed Standard Committee was appointed at the San
Francisco meeting, consisting of
Grant M. Curtis
E. E. Richards
Arthur C. Smith
W. S. Russell
W. R. Graham
This Committee held a meeting at San Francisco immediately
after the adjournment of the Convention and another was
held later at Buffalo, Xew York.
This meeting, in April. 1916, was attended by Messrs. Cur-
tis and Smith for the committee, the late Secretary Campbell
representing Pres. Richards. Artists Sewell and Schilling, and
a few members of the Association who were called for consul-
tation. At this meeting the text and illustrations for the breed
Standards were outlined in detail and a complete table of con-
tents adopted, work upon which immediately began. Many of
these illustrations were exhibited at the Forty-first Annual
Meeting at Cleveland. Ohio. The meeting received the report
of the committee and an appropriation to complete this work
and publish 3,000 copies was voted by the Association.
Later, the personnel of this committee was somewhat
changed by the resignations of Messrs. Curtis and Graham and
the appointments of Messrs. H. A. Xourse and T. F. McGrew.
8
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
INTRODUCTION.
THAT the reader may get a eorrect understanding- of the
scope and purposes of both the American Standard of
Perfection and the separate Breed Standards, a few
explanatory statements will be made at this point. First, the
separate Breed Standards are designed to supplement the
Standard of Perfection and not to supplant it. Again, the
Standard of Perfection is a fully illustrated, well printed, and
neatly bound volume of 368 pages, that gives a complete
though necessarily somewhat concise description of all breeds
and varieties recognized by the American Poultry Association
as Standard-bred poultry, as well as illustrations of both the
ideal male and female of most of the leading varieties ; also,
rules by which all breeds and varieties are judged at the poul-
try exhibitions of the United States and Canada, and graphic
illustrations of ideal combs, feather markings, and the most
serious defects of standard-bred fowls in shape, color, and
markings. It is the poultry breeder's official guide, and is
almost indispensable to all who are directly interested in the
breeding of what is commonly known as "pure-bred fowls."
For the separate Breed Standard, it has been argued that
the average breeder who keeps only a single breed or variety
is not as much interested in the description of the many other
breeds found in this Standard. In practical application, he
wants and greatly needs more than this, that is, reliable, prac-
tical instruction in how to mate and care for fowls of the par-
ticular breeds in which he is interested, in order that he may
be able to produce as large a proportion as possible of speci-
mens that shall approach closely to the ideals described and
presented in the Standard of Perfection.
The present volume, as the first of the Separate Breed
Standards represents a conscientious effort on the part of the
committee to render this service to the breeders of Plymouth
Rocks. This book contains everything that appears in the
Standard of Perfection that relates directly to Plymouth
Rocks. In addition it gives full detailed information on the
breeding, exhibiting, rearing and marketing of such fowls.
( )bviously, it is impossible for this committee to formulate
definite rules, the application of which may be expected to
PLYMOUTH ROCK STAXDARD AXD BREED BOOK
9
bring about the production of the highest exhibition qualities
in Plymouth Rocks in every instance. The time may probably
never come when hard and fast rules for all phases of breeding
problems can be well laid down, but there is a vast difference
between an attempt to achieve this seemingly impossible
accomplishment and the policy of complete silence on the
many problems that confront the breeder, especially the begin-
ner, who, heretofore, has had no authentic source of informa-
tion on the practical problems involved in the breeding of
Standard fowls.
And we believe that most breeders, certainly most of those
who are inexperienced, will welcome reliable information de-
signed to solve the many difficult problems associated with
this task; will appreciate having in complete and connected
form a plain statement of the fundamental principles involved
in this work, and will welcome reliable guidance in working
out the details of the special problems that confront them.
(H. T. J.)
LIST OF AUTHORS,
The x^ssociation is indebted to Messrs. Homer T. Jack-
son for several articles in Part I, M. L. Chapman for the
article on conditioning W nite Birds, to T. F. McGrew for
the treatises on White and Silver-Penciled Plymouth Rocks,
to H. A. Xourse for the treatise on Practical Poultry Keeping,
and to T. E. Quisenbury and AW R. Graham for articles on
Utility Features of Plymouth Rocks. Their initials are ap-
pended to the articles written. All articles not so appended
were written by the Editor.
THE PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND
BREED BOOK.
CONTENTS.
PART ONE : Fundamentals of the Plymouth Rock Fowl.
Page 11.
PART TWO: Successive Stages of Development in Do-
mestic Fowls. Page 40.
PART THREE: Standard-Bred Plymouth Rocks. Page 61.
PART FOUR: Plymouth Rocks For and In the Show
Room. Page 337.
PART FIVE: Practical Poultry Keeping. Page 387.
PART SIX: Utility Features of the Plymouth Rock
Fowl. Page 414.
10
PART ONE.
FUNDAMENTALS OF THE PLYMOUTH ROCK
FOWL.
SECTION I.
Nomenclature and Glossary of Technical Terms. Page 12.
CHAPTER L Glossary of Technical Terms.
SECTION II.
The Score Card and Instructions for Judging. Page 26.
CHAPTER I. Instructions for Judging Plymouth Rocks.
CHAPTER II. General Disqualifications for Plymouth
Rocks.
CHAPTER III. Rules for Cutting for Defects of Plymouth
Rocks.
SECTION III.
An Explanation of Standard Measurements and Color Terms.
Page 34.
CHAPTER I. Standard Measurements.
CHAPTER II. Color Terms.
11
4
Figure 1
NOMENCLATURE
Diagram of Male
1
Head
11
Front of Hackle
20 Primary-coverts
28
Body Feathers
Beak
12
Breast
21 Hack
29
Fluff
3
Nostril
Cape
22 Saddle
30
Thighs
4
Comb
14
Shoulder
2'.i Saddle feathers
31
."1 Hocks
Face
15
Wing-bow
2 1 Sickles
32
32 Shanks
6
Eye
lfi
Wing-front
25 Smaller sickles
33
33 Spurs
7
Wattle
17
Wing-coverts, wing-bar
2(i Tail-coverts
34
34 Feet
8
Ear
18
Secondaries, wing -bay
27-27 Main Tail feathers
35
35-35 Toes
9
Far-lobe
l!t
Primaries, flights
27A Under Tail-coverts
36
36 Toe Nails
10
Hackle
12
Figure 2
NOMENCLATURE
Diagram of Female
1
Head
14
Shoulder
20 Tail-coverts
2
Beak
15
Wing-bow
27 Main Tail Feathers
3
Nostril
16
Wing-front
27A Under Tail-coverts
4
Comb
17
Wing-coverts
28 Body Feathers
5
Face
18
Secondaries, wing-bay
29 Fluff
6
Eye
19
Primaries, flights
30 Thigh
7
Wattle
20
Primary-coverts
31 Hoch
8
Ear
21
Back
32 Shank
9
Ear-lobe
22
Sweep of Back
33 Spur
10
Neck
23
Cushion
34 Foot
11
Front of Neck
24
Tail-coverts
35-35 Toes
12
Breast
25
Tail-coverts
36-36 Toe Nails
13
Cape
13
SECTION I.
CHAPTER I.
(See fig-
GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS.
Barring. — Bars or stripes extending across a feather at right
angles to its length, or nearly so. (See figures 3 and 4.)
Bay. — A rich brown-red ; red with a brown tinge, similar to
reddish chestnut. (Bay shows more red than mahogany.
See mahogany.)
Beak. — The projecting mouth parts of chick-
ens and turkeys, consisting of upper and
lower mandibles. (See figures 1 and 2.)
Black. — Absence of spectral color. The oppo-
site or negative of white.
Blade, — The rear part of a single comb, back
of the last well-defined point, usually ex-
tending beyond the crown of the head,
smooth and free from serrations
ure 5.)
Bluish. — Pure blue does not
appear in the feathers of
fowls. The color termed
blue or bluish by poultry-
men is produced by a
mixture of black and
white with the addition
of a small percentage of
red pigment.
Brassiness. — Having the color of brass ; yel-
lowish. A serious defect in all varieties
of Plymouth Rocks.
Breast. — As applied to fowls, this term is
generally understood to mean that part
which surrounds the fore part or keel
bone. (See figures 1 and 2.)
Breed. — A race of fowls, the members of
which maintain distinctive shape charac-
teristics that they possess in common.
Breed is a broader term than variety.
Breed includes varieties, as, for example,
the Barred, White and Buff varieties of Figure 4.
. , -r-,, . , -p, 11 i Barred Feather. Ideal
the Plymouth Rock breed. (Male.)
Figure 3.
Barred Feather
Ideal. (Female.)
mm
I,
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 15
Breeder. — A broad, general term that designates the poultry
raiser who produces fowls for any special purpose, with the
object of improving their value, or in conformity with an
agreed standard of excellence.
Breeding In-and-in. — (See "inbreeding.")
Brown. — A color formed by
mingling red, yellow and
black.
Burr". — Standard buff color is a
lustrous, orange yellow ;
sometimes described as a
soft, brownish yellow.
Cape. — The short feathers on
the back underneath the
hackle, collectively shaped
like a cape. (See figures 1
and 2.)
Carriage. — The attitude, bear-
ing or style of a bird.
Chick. — The young of the do-
mestic fowl, properly ap-
plied until the sex can be
distinguished ; sometimes
used to designate specimens
less than a year old.
Chicken. — Specifically, the young of the domestic fowl prior
to the development of adult plumage ; also used as a gen-
eral term to designate all domestic fowls except turkeys,
ducks and geese.
Class. — A group of fowls consisting of one or more breeds
having a common place of origin or possessing certain spe-
cial characteristics in common.
Cock. — A male fowl one year old and over.
Cockerel. — A male fowl less than one year old.
Comb. — The fleshy protuberance growing on top of a fowl's
head. All varieties of Plymouth Rocks have single combs.
(See figure 5.)
Condition. — The state of a fowl in regard to health, cleanli-
ness and order of plumage.
Coverts. — (See tail, flight and wing-coverts.) (See figures 1
and 2.)
Creaminess. — Having the color of cream ; light yellow.
Figure 5.
Ideal Comb for Plym-
outh Rock Male — Any
and All Varieties.
16
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
growth.^
Figure 6.
Duck Foot (A Defect).
Crop. — The enlargement of the gullet in which a fowl's food
is accumulated before it passes to the gizzard.
Cushion. — The mass of feathers at the rear of back of a fowl,
partly covering- the tail. (See figure 2.)
Disqualification. — A deformity or serious defect that renders a
fowl unworthy to win a prize.
Disqualified.— Applied to a fowl that is un-
worthy to win a prize.
Domestic Fowl. — \n individual of the genus
gallus domesticus.
Down. — The first hairy covering of chicks;
also, the tufts of hair-like
sometimes are found on the
shanks, toes, feet or webs of
feet of fowls.
(NOTE.— If the quill and
web are discernible to the
eye, it is a "feather.")
Duck-Footed. — The hind toe car-
ried forward. (See figure 6.)
Ear-Lobe. — The fold of bare skin just below the ear. (See
figures 1 and 2.)
Edging. — A narrow border of white or light
color along the side or around the end of a
darker colored feather.
Excrescence. — A disfiguring, abnormal or su-
perfluous outgrowth.
Face. — The bare skin on the head of a fowl around
and below the eyes. (See figures 1, 2 and 5.)
Faking. — Removing, or attempting to remove,
foreign color from the face or ear-lobes when
it is a disqualification ; removing one or more
side sprigs ; trimming a comb in any man-
ner ; artificial coloring or bleaching of any
feather or feathers; splicing feathers; injur-
ing the plumage of any fowl entered by an-
other exhibitor ; plugging up holes in legs of
smooth-legged varieties where feathers or
stubs disqualify ; staining of legs ; in fact,
any self-evident attempt on the part of an
exhibitor to deceive the judge and thus ob-
tain an unfair advantage in competition.
iMgun
Sections
Feather.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 17
Figure 8.
"Frosting" on the
Otherwise Black
Breast of a Male.
Fancier. — A breeder of poultry who seeks to produce chickens,
turkeys, ducks or geese in conformity with an ideal or
prescribed standard of excellence.
Feather. — A growth formed of a discernible
quill or shaft and a vane (called "web")
upon each side of it. (See figures 7 and
11.) (NOTE.— When quill is not dis-
cernible to the eye, it is down.)
Flights. — The primary feathers of the wing,
used in flying but out of sight, or nearly
so, when wing is folded. (See figures 1
and 2.)
Flight Coverts. — The short, moderately stiff
feathers, located at the base of the wing
primaries or flight feathers, and partly
covering their quills. (See figures 1 and 2.)
Fluff. — The soft feathers about thighs and
posterior part of fowl ; also the soft
downy part of a feather. (See figures 1
and 2.)
Foreign Color. — Any color on a feather
that differs from the color prescribed
for such feather as a part of the plum-
age of a Standard-bred fowl.
Fowl. — A term gener-
ally used to denote
the common, do-
mestic cock or hen.
Frosting. — A white
or light colored
marginal edging
or tracing on feath-
ers of laced or pen-
c i 1 e d varieties.
(This type of lac-
ing (see figure 8) in
the breast of a male,
red in the case of the
Partridge Plymouth
Rock or silver white
in the Silver-Pencil-
ed Plymouth Rock,
Figure
Striped Neck (Hackle;
Feather, Male (Ideal).
Figure 10.
Striped Neck Feath-
er, Female (Ideal).
18
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
may denote that the specimen belongs to a line bred for
production of exhibition females.)
Gray. — A color formed by blending white and black, frequent-
ly with a dash of red or other primary colors. In common
usage, black modified by white to form a dull whitish tint.
B
Figure 11
DIVISIONS OF THE FEATHER
A, Quill or shaft at the root of feather. (See technical terms.)
B, Tip or point. (Extreme outer end.)
C, C. Fluff and undercolor. (See technical terms.)
D, D. Web and surface color. (See technical terms.)
E, E. Fringe (or border).
The fringe is that portion of a feather at the extremities of the web and tip
where the fibers are not joined by barbules. In self or solid colors, this border or
edge is more glossy than the web. In parti-colors the color changes usually at the
junction of the central web and the border as in hackle of a Columbian Plymouth
Rock.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 19
Figure 12.
Mealy (Defective)
Feather.
Hackle.— The neck plumage of males, formed of the hackle
feathers. (See figures 1 and 9.)
Hackle Feathers. — The long, narrow feathers
growing on the necks of the males. (See
figures 1 and 9. )
Hangers. — A term sometimes applied to the
smaller sickles and tail-coverts of males.
(See figure 1.)
Head. — The part of a fowl composed of skull
and face, to which the comb. beak, wattles
and ear-lobes are attached. (See figure 1.)
Hen-Feathered. — A male bird that resembles a
hen, owing to the absence of sickles, pointed
hackle feathers, etc., is said to be "hen-
feathered."
Hock.- — (See "knee-joint" ; also, figure 1.)
Horn-Color. — Dark, bluish gray under an en-
ameled surface.
Inbreeding. — The breeding of very closely related individuals,
as sire and offspring, dam and offspring, or brother and
sister. The closest form of line breeding.
Iridescent. — Exhibiting colors like those of a
rainbow ; a prismatic play of color.
Keel. — The median ridge on the breastbone of
fowls.
Knee-joint. — In fowls, the joint between the
thigh and shank is called the knee-joint.
(See figures 1 and 2.)
Knock-Kneed. — A deformity in which the legs
come too near together at the knee-joints,
and are bent outward, laterally, below the
knees. (See plates 15 and 16. figures 1 and
1. pages 131 and 132.)
Leg. — Includes thigh and shank.
1 and 2.)
Line-Breeding. — Breeding from
female of the same strain or line of descent.
Lopped-Comb. — A comb falling over to one
side. To disqualify for a lopped single
comb (See "General Disqualifications),
some portion must fall below the horizontal plane where
the comb begins to lop. (See plate 7, figure 1. page 117.)
(See figures
Lale and
Figure 13.
Mossy (Defective)
Feather.
20
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Luster. — The special brightness of plumage that gives bril-
liancy to the surface color of the fowl or section.
Mahogany. — A brownish-red. (See Bay.)
Mealy. — Having the appearance of being sprinkled with meal.
Applied to buff or red varieties where the ground color
is stippled with a lighter color. (See "Stipple," also fig-
ure 12.)
Mossy. — Irregular, dark penciling appearing in feathers and
destroying the desirable contrast of color. (See figure 13.)
Mottled. — Marked on the surface with spots of
different colors or shades of color.
Nostrils. — Opening beginning at base of beak
and extending into the head.
Obtuse Angle. — An angle greater than a right
angle, i. e., one containing more than ninety
degrees. (See figure 25.)
Parti-Colored. — A term applied to feathers or
fowls having two or more colors.
Pen. — (Exhibition) A male and four females of
the same variety.
Penciling. — Small markings or stripes on a
feather. They may run straight across, as in
the Penciled Hamburgs, in which case they
frequently are called "bars," or may follow
the outline of the feather, taking a crescentic
form, as in Silver Penciled and Partridge Plymouth Rocks.
(See figure 14. )
Peppered — Peppering. — Sprinkled with gray or black. (See
"Mealy.")
Pinion Feathers. — The feathers attached to the joint of the
wing that is most remote from the body.
Plumage. — The feathers of a fowl.
Poultry. — Domesticated fowls reared for exhibition, or for
their eggs, flesh, or feathers. Poultry includes chickens,
turkeys, geese and ducks.
Primaries. — (See "Flights.")
Profile. — A direct side view of a fowl. Applied to live speci-
mens and to illustrations.
Pullet. — A female fowl less than a year old.
Pure-Bred. — Technically, a fowl whose breeding is "pure"
with respect to certain characters. In general use, the term
often is inaccurately used when "Standard-bred" is meant.
Figure 14.
Penciling, Cres-
centic Form
(Ideal).
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 21
;tem of a feather.
Red covers a wide
Purple. — A color produced by a combination of red and blue;
includes all shades produced by this combination, such as
lilac, violet, etc.
Quill. — The hollow,, horny, basal part or
(See "Shaft"; also, figure 7.)
Red. — The spectral color opposite to blue.
range of hues and shades.
Rump. — The rear part of the back of a fowl.
Saddle. — The rear part of the back of a male bird, extending to
the tail and covered by the saddle feathers. ( See figure 1.)
Saddle Hackle. — The long, narrow, pointed
feathers growing from a male bird's sad-
dle and drooping at the sides. (See fig-
ure 1.)
Scaly Leg. — One with incrustations or de-
posits upon and beneath the scales.
Secondaries. — The long quill feathers that
grow on the second joint or fore-arm of a
fowl's wing, visible when the wing is
folded. With the primaries, they consti-
tute the main feathers of the wing. (See
figures 1 and 2.)
Section. — A distinct part or portion of a
fowl's body ; especially one of the parts
or portions considered in judging fowls.
Self-Color — Solid-Color. — A uniform color
unmixed with any other.
Serrated. — Xotched along the edge like a saw.
Serration. — A Y-shaped notch between the points of a single
comb.
Shaft. — The stem of a feather, especially the part filled with
pith, which bares the barbs. ( See figure 7.) Properly the
part to which the vane is attached, but
sometimes applied to the entire stem,
including quill.
Shafting. — The shaft of the plume portion
of a feather, being lighter or darker in
color than the web of the feather. (See
figures 7 and 15.)
Shank. — The lower scaly portion of a fowl's Figure 16.
leg, exclusive of the feet and toes. (See One Form of Side
r 1 j i \ Sprigs (A Disqualihea-
figures l and 2.) tion).
Figure 15.
One Form of Shaft-
ing (A Defect).
22
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Figure 17.
Slipped Wing and Twisted
Feather (Defects).
Sickles. — The long, curved feath-
ers of the male bird's tail, prop-
erly applied to the top pair
only, but sometimes used in re-
ferring to the prominent tail-
coverts, which are also called
smaller sickles. (See figure 1.)
Side Sprig. — A well- defined, point-
ed growth on the side of a sin-
gle comb. (See figure 16; also,
plate 7, figure 5, page 117.)
Single Comb. — A comb consisting of a single thin, fleshy, ser-
rated formation, rising from the beak and
extending backward over the crown of the
head and in males, beyond the head. (See
figure 5.)
Slate. — Gray, of medium or dark shades.
Slipped Wing. — A wing of a fowl not closely
folded and held up in proper position ; a de-
fect resulting from injury or from weakness
of muscles of wing. (See figure 17.)
Smaller Sickles. — See "Sickles."
Splashed Feather. — A feather with colors scat-
tered and irregularly intermixed. (See fig-
ure 18.)
Split Comb. — A single comb which is divided per-
pendicularly and the two parts overlap. (See
figure 19.)
Spur. — A horn-like protuberance growing from the inner side
of the shank of a fowl. It may be knob-
like or pointed, according to the age
and the sex of the fowl. (See figure 1.)
Squirrel Tail. — A fowl's tail, any portion of
which projects forward, beyond a per-
pendicular line drawn through the junc-
ture of tail and back. (See figure 20.)
Standard-Bred. — Fowls bred to conform to
the requirements of the American
Standard of Perfection.
Figure 19. Stern. — The lower or under part of the
Split Comb. Showing . r r 1
the Tendency of the posterior SeCtlOll Of a fOWl.
Blade to Divide Perpen- 0 . , \r i ,• 1
dicuiarly (Disquaiifica- Stipple. — \ erb, to execute on stipple, 1. e..
tion) .
Figure 18.
Splashed (De-
fective)
Feather.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK
23
to draw, paint or engrave
by means of dots instead
of lines. Noun, the ef-
fect obtained in color
work by the use of dots
instead of strokes or
lines. (See figure 21.)
Strain. — A family of any va-
riety of fowls bred in line
by descent by one breed-
er, or successor, during a
number of years, that has
acquired individual char-
acteristics which distin-
guish it more or less from
specimens of other
strains of the same variety.
Stripe. — A line or band of
Squirrel
tion i
color,
Figure 20.
Tail. (A Disqualifica-
n Plymouth Rocks).
regular or irregular in
color of feather. (See
torm, that differs from the body
figures 9 and 10.)
Striped Feather. — A feather, the surface of which contains a
line or lines of color, regular or irregular in form, differing
from the body color. When more than one stripe is present
the feather is said to be laced, or barred, or pencilled.
Stub. — A short feather or portion of a feather, when found
between or under scales of shanks or toes.
Surface Color. — The color of that portion of the
plumage of a fowl that is visible when the
feathers are in their natural position.
Symmetry. — Perfection of proportion ; the har-
mony of all parts or sections of a fowl, viewed
as a whole, with regard to the Standard type
of the breed it represents.
Tail-Coverts. — The curved feathers in front of
and at the sides of the tail. (See figure 1.)
Tail Feathers. — Main ; the straight and stiff
feathers of the tail that are contained inside
the sickles and tail-coverts ; the top pair are
sometimes slightly curved, but generally are
straight. (See figures 1 and 2.)
Thigh. — That part of the leg above the shank.
(See figures 1 and 2.)
24
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Thumb-Mark. —A disfiguring depression which sometimes ap-
pears in the sides of a single comb. (See plate 7, figure 3,
. Page 117.)
Ticking. — Small specks of color on feathers, that differ from
the ground or body color.
Tipped. — A term applied to a feather the web end of which
differs in color from the color of the body or main portion
of the feather.
Trio. — One male and two females of the same variety.
Twisted Comb. — An irregularly shaped comb falling or curv-
ing from side to side, being distorted from the normal per-
pendicular position. (See plate 7, figure 2, page 117.)
Twisted Feather. — Feather with quill or shaft twisted. (See
ure 17.)
Typical. — Expressing a characteristic in color or form, repre-
sentative of a breed or variety; for example, typical shape,
meaning the form peculiar to a breed.
Undercolor. — The color of the downy portion of the plumage,
not visible when the plumage of the fowl is in natural
position. (See figures 7 and 11.)
Variety. — A sub-division of a breed (See definition of "breed")
used to distinguish fowls having the Standard shape of
the breed to which they belong, but differing in color of
plumage, shape of comb, etc., from other groups of the
same breed. The general difference between the terms
"breed" and "variety" is well brought out in the statement
popular among breeders and fanciers: "Shape makes the
breed ; color, the variety."
Wattles. — The pendant growth at the sides and base of beak.
Web. — Web of Feather : The flat portion of a feather, made
up of a series of barbs on either side of the shaft. (See
figure 7.) Web of Feet: The flat skin between the toes.
Web of Wings : The triangular skin between the shoulder
and forearm of wing.
White. — A composition of all colors ; the opposite of black.
Enamel White : White with glossy surface. Silvery White :
A metallic, lustrous white, without trace of yellow.
Wing-Bar. — The stripe or bar of color extending across the
middle of the wing, formed by the color or markings of the
wing-coverts. (See figure 1.)
Wing-Bay. — The triangular section of the wing, below the
wing-bar, formed by the exposed portion of the secondaries
when the wing is folded. (See figures 1 and 2.)
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
25
Wing-Bow. — The upper or shoulder part of the wing. (See
figures 1 and 2.)
Wing-Coverts. — The small, close feathers clothing the bend
of the wing and covering the roots of the secondary feath-
ers. (See figures 1 and 2.)
Wing-Frcnt. — The front edge of the wing
at the shoulder. This section of the
wing is sometimes called "wing-butt."
The term wing-front is recommended,
thus avoiding confusion. (See figures
1 and 2.)
Wing-Point. — The ends of the primaries,
sometimes erroneously called "wing-
butts." (See figures 1 and 2.)
Wry Tail. — Tail of a fowl turned to one
side, permanently so. (See figure 22.)
Yellcw. — The spectral color between
green and orange, similar to gold ; as
applied to fowls' legs, beaks, etc., a
rich, lemon-yellow is meant.
(A Disqualification.)
SECTION II.
CHAPTER I.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR JUDGING PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
MERIT. — The merit of specimens shall be determined by
a careful examination of all sections in the "Scale of
Points," beginning with symmetry and continuing
through the list, deducting from the full value of each section
of a perfect specimen, for such defects as are found in the spec-
imen. Judges must familiarize themselves with the scale of
points of each breed they are to pass upon to intelligently
award prizes. And it must be understood that no more and no
less value can be placed on any section than is provided for in
the "Scale of Points." And it shall be further understood that
this system must be applied whether judged by score-card or
comparison. The minimum cut for any section shall be one-
fourth of one point.
Weight. — All specimens shall be judged according to their
Standard weights, provided, however, that the disqualifying
weight for chicks shall not apply until December first of
each year. Deduct two points per pound for amount lacking
from Standard weights, and in that proportion for any frac-
tional part of a pound, using one-fourth pound as a minimum,
the specimen to have the benefit of any fraction less than
one-fourth pound.
When adult specimens are equal in score and are above
or below Standard weight, the one nearest weight shall be
awarded the prize, except when one specimen is cut for
weight, and the others are not, in which case the specimen
that is Standard weight or above shall be awarded the prize.
In the case of chicks of immature specimens having an equal
score, when cut for lack of weight, the one of less weight
shall be awarded the prize ; but when each of such specimens
is of Standard weight, or over, the one nearest weight shall
be awarded the prize.
(CAUTION — The weight clause must not be understood
to mean that a small but over-fat specimen is within the spirit
This chapter is taken from the Standard of Perfection, and is
quoted verbatim, except for changes made necessary by the omission
of such instructions as in no way apply to the judging of Plymouth
Rocks.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 27
of the meaning of the Standard ; the size must be propor-
tionate to the weight, preserving the ideal shape and type
of the Standard specimen.)
Reweighing. — The judge may. at his option, demand the
reweighing of the specimens in competition, in all cases where
Standard weights apply.
Wing Division. — In discount-
ing the color of wings, the sec-
tion shall be divided into three
separate parts, allowing two
points for fronts, wing-bow and
bar ; two for primaries and pri-
mary-coverts ; two for secon-
daries and no greater value can
be placed on any one of these
parts. (See figure 24.)
Scores Entitling Specimens
to Prizes. — To receive a first
prize the specimen must score
ninety points or more, except
cocks of all parti-colored va-
rieties, which may be awarded
first prize, provided they score
eighty-eight points or more. For
each receding prize drop one
point. A pen to win first prize
must score one hundred and
eighty points or more, unless it
contains a cock of a parti-col-
ored variety, in which case one hundred and seventy-eight
points or more may win first prize ; but first prize shall not
be given on a pen if the
male in the pen scores
less than eighty-eight
points. No prize shall
be awarded an exhibi-
tion pen if any specimen
in the pen scores less
than eighty-five points.
Sweepstake Prizes. —
In competition for
sweepstake prizes, when Figure 25.
Diagram Showing Degrees from Horizontal.
Figure 24.
Showing Divisions of Wing.
1 Flights or Primaries 2 Secondaries
3 i-ronts, wing-bows and bar.
28
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
solid-colored specimens compete with parti-colored specimens,
white specimens shall be handicapped two points each, black
specimens one and one-half points each, buff specimens one
point each; after such reduction, the specimen having the
highest score, or the specimens having the highest average
or combined score shall be awarded the prize.
Old and Young Specimens. — All other points being equal,
where prizes are offered on old and young specimens com-
peting together, the former shall be awarded the prizes.
Faking. — Faking of any description shall debar from com-
petition specimens so treated. (See Glossary for what is
meant by "Faking.")
Creaminess or Brassiness. — In White Plymouth Rocks the
presence of brassiness on surface, or creaminess of quills or
undercolor is a serious defect and is to be discounted accord-
ingly.
Bleaching by means of chemicals is such a harmful prac-
tice that where it is proved by other evidence than the con-
dition of the specimen, or specimens, such bleached specimen
shall be considered faked and disqualified.
Score of Exhibition Pen. — To ascertain the score of an ex-
hibition pen, add the scores of the females together and di-
vide the sum by the number of females in the pen ; to the
quotient thus obtained, add the score of the male and this
sum shall be the score of the exhibition pen.
Dated Score Cards. — All score cards made out by judges
applying the Standard are to be dated with ink, indelible pen-
cil or stamp on the date the specimens are judged.
Defective Score Card. — It shall be considered irregular for
a judge to sign a score card unless the weight is considered,
regardless of the season.
Private Scoring. — Private scoring of specimens is not ad-
visable and members of this Association are directed not to
lend their support to the practice as a selling method. Judges
are ordered to weigh each specimen and apply the proper cut
and to make proper cuts for the condition of the specimen
at the time the fowl is scored.
Ties. — In case of ties between two or more specimens that
cannot be broken by any of the previous rules, the specimen
receiving the smallest total sum of cuts for shape shall be
awarded the prize. In case of ties on exhibition pens, when
the tying pens contain either all old or all young specimens,
PLYMOUTH BOCK STAXDARD AXD BREED BOOK 29
the adult pen shall win ; when the tying pens are both adult
or both young, the pen containing the highest scoring male
shall win ; when one of the tying pens contains females of
mixed ages, the pen containing the highest scoring male shall
win ; when one of the pens contains all hens or all pullets,
while the other contains females of mixed ages, the pen having
all the females either adult or young shall win ; when the tie
cannot be broken by any of the above rules, the pen contain-
ing the lowest total of shape cuts in the five main shape sec-
tions shall win.
IN APPLYING THE COMPARISON SYSTEM.
Typical Shape. — In awarding prizes by comparison, judges
must consider carefully each and every section of the speci-
men, according to the Scale of Points and not allow color
alone, or any one or two sections to influence their decisions.
The vital importance of typical shape is to be borne constant-
ly in mind, at the same time giving due consideration to color
in all sections, including undercolor.
Handling. — All specimens in competition must be handled
and examined by the judge, except those that show decided
inferiority as seen in coops.
Disqualifying Weights. — Specimens falling below disqual-
ifying weights after December first of each year must be de-
barred from competition.
Standard Size. — In determining size, the judge shall de-
cide by comparing the specimens in competition with due re-
gard to weight in all breeds and varieties. When a bird fails
to attain, or in case it exceeds, the size proportionate with the
type or shape, it must be discounted quite severely.
Color Defects. — A few. very small, grayish specks in white
fowls shall not debar a specimen that is otherwise superior in
color from winning over one less typical in shape and sound
in color ; provided, however, that the gray specks do not ap-
pear prominently in the primary, secondary or main tail
feathers.
Scaly Legs. — A fowl whose legs and toes are so deformed
by what is called "Scaly Legs" as to hide or to appear to have
destroyed the color, shall not be awarded a first prize.
Note. — Under the comparison system, judges must deduct
the full valuation of the cuts in all sections where a specified
cut is made under the heading of "Cutting for Defects."
30
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
CHAPTER II.
GENERAL DISQUALIFICATIONS FOR
PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
If, in applying the Standard of Perfection, judges find any
of the defects described below, they shall disquality the speci-
men and state on the proper card or blank the nature of the
disqualification :
Specimens unworthy of a score or lacking in breed charac-
teristics.
Any feather or feathers, stubs or down on shanks, feet or
toes ; or unmistakable indications of feathers, stubs or down
having been plucked from same.
Plucked hocks.
Web feet.
More or less than four toes on either foot.
Legs or toes of color foreign to the breed.
A wing showing clipped flights or secondaries or both.
Deformed beaks. (See figure 5, plate 7, page 117.)
Decidedly wry tails.
Crooked backs.
Lopped combs.
Combs foreign to the breed. Split combs. (See figure 19.)
A comb which merely turns over a trifle from the natural,
upright position is not to disqualify.
Side sprig or sprigs. (See figure 16.)
Entire absence of main tail feathers.
Decidedly squirrel tail. (See figure 20.)
Positive enamel white in ear-lobes or unmistakable evi-
dence of an attempt to remove such defect.
Any appearance of crest or beard.
A specimen falling more than two pounds below Standard
weight.
Faking in any manner shall disqualify the specimen.
Under all disqualifying clauses, the specimen shall have
the benefit of the doubt.
Note. — Red pigment on sides or back of shanks is not to
be considered a defect.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 31
CHAPTER III.
CUTTING FOR DEFECTS.
These cuts should not be confused with nor take prece-
dence over the valuation given each section in the Scale of
Points of all varieties.
Judges, in applying the score card, are to discount for the
more common defects, as follows :
Frosted combs y*
Too many or too few point on single combs, each. y
Thumb mark on comb, not less than 1
Rear of comb turning round y 2 to 1
Coarse texture of comb y 2 to 1
Gray or white in any except disqualifying sections
of plumage of Partridge Plymouth Rocks... yf
Coarse texture of wattles y 2 to 1
For missing feather or part of feather in primaries
or secondaries, where foreign color disquali-
fies 1 to 3
Where feather is broken, but not detached, in pri-
maries or secondaries, where foreign color
disqualifies y>
For broken or missing feather or feathers in pri-
maries or secondaries of buff or parti-colored
varieties, where foreign color does not dis-
qualify y> to l
Absence of sickles, where foreign color disquali-
fies, for each sickle 1 to \y 2
Absence of sickles, where foreign color does not
disqualify, for each sickle 1
Absence of one or more main tail feathers in
varieties subject to color disqualifications,
each 1
Absence of one or more main tail feathers, when
not a disqualification, each y 2
For twisted feather or feathers, in wing or tail
of any variety 1 to 2
Brassiness in all varieties, in each section where
found 1 to 2
Creaminess of plumage or quill in White Plymouth
Rocks, in each section where found. % to iy 2
Purple barring in plumage of any variety, in each
section where found y 2 to 2
3l>
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Irregular barring in Barred Plymouth Rocks, in
each section where found y> to \ l / 2
Light colored shafting in Buff Plymouth Rocks, in
each section where found / 2 to l/ 2
Gray specks in any part of plumage of White
Plymouth Rocks, in each section where found. l / 2 to 2
Mealiness in plumage of Buff Plymouth Rocks, in
each section where found 1 to \y 2
Irregular or deficient penciling in Silver Penciled
and Partridge Plymouth Rocks, in each sec-
tion where found l / 2 to \ l / 2
Black or white in Buff Plymouth Rocks, in each
section where found, cut from one-half point
to the color limit of the sections.
Slate undercolor in Buff Plymouth Rocks, in each
section where found J / 2 to \]/ 2
Color of eyes not as described for the different
varieties ^2 to \y 2
If eye is destroyed, leaving only the socket \y 2
If eye shows permanent injury, but retains its
form y 2 to 1
If tail in any specimen shows not to exceed three-
fourths development 1
If tail in any speci-
men shows not
to exceed
one-half devel-
opment 2
If tail in any speci-
men shows not
to exceed
one-fourth de-
velopment .... 3
Crooked breast
bone y 2 to 2
Crooked toes, each )/ 2 to 1
In Barred Ply-
mouth Rocks,
for black feath-
er or feathers,
in each section
where found . . ] j to 1 ] / 2
*To shape limit tTo color limit.
Figure 26.
Tail Carried at an An-
gle of 45 Degrees.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 33
(Names of Association, here)
(Date; month, days and year show is held, here)
Official Score Card of the American Poultry Association
Exhibitor — - - — — — - -
Variety - .........:..Sex
Entry No Ban d No Weight.
| Shape
Color
Remarks
Wattles and Ear-Lobes
Back ......
Tail
Legs and Toes
*Crest and Beard...
t Shortness of Feather
Total Cuts Score.
- - - — , Judge
Secretary
♦Applies to Crested Breeds. tApplies to Games and Game Bantams.
Score cards may be obtained from the Secretary of the
American Poultry Association.
SECTION III.
CHAPTER I.
STANDARD MEASUREMENTS.
THE term "Standard Measurements" refers to the rela-
tive size of the different parts of a fowl and not to any
definite mathematical statement of length, width or cir-
cumference, as no such definite standards have ever been es-
tablished. This may be done some time, but for the present
the breeders' sole guide in determining the correct measure-
ment of sections must be the eye, trained to observe correct
proportions between the different body parts. These propor-
tions are established by the American Standard of Perfection,
and the inexperienced beginner and the expert judge alike
must form their estimate of the degree to which a given sec-
tion of any individual fowl corresponds to the ideal by a care-
ful study of such sections in comparison with Standard ideal
illustrations and Standard descriptions of that breed and sex.
The person who is accustomed to thinking of animal meas-
urements as being determined by the use of tape, ruler or
calipers may find it a little difficult to accustom himself to
regarding the soft, pliable surface of a fowl's plumage as
forming the final outline of practically all its parts. For the
purpose of judging, however, such outlines are as distinct
and final as solid flesh, assuming, of course, that the plumage
is in its natural orderly arrangement.
It should be clearly understood that the use of the terms
"broad," "long," "moderately long," "short," etc., does not
in any case involve comparison with other breeds of fowls.
In all instances, they refer to comparisons between the dif-
ferent sections of the bird under consideration, and with the
Standard illustration of the ideal bird of the same breed
and sex.
For example, the head of the Standard Plymouth Rock
male is described as ''moderately large." This does not mean
that it is "moderately large" as compared with the head of a
Leghorn, on the one hand, or a Brahma on the other, but it
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
35
means "moderately large" when compared with other sections
of the same bird. The Standard could have specified a small,
delicate, finely cut head for the Plymouth Rock male, or one
that would be distinctly large. What it actually has done,
however, is call for a head of "moderate size"— moderate
when compared with other parts or sections of the bird. The
vStandard goes farther and exactly illustrates the correct pro-
portion in the cuts on page • and following pages, so that
the breeder may have at hand an exact "pattern" for com-
parison.
The head of any individual Plymouth Rock male, there-
fore, approximates correct size just in proportion as it con-
forms to the development indicated. And the same principle
applies to all other parts or sections of Standard-bred fowls.
Twelve full page illustrations show ideal profiles of males
and females of all the different varieties of Plymouth Rocks
and elsewhere in the book will be found illustrations showing
the proportions of such other parts as cannot be exactly shown
in the profiles. The beginner who makes a careful study of
these illustrations will at no time have to go outside of this
book to determine what is meant by any term relating to pro-
portion. (H. T. J.)
CHAPTER II.
COLOR TERMS.
Poultrymen generally have found it quite difficult to agree
upon exact shades of color for different breeds and varieties
of fowls and more or less confusion has always existed on
this point. One reason for this is the great variety of possible
shades in all colors. The Standard Dictionary, for example,
recognizes over one hundred and sixty kinds of "red" and
over one hundred kinds of "black," with a similar range in
other colors. The situation is further complicated by the
fact that no exact definitions of color terms exist that enable
one to determine with any certainty the precise shade of
color specified in any given instance. Neither has it been
found practicable to produce a color chart that can be used
with any degree of certainty. It is undoubtedly true, in the
case of all colors, that the true and exact shades can be
learned only by observation.
36
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
In the Glossary, on pages 14 to 26, and in matter de-
scriptive of the different varieties of Plymouth Rocks, colors
have been defined as accurately as can be done in a few
words and it is hoped that the reader will, from these de-
scriptions, be able to form a fairly accurate idea of the colors
called for in these varieties. In addition to these brief defini-
tions, however, the following explanations of color terms ap-
plied to Plymouth Rocks doubtless will prove helpful to many.
Reddish-Bay. — This color is called for in the eyes of all
Plymouth Rocks and, as a rule, is a distinct red, but with a
brownish tinge. Bay in fowls' eyes varies from light to dark,
but the ideal is medium in shade.
Black. — Two distinct blacks are called for in Plymouth
Rocks. In Barred Rocks, the barring "stops short of positive
black." This black should be without greenish sheen.
In all other varieties of Plymouth Rocks, black means
either a greenish-black, that is, a solid black with a greenish
sheen, or a dull, intense black.
Green. — Green does not exist as a positive color in the
feathers of fowls, but is produced by the structure of the
feather, the parts of which set somewhat like prisms, thus
producing an iridescent effect which in black feathers of a
certain character gives a brilliant green sheen. Under some
conditions this sheen gives a purplish effect, which is highly
objectionable in Plymouth Rocks.
Brown. — Brown and mahogany should be considered to-
gether to get a clear understanding of these closely related
colors. Brown is composed of red, yellow and black, giving
a color darker and more somber than bay and, in fowls, shows
little red. Mahogany also is formed of red, yellow and black,
but describes a color verging on chestnut, though lighter in
tone, i. e., containing a little more red and yellow. Mahogany
closely approximates the color of chestnuts when first taken
from the burr and is lighter and redder than the color of
chestnuts as ordinarily sold in market.
Bluish. — There is no blue in the feathers of fowls. The
color called blue is a mixture of black and white, the bluish
tinge being a faint iridescence. In Barred Plymouth Rocks
the ideal bluish tinge is produced mainly by the various modi-
fied shades of black, grayish-black and grayish-white resulting
from the modified white and black of the barred feathers and
from their overlapping.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK
37
Buff. — A yellow-toned brown, that is, a yellow darkened
with red and black. Different shades of buff are found, rang-
ing from lemon buff to a distinct reddish-yellow. Bearing in
mind that yellow is the color of gold, the "rich, golden buff"
called for by the Standard must be understood to be a golden
yellow.
Gray. — This color, as applied to Plymouth Rocks, is used
chiefly in connection with the appearance of objectionable dark
markings in feathers that should be clear white or other color.
Gray is a black reduced with white until it is of a dull, neutral
shade. Black as a disqualification or defect must be "positive"
black, that is, unmodified by white.
Purple. — As applied to the black feathers of fowls usually
appears in the form of barring, and is commonly supposed to
be indicative of "too much luster." Both purple and green
apparently are produced by the reflection of light from pris-
matic black feathers. The exact reason why some feathers
show green shades and some purple is not clearly understood.
It is probable that the purple is due to a reddish element,
which tends to crop out as a result of poor breeding.
Red. — This is supposed to be the original color of fowls,
and in crosses or in careless breeding is liable to appear at any
time. Fowls of all colors, apparently, carry red as a latent
color factor. Red in Barred. Y\ nite or Columbian Plymouth
Rocks is a disqualifying defect.
White. — Pure white is a dead white, without any other
shade, though, as a matter of fact, what passes for a pure
white has a bluish tinge, as a rule. It is common knowledge
that the "whitest" white fowls are very apt to have some
feathers with a light flecking of gray where the black pigment,
which gives the bluish tint, has become too conspicuous.
Silvery white is pure white with a sheen, as often seen in
the hackle and saddle feathers of male Silver Penciled Rocks.
Yellow. — This is the color of beaks, shanks and feet in
most varieties of Plymouth Rocks, which are clear, rich yel-
low, closely approaching lemon-yellow. Yellow also is an
important color in the plumage of fowls, though it never ap-
pears there as a pure color — being modified in all cases by reds
and blacks, thus producing burr, bay and brown shades of
varying degrees of intensity. (H. T. J.)
38
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
SCALE OF POINTS
FOR JUDGING PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
All Standard Varieties
Barred Plymouth Rocks
White Plymouth Rocks
Buff Plymouth Rocks
Silver-Penciled Plymouth Rocks
Partridge Plymouth Rocks
Columbian Plymouth Rocks
Symmetry 4
Weight 4
Condition 4
Comb 8
Head — Shape 2, Color 2 4
Beak — Shape 2, Color 2 4
Eyes — 'Shape 2, Color 2 4
Wattles and Ear-lobes — Shape 2, Color 2 4
Neck — Shape 4, Color 6 10
Wings — Shape 4, Color 6 10
Back — -Shape 5, Color 5 10
Tail — Shape 5, Color 5 10
Breast — Shape 5, Color 5 10
Body and Fluff — Shape 5, Color 3 8
Legs and Toes — Shape 3, Color 3 6
100
PART II.
Successive Stages of Development in Domestic Fowls.
SECTION I.
Chapter I — Origin and Development of Domestic Fowls.
Page 40.
SECTION II.
Breeding of Domestic Fowls.
Chapter I — General Principles of Breeding Domestic Fowls.
Page 44.
Chapter II — Principles of Breeding, from a Poultryman's
Standpoint. Page 56.
SECTION I.
CHAPTER I.
ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF DOMESTIC
FOWLS.
THE ORIGIN OF FOWLS is a subject in which the orni-
thologist is much more deeply interested than the practical
poultryman, the breeder, or even the ardent fancier; and,
it is a topic that he alone is competent to discuss. The ac-
counts that we find in the best poultry works vary consider-
ably. Hence, we say that it is a subject upon which the
student of ornithology, alone, is qualified to pass judgment.
The origin of domestic fowls is generally attributed to the
Gallus bankiva, or ferrugineus, commonly called the Jungle
Fowl of India, which some claim are still to be seen there.
Specimens claimed to be such were exhibited at the Madison
Square .Garden Show, New York, not more than ten or possi-
bly fifteen years ago. These specimens bore a close resem-
blance to the illustrations of the Jungle Fowl which we find in
poultry books published about the middle of the nineteenth
century. On the other hand, it does not require a great stretch
of the imagination to see them as the result of a cross between
a Black-Red Game Bantam and a Brown Leghorn. In fact,
they looked like a somewhat overgrown specimen of the for-
mer, while the plumage resembled that of the latter when
unscientifically bred.
Variation in Early Types. — Some authorities maintain that
birds varying in type as widely as do different breeds of our
domestic fowls, as for instance the (lame Bantam and the
Brahma, or the Cochin and the Game, could not have been pro-
duced from one species, and that our present day domestic
fowls must trace their origin back to at least two sources.
Edward Brown, in Races of Domestic Poultry, points
out the fact that naturalists as a rule for a time accepted the
Darwin theory, that all races of our domestic fowls were de-
scendants of the Gallus ferrugineus, the Jungle Fowl of India,
while poultrymen as a rule refuted this and accepted the theory
first advanced by Lewis Wright, that it was improbable that
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
41
several of our breeds, particularly those we obtained from
China, were descendants of the Gallus ferrugineus. If so, we
must go farther back to find the common ancestry.
W. G. Tegetmeir, who, according to Brown, was associated
with the great Darwin in his research work, took the view
that while a large part of our present day domestic fowls could
trace their ancestry back to the Gallus bankiva, it was more
than improbable that fowls of certain types, such as the Brah-
ma and Cochin, could also. These, in his opinion, which he cites
apparently after years of research and study, must have de-
scended from a different branch of the genus, either now
extinct or modified to such an extent that it is classed with
some other species of the Gallus family. This, of course,
means that we must go back of the Gallus bankiva to find the
common ancestry.
Brown, in the excellent work mentioned heretofore, gives
the sum and substance of our knowledge at the present time in
the following paragraph :
"To sum up, therefore, it may be taken that with the do-
mestic fowl, as with many other natural forms of life, we can
go so far back, but no further. The probability is that, as in
the case of dogs, all the varieties of fowls do not owe their
origin to any one species, at any rate of those now extant, and
that we must look to another progenitor than the G. ferru-
gineus (bankiva) for several of the later introduced races,
more especially those from China."
Incentives to Poultry Keeping. — While we have fanciers
and breeders of Standard fowls among us by the thousands
that are engaged in this work purely for the pleasure that
they derive from it, the income therefrom or, more directly,
the food supply derived is the great incentive to poultry keep-
ing with a very large majority. Nevertheless, all of the avail-
able accounts of ancient literature indicate, and the probabil-
ities are that the love of sport first induced the natives of
India, in which country fowls were first found, to domesticate
wild fowls ; and to obtain specimens better endowed physically
for cock fighting, a sport that has been the natives' leading
amusement until the present time, they bred fowls after their
own selection.
Introduced into Europe. — Starting in India, the keeping of
fowls with civilization crept westward through Asia and
Europe into Italy, Spain, France, Belgium and England. Be-
sides their indebtedness to the fowls that developed from this
42
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
early introduction, the European countries, England especially,
owe much to the importations during modern times. Many
of the fowls that were obtained from China early in the nine-
teenth century were of widely different types from those that
migrated through Western Asia and Eastern Europe some
centuries before.
First Authentic Accounts. — Exact information upon poultry
topics is exceedingly meager until within the last one hundred
years or so. Almost nothing of the methods employed in keep-
ing flocks or of the description of the breeds is found up to the
early part of the nineteenth century, and it is about the middle
of this century before anything satisfactory is found upon
either topic. We are obliged, therefore, to draw most of our
conclusions concerning the evolution and transition in both,
partly from the evidence supplied by the accumulative results
of which we are the eye witnesses, partly from such literature
of the transitory periods as is available, and somewhat from
the information given by our veteran associates.
Types — Geographical. — The English and French have been
particularly zealous in developing splendid breeds of fowls
which have a leaning toward a fine meat carcass rather than
to heavy egg production. The Spaniards, Italians, and Hol-
landers have paid more attention to egg-producing qualities.
The Asiatic races produced the largest and most magnificent
of all fowls, which were also the most pronounced meat types.
Early American Importations. — Comparatively early in the
life of the nation, Americans adopted many foreign breeds.
About the middle of the nineteenth century, especially a little
later, the large Asiatic breeds found much favor with poultry
keepers in this country. Their influence upon breeds that orig-
inated here is incalculable. The late Mark Pitman, a former
resident of Salem, Massachusetts, once related to the writer
some interesting facts about these importations. From this
account it appeared that many of them were not undertaken
for the purpose of acquiring new blood or new breeds for the
American poultrymen, but for no higher motives than to pro-
vide fresh meat from time to time for the shipmaster's table.
Those fowls that reached America alive owed their survival
to their lean condition as, unfortunately, the best were
usually the first choice, and the poorest, because confined on
shipboard, became eventually so poor that they were unfit for
the table and survived the entire journey to become the pro-
genitors of new races or strains. This information enables us
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK
43
to understand why so few of the importations became estab-
lished and why so many failed to perpetuate themselves.
English Types in America. — English importations have
been frequent all along since the middle of the nineteenth
century. The English developed a few breeds that were ex-
ceedingly popular during the early days of modern American
poultry keeping. With the advent of purely American breeds,
however, the popularity of these breeds rapidly declined. The
English breeds of today most commonly kept here are of later
origin and partake more of the nature of the American breeds.
American Types. — -That the people of some nations seemed
intent upon producing breeds that excelled in egg production,
while others were equally zealous in their endeavors to pro-
duce breeds that surpassed in the quality of their flesh, has
already been pointed out. Americans, however, were never
content in attempting to excel in but a single quality. It is a
noteworthy fact that all our American breeds are the result of
attempts on the part of one or more breeders to make a cross,
or a series of crosses, that would establish a new breed which
excelled all those that had preceded it for egg production, for
quality of flesh, and for quantity of flesh compared to offal.
A study of the history of the recognized American breeds
will confirm these statements. Their names alone will estab-
lish the fact that American endeavor has been extended wholly
along dual-purpose lines.
SECTION II.
CHAPTER I.
BREEDING DOMESTIC FOWLS.
THE advancement, as heretofore related, has been an ac-
complishment of the "breeder's art," which consists
of many methods and systems of selection and mating.
Mating — By Natural Selection. — Prompted by natural in-
stincts to reproduce and perpetuate the species, fowls, in the
wild state, themselves choose mates of the opposite sex as they
will in domestication, if allowed to do so. What attributes or
caprice influences this selection is as yet undiscovered by the
closest students of the life and habits of either domesticated
or wild fowls. Yet, it does seem that the more magnificent
and lordly males are always surrounded by a flock of admir-
ing and obedient females. If this is the true situation, it is
then a wise natural provision, because it means that the strong-
est, most rugged and vital of the males become the consorts of
the females to the exclusion of the weaker. The doctrine of
survival of the fittest, then, has a wide reaching influence ;
inasmuch as each male consorts with several females compara-
tively few males are necessary, and only the most select as to
physical fitness have an influence upon the progeny.
The inclination of the male to gather about him a half-
dozen, a dozen, or a score of females is, from an economic
standpoint, a lasting advantage ; not so much because so few
males have to be kept, but because it is necessary to permit
only the males that are best from the breeders' standpoint,
whether it be for size, egg-producing, lineage or brilliant plu-
mage, to the breeding yards.
Artificial Selection. — Promiscuous matings are no longer a
feature of our well-conducted, modern poultry establishments,
large or small. 'The intelligent poultryman must supply a
product that measures up to a certain "standard." Whether
that "standard" demands a certain number of eggs a year per
hen, or eggs of a certain color, or size, or weight; a fowl that
produces a given number of pounds of flesh in a given time,
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 45
or one that develops feathers that grow backwards, is immate-
rial. Only those males and females that excel in the charac-
teristics demanded by this particular "standard" are used to
perpetuate that particular race or kind of fowl, because those,
and only those that excel in the characteristics demanded,
will reproduce them in the greatest measure.
Systems. — In order to reach their goal, whatever that may
be, breeders of all kinds of poultry, for any and all purposes,
long ago adopted methods that were sure to prevent their birds
mating by natural selection and substituted selections of their
own. This has led to different systems of matings. At first
these were very simple, but the longer the fowls were studied
the more exacting standards became ; and the deeper breeding
problems were probed the more complicated they seemed, so
in time the system of mating became more or less complex,
until now, in some cases, the system itself, though simple in
theory, is such that the application becomes most complicated.
There are instances, however, when the system of mating,
though seemingly complicated, is very simple of application.
In several well known instances, the system that is the sim-
plest and clearest to understand becomes the most difficult to
practice successfully, while the one that is more complicated,
theoretically, is found to be more easily applied and more cei-
tain of results.
Single Matings.— In the beginning, whether mating for
egg production, large size, or certain excellencies in plumage,
real or imaginary, the breeder selected for his matings the
specimens of both sexes that nearest approached his ideals.
This constitutes what is now known as a single mating. That
is, a single mating is one in which both sexes conform more or
less closely to a certain ideal or standard ; each sex of the
progeny of such a mating is also expected to conform more or
less closely to the requirements of such an ideal or standard.
Under the American Standard of Perfection, a single mating
consists of a male and females that conform to a certain degree
of approximation, at least, to requirements for that breed and
variety, as described and portrayed in the afore-named Stand-
ard. As two females alike in all respects have never been pro-
duced, a strict definition of an ideal single mating would be
— a mating consisting of a male and females conforming to the
requirements of the Standard of Perfection, and the ideal re-
sults from an ideal single mating would be sons like the sire
and daughters like the dam. In other words, both the parents
46
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
and their progeny would be ideal specimens, judged according
to the Standard of Perfection. Of course, ideal birds never
existed and undoubtedly never will. Therefore, a practical
definition has already been given.
This system of mating is almost universally practiced in
the breeding of solid-colored varieties ; and very much in the
breeding of parti-colored varieties, but not universally so by
any means.
Intermediate Matings. — Before the art of breeding had been
practiced long under the several Standards that preceded the
one that now governs our breeding operations, it was discov-
ered that the same hen that produced the best males in the
parti-colored varieties, did not produce as a rule the best
females when judged by the accepted Standard. This discov-
ery led to the practice, after observing results from different
individuals, of using in many matings females of different
types of plumage, some from which the best males and others
from which the best females were expected. This became a
common practice. Usually a small number, say one, two or
three females from which the best exhibition males, and four,
five, six, or more from which the best exhibition females were
expected, were placed in each mating. It is really a modifica-
tion of both, the single mating and double mating systems,
and, because it partakes of the nature of both, may be called
an Intermediate System. It is in reality an application of
double mating principles on one side of the mating, the female,
and thereby an acknowledgement of the necessity of double
mating. It may be said to have been the first step toward
the practice of double mating and was in common use long
before the adoption of the double mating system in its entirety.
This modification of the single mating system is still practiced
by those who breed parti-colored varieties, and who are op-
posed to the system to which allusion has been made, as
apparently complicated but of easy application in actual prac-
tice.
Double Matings. — The double mating system is known only
among breeders of standard-bred poultry because it is not
practiced by breeders of other forms of animal life. It may
be defined as a system which employs special and separate
lines of fowls and breeding to produce exhibition males and
females. That is, under this system, the exhibition male line
only is used to produce exhibition males or with any expecta-
tion of doing so. The females of the male line as well as the
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 47
males are expected to produce exhibition males and no exhibi-
tion females. The same principles hold true for the exhibition
female line ; both male and females of the exhibition female
line are expected to produce exhibition females. The males
are in turn used to breed exhibition females, but the males
are not expected to be exhibition birds, or to produce exhibition
males. That is, as already explained, the province of the male
line.
Though already stated, the fact should be emphasized that
this system of mating is commonly practiced only by breeders
of parti-colored fowls. The conclusion can be clearly drawn
that separate matings to produce standard males and standard
females are necessary on account of color requirements. Sel-
dom are separate matings used, or even thought to be neces-
sary, to produce the requirements for shape of either males or
females. Such expediencies have been resorted to very infre-
quently and the practice has passed almost entirely out of use.
It is generally considered that the standard shape of male and
female coincides when due allowance has been made for
natural difference in shape of male and female. In this regard
the experiences and practices of poultry breeders do not differ
in any particular from those of breeders of other animals. The
breeders of forms of animal life in which little attention is paid
to color, never think of, let alone use, a special or separate
line of breeding for each sex.
From the facts as stated, it appears that we must find our
excuse, if excuse it may be called or if an excuse is necessary,
which is doubtful — better should we call it a necessity — for
special or double matings to produce the males and females
that nearest approach the standard descriptions among parti-
colored fowls, in the color requirements alone.
The first question that comes to mind is. why not adopt a
standard description for males and females of the parti-colored
fowls that would coincide, making due allowances for the
natural color differences of the two sexes, as we have in shape?
The answer to this question is found in others like it. Can
it be done? When has it been accomplished? If a standard
could be written in which the color description of both males
and females of parti-colored fowls would be such that standard-
colored males and standard-colored females, mated together,
would produce standard-colored males and standard-colored
females, would breeders and exhibitors be satisfied with the
appearance of both sexes? It is conceded that the best males
48
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
to produce exhibition females, of the parti-colored varieties,
are the sons of the best exhibition females. Therefore, if we
are to make a standard that will permit the highest attainments
of color and markings in the females of parti-colored varieties,
we must describe for their ideal mates, the sons of such fe-
males. Do the sons of such follow very closely the present
standard description, and, if not, would an adequate descrip-
tion of the sons of females of high standard quality, as we find
them, be acceptable to the breeders of many of the parti-col-
ored varieties? It must be fully taken into consideration that
an accurate description of such must be accepted as our
standard ideal, if we are to have a Standard based upon the
highest ideals of female plumage.
On the other hand, if we accept the present Standard for
exhibition males and we propose to have a Standard that is
such that both exhibition males and females can be bred from
a standard (single) mating, the description of exhibition fe-
males in the (proposed) standard must coincide with the
description of the females that our best exhibition males pro-
duce, as the females that produce our best exhibition males
are always the daughters of our best exhibition males. There-
fore, one method of making single mating feasible would be to
adopt the present Standard on males and for the standard
females describe such females as the best exhibition males pro-
duce. The adoption of such a standard, one based on the
present exhibition males and the daughters of exhibition males,
would mean that the exhibition females as at present described
in the Standard would disappear from the show room and in all
probability from the breeding yards as well.
This might be one way of making successful single matings
possible ; the other, as already pointed out, might be by accept-
ing the description of the standard female and adopting in
place of the present description of the standard male, a descrip-
tion of such males as the best standard female produces.
Theoretically, a single or standard mating under these
conditions should produce standard specimens of both sexes.
The vital question is not, however, will a standard or single
mating produce standard chicks of both sexes, BUT — because
it is the best specimens that we seek to produce for exhibition
purposes — the question most positively becomes, will the best
male mated to the best female produce both the best males and
the best females? That is the vital question, for if the best
male mated to the best female would produce only the best
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 49
males — then, in order to produce our best females, we need a
slightly different female with this sire, or we need a little
different male with the dam.
If the original pair produces the best females, but not the
best males, the same fundamental change must be made in the
mating to produce the best males. A different male with the
dam, or another and different female must be mated with the
sire.
But when two females that differ in either color or mark-
ings are used with the same male, one intended to produce the
females nearest approaching our ideal, and another to produce
the male nearest the ideal, so radical a departure from the
principles of single mating is incorporated that an admission
of the necessity of a special mating to produce the best ideals
of either sex becomes most pronounced.
To pursue this line of thought a step further — how often
would a mating consisting of the best male and the best female
produce the best males and best females to comply with any
fixed standard of color or markings in parti-colored fowls?
How often would such a mating produce either the best males
or females and how often would it produce neither? Much
more often by far than not, it will produce neither the best
males nor the best females, make the Standard read as you
like.
On the other hand, under the present Standard by using
special matings for each sex, it is known to be more than pos-
sible to produce the best males by breeding such to their own
daughters or daughters of other high quality males. Results
of this kind have been accomplished for years and are being
accomplished continually. Like results are being accomplished
in breeding the best exhibition females by mating such to their
sons or the sons of other females of high exhibition quality.
If the Standard is fundamentally wrong because special
matings for each sex are necessary to meet its requirements,
the problem for solution is not how may we change the Stand-
ard to make these special matings unnecessary, but how may
we make a Standard so that its requirements will not place a
handicap on standard matings, and a premium upon special
matings for each sex. The problem has been before us since
the first Standard was made, and as yet no one has offered
a solution that seemed theoretically plausible, let alone being
practically possible. Special matings have been producing
the best specimens all these years. From either standpoint,
50
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
performance or theory, the argument favors the product of
special matings for each sex.
At the present writing, there is unquestionably a strong
desire on the part of breeders and exhibitors generally to adopt
standard (or single) matings, even if the Standard has to be
modified or changed in order to permit the breeding of the best
specimens of both sexes from one mating. The object is to
simplify breeding problems for beginners, which, in the esti-
mation of many, would do much to popularize a variety. But
as yet no one has suggested a way to accomplish this that
inspires the confidence of his contemporaries. Changes toward
this end in standard requirements are accompanied by two
serious considerations : first, will such changes, as it at first
appears may tend to solve the difficulty, be acceptable when
the result, namely, the specimens produced, come to view;
and, secondly, would such changes or any changes, that have
yet occurred to anyone, place a premium upon the progeny of
standard matings by producing better specimens thereby, than
can be produced by other methods, specifically by what is
known as double-matings, which really amounts to a special
mating for each sex? No system of mating can long endure
after breeders find another way of producing better specimens.
The final test is the closest conformity to the Standard require-
ments. Who, then, can compile a standard that will so state
its requirements that the specimens produced from standard
(single) matings will excel those produced by any other sys-
tem that man may devise? The system that does that very
thing will be most generally practiced by those who breed
exhibition birds from now till the end of time.
In-Breeding. — That in-breeding is the surest and quickest
way, if not the only way, to perpetuate desired characteristics
is a generally accepted theory. It becomes, then, the funda-
mental means of establishing certain qualities in a line or a
strain. The longer the in-breeding of successive generations
which possess certain distinctive features is continued, the
more fixed these features become.
Limit of In-Breeding. — How long in-breeding may be con-
tinued is an open and unsettled question. Obviously, the
number of generations that may be inbred depends upon sev-
eral things, the first of which is the relationship of the parents,
whether these were unrelated, distantly or closely related.
Secondly, it depends upon the stamina of the original stock,
and further, or thirdly, upon how much stamina is maintained
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
51
by selection, for it is possible to select for strength and vigor
as well as any other quality. In many cases stamina is the
first and most important consideration for selection. Usually,
in-breeding, if too long continued, results in loss of vitality,
which is indicated by increased infertility, slower growth,
smaller size, delayed feathering in the young, and after a time
by weak and twisted feathers in adults. These highly unde-
sirable qualities appear so gradually and increase in intensity
so slowly in succeeding generations that they often diminish
the value of many a flock very appreciably before they are
detected.
Out-Crossing. — When such a condition is found to exist
the only remedy is out-crossing. This consists, of course, of
introducing the blood of some other line or strain into the
flock ; an expediency that is accompanied by danger of losing-
qualities that have been gained by several generations, perhaps,
of in-breeding. There are, however, several modes of intro-
ducing new blood, some of which are accompanied by great
risks, and others that, though somewhat slower in operation,
are comparatively safe. New blood can be very quickly intro-
duced by using a male of an unrelated line. The effect, as far
as restoring vitality in all its phases is concerned, is almost
magical, and usually, it is fully as efficacious in destroying
the very characteristics to establish which in-breeding was
practiced too long. Unless a male from a strain that possesses
very closely the same attributes that have become so strongly
established in the first strain can be secured, the introduction
of new blood through the male, directly, is experimental, to
say the least, and the results cannot be even approximately
foretold, because even though the first out-cross produces
specimens that are satisfactory, the second generation is very
liable to prove disappointing in breeding prowess.
It is much safer to proceed slowly and cautiously. One
safe mode of out-crossing would be as follows : a male of an
unrelated line (B) may be bred to a few females of the first
line (A) and the female progeny of this mating (BA) mated
back to males of the first line (A), and so on for as many
generations as seem advisable, using the female progeny for
new blood, until the results are satisfactory, when the progeny
may be recrossed with the original line, both ways. Occa-
sionally the results of the first cross will be so pre-eminently
satisfactory that males from this cross may be used upon the
original line, but only in case the results are most satisfactory,
52
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
and even then it is better to guard against disappointment by
also mating males of the original line to the females that are
one-half new blood, by also maintaining the original line, or by
both methods of safeguarding the merits of the original line.
A method commonly practiced, but not commonly enough,
which is the safest from two standpoints, is to secure each
year or every second year, a female from another strain, mate
her with a male of the strain which needs, or may need, an
infusion of new blood, and mate the female progeny with the
sire or a male of the same line or same breeding as the sire.
Both the males and females of this generation will usually
have acquired the characteristics of the original strain to a
marked degree and breeders may be thereafter selected by the
same process as though the blood was of one strain.
Strain-building. — A breeder often desires to acquire, per-
haps, a single characteristic, perhaps more than one, in which
his strain is deficient. In order to do this, he is compelled to
secure new blood from a strain that is noted for the pre-
dominance of the required characteristics. This may be
accomplished in the ways that have already been indicated,
accompanied by accurate selection for those characteristics.
If the acquisition of several characteristics is desired, because
a strain is notably deficient in these respects, the project be-
comes complicated, and it may be necessary to line-breed from
the best representatives of one, two, or more strains.
Line-Breeding. — Among poultrymen line-breeding may
mean at least one of two things. It may mean, as above, the
inter-breeding of two or more strains with all the blood tracing
back to a few specimens, usually of extraordinary merit, or
predominating in the desired characteristics. The object is to
amalgamate, eventually, the blood of all the strains employed
until by perpetuating the desired characteristics, a new strain
becomes established.
The term line-breeding is also used to refer to in-breeding,
as when the sire is bred to his female progeny, the dam to
her male progeny, or the offspring are bred together, and
in-breeding among the progeny is continued, so that the blood
of one or more birds reoccurs often in the ancestry of suc-
cessive generations. That is, when by in-breeding or by in-
and-in-breeding, a line is established based upon predominating
excellencies of one or at the most two birds, the desirable
qualities of which are thereby very strongly fixed in the prog-
eny, it is line-breeding with the number of the breeding lines
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 53
that are traceable back to the bird or the pair of birds that laid
the foundation of the line depending entirely upon the number
of generations produced and the mode of breeding.
In-Breeding and Line-Breeding. — The terms "line-breeding"
and "in-breeding'' are often confused or misunderstood. From
the foregoing, it will be understood that line-breeding may be
in-breeding or may not. In case that the line is built upon
the foundation of the blood of one pair of birds, line-breeding
is in-breeding. Line-breeding may be practiced without in-
breeding in its broadest sense by using blood of the same lines
that is but distantly related.
In-breeding might be described, strictly, as the breeding of
related birds, or birds that trace back to a common ancestor,
but whether that is in effect in-breeding or not, depends en-
tirely upon the closeness of such relationship. In-breeding in
the mind of the average poultry breeder consists in mating the
parent with the progeny, or the progeny of one common parent,
at least, together.
■Injudicious In-breeding. — There exists, without a chance
for denial, a tendency among poultrymen to inbreed as long as
the desired characteristics are maintained ; and, if the desired
characteristics are but "hobbies" of the breeder, the pleasure
of producing these sometimes so blinds his perceptive faculties,
that he fails to notice defects so grave in character that they
nullify the excellent qualities to which he has become wedded.
This fault in such an instance must not, however, be attributed
to the systems of in-breeding or line-breeding, but to the blind-
ness of the breeder as to these faults.
Stud-Matings. — Stud mating or stud breeding is practiced
sometimes to prevent the male from consorting too much with
favorites to the neglect of the other females, and sometimes to
obtain as many chicks as possible from a male of more than
average quality. The result of this neglect, in the first in-
stance, is to restrict the number of females actually mated,
and in the second, is an unnecessarily large proportion of infer-
tile eggs. Stud-mating assures the impartial distribution of
the male's powers of reproduction. A larger number of fe-
males may be fertilized by the same male by following this
method, which is to allow the male and each female to mate
only at stated intervals. In order to thus restrict the number
of services each female shall receive, the males and females are
kept separate, and at given intervals the females are placed in
the male's pen or yard, one at a time, and removed either imme-
54
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
diately after mating, or when the next female is brought to
the male. When trapnesting is praeticed, it is handy to take
the hen from the trapnest after laying to the pen in which the
male is kept.
Resting Males. — Quite another method to increase the per-
centage of fertility of the eggs by overcoming the neglect of
some of the females by the male, is to use separate males on
alternate days. It is reasoned that with two males, fewer
females would be neglected, as the males would be unlikely
to select the same favorites. However that idea proves out,
the common practice of confining each male on alternate days
certainly affords an opportunity to rest, and eat sufficient food,
of which opportunity a male, more than probably, does not
avail himself while running with the females. Males, under
this system, keep in better condition physically, and conse-
quently are more able to propagate strong and vigorous off-
spring.
Large Matings. — Infertility of hatching eggs, accountable
to the favoritism of males, is naturally infrequent in breeding
flocks so large as to require the presence of several males. In
this case, the explanation offered in the preceding paragraph
remains true.
Individual Disposition. — The disposition of the fowl should
receive serious consideration. Very often we see such individ-
uals that when at a distance or unaware of the fact that they
are under observation or in close proximity to a human being
or any animal except those of their own genus, pose strikingly
and show splendid form ; yet when approached, go all to pieces,
as the expression is, which means that they become so fright-
ened that they lose all style, and all semblance of correct shape
disappears. The most kindly overtures and best efforts to
accustom these individuals to the ways of complete domestica-
tion are wasted, and only one conclusion is possible, namely,
that such birds lack the ordinary intelligence even of their
order of animal life. Such individuals are of little use either
in the show coop or the breeding pen. In the show coop, be-
cause they stand unnaturally and awkwardly, and seem per-
sistently intent upon making an escape, and must consequently
show in poor form ; and for breeders because dispositions as
well as any other characteristics are transmittable and more
than that, it is admitted that the contented, happy hen is the
hen that lays most frequently, from which it follows that these
individuals that lack contentedness to the extent of never being
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 55
competent to adjust themselves to their surroundings are poor
layers as well as poor breeders and show birds.
From this it may be logically inferred that occasionally a
bird reverts to its wild ancestry and is incapable of true domes-
tication.
Mendelism*. — Mendelism is a law of inheritance discovered
by Gregor Johann Mendel in 1868, and rediscovered by De
Vries, Correns and Tschermak in 1900. It is generally consid-
ered under three heads : Unit characters, dominance, and
segregation. The important feature is the latter, that is, the
segregation of potential factors in the germ cells of crosses and
their chance combination.
In animal breeding, absolute purity of all inherited factors
is difficult to obtain, as the parents even in highly selected
stock generally differ in their inheritance. Therefore, segre-
gation and recombination invariably occurs. Hence the neces-
sity for constant selection toward a desired end.
If the breeding of fowls involved simply one, two or a very
few characteristics, the application of Mendelian principles
would be easily followed and understood, but, as at present
practiced, this application in the breeding of standard fowls
with their many requirements in shape, color and markings, be -
comes a difficult problem.
However, the application of the Mendel law has had little,
if any, bearing upon the accomplishments of breeders of stand-
ard-bred fowls. It is only within a very few years that Men-
delian principles have been studied in this connection, and at
the present time only a very few of the more studious and best
educated fanciers and breeders are making efforts to apply
these principles.
However, several of the state educational institutions and
experiment stations are applying these principles, and closel T
observing and recording the results. The most important
application is in connection with the inheritance in fecundity,
the one feature in breeders that may be accurately stated, pos-
sibly accurately measured, though even in this case, the influ-
ence of location, environment and climatical changes from
season to season, month to month, etc., may, of course, affect
the results.
*For a complete treatise of this subject, the reader should consult
some work on "Genetics."
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
CHAPTER II.
PRINCIPLES OF BREEDING.
FROM POULTRYMAN'S STANDPOINT.
Whatever progress has been made in the development of
different races of fowls, and from the Jungle Fowl to nearly
one hundred and fifty distinct varieties, all of which have dis-
tinguishable and distinct marks of beauty, marks as great
progress as has been accomplished in any branch of animal
oreeding, has been the result of the application of only a few
elementary and fundamental principles.
"Like Begets Like." Upon this principle as a foundation
has rested the entire structure of standard-bred poultry breed-
ing. Coupled together with another principle quite as ele-
mentary and possibly quite as fundamental, namely, that
defects in one parent may be corrected by selecting for the
parent of the opposite sex one that excels in the same character
in which the first was defective, or one that fails in the same
character as the first, but in the opposite direction, it is re-
sponsible for the progress made thus far.
This amounts to the following precepts : When two birds
of the opposite sex having like characters are mated, the prog-
eny will be like the parents with respect to these like charac-
ters ; when the characters are unlike in the parents, these
characters in the progeny will vary between the extremes ex-
emplified by the parents, with a tendency for the greater
number of the progeny to show a mean between these ex-
tremes. Together these simple rules account for the develop-
ment of the different breeds, the creation of the new varieties
of the same breed, and the improvement and development of
those varieties already established.
Why Like Begets Like. — ( )f this precept no fundamental
or scientific explanation can be offered. It is accepted as an
axiom to a certain extent, though to the full extent it does not,
perhaps, quite conform to modern theories. It is as funda-
mentally true in the breeding of all other forms of life as in
the breeding of poultry. One of the first facts that any student
of either plant or animal life observes is that every seed pro-
duces after its kind. The maxim "like begets like," then, is
in a general way axiomatically proved. In animal breeding,
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
57
the reproducing sex cannot fertilize itself, hence the proof
of the maxim in its entirety cannot be expected. Breeders of
poultry go this far, however, when male and female alike in
certain particulars are mated together, that it is expected that
the progeny will be like the parents in these particulars. For
instance, when a male and female both have a comb with five
points, a majority of the chicks from the pair would be ex-
pected to have five-pointed combs. What deviation did occur
would be attributed to the ancestry of one or the other, or
both, of the parents. Another example, specimens of the
four-toed variety mated together produce four-toed varieties
in all cases, while those of the five-toed variety when mated
together produce five-toed chicks in nearly all cases. The
same applies when two specimens of the opposite sex with
reddish-bay eyes are mated together. Deviation would be
accounted for by those of the ancestors that did not have
red eyes.
To Offset Defects. — As an example of the second principle
in general use by poultry breeders everywhere, that of cor-
recting a defect by mating with specimens of the opposite sex
that fail in the opposite direction, a male with a four-point
comb, one point short of standard requirement, would be mated
with a female with six points on her comb, and vice versa.
If one of the mated pair had light eyes, it would be mated to a
specimen with very dark reddish-bay or even with deep red
eyes. A specimen of a breed which is required to have five
toes that has but four would be considered so faulty that it
would not be used as a breeder; it is a disqualified bird. (See
page 16 for definition.) It is just as serious a matter when
the specimen of the four-toed variety has five toes. It is dis-
carded for the same reason.
In many cases this principle is modified to the extent of
mating birds that are faulty in certain respects to the opposite
sex that are as near perfection as it is possible to obtain.
Faults may not be corrected as speedily in this way as by the
other, but the method is more secure in the long run, because
it is better that the fowls should inherit one excellent feature
than two faults, even though they be of opposite tendencies.
Pedigrees. — Broadly speaking, these rules for mating have
been very largely depended upon by breeders of standard-
bred poultry, whether for exhibition or commercial purposes.
In practice, the pedigrees for many generations are also usually
kept to help the breeder in applying these precepts, especially
58 AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
of the male side, as that is much mure easily recorded than the
female side, though when a line of heavy egg-producers are
sought, the record of the dam becomes paramount and is
invariably kept as it is, or should be, in the female line when
double matings are used to produce exhibition specimens.
Pedigrees are of great assistance, especially if the character-
istics of each generation can be kept in mind, because the more
generations in which a certain character appears the more
hxed this character becomes, whether it is meritorious or
defective.
Word descriptions, feathers and photographs of each sire
and dam are the most common means of keeping the individ-
uality of each generation in mind, some depending upon one
or two ways, while others use all three. However it is done,
it is essential, not only to know the pedigree for several gen-
erations, but it is equally essential to have an accurate recol-
lection of each sire and dam for a number of generations, as
it is the only way to know how the line is producing for this
or for that desired quality.
Uniformity. — Uniformity is also desired, not only in each
breeding pen, but in the ancestry as well. The more the
chicks resemble the parents and the parents resemble their
parents, the greater is the proportion of exhibition birds to be
found in the hocks year after year, provided, of course, that the
early ancestry was such. The desire on the part of breeders
has been to produce uniformity in their flocks, and to do so,
they have often bred from single pairs of birds, though the
same results may be accomplished by keeping a record of both
sire and dam, even though more than one female is allowed
with the male; the offspring are then full brothers and sisters,
or half-brothers and sisters, and can be recorded as such.
By this method of mating closely related individuals, but few
generations are required to establish most uniform flocks, the
quality of which is, however, determined largely by the quality
of the parent stock and the breeder's knowledge of this par-
ticular line of birds, and his skill in properly weighing the
power of transmission of each individual.
Prepotency. — The power, which it is admitted some birds
possess and some do not, to transmit their own characteristics
to their offspring is called prepotency. In reality, it may be
said to be the difference in the ability or power to transmit
that exists between the parents. We sometimes hear of an
application differing slightly from the above, because there is
PLYMOUTH ROCK STAXDARD AXD BREED BOOK 59
occasionally an individual that is so very prepotent that one
or more of its prominent characteristics are distinguishable in
the progeny for several generations. In such instances, the
individual that originally possessed and first transmitted this
characteristic is often spoken of as being very prepotent.
The most generally accepted theory of explanation has been
that by constantly selecting and breeding specimens with cer-
tain characteristics, these characteristics become fixed in the
progeny, and after a certain number of generations, more or
less, the aforementioned characteristics are transmitted in a
remarkable degree by certain individuals.
The qualities transmitted vary. That is, a bird may be pre-
potent in certain characters and fail to transmit others. One
bird might transmit its constitutional vigor, or the shape of
comb only, while some birds impress their characteristics so
generally and perfectly upon their offspring that we note a
general resemblance to the parent of the same sex. It is not
uncommon for an individual of wonderful constitution and
vigor to throw several offspring bearing a striking resemblance
to the parent in a single season.
The Value of Prepotency. — The value of prepotency can
hardly be overestimated. When that quality is possessed by
a female of high eggproducing capacity, its worth increases
with each generation, according to the egg-producing capacity,
and as the number of the descendants in the flocks increase.
Male One-Half the Flock. — And then, if the foregoing is
true, how important an asset prepotency must be in any male
which, because he exercises his share of influence upon each
and every female with which he mates, is obviously one-half
the flock. If the male is of unusual merit, or especially if he
possesses more merit than the average of the females asso-
ciated with him. and if through his ability to transmit his own
characteristics he exercises such an influence upon the progeny
that he becomes more than one-half of the flock, we can readily
see the advantage of prepotency in such males.
Sex Control of Characters. — Breeders generally prize pre-
potency in a male. Ample explanation has been offered by
pointing out how the male is one-half the flock. There is, too.
the growing belief that the male is responsible for certain
qualities, but opinions as to just which ones differ materially.
Some think the male has most influence upon color and head
points, while the female controls the shape of body, etc. But
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
it must be admitted that no tangible proof of these various
opinions can be secured.
Constitutional Vigor. — That constitutional vigor is a vital
factor in all branches of poultry husbandry will undoubtedly
have been inferred from several of the foregoing passages.
The necessity of that quality described by such terms as health,
vigor, stamina, hardiness, ruggedness and several more, per-
haps, is so generally understood and recognized that it requires
little more than passing notice here.
It is also thoroughly understood that this quality is just as
vitally essential in the yards of the most exclusive fancier, who
rears but a few choice birds each season, as on the farm of the
commercial breeder who raises his flock for the number of eggs
it produces or the number of pounds of flesh ; the first cannot
perpetuate his flock to reincarnate the ideals of his dreams,
the second cannot produce the eggs or the pounds of flesh
without fowls of rugged constitutions, which must prevail
in the stock. To maintain health in a flock and to hatch chicks
that inherit a strong vital force, weak birds must not be
admitted to the breeding yards. That is, to maintain constitu-
tional vigor in your flock, select as breeders those birds that
possess that essential quality.
The strongest constitutions may be undermined by injudi-
cious feeding, by undue exposures, poor sanitation and poor
management generally. These are topics taken up in a later
chapter in this work.
PART III.
STANDARD BRED PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
Chapter I:
Chapter II:
Chapter III
Chapter IV:
Chapter V:
Chapter I:
Chapter II:
Chapter III
Chapter I:
Chapter II:
Chapter III
Chapter I:
Chapter II:
Chapter III:
Chapter IV:
SECTION I.
PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
General Description of Plymouth Rocks — All Va-
rieties.
Origin and Early Development.
Standard Requirements for Shape of all Varieties.
Common Defects of Plymouth Rock Shape.
Mating to Over Come Defects in Shape.
SECTION II.
BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
Barred Plymouth Rock Plumage.
Matings to Produce Exhibition Males.
Matings to Produce Exhibition Females.
SECTION III.
WHITE PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
Origin and Early Development.
White Plymouth Rock Plumage.
Mating White Plymouth Rocks.
SECTION IV.
BUFF PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
Origin and Early Development.
Buff Plymouth Rock Plumage.
Mating for Buff Color.
Matings.
SECTION V.
SILVER-PENCILED PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
Chapter I:
Chapter II:
Chapter III:
Chapter IV:
Chapter V:
Chapter I:
Chapter II:
Chapter III
Chapter I:
Chapter II:
Chapter III:
Origin and Early Development.
Description of Silver-Penciled Plymouth Rocks.
Silver-Penciled Plymouth Rock Plumage.
Mating Silver-Penciled Plymouth Rocks.
Plumage Defects and How to Overcome Them.
SECTION VI.
PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
Origin and Early Development.
Partridge Plymouth Rock Plumage.
Mating Partridge Plymouth Rocks.
SECTION VII.
COLUMBIAN PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
Origin and Early Development.
Columbian Plymouth Rock Plumage.
Mating Columbian Plymouth Rocks.
SECTION I
CHAPTER I.
PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
PLYMOUTH ROCKS are classified as "general purpose
fowls." The pioneer variety, the Barred Plymouth Rock,
then called Plymouth Rock, was first exhibited in 1869
at Worcester, Mass. They are a composite of several different
blood lines, the first and most prominent of which were the
Black Cochin and Dominique.
In size the Plymouth Rock is intermediate between the
Asiatic and Mediterranean breeds, the most typical and useful
specimens being those which are nearest to Standard weights.
The six varieties are identical, except in color. The color
of the Barred variety is exceedingly difficult to describe ; in
fact, the true and exact shades can be learned only by ob-
servation ; the colors should be modified black and white in all
sections, each feather crossed by regular, narrow, parallel,
sharply defined, dark bars that stop short of positive black ;
the overlapping of the feathers producing a bluish tinge
when viewed under certain light reflections.
The White variety — plumage pure white, as the name
indicates — should be free from creaminess and brassiness.
The combination of pure white plumage with bright red comb,
face, wattles and ear-lobes, and yellow legs and beak is both
desirable and obtainable.
The color of plumage of the Buff variety should be a rich
golden-buff, free from shafting or mealy appearance, while ex-
tremes of light and dark shades should be avoided, and a har-
monious blending of buff in all sections is most desired.
The contrast of black with white in males and with steel-
gray in females will attract many to the Silver Penciled
variety. The exquisite penciling with the rich plumage and
mahogany surface of the Partridge female and the brilliant
red and greenish-black plumage of the male, give the breeders
of this variety an opportunity of testing their skill in mating
that is equaled in but few varieties of Standard fowls. The
Columbians with their white breasts, backs and wing bows
sharply contrasting with the black markings of necks and
tails, present also an attractive color scheme.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STAXDARD AXD BREED BOOK
63
CHAPTER II.
THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT.
A popularity among- the masses of poultry keepers that is
as wonderful as it is universal places the Plymouth Rock fore-
most, and makes it preeminent as a breed in the poultry world.
A popularity — questioned by none and admitted by all — is
not the result of a mere freak of public fancy. Growing stead-
ily in favor as these fowls have for over fifty years, this popu-
larity cannot be said to be the outcome of the prearranged
plans or systematic efforts of any man or body of men. It has
its foundation on merit, but it is not solely because these
fowls are money makers in the several phases of commercial
traffic that they enjoy the highest favors with all classes of
poultrymen. Because the structure was well planned, and the
improvements well considered and judicious, these fowls are
today profitable as egg-producers, as broilers, as roasters, as
the all-purpose fowls, and for those who succeed in producing
the best type and plumage, as fancy fowls. To these qualities
must be added their rugged constitutions, mild dispositions
and their adaptability to confinement and domestication.
As fancy fowls their popularity is no doubt due to the
peculiarly regular and systematic markings or the pure colors
of their plumage, intensified by the difficulty in producing
the same to any degree approximating perfection. Failing to
accomplish this the breeder has always the market qualities
to rely upon.
All these things and more have contributed to the popu-
larity of the Plymouth Rocks, but acknowledged facts do not
interest us. Our interest seeks to discover the foundation o + "
these qualities, so fortunately combined ; what combinations of
blood, what conditions, what circumstances contributed to the
development of a fowl suited to all. The explanation is best
given in the history of its ancestry. We shall see as we trace
the development of this fowl, the source of its rugged con-
stitution, the reason for the good laying qualities, and ac-
count, we hope, in a measure at least, for the approaching
perfection of plumage.
The first real interest in pure-bred fowls in America, of
which we have any account, appeared in Xew England about
the middle of the last century. At that time all pure-bred
fowls were either of Asiatic or European origin.
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
The Popularity of the Asiatic Fowls. — The former, on ac-
count of their size, which in comparison with that of the com-
mon farm yard fowls of those days or in comparison with that
of fowls of European blood, appeared gigantic, and their mag-
nificent appearance, were extremely popular. At times this
popularity was even sensational and it may be said that fowls
of Asiatic blood were relied upon to supply the sensational
features for the early poultry shows — the first at Boston in
1849, the several subsequent shows in the same city, as well as
the one held in Barnum's Museum in 1854. For years these
Asiatic fowls were the most sought and brought the highest
prices ; but even at that they did not afford general satisfaction.
This Popularity Wanes. — They were large but it required
a greater length of time to grow a large fowl to maturity than
a small one. It required too long a time to grow these ex-
tremely large specimens. They did not lay as well for most
poultry keepers as the smaller birds. Mediterranean breeds
had been imported from Italy, Spain and England and these
were acknowledged the superior of all others as "egg-ma-
chines." Compared with the Asiatic or even most of the
mongrel stock, these were very small and fell materially short
of the weight desired of a good market fowl.
A General Purpose Fowl Demanded. — The failures of these
different classes of fowls to meet both requirements became
more and more apparent as time elapsed, and the more ap-
parent the failures became the stronger became the desire to
find or create a fowl that, while it could be depended upon for
a liberal production of eggs, would also meet the demands of
a superior table fowl. Many attempts were made before
success was achieved. Some dated back prior to the middle
of the century. Of these we have the best account of one by a
Dr. Bennett of Plymouth, Massachusetts, of which we find a
very good description in The Poultry Book (1850) of which
the same Dr. Bennett was the author.
"THE PLYMOUTH ROCK FOWL."
"1 have given this name to a very extra breed of fowls
which I produced by crossing a cockerel of Baylies' importa-
tion of Cochin China with a hen, a cross between the fawn-
colored Dorking, the Great Malay and the Wild Indian ; having
five primitive bloods, Shanghae, Malay, Game, Turkish and
Indian traceable by referring to the history of those breeds
and their crosses respectively. There are several of this breed
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 65
in Plymouth, from my original stock, belonging to Messrs.
John H. Harlow, Samuel Shaw and myself, that are now a
little over one year old ; the cockerels measure from thirty-
two to thirty-five inches high and weigh about ten pounds, and
the pullets from six and a half to seven pounds each ; forming
in my opinion, the best cross that has ever been produced.
"The pullets commenced laying when five months old.
proving themselves very superior layers. Their eggs are of
a medium size, rich and reddish-yellow in color. Their plum-
age is rich and variegated ; the cocks, usually red or speckled,
and the pullets darkish brown. They are very fine fleshed
and early fit for the table. Their legs are very large and
usually blue or green, but occasionally yellow or white, gen-
erally having five toes upon each foot. Some have their legs
PLATE 1
One ol the earliest pictures published of the American Plymouth Rock, appearing
in Rural ]Sew Yorker, 1872, and in Stoddard's Poultry World, 1873. [Observe darker
plumage of the neck feathers and coarseness of barring in the larger feathers, combs
irregular and serrations very numerous, tail feathers of the male are represented as
being blown by the wind.]
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
feathered but this is not usual. They have large and single
combs and wattles, large cheeks, rather short tails and small
wings in proportion to their bodies."
From the following paragraph it seems that Mr. G. P. Burn-
ham secured some of the fowls from the Doctor, which is quite
likely, as it appears from the writings of Mr. Burnham that
he and the Doctor, as he alludes to him, were very friendly.
In a letter to the Massachusetts Ploughman, Mr. Burnham
describes them as follows :
"The cock here represented weighs nine pounds and a
quarter, and the two pullets thirteen pounds. The stock came
from Dr. Bennett and I am daily more and more pleased with
this fine species. I have the 'Plymouth Rocks' at all ages now
— from a few days up to about eight months old ; and my speci-
PLATE 2
Halftone reproduction of a colored lithograph of Plymouth Rocks by Porter in
Stoddard's Poultry World, 1879. This shape was popular during the 80's and was
copied to represent birds of that period. It shows a substantial and rugged type.
This pair represent a larger, heavier type, with color of plumage and shape of combs
considerably improved over those of the pair published in Poultry World, 1873.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
67
mens embrace five or six different broods. The color of all of
them is peculiarly uniform and I am satisfied that the variety
(or breed) is now well established. The body plumage on the
pullets is a rich deep brown, speckled with golden-tipt feath-
ers ; the under down is black (or a deep blue-black), and the
tail is brown, black and gold.
"The legs of the pullets are very dark colored, and one half
of them or more, are five toed ; but some of them do not come
so. The comb is single, and the wattles thin and small. The
head and neck are well formed, the legs are shorter than the
average of fowls, and the hens are not only deep and broad-
chested, but the bodies are proportionately very long, as you
will observe in the drawing.
"The roosters are noble birds — among the finest I have ever
met with. The plumage of the roosters is dark red hackles on
neck and rump ; the legs are bright yellow, slightly feathered ;
the body, dark red and green relieved with stray feathers of a
golden tint ; and the under portion of the body and breast is
a rich, deep, glossy blue-black — partaking of the plumage of
the Wild Indian fowl, the original cross. The tail-plumes on
the above crower are not grown out as yet, of course, nor
does he yet show any spur ; but he is pictured exactly as he is
at this time, after his first moult. When he is in full plumage
the tail feathers are heavy and give the male bird not only a
much larger proportionate appearance, but very greatly im-
prove his form."
Mr. John Giles of Providence, R. I., a prominent poultry
fancier and importer of those times writes : "The 'Rocks' are a
splendid bird, and if their table Qualities prove to be good,
will make a valuable breed of fowls." Again in the same let-
ter he says : "On more close examination of the 'Rock' chick.
T am more confirmed that they must prove an invaluable
breed. Could you not cross so as to have one distinct color
of lee and plumage?"
Other descriptions and testimonials follow. These fowls
are commended for their laying qualities as well as for their
uniformity of appearance.
Did the First Plymouth Rock Become Extinct? — Neither
from these descriptions nor from the accompanying illustra-
tions could one agree with the deductions of Harrison Weir,
the noted English artist and author, in his work, "The Poultry
Book," London 1811, though the logic is very plausible at a
distance.
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
"Now it is both curious and very extraordinary, to say the
least of it, that Mr. Spaulding should adopt for his breed the
cognomen of that of Dr. Bennett's and Mr. G. P. Burnham's
new variety, and which, according to the portraits in Bennett's
book, so much resemble in shape the New Plymouth Rock ;
and further, it is not so clear that those of Dr. Bennett had
really disappeared, for in the last paragraph in 'the Doctor's'
book regarding them, Mr. John Giles distinctly states that :
'I shall endeavor hereafter to produce them with uniform
plumage, preferring the dark colour, dark legs and four toes
only.' To me the name thus given to a new breed, being one
belonging to another, is very unsatisfactory, nor does the after
variations of the Barred Plymouth Rock, borne out in the
progeny, accord with this asserted origin ; nor is it likely but
that the name had some notoriety, or why adopted if it was
so indifferent as to have become extinct?"
One could hardy imagine that a possibility of developing a
fowl of the type and plumage of the modern Plymouth Rocks
from the crosses named by Dr. Bennett exists. Upon this
question Mr. Weir seems the only exponent of this theory of
the origin for the Plymouth Rock of the present day. All
writers during the intermediate period, even the Doctor's
friend Burnham, seem to repudiate such a theory.
Mr F. H. Ayer in his pamphlet (1878), after describing the
Bennett Plymouth Rocks goes on to state : "The modern Plym-
outh Rock is quite a different fowl from the one we have just
described and was produced from different stock though, as
is too well known to need comment, it is a cross-bred."
Stoddard in The Plymouth Rocks (1880) writes: "What-
ever their excellencies, the incipient breed ran out completely,
or ran into anything or everything by admixture with adverse
breeds, and for years no Plymouth Rocks existed. Then came
another fowl of entirely new blood and finding the name
ready-made but the fowl it used to represent extinct, accepted
it as the title best suited to its solid merits. At this point the
old line Rocks disappear; henceforth the title 'Plymouth Rock'
means the fowl of today."
Exactly the same views are taken by Corbin in 1879, Bishop
in 1880, Wallace in 1888 and many others. The periodicals of
that time, however, show that the new breed was quite widely
distributed and received its full share of publicity. Though
they failed to establish themselves and lacked uniformity and
a positive pattern in plumage, such was the call for a fowl
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
69
that combined prolific egg producing and good market qual-
ities that until they proved themselves, as Stoddard says they
were, incipient fowls, they were eagerly sought.
Efforts to Establish a General Purpose Fowl Continue. —
Then for some time no Plymouth Rocks existed. But we
have reason to believe that efforts to establish a fowl of the
general purpose type continued. It was not a difficult matter,
however, to combine opposite types and decidedly dissimilar
patterns, but it proved to be a very difficult problem to breed
the desired qualities together and make the breeding hold any
definite type or color pattern. No blood seemed to amalgamate
with that of the Asiatic which was invariably the basis of these
crosses. At last, however, blood sufficiently strong to hold
its own with the heretofore dominant Asiatic blood was mixed
with it. The result was most gratifying. Strange to say, this
new blood, that is new in the sense of being untried, was the
fowl of native development, of unknown origin and commonly
kept on the farms and in the back yards of New England.
ORIGIN OF THE MODERN PLYMOUTH ROCK.
By common consent the cross that originated the Plymouth
Rock was made on the yards of Joseph Spaulding of Putnam,
Connecticut. A few of the progeny of the first cross were sold
to D. A. Upham of Wilsonville of the same State who, after
breeding them but a few seasons, perhaps no more than two,
was the first to present them to the public. Plymouth Rocks
as exhibition fowls made their first appearance at Worcester,
Massachusetts in March, 1869. The above facts are not se-
riously disputed, if disputed at all, nor have they been to the
writer's recollection, which extends back to the early 80's.
It would hardly seem that a more competent or trustworthy
source of information as to the origin of this new race would be
found than the same Mr. Upham who first brought them to
the public's attention and but a few years after the original
cross to establish them was made.
Mr. Upham's Account. — Mr. Upham tells this story in the
Poultry World (1876), only seven years after he first exhibited
Plymouth Rocks and but ten or eleven years after the original
Spaulding cross was made. This account, as related at that
time, we are glad to reprint.
"Nearly ten years ago we bred, named and introduced the
first fowls and chicks of this variety ever shown to the public,
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
and they were produced first by a cross between a common
hawk-colored (so-called) single comb Dunghill cock, with
pure black Cochin hens, not Java hens (which invariably have
smooth legs, entirely free from feathers). From this cross a
large majority of the progeny were cockerels, very large and
fine symmetrical birds, many of them of the same plumage as
their sire, some with legs heavily feathered, a few with legs
entirely free from feathers.
"The pullets, a large percentage, were black, legs heavily
feathered, a few were very handsomely marked, black and
white, with legs entirely free from feathers, others' legs slight-
ly feathered.
"In the Fall of 1866 my attention was called to these chicks
by a friend, and we started to see them, and found them in the
yards of one. Mr. Spaulding, who then lived in Putnam, Conn.
Mr. Spaulding bred fowls for market purposes only, and was
noted for producing the very best early and late chicks of any
farmer around, always obtaining higher prices than his neigh-
bors for his choice poultry. We selected and purchased a
cockerel and two pullets, which had clean, yellow legs and of
the desired plumage we wished to produce, and bred them.
About one half of their chicks were of the desired plumage. I
then selected the best pullets and bred them to a cock of my
own raising, of the same plumage, a descendant from stock
which originated from eggs purchased of G. P. Burnham, about
twenty-five years ago, said to be Brahma Pootras, or what
some fanciers called Gray Chittagongs in those days — which
were very large noble fowls ; but with me this variety was
crossed with Cochins and English Gray Dorkings, but the
cockerels always retained the original steel-gray plumage.
"The second cross from this strain produced very satisfac-
tory results. Most of their chicks were of the desired color in
both sexes ; very few black, and most of them with legs free
from feathers, and bright yellow in color. From this cross I
have selected and bred from the very best specimens, and by
judicious mating have, for the past three years, succeeded in
breeding them as true to feather and points, and a greater num-
ber of fine exhibition birds from a clutch of eggs, than from
any other variety we ever bred. They are now very large,
fine in shape, and very handsome plumaged birds. They fledge
quite young, grow rapidly, mature earlier than any other fowl
of their size, are very hardy and easy to rear, and tor early
marketing there is no breed to be compared with them ; are
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 71
fully equal to the Brahmas as Winter and superior as Sum-
mer layers, not frequent sitters, excellent mothers, great for-
agers and are truly the farmer's fowl. Matured weights, on
an average, from twenty-five to thirty pounds the trio. Extra
fine specimens have been known to reach thirty-two pounds.
"This, in short, is the true origin and general characteris-
tics of the genuine Plymouth Rocks of today."
Vital Points in the Upham Account. — We gather from this
extract several facts of which we are glad to have knowledge.
First, it sets the date very close to the one generally accepted
by interested fanciers and breeders. "Nearly ten years ago
we bred, named and introduced the first fowls and chicks of
this variety ever shown to the public " Writing this
in 1872 would make these statements coincide with other re-
liable data on this point. Note in this connection the state-
ment beginning — "In the Fall of 1866." This — then —
is the date and the Fall is the season when Mr. Upham pro-
duced his foundation stock. It is certain that he did nothing
in the line of breeding or rearing during 1866 because of the
lateness of the season. "We selected and purchased .
and bred them." This accounts for the season of 1867, but
Mr. Upham states further: "We then selected the best pul-
lets and bred them to a cock of my own raising "
"The second cross from this strain produced satisfactory re-
sults " If it was at this point that Mr. Upham
selected the specimen for the first public appearance of the
Plymouth Rock, and it is certainly not unreasonable to pre-
sume that it was, because to quote his own language, "most
of their chicks were of the desired color in both sexes ; very
few black, and most of them with legs free from feathers, and
bright yellow in color," and birds that bear such a description
would seem to be fair show specimens, especially during the
formative stage in a breed. March, 1869, as the date of the first
appearance, coincides with the facts as stated in the abstract,
as chicks shown as early as March, 1869, must have been
reared in 1868, which coincides chronologically with the above
statements. AVe must not overlook the statement which, on
account of the controversy it has occasioned, is the most per-
tinent, vital and hence the most interesting of all the facts
presented, that they were produced first by a cross between
a large common hawk-colored (so-called) single comb Dunghill
cock, with pure black Cochin hens, not Java hens (which in-
variably have smooth legs, entirely free from feathers), as
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
this statement involves the point of a controversy that was
kept alive for years, and though the fire of debate smoulders,
it rekindles occasionally and burns freely for the time being.
The Ramsdell Account. — The other side of the controversy
rested upon the statement made in an article by H. S. Rams-
dell of Connecticut, published in the Poultry and Pet Stock
Bulletin of March, 1873, in which is found the following:
"Our modern Plymouth Rock fowl is in no way whatever
connected with the Plymouth Rock produced by Dr. Bennett
some twenty-five years since, from a cross with the Asiatic
fowls. None of these bloods enter into the composition of the
present stock. They are a different bird altogether, and were
produced on the farm of the late Joseph Spaulding of Putnam,
Conn., which is situated about one mile from my own. I
was intimately acquainted w r ith the Mr. S. — while he lived,
and I was thus given an opportunity of knowing the facts of
which I speak.
"Some thirty years since, John Giles Esq. (well known to
the poultry world) introduced a fowl into this vicinity called
the Black Java ; its plumage was black and glossy, its size large
(Mr. G — said the pullets had sometimes reached eleven
pounds), they were an unusually hardy bird, with a dark,
slate-colored smooth leg, and the bottom of the foot yellow.
They proved good layers and of extra quality for the table ;
not coarse like most of the large-sized birds, but fine and
juicy. I sold a few of these birds to a Mr. Thayer, of Pomfret,
of whom Mr. George Clark of Woodstock, Conn., purchased
some — he supposed the same. Mr. Clark passing Mr. Spauld-
ing's yard one day, noticed his fine flock of Dominiques and
proposed bringing a few of his Javas to cross with them, to
increase the size. Mr. S — accepted the offer and when the
chickens were grown rejected the black ones, and those with
double comb, reserving to breed from only the single-comb
birds which retained the Dominique color or near it. They
were usually darker of plumage than the Dominique, the legs
sometimes resembled the Java — dark with yellow feet — but
were mostly yellow, or yellow with a slight streak of dark on
the front of the leg, which with the feet are free from feathers.
We received some eggs of this cross from Mr. S — as a present,
and purchased some fowls of him. Of the first produce, one
hen weighed over eight pounds, and another reached nine
pounds and three quarters. We soon had a fine flock of them.
The fowls were spread around the neighborhood and were
PLYMOUTH ROOK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
73
much sought after, but had, as yet, no name. A gentleman
asked me what I called them. Not knowing that any of the
Bennetts were now in existence — I had not seen any of them
for years — 1 said, "Plymouth Rocks." The name passed from
one to another and they were soon generally known by that
name. Our opinion of the fowl is that when bred pure, as
it came from the hands of Mr. Spaulding, it has few equals
and no superiors. True, they will now and then throw a
black chick, resembling those we had twenty-five or thirty
years since, but we find they grow fewer each year and doubt-
less will soon disappear altogether."
This article coincides in names and circumstances with
Mr. Upham's verbal account given the writer in the Summer
of 1890, except that Mr. Upham insisted that the black Asiatic
was a Black Cochin and not a Black Java. Both agree that a
Java Avas a large, black, smooth legged fowl, while it is well
known that a Cochin is and always was a feather legged fowl.
Views of the Early Writers.— F. H. Ayer in THE PLY-
MOUTH ROCK, a pamphlet published in 1878, takes the
Ramsdell view of the Java-Cochin controversy in the follow-
ing language :
" 'Who shall decide when doctors disagree ?' Whatever the
merits of the Upham-Ramsdell controversy may be, the ques-
tion of the rival claimants has long since settled in the minds
of all breeders, and a review of their statements is unneces-
sary. The Plymouth Rock is a cross of Dominique and Java
blood, and this fact is of more im/portance in breeding than
the name of the first breeder."
F. H. Corbin, in a pamphlet entitled PLYMOUTH
ROCKS, 1879, also accepts the Ramsdell view, or is inclined
to. He writes :
"The Upham-Ramsdell controversy was conducted with
both A'igor and bitterness. The conceded ability of these
gentlemen, together with their readiness of pen, only magnified
the contest, diffused a knowledge of the question among the
poultry fraternity and caused others to take up the pen. both
as principals and advocates. After a time it began to be un-
certain whether any such breed ever existed, and, if there was
any, where or from whence it sprang.
"Another question intensified the controversy. While all
were agreed as to the Plymouth Rock being a "cross" breed,
scarcely any two were agreed as to what the cross was. The
Black Java, Cochin, Dominique, Dunghill, Gray Chittagongs
and English Gray Dorkings were all named as entering into
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
the cross. This disputation itself showed that the fanciers
considered the Plymouth Rock well worthy of attention, and
also that it was advancing with rapid strides to the first place
in the estimation of breeders generally.
"As before intimated, there were several different sus-
pected origins to this breed, and some two or three, perhaps,
worthy of mention. The most reliable one, however, in the
estimation of breeders of the present day, was the cross of a
single combed Dominique cock with Black Java hens. This
may not be admitted by all, but it has the best authority, and
is now generally acquiesced in."
H. H. Stoddard, in the pamphlet on the same subject writ-
ten at about the same time, 1880, under the heading of
"Dominique ^nd Java," writes as follows :
"It is now universally admitted that the Plymouth Rock
is the resultant of the process of breeding the old fashioned
Dominique — the native American fowl — on Black Java hens, a
sort now nearly or quite unknown in this country ; but who
originated this cross is a matter of dispute which will probably
always remain in statu quo. It is enough for the breeders
to know that the union of the hawk-color and the black was
effected, and few will care for purposeless search beyond
Drake and Ramsdell or Upham. We are all looking forward and
not backward, and were the entire past of this breed — save the
knowledge of what the cross was — blotted out, breeders would
be no way troubled to manage their stock as successfully as
ever. Still, the history of the breed contains much of interest
and we will give briefly the history of Plymouth Rocks —
ancient and modern — before going into the discussion of ques-
tions more immediately affecting their treatment in the
present."
Joseph Wallace, a little later, 1888, in "Barred and White
Plymouth Rocks," accepts the view of the others, of a
Dominique and Java as the first cross.
As to the statement of Ayer, who seems to think that there
are several claimants for the honor of making the first cross
and that Upham is one of them, the writer is in a position to
assure all readers that Upham did not in his later years, if he
ever did, claim to have made the original cross, but accords
that honor to Spaulding upon the suggestion of another.
Corbin rather evades a discussion but comes to a con-
clusion without presenting argument or facts. The same
may be said of all the others, except perhaps Stoddard, who
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 75
qualifies by saying that the Java involved is not the Java of
the present day, which would appear to be true, inasmuch
as there was at that time no such thing as a Standard Java,
which we did not have until 1883. The fact is Plymouth Rocks
antedated Javas in the Standard.
The argument most often advanced in favor of the Java
theory is that the Black Cochin was unknown in America or
at the best was so very scarce that it would not have been used
in all probability or possibility. A writer, himself a student
of Cochins and Asiatics particularly, makes the following
statement in the May 15, 1901, issue of the Farm Poultry,
published for many years in Boston :
"Black Cochins were so very scarce from the start that the
few in existence w r ere bred with Whites and Buffs to increase,
improve and invigorate them. Their original quality was not
the equal of the others. This cross-breeding injured their color
so much that for many years they were almost discarded. If
the English, w T ho were so directly in business communication
with China, could not obtain Black Cochins, how could it be
possible for Mr. Giles to import them? At the same time,
what were known then as as Black Javas are mentioned con-
tinually, and they were, without doubt, what would be called
an Asiatic fowl, largely Malay.
"Without any word from us we feel that the records fully
prove that the Dominique fowl has at all times in America
been known as such (the other names applied here have
been erroneously used) ; that the facts show that the Spauld-
ing or original Plymouth Rock came as the result of crossing
these American Dominiques with what is known as Black
Javas."
The scarcity or non-existence of Black Cochin seems to be
the actual basis of the Java theory, though we find inference
that Mrs. Spaulding was originally responsible for its cir-
culation.
In regard to the references to the Upham-Ramsdell con-
troversy and their rival claims to priority, the particulars of
which none of them state. The writer can not find that such a
controversy exists or ever has. Neither did Mr. Upham in his
conversation with the writer bring up the question of whether
he or Ramsdell was the first to purchase of Spaulding. There
is the possibility, of course, that Ramsdell purchased first and
another possibility that Upham in that case might have pro-
cured his stock of Ramsdell. He says, however, in his first
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
account, heretofore presented, and in all his subsequent
accounts, that he purchased of Spaulding, which should mean
of Spaulding direct. We have no printed or written state-
ment to the contrary as far as the author is aware.
The only incident known to the writer that seems to in-
dicate that Mr. Ramsdell did breed Plymouth Rocks before
Upham happened on the occasion of a visit by the writer to
a poultry show in Worcester, Mass., where he found the ex-
hibitors present in a mild state of excitement over a visit of
an old minister who came to this show and was introduced
by Mr. Upham as the first breeder of Plymouth Rocks. These
exhibitors all expressed their regrets that I should not have
been there the day before, so as to meet the clergyman so
distinguished. No name was given, but later inquiry elicited
the fact that it could hardly have been other than the Rev.
H. S. Ramsdell. The exact date of this show can not be given,
but it must have been in the early eighties or about fifteen
years after the Plymouth Rocks for the first time made their
public appearance in the same place.
Black Cochins in England. — As to the existence and sup-
ply of Black Cochins in England, we shall have to rely upon
the English poultry literature of that period and for some
time before :
Martin Doyle in 1857 writes of Black Cochins as being
rare and of an instance of two black sports from a pair of
light Buffs. This states definitely that Black Cochins were
not unknown six or eight years before it is claimed they were
originally used as a foundation for the new Plymouth Rocks.
Richardson's book, "Domestic Fowl and Ornamental Poul-
try," gives some interesting points regarding the China fowls.
On page 70 we find the statement that : "The terms Cochiu
China and Shanghae may be used synonomously." On page
72: "To divide them (Cochin China and Shanghae) into
classes is decidedly a mistake, as no sufficient marks exist to
establish them as distinct varieties." On page 74, Richardson
quotes Mr. Trotter's prize essay of the Royal Agricultural
Society in 1851 as follows : "The most esteemed color of these
fowls is ginger; but as there are pure bred birds of almost all
colors, including black and white, I am in favor of selecting
them as much by their shapes as by their color.
"Shape, size, gait and weight may be assured as permanent
characteristics — not so, feathers. No only do white and black
Bantams, Cuckoo Dorkings and game fowls sport in feathers,
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
77
but the more uniform breeds, the Black Polanders, the
Minorcas, and even the Spanish take a white speck, spot and
even feathers, when the fit is on them ; so with the Shanghaes.
The breeder may start in the Spring with buffs, cinnanlons
or partridge colored parents and their progeny in November
will display all the colors of the rainbow, except, to be sure,
the blue. Nay, they may put on the affirmative of due propor-
tions of the whole as white, or the negative as black speci-
mens." So strong is the writer, who Richardson styles as an
acute and experienced amateur on this point, that he goes on,
on page 87, to say that this tendency to sport may be checked
but never, he believes, subdued.
From these statements, made as far back as 1851, we can
readily see what an opporunity anyone had to produce in the
interval between about what they chose in color of Cochins.
Page 74, after quoting Mr. Trotter, the prize essay from
Royal Agricultural Society in 1851, Richardson, referring to
that essay, comments upon the statements of the same as
follows :
"They are valuable, coming from a gentleman who has
carried off prizes for best Cochins, Dorkings, etc., at the
Northumberland and Durham Society Shows."
In a work on fowls published in London, England, 1860,
John Baily mentions these different kinds of Cochin-Chinas,
Buff, Lemon, Cinnamon, Grouse, Partridge, White and Black.
This corroborates the authors cited and others and, to reiterate
it would seem, if they had Black Cochins (or Shanghaes)
in England as early as 1851, that without question Black Coch-
ins existed in England and elsewhere long before the now
famous Spaulding cross was made, and if they were known
in that country as early as 1851, it is strongly probable that
they were bred in this country long before Spaulding created
the Plymouth Rock, because there was so much in common
between the poultry breeders of the two countries and English
importations of all new varieties were the fad of those times.
Black Cochins in America. — But we are not compelled to
rely on the fact that Black Cochins existed in England, as we
have direct evidence that they were frequently met with in
our earliest American exhibitions. We submit letters from
Mr. C. P. Nettleton, who, at the time of writing, was a well
known breeder of Light Brahmas. The letters read as follows :
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Shelton, Conn., Sept. 18, 1901.
Editors, Farm Poultry.
Dear Sirs: Yours in reference to Black Cochins at Philadelphia,
1868, come to hand. Black Cochins were exhibited at that time by
Mr. John Clapp of Philadelphia, A. M. Halstead, Rye, N. Y., Mr.
Gilbert, Pennsylvania. Yours,
(Signed) C. P. NETTLETON.
Shelton, Conn., Sept. 18, 1901.
Editors, Farm Poultry.
Dear Sirs: Let me tell you about Black Cochins as I knew about
them long ago.
I first bought some, as I called them, Black Cochins, in 1868.
They were commonly called by most people Black Javas, had feathered
legs, but scant feathering, hardly a bird having any feathers on the
middle toe. I worked at them for five or six years to get the feathers
on the middle toe. About this time P. Williams took them up, and
P. Williams and myself were the most prominent exhibitors for some
time of Black Cochins. Where Mr. Williams got his from at first
I never knew.
Most all parties who spoke of these black birds, as long ago as
1868, called them Black Javas. Some of these kind of fowls were
shown at the New York show held in Barnum's Museum long before
that time (1868).
Perhaps Mr. Williams can tell you something about them. My
memory don't serve me as I wish it did.
Will send you a copy of that Plymouth Rock item soon.
Yours truly,
(Signed) C. P. NETTLETON.
The show at Barnum's Museum which Mr. Nettleton re-
ferred to was held during February, 1854. According to this.
Black Cochins were found in America in ample season to
become one of the foundations of Plymouth Rocks.
We copy the following paragraph from "The China Fowl"
by G. P. Burnham as further proof of their presence in Amer-
ica at an even earlier date :
"The Black Shanghae is less common among us than any
other variety. In 1850, at the time we obtained through Wm.
T. Porter from Shanghae our second lot of Light Gray birds,
we found an excellent trio (cock and two hens) of the Black
variety which, with the five Light Grays then obtained, and
a splendid trio of Dark Brown birds, we took to Melrose to
breed. The Black ones bred true to the originals and were
of the best color (for their dusky metallic hue) that we ever
saw. We did not fancy them greatly, however, and bred them
only one or two seasons. We give portraits of the Black birds
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 79
here ; and it will be seen that, excepting the change of color
again, they represent the same formed fowl from beak to toes —
the true Shanghae, though ebony-hued."
Bement. in the 1863 edition of the American Poulterers'
Companion, gives a variety of Shanghaes (afterwards called
Cochins)., Buff. Yellow, Cinnamon. White, Gray, Black and
Partridge colored. Here is a mention of Black Cochins in an
American work at a date prior to the first cross ; and in an-
other but a few years after that event in the Hand Book
of Poultry, published by Pettingill, Bates & Co., X. Y.. that
mentions nine varieties of Cochins. Buff. Lemon, Silver, Silver
Cinnamon. Cinnamon. Partridge, Grouse. Grav. White and
Black.
More evidence along this line is available, but enough has
been cited to conclusively prove that Black Cochins were bred
in America long enough before the event of the Plymouth
Rock to permit of their use in the original cross.
Were Cochins and Javas the Same Fowl? — Just why there
has been so much misunderstanding about this ancestry and
why the Java has been so often cited as a parent of the first
American breed seems strange indeed, but Mr. Nettleton
drops a salient hint in his letter : "They were called by most
people Black Javas. had feathered legs," etc. From this state-
ment we may clearly deduce the fact that the terms Black
Cochin and Black Java were interchangeable at that period,
and of this fact it is possible to find much more evidence.
The Premium Lists of the Nashua, X. H.. and Philadel-
phia, Pa., shows for the year 1871 contain the following lines
in their classification of breeds to which prizes would be
awarded.
"BLACK COCHINS (OR JAVAS).
This classification in this form can have but one inter-
pretation, namely : That the two names stood for the same
fowl ; that they were so considered, and further, that the term
Java was considered to have been incorrectly applied by the
best authorities of the day is brought out by the fact that
the term "Java'' was dropped by the first standard makers
and the term "Cochin" used. Black Cochins are described in
the first standard and in every standard that has followed
it. down to the present time, but Javas were not admitted
and described until the 1883 edition was published.
Mr. I. K. Felch has called attention to this bit of history
several times. One of his articles appeared in the Poultry
80
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Monthly, December, 1891, in which he makes the following
statements concerning- the relation of Cochins, Javas and
Shanghaes in general :
"In 1852 the first heavy black fowls of an Asiatic type ap-
peared in Massachusetts as Black Javas. The females were
black ; some of the males were wholly black, others had ma-
hogany streaked necks with red mahogany round spots on the
wing coverts. The Cochin Chinas, or Shanghae — they were
called by both names — came to us in buff, grouse color, black-
reds, the black now and then appearing. From the first trio
I owned, a male, then called Black-Red, identical with Part-
ridge Cochin male of today, a buff colored pullet, and hen
buff in ground color, minutely pencilled with dark brown,
came black chicks, as well as some the color of Partridge,
Buff, and White Cochins, which bred true to color. The first
Black Cochins were a dull black. When the first American
standard was made, all these Shanghaes were christened
Cochins and the Black put in the list ; this ignored the Black
Javas and forced them into the Cochin class. Many breeders
were striving to breed them to smooth shanks, and birds were
becoming more plentiful with the smooth shank. The action
of the fanciers was somewhat censured for thus ignoring a
breed which some claimed were older residents of the country
than the Cochin. But the act pressed all the Black Asiatic
blood into the class; the result was that for a while, although
the Blacks were less pure in Cochin type, they were the most
prolific in that they laid more and larger egg's."
From the above it appears that Black Javas were Black
Cochins, according to the 'Standard of Excellence,' at least.
It would further be a fair inference that two sorts of Black
Asiatics were being developed, one with heavy leg feathering
and another with less and with much lighter bodies. That
those who favored no leg feathering did not perfect their
ideals is apparent from the foregoing.
Several of the citations previously quoted agree upon the
number of different varieties of Shanghaes or Cochins, also
upon the character of each of these varieties, showing thereby
that a distinct breed with many different varieties — in con-
formity with the modern understanding of the terms "breed"
and "variety" and our conception of the distinction between
the two terms — existed in those days. On the other hand we
hear of only one variety of Java in those days, the Black.
Even the Mottled is not mentioned. Otherwise than through
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 81
faulty nomenclature, the Java of the early period here-
in alluded to leads a very doubtful existence. No definite nor
authentic information for a Black Java that was distinct from
the Black Cochin of the period between 1850 and 1870 can be
found. Coupled with this fact,, the absence of a Java in our
first standard becomes significant, particularly as the first of
these works was published but a decade or so after the orig-
inal cross that produced the Plymouth Rock was made and
so few years after this particular Java was supposed to have
flourished.
Well and truly did Stoddard (1880) write: "On Black
Java hens, a sort now nearly or quite unknown in this coun-
try;" and this plain admission that the dam of a great race
of fowls, then rapidly becoming 'if not already more com-
monly kept than any other race, was nearly if not quite un-
known in this country, only eleven years after the race made
its first public appearance and no more than fifteen probably
after its creation. AVhat could have become of it in the very
few years intervening is beyond conception unless, as Mr.
Felch has suggested, it was classed as a Cochin by our best
standard makers, and if men of their breadth of intelligence,
their long experience and reputation in the poultry world,
classed them as Cochins, Cochins in reality without doubt
they were, for men of the calibre of our first standard makers
could not be mistaken upon a question of breed characteris-
tics — certainly not all of them, and with the characteristics
involved, those of a breed as commonly kept and understood
as the Cochin.
English Opinions as to Origin. — With our own good Amer-
ican breeders so feverishly excited and possibly prejudiced
either by their friendship for the men involved or by their
opinions of the breeds in question, or not in question, it may
be somewhat refreshing to seek the opinions of those who
may review the heated question in a cooler atmosphere or at a
distance and surely with prejudice wholly removed. All these
men had, when their opinions were expressed, made questions
of poultry culture the study of rather long lives even then
and, although each of them lived for years afterwards, they
were not known to advance any opinion differing in any par-
ticular from those herein quoted.
Edward Brown of London, England, whose writings are
familiar to many poultrymen in America and whose war-time
lectures have been so well received recently (1918) in this
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
country, wrote in 1884, under the name of Stephen Beale, in
a work entitled "Profitable Poultry Keeping," page 117:
"This is a variety of New England manufacture, but is
nevertheless a most useful breed for general purposes and has
become wonderfully popular within a very short time. The
fowls are cuckoo in plumage and resemble a Cochin in shape
more than anything else, as that variety has doubtless had
much to do in the making of them."
Harrison Weir, in the second volume of Our Poultrv and
All About Them, discusses the American Plymouth Rock and
plainly shows that he is very much inclined to adopt a theory
that our modern Plymouth Rock is but a perpetuation of the
breed originated by Dr. Bennett, which all other authorities
regard as extinct. By so doing he certainly leans most de-
cidedly to the Cochin side of the controversy, as a quotation
from this discussion by Mr. Weir reads :
"The Plymouth Rock fowl, then, is in reality one-half
Cochin China, one-fourth fawn-colored Dorking, one-eighth
Great Malay and one-eighth Wild Indian."
After quoting the vital part of the Ramsdell article in the
Poultry Monthly, Weir comments rather testily: "Then a new
cross between the Dominique and some Asiatics and lastly,
another cross, and that with the so-called Java, of which it is
said in Kerr's American edition of the Rev. E. S. Dixon's book
(1860), that no such breed existed in America. * * * So
much for the Java, but the origin of the Dominique thus re-
mains unknown."
Plainly, Mr. Weir does not accept, even reluctantly, the
Java as a parent of the Plymouth Rock and it seems that he
may be equally skeptical concerning the Dominique parentage.
Looking at the Plymouth Rock fowl from all angles and
weighing all theories in the scales of probability and pos-
sibility, Mr. Weir again states :
"* * * but we are told that they are a new invention
made from a cross between Dominiques and Asiatics, and
which they have every appearance of."
The third eminent English authority w r e wish to quote is
Mr. Lewis Wright. It is particularly agreeable and pleas-
ing to American writers to find that a fellow countryman and
contemporary of Mr. Weir contributes the strongest and
ablest article in refutation of Mr. Weir's theory of the per-
petuation of the Bennett line of Plymouth Rocks. This able
PLYMOUTH ROOK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
83
and instructive article will be appreciated thoroughly by all
students of Plymouth Rock history.
"The variety now known by this name has never been cor-
rectly described in any work on poultry ; all hitherto pub-
lished, both in England and America, confounding it with a
creation of Dr. Bennett's some twenty years ago, and de-
scribed by him in his well known American work on fowls.
This description is highly curious and well illustrates our
opening remarks on some American so-called 'breeds.' I have
given this name,' he says, 'to a very extra breed of fowls, which
I produced by crossing a Cochin China cockerel with a hen
that was herself a cross between the Fawn-colored Dorking,
the Great Malay and the Wild Indian. Her weight is six
pounds seven ounces. The Plymouth Rock fowl, then, is
really one-half Cochin, one-fourth Fawn-colored Dorking,
one-eighth Great Malay and one-eighth Indian. Their
plumage is rich and variegated, the cocks usually red and
speckled, and the pullets darkish brown. They are very fine
fleshed and early fit for the table. Their legs are large and
usually blue or green, but occasionally yellow or white, gen-
erally having five toes upon each foot ; some have the legs
feathered, but this is not usual.'
"It is only necessary to read the above description to see
that this extra breed of fowls, which bred legs yellow, white,
blue-green, feathered or clean, five-toed or four-toed, could
not possibly last long. It was too 'extra' for this world, and
even the inventor could not 'run the machine' long, so com-
plicated was it in its various parts. This Plymouth Rock,
then, naturally and inevitably disappeared from simple dis-
integration of its heterogeneous materials, and though Dr.
Bennett's old description has been copied by all poultry au-
thors who have noticed the fowl up to the present date, this
has arisen simply from ignorance, first of the fowl itself and
secondly, of the accounts given by its breeders and producers.
So completely had the old Plymouth Rock disappeared, that
in the first poultry journal ever published in America, the
New York Poultry Bulletin, no notice whatever is taken of
any fowl under that name during the first two years of its
issue. The description in the American 'Standard of Excel-
lence,' published in 1871, states the color as dark or light steel-
grey for cocks, and dark steel-mottled black and white, black
and white bars well defined across each feather, for the hens.
This is evidently intended to describe Dominique marking,
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
and indeed the editor adds a remark in brackets that he con-
siders it wrong, and that the plumage should be described
'same as Dominiques,' but in any case it widely differs from
Dr. Bennett's, and accordingly, by degrees, a totally different
account of the origin of the breed begins to appear. The first
authentic account we were able to obtain came to us in answer
to a special inquiry in a letter from Mr. W. Simpson, Jr., of
West Farms, N. Y., dated August 12, 1871. In this letter he
says of them, Tf bred with care, they will make a fine variety.
They are an Improved Dominique, being just like them except
in comb and size ; they have a single comb and are larger, as
they have a touch of Asiatic in them.' He adds : 'They do
not breed very straight yet.' In another letter dated April 26,
1873, enclosing the revised and corrected 'Standard of Ex-
cellence' for the variety, which will be found at the end, and
which, after careful study of the bird, we have also followed
in our own schedule for judging the fowl (no alteration be-
ing made further than to rearrange the various points in the
order adopted after full consideration throughout this work),
the same gentleman adds the following particulars, first prem-
ising that the 'already printed Standard is very incorrect,
particularly in color of plumage and tail.' He then pro-
ceeds as follows :
" 'After a little careful breeding I think the Plymouth
Rock will be a grand fowl and second to none for all purposes.
As yet they do not breed quite true always and their eggs are
all colors and sizes. They are handsome, good setters, and
good for table, and I intend myself to stick to them and try
and get them right. They were produced from single-combed
Dominiques crossed with Asiatics. Dominique fowls are the
same in color, and are a useful variety ; but twenty years ago
when the Shanghaes made their appearance, these took their
place in the estimation of the public, and the Dominiques
were much neglected by fanciers, so that they do not breed any
straighter now than the Plymouth Rocks.' "
Referring to the article by Rev. H. S. Ramsdell in the Poul-
try, Pigeon and Pet Stock Bulletin, March, 1873, already
quoted, Mr. Wright comments:
"The Black Java fowl referred to in the above extract is
evidently an Asiatic bird (cither pure or cross-bred), con-
taining a great deal of the Malay. We have made inquiries of
other American sources and, while some affirm the Cochin
cross to have been employed, every correspondent, without
PLYMOUTH ROOK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 85
exception, states that one of the parents was the Dominique
fowl. Our own strong opinion is that the Dominique and also
the Asiatic races being very common in America, many cases
of crossing have occurred, and that thus the same fowl — half
Asiatic and half Dominique — has probably been produced in
various quarters, and not in any one alone; but, however this
may be, the facts of Dr. Bennett's birds being extinct, and that
the modern fowl was originally a half-bred Dominique, are
absolutely certain.
"Only one or two importations of Plymouth Rocks have
yet reached this country; one of which, sent over by Mr. W.
Simpson, arrived for the Birmingham Show of November,
1872, and took honors in the 'Any Variety' class. The variety,
as now brought to something like perfection, almost precisely
resembles a Cuckoo Cochin with smooth legs, but has a con-
siderably larger tail and a very full and prominent breast,
derived from the Dominique ancestry. The head and comb are
unmistakably Cochin. As regards the flesh, the Dominique
seems to predominate, the fowl being juicy and good for the
table. It is a moderate setter, about equal to average Brahmas
as regards to frequency of incubation ; grows fast and is a
capital layer. In all its economic qualities, in fact, it very
closely resembles the Brahma and even its habits, being an
active forager; but does not generally stay up nearly so late
from roost. The color being well adapted for wear, we must
pronounce the Plymouth Rock a capital fowl, giving all the
good qualities of the Cochin without its principal drawbacks,
and likely to suit the many who desire a large, noble-looking
bird, but whose taste does not incline to the feathered legs
and fluffy proportions of the Asiatics, and who dread the
delicacy of the Dorking.
"In breeding this fowl, as in all others of cuckoo color,
the chief point is to preserve the pure, bluish-gray and care-
fully to avoid pure white, black or especially red feathers.
Some little uncertainty in this respect will be found at first in
all imported birds, but by care in choosing breeding-stock from
the progeny, may readily be checked, as no color is easier to
breed 'true' than this Dominique marking, with a little
judicious selection. The combs will require the same careful
breeding and the same precautions against premature show-
ing, which we have already treated of in Cochins."
The reader will notice, doubtless, that while Mr. Wright
gives equal prominence to the Cochin and Java theories of
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
origin, he frequently indulges in comparison of the Plymouth
Rock with the Cochin — always with the Cochin, but not once
with the Java. Evidently, the early Java is a bird with which
he is not familiar and, therefore, has no reason for discussing
it. His only comment on the Java is: "The Black Java fowl
referred to in the above extract (Ramsdell's Article), is evi-
dently an Asiatic bird (either pure or cross-bred) containing
a great deal of Malay."
Mr. Wright's position upon this is not quite clear to Amer-
ican poultrymen but the statement justifies the comment that
the Java is a fowl evidently unknown to him. To quote Mr.
Wright once more : "We have made inquiries of other Amer-
ican sources ; and while some affirm the Cochin cross to have
been employed, every correspondent, without exception, states
that one of the parents was the Dominique fowl."
After a mention of the English importations from America,
note that Mr. Wright describes our American Plymouth
Rocks in this language : "The variety is now brought
to something like perfection — almost precisely resembles a
Cuckoo Cochin with smooth legs. * * * In all its economic
qualities it closely resembles the Brahma, etc. — a capital fowl,
giving all the good qualities of the Cochin without its prin-
cipal drawbacks — the combs will require the same careful
breeding and the same precautions against premature showing,
which we have already treated of in Cochins."
From what does the Plymouth Rock acquire these Cochin
characteristics if not from the Cochin? If from the Java, must
not the Java have been a Cochin ?
Apply, if you please, the fact suggested by Mr. Wright's
line of reasoning in the sentence : "Our own strong opinion is
— Plymouth Rocks, Danver Whites and nearly, if not all,
American breeds also owe much to a Cochin cross."
We are told by several of the writers of the period which
followed closely the appearance of the Plymouth Rock, that
several origins were probable. What do we find the origin
to be in these instances? The component parts of other
strains? According to all prescribed accounts, Cochin or
Brahmas with the Dominique. The Drake strain was the
best known of those that were developed by crossing year after
year and we have corroboratory evidence that Drake used
Dominique or hawk-colored hens and an Asiatic male. His
own statement which, according to Bishop, was made to Mark
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
87
Pitman and V. C. Gilman, covers this point with an out and
out plain statement of fact:
"Being out of health, I engaged in the business of picking
up fowls about the country for market purposes. Coming
across a lot of hawk-colored pullets, I was so pleased with
them that instead of butchering, I bred them to an available
Asiatic grade."
Other authorities mention White Cochins and Light Brah-
mas as the probable source of Asiatic blood in the Drake strain
because of their presence on the premises. Mr. Felch names
Dark Brahma. Whether Mr. Felch saw the evidence or drew
conclusion after observing the result of Drake's crosses, we do
not know. It would not be strange, of course, if the "avail-
able Asiatic grade" of Mr. Drake's was the "Dark Brahma"
of Mr. Felch's — as a grade with Asiatic blood might easily re-
semble the Dark Brahma.
We see in the above no sign of a "Java" and this case is
like all others, so far as we are supplied with accounts. Those
who attempted to copy the fowls that Upham introduced and
found popular and profitable to breed, invariably, as far as we
are acquainted with the facts, used Asiatic of one kind and
another, but no Java blood, with Dominique. These results
were, many of them at least, successful. That is, these crosses
produced a fowl that so closely resembled the color and type
of the ones that Spaulding, Ramsdell and Upham were pro-
ducing, that they competed with them for public favor. This
fact, in itself, is the strongest corroboratory evidence in favor
of the claim of Cochin parentage.
Bishop's Opinion and the Reasons for It. — Furthermore,
the Rev. Mr. Bishop, who evidently gave this question much
study and who was editor of that Journal at the time Rams-
dell's article was published in the New York Poultry, Pigeon
and Pet Stock Bulletin, later in an article published in Farm
Poultry, year 1901, repudiated the Java claim, writing that
upon his return (from New York) to his old habitations, he
became convinced that such claim was not justified by facts.
In his pamphlet, "Development of the Plymouth Rock,"
Bishop makes the following pertinent remarks :
"The Drake Strain, i. e., the 'Norfolk,' never had any mix-
ture of Java blood ;" which statement agrees with the fore-
going.
Again, we find this statement — "Those who obtained their
birds from the Spaulding stock direct, never had any Java
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
blood. Of these were Mr. Ramsdell, Mr. Corbett, and many
others. The stock was widely diffused, entirely outside of the
birds that Mr. Upham manipulated. Spaulding never owned a
real Java, whatever they may have called a Java . . . ."
This certainly vitally effects the controversy, if true, and
it would seem that Reverend Bishop from his location in the
center of the culture of early Plymouth Rocks and by his
associations with so many of the early breeders, was in a
position to become acquainted with the facts, if a writer ever
was ; furthermore, his experience with fowls, his writings and
his former position as editor of the Poultry, Pigeon and Pet
Stock Bulletin, all indicate that he must have possessed the
attainments to qualify him as an authority whose judgment
can be absolutely relied upon.
Bishop goes a step farther and eliminates the "Java" from
the Gilman and Pitman stock as well as from the Spaulding,
Ramsdell and Drake.
The crucial point in the controversy is and always has been
whether Spaulding used a Black Cochin or a Black Java.
Bishop evidently bases the opinions just quoted upon the facts
as he records them in the following quotations from his work :
"So far as I can determine, whatever fowls the Spauldings
had in their yards, or whatever they may have called a Java,
the influence of that so-called or believed to be Java was
purely imaginary. The Java was a clean legged bird. The
chicks hatched from Mr. Spaulding's yard were anything but
that, and those feathered legs came neither from the Javas nor
the Dominiques.
"Marcus F. Town of Thompson, Ct., with a ten years'
knowledge of whatever points the so-called original Plymouth
Rocks bore with them, writing in 1876, declares : 'The chick-
ens of my pair' (purchased of Spaulding) 'were many of
them heavily feathered on legs. Next year with a better mat-
ing tor color, there were some feather-legged.'
"W. H. Todd of Ohio sets forth the statement in one of his
publications that at that time the best would throw some
feather legged chicks.
"Indeed, so prevalent was this mark of an Asiatic infusion,
which could not have been from the Java, that we find Mr.
C. C. Corbett, who got out the first print of the Plymouth
Rock (Figure 8) that was ever made, and who went all
through the question as to their origination, writing to the
Poultry World in April, 1873, to ask: 'Have you any knowl-
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
89
edge of a stock of Plymouth Rock fowls that do not occa-
sionally throw feather-legged chicks?' It is surprising that
Mr. Corbett, getting his birds from the Spaulding stock,
through Mr. Ramsdell, should have struck so early as this, — ■
etc' "
Mark Pitman's Opinion. — Mark Pitman also told the writer
verbally that all the trios that Upham showed at Worcester
in 1869 wore feathers on the shanks, some more and some less.
This feature, however, might be attributed to the cock bird
of Burnham's blood which, according to Upham's accounts,
was bred for one year in Upham's yards. Here, however, we
find three instances of the Spaulding stock which was not sub-
jected to that influence, showing a most decided tendency to
show feathered shanks. This tendency must have been due
to the influence of the Dominique or the Black Asiatic. This
fault of feathered shanks certainly should not be charged
against the Dominique ; therefore, it must be charged against
the Black Asiatic. That being the case, what breed other
than a Cochin could the Black Asiatic have been? For, ac-
cording to all our descriptions, a feathered-legged Black Java
is just what the first standard makers called it — a Black
Cochin.
The Modern Java. — The modern Java is of later develop-
ment and was recognized as a standard breed in 1883. Its
origin is undoubtedly the same as the Plymouth Rock and has
been called a Black Plymouth Rock. The book describing
Plymouth Rocks about 1880 gives the information that black
females often occur, and we obtain information of the same
character from Ramsdell's article, Upham and others. Such
being the case, it is plain that black males could have been
produced by repeated selection or by crossing with the Span-
ish or some black variety.
The points of this Java-Cochin controversy have been pre-
sented fully because it seems encumbent upon a treatise of
this nature to present the facts as far as they can be ascer-
tained and the opinions of those who had the best oppor-
tunities to observe and gain a knowledge of the facts as nearly
first-handed as possible and who were the most competent to
judge. D. A. Upham and Mark Pitman, of all men living in
1900 and 1901, seemed to be those men, and as their accounts,
though verbal for the most part but related many miles apart
and obviously at different times, coinciding in every essential
detail, practically put the writer's mind at rest on this much
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
mooted question. Upham, though well along in years at the
time, was vigorous physically as well as mentally and most
positive as to the facts as related. Of the truth of the state-
ment in this previous sentence, the following letter, which was
written to the writer January 1, 1900, will prove convincing:
Wilsonville, Conn., l-l-'OO.
Friend Smith:
Replying to your favor received. I received two copies of Farm
Poultry, one containing your articles and one of Mr. , who
is way off on his statement. If he is corerct, where did the progeny
of Mr. Spaulding get their feathered legs if crossed with Black Javas
as claims. Javas were smooth-legged fowls, no feathers,
black in color or very dark slate color and bottom of feet VERY
yellow, and everybody knows that the Barred Plymouth Rocks (or
ought to know) had more or less feathers on legs for four or five
years from first cross made by Spaulding, who never bred them only
for poultry and eggs with all kinds of barnyard fowls. I bought my
birds the second year that Mr. Spaulding bred them. Bought the
cock that Spaulding bred as a cockerel and two hens. Those three
birds were the progeny of Spaulding's single comb old-fashioned
hawk colored cock bred to two or three black Cochin hens had of
David Clark of Woodstock, Conn., a fact I know from Spaulding's
and Clark's sayings to me when I bought my birds, and the hens ALL
had heavy feathered legs. The trio I bought had feathers on legs.
Mark Pitman knows it to be a fact as he saw the old trio at Worces-
ter when I sold to C. Carol Loring, also Gilman of Nashua, N. H.,
knows that they bred feathers on legs more or less for years.
My birds all bred single combs, both sexes, NOT ONE did I
ever have come rose comb and for two years my chicks came with
more or less feathers on legs — some with very few and half or more
showing feathers to a considerable extent.
D. A. UPHAM.
That Mark Pitman approved of the account of the origin
as written by Bishop will be clearly proved by the following
self-explanatory letter:
79 Thurston Street, Somerville, Mass.
Mr. Smith.
Dear Sir: Your letter came to me where I have been living for
nearly seven years. I have been giving away poultry matter for the
past ten years.
I think the last I gave to Mr. Atherton, the proprietor of the
Stock Keeper, printed in Boston.
Among that was a history of the Plymouth Rock by the Rev.
M. Bishop, an Episcopal minister living in Connecticut. That his-
tory was accredited by Mr. Upham and myself, which you can call
upon Mr. Atherton and get, which will give you the dates asked
for.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 91
I never crossed the strain since I began breeding them until years
after I sold Mr. Felch the lot I had remaining.
That history of Mr. Bishop will be very useful to you, as he
gave the first history of the Plymouth Rocks.
The Essex strain, which I had from the beginning, were bred
in and in four, five or six years — being noted for the time as the Essex
County Strain, the particulars of which no man can give you as good
an account as myself, which I will do if you will call upon me.
Let me suggest to you to take an early train some morning, call
upon Mr. Atherton, get the book, then take Electric Winter Hill
car in Boston, which takes you directly to Thurston Street, where I
shall be happy to see you at any time and give you my remembrance
of all you wish to know.
I am at home always as I have been an invalid many months and
not able to go out, and shall be happy to make your acquaintance.
Very sincerely,
MARK PITMAN.
June the tenth, nineteen hundred.
Per X. W. P.
THE MALE PARENT.
Fortunately, for the reader, the male parentage is not so
uncertain. As Lewis Wright states, "All agree that one of
the parents was the Dominique fowl." All our American ac-
counts state that the male parent of Spaulding's cross was a
Dominique. Furthermore, it seems agreed that all who at-
tempted to create a fowl after the pattern of the Spaulding
stock, whatever else they used, always used a Dominique
male. This seems to be universally true, except in the case
of the Drake crosses. Drake states : "Coming across a lot
of 'hawk-colored pullets' I was so pleased with them that in-
stead of butchering I bred them with an available Asiatic
grade." The term "hawk-colored" used by Mr. Drake was one
that was in common use among the breeders of Massachusetts
and Connecticut, for which reason the writer reluctantly ap-
plies the term "Dominique" which others have been so ready
to do, because the Dominique of today has a rose-comb, while
the fowl used in this original cross had, according to all ac-
counts, a single-comb, though it is related that some of them
had rose-combs even in those days. The term "Dominiques,"
though, gives the impression of a rose-comb fowl to nearly
every reader, but let it be understood that the term
"Dominique" as applied to the male parent in the Spaulding
cross was a single-comb bird and of an unknown origin. That
there should be so much disagreement in regard to the char-
acter of the female and such thorough accord with respect to
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
the identity and character of the male parent is certainly
remarkably singular, to say the least, but the matter is surely
beyond explanation now unless the following facts offer the
solution of the riddle.
Little or nothing is known of the origin of the Dominique
and in this fact, perhaps, lies the explanation of thorough
agreement of all our historians on all questions involving that
race. Some accounts of the early days of these fowls have
been written and some theories regarding their origin ad-
vanced, but as to the latter, nothing that professes to be
tangible has been preserved if, indeed, it ever existed. That
they must have been very long known is evident, as a fairly
extended account is printed in Dr. Bennett's Poultry Book,
1850. This account seems to be the foundation for all those
published for many years afterward. With this account we
find illustrations of the birds of George C. Pierce and Stephen
Osborn, Jr., of Danvers, also a statement of costs of keeping
and returns for eggs from thirty-eight fowls and the number
of eggs obtained from them during the months of December,
1848, and January, February and March, 1849, which shows
a net profit and labor income of $24.83, which bears out the
statements often made that "They are first rate layers." "They
are said to be from the Island of Dominca but I very much
doubt it !" This statement seems to be accompanied by no
more proof than appears in the similarity of names.
The claim of an English writer that Dominiques are the
result of crossing Scotch Greys with Dorkings is certainly
within reason. Other writers have noticed the similarity be-
tween Dorkings and Dominiques. Bement in the American
Poulterer's Companion, Pages 121 and 122, writes as follows:
"DOMINIQUE FOWL.
"This well-known variety of our domestic fowl, there is
good reason to believe, is old and distinct, though it is gen-
erally looked upon as a mere 'farm-yard fowl'; that is. the
accidental result of promiscuous crossing; but there are sev-
eral forms among the farm-yard fowls, so-called, that are seen
to be repeated generation after generation, the counterparts
of which are to be met with, scattered here and there, over
this country. wSo constant repetition of corresponding features
would seem to declare that there are several unnoticed and
undistinguished varieties of fowls which deserve to be re-
garded and treated as we do other distinct varieties.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
93
"The Dominique fowl, well selected and carefully bred, is
a fine and useful bird. They are distinguished as Dominique
by their markings and their color, which is generally con-
sidered an indication of hardiness and fecundity. They are
by some called 'Hawk-colored fowls,' from their strong re-
semblance in color to the birds of that name. In England they
are usually called 'Cuckoo fowls,' from the fancied re-
semblance of their plumage to the feathers on the cuckoo's
breast. We seldom see bad hens of this variety, and, take
them 'all-in-all,' we do not hesitate in pronouncing them one
of the best and most profitable fowls, being hardy, good lay-
ers, careful nurses, and affording excellent eggs and first
quality of flesh.
"In any close grouping of the breeds of poultry, the
Dominique fowl might perhaps be safely referred to the
Dorkings. Some of the slate-colored, barred Dorkings are
scarcely distinguished from them, except by the fifth toe;
still there is something very permanent and remarkable in
the peculiar style of plumage that ought not to be lost sight
of. It is with difficulty got rid of by crossing. Half-bred
Spanish and Dorking fowls have quite retained the barred
and shaded feathers of the one parent, displaying the comb,
ear-lobe and stature of the other. And this curious and de-
cided plumage is quite confined to one or two breeds, never
appearing, that we are aware, in others, such as the Game,
the Malays, and the Hamburgs ; a circumstance which makes
us believe it to indicate an ancient descent from some peculiar
and original parentage.
"The prevailing and true color of the Dominique fowl is
a light ground, undulated and softly shaded with a slaty-blue
all over the body, as indicated in the portrait of the cock,
forming bands of various widths. In order to be more fully
and better understood, and to show the peculiar markings of
the feathers, we procured a feather from one of the hens,
which is faithfully delineated on the opposite page. The
comb of the cock is variable, some being single, while others
are double — most, however, are single ; the iris, bright orange ;
feet and legs, light flesh color — some, however, are of a bright
yellow or buff color; bill the same color as the legs.
"The hens are not large, but plump and full breasted.
The cocks are somewhat larger than the hens, some approach-
ing the smaller sized Dorkings in weight. The chickens at
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
two or three months old exhibit the barred plumage even
more perfectly than the full-grown birds."
In the foregoing, Bement either adopts the English
writer's viewpoint or from his own observations has come
to the same conclusions. The similarity to the Dorkings is
brought to the reader's attention and the possibilities of a
Spanish-Dorking cross as the possible source of origin is in-
timated.
The Reverend D. D. Bishop, whose work is heretofore sev-
eral times referred to, and is very thoughtful throughout,
presents a theory of origin that is not merely possible but
quite probable. On Pages 5 and 6, we find related a seem-
ingly natural method of origin, the truth of which is not at all
unlikely, hence we reprint:
"That the bird known by the name of Plymouth Rock
should have made its appearance about that time, 1866 to
1870, was inevitable.
"The conditions were favorable. It was at the time of re-
action from the furore for simply big birds, when farmer folk
were discussing among themselves the failure of the mam-
moth Asiatics to fill the bill for both eggs and marketing.
They consumed both too much time and feed in their growth.
They failed as foragers for want of activity. They were the
reverse of precocious in their development. The old-fashioned
dung-hill was too small. There was equal dissatisfaction
with both.
"The first result was the throwing of whatever Asiatic
came to hand, Shanghaes, Brahmas, Cochins — what not — at
random into the barnyard flocks, to mix indiscriminately with
a lot of birds that had suffered that kind of breeding, if that
could be called breeding, for a generation or more.
"The next step in the process was that the more thought-
ful or fanciful began to pick out the colors that suited their
individual notions. Various farmers had local reputations for
the excellence of their white hens, or red hens, or whatever
color they might have chosen.
"Perhaps the most widely diffused of what might have
been called a native stock was even then known as 'old-
fashioned,' 'hawk-colored' fowls. Their dispersion over a
wide extent of country was brought about by two causes.
First, their markings were much more distinct and uniform
than any of the mixed colors, so that by original vital strength
the color was carried wherever a drop of the blood found its
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 95
way. Secondly, they proved to be hardy, matured rapidly
and so came quickly to usefulness as broilers, egg" producers
or for marketing purposes. They were not so much exposed
to the ravages of hawks, and farmers thought much of that.
The hawk could not see them so plainly, and the mother hen
was almost as sharp of eye as her enemy in the air.
"Another point should not be overlooked, namely, the
facility which was manifested by this stock to assimilate the
dash of Asiatic blood so as to make it a genuine infusion. In
other words, the cross by Asiatics made 'a hit' upon the said
old-fashioned, hawk-colored birds, so that they reproduced
themselves, throwing comparatively few reverts, and furnish-
ing at once the basis upon which to build a breed."
That the natural course of events following the general
disappointment in the large Asiatic fowl was to throw them
into the scrap heap in the nature of the mongrel farm yard
flock cannot be questioned. There could be no other place
found for them unless it be the butcher's cart and all Asiatics
would be no more likely to be thus condemned than all
mongrels. Many mongrels survived, so did many Asiatics.
It must be remembered that this was a time when fowls
were expected to shift for themselves and pick up a living.
It was before the days of henhouses and discussions as to
glass fronts, open sheds and southern exposures. A clump of
trees, a cluster of bushes, or some nook among a group of farm
buildings was all the shelter furnished. Under such conditions
the ancestors of Plymouth Rocks learned to thrive. It was a
game in which the survival of the fittest played the all im-
portant part and won. These conditions lasting for genera-
tion after generation, together with the infusions of foreign
blood that have been from time to time introduced, account
for the hardy character of this fowl.
Through some process hawk-colored fowls came into ex-
istence. How, no one can definitely say, but it is more
probable that this was a process of reincarnation rather than
one of mixing two-color types of plumage, creating a third
and entirely different color type. This line of reasoning fits
in well with the theory of a foundation of Scotch-Grey blood
which, as one author, Mr. F. L. Sewell, puts it, "The Scotch-
Grey fowls of North Britain can perhaps throw some light on
the origin of the American Dominique. If this very old race
of 'Cuckoo-colored' chickens are not the ancestors of our early
Dominiques, we must confess that we have as yet failed to
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
discover them. They are the nearest to the type of our old
Dominique of any European race of fowl."
Such, then, is the parentage of the two component races
that were successfully amalgamated to create a third race,
which proved to be epoch-making - , for by its creation poultry
culture ceased to be the one-feature possibility that it had
always been and became at once a full and well-rounded
enterprise with commercial and economic possibilities. In
other words, the poultrymen had found their Rosetta stone,
the poultry business its Fountain of Eternal Youth.
THE EARLY DAYS OF THE NEW BREED.
The reception that these fowls were accorded was startling.
Entered and exhibited as a novelty at the most they became
the chief attraction of the show. Other exhibits were little
more than noticed. The idea of an American fowl appealed
to the rank and file of American poultrymen. An introduction
to poultrydom was all that was necessary to establish the posi-
tion of Plymouth Rocks among American poultrymen. The
long looked for dual purpose fowl, occupying the middle ground
between the slowly maturing and heavy Asiatic and early
maturing but light Mediterraneans, had arrived and the
warmth of their welcome exceeded in degree the eagerness
with which a fowl that would excel in egg producing and
flesh producing qualities had been sought.
The experts examined them minutely and discussed their
merits and demerits most profoundly. They prophesied fu-
tures according to their individual views. That their views
differed widely would not excite amusement even in this day
after years of popular approval. They, in part, undoubtedly
deserved the epitaph bestowed upon them by one noted au-
thority — who pronounced them d — d mongrels, which appella-
tion needs but a slight alteration to become "The Great Amer-
ican Mongrel," by which unique and expressive title they
soon became known. The opinion implied by the term ap-
plied at the time by the one expert was not that of all, however.
Mark Pitman, for many years one of the most experienced
and appreciative of poultry fanciers, thought so much of
them that he purchased one of the trios exhibited for his
patron, C. Carol Loring, of Boston and Dedham, Mass., who,
like Mr. Pitman, was for a lifetime an ardent admirer of
beautiful fowls of many breeds and varieties. One, too, was
PLYMOUTH BOCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 97
sold to Capt. Evans of Manchester, N. H. Mr. Upham sold
over one hundred settings of eggs during this show. When
faced by these facts it is apparent that Plymouth Rocks won
public approval almost instantly. With the poultry inter-
ested public, it was and henceforth has been a case of love at
first sight. Mr. Upham was astounded at the price he found
customers willing to pay for an unheard-of mongrel, as two
dollars per setting was the price at which he sold the eggs,
though he was obliged to return much of it because orders
were more numerous than eggs the following season.
Mr. Upham could not sell his birds and maintain a
monopoly at one and the same time. Besides, new strains of
like or similar fowls might have been created had he not sold.
No doubt many "original" imitations did materialize as it was.
In fact, we have more than one clear and authentic account
of one strain, so created, that obtained considerable prom-
inence. Several strains soon developed. Beside the Upham,
there were the Ramsdell, the Drake, the Gilman and the Es-
sex County, later the Essex. We should not quite yet count
out the Spaulding strain, for many still procured birds from
that source.
The Spaulding Strain. — We know that the Spauldings con-
tinued breeding these birds for some years because we find
references of this one or that one having procured their birds
from them ; as "such a strain is largely of Spaulding' s stock,
etc." Upham and Bishop tell us that the Spauldings bred
largely for eggs as a commercial commodity. From the lack
of information to the contrary it seems probable that they
continued breeding the progeny of the original cross. They
had. at the smallest calculations, the intense satisfaction of
having laid the foundation for a structure that would endure
as the best of its kind for generations and of having those
progressive pioneers, Upham and Ramsdell, start with their
original stock.
The Upham Strain. — Mr. Upham maintained a supremacy
of quality in Plymouth Rocks for a number of years. Of this
strain, Mark Pitman said : "About everything that was good
in these times came from Upham." Such tribute coming
from a successful contemporary is as much as need be spoken
or written of the quality of Mr. Upham's Plymouth Rocks.
Mr. Upham relates that he had no particular hobby. The
poultry business was a considerable item in his business trans-
actions. His aim was to produce a taking fowl. Such a fowl
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
must have size and distinct markings. In that stage of de-
velopment males and females of anything like the same shade
were rarely, if ever, produced. As Mr. Upham has told us,
most of the females of the first cross were black and only
a few were gray, or steel-colored, to use Mr. Upham's term.
Males that showed color enough to give any character to
their plumage were almost as scarce. Mr. Upham's par-
ticular desire was to produce the steel-colored females, as
most of them seemed to come very dark and even black He,
like others, soon realized that his task was to produce males
and females of the same shade of color. Even the breeders
of the present day have found that only by the most persistent
and painstaking efforts can this be accomplished, and they
have also the advantages accruing from the inheritance of
years of breeding for that particular character.
Aside from such very fundamental qualities as size, shape,
health, vigor and the like, this requirement that males and
females should be of the same shade of color became predom-
inant very early in the life of the breed and has remained so ;
and while that fact may have been lost sight of in compara-
tively recent years, it is merely because of its correspond-
ingly perfect accomplishment. Failure to comply with this
demand will at any period before long result in agitation for
its enforcement.
"Males and females must match in the show pen" became
the slogan most often repeated very soon after the breeding
of Plymouth Rocks became general. Results came slowly at
first because the breeding of Dominique color was not under-
stood. To accomplish this most difficult task, breeders
studied, experimented, and observed. To accomplish this,
systems then new were discovered, among them, single
matings, intermediate matings, extreme matings, double and
special matings. All these systems of matings, except the
first, were thought out originally and practiced primarily to
produce both sexes of Plymouth Rocks of the same shade.
The application of these principles to obtain other objects in
Plymouth Rocks and to the breeding of other breeds and varie-
ties came about later. The great, all-absorbing desire to match
the color in male and female Plymouth Rocks was the in-
centive which led to their discovery.
The Ramsdell Strain. — This was one of the earliest strains
and because of the time of its beginning and the source of
origin was more nearly contemporary with the Upham strain
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 99
than any of the other early strains. Also, because of its lo-
cation it was for a time more of a rival. The source of his
stock was undoubtedly Spaulding, as Mr. Ramsdell writes
" .... which is situated about a mile from my own. I
was intimately acquainted with Mr. S Taking that state-
ment as a fact, it was natural for Mr. Ramsdell or any one that
was fond of fowls to try out some of this new cross. We find
no record of Mr. Ramsdell exhibiting very often, but we do see
accounts of his selling birds, which indicates that he was a
factor in the development of the breed, but putting the two
facts together it seems not improbable that he was like Spauld-
ing particularly interested in the commercial side of poultry
culture, though on a smaller scale, Mr. Ramsdell being a
clergyman.
The Drake Strain. — Forced by the circumstance of poor
health, it Avas necessary for the originator of this strain to
make his living from his sales of poultry, to sell his creations
rather than buy the creations of others ; especially, as fashion-
able novelties in poultry, as in every other product, usually
command prices which it is to one advantage to receive rather
than to give. Drake strove to breed and rear specimens that
could compete successfully for the remunerative business that
fell to Upham, Ramsdell and Spaulding. The purchase of a
large number of birds was out of the question ; a few would
not produce sufficient numbers ; certainly it was not necessary
to purchase if he could devise a plan of breeding with results
that were apparently the same. This, we judge from all avail-
able accounts, he was able to do. Some years ago the writer
obtained from Mark Pitman an account of his visit to Mr.
Drake's place. Mr. Pitman said : "We saw no Plvmouth Rocks
at all ; we did see hawk-colored fowls, White Cochins and Light
Brahmas. — It was late in the Fall, and as all we saw were old
fowl, we concluded that the Hawk-colored fowl, crossed with
Light Brahmas or White Cochin, were the parents of Drake's
Plymouth Rocks. This view of the question coincides very
well with that taken by Mr. V. C. Gilman of Nashua. X. H..
whose early stock was largely of the Drake strain. Mr. Gil-
man relates that he became acquainted with Mr. Drake and
found him an intelligent and honorable gentleman of delicate
health, but a thorough fancier. He never volunteered infor-
mation as to how he came into possession of his first stock
that Mr. Gilman remembered. Mr. Gilman relates further that
he was told by a neighbor while he was there that Drake
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
started his strain with Hawk-colored hens and an Asiatic male
bird. This statement Mr. Oilman apparently credited, as he
says : "I know it was a feature in his breeding- to produce
male birds after the Brahma style." From the foregoing there
appears little reason to doubt that Mr. Drake did produce
Plymouth Rocks by crossing- the Hawk-colored fowl, or
Dominique, reader, if you like, with Lieht Brahmas and
White Cochins, not exactly as Mr. Spaulding produced his
strain, but very similarly, as it is still a cross of Hawk-colored
fowl and Asiatic. From this fact, that his stock gave excellent
satisfaction, certainly as far as we can learn, it is fair to as-
sume that it must have progressed beyond the stasre of a first
cross, otherwise it would have been unreliable in other hands.
This does not seem to have been the case. Besides Mr. Gil-
man, William Haywood bred the Drake strain for a number
of years with good results, and is said to have been a better
and more careful breeder than the originator of the strain.
Not many years ago. a number of breeders who remembered
the Drake stock could be found and some of them had this
blood in their stock. They describe the Drake birds as very
large, very dark, and very much inclined to feathers or stubs
on their shanks and toes.
Despite his affliction. Mr. Drake was quite successful in
building- up a strain of Plymouth Rock that was both meri-
torious and popular. Had he not been entirelv dependent
upon the poultry business for support, besides being afflicted
with delicate health, his success would undoubtedly have been
even more marked.
The Gilman Strain. — From an early circular, distributed
bv Mr. Gilman, we quote the following-, which will give a very
clear idea of the status of Plymouth Rocks at that time:
"My first purchase of these fowls, Plymouth Rocks, was
based on fancy alone. I saw them and thev pleased me at
once, and I bought and bred them beside my Dominiques and
Ham burgs.
"As a breed they were com'paratively unknown, although
Mr. Upham had exhibited specimens at the exhibition of the
N. F. Poultry Club, at Worcester, a year or two before.
"I could learn nothing of the pedigree of my first pur-
chase, whether Drake or Upham or neither, but bv reason of
their good behavior, they soon became the favorites of my
poultry yards and I disposed of all others and made them a
specialty.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
101
"In 1872 I bought a fine pair of my own selection of Mr.
Drake, paying him $20.00, a high price' at that time. I reg-
istered the male bird in the Poultry World Pedigree Record
as 'Champion,' 854.
"I also procured a fine, light-colored cockerel of what was
then known as Ramsdell's strain. I mated these males with
specimens bred from my first purchase. The result presented
quite a diversity in form, color and markings. Proper selec-
tions and matings made speedy improvement, for the breed
was in a formative state, and like clay in the hands of the
potter.
"Still the shape was not entirely satisfactory. Mr. Drake's
principle in breeding them, if I interpreted it correctly, was
to produce hens of Cochin form and cock of Brahma form,
thus perpetuating a disparity in shape between the sexes,
which did not commend itself to my judgment. To overcome
this tendency in his strain, I procured some of the 'Essex Co.'
strain, which was bred so successfully by Mr. Mark Pitman,
and by the introduction of this last factor to my already im-
proved form, I have solved the problem of shape and size of
the Plymouth Rock to my own satisfaction, and their growing
popularity, I think, warrants me in believing to the satis-
faction also of the host of admirers of this very valuable
breed."
The Essex County Strain. — This was originated by Mark
Pitman of Salem, Mass., who had been for several years
well known for his interest and achievements in the poultry
world. The same Mark Pitman, who so quickly recognized
the possibilities of the new variety that he purchased one of
the trios and turned it over to C. Carol Loring, heretofore
mentioned, who was very much interested in poultry and who
has remained so all his life, took up the breeding of the new
fowls, the merits of which he was one of the first among ex-
perienced breeders to acknowledge. From the very beginning
he began to develop a strain, the individuals of which con-
formed to certain well-defined ideas of the originator which
were somewhat advanced for those days. Mr. Pitman did
not look at the plumage of the Barred Plymouth Rock as a
unit. In other words, he saw more than a gray fowl or a gray
chicken. He analyzed the plumage of each feather and studied
carefully the effects of different shades of both the light and
dark bars, for he early found that a Plymouth Rock needed
bars to be attractive. He soon decided that as far as he was
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
concerned those birds that showed the greatest contrast
between the light and dark bars were the most handsome
birds. Less importance was attached to the "blue" haze, that
the plumage of many specimens displayed in certain light
reflections and which so many breeders laid so much stress
upon and some do even to this day, by Mr. Pitman than to
clear and well-defined bars, such as sharply contrasting colors
develop. Though he did not neglect other qualities, as he was
too keen and too experienced a fancier for that, Mr. Pitman
probably did make a greater effort to produce attractive
plumage than any breeder who was contemporary with him.
In this undertaking we assume Mr. Pitman was suc-
cessful because the strain soon became known as one that was
very strong in color. From which fact we learn that the early
breeders had not become able to distinguish between color
and barring or to understand just how it was that the in-
dividual specimens of the Essex County strain, as it was
known then, excelled in color.
Mr. Pitman secured his stock by purchase from two per-
sons. One was a Mr. Lord, who had secured a trio of Mr.
Upham through O. M. Ives of Salem. Mr. Lord bred from
one of the two females only. From Mr. Lord, Mr. Pitman
secured five pullets and a cockerel. Another pullet was pro-
cured from Mr. Loring. This was from the two bought of Mr.
Upham. All the Pitman birds were then of the Upham strain.
To these birds Mr. Pitman pays the following tribute: "Had
not the pair which Mr. Lord bred from been so nice, or had
not the five pullets I secured from him been so excellent, un-
doubtedly I would not have obtained the uniformity in my
flock that I did." In making this remark Mr. Pitman clearly
shows that he understood principles of selection and line
breeding, so much relied upon at the present time and supposed
to be a step in advance of the ordinary breeder even of the
present day. Of the Upham pair which Lord bred from he
had, years afterward, a keen recollection. The birds he praised
enthusiastically. The cockerel, in particular, left a picture in
his mind that age did not fade nor time erase.
Mr. Pitman had undoubtedly had more experience in breed-
ing, judging and handling high class fancy poultry than any
of the breeders of Plymouth Rocks up to that time and long
afterwards. It is to be regretted that circumstances com-
pelled him to dispose of his flock, though fortunately it fell
into the best of hands. It is the writer's recollection that it
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 103
was a contract for lighting, at or during the Philadelphia
Centennial, that compelled him to sojourn for a year in that
city. For this reason he felt compelled to dispose of his
flock which then, in 1876, came into the hands of Mr. I. K.
Felch, of Natick, Massachusetts, recently deceased, and who
is often referred to as one of the foremost poultrymen of his
generation. Soon afterwards they became known simply as
the Essex strain and by that name they have been known
ever since.
The Essex Strain. — This, as stated above, was applied by
Mr. Felch. The best of the Pitman stock came into the hands
of Mr. H. B. May of the same town. Probably at first Mr.
May was simply breeding for or in accordance with some
business arrangement with Mr. Felch. At some subsequent
time, just when, the writer cannot say, Mr. May began to breed
Plymouth Rocks independently and continued for many years
to be one of the closest students and best judges of the orig-
inal variety. Without doubt the Essex strain was more sought
and more extensively bred than any other and especially cer-
tain is the fact that the May-Essex family was more sought
than any other family of that popular strain.
The history of this family, or strain, is interesting because
of the excellent quality of many of its best representatives, but
even more so because of the historic crosses involved. It has
been well known that at some time subsequent to their first
public appearance, Plymouth Rocks have been crossed with
Light Brahma, to clear the colors as it were ; thus, not only
attempting to carry out the idea of Mark Pitman, but also at-
tempting to improve on the Pitman method of selection and
line-breeding, from which outcrossing certainly differs widely.
The results of this cross have been heralded far and wide as
wonderfully successful, yet Mr. May told the writer in so
many words, that the cross did not amount to anything; that
all the progeny after a very few generations found their way
to market. In short, this attempt resulted as most attempts
to cross two bloods of widely different temperaments do, in
so complete a disintegration that little of the good in either
remains.
Mr. May, however, was not any better satisfied with his
original Plymouth Rocks than before he made this cross. The
reason for his dissatisfaction was based upon the weak con-
stitutions of the individuals of this breed in general and their
weak disease resisting qualities. Dealers in poultry remedies,
i
I'
104
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
according to Mr. May, were making good livings, if not com-
fortable fortunes, selling their wares to the breeders of Plym-
outh Rocks. This state of things Mr. May thought neither
creditable nor necessary, but the remedy did not at once ap-
pear. Later, while traveling in Canada, Mr. May caught sight
of a male that pleased him immensely. His pleasing parts
were not his plumage, rather to the contrary — that was against
him — but he displayed life and vigor in every move. It in-
stantly occurred to Mr. May that this was the identical bird
to tone up his Plymouth Rocks. Besides evincing strong con-
stitutional vigor this bird had size and weight, a deep breast
and yellow legs. These were qualities that are desired in
Plymouth Rocks. The bird would probably be classed as a
grade Game or cross-bred Game. This bird was purchased
and bred. Three years after the cross was made all visible
defects resulting therefrom had disappeared. The qualities
that were infused were long bodies and long keel bones, close
feathering, red eyes and very solid flesh, and these were
features of the May-Essex strain for years afterwards.
The Name. — Both Mr. Upham and Mr. Ramsdell claim to
have named this new fowl. As we have noticed from the
articles of each, already quoted, whichever deserves the credit
deserves not so much for originality, as it was undoubtedly
suggested by the old-time fowl of the same name, created by
Dr. Bennett. Mr. Upham really gave the bird its name as he
was the first to show them, and by so doing he exploited the
name as well as the fowl. Mr. Upham frankly admitted that
he thought the name a good one and that while he had heard
the name frequently, he had not seen the fowl, but to dis-
tinguish between them and the Bennett creation, lest some
should still be in existence, he exhibited his first trios under
the name of Improved Plymouth Rocks.
Very few of us who breed Barred Plymouth Rocks today
saw the early birds, and probably none of us saw the very
first trios shown by Mr. Upham. Curiosity is ever alive
wherein our interest lies, and what would we not give for a
photograph or for feathers from some of the best early birds?
As these things are beyond our reach, we cannot do better
than to substitute mental images made by the words of those
who saw and reared these birds. The birds shown at Wor-
cester, two trios of chicks and one of fowls, are naturally the
ones we think of first. Of course, Mr. Upham says the chicks
were a much better match for color than the fowls. They
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 105
were about the size of the standard weight specimens now-
adays.
Of the Upham pair that founded the Essex strain, Mark
Pitman says that the pullet was clear color, beautifully barred,
and with the exception of being too leggy was a fine all 'round
specimen. The cockerel was even superior, and for general
appearance as handsome as he has seen since. He thinks that
one exactly like him would win some of the shows of today.
From what could be learned from literature contemporary
with the early Plymouth Rocks and from the early breeders,
some of whom have been mentioned, so closely and vitally
were they connected with the breed's early history, an account
that gives a fairly comprehensive knowledge of what may be
called the formative stage of this breed has been given. To
follow further these different strains and innumerable new
ones is impossible because of the rapidity with which new
breeders, new strains, and representative specimens of this
breed multiplied. From what we have learned, however, we
are safe in coining to the conclusion that the evolution of the
Barred Plymouth Rock has had five different stages of de-
velopment.
First, acquiring the color and markings of the Hawk-
colored fowls which were, at the best, but mere suggestions
of the plumage of our best modern Barred Plymouth Rocks,
which is in comparison very near to perfection itself in color
and markings.
From these early accounts it is clear that the first task
was to breed what Upham calls the steel-colored pullets. Both
Upham and Ramsdell agree that black pullets predominated
among the progeny of the Spaulding cross and the writers
of a little later period complain of some pullets coming black
and of too many of the pullets being too dark. Red and
black feathers, light-colored tails and solid or nearly, solid
colored flights were other features of the plumage of these
birds that required time and skill to eliminate. If we consider
the breed to have begun its career with the original Spaulding
cross, the first step seems to have been to secure pullets that
were gray or steel-colored, like the cockerels. Even then,
the best of the pullets were much darker than the cockerels.
The second stage was the formative period, during which
the early breeders were eradicating those evils which seemed
the greatest, each to his individual opinion. All were clearing
the color to a certain extent and endeavoring to produce a
106
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
clean bird with distinct bars on the surface. In this particular,
Mark Pitman, with his Essex County Strain, is admitted to
have had the lead. Some, like Drake and Ramsdell, sought
to develop large, rangy fowls, while on the other hand.
Pitman and Oilman stood out for a moderate size. Oilman
was at the same time straining every nerve to produce clear
yellow legs and beaks.
One of the steps of this stage was to develop a family or
line of birds that would breed cockerels and pullets of the same
shade of color. To accomplish this a constant endeavor was
maintained to breed the cockerels darker and the pullets light-
er. This step has been described in previous pages, and will be
more or less often discussed in its various connections. After
a time, however, males and females that matched tolerably
well were bred by many persons and accompanying that
achievement came better and clearer surface color and more
distinct markings.
Yet much was left to be desired in these and many other
directions. Underbarring, referred to at that time as under
color, was weak, the bars extending but little below the sur-
face of the plumage and failing by considerable to extend
throughout the entire length of the feathers. For a time many
of the females had no more than three dark bars. To develop
underbarring over the entire length of the feather occupied
the attention of the best breeders for several years.
The third period was then one in which improvement along
the lines indicated in the preceding paragraph proceeded until
real excellencies were developed to such an extent that the
best exhibition specimens had in reality become good speci-
mens, even when measured by our present Standard. Shape
became more uniform and has steadily grown more so, and
today, as judged by our best exhibitions, no variety is as
uniform in this particular as the Barred Plymouth Rock. In
this period of the Barred Plymouth Rock, undercolor became
good, surface color clear, bars distinct and brassiness in male
birds disappeared. All this has been accomplished during the
first fifteen or twenty years of the breed's existence. When
these excellencies began to show signs of approaching an
accomplishment in a degree of approximate satisfaction,
more attention was paid to the sharp definition and direction
of the barring than heretofore. Straightening the bars and
acquiring sharp definition to the edges of bars may be said
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 107
to have been the fourth stage in the development of Barred
Plymouth Rock plumage.
The fifth, or present stage, seems to be occupied by an en-
deavor to maintain all the excellencies of the past and, further,
to get more bars, or finer barring, as it is called. Even now
certain specimens have overstepped in this, as it is possible to
do because fine barring becomes indistinct when too fine.
The tendency of the modern breeders is toward more reg-
ular barring. The straight-across-the-feather bar, and as many
of them as possible, is the ambition of many breeders now-
adays. The effect is certainly very pretty, but how far shall
we sacrifice shape, color of legs and beaks for perfection in
barring, is the question which will shortly come up. It must
be granted that to obtain fine and regular barring and strong
undercolor, many have bred the females too dark in surface
color. This is not decrying straight bars and strong under-
color. They have their value and efforts must be made to
acquire these qualities, but it is better to acquire them slowly
and retain other good features than to produce them in haste
and lose other virtues.
After a careful survey of the accomplishments of a little
over fifty years, breeders of this variety can look at their birds
and their records with pride. Xot for a moment of that time
has the breed stood still. Its progress has been one continued
ascent in public esteem, for improvement has been the watch-
word, and perfection the motto of those who have had its best
interest at heart.
The great endeavor of the breeders of the present is and
of the breeders of the future will be to maintain an even
shade of color of the individual specimen, and of both sexes,
with sharply defined edges and sharply contrasting colors,
with underbarring extending to the skin and as many bar;
to the feather as can be produced thereon and still maintain
the aforementioned qualities. Needless to say that rapid
growth and large egg yield will be attributes which the breed-
ers will insist upon more even in the future than in the past ;
otherwise, the Plymouth Rock would lose its well merited
popularity ; which Heaven forbid.
The early histories of the Plymouth Rock and the Barred
Plymouth Rock are identical, inasmuch as the latter were the
sole member of the family until 1888, when Ave find the White
Plymouth Rock a member of the family with official acknowl-
edgment of its parentage.
108
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
CHAPTER III.
STANDARD REQUIREMENTS FOR SHAPE OF ALL
VARIETIES.
Disqualifications.
Positive enamel white in ear-lobes. (See general disquali-
fications.)
STANDARD- WEIGHTS.
Cock 9y 2 lbs. Hen 7 / 2 lbs.
Cockerel 8 lbs. Pullet 6 lbs.
SHAPE OF MALE.
Head. — Moderately large.
Beak. — Stout, comparatively short, regularly curved.
Eyes. — Full, prominent.
Comb. — Single, rather small in proportion to size of speci-
men ; set firmly on head ; straight, upright ; evenly serrated,
having five well defined points, those in front and at rear a
trifle smaller than the other three, giving the comb a semi-
oval appearance when viewed from the side ; fine in texture ;
blade not conforming too closely to head.
Wattles and Ear-Lobes. — Wattles, moderately long, nicely
rounded at the lower edges, equal in length, fine in texture,
free from folds or wrinkles. Ear-lobes, oblong, smooth, hang-
ing about one-third the length of wattles.
Neck. — Rather long, slightly arched, having abundant
hackle flowing well over shoulders.
Wings. — Of medium size, well folded ; fronts, well covered
by breast feathers and points well covered by saddle feathers.
Back. — Rather long, broad its entire length, flat at
shoulders, nearly horizontal from neck to saddle, where there
is a slight concave sweep to tail ; saddle feathers, rather long,
abundant, filling well in f^ont of tail.
Tail. — Of medium length, moderately well spread, carried
at an angle of forty-five degrees above the horizontal (see illus-
tration, figures 25 and 26), forming no apparent angle with
the back; sickles, well curved, covering tops of main tail feath-
ers, conforming to the general shape of the tail ; smaller sickles
and tail-coverts, of medium length, nicely curved and suf-
ficiently abundant to almost hide the stiff feathers of the tail
when viewed from front or side.
Breast.- — Broad, full, moderately deep, well rounded.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
109
Body and Fluff. — Body, rather long, broad, deep, full,
straight, extending well forward, connecting with breast so
as to make no break in outline ; fluff, moderately full.
Legs and Toes. — Thighs, large, of medium length, well
covered with soft feathers ; shanks of medium length, smooth,
straight, stout, set well apart; toes, straight, of medium
length, well spread.
SHAPE OF FEMALE.
Head. — Moderately large, broad, medium in length.
Beak. — Comparatively short, regularly curved.
Eyes. — Full, prominent.
Comb. — Single, small, proportional to size of specimen ;
set firmly on the head ; straight, upright ; evenly serrated,
having five well defined points, those in front and at rear be-
ing somewhat smaller and shorter than the other three.
Wattles and Ear-Lobes.- — Wattles, small, well rounded,
equal in length, fine in texture. Ear-lobes, oblong in shape,
smooth.
Neck. — Medium in length, nicely curved and tapering to
head, where it is comparatively small ; neck feathers, moder-
ately full, flowing well over shoulders with no apparent break
at juncture of neck and back.
Wings. — Of medium size, well folded; fronts, well cov-
ered by breast feathers.
Back. — Rather long, broad its entire length, flat at
shoulders, rising with a slightly concave incline to tail.
Tail. — Of medium length, fairly well spread, carried at an
angle of thirty-five degrees above the horizontal (see illustra-
tion, figures 26), forming no apparent angle with the back;
tail-coverts, well developed.
Breast. — Broad, full, moderately deep, well rounded.
Body and Fluff. — Body, rather long, moderately deep, full,
straight from front to rear and extending well forward, con-
nected with the breast so as to make no break in outline ; fluff,
full, of medium length.
Legs and Toes. — Thighs, of medium size and length, well
covered with soft feathers ; shanks, of medium length, set
well apart, stout and smooth ; toes, of medium size and length,
straight, well spread.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 111
PLATE 4
112
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
CHAPTER IV.
COMMON DEFECTS OF PLYMOUTH ROCK SHAPE.
Common Defects.
The shape description already given of Plymouth Rocks,
from the American Standard of Perfection, is that of a perfect
bird, and the further original treatise found in this work is
merely for the purpose of clarifying and amplifying that found
in that more general work. Admittedly, however, no speci-
men, male or female, is perfect, which means that every speci-
men is defective in some way in nature and degree ; that is,
two individuals may have defects but of different nature, or
they may have the same defect but in different degrees. One
is, then, more defective than another because it has more de-
fects, or because it has greater defects, as the case may be.
It is the purpose of this work to point out the more com-
mon defects, and so explain their nature, that they may be
readily detected and the seriousness of their nature accurately
computed ; also, how to mate, according to the practices of
the most successful breeders of Plymouth Rocks, so that such
and such defects of the parents may be eliminated in the
progeny.
THE MALE.
Comb. — The reader is advised to make himself at this
point familiar with the nomenclature of the comb and head
points. (See illustrations, plates 5 and 6.) The most notice-
able feature of the head is the comb. This the high point
of the head, the top-piece, and, like the hat on a well dressed
man or woman, creates a good or poor impression accord-
ing to its own quality. Unless harmonious proportions be-
tween the comb and the head exist, an unfavorable impres-
sion is created immediately. For these reasons breeders pay
more attention to it than to any other adjunct of the head.
The description in the Standard is clear and is generally un-
derstood, but often too much importance is attached to the
clause which requires five points, evenly spaced, with the front
and rear points a little smaller than the other three, and each
of the right length to look proportionate to the base, which
should be firm, smooth, straight, free from folds, wrinkles
indentures, or thumb marks.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STAXDARD AXD BREED BOOK 113
Carriage of Comb. — It is a matter of first importance that
the comb should set firmly on the head, as a thin or limber
comb is apt to droop and if a comb droops too much it be-
comes a disqualification, which clearly intimates that a droop-
ing comb is a serious defect. (See illustration, Plate 7, Fig.
ure 1.)
Turning to one side at either front or rear is also a defect.
This is illustrated in Plate 7. Figure 3. Thumb marks or
wrinkles over the beak are quite serious defects, as the rules
for cutting the same clearly show. These are shown in the
same illustrations. (See, also, chapter on Cutting for Defects.)
These faults usually occur when the blade is too large or too
heavy. "What are expressively termed "beefy" combs are in-
clined to this fault. Twisted combs are very unsightly and
undesirable. An illustration of a twist in the comb of a male
is seen in Plate 7, Figure 2, and of a female is seen in Plate
17, Figure 2.
Size Outline. — If the features are to be considered in the
order in which they affect the appearance of the bird, size and
outline must be next discussed. A comb should not be so
large as to look top heavy or coarse. On the contrary, it
should not be so small that the male seems effeminate, or that
the female appears to lack health or vigor. Male heads of
coarse tendencies will be found illustrated in Plate 7, Figures
3 and 5. Refined heads are demanded of both sexes in all
Plymouth Rocks. The outline of all combs should be
symmetrical ; that is, all parts of the comb, the blade, the base
and the points should be in proportion to give proper balance
between all these parts.
Base. — The base of the comb should be straight, first of all,
from front to rear, heavy enough to hold the points from
drooping and the blade from turning to one side or the other ;
though extremely and unnecessarily heavy bases are not want-
ed, as should be understood from the Standard description.
This description precludes thumb-marks, wrinkles and in-
dentures as mentioned, heretofore. In Plate 7, Figure 4, the
base is shown too narrow, while in Figure 5 the base is too
coarse and too heavy.
Blade. — The width or depth of the blade should be about
the same as the length of the longest points or a little more
to give the best setting, and the line formed by the base of the
serrations or what might be termed the top-line of the blade
should be nearly horizontal, or conforming a little to the top
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 5
IDEAL HEAD OF STANDARD BARRED PLYMOUTH
ROCK MALE
Ideal in Conformation for All Varieties of Plymouth Rocks
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 115
PLATE 6
IDEAL HEAD OF STANDARD BARRED PLYMOUTH
ROCK FEMALE
Ideal in Conformation for All Varieties of Plymouth Rocks
116
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
of the skull and at the same time with the outline made by
the top of the serrations, and thus help to harmonize all the
parts. The blade may be taken as part of the base, and much
that has been stated about the latter is true of the former;
more than that, it must follow the skull somewhat to give the
appearance of setting on the head gracefully and it should be
of such length as to balance with the other parts so that the
comb, all in all, completes its symmetrical outline. Plate 7,
Figure 5, illustrates a comb in which the base is too high, also
the blade too deep, the points too many and uneven, and the
base of the serrations not in symmetrical alignment.
Points^ — These should be five in number and evenly spaced.
The front and rear points a little smaller than the other three
so as to obtain a regular and symmetrical outline.
Besides even spacing, the right proportion in length of
points and depth of blade should exist. Of this, the eye is the
best judge, rather than a mathematical calculation. As a rule,
the blade should be slightly deeper than the length of the
points, but sometimes combs that are pronounced good by
competent judges have points a trifle longer than the depth of
the blade and other good combs have points that are percep-
tibly shorter. Of this feature, the first impression given to
the practiced eye is usually the correct one. Plate 7, Figure
4, illustrates a comb that has too many and too long points.
These points are not absolutely erect, which they should be.
A phenomenon known as the double-point occurs when the
serration between two points is not as deep as between the
other points of the same comb. Sometimes the serration re-
ferred to is very shallow, which gives the appearance of one
broad point. This defect destroys all balance between the
serrations and the points, and is a most marked blemish when
viewed from the side. An illustration of a double-point can
be seen in Plate 7, Figure 3.
In order to obtain a thorough understanding of what con-
stitutes an ideal single comb, one should make a careful study
of the life size illustration of a perfect Plymouth Rock male
head, Plate 5, as well as of the six figures on Plate 7.
Other Head Adjuncts. — Not nearly as much attention is
paid to defects of the other appurtenances of the head as to
those of the comb. The shape of the eyes, wattles and lobes
are clearly defined in the Standard, but unless they are very
noticeably defective in shape, little cutting is practiced. Wat-
tles may be of unequal length (see Plate 7, Figure 4), too
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
117
PLATE 7
1. 2.
4. 5. 6.
ILLUSTRATING DEFECTIVE MALE HEADS, COMBS, WAT-
TLES AND EAR-LOBES.
1. Lopped comb, usually overgrown, lacks stiffness or firmness
of tissue. To disqualify (see "General Disqualifications") a single
comb, some portion must fall below the horizontal plane where comb
begins its lop.
2. Twisted comb, an irregular shaped comb, falling or curving
from side to side, being distorted from the normal perpendicular
position.
3. Comb, very coarse in texture, with thumb-marks in front over
nostrils. Third and fourth points grown into a double serration, rear
serrations partially lopped. Wattles and ear-lobes, coarse, pendulous
and wrinkled. Face, also wrinkled, causes bad expression.
Lower Row —
4. Head, narrow. Comb, serrations too sharp and too much elon-
gated; blade, too shallow; points inclined to lop. Wattles do not
match in length (one is shrunken). Ear-lobes too heavy to match
comb and wattles.
118
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
5. Head, very coarse. Deformed, twisted beak (a disqualifica-
tion). Comb, crooked in front, irregular, short, blunted serrations.
Side springs on comb (disqualification). See, "General Disqualifica-
tions." Wattles and ear-lobes too long, coarse, wrinkled and pendu-
lous. Face, shows irregular bunches about the eye and at juncture
of beak. Throat with coarse dewlap.
6. Head typical of male of weak constitution. Head too long and
too shallow. Beak, too long.
long (Figure 5), even too short, misshapen, coarse in texture
(Figure 5), but even so, unless very noticeably so, deductions
from the score are not often made. Wattles are most often
cut for injuries from fighting, freezing, or tearing in one way
or another. These are not natural defects and should not be
discounted as heavily as though they were. Such injuries mar
the good appearance of the bird most seriously. Ear-lobes in
Plymouth Rocks are good as a rule and seldom cut for shape.
Skull. — Occasionally the head proper, also the beak, is too
long and not nearly deep enough, and for these defects are
cut, but not heavily numerically, because the allotment to
these sections for shape is very small. (See Plate 7, Figure 6.)
The following shape sections are important because many
of these denote practical qualities or the absence of them.
Neck. — First impressions are very often convincing, espec-
ially in a large class. One of the most important factors in
making an impression is style, and style depends much upon
the length and arch in The neck, for the latter gives the head
its poise. If lacking in arch, it is usually because the head is
carried too far forward. Note the position of head in ideal il-
lustrations, with front of beak falling vertically back of the
front of the breast. The vertical position of the head relative
to the front of breast is one of the distinctive breed character-
istics in the American class.
Length is important ; if the neck is too short, the bird
lacks style, and the neck is also probably too thick and has too
much arch ; if too long, it is probably too slender and lacks
arch. Too long necks generally accompany birds too long in
other sections, especially legs. A well-arched, full neck in-
dicates vitality and is desired. Necks of males should carry
an abundance of long, flowing hackle feathers. Without
these, neck and shoulders will show an angle at the junction,
which should not appear. With long, flowing hackle feath-
ers extending well over shoulders, neck and back seem to
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 119
merge together, a necessary feature at a vital point in a beau-
tiful top contour.
Wings. — The most common fault at the present time in this
section is deformed feathers. While this deformity usually
takes the form of twisted feathers, other defects such as these
are not as unsightly, as the twisted feather or feathers nearly
always protrudes more or less. Often several feathers are
twisted as shown by illustration in Plate 8, Figure 2,
Twisted wings take on several peculiar and abnormal
forms. Occasionally the end of the flight or secondaries are
affected, and as in this case the defect is most noticeable.
Again, the bone of the wing, at or beyond the joint furthest
from the body is turned in so that the flight feathers face
wrong side out as illustrated in Figure 4. Another form of
this defect is seen in Figure 3, in which the secondaries are
abnormal, turning down at the points and exposing the points
of flights. Occasionally wings do not fold together properly,
and remain open by the side. This is what is known as a
slipped wing. For illustration see Figure 1. This undesirable
phenomenon, known as the slipped wing, has of recent years
become common in many strains of pure bred fowls. This
appears when the flights fold in reverse rather than in the
natural order; those nearest the body dropping from their
natural position just inside the secondary farthest from the
body and appearing outside of the lower secondaries instead
of inside; thus leaving a space between the folded secondaries
and the primaries, which gives rise to the name "slipped wing"
— the primaries have the appearance of having slipped down.
The name is applied in such a case whether the primaries are
reversed or not.
The outside appearance of such a wing is not altogether
unlike that of what is known as the split-wing. The latter
is, however, different as the flights, though folded, are not
coA^ered by the secondaries. This split is caused by the pri-
maries most adjacent to the secondaries or the secondaries,
most adjacent to the primaries, taking the wrong direction,
with the result that the secondaries fail to cover the flights
when folded. If such a wing is spread or open, a space, some-
times a wide one, is noted between the flights and secondaries.
In some lines of blood, the flight feathers, instead of being
twisted or following the wrong direction, are short and nar-
row and do not fold properly. (See illustration, Plate 9,
Figure 5.)
120
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
DEFECTS OF WINGS
1. Slipped Primaries. Pri-
maries habitually slipped out-
ward from under the second-
aries.
2. Twisted Primaries. Pri-
maries twisted in spiral for-
mation.
3. Mussed Wing. Persist-
ently failing to hold the wing
feathers well folded at the
sides when they are of for-
mation that could be neatly
carried.
4. Down-Turned Primar-
ies. Primaries bent down-
ward so that they are not
folded beneath the second-
aries.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
121
PLATE 9
DEFECTS OF WINGS
5. Split Wing. Wing so
irregularly formed as to ap-
pear split through between
the secondaries and the pri-
maries.
6. Short Wing with Up-
turned Primaries. Primaries
bent upward so that they
will not fold neatly under-
neath the secondaries.
7. Drooping
Shoulders and
drooping too low
Shoulders,
wing fronts
8. Drooping Points. Points
of wings carried too low.
122
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Large or long wings are not called for by the Standard but
the wing should be of moderate length, sufficient to reach the
saddles in the male, and a corresponding position in the female.
They should be well-tucked up and covered by the saddle or
back feathers, according to sex. An illustration of these de-
fects are seen in Figure 6.
Drooping shoulders indicate a looseness or weakness of
the shoulder muscles. The unnatural effect presented by this
defect may be seen in Figure 7. Another and equally unde-
sirable defect is seen in Figure 8 of the high or too prominent
shoulder with the large wing feathers held at the wrong angle,
bringing the points too low. This wing is too large and the
point is not tucked up or covered as it should be.
Back. — This section affords an opportunity for sharp dis-
tinction between the breeds of the American class. Plymouth
Rocks' backs should be broad and of moderate length. When
joined to a fully feathered, correctly arched neck, and a well-
furnished, well-spread tail, carried at the proper angle, the
back, with these sections, forms a beautiful top contour The
curves connecting back and neck, and back with tail, are so
mild and gradual as to be most graceful and finished. To ob-
tain this pleasing effect, the back must be just as it is de-
scribed and portrayed in the Standard. Faulty backs, and
there are many of them, as it is a hard section to breed as it
should be bred, make obviously faulty birds. The back may
be too short; this means a short body, and the birds must lack
true breed type. Shortness of body means lack of weight or
even a greater variance from true type. Too long backs mean
too long bodies, and a variance from true type. Such birds
are apt to be too flat on the sides as well as on the back. They
lack grace and typical carriage. As Plymouth Rocks they are
plain and unattractive. Too long backs usually lack the curve
needed, to finish a good specimen, between the back and tail.
They are usually too narrow and round from side to side, and
again are much more apt to be "roached," that is, have a
tendency to make the back line convex rather than concave.
Breadth is needed in this section to give the sturdy appear-
ance characteristic of this breed.
The four photographs of four Buff Rock males show sev-
eral common faults as they appear from the top. The first,
that of the ideal male, the second of a male with too short a
back, too heavy side fluff: a perceptible angle at juncture of
back and tail and a pinched tail. The third one, too narrow
124
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 11
2^
DEFECTIVE CONFOR-
MATION OF BACK, BODY
AND TAIL
1. Tail plumage too large
in proportion to back and
body. Sometimes
"bushy tail."
called
2. Back and body slope
too much toward rear. Tail
plumage too much contracted
and pointed in general form
of tail, termed "Pinched
Tail."
3. Body shows too much
fluff. Upper portion of tail
proper feathers are bent or
missing, causing bunched or
"Cobby Tail."
4. Back and tail form too
nearly a straight back and
tail line, or a "flat top line."
Tail lacks in side furnishing.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
125
PLATE 12
DEFECTIVE CONFOR-
MATION OF BACK, BODY
AND TAIL
5. Back and tail line too
concave. Tail plumage too
long and "fan shaped."
6. Body thin in front, un-
derneath. Back at shoulders
slopes too much to rear.
Cushion and tail extend too
much to a point or "Pinched
Tail."
7. Type is bunchy; cush-
ion, too pronounced on top,
not extended well to tail.
Tail too low, partly due to
overfat condition.
8. Excessive fat in body
draws rear end down too low,
exhibiting clumsy, unsym-
metrical appearance.
126
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
in back and body, and the fourth, a crooked back with the
usually accompanying wry tail.
For a careful study of back conformations, the reader is
referred to plates 11 and 12.
Tail. — This is one of the most ornamental sections of the
bird. Aside from the head, it is the most striking feature of
the male. With a beautiful tail, a bird is finished; but, with
the tail lacking or faulty, the specimen is deficient.
The tail must be carried at the proper angle or the beauty
of the top contour is marred or entirely lost. If carried too
high, the curve between back and tail is destroyed and an
unsightly angle substituted. If carried too low, style and the
appearance of life and action are gone. Too long tails destroy
good balance, because they are out of proportion. They give
too much length to the bird. The tail should be of such di-
mensions as to length, lateral spread and vertical spread that
it balances the head and neck. Pinched tails, or tails that
do not spread vertically, are very faulty, as a bird that has one
is never finished or balanced. A good spread between the
lower or rear pair of feathers, horizontally, is desirable, as
without it the body and back appear too narrow. A fully
furnished tail is a rare ornament, therefore highly prized by
exhibitors.
The contour formed by back and tail have so much
weight when breed type is determined that it is very nearly
impossible to disassociate these two sections. The close con-
nection between them is well shown in the series of illus-
trations on page 124, Plate 11. The four illustrations are of
male shape. In Figure 1 we see a fairly well proportioned
back depicted, but the tail is too long, too bushy and too
large as a whole to be in correct proportion to the body.
Figure 2 illustrates a body and back that slope too much
toward the rear. The back is too narrow at junction with
tail, which is too flat or carried too low and is too pinched
or contracted vertically, and also horizontally. Body not filled
or rounded out, front or rear, but 'especially shallow in
front of thighs. Wing-points carried too low.
Figure 3. The appearance as a whole is too solid, com-
pact or blocky. There is too much underfluff and coarse
plumage on saddle, in tail coverts, and rear underparts of
body. Tail is carried too low. Wing-points too low.
Figure 4 shows a common fault, more common, however,
in some varieties than others, of the straight back and tail
PLYMOUTH ROOK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 127
contour, extending in this case from base of neck to tip of
tail. The top line, as a consequence, lacks gracefulness, and
the specimen is thereby given a clumsy, coarse appearance.
The four illustrations on page 125 are of faults in the
shape of females. Figure 5 shows too long, shallow and
narrow body, which is invariably too flat sided. The body
and back are too narrow and the tail is too long and too
much spread. Such tails are called fan-shaped, sometimes.
Figure 6 shows the body carried too erect in front, the
back sloping too much from base of neck to rear of shoulder.
Back too narrow throughout, even pinched back of shoulders.
Tail pinched, which means contracted vertically or both
vertically and laterally. Body in front of thighs not filled
and rounded out.
Figure 7 is a comparable to the male opposite ; too blocky
and too coarse, too much cushion, tail carried too low. A
specimen that as a whole lacks gracefulness and finish, due
partly, however, to being overfat.
Figure 23 (glossary) shows a tail that has been "faked," by
plucking, large sickles removed and main tail feathers
plucked and bent under smaller sickles and coverts. This
is sometimes done by exhibitors to hide such defects as too
heavy and bushy tails.
Breast, — The best liked meat of a fowl is found on the
breast; therefore, for this reason breasts that carry as much
meat as possible and still retain symmetrical lines are de-
sired for all breeds. The descriptive terms, "broad," "deep,"
"full," are comparative, however, and, when used to describe
Plymouth Rocks, refer to Plymouth Rocks only. Breasts
are frequently faulty as to shape. Some are too narrow,
nearly all are not deep enough. Many are not sufficiently
full to present the "front" most breeders like to see. Few
breasts are full just in front and above the end of the keel-
bone. This defect is very noticeable, as it is one of the
first points of observation, if not the very first, when in the
show coop. This fault is illustrated in outline by Figures
1, 2, 3, Plate 11, showing back and tail lines. (See also Body
and Fluff.) By the above description we are led to expect
a breast outlined by a series of broad, symmetrical curves
from side to side, merging into the body on either side with
no sharp line of distinction between the sides of the breast
and the sides of the body. The same description holds
nearly true when applied vertically. In this direction the
128
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
breast should be full and round. The breast should be deep,
so that it forms a broad, wide curve from top to bottom
which gradually merges into the line of the body formed
by the bottom of the keel-bone. Thus, both horizontally
and vertically, the outline of the breast should make a
broad, symmetrical curve that merges into the body with-
out breaks or apparent angles. For ideal conformation in
these respects see the cuts of ideal Plymouth Rocks.
Body and Fluff. — Technically, body does not refer to the
whole carcass, as in common phraseology. It refers in this
connection merely to the lower part of body extending back
from the front end of the keel-bone. The fluff is composed of
the small, soft feathers found between and to the rear of the
thighs, though the body feathers at rear of the thighs are
often spoken of as such.
The body must have depth, breadth and length. De-
fects in one or all of these three dimensions are common.
Defects in body shape are found more often in the front
than in the rear. Shallow breasts are often associated with
shallow bodies, especially in front of the thigh. Very
often, too, the body, in front of the thighs is too short. Neither
must it be too long, for the body must be well balanced.
Keel-bones that are too short in front of the thighs carry
breasts that lack in fullness.
Besides the defects noted in back and tail shape, de-
fects of breast and body in front of thighs that frequently
occur are clearly illustrated and should be carefully studied.
Figure 1, Plate 11, shows a want of fullness in front of thigh
for some distance because of shallowness of the fore part
of the body. The corresponding defect in females is seen
in Figure 5, Plate 12. Figure 2 also shows a break between
breast and body and between body and thighs; whereas, the
outlines of these sections should form one continuous line
and merge into one another. The parallel of this defect in
females is shown in Figure 6. Figure 3 shows a well
rounded breast outline, but illustrates the "cut off" appear-
ance seen in so many specimens imlmediately in front of
thigh, due to the fact that the body is not dee]) enough at
that particular point, even though it forms the necessary
depth at all other points. Figure 6 shows the same defect
by the same cause, in females.
Narrow bodies are generally accompanied by narrow backs
that are often long, flat lengthwise, and what are termed
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 129
"ridgy," that is, too much rounded on the sides. Plate 13
shows the rear views of a narrowly built and a well built
male.
Shanks and Toes. — Legs that are set well apart, shanks
that have plenty of bone, but are not over large and coarse,
PLATE 13
POORLY BUILT MALE WELL BUILT MALE
Narrow bodied. Legs too Good development. Wide
close together, indications of a body and legs set well apart, in-
weak constitution. dications of a strong constitu-
tion.
130
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
are desired, because they indicate strength and vitality. Shanks
that are rather large and strong are found only with large
and strong specimens. Breadth in back and body indicates a
strong constitution, and legs that support a broad body are
set well apart. The toes on each leg are generally stout,
straight and comparatively short. Crookedness is the most
common defect in toes. Sometimes this is accidental, but more
often it may be regarded as one of the surest signs of inherent
weakness. When the general appearance of a bird confirms
this symptom, the akinship of the opposite sex should be care-
fully considered.
Shanks that are well set apart are illustrated in Plate 15,
Figure 3. In the other illustrations several defects besides
those of legs and toes are noted. Briefly stated, they are poor
comb ; too long, thin wattles ; narrow body ; shallow breast and
loosely folded wings. All of which, indications of a weak con-
PLATE 14
1. 2.
Correctly formed legs, spurs and toes, front (1) and rear view (2).
From photograph of buff cock, a first winner at Madison Square Gar-
den, New York.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 131
stitution, are illustrated in this sketch. This characteristic is
carried out in the position of legs and toes. The hocks are
carried too closely together ; a defect that is characterized as
"knock-kneed," which generally accompanies narrow bodies
(Figure 1.) The center toe is crooked, a frequent occurrence
on weak males, and the rear toes turn forward, another sign of
weak constitution, called "Duck-foot". (See definition in Glos-
sary.) Contrast these defective sections with the correct sec-
tions in Figure 3 (ideal).
PLATE 15
1. 2. 3.
DEFECTIVE, WELL FORMED AND IDEAL FROXT VIEW
1. Comb crooked in front, serrations only four, thick, irregular;
shoulders not equal height; wing, twisted flight; narrow body; legs
turned upward at "hock joints"; spurs turn downward; toes crooked.
2. Well shaped head points; straight comb: body, legs and toes
well formed.
3. Same figure as no 2 posed as square and firm on legs as pos-
sible and idealized.
132
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
THE FEMALE.
In but a few sections does the shape of the female so radi-
cally differ from that of the male that it requires a different
treatise. What follows applies to those sections.
Comb. — The description of comb for male and female coin-
cides, except that the comb of the female is much smaller. A
female comb may easily be too large, and while small combs
are preferred, they should not be so small as to be difficult to
observe, and may indicate constitutional or sexual weakness.
That is, however, readily determined in other ways.
PLATE 16
1. 2. 3.
DEFECTIVE, WELL FORMED AND IDEAL FRONT VIEW
1. Comb, loose, falling to one side; neck, not nicely tapered to
head; wings drooped; breast and body narrow and pinched under-
neath; knee joints turned inward; crooked toes.
2. Strong, substantial shoulders, breast and body, with well poised
neck tapering neatly to excellent head with neat, straight comb.
Strong, well formed legs and feet well apart.
3. Same figure as No. 2 idealized.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 133
PLATE 17
ILLUSTRATING DEFECTIVE FEMALE HEAD, COMB, WAT-
TLES AND EAR LOBES
Upper Row —
1. Head rather short and round; comb twisted, an equally serious
defect in female as well as male; side sprig at rear, small in female,
but nevertheless a disqualification. Wattles wrinkled and shrunken at
bottom below wrinkle, so curved outline of wattle is spoiled. Lobe
heavy, not fitting nicely to face.
2. Comb very much too high at rear and too straight along the
top; serrations not nicely formed, only four in number. Wattles and
ear lobes angular, not nicely rounded, somewhat shrunken. .Throat
too coarse, not neatly formed.
3. Comb crooked in front, serrations too long, overgrown. Wat-
tles too small. Face wrinkled, with too much plumage covering face
and throat.
Lower Row —
4. Comb much too thick at rear for a single comb. [See front
view on following head (5).] Wattles too small to be typical.
5. Front view of comb (4), showing rear too thick.
6. Head of a thin, unhealthy female.
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
The chief defects of the combs of females are illustrated as
follows: Plate 17, Figure 1, twisted comb or overlapping of
portions of the base. Figure 2, too deep and perhaps too
thick a base, also too few points. Figure 3, too long and too
many points, inclined to lean to one side, wrinkled in front.
Figure 4, too few points, a blade too long, too long a space in
front of the first serration. Figure 5, front view, same as
preceding. Figure 6, turning to one side, too thin, indicating
an aenemic condition.
Head and Adjuncts.- — These sections differ in size only.
Neck. — In this section the feathers differ in character and
form, one of the most noticeable sex differences in most va-
rieties. In some breeds hen-feathered males are disqualified,
the presence or absence of long, narrow hackle feathers is one
of the tests that distinguish between properly feathered and
hen-feathered males. In shape, the neck is snorter compara-
tively, and not as heavy and is not as fully arched.
Back. — Here, also, we find the same difference in the con-
struction of the male and female feather. The long feathers
from the saddle or back of a male, called expressively saddle-
hangers, are not found on females or hen-feathered males.
(Hen-feathered males occur only in a few breeds, and only
sufficiently often to be considered.)
These differences of feather construction between males
and females creates also a different conformation of back in
the two sexes.
The variation, however, is more of degree than kind. The
concave is not as sharp, as the back lacks the long, ornamental
saddle feathers and tail coverts of the male, and the concave
curve is not nearly as short. On this account and because of
the lower carriage of the tail, the body of the female appears
longer than that of the male, and the effect is that of a rather
long, broad, straight back, rising very gradually in a slightly
depressed incline to the tail.
Tail. — This section affords opportunity for distinction be-
tween male and female. The long curving sickles, smaller
sickles, and tail coverts of the male are of a different character
from any feathers found on the female. The tail of the female
is carried at a five degree lower angle than with the male
and appears even lower because of the difference in character
of the tail furnishings.
The tail may possess the same defects as the tail of the
male, but it should have the same good qualities ; namely, well-
136
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
spread base, of sufficient width vertically to avoid a pinched
appearance, and should be furnished with an abundance of tail
coverts of the same general character as the feathers of the
back, though both broader and longer.
Slow-Feathering. — Of late years some lines are slow in
feathering. The reason for the development of this phenomena
is not known, but some breeders have observed that slow
feathering has made its appearance coincident with the fine
barring. It has been observed, too, that fine barring and nar-
row feathers are intimately associated. The two facts have
led to the idea that when breeding for fine barring, narrow
feathers are also bred, and by so doing, unwittingly, feather
producing tendencies are reduced.
The effect of slow feathering and of feathers that do not
grow normally or are of irregular formation upon the shape of
the fowls and especially upon the shape and appearance of
such sections as wings and tail is considerable.
Type vs. Shape. — Usually about the same ideas occur to
us whether we hear the word "type" or the word "shape".
However, they may or may not convey the same meaning.
Shape may be more specific, as when used with reference to
a part of the bird ; that is, to one section or perhaps to more
than one ; while type, as generally used, refers to the bird as a
whole. We have distinctions here, also, as breed types and
commercial types, that is, types designated according to adapt-
ability for certain uses ; as egg-types, meat-types, general- or
dual-purpose types, ornamental types, etc.
Faulty Types. — We speak of a bird as having faulty shape
when one or more sections are defective ; of having faulty type
when one or more sections are defective in such a way as to
change the typical appearance of the bird from one breed-
type to another. A Plymouth Rock female by a combination
of faulty back and leg shape might become more of a Wyan-
dotte than a Rock, that is, if too short in both sections ; by
faulty back and body shape, more the character of the Rhode
Island Red, if too long and flat in back and too shallow in
body ; a Plymouth Rock that was too broad and deep in body
and short in legs might assume somewhat of the Cochin type.
But enough has been related to show the importance of correct
type in the bird as a whole, and what is necessary to secure
it — good shape in every section.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 137
CHAPTER V.
MATING TO OVERCOME DEFECTS IN SHAPE.
"Shape makes the breed, color the variety." Then, as
typical Plymouth Rocks are primarily desired from our mat-
ings, we must look closely and well to the characters required
to obtain better formed specimens.
The Importance of Shape. — So often does the impression
exist that color is of primary and shape of secondary impor-
tance with the breeder of Standard fowls that a brief discourse
on the above topic seems advisable. Such an impression is
erroneous and far from the letter and the spirit of the Stand-
ard. Shape, in fact, with the more practical breeds, counts
more than color.
Why Shape Counts More than Color.— We must ever re-
call that "shape makes the breed." Without typical shape,
breed-types are destroyed. A Plymouth Rock is not a typical
Plymouth Rock merely because it has a single comb, smooth
legs and the color and markings of one of the Plymouth Rock
varieties. It must first have Plymouth Rock shape. Shape is
of first importance because breed comes first and without
shape there can be neither breed nor variety. Faulty color
injures the variety only, but faults in shape injure both our
ideals. A specimen quite faulty in color has no standing with
the variety of which it is a member, but a specimen that is
seriously faulty in shape has no standing with the breed which
it is supposed to represent, and as variety is but a "sub-division
of the breed," it can have no standing as a representative of
either a breed or of a variety of that breed.
Breed characteristics are vastly more important than those
of the variety ; for breed characteristics represent practical
qualities upon which the foundation of every branch of the
poultry industry rests. Deprive it of its economic value as a
food supply and this industry would assume merely the pro-
portions and importance of the breeding of pet dogs, pet cats,
cage birds, and kindred fancies. It is in recjgnition of this
fact that the American Poultry Association has made breed
characteristics, which are synonymous with practical qualities,
authoritatively of more importance than those which apply to
138
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 19
DIFFERENT CHARACTER OF PLUMAGE AFFECTING
FORM AND OUTLINE
1. Medium width and length of plumage, compact form, smooth
surface, as called for in the Standard ideal type.
2. Extremely narrow plumage, with little underfluff. Extremely
long plumage flows over form of body but does not add so much to
roundness and plumpness of appearance.
3. Broad, fluffy plumage, causing the outlines of the fowl to
bulge and appear lumpy.
4. Narrow plumage, with medium amount of fluff, presenting
somewhat angular outlines of body.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 139
variety, representing the attractive features only. Breed char-
acteristics are described completely by one word — shape,
which embraces all the practical qualities of a fowl. The
features that distinguish varieties, a difference in color, mark-
ings, shape of comb, etc., are merely accessories that make
fowls attractive and likable. The problem of correcting faulty
shape, because it is a breed problem and equally applicable to
all varieties of Plymouth Rocks, should then receive our first
and most serious consideration.
The Influence of Health on Shape and Color. — Good shaped
specimens are always healthy. It is useless to expect puny
birds to be good in shape. Deep bodies, full, round breasts,
broad backs and stout shanks are not developed by any but
the most rugged constitutions ; but these are characteristics
of all good Plymouth Rocks.
One factor in the production of color has occurred to but
few, but it, nevertheless, is a most important one because,
though a bird may have perfect inheritance along color lines,
it will count for naught if it is without health. By health is
meant continuous health from birth. A sickness of but a
week, a day or an hour has its effect. Loss of natural gloss
and intensity of color are sure to follow. Whether ill health
utterly destroys the chances of winning depends upon its
nature and duration. The best birds, both in shape and in
color, are the ones that besides inheriting good quality, grow
normally or rapidly from the start, and are always in excel-
lent health. Health effects shape as well as color. In order
to grow healthy birds, breed from such and give both old
and young the best of care.
To produce good shape especially, parents that are rug-
gedly healthy are absolutely necessary to succeed.
An Ideal Mating. — An ideal mating for correct form would
consist, if it were possible to obtain them, of a male and fe-
males that were perfect according to our Standard ideals.
As perfect specimens never exist, ideal matings are not made.
That being true, a model mating would consist of both male
and females that nearest approached our ideals ; that is, as
far as shape is considered, the best mating that it is possible
for anyone to make is to place with the best male procurable
the best females that can be obtained. When so mated, a
large percent of the progeny will be as good as their parents
average, in some cases better, and in a few instances the
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
specimens would be expected to excel both parents in shape
requirements.
A few generations of breeding according to this plan, the
best shaped male mated with the best shaped females, may
be relied upon absolutely to establish a strain of any variety
that will excel in shape requirements.
Other Considerations. — It often seems advisable, and un-
doubtedly is so, to use in our matings specimens though more
or less deficient in shape, yet excellent in other requirements,
as color, markings, head points, etc., and the question then
becomes how to offset these shape defects.
Two General Methods. — In a general way there are but
two methods. One is to offset a defect by mating to a bird
of the opposite sex that has a defect of such a character as to
counterbalance the first defect. For example, a male has a
PLATE 20
1. 2.
SYMMETRY AND AWKWARDNESS.
1. Symmetrical, with all sections properly proportioned in rela-
tion to each other. Outlines of graceful sweeps and curves.
2. Unsymmetrical — sections forming angular junctions with each
other, causing awkward, ungraceful outlines. — F. L. Sewell.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 141
comb with but three or four points and is mated to a female
with six points on her comb. This is a fair illustration of the
principle of offsetting one defect by another of the opposite
character. This has been largely practiced by breeders in
the past and is yet. to a large extent, to remedy defects of
all kinds, either of color or shape.
Of late the most advanced idea is to offset all defects by
mating to birds that are near perfection in the character in
which one is defective. In that case, a male with a four-point
comb would be mated to females with five-pointed combs if
possible. The results may not be as gratifying the first year,
PLATE 21
CORRECTIVE BREEDING. I.
With male too short and too concave in back with tail carried too
high, female should be mated with back, saddle and tail showing form
inclined to look more flat over the top line. While always seeking
to avoid mating types that possess extreme differences, it will be
needful to avoid mating together individuals that show similar ex-
tremes. — F. L. Sewell.
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
but later they will be much more so, if the purpose is to estab-
lish a strain in which a five-point comb is a well established
feature. If the first principle be applied for the purpose of
offsetting defects, besides offsetting too few points with too
many, we would expect to offset too large combs with too
small, blades that were too short with those too long, blades
too broad with those too narrow, that followed the head too
closely with those that were elevated too much, too thin combs
with too thick, bases that were too narrow with those that
are too deep, too long points with too short, uneven serration
with even, bulges in comb with a smooth comb, and vice
versa.
If the second principle was applied, all these defective
combs would be offset by one as near perfection as it was
PLATE 22
CORRECTIVE BREEDING. II.
A female that is decidedly coarse, showing too strongly the Cochin
ancestry as being in evidence by loose plumage, short wings, pro-
nounced fluff and side cushion, as well as too deep body and rather
short legs. — F. L. Sewall.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 143
possible to procure on a living specimen of the opposite sex,
depending upon a constant application of this principle to ob-
tain satisfactory results.
In some of the previous pages an endeavor has been made
by combining illustration and descriptive text to inform the
reader in regard to the most common defects of each and every
section. The problem for the reader, if he be a breeder, as
may be fairly assumed, is not only to acquire a knowledge of
the faulty shape in all its different phases, but to become
acquainted with correct and reliable methods of eliminating
these faults. To make the subject of mating to correct faulty
shape as clear as possible, the accompanying sketches should
be carefully studied and compared with the ideals.
The subject of corrective mating for faulty shape can be
so much more easily and quickly understood from the sketches
presented that extended discourse is both unnecessary and
PLATE 23
CORRECTIVE BREEDING. III.
Because of excellencies of color or markings, possibly for both
reasons." it is desirable to use males that are too fine in bone and
too light bodied. Such males must be mated to rather large, fully
developed and splendidly formed females.
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undesirable. These sketches are graphic explanations of the
application of corrective mating- for defective shape in several
of the most commonly occurring forms. The explanations
are based, as is stated, upon the principle of corrective mating
which is an endeavor on the part of the breeder to offset a
defect of one sex by mating with a fowl of the opposite sex
that has the opposite tendencies in the same section or has
most pronounced perfection in that section.
The Two Extremes. — As an introduction to the subject,
the artist has contrasted the sketch of the ideal male with
the sketch of a very unsymmetrical or unshapely specimen.
One of the two sketches presents the reader the sum of what
is good or ideal, while the other gives graphically almost
PLATE 24
CORRECTIVE BREEDING. IV.
Very often it happens that females which are large, vigorous
birds and are very attractive because of excellence in color and mark-
ings are not well balanced, being too long in front and loo short
behind the hocks. This sketch represents such a female and por-
trays the correct conformation of a suitable mate. — F. L. Sewell.
PLYMOUTH ROOK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 145
if not quite a complete conception of all the faults to which
a fowl is heir, or at least, all the most common ones. Each
and every fault could, of course, be emphasized or enlarged
upon, though uselessly, because a specimen that in life carried
a fractional proportion of these faults, either in number or
degree, would be useless as a breeder. As a rule, specimens
that are seriously considered for breeding purposes have no
more than one or at the most two glaring faults, while this
sketch represents every glaring fault in each and every
section from comb to tail and tail to toes. It gives, however,
a splendid example of what should not be, of the many bad
features to avoid when selecting a breeding male.
Perfection in Shape Unattained. — Though it is unneces-
sary and foolish to use too faulty specimens in the breeding
pen, it is equally impossible to secure those that are perfect
in shape, which means that faults of greater or less magnitude
in breeding birds must be condoned and corrected by skillful
mating of the sexes. (See illustration, Plate 20.)
Plates for High Stationed, Short Bodied Males.— The
artist first presents the problem of mating a male that is too
high stationed, too short in back and too long and rather
pinched in tail, that on the whole leans decidedly to the typical
shape of the Langshan. The sketch next presented shows a
female with opposite tendencies — a long, rather too flat back
and tail that is carried at a low angle ; a deep, full body,
rather short shanks and head too far forward in order to
counteract the too upright carriage of the male. (See illus-
tration, Plate 21.)
Mates for Coarse Females. — The second sketch presents
the problem of mating a female that is decidedly coarse. As
we note the full, loose feathering and beefy characteristics,
the large head, too full and broad neck, closely tucked and
short winsfs, back slightly cushioned at sides, the very full
breast and side fluff — all told, her body is too short, broad
and deep. For her mate a male is selected, that while it
closely resembles the Standard, is still a little long with a
well concaved back, a little too shallow and a little too long
in the body. (See illustration, Plate 22.)
Mates for Light Bodied Males. — The third problem in
mating is another that often presents itself ; that of selecting
for a male that lacks full development in body a female that
will correct this serious defect. Males that excel so much in
plumage and head points are often poorly developed or lack
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
frame or bone, as the expression is. Such males should be
mated with females that have bone, that is, size and weight,
and are splendidly formed in those sections in which the male
is weak. Light bodied males, or those that are of light frame
or light in bone, are almost always deficient in breast, short
and shallow in front of thighs, have too deep a curvature in
back and carry the tail too high. Compared with the body,
the tail looks long. We see these tendencies shown in this
sketch and note easily the full, well-rounded breast, broad,
full back and short, well-spread tail of the female that is car-
ried rather low, characters that are sure to have a corrective
PLATE 25
CORRECTIVE BREEDING. V.
With female predisposed to accumulate abdominal fat too easily,
it is well to use a male of the opposite temperament — one that is
active and sprightly.
With female possessing too much fluff on the plumage, a male
with plumage inclined to firmness and fineness and narrower in
feather should help to correct and produce plumage in the offspring
nearer to Standard.
Legs too short in the female should be mated to males with legs
slightly above the average. — F. L. Sewell.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
147
influence with reference to the faults of this male upon the
progeny of such a pair. (See illustration, Plate 23.)
Mates for Short Bodied Females. — The fourth sketch pre-
sents the problem of selecting the male mate for a female that
is too short in the rear or behind a line dropped perpendicu-
larly at the rear of the hock joints. The effect of such con-
formation is to tip the body forward, that is, to give it, as it
is often expressed, a "ploughy" carriage. The male is long
in both back and body with a slight tendency toward too up-
right carriage. Besides the fault already mentioned, the
female, as represented, has others of moment; too long a tail
which is carried too uprightly, a slightly cushioned back which
is also pinched at the sides and a croppy breast. The male
with its broad back, very fully covered with saddle hangers
at the sides and at the same time rather flat on top, is well
selected to correct what tendency the progeny may have to
follow the dam in this respect. The breast of the male also
presents a clean, true outline which should counteract the too
full line of the female in this section. (See illustration, Plate
24.)
Males for Heavy Bodied Females. — The fifth problem and
the correct solution of which is particularly important in view
of the very general tendency among females to take on an
excess of flesh, particularly in the abdomen after their first
year, is to select males for these females with shallow bodies
in rear, or shallow abdomens, but with good breast develop-
ment and good top lines. Such males have, as a rule, rather
long shanks and are rather highly posted, which is desirable
in a male for a mate to a female of the above description.
(See illustration, Plate 25.)
SECTION II.
CHAPTER r.
BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCK PLUMAGE.
STANDARD DESCRIPTION.
Disqualifications.
RED in any part of plumage ; two or more solid black
primaries, secondaries or main tail feathers ; shanks
other than yellow, dark spots not to disqualify. (See
general and Plymouth Rock disqualifications.)
COLOR OF MALE AND FEMALE.
Beak. — Yellow.
Eyes. — Reddish-bay.
Comb, Face, Wattles and Ear-Lobes. — Bright red.
Shanks and Toes. — Yellow.
Plumage. — Grayish-white, each feather crossed by regular,
narrow, parallel, sharply defined, dark bars that stop short of
positive black ; free from shafting, brownish tinge or metallic
sheen ; the light and dark bars to be of equal width, in number
proportionate to length of feathers, and to extend throughout
the length of feathers in all sections of the fowl ; each feather
ending with a narrow, dark tip ; the combination of overlapping
feathers giving the plumage a bluish appearance and of one
even shade throughout.
COLOR OF PLUMAGE AND ITS COMMON DEFECTS.
From the Standard description of plumage for Barred
Plymouth Rocks, one may discern immediately that it may
have defects of two general characters ; first, the fundamental
colors may vary from the ideal ; second, the barring may be
irregular, but in both characters the defect may have many
variations. By considering the very well expressed and ac-
curate description of the Standard, thoughtfully and with a
strict and broad usage of each and every term employed in
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
149
this description, one should detect every fault known to a
barred feather. But it is not often that a novice discovers one-
half, or even one-fourth of them. For this reason, instruction
along this line is necessary and an enumeration of all the faults
of both characters that commonly occur is advisable. It is
natural that we should discuss the colors before the barring,
because it is the difference or contrast between the two colors
that is in reality the making of the bars.
The Ground Color. — This is described as grayish-white
and we call grayish-white the ground color, not because the
Standard uses the term "ground color," but because the
plumage is described as "grayish-white, each feather crossed
by, etc.," which indicates clearly enough that grayish-white
is the major or ground color. It must be considered not ab-
solutely independently but in connection with its relation to
the "dark bars that stop short of positive black." Grayish-
white is very near white. The nearer white we get the
light bar or ground color, the greater the contrast between
the light and dark bars, that is, when the dark bars retain
the same intensity; contrast, within certain limits which
are fittingly governed by the Standard description, is desired
as it adds much to the attractiveness of the birds. Breeders
speak admirably of this or that specimen because of "such a
snappy contrast," and the expression is truly expressive of
a condition that is a creator of beauty in a Barred Plymouth
Rock.
Formerly the Standard description read a bluish-white, but
this modified the pure white more than the term "grayish"
and consequently was changed because it did not furnish as
great a contrast and therefore not as "snappy" barring.
The Dark Bar. — There is much to notice in the Standard
maker's selection of the term. It carefully avoids the word
black, except to say that positive black is what the bar
must not be. This clause, "stop short of positive black," pro-
hibits all lustre, sheen, or gloss. For the sake of contrast, how-
ever, it is desirable to approach if not to attain a positive
black. One writer has stated this proposition in these words :
"The whiter the white bar and the darker the dark bar, the
more beautiful the bird." It is certainly true that the con-
verse of what was stated about the light bar is true of the
dark bar, that is, the darker they are the greater the contrast
between the dark and light bars, provided, of course, that the
light bars are of the same shade in all cases. Previous Stand-
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ards have described the dark bar as "bars of dark blue that
stop short of positive black." This was misleading, as there
was no "blue" to be seen and all that ever existed was the
product of imagination and not breeding. Blue-black was
another term used, but the only reason given by anyone for
the use of the term blue was that it excluded any brown
shades. This the present Standard does by explicitly stating
that the dark and light bars as well shall be "free from shaft-
ing, brownish tinge or metallic sheen." Brown is not a desir-
able shade in Barred Plymouth Rocks ; in fact, any sugges-
tion of it is harmful because it mars the appearance which
the overlapping feathers give the plumage when viewed in
certain light reflections. Metallic sheen is not sought, as ob-
viously that affects the bluish appearance as well as the brown-
ish shades. Of the two, however, the sheen is many, many
times to be preferred, as it denotes strength of the dark bar
and as a breeding quality is often a desirable attribute, as
explained in articles on mating.
Shafting. — The shaft of the feather is often light where
it should be dark, for the dark bar should run through the
shaft. That is, the shaft should be the same color and shade
as the bar at right angles with it; where the bar is light the
shaft should be the same shade ; where the bar is dark the
shaft should match. Sometimes the shafts are noticeable be-
cause they are lighter than the corresponding bar. Often
the shaft in the light bar is still lighter than the bar. This
gives the effect of three colors, whereas only two are called
for and only two desired.
Width of Bars. — "The light and dark bars to be of equal
width." This statement is clear, but it does not designate
the width. We find the bar further defined by the word "nar-
row," occuring in the clause, "each feather crossed by reg-
ular, narrow, parallel, sharply defined dark bars," etc. This
descriptive adjective is well used, for the tendency for a num-
ber of years has been to narrow the bars. In fact, that has
been one of the leading aims of all progressive Barred Plym-
outh Rock breeders for years past. By requiring narrow
bars and bars of equal width at the same time, both light
and dark bars must be narrow. Twenty years ago and pre-
viously, the light bars were much the wider of the two, but
the ideal of straight across, narrow barring became more and
more sought and the width of the light bar was gradually
reduced until the dark bar actually on many of the winning
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 151
specimens became the stronger or wider, and this is actually
the condition today on many winning specimens. This fcict
need not be allowed to lead anyone into the belief that wider
dark bars are desired, for such is not the case. Finely or
closely barred birds are, however, most emphatically de-
manded for the showroom, and without question specimens
in which the dark bar slightly predominates appear to be much
more closely barred than those on which the light bar is ?,
little the broader. For this reason, if one bar or the other is
to predominate, all breeders and judges as well, without dis-
sension, prefer that it should be the dark bar.
Direction of the Bar. — The ideal bar extends straight across
the feather, that is, at right angles to the shaft. Every bar is
PLATE 26
12 3 4
BARRING IN BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCK PLUMAGE
Relative width of bars. 1. Broad. 2. Medium. 3. Narrow.
4. Extremely narrow.
Note — This group of feathers may lead to the conclusion that
broad feathers have broad bars and that narrow plumage has narrow
bars, which may not always prove to be the case.
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
1 2 3 4 5 6
SOME OF THE DIFFERENT CHARACTERISTICS OF
BARRING FOUND IN BARRED PLYMOUTH
ROCK PLUMAGE
1. Feather from wing-bar of a very dark colored male. Dark
color very predominant; bars very coarse; dark bars not sharply de-
fined, inclined to blend into light bars; dark bar at tip is very much
narrower than other bars of this feather.
2. Feather from breast of a very light male. Light ashy-gray
bars very coarse, only two showing plainly across the web or surface;
tip wide and nearly all of light color but very faintly darkened at tip;
fluff or undercolor nearly white.
3. Feather from wing-bar of rather dark female. Bars few, very
coarse and broad; unusually broad, dark marking at tip; only two
dark bars and two light bars across web proper; one strong bar
across where web and fluff join; one faintly colored, gray bar across
fluff.
4. Feather from wing-bar of medium colored female. Bright
contrast between dark and light bars, dark bars running somewhat
into light bars; dark bar only a spot at tip instead of a well-defined
bar across the end; light bars too broad toward tip.
5. Feather from cushion of female, darker than medium. Dark
bars slightly inclined to be crescentic in web and even more crescentic
in fluff; barring quite regular from tip to base; bar at tip shows
slight grayish edging (or frosting).
6. Feather from neck of medium colored, high quality female.
Dark and light barring very regular in web, crossing nearly at right
angle; bar very straight at this point; dark and light bars in web of
nearly same width; bar at tip quite correct; barring in fluff not quite
as regular as in preceding feather.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
153
supposed to take this direction. (See definition of barring in
glossary.) This makes the bars parallel, with one another.
Narrow bars of equal width, all parallel, certainly produce
some very pleasing effects, but owing to the difficulty of pro-
ducing them, birds that possess them are exceptionally few.
Variations from the rule take many different forms. In the
first place it is very difficult to produce bars that run abso-
lutely straight across the feathers. It has been approximated
in the plumage of the female and to almost the same degree
in some sections of the male plumage, but in hackle and
saddle there remains a very strong tendency to assume a
V-shaped bar. Breeders have made great effort during recent
years to straighten out the bars in these sections and not
without some degree of success, for the bars in these sections
are certainly much more nearly straight than they were a few
years ago. That is, the open end of the inverted V is much
wider than it used to be. In fact, the V has opened to such
an extent that the effect of the bars in these sections in some
of the specimens that excel most is that of being nearly
straight across the feather. That the bars are not absolutely
straight across is due to the difficulty of breeding bars that
will be straight in the border of the feathers of these afore-
named male sections. Bars, even in these sections, are straight
"enough to be so-called in the center or web of the feather,
but seem to follow the direction of the barbs of the feather
in the border. Thus, the construction of the feather in these
sections seems to be the obstacle to overcome. Bars are much
more nearly straight in the sections, breast, wing coverts,
main tail and tail coverts, in which this construction of the
feather is less pronounced.
The border or thinly barbed portion of the feather being
much more narrow in nearly all sections structurally, the
female plumage resembles the feather of male breast and
wing coverts rather than those of the hackle and saddle, which
are quite different. If the bars are ideal, that is, coincide
with the definition of "barring," the two edges will be parallel
and will have what some breeders call "square" or "square-
edged" bars ; that is, bars that meet the edges of the feather
at right angles, which would not be the case if the bars were
"curved" or V-shaped instead of straight across.
Bars are sometimes "notched" or "scalloped," that is,
while they seem straight at the edges of the feathers they
do not maintain this direction throughout their entire length
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
FOUR DEGREES OF QUALITY IN COLOR AND BARRING
ON NECK OF BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCKS
PLATE 28
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8
Upper Row: Male, 1 — Ordinary, 2— Good, 3— Very Good, 4 — Idealized
Lower Row: Female, 1 — Ordinary, 2 — Good, 3 — Very Good,
A — Idealized
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 155
but become slightly V-shaped at or near the center. This is,
of course, not desirable and manifestly does not meet the
description of the Standard for Barred Plymouth Rock color
or the definition of "barring."
Definition. — "Sharply defined" is another adjective applied
to "bar" in the Standard for Barred Plymouth Rocks. This
means that the line of separation between the light and dark
bars shall be sharp and definite. This line of separation should
be as sharply defined as though drawn with a chisel-edged
pencil. Too often the definition between the dark and light is
gradual rather than sharp. Another fault along the same line
is the extending of fine dark lines into the light bars. When
this fault is extensive enough so that it becomes noticeable,
the plumage presents an appearance more speckled than
barred.
Undercolor. — Underbarring is really what undercolor
means in a Barred Plymouth Rock. Because of the clause
requiring "bars extending the entire length of the feather," the
underbarring should be clear and distinct, though the in-
tensity of the dark underbar is never of the same degree as
of the surface bar and consequently the same sharp definition
can not be expected. Yet, the colors should be clear, the
barring comparatively distinct and free from shafting. The
regular, narrow, parallel bars should extend to the skin.
Surface Color. — The surface color should be clear, clean,
bright and snappy. By this we mean free from foreign color,
any tinge of brown or yellow, etc. What are known as rusty
shades occur even in well-bred birds, though such must be
rather inferior specimens even if well bred. This means that
brown is mixed with the color of the plumage to a smaller or
greater extent. This is seen most commonly in the shoulder,
center of back and wing bows, more often in males than in
females and is more apt to be present in old than in young
birds. Sometimes natural fading of the dark bar is responsible
for its presence but more often it is in the specimen because
of its inheritance. The edge of the dark bars is where this
shade shows most plainly.
Crocky shades are seen and the term refers to a seemingly
thin veneer of black over the plumage of the bird, as though
someone with soiled hands had stroked the bird rapidly.
Needless to state, this mars the appearance of the bird so
decidedly that an otherwise meritorious specimen becomes
of doubtful value. Barred Plymouth Rocks, like white fowl,
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
1 — Ordinary. 2 — Fair. 3 — Idealized
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 157
PLUMAGE SHOWING THREE DEGREES OF QUALITY IN
COLOR AND BARRING ON WING PRIMARIES, BARRED
PLYMOUTH ROCK FEMALES
PLATE 30
1 2 3
1 — Ordinary. 2 — Very Good. 3 — Idealized
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
often show brassiness or creaminess. This is because the
ground color or light bar is not clear and in this case show
yellow, giving as a whole the brassy or creamy appearance.
MATING TO PRODUCE EXHIBITION SPECIMENS.
The breeding of Barred Plymouth Rocks, even of the high-
est exhibition merit, is not as difficult as is generally thought.
The breeder who starts with good individual specimens and
follows a few simple and established laws of mating can be
assured of success from the beginning.
It is admitted that the best exhibition specimens are pro-
duced by the double mating system, which to many seems to
be hard to understand, but which in practice is simplicity
itself, or if complicated, is no more so than the single mating
system, except that we have two systems to deal with instead
of one. By double mating, we in many ways simplify our
breeding scheme because we eliminate the problem of bal-
ancing the influence of the two sexes as to color, which is the
most difficult one involved in the single or standard mating
system. The double-mating system is undoubtedly more
universally used and understood by breeders of Barred Plym-
outh Rocks than by those of any other variety. The general
principles of this system have been explained in the preceding
section and only the special application of these principles to
Barred Plymouth Rocks remains to be made clear.
Double matings are necessary to produce standard colored
specimens of both sexes because in any mating, be it accord-
ing to the single or double mating systems, the males will
come several shades lighter than the females, while the Stand-
ard, by describing both male and female in exactly the same
words, calls for the different sexes to match in the showroom.
To accomplish this task very dark matings are used to keep
the males dark enough to match the females, and compara-
tively light matings to produce females light enough to match
the males.
We have one standard description for shape, so that males
and females correspond ; that is, males and females of stand-
ard shape, when mated together, produce standard shape
specimens of both sexes. That this statement is approximately
true is proved by the fact that very few breeders make special
matings to overcome shape differences in the sexes of any
of the Standard breeds and varieties. Barred Plymouth Rocks
are no exception to the laws that govern the breeding of other
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 159
varieties of Plymouth Rocks as far as conformation is in-
volved; therefore, the general treatise upon that topic will
apply; no special treatise being necessary. Naturally, then,
this chapter will be expected to omit such a treatise and deal
with the problems of breeding exact color and correct mark-
ings.
The Chief Difficulty. — It is a well known and universally
recognized fact among the well informed along these lines
of endeavor that the Barred Rock males are as a general oc-
currence lighter in shade of color than the females.
This phenomenon of light colored males and darker col-
ored females from the same parents is not thoroughly under-
stood. Many have sought to explain it by stating that the
male of the original cross was light and the female black ;
hence produced light males and darker females. That this ex-
planation is no explanation at all, everyone at all familiar
with the laws of breeding recognizes.
The very first breeders of this variety discovered that the
males from the same matings were much lighter than the
females. We have in Mr. Upham's account the statement
that the first cross of Spaulding's produced females most of
which were black and that but few were gray, while all the
males were gray. Mr. Ramsdell makes the same statement.
Thereby, we learn that from the beginning the females came
much darker than the males and this tendency was much more
pronounced in the earliest days than later. It would appear
that skillful mating has overcome this tendency slowly, grad-
ually and to a certain extent only, because the existence of
such a tendency we can not deny even at the present day,
over fifty years since the origin of the variety ; but still, skillful
breeding, certainly, must be conceded, because improvement
in every way, the evidence of which is on either hand in every
community in the land and nearly every country on the globe,
yet there must be a strongly dominant influence, naturally
inherent in this variety, when, after fifty years, an undesirable
tendency, to eliminate which every effort has been made, will
show itself even in the slightest degree. The student is
anxious to understand and demands a plausible theory of ex-
planation. The breeder questions why, so that he may over-
come this tendency as fully as possible or more completely
than his competitor.
The Generally Accepted Explanation. — A few explana-
tions of varied character have been offered and the one that
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
THREE DEGREES OF QUALITY IN COLOR AND BARRING
ON WING SECONDARIES, BARRED PLYMOUTH
ROCK MALE
PLATE 31
1 2 3
1 — Ordinary. 2 — Very Good. 3 — Idealized
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
161
THREE DEGREES OF QUALITY IN COLOR AND BARRING
ON WING SECONDARIES, BARRED PLYMOUTH
ROCK FEMALE
PLATE 32
1 2 3
1 — Ordinary. 2 — Very Good. 3 — Idealized
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
is the least sound in both logic and science, strange as it may
seem — the explanation flimsy as it is, that the tendency of
the females to become darker with each generation when not
checked by skillful mating or when unskillfully mated is ex-
plained by the simple fact that the female of the first cross was
so very dark, black in fact, and contrawise the males are com-
paratively light because the male of the first cross was light.
This explanation (?) is so clear, direct and logical that it
has been accepted by those of our breeders who demand ex-
planations before they proceed with their work as so apparent
as not to require proof. It has then become an axiom in their
breeding code. Fortunately, it is the fact with which these
easily satisfied persons dealt and must deal, rather than a
supposition or a theory. In the minor details of plumage,
or type characters, the people who accept this superficiality
do not expect the male progeny to inherit all the qualities
of the sire nor the female progeny to inherit all the charac-
teristics of the dam. Instead, we have a case of mixed in-
heritance, the laws of which are so complicated and mystical
that they defy comprehension, not to allude to an explanation.
Bishop's Explanation. — The nearest to an explanation of
this phenomenon of light males and darker females which
the writer has seen was offered by the Rev. D. D. Bishop, a
breeder of both Barred Plymouths and Dominiques, nearly
forty years ago. Yet that is hardly an explanation because
the question why still remains unanswered. The fact that
this phenomenon is characteristic in all Dominique colored
fowls is, however, well brought out in the following para
graphs selected from the work referred to at the beginning
of the paragraph, "The Plymouth Rock."
"The most important and striking characteristic that pre-
sents itself to a student of Plymouth Rocks is the peculiar
difference in the color effect in the two sexes. First, last and
always the males come lighter than the females. It is a thing
we must never forget in dealing with this breed. It will beat
us if we do but we shall never beat that. It is in the birds;
it is the law of this color that the males will not only be sev-
eral shades lighter in color, but the width of the bars will be
about one-third of the light spaces between them. Tt is a
very light pullet that has the space between the bars equal in
width to the bars themselves, and from that the spaces grow
less all the way down to no space at all, or solid color.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 163
"The Dominique presents the same characteristics — in fact,
the Plymouth Rock inherits this peculiarity, with its color,
from the Dominique, and wherever you find the Dominique
color, in Leghorns or anywhere else, you find the same law
to govern. The observation of this law will be taken up in
the chapter on breeding, so that I shall not follow it further
at this time, but just here I will say that the fact must be
accepted as a law and not regarded as a mere eccentricity.
The color difference between the male and the female is really
much less in the Dominique color than in many others. As
soon as you get outside of the solid colors — as white and
black — the utmost diversity is manifested. The tyro refuses
to credit the statement that the Partridge Cochin cock and
hen are of the same breed. The Dark Brahma shows as wide
a difference between sexes, and what could be more unlike
than the cocks and hens of the various Games and Pheasants,
all the way to the songbirds as gaily light as the butterflies
themselves?
"The law of variation between male and female is Na-
ture's law. and not an eccentricity confined to this particular
breed of fowls."
H. H. Stoddard, for years editor and publisher of the
Poultry World, of Hartford. Conn., has written so interest-
ingly on this topic of the difference in male and female color
that we quote from his work. "The Plymouth Rocks," of 1880:
"Yet it may be doubted whether Ave ever can produce
Plymouth Rocks that shall tend, invariably, to produce males
as dark as the females, and females as light as the males. The
old Black Java hen has been made too much of a scapegoat.
There are, no doubt, instances in the animal kingdom where
traits originally introduced through one sex tend to persist
in that sex alone. But experiments in mating a Black Cochin
cock to an average American Dominique hen and rearing the
products of the cross for three generations have proved that
the dark pigment still appeared chiefly in the pullets rather
than in the cockerels. This might have been expected in
advance, because analogy teaches it. Nearly all our breeds
whose plumage contains both light and dark feathers, or mark-
ings, naturally throw males whose color will average lighter
than that of the females. The hackle and saddle of the cock
incline to be lighter than the corresponding portions of the
hen and certain portions of his tail and wings contain rela-
tively larger patches of white, which make his average color
164
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
lighter than hers. For example, S. P. Hamburgs, S. S. Ham-
burgs and Colored D'orkings.
"Again, the Black Java cocks, like the Black Cochin males
tend toward light or golden saddles and hackles and the Amer-
ican Dominique males are both lighter than the respective
females and as the Plymouth Rocks are based on these two
breeds, will the time ever come when our Plymouth Rocks
will average of the same color in both sexes?"
It must be admitted that there appears to be considerable
truth in these lines of reasoning that both Bishop and Stod-
dard pursued. Certainly many other examples could be added
to those given ; yet, it can not be conceded to be a law of
nature that is applicable to all varieties of our Standard bred
fowls.
The Sexes Must Match in Color. — If all this be so, why not
accept the light males and the dark females? Why adopt ex-
pediencies to obviate this difficulty which is unnatural to the
fowl itself?
In the first place, the American Standard of Perfection
is the guide for the showroom and the requirements found
therein gives one description for the color of both sexes.
This means that males and females, for exhibition, must match
in color. Then, why have a Standard with such requirements?
Frankly, for one reason, if no other, the light males and the
dark females are not admired by the public, the breeders, the
exhibitors or the judges ; and upon the latter the breeder is
dependent for his publicity.
Advantages of Two Matings. — Again, the same female in
any mating of parti-colored varieties is never the dam of
both the best cockerel and the best pullet. This fact being true,
the advantage of a double-mating, or of making two special
matings, one designed to produce exhibition males and the
other to produce high-class exhibition females, should be at
once recognized.
It lies in the fact that by mating exhibition colored males
to the daughters of exhibition colored males, males that are
of exhibition color are produced. Exhibition females are
produced by just as simple a process. The sons of exhibition
colored females are mated to exhibition colored females and
females of exhibition color are thereby produced. This sim-
plifies very much the task of producing exhibition color be-
cause we may depend upon the system of mating to accom-
plish our purpose. The skillful adjustments of balancing the
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
165
influence of the male and of each individual female upon the
color of the progeny is not nearly as necessary as when the
single or standard mating is used. Further than that, we
may rely upon the quality of the males very largely to deter-
mine the quality of the male progeny. Outside of her ancestry,
the appearance of the female of the male line as to plumage
becomes of secondary importance under the double-mating
system ; exactly so with the male of the exhibition female line.
These principles and facts must be ever coupled with those
one step in advance, namely — the higher the quality of the
parents, the higher that of the offspring ; other things, of
course, being equal ; the more generations that quality has been
maintained, the more certain and often it will reproduce itself.
Special Matings an Old and Established Institution. —
Double-mating could be and should be called "special mating,"
because this term indicates accurately just what it is designed
to be and should be. Double-matings are special matings for
each sex. As such they become old and established institu-
tions, as long before the term "double-mating" was used,
special matings to overcome the difficulty of breeding males
and females of the same shade were employed. Descriptions
of such matings are found in most, if not all, the works on
Plymouth Rocks.
The stage to which thought upon this question had ad-
vanced at this time (1880) is very well illuminated by Stod-
dard in the following paragraphs :
"* * * That the breed will ever arrive at that stage
where the males will be naturally produced as dark as the
females we very much doubt and till that time arrives we
must make the best of things as we find them, and at the same
time try to bring about that state of things as well as we
know how.
"At present and ever since the breed was known the males
have c run light' and the hens dark. That is, in every yard of
Plymouth Rocks the fowls are found varying in color, both
cocks and hens. Among the former a very few are what would
be called dark, a considerable number medium, and a large
number light, or very light, so that they may be called light
as a rule. The hens are in greatly preponderating numbers,
very dark, a few lighter and a very few what may be called
light, or about the same as a dark-medium cockerel.
"These light pullets and dark-medium cockerels match in
the pen, and from them are selected the exhibition birds.
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
THREE DEGREES OF QUALITY IN COLOR AND BARRING
ON TAIL PROPER, BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCK MALE
PLATE 33
1 2 3
1 — Ordinary. 2 — Very Good. 3 — Idealized
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 167
THREE DEGREES OF QUALITY IN COLOR AND BARRING
ON TAIL PROPER, BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCK FEMALE
PLATE 34
1 2 3
1— Ordinary. 2— Very Good. 3— Idealized
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
They are desirable, but few ; being few they are in great de-
mand. Breeders wish to mate their stock in such manner as
to produce the greatest number of these light-colored pullets.
Every year in which the lightest colored pullets are used suc-
cessfully tends to fix a lighter shade on the female side. The
light-colored cockerel and the black hen draw in opposite
directions. Can the Plymouth Rocks be so changed by breed-
ing as to approximate, and finally draw together? Perhaps
so and perhaps not. It can only be accomplished, if at all, by
patience and effort in the right direction. It never will be
done by persistently using a light cock. The change must
be gradual."
These paragraphs set forth clearly the work that the
Barred Plymouth Rock breeders had before them as well as
supplying a description of the tools with which they had to
work. Stoddard gives us further information by describing
the three matings which he considers necessary to accom-
plish the objects of the Barred Plymouth Rock breeders.
"It will be advisable for the breeder to make three matings.
In the first place, all the lightest cockerels and all the darkest
pullets should be rejected as unfit to breed. Then much at-
tention should be given to the color of the legs. It is very
important that a breeding cockerel should have not only legs
yellow, but very yellow legs. The pullets at first can not be
found in considerable numbers with pure yellow legs, but
after culling out all that show glaring imperfections and
those very light or very dark, take of the remainder those
pullets that are the darkest and mate them with one of the
lightest cockerels not near akin. This mating will not produce
exhibition cockerels, and the majority of the pullets will be
about the color of the dam — the lightest will be useful.
"Then take those pullets a few shades lighter than those
of the first mating and mate them with a medium colored
cockerel. This mating will produce a good per cent of stand-
ard chicks, more especially cockerels.
"Lastly, place the lightest-colored pullets with a dark-
medium cockerel. In this mating the sexes are nearly of one
color. Every breeder should make such a mating as this
every year. We have conversed with many breeders who have
made this practice without getting black chicks, but just so
sure as the thing is overdone and you use too dark a cock
in the breeding pen you will have a lot of pullets as black as
crows, with green-black legs. The whole season's produce
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
169
may be easily ruined in this way. The matter of extreme
colors should be discontinued entirely as soon as may be, and
the breeder should have in view the bringing about of a
uniformity of color in the sexes."
The reader will understand from the following paragraphs
that Stoddard, presumably echoing the voice of the Barred
Plymouth Rock breeders, advocates a special mating to pro-
duce exhibition colored cockerels; and a special mating to
produce exhibition pullets ; yet he does not abandon the idea
of producing Standard colored chicks of both sexes from one
mating. This, indeed, seemed to have been the idea for a time.
Single or standard matings were maintained each year with
the expectation that by persistently mating together the males
and the females nearest to standard color, that were produced
from one mating, standard colored specimens of both sexes
could be produced from the same mating. For their imme-
diate requirements, however, breeders indulged in special
matings for the sex. This general plan was pursued for a
number of years. The idea of producing the best or nearest
to standard colored specimens from one mating was not given
up generally until about the beginning of this century. At
the present time there are probably those who have not given
up the idea that this feat may be accomplished, but in face
of the almost universal use of and quite universal success of
specimens produced by the double mating system at poultry
exhibitions all over the land they are surely very quiet about
their practices.
Other forms of matings were advocated which from the
description given we may without hesitation pronounce special
matings.
In Plymouth Rocks (Corbin, 1879), we find five systems
and from their nature, it surely would seem as though stand-
ard colored birds would result from some of them.
"Five different matings have been advocated and prac-
ticed as follows :
"No. 1 — A male, light in color, mated to dark females.
"No. 2 — A male, dark in color, mated to light females.
"No. 3 — A male, dark in color, mated to dark females.
"No. 4 — Birds matching in the show-pens.
"No. 5 — A female, medium in color, mated with a male
about two points or shades lighter in color.
"There should be but one mating necessary. That for ex-
hibition should be precisely the same as that for breeding.
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
The trouble and annoyance of being obliged to have two dif-
ferent styles of mating is obvious to any one, and it utterly
befogs amateurs.
"There is no necessity for this. The best mating for breed-
ing purposes is that of No. 5, and this is or should be the same
as No. 4. Mating No. 1 is urged by many as the proper one;
and where a beginner has no really suitable birds, and does
not feel able to pay the prices demanded for the finest ones,
he will do very well with fine bred stock mated in this way;
that is, he will obtain a certain percentage of the progeny
fitted for a proper mating the next season.
"But where you have already obtained the desired medium
by careful breeding, it is worse than useless to again return to
the extremes and expect more favorable results. Mating No. 2
is objectionable, and should not be practiced, except as a
necessity to utilize stock, and even then seldom proves satis-
factory. Mating No. 3 should never be made use of ; as the
pullets from such a mating would run from very dark to
black, while the cockerels would be splashed with black or
too dark either for the breeding or show-pen. Possibly a
few cockerels could be obtained fit to be exhibited, but they
would not be suitable to use as breeders, and their propor-
tion would be very small.
"It is impossible also to obtain by this mating any num-
ber of chicks having the required yellow legs and beaks.
They will invariably have legs either dark or spotted. This
is a disqualification in exhibition birds, and, of course, de-
stroys all but their economic value.
"If birds exactly alike could always be bred from, or if
the mingling of like elements always produced the same re-
sults, there would be but little difficulty in breeding exhi-
bition birds by the score ; but such is not the fact."
No. 1, as stated by the author, was excusable when one
had no better birds and no money to procure them. All will
agree with him. Females come too dark, males too light; yet
mate the culls together. One method ; yes, the poorest that
can be thought of.
No 2 is an evidently desperate method to secure Stand-
ard colored specimens of both sex.
The author condemns, in toto, number three. Yet, by this
method of mating, the rich and beautiful males of the present
day are produced and more than that, it was by this method
PLYMOUTH BOCK STAXDABD AXD BREED BOOK 171
PLUMAGE SHOWING THREE DEGREES OF QUALITY,
COLOR AXD BARRING OX WING-BOW AND WING-
BAR OR COVERTS OF BARRED PLYMOUTH
ROCK
Upper Row: Male — Wing-Bow. 1 — Ordinary. 2 — Very Good,
3 — Idealized; Wing-Bar or Wing-Coverts. A — Ordinary, 5 — Very Good,
6 — Idealized.
Lower Row: Female Wing-Bow. 7 — Ordinary, 8 — Very Good,
9 — Idealized: Wing-Bar or Wing-Coverts, 10 — Ordinary, 11 — Very
Good, 12 — Idealized.
172
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
— practiced without interruption for years — that they have
been developed.
Mating number five, by which the excellent females of
the present day have been produced is also criticized severely
with the statement, "This is or should be the same as number
four," a Standard mating which is and always has been a
most pronounced failure from the beginning in producing
exhibition birds of either sex.
One fact that these quotations from the early works does
bring out clearly is the importance placed upon breeding
Plymouth Rocks with clear yellow legs. Breeders of the
present day are fully aware of the fact that color can not be
bred entirely out of the shanks and toes and still bred in the
feather in all its intensity and beauty.
The quotations preceding serve one good purpose, that
of giving quite an adequate conception of the many and
varied methods and systems resorted to in order to breed
males and females that matched in color. One by one they
prove themselves worthless. All that survive are number
three and number five, according to Corbett, and these are
exactly what we are using today, known as the double-mating
system, one mating to produce exhibition males and one to
produce exhibition females.
CHAPTER II.
MATINGS TO PRODUCE EXHIBITION MALES.
Matings for this purpose are popularly called cockerel
matings and consist of cockerel-bred males and females, so-
called. A cockerel-bred male is an exhibition male, or at least
one of exhibition or standard color. (In accepting this defini-
tion or rule the reader must allow two exceptions or modi-
fications ; first, that the term standard color must have gen-
eral rather than special application — that is, some range of
shades must be allowed ; second, males bred from strictly
cockerel matings would be classed as cockerel-bred. In some
cases males considerably lighter and in other cases males
very much darker than Standard are produced from matings
that are of the cockerel line.)
A cockerel-bred female is the daughter of an exhibition
or standard colored male.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 173
DEFECTS IN BARRING OF PLUMAGE
PLATE 36
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11
Upper Row: 1 — Bars: Weak at tip and sides; crescent shaped;
light quill. 2 — Very irregular: bars join at quill: bars turn backward
at sides like inverted V ( A ). 3 — Barring coarse, smirched badly.
-I — Two sides of web dissimilar, barring irregular in extreme: light
bar joins dark bar at quill, mis-matched barring. 5 — Barring extreme-
ly V shaped. 6 — Barring M shaped toward sides.
Lower Row: 7 — Barring too coarse; bars too few; undercolor
lacks barring. 8 — Dark bars wider at sides and joined at edges of
feather. 9 — Quill white through the dark bars; light and dark bars
run together. 10 — All but part of bars near tip end, black. 11 — White
on most all of one side of web. (Much worse fault than black in
barred plumage.)
174 AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
176
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
The Cockerel-Bred Males. — These, as stated, are standard
colored and are sons of standard colored sires and their dams
are daughters of standard colored males. Males from these
matings vary in shade of color somewhat. Some will come
too light to be classed as standard colored, while some will
be too dark to pass standard requirements. The former, be-
cause males are inclined to breed too light, are worth little or
nothing as breeders of exhibition males.
Too Light Males. — They are too light generally because
the dark bars are not dark enough or wide enough to create
the intensity required of standard colored males, or because
the light bars are too wide which is, however, making about
the same statement as that the dark bars are not wide enough.
Too Dark Males. — The over-strong colored male, that is.
the one that is too dark for a first class exhibition specimen,
is useful as a breeder, sometimes extremely useful. The male
may be too strongly colored because of one or more of the
following faults. The dark bar may be too wide or "heavy,"
as it is called. A dark bar much wider than the light bar is
frequently seen in cockerel-bred males and is not considered
a serious fault because of the real need of extra color in breed-
ing males of the male line. A breeder-exhibitor must bear in
mind that this is the real purpose of a cockerel-bred male
which has dark bars of this description, but that such a male
is not of the very highest exhibition quality. The dark bar
may be too intensely dark, in which case it has a gloss known
among breeders as "sheen." Usually this is a lustre of green-
ish shade. This is not desirable, though when only faintly
visible in certain sections, counts very little against the speci-
men possessing it, and may add to its breeding value with
females of certain descriptions.
The light bar may be, and very likely is, too narrow as
measured by Standard requirements. It may also be too dark.
By that is meant — not a clear, grayish white. Light bars
may be smoky, that is, mixed with dark pigment, thus creat-
ing a slaty shade. It may have a brownish tinge which gives
the specimen a rusty color, especially noticeable if the dark
bar also has a brownish tinge.
Every cockerel-bred male that is to be mated or that is
being considered for a breeder should be examined to deter-
mine how he deviates from standard color and how much ;
that is, in which direction — is he too light or is he took dark —
what makes him so? The correct answer is comparatively
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 177
easy to find if you are observing and patiently studious. When
the cause of deviation from standard color is determined, it
must be kept in mind during the mating process, for females
that have faults of the same character should not be selected
as mates.
The Cockerel-Bred Females. — These are. if true to name,
daughters of exhibition-colored males. They differ from ex-
hibition-colored females only in color; they are darker- -often
very much darker. Upon analysis, the dark bar is found to
be much more intensely dark. Greenish lustre appears occa-
sionally, which is usually referred to as ''sheen." This is an
objectionable feature in exhibition females but not necessarily
so in cockerel-bred females ; for many males, females that
possess a dark bar of that character are necessary in order to
breed high class males.
The dark bar is usually much wider than the light bar.
usually twice as wide and sometimes as much as three times
as wide. This feature differs from the requirements for
exhibition females in this particular, but inasmuch as the light
bar of the males has a tendency to be too wide, this quality
is desired in cockerel-breeding females. The dark bar should
be strong and there should be a sharp definition between the
dark and the light bars. This line of definition will not be as
sharp as in the plumage of exhibition-colored females because
the contrast in color between the two bars is not as sharp.
The light bar, as it appears in plumage of the cockerel-
bred female, is not as wide, being, as the reader will conclude
from the foregoing, only one-half or one-third as wide. Fur-
thermore, the light bar is not as clear as in the plumage of
the exhibition female and it is not desired that it be so, for
the reason stated repeatedly that males are prone to come
too light. Some cockerel-bred females do show a very clean-
cut barring, the light bar while narrow, is bright and clean
and the dark bar, while wide and strong in color, has well
defined edges and is free from greenish sheen and brownish
shades. Such females are very pretty and are of the sort that
are usually exhibited when classes are provided for them.
As breeders, they are not always a success. That depends
upon how they are mated. If mated to males that are very
strong in surface color as well as in underbarring, good re-
sults should be expected and often will be realized. They
• would be particularly well mated to males whose plumage
showed rusty or brownish tinges or slaty light bars. If we
178
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
SICKLE AND LARGER TAIL COVERTS, BARRED
PLYMOUTH ROCK MALE
PLATE 39
Sickle — Very Good
Three Larger Tail Coverts — Very Good
PLYMOUTH ROOK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
179
SICKLE AND LARGER TAIL COvERTS, BARRED
PLYMOUTH ROCK MALE
PLATE 40
Sickle — Idealized
Three Larger Tail Coverts — Ideal (natural)
180
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
BREEDING FOR EXHIBITION COLOR IN MALES
PLATE 41
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13
Specimen feathers from 1 — Head. 2 — Neck. 3 — Back. 4 — Saddle.
5 — Breast. 6 — Wing-bow. 7 — Wing-bar. 8 — -Wing primary. 9 — Wing
secondary. 10 — Tail proper. 11 — Tail covert. 12, 13 — Rear body,
often called fluff, showing color of male used to produce high quality
exhibition Barred Plymouth Rock males.
PLYMOUTH ROOK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
181
BREEDING MALES OF EXHIBITION COLOR
PLATE 42
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13
Specimen feathers from 1 — Head. 2 — -Neck. 3 — Back, between
shoulders. 4 — Cushions. 5 — Breast. 6 — Wing-bow. 7 — Wing-covert.
8 — Primary. 9 — Secondary. 10— Main tail. 11 — Smaller tail-covert.
12, 13 — Two from rear body, often called fluff, showing high color
markings of female used to porduce high quality exhibition Barred
Plymouth Rock males.
182
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
want to breed males that are rich colored or deep blue in
general appearance, it is not desirable that the birds of both
sexes should have absolutely clear, light bars in their plumage,
but it is advisable that it should be present in one side of the
mating.
Selecting the Male. — Standard colored males are placed
at the head of all matings intended to produce exhibition males.
The nearer they are to perfection in form, color and mark-
ings, the more valuable they are as sires of exhibition males.
This statement holds with the single exception of shade of
color. In that particular, a male that has a slight tendency
towards an overly strong shade, is, in other words, inclined
to be too dark or has an overly strong, dark bar, should be
given the preference for females whose dark bar shows little
or no sheen. A male of the same description should be selected
for females that have the clean, light bar. As a mate for
females with plumage of this description, males that have rich
blue appearance, together with the strong, dark bar, should
be selected.
Close attention to the type of barring is necessary. Those
males that have the straight-across-the-feather bar with little
tendency to show the V-shaped bar comply with standard
requirements and are very valuable assets in any breeder's
yards. The breeding of this type of barring in male plumage
is one of the ambitions of the Barred Rock breeders that is
not fully realized as yet.
The Undercolor. — The underbarring is a feature that
must be made a matter of moment. The strength of this
feature is an indication of the breeding strength of the male.
Underbarring should be strong in all sections. Do not fail to
examine critically these sections for this characteristic : Neck,
back its entire length, wing bows, and insist that the bars
extend to the skin. This should be true also of the breast and
as nearly true of the long, rear body feathers as possible. The
straighter and clearer these underbars of a male are, the better
he is, both as an exhibition specimen and as a breeder.
The Surface Color. — Evenness of surface color is one of the
first essentials of a good exhibition male and it is just as essen-
tial in a breeding male.
For females that are otherwise very good but are too light
in the neck, males that are very strong in barring of this sec-
tion and even in color of all sections are very desirable. For
females that arc extremely dark, that is, dark to a point where
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
183
they appear "crocky," males that are even in all sections, clear
in the light bar and free from rusty or brownish dark bars, are
necessary for good results. If the breeder can go one step
further and insist upon sharply defined as well as clear bars
when selecting the male, he will be still more fortunate. When
mating females of the above description, the back and should-
ers of the male are the sections to examine especially closely.
Selecting the Females. — The first thing to consider in se-
lecting the females to produce exhibition males is their ances-
try. They should be daughters of high class exhibition males
and, if possible, the sisters of high class exhibition males.
Two facts besides their individuality, which are highly indi-
cative of their quality as producers of desirable males, are :
First, the length of the line from which they come or
the number of generations of high class, exhibition males
which precede them in their ancestry and second, the
quality of these male ancestors. The value as pro-
ducers of any cockerel-bred female will depend upon the
number of generations and the quality of high class male
ancestors. The value of a female will be indicated most clearly
by her individuality, that is, to a breeder with experience in
producing high class males, and by the quality of her own
brothers. The merits and defects of these own brothers, par-
ticularly those of her own age, furnish strong clues as to how
to mate a cockerel-bred female. Furthermore, as it is a recog-
nized fact that, though several cockerel-bred females may be
full sisters, they are not identical, the question comes up as
to which to select. Referring to the above description, it is
not essential that cockerel-bred females should have clear,
yellow shanks and toes, as the shanks and toes of the males
are usually yellow even when those of their dams and sisters
show considerable dark color. The same is true as to color
of beaks of cockerel-bred males and females.
The Wing Section. — The flights of the cockerel-bred fe-
males need not be as clearly marked as those of an exhibition
female, because from females with flights that show but sug-
gestions of marking, that is, that are but indistinctly marked,
come males with splendidly marked flights.
The secondaries of cockerel-bred males should not only be
distinctly barred but the bars in each feather should be so
placed that when the wing is folded, they will form distinct
lines across the wing-bay. This is a very pretty feature of a
Barred Plymouth Rock wing and, as a rule, there is no dif-
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 185
ficulty in breeding it to an approximate state of perfection.
The markings of the shoulders, wing-fronts and wing-bows
partake of the nature of those of the back, breast and rear
body.
The Undercolor. — The underbarring of the cockerel-bred
female should be very strong, clear and distinct. The light
bar, of course, will not be as clear as that of the exhibition
colored female but the dark bar is so much stronger that we
obtain very distinct underbarring in the best selected cockerel-
bred females. This, of course, is very desirable because of
the necessity for underbarring in our exhibition males, which
it is impossible to secure without strong underbarring on both
sides of the mating.
The alternate bars of light and dark should color the shaft
as well as the fluff of the feather. Very often the dark bars
particularly stop at the quill. This is an indication of weak
and irregular barring. The males bred from such females
will not show the strength and regularity in barring that
exhibitors desire.
The Tail. — The larger the feathers, the coarser is the bar-
ring. Constant observation teaches us that this feature of
barred plumage is natural. Bars that are comparatively
narrow, straight, clean and sharply defined are desired just as
much in this as in any section. A slight amount of greenish
sheen is not objectionable in either sex, because this section
is fully as much inclined to weakness in color as any section
of the male plumage.
CHAPTER I'll.
MATINGS TO PRODUCE EXHIBITION FEMALES.
Matings for this purpose are popularly called pullet-
matings and consist of pullet-bred males and females, so-
called. A pullet-bred male is a son of an exhibition female,
or at least, one of exhibition or standard color. (In accept-
ing this definition or rule, the reader must allow two excep-
tions or modifications ; first, that the term "standard color"
must have general rather than special application — that is,
some range of shades must be allowed ; second, males bred
from strictly pullet-matings would be classed as pullet-bred.
In all cases, males considerably lighter than Standard are
produced from matings that are of the pullet-line.)
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 187
BREEDING FOR FEMALES OF EXHIBITION COLOR
PLATE 45
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13
Specimen feathers from 1— Head. 2— Neck. 3— Back. A — Saddle.
5— Breast. 6— Wing-bow. 7— Wing-covert. 8— Primary. 9— Sec-
ondary. 10— Main tail. 11— Lower breast. 12, 13— Rear body, often
called fluff, showing color markings of male used to produce high qual-
ity exhibition Barred Plymouth Rock females.
188
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
A pullet-bred male is the son of an exhibition or standard
colored female.
The Pullet-Bred Males. — These are lighter than standard
colored males and are sons of standard colored females.
Sons of good exhibition females are the diametric oppo-
sites of daughters of exhibition males. The sons are invariably
much lighter in surface color than exhibition males ; the light
bars are broader than the dark, Plate 45, giving the bird a
much more openly barred appearance than the exhibition
male presents.
The legs and beak are usually a much deeper and clearer
yellow. The underbarring is not as strong and does not often
extend to the end of the feathers nearest the skin.
The aim of the breeders with the most advanced ideas is,
however, to produce exhibition females with light and dark
bars of even width, but both quite narrow, Plate 46. In doing
so, the sons of such females have quite naturally become
more narrowly barred as their dams improved in Standard
requirements or met these advanced ideas. The result is that
we have today much more presentable males in our female
lines than were found some years ago, though they do not
yet reach the ideals required of an exhibition male.
Selecting a Male to Produce Exhibition Females.- — If ca-
pable of producing females which breeders, exhibitors and
judges desire at the present time, an ideal male for pullet
matings must possess barring of nearly equal width, evenly
spaced over a large porition of the feather, be evenly colored
on the surface and not weak in neck or breast, as they are
likely to be. They should have well-marked secondaries, as
these show beautifully on the females if the barring on each
feather is properly placed, so that they overlap and run
parallel to one another.
A good wing-bay will often show these clear, distinct bars.
The nights of the male should also be distinctly marked, with
the black markings predominating, but the white should be
quite clear and the black very strong, stopping short of a
lustre, however.
Males whose dams are nearly ideal exhibition specimens,
when mated to splendid exhibition females, seldom fail to
produce a fair proportion of exhibition females. Some are,
however, much better producers than others. There is a
tendency for the light bars to become cloudy or indistinct
and the finer the bars become, the greater this tendency. To
PLYMOUTH BOCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 189
BREEDING FEMALES OF EXHIBITION COLOR
PLATE 46
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13
Specimen feathers from 1 — Head. 2 — Neck. 3 — Back near
shoulders. A — Back at cushion. 5 — Breast. 6 — Wing-bow. 7 — Wing-
covert. 8 — Primary. 9— Secondary. 10— Main tail. 11— Smaller tail-
covert. 12, 13 — Rear-body, often called fluff, showing color mark-
ings of female used to produce high quality exhibition Barred Ply-
mouth Rock females.
190
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 47
Illustrating the progress of Barred Plymouth Rock females dur-
ing the past twenty years. Four prominent winning females, sep-
arated by periods of about five years.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 191
PLATE 48
Illustrating the progress of Barred Plymouth Rock males during
the past twenty years, four prominent winning males, separated by
periods of about five years beginning with 1898 Boston winner.
192
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
obviate this trouble, be sure that the light bars of particularly
finely barred males are extremely clear.
Females to Produce Exhibition Females. — The ideal fe-
males for the production of exhibition females are ideal ex-
hibition females ; but in practice the uncertainties in breeding
are such that this does not always work out. Females that
are not themselves the very best of exhibition specimens are
often the dams of very high class, winning specimens. Such
dams, however, possess many of the attributes of winning
specimens and, as a rule, require only a little alteration to
become very attractive fowls. As an instance, females whose
plumage may be a little coarse in barring, lack an underbar or
so, whose feathers are improperly tipped, need but to be prop-
erly mated to produce progeny the equal of any. A finely
barred male that is, at the same time, the son of an excellent
female, is probably all that is required for the coarsely barred
female with the desired contrast in colors, the well-defined
bars, the strength of underbarring, the wing markings de-
scribed in the Standard, to produce exhibition females of high
quality. A female with too strong a dark bar can be easily
mated to correct that fault and if she is highly meritorious
otherwise, her progeny should equal the best. So we might
give instance after instance but after all it is but a matter
of breeding generation after generation from first class birds,
and of corrective matings, both these principles must be ap-
plied and with the skill born of good judgment and constant
and careful discriminating observation.
SECTION III.
CHAPTER I.
WHITE PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
THE ORIGIN AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT.
FROM the first. White Plymouth Rocks came as white
chicks from Barred Plymouth Rock parents. This de-
parture from the general appearance, expected according
to the laws of heredity, has been variously explained.
THEORETICAL EXPLANATIONS.
Atavism. — One claim is that it is due to a phenomenon
knoAvn as "atavism." This phenomenon consists in the recur-
rence in a descendant of characters that were possessed by a
remote ancestor, instead of characters found in an immediate
or near ancestor. The word is derived from the Latin atavus,
which originally meant the father of a great-great-grandfather
but which was later applied to any remote ancestor. This
tendency of ancestral characters to reappear in offspring,
either immediately or after laying dormant for several genera-
tions, is due to a mysterious vital principle known as heredity.
If the qualities appear after a long dormancy, the heredity is
atavistic. Atavism implies that the recurring characteristics
were actually found in a remote ancestor or in several of them ;
otherwise, their appearance would not be a manifestation of
heredity, but of an effort without a cause — an "absolute com-
mencement."
Possible Influence of Black Fowls. — However, in the at-
tempts to account for white chicks from Barred Plymouth
Rocks, other theories have been propounded. It was even
suggested that they resulted from the influence of Black Java
or Black Cochin whichever may have been ancestors. This
theory, however, is in contravention of the well known laws
of heredity ; unless, indeed, it is a case of atavism from a white
ancestor far back along the line of descent of the Black Ja\ r as
or Cochins.
The Influence of White Fowls. — Another explanation is
that white fowls known as Birminghams were the determin-
194
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
ing factor, upon the supposition that they had been bred into
one strain, at least, of Barred Plymouth Rocks.
Edward Brown's Explanation. — Still another and quite
reasonable explanation is that offered by Edward Brown in
"Races of Domestic Poultry," page 153, as follows:
"This breed is a sport from the Barred variety. It is easily
seen that a failure of pigments, so far as the black marks are
concerned, would yield white plumaged fowls, and wherever
we have the mixed markings, which is sometimes known by
the term "cuckoo" there will occasionally be specimens which
either show pure white on the one hand, or are entirely black.
It is in this way that many of the varieties have been secured,
and the tendency to variation is very great in every kind of
poultry."
D. A. Upham's Statement. — The following facts would sub-
stantiate Mr. Brown's explanation. As first bred, Plymouth
Rocks came with the males very light and females very dark in
color. We have Mr. Upham's statement that most of the
pullets of the Spaulding cross were black and all the cockerels
grey, but that he succeeded in finding a certain number of
grey pullets to go with a grey cockerel he selected.
Rev. D. D. Bishop in his book, "The Development of the
Plymouth Rock" calls attention to the light males and darker
females as "the law of Dominique color" and makes this
statement :
"The most important and striking characteristic that pre-
sents itself to a student of Plymouth Rocks is the peculiar dif-
ference in the color effect in the two sexes. First, last and
always the males come lighter than the females. It is a thing
we must never forget in dealing with this breed. It will
beat us if we do but we shall never beat that. It is in the
birds, it is the law of this color that the males will not only
be several shades lighter in color, but the width of the bars
will be about one-third of the light spaces between them. It
is a very light pullet that has the space between the bars equal
in width to the bars themselves, and from that the spaces grow
less all the way down to no space at all, or solid color."
The Editor's Experience and Observations. — Moreover, the
fact that males from the same matings, even though the mat-
ings be restricted to pairs, are of much lighter shades than the
females is known to all those who are in the least familiar with
the characteristics of Barred Plymouth Rocks. This difference
was, in the recollection of the writer, much greater in years
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
195
past than at the present time. It is, then, reasonable to sup-
pose that in their endeavor to get the females lighter, which
endeavor naturally followed where too dark females were in
the majority and even black ones sometimes appeared, lighter
and lighter matings were used. In fact, within the Editor's
recollection, males nearly white in color were used by breed-
ers in their efforts to produce exhibition pullets of the desired
shade. The result was what might have been expected, a few
white chicks.
As an instance of such an occurrence, a certain mating of
Barred Plymouth Rocks made by the Editor in 1895 produced
five white chicks, four cockerels and one pullet. During the
season, following the advice of a prominent breeder, the male
had been changed. No white chicks were produced by the
first male, a much darker one than the second, which was very
coarsely barred and very light colored. The year previous, the
writer saw three white sports in the yards of Mr. D. J. Lam-
bert, of Rhode Island, well known as a breeder of Barred Ply-
mouth Rocks exclusively. The same year another prominent
breeder won first, fourth and fifth on White Plymouth Rock
cockerels which he said were sports from his Barred Plymouth
Rock pullet matings. The Editor assisted him in showing
these birds and that they were found in the same flock or pen
as the pullet breeding Barred Plymouth Rock males, he can
attest. Furthermore, these sports were of the same strain as
the five bred by the Editor. That white sports did occur from
the lighter or pullet matings was well understood by the breed-
ers of Barred and White varieties of that period. This much
can be noted — all species or nearly all have produced an al-
bino, some frequently, others very rarely. An albino from
Barred Plymouth Rocks is, for that reason alone, not to be
considered an improbability, even though a white ancestry is
not proved.
FACTS ABOUT THE ORIGIN.
The Originator. — The credit for having originated the
White Plymouth Rocks has been accorded to Mr. Oscar F.
Frost of Monmouth, Me. This has been, perhaps, because he
was the first to proclaim their appearance. Directly following
his admission of their existence, other breeders began to re-
port their presence in their flocks. One breeder in Indianap-
olis wrote to me prior to 1876, telling of the hatching of white
chicks from Barred Plymouth Rocks. I went to see them and
196
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
induced him, quite against his will, to mature and mate the
white chicks. The greater part of all the white chicks ob-
tained from the Barred Plymouth Rocks came from the Essex
or Drake strains, originated through the union of several kinds
of fowls.
An Early Account. — From "Barred and White Plymouth
Rocks" by Joseph Wallace, 1888, we obtain in substance the
following account of the foregoing occurrence. Mr. Frost re-
ceived a pair of these White Plymouth Rocks (sports of Barred
Plymouth Rocks) of a neighbor who was breeding the Essex
strain of Barred Plymouth Rocks. These he bred the first
year and according to several accounts he had a poor looking
lot for some years, but finally succeeded in producing very
fine flocks of fowls. According to some authorities quoted in
that work, 1878 is the date that Mr. Frost started to breed
them, though it is generally thought that white sports from
Barred Plymouth Rocks had not been an infrequent occur-
rence. The same author pays this nice tribute to the new
variety :
"The mind cannot conceive of a more handsome and ap-
propriate companion for the Barred Plymouth Rock than the
White Rock. Often in our boyhood days, while reading the
stories of Sinbad, the Sailor, in the 'Arabian Nights' Enter-
tainments,' we pictured to ourselves the size, strength and
power of flight of that formidable and fortuitous bird, the
White Roc, that was capable of lifting elephants from the
plains, that rescued so many travelers, heroes, cast-aways and
adventurers from the jaws of death, and carried them in its
huge talons over seas and mountains to other lands, where
pleasure, wealth and beauty awaited them. Little did we
think then that the day would come in our time when the
great White Rock of the western world would carry off thous-
ands at a time, not in its talons, but in admiration of its grand-
eur, beauty and usefulness."
Clamor for Recognition. — Directly following the public an-
nouncement of the presence of these fowls, there was a per-
sistent clamor for recognition as the originators of them, and
for the right to name them. This claim was conceded to the
person who could prove that he was the first to see and breed
them. They were variously named White Plymouth Rocks,
Puritans, Dirigos, and other names for the less important
strains. The real strife for supremacy came when admission to
the Standard of Perfection was sought for them. Then began
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
197
their official existence, as told in the records of the proceedings
of the Indianapolis meeting of the American Poultry Asso-
ciation, January, 1888.
RECOGNITION BY THE AMERICAN POULTRY
ASSOCIATION.
The Committee on New Breeds reported to the convention
Wednesday morning, January 25, 1888, that they would recom-
mend the admission of the White Wyandottes, White Plym-
outh Rocks, White Minorcas, White Javas and Dirigos. As
to the fundamental difference between White Plymouth Rocks
and Dirigos, George P. Coffin, of Freeport, Maine, writes as
follows :
"Replying to your letter of May the 28th, would say the
first White Plymouth Rocks that I knew of were those bred
by Mr. Oscar F. Frost, Monmouth, Kennebec County, Maine,
PLATE 49
ONE OF THE EARLIEST ILLUSTRATIONS OF WHITE
PLYMOUTH ROCKS
198
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
who is generally considered the originator of the breed. As
early as 1880 these were called White Plymouth Rocks, as I
remember of my father having some of them when I was a
small boy. While I am not positive about the matter, I incline
to the belief that the Dirigo was the same strain of birds. The
name, Dirigo, which is the motto on the State seal of Maine,
would indicate the breed to be of Maine origin. At that time
the idea of sports had not come to be understood and there
were many of the breeders who doubted the sport origin of
the breed. At the same time, as often occurs when a new
breed is in the making, others besides the originator attempted
by cross-breeding or in other ways to produce birds with sim-
ilar characteristics, yet with different or partially different
blood lines, and then, as sometimes happens, if these birds are
bred with the originator's stock, it makes it much more dif-
ficult to trace the breed history."
Other breeds and varieties were included in that report, a
little of which should be mentioned here. The presentation of
five new varieties of white fowls for admission to the Standard
was a matter of vital importance, and there was considerable
opposition to the admission of the White Plymouth Rocks, the
Dirigos, and the White Javas. This was because it was plain
that there could not be so many kinds, all true to breed char-
acteristics. Ultimately, White Wyandottes, Golden Wyan-
dottes, White Plymouth Rocks, Jersey Blues, White and Black
Minorcas, and Pea-comb Plymouth Rocks were, all of them,
admitted to the Standard under one resolution.
Later, a resolution was offered asking for the admission of
the Dirigos to the Standard, although they were the same as
the White Plymouth Rocks. A memorial was presented to
the meeting demanding their admission, and great claims were
made for their qualities. An argument developed the fact that
Mr. Ferris had first shown these fowls in Bangor in 1875.
They were judged and admitted to be the first White Ply-
mouth Rocks ever shown. They came from the farm of Mr.
Ferris, this being called Dirigo Farm. Mr. Beal, Mr. Ferris
and others claimed the credit of originating the fowls and the
right of naming them. An attempt was made to read the
memorial. This, however, was denied and the document was
never admitted to the records of the meeting. I now regret
that it was not preserved, although at that time I objected to
its admision to the record. It would doubtless reveal some
interesting facts concerning the origin of this fowl.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
199
The objection raised to the admission of all these fowls
was that they had been shown as three separate breeds, White
Plymouth Rocks, White Javas and Dirigos, whereas they were
in reality three separate strains only. About the only differ-
ence between them was that the White Plymouth Rocks and
Dirigos had yellow shanks; some of the Javas had shanks of
willow color like those of the Game Fowls ; still others had
yellow shanks. By agreement, both the White Plymouth
Rocks and the White Javas were admitted, the White Javas
to be disqualified for shanks of any color but yellow. The
White Plymouth Rocks were required to have yellow shanks.
These disqualifications supplied a method for and influenced
a speedy separation between the two. The White Plymouth
Rocks have improved continually since their admission to the
Standard, while the White Javas have become obsolete.
The Result of Recognition. — The admission of so many
white varieties to the Standard of Perfection was the signal
for unusual activity among those who bred white-plumaged
fowls. This influence extended even to turkeys, ducks and
geese. So much was written about them that many who had
kept or were keeping other fowls forsook them, and turned to
the breeding of white-plumaged fowls. The advocates of the
White Plymouth Rock were so ardent and so apt in present-
ing the merits of that variety to the public that there was a
general reaction in favor of them. During the years that fol-
lowed, many efforts were made in behalf of other varieties,
but in the melting pot of public opinion, the White Plymouth
Rock has continued to gain until its true value is recognized
in every land.
It is certainly true that there is no one best breed or va-
riety of fowls ; the best for all is the kind best suited to the
needs and pleasure of the one who selects them. The real
quality of any breed or variety has been, and will continue to
be, built up by the energy and skill of those who breed it.
Those who have chosen the White Plymouth Rock have
chosen well. They have succeeded in satisfying their am-
bition as well as in gaining the favor of the general public.
However, no one breed or variety ever gains unchallenged
supremacy, although the White Plymouth Rock has become
a favorite as a fowl for exhibition, for table purposes, and for
profitable egg production. (T. F. McG.)
200
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 50
WHITE PLYMOUTH ROCK MALE
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 201
PLATE 51
WHITE PLYMOUTH ROCK FEMALE
202
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
CHAPTER II.
WHITE PLYMOUTH ROCK PLUMAGE.
STANDARD DESCRIPTION.
Disqualifications.
Red, buff or positive black in any part of plumage; shanks
other than yellow. (See general and Plymouth Rock dis-
qualifications.)
COLOR OF MALE AND FEMALE.
Beak. — Yellow.
Eyes. — Reddish-bay.
Comb, Face, Wattles and Ear-Lobes. — Bright red.
Shanks and Toes. — Rich yellow.
Plumage. — Web, fluff and quills of feathers in all sections,
pure white.
DESCRIPTION.
The Standard of Perfection confines itself to one descrip-
tion of shape for each breed. All varieties of that breed must
conform to this description. The most difficult problems in se-
lecting for exhibition and in judging fowls arise from the
marked differences in shape among the specimens in the show
rooms. We do not imagine that there ever has been shown,
even in the keenest competition, any number of any breed or
variety, all the males of which conformed to the Standard
shape description. Nor will such conformity ever be ob-
tained. The same is true of the females. Therefore, those
who breed White Plymouth Rocks for exhibition should study
carefully the description of shape for that variety, in a pre-
ceding chapter.
White Plumage. — The plumage of the White Plymouth
Rock is just what the name implies- — pure-white in every
section ; possibly no other color that can be as simply and
briefly treated in text is as difficult to breed. Because the
skin, beak and legs are yellow, pure white plumage is hard
to obtain. The yellow pigment necessary to color the skin,
beak and legs is inclined to distribute itself where it is
not desired, as well as where it is required. The color prob-
lem is then to restrict the yellow pigment to those sections
in which it is required.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 203
The Standard requires that the web, fluff and quill of
the feathers in all sections shall be a pure white. Another
statement to the same effect would be that the surface, under-
color and quill of all sections should be pure white.
Defects of White Plumage. — Very often the quills will be
slightly creamy, even when the web and fluff are pure white.
Yellow and creamy tinges seem to cling most tenaciously to
the largest quills and will appear in the quills of the flights
and secondaries of the wing if they appear in any section of the
plumage; thus the quills of the primaries may be taken in a
measure as an index of the color of the bird, relatively as
between pure white and creamy white; that is, if these quills
are white the entire plumage is usually pure white.
Black plumage is apt to come in the whitest fowls. This
cannot always be aA'oided, nor is a small quantity of black
considered a breeding defect. What is known as ticking,
small specks of grey, slate or black, occurs to a certain extent
in white specimens.
The Breeders' Problem. — The problem for correctly mating
for color would then seem to be solved by mating the whitest
birds together. This problem would then, if color alone were
to be considered, be very easily and quickly mastered. How-
ever, because of the requirements in shape, color of legs, eyes,
comb as well as consideration of size and vigor, which must
be taken into account, the problem becomes more intricate
that it at first appears. (T. F. McG.)
CHAPTER III.
MATING WHITE PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
On the above subject we quote the following from U. R.
Fishel, an experienced and successful breeder of this variety.
Mating White Plymouth Rocks. — "The greatest pleasure to
be obtained in breeding fancy poultry is to produce by careful
mating of your fowls some exceptionally fine specimen or
specimens. We are never satisfied with the results obtained,
but each breeding season an effort must be and is made to so
mate our fowls that we may expect better results from the
breeding yards. We know one must produce better speci-
mens each season or fall behind the great army of successful
breeders.
204
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
"That 'Like produces like,' we do not dispute, but in pro-
ducing Standard White Plymouth Rocks it is not the fact that
we want like to produce like, but we want to produce better
specimens each and every season, that is, specimens nearer
the standard requirements.
"With this in view we must mate our breeders, not to pro-
duce birds of the same general make-up but specimens better
than those we already have.
"It is not necessary to use the double mating system to
produce high grade White Plymouth Rocks. Just as good
males as females can be reared from the same mating provid-
ing, of course, that the mating has been made properly. The
color required in White Plymouth Rocks is a clear white,
therefore, in selecting your breeders, see that the plumage
throughout is white."
Difficulties. — Pure white is quite difficult to maintain in
the plumage of fowls and birds. It is less difficult to produce
in some kinds than in others. With the White Plymouth
Rock it is a difficult problem to produce yellow beak, shanks,
feet and skin. The less brilliant the color of the skin and
shanks, the more likely will be a pure white plumage. Any
variety of white fowls may be selected and bred in line for
pale lemon beaks, shanks and skin and the color of the plum-
age will become gradually whiter as the color fades from these
parts. There is no other combination in the breeding of solid
colored plumage that is as difficult as producing the rich, yel-
low colored shanks and skin with the pure white plumage.
But few can select pure white to a certainty. Few have
seen it in its purity. The purest white comes from bleaching
and, as in the manufacture of paper, as soon as it is exposed
to the air and light, it begins to lose its purity. This is equally
true of white-plumaged fowls during the molt or the growing
of new feathers. This impurity is apt to disappear as the
feathers grow. The plumage shows a stronger yellow tint
when the feathers are growing than after the bird is fully
fledged and the feathers have aged.
Color Relation in Shanks and Skin. — The heredity that
produces the rich yellow tint in shanks and skin has its in-
fluence upon the color of the plumage as well. The deeper
the shade of yellow in these parts, the more likely is the
plumage to have a creamy tint. To avoid this, one must
select fowls that have the least color in shanks, skin and
quills. The yellow pigment that sustains the color of shanks
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 205
and skin disappears gradually from these sections when the
hen lays eggs. Therefore, when selecting for color, the stage
of growth in which you find the feathers and the length of
laying period should be taken into consideration.
Excel in Conformation. — Breeding White Plymouth Rocks
differs in no particular from breeding the other varieties of
Plymouth Rocks as far as conformation is concerned, but it
is understood that White Plymouth Rocks are of one color
and should be of a single tone or shade of that color and on
that account particular attention may be paid to shape char-
acteristics. The White variety is expected to excel in shape.
Shape features of importance in which they may be expected
to excel are : The full, round, deep breast, long and deep body
and well-proportioned abdomen. The best formation is a body
that is evenly poised on shanks with about an equal propor-
tion of breast and body in front, and a like amount of body
and abdomen in the rear of the shanks.
In the breeding of fowls of all kinds it must be remembered
that size, shape, general formation and color, must all of them
have due consideration. If any one of the first three is lack-
ing, the fowls do not conform to breed description ; if the
color is poor, the variety distinction is faulty ; the best qual-
ity in all of these features is demanded for white fowls.
Size and Quality. — Hens that conform to the Standard de-
scription are the best. They should be fully as large as Stand-
ard requirements suggest, not large by weight through being
overly fat, but large and well proportioned for the breed. These
hens must be true Plymouth Rocks in every sense. They
will answer best if almost entirely free from shape defects.
Overcoming Defects. — -There may be a possible chance to
overcome a defect in one section of a hen by having superior
quality in the same section of her mate, but the continued
practice of mating good or true quality on both sides will
bring the best results.
Selection. — To succeed in the breeding of pure white
plumage, fowls with this kind of plumage should be selected,
and, if in addition, they have produced offspring with pure
white plumage, these are the best selections possible. Care-
ful attention must be given to both breeding and feeding, as
well as to the selection year after year for the shade of color
most desired which in this case is pure white.
The best way to produce pure white plumage in White
Plymouth Rocks is to select for breeding such fowls as show
206
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 52
ILLUSTRATING FOUR PERIODS IN THE PROGRESS OF
WHITE PLYMOUTH ROCK FEMALES DURING
THE LAST FIFTEEN YEARS
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
207
PLATE 53
FOUR WHITE PLYMOUTH ROCK MALES, EACH TYPICAL
OF THE PERIOD IT REPRESEXTS. ILLUSTRATING
THE PROGRESS OF THIS VARIETY DURING
THE PAST FIFTEEN YEARS
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Standard qualities and especially pure white plumage. No
fowl of this variety should be used for breeding that has pink-
ish white shanks, which is a disqualification. Lemon-colored
shanks are permissible, but there must be enough of the yel-
low shade in the shanks to prevent the possible loss of a prize
in consequence of the shanks being called another shade than
yellow by the judge, which would disqualify the specimen.
It is quite a problem to breed the pure white so much ad-
mired in the plumage of White Plymouth Rocks, a clean,
clear color down to the skin, with the quill of the feathers of
the same shade of white ; but it is one that is being accom-
plished by close selection of breeding stock and sound com-
mon-sense methods of rearing. Beyond selection, good care
must be accorded both the breeding and the young stock. The
breeding stock must be kept in the best of condition or in-
ferior chicks will be produced. Chicks that have not strong
constitutions are never winning specimens in strong competi-
tion nor do they make good breeders.
Breeders of White Plymouth Rocks, almost without ex-
ception, use the single mating system, even when seeking to
produce the very highest class of exhibition specimens.
(T. F. McG.)
FEEDING WHITE BIRDS.
Because foods of an oily nature have a perceptible influ-
ence on the color of the plumage, only the minimum amount
required for the growth of the young should be given. These
include corn, and corn meal, principally among cereals and
beef scraps among animal food products. Cottonseed and
linseed meals are food stuffs that should be restricted or
omitted altogether. Wheat, when available, barley and oats
are all proper grain foods for adult birds. The wheat by-
products, bran, shorts and middlings are the best selections
for ground foods. White corn is also considered much less
injurious to white plumage than yellow corn. For growing
chicks, oats or barley must be hulled and cracked.
SECTION IV.
CHAPTER I.
BUFF PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
THE ORIGIN AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT.
HE Buff Plymouth Rocks were admitted to the Stand-
ard of Perfection in 1892, and were the third of the
Rock family to be so honored, preceding by fifteen
years the Silver Penciled, the next variety to follow, which
was in turn closely followed by the Partridge and Colum-
bian varieties. We have, then, two groups separated from
one another by the dates on which they were recognized by
the American Poultry Association, the older comprising the
then more plainly garbed varieties. Barred, White and Buff,
the general effect of each being that of a solid color ; and
the later group, Silver-Penciled, Partridge and Columbian,
which display more intricate and striking markings.
The Origin. — The first Buff Plymouth Rocks were un-
doubtedly derived from stock that was contemporary with
the progenitors of Rhode Island Reds, a breed, though then
unnamed and unauthorized by the American Poultry Asso-
ciation, that was being developed by certain communities of
Rhode Island, located not far from Fall River, Massachu-
setts, where the Buff Plymouth Rock originated and where one
of the earliest strains was developed. This association by lo-
cation of the Rhode Island Reds with our American-made buff
varieties and the natural outcome is noteworthy.
The First Exhibit. — The credit for first showing Buff Ply-
mouth Rocks under that name belongs to R. G. Buffington of
Fall River, Massachusetts, who gave the variety its initiatory
exhibition experience at Providence, Rhode Island, in 1890.
At the same time and place Dr. Aldrich, also of Fall River,
showed fowls of similar breeding and type which he called
"Golden Buffs."
Though Golden Buffs and Buff Plymouth Rocks were
similar in breeding and appearance in every way, Golden Buffs
failed signally to command public attention. It would be dif-
210
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
ficult to imagine an incident that could better attest the hold
that the Plymouth Rock breed had on the poultry-keeping
public at that time, and has had since, than this radically
practical demonstration. This incident alone enables us to
understand that this high regard in which the name Plymouth
Rock has been held probably accounts for the fact that we
have six varieties instead of one only. Indeed, it may be said
that the intrinsic worth of a good name and of a popularity
richly deserved has, perhaps, never been so forcefully pre-
sented in poultry circles as by this incident at the Providence,
Rhode Island Show in 1890.
The Fall River Strain.— According to Mr. Buffington, the
Fall River strain was created by crossing Rhode Island Reds
and White Plymouth Rocks, and by the breeding of such
single comb Rhode Island Reds as were buff or nearly buff in
color and approached a satisfactory Plymouth Rock type.
Mr. Daniel Shove of Fall River, who was working along
much the same lines as Mr. Buffington and Dr. Aldrich, wrote
of the origin of the Buff Plymouth Rock under date of Oc-
tober 9, 1917, that, "It was along about the year 1888 that the
late Wm. Penn Shepard, R. G. Buffington, Dr. N. B. Aldrich
and the writer first began to go to Westport, Massachusetts,
and pick up a few of the above birds ; the single combs we
called Buff Rocks, the rose combs, Buff Wyandottes. The
writer from 1889 to 1895 kept the Wyandottes (buff), and ex-
hibited quite a few at Philadelphia in 1893, and at that time
they were coming very good and the demand for them was
also good. I had always bought most of the above of a Mr.
Tripp, of Central Village, Westport, and by the way. this
was not the Rhode Island Red founder at all ; he was an-
other man farther over by the same name, as the name Tripp
at that time was quite common."
It is probable that many early Buff Plymouth Rocks were
bred by crossing White Plymouth Rocks with Buff Cochins
and that true Rock type, together with fairly good color for
the times, was afterwards developed by careful selection. It
is very unlikely that all those interested in Buff Rocks would
let escape the very apparent opportunity to obtain buff color
by crossing some variety that possessed Plymouth Rock type
with the Buff Cochin, which is known to be the source of all
our best buff color.
The Joslin Strain.— In the decade between 1890 and 1900,
several strains were prominent. One of these strains was
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 211
developed by the late J. O. Joslin, Tiashoke, New York. Of
this line, the book The Plymouth Rock (Reliable Poultry Jour-
nal series) states that it was a fine strain, of good size and
true Rock type, that the color was quite even on the surface
and sound underneath, and the tail and flights showed very
little black peppering or markings. Mr. Joslin claimed that
his strain had no Cochin, but was largely of Plymouth Rock
blood. This statement arouses curiosity in two connections,
namely, what then was the source of buff color, and what was
the method of crossing or breeding that could create or de-
velop Buff Plymouth Rocks that were largely of Plymouth
Rock blood, when only two other varieties, Barred and White,
then existed, from which it is inconceivable that buff could
be derived?
Other strains were developed in the early days of this va-
riety, two of the most prominent of which, the Nugget strain
and the Wilson strain, were originated and developed in New
York state.
The Wilson Strain. — (From the book The Plymouth Rock,
Reliable Poultry Journal series.) Another strain of Buff Plym-
outh Rocks was originated by J. S. Wilson, Worcester, New
York, who writes about the origin and development as fol-
lows : "I was reading about the new variety of Buff Leg-
horns in The Fancier's Gazette, London, England, that strong-
ly suggested the possibility of producing a Buff Plymouth
Rock fowl, too. I was at once vigilantly looking over the vari-
ous yards in this vicinity. After many disappointments in my
searches, I was finally successful in finding in a relative's
yard a male bird that gave me great joy from seeing so typi-
cal a Rock. It was the result of a cross between the American
type of Buff Cochin and a Light Brahma. He was a beautiful,
even, golden-buff color throughout, except that his tail was
nearly black. He had clean, yellow legs, small comb, etc.. and
weighed twelve pounds. I selected from the same yard two
of the best hens, having an even surface color and the least
feathering on legs. From these birds, the foundation of this
popular variety of the Rock family was produced.
"I raised that year about forty chicks, the result being be-
yond my most sanguine expectations. I selected two yards
of very creditable ones from these. I was puzzled over the
amount of ticking that showed on their hackles, as the parent
birds were perfectly free from that defect. However, I came
212
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
to the conclusion that it was probably the result of the Light
Brahma blood they contained asserting itself.
"The next season brought about a more satisfactory out-
look and they continued to improve until the World's Fair
(Chicago, 1893) first prize cock, hen, cockerel, pullet and pen
were produced. Not any of these birds were ticked and two
hens were nearly solid buff. Of course, they had their de-
fects. Some excelled in one section and some in another, no
one specimen having the much desired whole that was close
to the ideal. The advancement since their creation reaching
a point in breeding where not a bird showed any ticking or
feathers on legs, with a uniform covering of golden buff plum-
age, is certainly phenomenal in so short a space of time as ten
years."
The Nugget Strain. — One of the most popular strains fif-
teen years ago was originated by H. S. Burdick, Rome, New
York, who named it the "Nugget Strain," a happy choice, as
specimens of the latter were particularly strong in the golden
PLATE 54
Sketch of early Buff Plymouth
Rock hen, exhibited at Madison
Square Garden, New York, 1896,
by their originator, J. D. Wilson.
(First Prize Winner.)
Sketch of early Buff Plymouth
Rock cockerel, exhibited at Mad-
ison Square Garden, New York,
1896, by their originator, J. D.
Wilson. (First Prize Winner.)
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
213
buff surface color and were also noted for the soundness in
color of their tail and flight feathers, the latter being free
from black or white. Many, of the winning specimens of
today have the old "Nugget" blood flowing in their veins,
and owe their soundness in- surface and undercolor to this
source.
By combination of the blood of these different strains and
selection of the best specimens, Buff Plymouth Rocks that are
true to both the color and shape descriptions of the variety
have been and are being produced.
The foregoing gives a history in brief of the origin and
early development of Buff Plymouth Rocks. From beyond
this point it is difficult to follow the development of the dif-
ferent strains and diversing lines of each in the hands of the
many who take up the breeding of a popular variety. That
the blood of these different strains has been mingled repeat-
edly is an assured fact. The good quality of present day
Buff Plymouth Rocks may be attributed to the intelligent se-
lection and crossing of individual specimens from these prom-
inent early strains.
PLATE 55
First prize Buff Plymouth
Rock cockerel at Boston, 1903,
that sold for $300. Probably
the highest price paid for a Ply-
mouth Rock up to that time.
(Cockered bred by Millville
Poultry Farm, Millville, N. Y.,
M. F. Delano, manager. Sold
to Mr. Weimer of Pennsylvania,
who named him "Gold Force."
BUFF PLYMOUTH ROCK MALE
BUFF PLYMOUTH ROCK FEMALE
216
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
CHAPTER II.
BUFF PLYMOUTH ROCK PLUMAGE.
STANDARD DESCRIPTION.
Disqualifications.
Shanks other than yellow. (See general and Plymouth
Rock disqualifications.)
COLOR OF MALE.
Beak. — Yellow.
Eyes. — Reddish-bay.
Comb, Face, Wattles and Ear-Lobes. — Bright red.
Shanks and Toes. — Rich yellow.
Plumage. — Surface thoughout an even shade of rich golden
buff, free from shafting or mealy appearance, the head, neck,
hackle, back, wing-bows and saddle richly glossed ; under-
color a lighter shade free from foreign color. Different shades
of buff in two or more sections is a serious defect. A har-
monious blending of buff in all sections is most desirable.
COLOR OF FEMALE.
Beak.— Yellow.
Eyes. — Reddish-bay.
Comb, Face, Wattles and Ear-Lobes. — Bright red.
Shanks and Toes. — Rich yellow.
Plumage. — Surface throughout an even shade of rich, gold-
en buff, free from shafting or mealy appearance, the head and
neck plumage showing a luster of the same shade as the rest
of the plumage ; undercolor, a lighter shade, free from foreign
color. Different shades of buff in two or more sections is a
serious defect. A harmonious blending of buff in all sections
is most desirable.
DEVELOPMENT OF BUFF COLOR.
To fully comprehend the faults of buff color and the dif-
ficulties of eliminating these faults, an understanding of the
evolution of buff color in the plumage of domestic fowls
would be helpful, even if it is not wholly necessary.
That the bright, clean, uniform and pleasing shade now
described and required by the Standard for all recognized buff
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 217
varieties was not the result of a decision arrived at or a se-
lection determined upon quickly, but rather that it was the
result of a gradual development in the tastes and education
of those exponents of true beauty as revealed in the buff va-
rieties, becomes most apparent after a brief perusal of any of
the authentic descriptions of our first importations or early
American and English productions of Buff Cochin, which was
the original buff fowl of all lands, so far as known, and which
descriptions we take in order that comparisons may be made
with the present standard description of these varieties ; or,
more clearly convincing yet is a comparison of these de-
scriptions of the early importations and native productions
with living specimens of the truest color types. Judging
from these comparisons, the almost incredibly wide contrast
between the two must have developed gradually, and this evo-
lution is perhaps nowhere better or more clearly indicated- than
in the successive editions of the American Standard of Ex-
cellence and its successor, the American Standard of Perfec-
tion, brief extracts from which will be sufficient, not only to
make this point clear, but to show the progressi\*e steps by
which the present popular buff shade was acquired.
Color requirements in the 1875 edition are placed on each
section along with the shape requirements for that section,
and in some instances strangely mingled, and only on a few
occasions do we find the color requirements of one section
identical with those of another. "... rich clear buff" —
"rich, abundant, clear buff hackle" — "rich, clean buff" — "a
clear, deep buff" — are the color descriptions found of some
sections for the male, while such sections as wings and fluff
have no color description for plumage, except that wings are
required to be "quite free from a mealy appearance."
All the evidence that we may obtain from the successive
Standard descriptions indicates that the greatest advance that
has been made in nearly half a century is most clearly brought
out by the difference in the descriptions of the color for the
tail section. In 1875, "a rich, dark chestnut, or bronzy-chest-
nut mixed with black — dark chestnut preferred" ; needless
to say there is no admiration expressed for chestnut colored
tails, to ignore completely those that contain any amount of
black, in either males or females of any buff variety at the
present time, when the tail is expected not only to be buff,
but to be of the same shade as the rest of the plumage. This
description of color for this section remained practically un-
218
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
changed until the 1898 edition became effective, which fact,
together with the knowledge that this admixture of black and
the existence of chestnut shades even at the present time in the
tails of many specimens (though not the best ones, thanks to
the skill of the breeders of buff varieties, past and present),
emphasizes the well known difficulty of producing clear,
golden-buff tails.
The color description of the female in this (1875) edition
shows greater uniformity, being restricted to such expressions
as "rich buff" — "clear, rich buff" — "clear, pure buff" — "and in
color, buff". Even then the description required a tail, "in
color buff" without modification. Evidently, females with
clear buff tails were not unknown even in those days, and
judging from the different Standard descriptions of male and
female, must have more frequently occurred in females than in
males.
In this connection, it may be well to note that the short
lived 1874 Edition also required a uniformly clear, deep buff
throughout, tail included. It may be surprising to learn, now
when buff necks are the rule, that the 1874 Edition contained
the following sentence : "A clear, buff hackle preferred, but
a slight marking on the end of feathers of neck not a dis-
qualification." This modification was not discontinued until
1898. _
Prior to 1898, a marked difference of opinion as to what
constituted real "buff" had existed. It was seldom that the
judges agreed upon the exact shade that was most desirable
or the most beautiful. The lack of uniformity in the shades
of the winning specimens when judged by different persons
was commented upon and deplored by the breeders gener-
ally. These discussions led to the appointment by the Stan-
dard Revision Committee for the 1898 Edition, of a special
sub-committee which, among other duties, was to determine
just what real buff color was, and then to describe it compre-
hensibly. As a result of their investigations, we have the
Standard phraseology, descriptive of buff color as found in
the 1898 Edition for all buff varieties, five in number, very
nearly as it is in the present edition. This description was a
distinct advance in that, first of all, it decided upon "golden-
buff" as the most desirable shade and the most accurate and
expressive terminology; second, it demanded "one even shade
throughout," that is, in all sections, but allowed undercolor
of a lighter shade, though restricting the force of this clause
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 219
appreciably by further qualifying that "all things being equal,
the specimen showing the richest undercolor shall receive the
preference" ; the word "richest" was generally interpreted to
mean the darkest. This was, however, the beginning of an
admission that undercolor in buff varieties was naturally and
would always be lighter than the surface color. In explana-
tion of this phenomenon, we quote the following extract from
an article written by the late Ezra Cornell in "The Leghorns"
as follows :
"Leghorns have comparatively hard, close fitting feathers.
In such feathers the coloring matter always concentrates in
the surface or harder part of the feather; this is according to
nature, and you can not change it. Look at some of our most
highly colored wild birds — the Scarlet Tanager, the Oriole, or
even the Canary, and you will find an under color which
appears white in comparison to the surface. Take these same
brilliant feathers and lay them in the sunlight over a darker
under color and you will deaden the color. The rays of light
pass through the surface plumage, and on striking the light
under color are reflected, much intensified, which gives the
plumage its extreme brilliancy; whereas if the rays of light
on penetrating the surface were to strike a dark under color,
they would be absorbed and the surface color deadened. * * *
That I have just written applies especially to the females ;
the males have a deeper under color, but it is not so apt to
be solid. Cockerels are sometimes found with some white in
under color of hackle, which, as the bird grows older, will
probably appear on the surface. A male bird should have
sound under color. This is important, although it makes
little difference whether it is light or dark. The shade will,
as a rule, correspond with and depend on the shade of the
surface color."
The reader will see no inconsistency here, because the flow-
ing plumage of the males is not as hard as that of the shorter
female plumage.
The description in the 1898 Standard was better than that
found in the one that preceded it by ten years, in that it de-
manded a, plumage which required more skill in mating to
produce, because absolute uniformity of color in all sections
was required, while chestnut tails in males were still allowed in
the 1888 Standard, though more uniformity was demanded in
this edition than in those that in turn preceded it.
220
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
From this form of progression, we perceived that a gen-
eral tendency toward acquiring uniformity of color in all sec-
tions existed continuously from the date of the first edition
until it became a requirement of the 1898 Standard. Then
too, the term "golden-burl" was more accurate and descriptive
than "rich, clear, deep buff," and that it, as a descriptive term,
met popular approval is amply attested by the fact that it has
continued to be the descriptive color term in all subsequent
Standards. In the light of the now known general accept-
ability of this color description, it can be wondered that it
was not used before in the Standard, since it appears in the
description of hackle, back, wings, and saddle feathers of
females in the first or 1874 Edition, and is frequently used
in descriptions found in the early books, notably Burnham's
"New Poultry Book", published in 1871, from which we quote
the two following extracts: "The color of the Buff Cochin is
more of a golden hue than simply buff. The under shade
upon the downy or fluffy portions of their plumage is pale,
but to look at when in their best feather, they are of a rich,
luminous yellow shade, sometimes aptly called lemon-colored."
* * * "In the cock of this variety portions of his plumage
are red, or darker, as the wings, neck, hackles, etc., but the
yellow color prevails in both." To show how early this de-
sire to produce specimens even in color of all sections de-
veloped, we quote still further from the same work. "A very
desirable recommendation to the Buff Cochin is that the fowl
be strictly uniform in color to answer the requirements of the
present aimed for standard."
Contrast the description of male and female, which is al-
most identical, found in the Standard of 1898 and the subse-
quent editions, w T ith the descriptions found of the importations
from foreign countries a little later than the middle of the nine-
teenth century, and we can recognize the wonderful skill of
the American breeders, even had this been their sole ac-
complishment.
BUFF PLYMOUTH ROCK COLOR.
In years past, a diversity of opinions existed as to what
constituted a golden buff, and at an earlier period, the same
diversity of opinion existed as to what shade of buff was most
desirable. Prior to 1898 Buff Plymouth Rocks had varied
from cream to very deep shades that were often so deep that
PLYMOUTH ROOK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 221
red and even brown cropped out on the wing-bows and even
on the back. This variation is not at all surprising now that
the different sources of ancestry have been related, as an
equitable adjustment between the white of the White Plym-
outh Rocks and the red of the Red fowls, contemporary with
and analagous to the progenitors of our present Rhode Island
Reds, that Buffington, Aldrich and probably others used for
the foundation of Buff Plymouth Rocks, was not possible dur-
ing the early stages of its development.
This description as first found in the 1898 Standard, and
the argument upon this shade and description was the result
of extended research and investigation of certain prominent
breeders of Buff Cochins. It has met general approval, as
shown by the fact that the slightest change has never been
suggested.
Aside from its beauty, this shade of buff is one that can
be bred from and reproduced with much more certainty than
some of the delicate shades that were popular years ago.
Furthermore, it is a shade that holds from year to year, while
the light shades in vogue years ago lose color very appre-
ciably with age. This fact lends aid to establish and main-
tain the popularity of the rich, golden buff of the last three
Standards.
COMMON DEFECTS OF BUFF COLOR.
Too Dark or Too Light in Shade of Surface. — The popular-
ity of all the Buff varieties is largely due to the unique beauty
of the shade of surface color required by the Standard, which
is described as a "rich, golden buff."
A word description of rich, golden buff that can be ac-
curately understood is almost if not quite unattainable, as
word descriptions capable of conveying an accurate concep-
tion of color to the mind without the aid of the eye are abso-
lutely impossible. But we may state early in this treatise
what it is not : It is not the cream, nor lemon, nor is it the
deep buff shade, so common during the early years of the
variety, which bordered on red in the males' and cinnamon or
brown in the females' plumage. It can hardly be described
as a mean between these extremes, yet it approached it. The
term "golden buff" as used in the Standard is as accurate in
its suggestion to the eye as any of the color terms that have
been used. This description clearly suggests that the sur-
222
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
face of both males and females be the same color as un-
alloyed gold, which is described in our old books on chem-
istry as a "bright yellow" metal. This is suggestive of the
true shade of color, yet it is unsafe as a description without
modification, because there are many shades of bright yel-
low. The best way, if not the only way, to grasp the idea
of real golden buff is to see a specimen that some reliable
authority has pronounced about right in color. The phrase,
"one even shade of rich, golden buff," explains itself as well
as words seem adequate, but it must be admitted that to
fully appreciate the significance of the term "golden buff" and
to see in your mind just what shade is demanded, it becomes
necessary to see a specimen of ideal or very nearly ideal
color, or at least, feathers from such a specimen. While it
can not be said that judges agree always as to the most de-
sirable shade of golden buff, it can be said that the best and
most experienced judges do agree tolerably well.
Unevenness in Color. — The words of the Standard, "sur-
face throughout, one even shade of rich, golden buff", when
given a second thought, aptly present the breeders' problem :
To produce specimens that are one shade on the surface of
every feathered section, including the wings when extended
and the tail feathers when examined, for these sections are
considered part of the surface — certainly not undercolor.
Individuals that are even in surface, including wings and
tail are produced quite often, but while endeavoring to breed
such specimens, many that are uneven in surface color to a
greater or lesser degree are produced. These variations in-
clude too dark, and too light necks ; dark wing bows in males ;
mealiness in females, more often on the wing bows than in
other sections ; shaftiness, especially noticeable in females ;
light colored edging, sometimes referred to as straw edg-
ing on females ; the shade of top surface darker than the breast
and fluff, most often in males, besides defects in color of
wings and tail.
During the early history of the breed an even colored
male was very rarely seen. This fact was particularly no-
ticeable in both the extremely light and extremely dark speci-
mens. The chief fault in the strongly colored specimens was
the highly colored wing bows, which were often decidedly
red instead of buff. This pronounced defect is not seen at
the present time in males of even ordinary merit. The very
light buffs, usually more explicitly designated by the term
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 223
"lemon buff" males, have been received with highest favor in
the show room at times, and in certain localities, but have
of late years passed into discard in favor of a particular shade
of buff, expressively described as "golden buff", which once
seen usually meets with instant approval. The invariable ten-
dency of lemon buff males is to fade and lose color after the
first year, or after the first moult; to become too light on the
back and breast and to breed a large proportion of males
too light in these sections. Light colored females now known
by the apt description of "cream" were also popular in certain
sections of the country, but only for a short time. From a
breeder's standpoint, these are as undesirable as the lemon
males.
PLATE 58
Buff Plymouth Rock male of the old styled plumage, showing
most pronouncedly the too dark shoulder and wing bow. In the
early days of the variety, a most common example of unevenness of
color.
224
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Mealiness. — This objectionable feature is quite common in
females, generally in the wing bow or coverts, though it is
found in other sections of females, and in breast and fluff of
males. Inasmuch as no specimen that has this defect can
appear to be even in surface color, this is a most serious de-
fect and particularly serious because it is very difficult to
breed out. It consists of rather small specks, spots, or stipples
of lighter color. It is not always so pronounced that it is no-
ticeable by casual observation, but it is easily detected upon
examination of the specimens in the hand. See illustration
plate 59. Also definition, page 20.
Shaftiness. — This is another fault that causes uneven color.
When shafting appears, it is caused by the shafts of the feath-
ers being lighter or darker than the webs. In most cases
they are lighter. They are objectionable because with them
an even surface is impossible. It is more noticeable in the
PLATE 59
A Buff Plymouth Rock female, showing uneven plumage, includ-
ing the too dark wing bow.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 225
plumage of females than of males, except in the breast and
body. See definition, page 21. Also illustration, Plate 60.
Light Edging. — This fault occurs when the edges which
are not as dense in structure as the body of the feathers are
lighter in color. It is found usually in the back sectiuii of
females, but infrequently in other sections of the females and
in the breast and body of males. See illustration, plate 60.
Foreign Color. — Both black and white are found in the tails
and wings of both sexes. Black is the more common in tails
and secondaries and white in primaries. Both are decidedly
objectionable as the rules for cutting for defects plainly show,
by requiring a cut of from one half a point to the color limit
of the section. Black in the tail is a most common fault and
a little at the base is not dealt with severely. The color it-
self is usually modified, in reality a reddish-brown or brown-
ish black and generally appears in broken field or in large
dots or small spots, and sometimes in a few of the main tail
feathers, but not all. It appears in tails of both sexes. White
is equally objectionable and to some breeders more so than
black and indicates weak color. Individuals that show con-
siderable white in wing or tail are rarely used in breeding,
PLATE 60
BUFF PLYMOUTH ROCKS
Showing (1) shafting in each feather, and (2) light edging.
226
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
though some white might be tolerated, possibly, if the sur-
face color was even and the undercolor strong.
Silver-Gray in Tails. — A peculiar color effect is often seen
in the tails of both sexes of buff varieties. The main tail
feathers of some individuals are entirely silver-gray in color,
while those of others show this shade only on one side of
the quills. Again, it is observed on the rear side of the
tail feathers while the front will appear buff, or nearly buff.
Wings. — Black is found in the wing, generally on the up-
per web of the secondaries, though it is often seen in the
little feathers that cover the bases of the flights. White ap-
pears in both flights and secondaries. Poor health some-
times is accountable for white in plumage of all varieties,
but it is inadvisable to find such an excuse for placing birds
with this defect in the breeding yards. Brownish colored
spots often appear in the flights, a most undesirable character-
istic.
The presence of white is not restricted to the web of the
feather, as the shaft of the flights very commonly shows white
at base. The best specimens of the present day show no
black or white in wings, and but little black and no white in
tails, while occasionally specimens with wings and tail of as
good buff color as any part of the plumage are produced. See
Plate 64 for an illustration of clean, even buff tail feathers.
Tail Plumage of Darker Shades. — Passing from the pres-
ence of black, white, or black and white in tail plumage, we
often find the plumage of this section too dark, though neither
black nor white are present. The color, though dark, re-
sembles buff yet it is plainly not buff, but rather more brown
than the golden shade desired. This shade has been very
aptly termed chestnut, and we have what are commonly
termed chesnut-colored tails. Sometimes that applies very
well to the tail color as a whole but more often as shown
by illustration, Plate 61, it appears in patches on one or more
feathers while the remainder of the feather or feathers may be
buff, as shown in illustration, Plate 63.
Undercolor. — In buff varieties, undercolor is considered
largely from the breeder's standpoint and valued according to
its necessity in breeding the shade and the evenness required
in surface color. However, undercolor is considered im-
portant. It is impossible to breed specimens with undercolor
that is as strong as the surface color. The undercolor should
be buff, but though buff, it is invariably of a much lighter
PLYMOUTH ROCK STAXDARD AXD BREED BOOK 227
shade than the surface. Some of the specimens which show
a splendidly even gold surface of buff are very light in under-
color. This does not prevent such specimens from winning,
however, though a shaft that is buff to the skin is much de-
sired.
PLATE 61
1 2 3
BUFF PLYMOUTH ROCKS
Half-tone from photograph of smaller sickle (1) and tail covert
(2), showing the defect of being marked with "chestnut" color. Also
a tail-covert feather (3) of pure even shade of buff. [See illustration
of complete tail (page 229), showing same defect.] No. 2 shows the
defect of very light undercolor.
228
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
COLOR DEFECTS OF BUFF ROCKS
ACCOUNTED FOR.
After analyzing their ancestry and simply remembering
that all the early strains were subject to the process of amal-
gamation sooner or later, and mostly sooner, we can most
readily account for the prevailing color defects. For every
breeder, no matter how well satisfied with his strain, very
soon recognizes the good qualities of others, and as quickly
PLATE 62
EXTENDED WING OF BUFF PLYMOUTH ROCK MALE
Clear, even shade of buff, with exception of darker shade showing
in front row of feathers on wing bar.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 229
as he discovers a weakness in his own flock acquires in some
way the blood of another that possesses the quality in which
his strain is deficient ; so the blood of all meritorious strains is
quickly passed around and it is well it is so, because then the
variety acquires something of uniformity.
Stock that showed black in tails and wings would naturally
follow from the same ancestry that developed the Rhode Is-
land Reds (The Fall River Buff Rocks). Flecking and
white in the wing and undercolor from Light Brahma. (Wil-
son strain). The same defect would be expected from stock
that contained the White Plymouth Rock blood and the
white blood of both strains would account for light under-
PLATE 63
BUFF PLYMOUTH ROCKS
Half tone from photograph of tail of Buff Plymouth Rock cock
(winner of first at Madison Square Garden, New York, show), show-
ing smaller sickle and larger tail covert marked with chestnut color, a
not uncommon blemish in fine buff colored males. This color is very
much less defective than gray, black or white, in buff varieties.
230
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 64
BUFF PLYMOUTH ROCK TAIL PROPER AND TAIL COVERT,
MALE
Ideal color, even shade of buff throughout.
1. Tail proper.
2. Upper tail proper.
3. Tail covert.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 231
color and unevenness of surface. Silver-gray, which ap-
pears in the tail, would seem to be an admixture of a little
black with considerable white or, perhaps, some buff, com-
parable perhaps to the production of blue plumage sometimes,
sometimes a black and a white mottled plumage by the cross-
ing of white and black birds. The Buff Cochin is the source
from which all buff varieties obtained their color and to the
color defects inherited from other varieties that were not
buff used in creating the Buff Plymouth Rocks must be added
the defects of the Buff Cochins, employed in the various
crosses.
CHAPTER III.
MATING TO PRODUCE BUFF PLUMAGE.
Buff is classed as one of the solid colors, to produce which
breeders seldom employ more than one mating. In the earlier
history of this variety, perhaps fifteen years or more ago,
double mating was practiced.
Early System of Mating. — We find in the early treatises
on breeding buff varieties that advice as to how to double
mate for buff color conforms closely to our ideas of double
mating today. Nowadays, little double mating is done to pro-
duce buff or any solid color. Double mating for buff was ex-
cusable and perhaps advisable in those days, because of the
unsettled condition of the buff variety, their composite char-
acter and short existence, to overcome several glaring faults,
such as dark neck, dark or red shoulders, black in tails and
black in wings, wings and tails in which white was prominent,
a wide difference in color of top and lower sections, and also
a wide difference in color of males and females. The early
breeders had to contend with these and other faults and to
breed them out; and then undercolor was more important in
the eyes of the judge and breeder than now. Is it any won-
der that these early breeders adopted the quick method of
correcting one defect by using its antidote — a defect of op-
posite character to counteract it, and of trying to correct
in one sex at a time, as for instance attempting to produce
sound surface and strong undercolor on the females by breed-
ing males altogether too strong in color, especially in the
shoulders and back? Such males were even then useless as
show birds because of these dark or red sections and the un-
232
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
evenness of the color of their plumage. The early breeders
did succeed, and admirably, in improving color and this im-
provement removed the necessity of double mating.
At present and for some time back, the very best standard
Buff Plymouth Rocks have been produced by the single mat-
ing system, which has been described heretofore as the mat-
ing together of as nearly standard colored specimens of both
sexes as could be procured. A male of ideal color would
make the ideal mate of a female of ideal color, in the opinion
of those breeders who believe in this system, while others on
account of the tendency of buff to lose color, would prefer that
PLATE 65
BUFF PLYMOUTH ROCK
Two hackles, two back and two saddle feathers showing a rich,
even shade of buff throughout surface and undercolor.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 233
one sex or the other in any mating should be a shade or two
darker or richer than that which is regarded as ideal or
standard. Undoubtedly, if standard-colored specimens were
backed with a sufficiently long ancestry of like characteris-
tics, standard-colored specimens of both sexes would to-
gether form ideal matings.
A Composite Variety. — But as related in a previous chap-
ter, the Buff Plymouth Rocks, as well as most of our buff
fowls, are composites of different breeds, varieties and strains,
obviously of birds of different types and colors. Though type
is once established, as it is recognized to be in degree, yet
color remains to be established, and if that, too, is established
in degree also, both must be maintained and furthermore per-
fected. The treatise on type has, however, preceded this
chapter, and we may deal now with color alone, which, from
its composite origin, inherits faulty tendencies to overcome
and offset which becomes the special problem of the breeder.
To Hold Color. — One of the tendencies of buff color is to
become too light or "faded out" as it is often expressed by
breeders of buff varieties, a tendency that we readily under-
stand after a study of the ancestry of the variety. To offset
PLATE 66
BUFF PLYMOUTH ROCK FEMALE
Back and breast feathers. Illustrating the breeding value of rich
buff-colored quill, though undercolor may be very pale buff.
234
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 67
1 2 3 4 5
BUFF PLYMOUTH ROCK COLOR DEFECTS, COMMON IN
WING PRIMARIES OF MALE OR FEMALE
1. Black or brownish black, shading to large portion of buff,
peppered with dark spots where black and buff meet.
2. Largely black at base and along the quill, remainder buff.
3. Buff, with considerable black, shading to gray, with white at
end.
4. Root of feather white and web next to root white, main portion
of webb buff, with white at end.
5. Ideal, clear buff.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 235
PLATE 68
1 2 3 4 5
BUFF PLYMOUTH ROCK COLOR DEFECTS COMMON IN
WING SECONDARIES OF MALE OR FEMALE
1. Black or brownish black, shading to large portion of buff,
peppered with dark spots where black and buff meet.
2. Largely black at base and along quill, remainder buff.
3. Buff with considerable black, shading to gray, with white
at end.
4. Root of feather and web next to root white, main portion of
webb buff, with white at end.
5. Ideal, clear buff.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 237
238
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
this tendency to lose color, breeders often, as stated, select
specimens for one sex in the mating that are a little richer
or stronger in color than that described by the Standard.
Breeders do not find it advisable, however, to go too far in
this direction. Faults and tendencies to faults must be cor-
rected but not over-corrected. The latter is as liable to oc-
cur as is the former.
To Maintain Evenness. — Many faults of the progeny in
color are attributed to too wide a variation in color of the par-
ents. Specimens of extremes of buff color mated together
seldom produce a mean. The progeny are mostly extremes
and seldom are they sound, even colored specimens at that;
patches of dark and light buff are often found on the same
specimens. Mealiness and light or dark edgings are attributed
to the mating of extremes in buff shades. Shaftings in the
plumage of one or both sexes in the mating is due to weak
undercolor of the quill. By reading the preceding chapter,
the undesirability of these characteristics will be clearly under-
stood.
Black in Tails and Wings. — Other expediencies are occa-
sionally resorted to to hold to the desired shade of color. The
impression that the strength of color may be preserved by
breeding males or females that show black in tail and perhaps
in wings has been a common one. On this point, one writer 1
takes the view that buff is largely yellow modified slightly by
red and white, and that black is nowise a component of buff ;
that in choosing one of two evils, black or white, the latter is to
be chosen without hesitation. Among the faults caused by
breeding from specimens that show black are lacing or tick-
ing in necks, black tails, black in wings, smutty undercolor
and a muddy surface color, and it will not counteract white
according to this writer, who further states "you will get
plenty of red and white without breeding for them", but that
either red or white are much more readily bred out than black.
In closing, this breeder gives this advice : "Remember, yellow
and black will not mix and produce a pleasing color, while
yellow, red and white will mix and give you that beautiful
shade called buff." This view has since been taken by other
writers of experience in breeding buff varieties. 2
1. W. W. Browning, book, R. P. J., The Wyandotte.
2. M. F. Delano, The Orpington, R. P. J. A. O. Schilling, A. P. W. for
January, 1913.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
239
Some, of course, differ or have differed with this writer,
and while both opinions are held, it is admitted by all that
black is difficult to breed out and keep out. As for white in
wings and tail, the same may be said, though the amount of
white can be perceptibly reduced from one generation to an-
other by selection.
The correct shade and evenness of color are qualities of
most importance in breeding birds of both sexes. Of the two,
evenness, if the color is not too far removed from the desired
shade, is perhaps the most important, because when per-
sistently selected for generations, this quality will correct such
faults as mealiness, shaftiness, light edging, and finally will
influence the color of main tail feathers and the flights and
secondaries. When selecting specimens for evenness of color,
all sections should match. Such a specimen is hard to find.
The neck may be lighter or darker than the other sections,
and the breast, body and fluff are often lighter than back,
wing and tail. We desire, first, uniformity in the shade of all
sections of the specimen, and then, if the specimen be of
the desired shade, it is desired that the general shade of the
female should match the breast, body and fluff of the male.
Black in tail or wings may be bred out in time. The
breeder should not expect to eliminate any great amount of
this strong colored pigment in one generation. This is often
attempted. There is a general impression that black may be
offset with white. This is, perhaps, true but in a compara-
tively small number of the progeny of matings in which this
expediency was resorted to. By mating birds with black in
plumage to those with white in corresponding sections, blood
that has a tendency to produce black is mingled with blood
that has a tendency to produce white, and the result is blood
that has a strong tendency to produce both black and white
in the plumage ; black in some, white in some, and both
black and white in others.
The breeding out of white involves the same principle.
It should not be offset in matings by using specimens of the
opposite sex that have black in the plumage. A safe rule
and one that produces the most pure buff plumage in the in-
dividual and the most buff in individuals of number, is to off-
set either black or white by selecting for the breeding speci-
mens of each successive generation those in which these
undesirable colors are not present, or those with as little of
either as possible.
240
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
1 PLATE 71 2
3 4
ILLUSTRATING FOUR MODERN BUFF PLYMOUTH ROCK
FEMALES
1, 3. Winners at Chicago (Fanciers' Show). 2. Winner at New
York (Palace). 4. Winner at New York (Garden).
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 241
1 PLATE 72 2
3 4
ILLUSTRATING FOUR PERIODS IN PROGRESS OF BUFF
PLYMOUTH ROCK MALES
1, 2, 4. Winners at New York (Garden). 3. Winner at Chicago
(Fanciers' Show).
242
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
CHAPTER IV.
MATINGS.
To summarize from the foregoing, the best mating for
color viewed in the light of the most modern thought would
be the one that included the best colored specimens, that is,
those that have the required standard shade of buff, the
most even from head to hock and tip of tail. This descrip-
tion implies absolute absence of black, white or any foreign
color, and of mealiness and shaftiness as well.
This is practically the method of mating that the best
breeders employ at the present time, but it is subject to one
modification, which some breeders use to protect themselves
against loss of color. To hold to the rich, golden shade and
to prevent a relapse to lemon, cream and other undesirable
shades formerly common, breeders use matings in which the
male is one or perhaps two slight shades richer than what is
generally considered "rich, golden buff." Sometimes the
strength of color is maintained by the matings first described
with standard buff males and females for the greater num-
ber, and a lesser number of females that are a shade or possibly
two shades richer than standard buff. For evenness of color
and other requisites, such females must be fully as desirable
as standard specimens.
Specimens that approach the cinnamon shades or those
that are muddy or brown to the slightest degree are not tol-
erated in the matings by any recognized breeder of the high-
est class.
Undercolor is secondary . to surface color in buff varieties,
and while quite perceptibly lighter than the latter, some
strength is demanded in all specimens that are selected for
breeding birds. The quill particularly is required to be buff
to the skin and as near in shade to the surface color as it is
possible to select, other things being equal. By breeding
from such specimens, shaftiness is eliminated or reduced to
the minimum.
These methods of breeding are comparable with the prin-
ciple of single or standard matings and it is from such that
the best Buff Plymouth Rocks of today are produced.
SECTION V.
CHAPTER I.
SILVER-PENCILED PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
THE ORIGIN AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT.
HE first Silver-Penciled Plmouth Rocks came from the
Cornell line of penciled fowls. While that gentleman
was developing a Silver-Penciled Wyandotte, both Mr.
Cornell and Mr. Shey, who had charge of Valleyview Farm at
Ithaca, New York, sent to Elmwood Farm single comb speci-
mens from their flocks. These were mated by George B. Ran-
dolph, the owner of Elmwood Farm, with some single-comb
specimens of the same strain that he had hatched and reared
at Elmwood.
It was in the year of 1894 that Mr. Ezra Cornell of
Ithaca, N. Y., became interested with Mr. George H. Brack-
enbury of Auburn, N. Y., in producing a Silver-Penciled Wy-
andotte. Mr. Brackenbury had, prior to this, made a cross
of a Golden-Penciled (Partridge) Wyandotte male with a
Dark Brahma hen. Mr. Cornell selected a Silver-Laced
"Wyandotte male, which he mated with a Silver-Penciled Ham-
burg female. He also mated a Dark Brahma hen of the New-
ton Adams strain with this Silver-Laced Wyandotte male.
Some of the pullets from both of these hens were mated to
the Silver-Laced Wyandotte male and other pullets from the
same hens and to some of the progeny produced by Mr.
Brackenbury from his mating of the Golden-Penciled male
with the Dark Brahma female.
Then Mr. Cornell gave some of the progeny from these
matings to Elmwood Farm, Weston, N. J., from which was
bred the Silver-Penciled Wyandotte female illustrated by Mr.
Sewell in the American Poultry Journal and in the Reliable
Poultry Journal of January, 1902. This female shows plainly
the Brahma shape. Some of the pullets from the same lot of
fowls had single combs. Mr. Cornell and later Mr. Wyckoff
through Dennis Shey, sent a single-comb male and two single-
comb females from their flock to Elmwood Farm. These,
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
with eight or ten others, were turned out at free range on the
farm and for three years were bred under these conditions.
The poorest of those produced each year were culled out and
sold to market, until finally there were ten or twelve females
and one male that were good enough in shape to be called
Plymouth Rocks. The females were beautifully penciled and
had backs and tails that were typical of the Plymouth Rocks.
This flock and their offspring were sold to James Forsyth of
Owego, N. Y., and by him to Mr. F. E. Corey of Ossining,
New York.
Another strain of Silver-Penciled Plymouth Rocks was
made by the mingling of Dark Brahmas, Silver-Grey Dork-
ings and Mottled Javas. It was asserted at this time that
this was the only true strain of Penciled Plymouth Rocks,
but just why anyone should claim that a mixture of this kind
had or could produce true Plymouth Rock is far from clear.
The claim is made ridiculous by the fact that the strain created
in this way used some of the original Elmwood stock in its
make-up, as many of the Penciled Plymouth Rocks from Elm-
wood Farm went to breeders of the Brahma-Dorking-Java
strain.
The best of all the Silver-Penciled Plymouth Rocks can be
traced to the Dark Brahma females supplied by Newton
Adams. Many of the best females of this variety now have
very much the same shape as the Brahma female ancestors.
The hens used were rich in color, beautifully penciled and fair-
ly close feathered. Indeed, as compared with the Light
Brahmas of today they were closely feathered. The question
of egg production and the size of the egg produced has been
used as proof for or against the quality of the fowls. The
originals of this variety that were sold from Elmwood Farm
to James Forsyth were of good size ; they had fairly good
Plymouth Rock shape ; they had good color and markings ;
they were prolific layers ; and their eggs averaged more than
two ounces each. (T. F. McG.)
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 245
CHAPTER II.
SILVER-PENCILED PLYMOUTH ROCK
PLUMAGE.
STANDARD DESCRIPTION.
Disqualifications.
Shanks and toes other than yellow or dusky yellow. (See
general and Plymouth Rock disqualifications.)
COLOR OF MALE.
Head. — Plumage, silvery white.
Beak. — Yellow or dusky yellow.
Eyes. — Reddish-bay.
Comb, Face, Wattles and Ear-Lobes. — Bright red.
Neck. — Hackle, web of feather, solid, lustrous greenish-
black, with a narrow edging of silvery white, uniform in
width, extending around point of feather ; shafts, black ; plum-
age in front of hackle, black.
Wings. — Bows, silvery white ; coverts, lustrous greenish-
black, forming a well defined bar of this color across wings
when folded ; primaries, black except a narrow edging of white
on lower edge of lower webs ; secondaries, black, except lower
half of lower webs which should be white, except near end of
feathers at which points the white terminates abruptly leav-
ing end of feathers black.
Back. — Silvery white, free from brown; saddle, silvery
white, with a black stripe in each feather, tapering to a point
near its lower extremity.
Tail. — Black; sickles and coverts, lustrous greenish-black;
smaller coverts, lustrous greenish-black edged with white.
Breast — Black.
Body and Fluff. — Body, black; fluff, black slightly tinged
with gray.
Legs and Toes. — Thighs, black ; shanks and toes, yellow or
dusky yellow.
Under-Color of All Sections. — Slate.
COLOR OF FEMALE.
Head. — Plumage, silvery gray.
Beak. — Yellow or dusky yellow.
Eyes — Reddish-bay.
246
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 73
SILVER-PENCILED PLYMOUTH ROCK MALE
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 247
PLATE 74
SILVER-PENCILED PLYMOUTH ROCK FEMALE
248
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Comb, Face, Wattles and Ear-Lobes. — Bright red.
Neck. — Silvery white; center portion of feathers, black
slightly penciled with gray ; feathers in front of neck, same
as breast.
Wings. — Shoulders, bows and coverts, gray with distinct
dark pencilings, outlines of which conform to shape of feath-
ers ; primaries, black with narrow edge of gray penciling on
lower webs ; secondaries, upper webs, black, lower webs, gray
with distinct dark pencilings extending around outer edge of
feathers.
Back. — Gray, with distinct dark pencilings, outlines of
which conform to shape of feather ; feathers, free from white
shafting.
Tail. — Black, except the two top feathers, which are pen-
ciled on upper edge ; coverts, gray, with distinct dark pen-
cilings, outlines of which conform to shape of feather.
Breast. — Gray, with distinct dark pencilings, outlines of
which conform to shape of feather.
Body and Fluff. — Body, gray, with distinct dark pencil-
ings, reaching well down on thighs ; fluff, gray, penciled with
a darker shade.
Legs and Toes. — Thighs, gray, with distinct pencilings ;
shanks and toes, yellow or dusky yellow.
Under-Color of All Sections. — Slate.
Note. — Each feather in back, breast, body, wing-bows and
thighs to have three or more distinct pencilings.
CHAPTER III.
DESCRIPTION OF PLUMAGE.
The Silver-Penciled Plymouth Rock should have the same
size, shape and body proportions as other Plymouth Rocks,
and the same color and markings as the Dark Brahma.
The combination of silvery white and black in the male
and silvery white, gray and black in the female is pleasant
to the eye. When of fine quality there is no other fowl more
beautiful when at her best and when shown in perfect con-
dition.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 249
PLATE 75
12 3 4
FEMALE, WING FEATHERS FROM WELL MARKED
SPECIMENS
Male: 1. Primary. 2. Secondary.
Female: 3. Primary. 4. Secondary.
THE MALE.
The silvery white top color of the male forms a covering
for the black in breast and underbody color. The lower edge
line of the silvery white extends to the point of the breast
and follows the fold of the wing-bow back to the extreme point
250
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
of the wing which, when properly folded, is hidden beneath
the lower line of the saddle plumage and the plumage of the
upper part of the abdomen. This top color should be clear
silvery white, that is, striped in hackle and in saddle with
lustrous black. The wording of the Standard is : "Head plum-
age, silvery white ; hackle, solid lustrous greenish-black with
a narrow edge of silvery white, uniform in width, extending
around point of feather; plumage in front of the hackle, 1 lack;
shank and toe, yellow or dusky yellow."
Hackle. — In plainer language, this means that the hackle
feathers and the saddle feathers of the male shall have a
black stripe extending almost to the point of the feather;
this black should be completely surrounded with silvery white.
"Plumage in front of hackle, black," means that if you part
the hackle in the center below the beak, you will find that
the black feathers of the breast extend up to the throat; thus
the plumage in front of the hackle is black.
Wings. — The bows of the wings are silvery white, The
wing-coverts are lustrous, greenish-black, forming a well-
defined bar of black across the folded wing. The primaries of
the wing are black with a narrow edge of white on the lower
edge of the lower web of the feather. The secondaries of
the wing are black, excepting the lower half, which should be
white. The ends of these feathers are black. See illustration,
Plate 75.
Back and Saddle. — The back, from beneath the hackle and
almost to the end of the saddle, is silvery white. The striped
feathers of the saddle extend up and over the sickle feathers,
the silvery white plumage of the back merging into these
striped feathers.
Tail. — The main tail feathers are black, and the sickles and
tail-coverts are black emblazoned with a lustrous greenish
sheen. This sheen must have a greenish-black and not a
purplish shade, which is most undesirable.
Breast. — The breast, the body, the underbody plumage
about the thighs and the fluff are black; the latter may be
slightly tinged with gray.
Undercolor. — Undercolor in all sections should be slate.
The same shade of undercolor is desirable in the females for
breeding.
Toes. — Shanks and toes are yellow or dusky yellow.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 251
THE FEMALE.
The best quality of female must have an even shade of
gray throughout. Each feather of back, wing-bow and coverts,
tail-coverts, breast and body, should be penciled with a darker
shade, which is described as dark penciling; it should not be
black, because this destroys the even shade of gray so desir-
able in the plumage of the female of this variety. The Stan-
dard requires gray, with distinct dark pencilings, outlines of
which conform to shape of feather; the feathers should be
free from white shafting. This would indicate that the female
should be of a gray shade, penciled with a darker shade deep
enough in color to show the outlines distinctly, and these out-
lines must conform to the shape of the feather. The breast
of the female, while usually somewhat lighter in shade just
below the throat, should deepen into the same shade of color
down under the body and between the thighs. While the
fluff is gray penciled with a darker shade in some specimens,
the shade is with most specimens lighter than in the body
plumage.
The penciling of the feathers of the breast and body, the
wing-bows, and the thighs should have at least three distinct
rows. Some of the feathers on some specimens have even
more than this. For illustrations, see Plates 76, 77, 78.
The Neck. — The neck plumage should be silvery white;
the center portion of each feather black, slightly penciled with
gray; the feathers in front of the neck like those on the breast.
The black centers of the neck feathers should be almost as
large as the feather and edged with silvery white. The neck
plumage of the finest females are frequently penciled almost
as distinctly as are the feathers of the back. See illustration,
Plate 80, page 257.
Wings. — Besides the shoulders, bows and coverts, the
color and markings of which conform with those of breast and
back and have already been described, the primaries and sec-
ondaries should be considered when commendable, primaries
are black with a narrow but distinct single line of gray on
the edge of the lower web. A correctly marked female flight
feather is shown in Plate 79. The outer web of each of the
longer secondaries should be penciled with gray in lines which
run parallel with the lower or outer edge of the feather. The
shorter ones or those nearest the body should be penciled on
that portion of the feather that is exposed to view when held
252
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLYMOUTH ROCK STAXDARD AXD BREED BOOK
253
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 255
in its natural position or, in other words, on the surface.
Plate 79 shows an illustration of one of the longer secondaries.
Shank and Toes. — Shanks and toes are yellow or dusky yel-
low.
The best surface color in females and the best markings
are associated with a lighter shade of undercolor. (T. F. McG.)
CHAPTER IV.
MATING SILVER-PENCILED PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
It should be well understood that the first step for breed-
ing this variety must be the selection for proper size, shape,
and general requirements for the breed.
But, in addition to this, color must have more than ordi-
nary consideration. There are two systems practiced in the
breeding of Dark Brahmas, and the same may be followed in
the breeding of this variety of Plymouth Rocks which corre-
sponds with the former in plumage. It is needless to say
more than has been said under these subjects in Part II
on line-breeding, in-breeding and double-mating, or on the
general laws of breeding. These three methods of single, inter-
mediate and double mating seem open to breeders of this
variety with good promise of success.
Single Mating. — The simplest and perhaps the best plan
to follow is to mate together continually, year after year,
the very best show specimens that are produced in each flock.
Two Female Color Types. — A system of double mating can
be practiced in one pen of fowls by hailing a male that pos-
sesses show qualities to a marked degree mated with three
or more females that are perfect or nearly perfect, according
to the Standard description for the female of this variety,
while in this same pen can be kept one hen or more for the
purpose of producing exhibition males. This hen must be a
direct descendant for at least two years, and if for longer she
is much better for the purpose, from a cockerel breeding line ;
that is, by knowing the male and females that produce, each
specimen you can select the hen that produces the best cock-
erel and mate her or her offspring year by year with the best
male that is produced from the female line referred to i.i Part
II as the Intermediate Mating.
256
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Double Mating. — For extreme double mating, select the
hens that have produced the best exhibition males and mate
them with the best exhibition male that you have or that you
can secure. Toe-mark all the chicks from this mating and
from them establish a cockerel breeding line ; keep them
separate and apart and use them only for producing male
birds for the exhibition. This line should be as carefully sep-
arated as are the matings to produce cockerels in the Barred
variety.
PLATE 79
1 2 3 4 5
SILVER-PENCILED PLYMOUTH ROCKS, FEATHERS OF
FEMALES
1. Wing primary. 2. Wing secondary. 3. Lower main tail.
4. Upper main tail. 5. Top tail feather
(Best obtainable.)
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 257
To produce females of the most beautiful color and mark-
ings, the best hens should be mated with a male descendant
from an exhibition female. The offspring from this mating
should be kept separate and be mated together continually
year after year; the best females so obtained should be mated
with the best males that are produced from this same line of
breeding.
PLATE 80
12 3 4
SILVER-PENCILED PLYMOUTH ROCKS
NECK FEATHERS OF FEMALES
Solid, for producing best ex- Penciled, as seen on females,
hibition males. for producing females with best
penciled body sections.
1-2. Solid black stripe, necessar}^ to produce Standard exhibition
colored hackles on males,
3-4." Penciled stripe, as found on females possessing the finest
penciling over breast, back, wing and body sections, necessary to pro-
duce the best exhibition colored females.
Note: — This section, neck, presents the most marked variance
in plumage of the females of the cockerel-breeding and pullet-breed-
ing lines. A solid black stripe in hackle, especially in the lower portion
of the lower or longest hackle feathers, is required and very much
desired in an exhibition male. To obtain such, it is generally neces-
sary to breed from females that possess the same character. — (Ed.)
258 AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 81
SILVER-PENCILED PLYMOUTH ROCK
Illustrating defects in color of male as follows:
Hackle — Weak in striping.
Shoulders — Irregularly splashed with black.
Wing-Bows — Splashed with black markings.
Wing-Bars — Splashed with white.
Wing-Primaries — White at root, also white at tips.
Primary Coverts — White tips.
Wing-Secondaries — White edging in upper secondaries, very ir-
regular.
Saddle Feathers — Weak, indefinite striping.
Tail-Coverts — Stripe too weak, laced edging irregular.
Tail, Sickles and Smaller Sickles — White at root.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
PLATE 82
259
SILVER-PENCILED PLYMOUTH ROCK
Markings on a high-class Standard-bred male:
Head, Back and Wing-Bows — Clear, silvery white.
Hackle — Each feather showing clear black striping and silvery white edging.
Wings — Fronts black ; wing-bars, glossy, greenish black.
Primaries and Primary Coverts — Black, edged on lower side with silvery white.
Secondaries — Regularly bordered to form white surface, when folded, except
upper wing-coverts, where black predominates.
Saddle — -Each feather clearly striped with black, edged with silvery white.
Tail-Coverts — Black, edged with silvery white.
Tail and all Sickles — Glossy, greenish black.
Breast — Glossy, greenish black.
Body— Black.
260
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 83
SILVER-PENCILED PLYMOUTH ROCK
Illustrating defective female color, as follows:
Neck feathers weak in striping.
Back, wing-bows and fluff irregularly and coarsely penciled.
Shafting showing on the wing-bows; many feathers in back and
fluff not penciled; penciling lacking in secondaries.
Primaries do not show the correct gray edging; splashes of white
and gray at ends of primaries.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STAXDARD AXD BREED BOOK 261
PLATE 84
SILVER-PENCILED PLYMOUTH ROCK
Markings on a high-class. Standard-bred female.
Head — Silvery gray.
Xeck — Silvery white, black stripe penciled with gray.
Wing Primaries — Black, lower edge penciled with gray.
Tail Proper — Black, penciled with gray.
All remaining plumage silver-gray, with distinct dark pencilings,
outlines of which conform very closely to shape of feathers. The
light and dark pencilings as nearly as possible equal in width, giving a
steely gray effect, free from buff or brownish color in any part.
262
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
The chicks from both these lines must be toe-marked for
identification. The males and females from the one line must
be used for breeding cockerels and cockerel-breeding pullets;
the males and females from the other line for producing exhi-
bition females and pullet-breeding males.
Whenever it may be necessary to introduce new blood
into either one of these lines, the best hen that can be secured
from an outside strain that produces good specimens ran be
introduced into the flock. She can be mated first with the
male breeding line and a clutch of eggs secured, which can be
hatched and reared by a mother hen. The best females pro-
duced from this mating should be mated back to the male
that produced them. If good specimens of both male and
female come from the second mating, it will be safe to breed
this new line into the cockerel line that has been established.
From the same hen mated to the best pullet-bred cockerel
eggs may be secured and hatched in like manner, and the best
pullets from this mating re-mated to the male that produced
them. The offspring produced from the second mating may
be bred into the pullet-bred line. (T. F. McG.)
CHAPTER V.
PLUMAGE DEFECTS AND HOW TO
OVERCOME THEM.
The influence of the Partridge Cochin that was bred years
ago into the Dark Brahma, and that of the Partridge Cochin
bred into the Penciled Wyandottes have cast their shadow
over the plumage of all American varieties of silver-penciled
fowls. Although the cross of the Partridge Cochin was made
with the Dark Brahmas almost fifty years ago, the shading
of reddish-brown continues to come into the plumage of both
the male and the female of the Dark Brahmas, and while
there is much less now than formerly, it still exists.
The cross of the Partridge Cochin with the Penciled Wyan-
dottes came in the original process of the penciled varieties. A
female of the Golden-Penciled or Partridge variety was
crossed into the Silver-Penciled variety to improve color and
markings. This was the mistake that was made by one of the
most successful breeders, and the one who is credited really
with the best accomplishments toward the establishment of
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 263
Silver-Penciled Wyandottes. The Silver-Penciled Plymouth
Rocks having descended from the same line of breeding, carry
with them more or less of this influence, from which reddish-
brown or brick color is, at times, found in the plumage. This
color shows much more plainly in both the male and female
while they still have their chick feathers.
Perhaps it is this same influence that brings brassiness in
males and dark shading in the shanks of both males and fe-
males. Both of these defects are to be deplored; yet they
exist, and it requires considerable care and judgment to pre-
vent their increasing or to keep them entirely out of the plu-
mage of both sexes. Brassiness in the top plumage of the males
detracts considerably from their appearance, and renders them
unfit for use in the breeding pen. This same influence makes
it more difficult to produce clean, clear gray or silver gray in
the female.
Other defects that must be avoided are : Too much pencil-
ing in the neck feathers of the female, any penciling in the
neck of the male, and too much white in the wings of the
male. Some of the best females of this variety have almost
as much penciling in their neck feathers as in the body plu-
mage ; this shows an excessive amount of penciling and
detracts from their quality as exhibition specimens. Such
females may be safely bred to a male not so strongly pen-
ciled and they may produce females better than they are
themselves ; but there is danger from the use of such females,
because, where the lines are not kept perfect, injury may be
done to an almost perfect male breeding strain by bringing
this penciling into the neck and plumage of both the male and
the female of that strain. There is also danger of losing the
desired penciling in the females unless the lines are kept true
to blood.
White in Wings. — Too much white in the feathers of the
wings of the male is apt to come from the female line, especial-
ly so if light gray or white undercolor is present in the female
plumage. To produce males with almost perfect wings re-
quires the use of both males and females that have slate under-
color. See illustration, Plate 81
The Lower Fluff. — Perhaps the most difficult problem is to
obtain females with even fairly good penciling in the fluff of
the plumage that covers the abdomen. To have this to any
extent requires extreme care and watchfulness of the breeding
264
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 85
SILVER-PENCILED PLYMOUTH ROCKS
Typical modern winning males. Typical modern winning females
At Madison Square Garden, New York, Dec. 29, 1916-Jan. 3, 1917.
2nd Cock. 1st Pullet. 1st Cock. 1st Hen.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 265
lines with the object of producing beautiful color markings or
pencilings in the feathers throughout the entire body.
The Tail Feathers. — Some of the most exquisitely penciled
females, especially in the Dark Brahmas, have gray markings
in the greater part of all the main-tail feathers. In some in-
stances these pencilings will show in the smaller sickles and
coverts of the male, as well as in the breast and body plu-
mage. These same defects will show in the Silver-Penciled
Plymouth Rock males that are bred strongly in the female
producing line, and while such are excellent for breeding
pullets, they would not be likely to win prizes in the show
room. (T. F. McG.)
One of the best examples of the possibility of penciling
in the neck plumage will be seen in the illustration of the
Dark Brahma female, in the Standard of Perfection of 1915.
Less of it is shown in the Silver-Penciled Plymouth Rock fe-
male of the same Standard ; and while the Standard prescribes
that the central portion of the neck feathers of the female
shall be black, slightly penciled with gray, the illustrations
themselves admit that more of this may come than is de-
scribed by the Standard description. See illustration, Plate 80.
(Note. — There is a growing tendency among breeders of
both Silver-Penciled and Partridge varieties to allow the pen-
ciling in the neck feathers of the female to become stronger
and more pronounced, provided they secure the desired pen-
ciling on the feathers of the other sections. The art of breed-
ing correct penciling is very similar with both colors, the
Silver-Penciled and the Partridge, and most of the lessons
taught in either chapter in this work may be applied to the
breeding of either of the penciled varieties. — Ed.)
SECTION VI.
CHAPTER I.
PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
ORIGIN AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT.
HE rich, warm colors as exemplified by the red and black
color patterns of the Partridge varieties of our Standard-
bred fowls never fail to win the admiration of all lovers
of the beautiful in animal life. The combined warmth and
richness of the brilliant-red and glossy-black of Partridge
males is quite sufficient to arouse the interest of any person
who has the slightest admiration for feathered pets. None
the less attractive, and to many even more so, are the unique
and strikingly beautiful markings of the female sex in the
charming contrast of rich maghogany-brown and black.
Further consideration of the intricacies of this color pat-
tern increases the interest of the student at a pace which ac-
celerates the more rapidly as these complexities are under-
stood. The breeding problems, especially when breeding is
pursued for any length of time and with any degree of suc-
cess, become so all absorbing that many continue the fasci-
nating work for life or until some vital occurrence prevents.
It is not strange, then, that we find admirers of several
breeds of acknowledged intrinsic merit, of which the Plym-
outh Rock is an example, endeavoring to make what is known
to be serviceable beautiful at the same time, by transcribing
the color and markings of the oldest and best known ex-
ponent of this particular type of beauty, the Partridge Cochin,
to breeds of different types and temperaments. Such was the
incentive behind the originators and early breeders of Par-
tridge Plymouth Rocks, though to accomplish this self-
imposed task they adopted different methods and used some-
what different means.
The Origin. — It is always difficult to say just who was the
first to begin the development of any breed, for in nearly all
instances several breeders are imbued with an idea at about
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
267
the same time. Only a few months or, at the most, a year or
two separates them at the starting points. It takes several
years to attract popular attention, and by that time a matter
of a year or two in priority is difficult to determine. After the
advent of the Partridge Wyandotte it was but natural that a
Partridge Plymouth Rock should suggest itself to someone;
and if to one, why not to several persons? And that appears
to be just what occurred, for we find records of two or three
early strains that were developed in the East, and one that was
originated and developed in the West, all of which became very
prominent. The incentive in the latter case was the admira-
tion or love of the originator of this strain for the Partridge
plumage combined with the desire or necessity of keeping a
variety that would develop flesh rapidly and that would pro-
duce large egg yields. This line was originated, developed,
and bred for many years by S. A. Noftzger of Indiana, and
for the following facts and particulars we are indebted to
him.
(Note. — We find this story corroborated in several other
publications. See catalogue of Mr. M. N. Perkins, of Freeport,
Illinois.)
THE NOFTZGER STRAIN.
Acting upon the incentive just related, Partridge Cochin
females of scanty leg-feathering, which had proved to be great
layers, were selected as the foundation from which to derive
the Partridge plumage. The first cross was with a Cornish
male, then called Indian Game. The following account is
given in Mr. Noftzger's own words, excepting for a few minor
alterations in language.
The Original Cross. — "The first matings were made in
1898, and consisted of scantily feathered Partridge Cochin
females and Indian Game males. The female offspring from
this first cross were mated (in 1899) to Golden Wyandotte
males, most of which were single-comb sports. The young of
this second cross were then, in 1900, mated back to the oppo-
site sex that were bred from the original scantily feathered
Partridge Cochins.
"The result of the first cross was quite satisfactory in some
respects, but simply disheartening in others. It was wonder-
ful how the feathers disappeared from the shanks, some of the
first cross being almost free from feathers on legs, but nearly
every one had the shape and high station of the Game, besides
268
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
the males were almost black in hackle and saddle, and the
females inclined to open lacing.
The Second Year. — "How to overcome these defects was
the problem of the second year. In order to get brighter
color, Golden Wyandotte males were used, even in prefer-
ence to Partridge Wyandotte males, because the latter were
then so dark and devoid of bright color as to make them very
undesirable to use with fowls already too black. The major-
ity of these were good in eyes, legs and top color. They were
mated principally in pairs and trios, but one or two of the
most desirable males were given an extra female. Some of
these cockerels had fairly good combs, but most of them
either had side sprigs or very irregular combs with too many
serrations.
''The results from the second year's matings were sur-
prising. The cockerel line had been improved at the expense
of the female penciling. For the first time clay breasts ap-
peared in plenty among the females, but now fowls with even
stubs were not much in the majority, and shape as well as
male color, except in breast and body color, which were some-
what mottled in many cases, was greatly improved.
The Third Year. — "Aside from color difficulties much
trouble was found in selecting enough breeding fowls with
fairly good combs for the third year's matings, for it was
fully determined to use only the foundation stock. For, while
some of the matings of the past year had resulted in fairly
good colored birds of one sex, there were but few that im-
proved the color in both sexes (reader should note here the
first inclination to single matings) and strange as it may
seem, most were troubled with stubs on shanks and toes.
"The third year nine matings were made, but as all the
progeny of three pens were sent to market we have to do
with but six. It might be well to add that each subsequent
year the number of matings that figured in the production of
the Partridge Plymouth Rock fowl had a tendency to grow
less, showing conclusively the wisdom of carrying as many
matings as possible at the early stages of a new breed of parti-
colored fowls. For the originator must become more critical
and may eliminate the ofTspring of whole pens in order to ad-
vance rapidly. In time it is wise to reject some of the parent
fowls for breeders, but not until the desired characteristics
are somewhat established, and only close observation can
assist in determining when to do this.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 269
Produced Exhibition Quality. — "The progeny of the six
fairly successful matings of 1900 showed better color of both
sexes as a rule and some improvement in comb. At the end
of this season several specimens of each sex were exhibited
at small poultry shows, attracted some attention, and several
sales were made.
"Realizing the necessity of a sufficient number of matings
in order to improve rapidly, ten pens were mated in 1901,
using cock birds and hens for the first time. Special atten-
tion was given to shape in these matings, with the result that
little advancement was made in color, but the improvement
in shape was noticeable. This year was quite discouraging,
and much of the stock was marketed. On the other hand,
there was considerable interest shown in the Partridge Plym-
outh Rock and a number of matings were sold. Some of the
very best of these were placed in this vicinity, as it was evi-
dent that their offspring might subsequently be of value in
getting 'new blood' for future matings.
More Satisfactory Results. — "A few of the fowls produced
in 1904 were quite satisfactory. There were now some pretty
good colored males and fair colored females. As a whole
they were much better in Rock shape than previously. Several
birds were sold for breeding purposes.
"For 1905, six matings were made, using two of the cock
birds, which had proved to be fine breeders, and four cockerels,
two each from these two cock birds. With each male were
from two to four females. In one of these pens a single-comb
Partridge Wyandotte pullet was placed, keeping her eggs
separated and carefully marking all her chicks, as had been
done with all from the beginning.
"The result this year showed that blood began to tell, for
the males not only improved, but there were actually some
good Partridge colored females, while with the exception of
the chicks from the Wyandotte sport they were fairly good
in shape. These youngsters were culled down very closely,
although real culls were now in the minority, and every chick
with stubs, with other than good shape or with a poor comb
was discarded. The chicks from the Wyandotte sport, to-
gether with their mother, were all disposed of, as most of them
had dark legs and very few of them even passable shape,
so they were considered worthless as breeders.
"At minor shows where a few of the best specimens were
placed on exhibition, the judges complimented their quality,
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
and for the first time encouragement was received from ex-
pert authority. This year inquiries came for the new variety,
and some nice specimens were mated and sold at good prices.
During the year Partridge Plymouth Rock fowls were shipped
to five different states.
Quality Is Established. — "Eight matings of quite respect-
able quality were made for 1906. The breeders were actually
selected for standard requirements and in several of the pens
as many as five females were used. Even this number in-
dicated great progress. Those now chosen were of good shape
and color, and had good bay eyes, as a rule. Owing to the
foundation stock used, no difficulty had been experienced with
leg color, so the chicks showed on the whole by far more im-
provement than at any previous year and were quite even in
quality. Breeding fowls for next year were selected from
all these pens. Interest in the new fowls was growing rapidly,
sales increased proportionately and show birds began to sell.
"For 1907 ten pens were mated, using sixty females, and
the new breed made the greatest progress in its history. This
was natural, however, as several of the matings were headed
by males richer in color than the Wyandottes, and the females
were the equal of the other breeds in this respect, while in
eyes and legs the new breed was better than either Partridge
Cochins or Partridge Wyandottes. From these matings many
fine specimens were produced.
"In one flock of youngsters, hatched from April first to
April fourteenth, 1906, there were just twenty-four pullets,
the quality of which was such that every pullet was used for
breeding purposes.
"For 1908 fourteen matings were made. These pens pro-
duced over a hundred choice show fowls, besides numerous
winners for minor shows, and a number of fine show birds
won in the hands of fanciers at America's leading exhibi-
tions. Judges unhesitatingly approved of them. There might
have been a shorter road to success. It may be that the Par-
tridge Plymouth Rock could have been produced in less time,
by simply taking the American Partridge Cochin and breed-
ing the feathers from the shanks, selecting from time to time
the specimens with least feathers on legs for the breeders. It
is noticeable that as the feathers disappear from the legs of
fowls there is a tendency of the cushions and the depth of
breast to go with them so that it would have been compara-
tively easy to have perfected Plymouth Rock shape in this
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 271
way. Or, at the start, by taking Partridge Wyandotte Sports,
the path might have been temporarily strewn with roses at
many places where there were thorns only, but in that event
we would have not have had the true Partridge Rock today."
THE EASTERN STRAINS.
While this new variety was being developed as related
above in the West, Indiana being regarded in New England
and New York as the West, in consequence of which the
Noftzger strain is known in the East as the Western strain,
it was also undergoing the ordeals of a formative period in
the eastern states, New York and Pennsylvania surely, if not
in others.
George H. Brackenbury of Auburn, N. Y., who was so
prominent in the origin and development of the Partridge and
Silver-Penciled Wyandottes, in the American Fancier of Jan-
uary 1900-1901, credits E. O. Thiem with being the first to
breed this variety, but states that he had some time before
discontinued and gives real credit to Dr. W. C. Crocker of
Foxboro, Mass., with being the first to establish a true strain
of Partridge Plymouth Rocks. W. F. Fotterall, the owner
of Hillcrest Farm, also credits the same party, but states that
the first he ever saw were shown by R. G. Buffington of Fall
River, Mass. Mr. Buffington's name appears in other pages
of this work as one of the originators or early breeders of
Buff Plymouth Rocks. Originating or developing a new
variety was a constant occupation of Mr. Buffington's through-
out life.
The Dr. Crocker referred to relates his experience in the
Poultry Tribune of 1904. From this it appears that he had
bred Partridge Cochins in the early seventies, 1870, and while
he admired their plumage, he came to the conclusion that
he wanted an up-to-date American fowl and formed a con-
ception of his ideal. As he told it, "It was one with the beau-
tiful plumage of the Partridge Cochins, but without feathers
on the shank to be draggled in the mud and filth, and second,
my ideal fowl must be an active, up-to-date, wide-awake Amer-
ican fowl, and not so lazy that it had to be put to bed on
the roost every night."
Dropping the breeding of poultry for a few years. Dr.
Crocker in 1899 took up the project of creating his ideal fowl
as above outlined. He began with two Partridge Cochins.
272
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
From these accounts it appears that the honor of originat-
ing Partridge Plymouth Rocks is really divided between the
Eastern and Western strains, as they were afterwards known,
or the Crocker and Noftzger strains. According to these ac-
counts, Mr. Noftzger made the first mating with a Partridge
Plymouth Rock in mind only one year before Dr. Crocker
began breeding with the same ideal in mind. YYe are very
fortunate to have these accounts by the originators them-
selves, preserved in such a manner that certain uncertainties
that hang over the ancestry of some of our American varieties
do not obscure the lineage of this one.
One strain is Partridge Cochins, Dark Cornish and Golden
Wyandottes together, while the other is a composite of Par-
tridge Cochin, Golden Wyandotte, Brown Leghorn and
Golden-Penciled Hamburg blood. The former would seem
to be superior in flesh and the latter in laying qualities, as
it has the blood of two of the best of laying breeds in its make-
up. Partridge Cochin blood was so predominant in both,
however, that one should expect a very great resemblance to
that variety in form as well as in color.
OTHER EASTERN STRAINS.
Though not real originators, but still so intimately as-
sociated with the early development of this variety and so
nearly contemporary with the originators that they are
classed as pioneers, are several other breeders who were
making Partridge Plymouth Rocks by methods of their own
very soon after Crocker and Noftzger had started theirs.
Among these, the most prominent, perhaps, and one that was
exhibited constantly until very recently, was the Hillcrest
Strain.
THE HILLCREST STRAIN.
This strain was created and developed by W. F. Fotterall,
of Philadelphia, on his estate at Oakland, Pa. Mr. Fotterall
states that prior to 1902 he had tried to produce Partridge
Plymouth Rocks by several different crosses. Finally, two
crosses, first, Brown Leghorn and Partridge Cochins, and
second, Barred Plymouth Rocks and Partridge Cochins were
made, and the progeny mated together the following year.
The females obtained from this mating were then mated with
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 273
a cock bird that was a cross of Brown Leghorn with Par-
tridge Cochin.
At this stage Mr. Fotterall bred birds obtained from
Buffington and others with his own up to within less than a
decade.
THE HAGEMAN STRAIN.
Mr. J. A. Hageman, of Michigan, originated and developed
what he termed a laying strain of Partridge Plymouth Rocks
early in the history of the variety. According to his account,
his strain was developed by amalgamating the result of a
cross of Partridge Cochins and Brown Leghorns made by
W. H. Bryan, of Brooksfield, Mich., and of another cross of
Partridge Cochins and Indian Games, now known as Cornish,
by Mr. F. H. Lynd, Middleville, Mich., with Partridge Plym-
outh Rock blood supplied from the flock of a Mr. Randall, of
Mt. Pleasant, Mich., which flock, however, Mr. Hageman
opines is nothing more nor less than Partridge Wyandottes
breeding, using, of course, the single-comb sports.
Similarity Between the Old and New Varieties. — This
statement of Mr. Hageman gives evidence that the Brown
Leghorn and Cornish blood cross is employed in more than
one instance. This is not surprising, as the striking simi-
larities between the plumage of the Brown Leghorn and the
Partridge Cochin males and the not very unlike plumage of
the females of these two varieties, taken together with the
fact that the type sought, Plymouth Rock, is about a mean
beween the Leghorn and the Cochin, suggests very favorably
the possibilities of such a cross. The possibilities of a Cornish
cross, too, are clearly apparent because of certain similarities,
particularly the shade of color of both male and female and
the penciling of the latter, very similar in fact, though not
of the required number.
It is noteworthy that each one of the originators and early
breeders lays great stress on the efforts made to quickly per-
fect type by selecting only those specimens that were the
best Plymouth Rock shape. The impression given is that
type was ever given the preference over color and penciling,
but to some of those who have watched the variety develop,
and not only this but other penciled varieties, it appears that
many sacrifices in type must have been made for the sake
of true pencilings, that is, unless type refers to comb.
274
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
CHAPTER II.
PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCK PLUMAGE.
STANDARD DESCRIPTION.
Disqualifications.
Positive white in main tail feathers, sickles or secondaries ;
shanks other than yellow or dusky yellow. (See general and
Plymouth Rock disqualifications.)
COLOR OF MALE.
Head. — Plumage, bright red.
Beak. — Dark horn, shading to yellow at point.
Eyes. — Reddish-bay.
Comb, Face, Wattles and Ear-Lobes. — Bright red.
Neck. — Hackle, web of feather solid, lustrous greenish-
black, with a narrow edging of rich, brilliant red, uniform in
width, extending around point of feather; shaft, black - plu-
mage in front of hackle, black.
Wings. — Fronts, black ; bow, rich, brilliant red ; coverts,
lustrous greenish-black, forming a well defined bar of this
color across wings when folded ; primaries, black, lower edges,
reddish bay ; secondaries, black, outside webs, reddish bay,
terminating with greenish-black at end of each feather.
Back. — Rich, brilliant red with lustrous greenish-black
stripe down the middle of each feather, same as in hackle.
Tail. — Black ; sickles and smaller sickles, lustrous greenish-
black ; coverts, lustrous greenish-black, edged with rich, bril-
liant red.
Breast. — Lustrous black.
Body and Fluff.— Body, black ; fluff, black, slightly tinged
with red.
Legs and Toes.— Thighs, black; shanks and toes, yellow.
Undercolor of All Sections. — Slate.
COLOR OF FEMALE.
Head. — Plumage, mahogany-brown.
Beak. — Dark horn, shading to yellow at point.
Eyes. — Reddish-bay.
Comb, Face, Wattles and Ear Lobes. — Bright red.
Neck. — Reddish-bay, center portion of feathers black,
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 275
slightly penciled with mahogany-brown, feathers in front of
neck, same as breast.
Wings. — Shoulders, bows and coverts, mahogany-brown,
penciled with black, outlines of pencilings conforming to shape
of feathers ; primaries, black with edging of mahogany-brown
on outer webs ; secondaries, inner webs, black, outer webs
mahogany brown, penciled with black, outlines of pencilings
conforming to shape of feathers.
Back. — Mahogany-brown, distinctly penciled with black,
the outlines of pencilings conforming to shape of feathers.
Tail. — Black, the two top feathers penciled with mahogany-
brown on upper edge ; coverts, mahogany-brown penciled with
black.
Breast. — Mahogany-brown, distinctly penciled with black,
the outlines of pencilings conforming to shape of feathers.
Body and Fluff. — Body, mahogany-brown, penciled with
black ; fluff, mahogany-brown.
Legs and Toes. — Thighs, mahogany-brown, penciled with
black ; shanks and toes, yellow or dusky yellow.
Under-Color of All Sections. — Slate.
Note — Each feather in back, breast, body, wing-bows, and
thighs to ha\^e three or more distinct pencilings.
COLOR OF THE MALE.
The Desired Shades. — There are, or should be, but two
colors in an ideal Partridge male and there should be but one
shade of each color.
The neck or hackle, shoulder or wing-bow, back, saddle,
and saddle hangers may be called the red sections, though
we must understand that the Standard requires that each
feather in neck, back and saddle should be striped with black.
The Correct Shade of Red. — The red is nevertheless the
color that is responsible for our first impression because it is
visible at as great a distance as the bird itself. For this reason,
the correct shade of red for the sections enumerated above will
be first considered. To use the words of the Standard, these
sections should be "rich, brilliant red." The term "rich" as
used in such a connection is taken to mean deep, or dark, per-
haps. This description would exclude a light, thin, or shallow
color, such as would suggest a mixture of yellow. Even what
is known as orange shades would not meet the requirements.
The word "rich" alone might also, as understood in this con-
PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCK MALE
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 277
PLATE 87
PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCK FEMALE
278
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
nection, lead us to produce some very deep or dark shades of
red but for the fact that when the red becomes too dark it ob-
scures the black striping in hackle and saddle which, in the
eyes of most breeders and fanciers, mars the beauty by dimin-
ishing the brilliancy of the plumage. For this reason, the mod-
ifying word "brilliant" is included in the Standard description.
When the red becomes so dark in shade that it obscures the
black striping, it becomes dull — perhaps dingy describes its
appearance more fittingly — and the color is therefore no longer
brilliant and fails to meet the Standard description, which pre-
vents variation within these limits that, either the red must
have body enough or must be dark or deep enough to be "rich,"
but not so dark that it is not "brilliant."
The red shade which is preferred is perhaps difficult to de-
scribe, and perhaps it is as fair to make a statement to the ef-
fect that there is one opinion as to the shade of color among
breeders, as to state that all the males are of one shade in
plumage. The "rich, brilliant red" demanded by the Standard
certainly gives a positive idea as to color, but one cannot from
this description settle upon an exact shade that is to be pre-
ferred to all others. From the word "rich," one is justified in
ruling against the yellowish shades of red, and because of the
"brilliant," one can conclude that too dark or dull shades are
not to be given preference. It seems that what we might, for
lack of a better term, designate as a "happy medium" is per-
haps the desired shade, for all agree that the yellowish shades
are not desired and very dark shades make dull and unattrac-
tive plumage. As a guide as to whether the red shades are be-
coming too dark or not, the degree in which they obscure the
black striping in neck, back and saddle may be considered. A
sufficient contrast between the red and black to enable the ob-
server to distinguish between them, upon fairly close inspec-
tion only, should be maintained.
Correct Striping. — In order to maintain the desired con-
trast, two essential color characteristics must be maintained.
First, as already pointed out, the red must be of the desired
shade and not too dull. Second, the black stripe must be a lus-
trous, greenish black, sometimes described as a metallic black.
Neck. — The striping in this section should be sound, that
is, unbroken ; as explained, the stripes should possess a green-
ish lustre and should be found even in the smaller feathers near
the head. Too often, only the larger and longer feathers at
the base of the neck are thus striped.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 279
Broken stripes are often seen and very often in males that
are from well penciled females. This is another characteristic
that breeders who are endeavoring to produce strongly pen-
ciled females like to see in a male because it indicates strong
penciling in the ancestry. It is not an exhibition quality, how-
ever, especially when it appears near the lower end of the
feather. (See illustration, Plate 88.)
The Border. — JBrilliant red should run evenly down the side
of that portion that is known as the surface, and also around
the end of each feather. That is, the black stripe should termi-
nate in a V-shaped point near the end of each feather, not at the
PLATE 88
i r R 3 J H
PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCKS, HACKLE FEATHERS
(From different individuals.)
1. Weak Stripe. 2. Too dark, black running into fringe. 3. Fairly
good. 4. Idealized.
280
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
end. Black often runs through to the border, forming a black
edge at the tip. This is undesirable, and while a little black
edging will be tolerated for the sake of strong striping, any
noticeable amount is discounted heavily. Occasionally a male,
that is otherwise very good indeed, will have a neck so very
strongly black that a ring of this color is formed at the base,
where it meets the shoulder. This defect alone makes a male
practically worthless.
The shafts, particularly in the lower portion of the feathers,
should be black.
Back and Saddle Striping. — In this section, the same mark-
ings and the same shades of color as in the hackle should be
PLATE 89
PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCKS, SADDLE FEATHERS
OF MALES
(From different individuals.)
1. Weak stripe. 2. Too dark, black running into fringe. 3. Fairly
good. 4. Idealized.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STAXDARD AXD BREED BOOK 281
found. The striping in the broad feathers of the back will, of
course, and should be much broader than those in the hackle.
The striping on the narrow feathers of the saddle will be nar-
rower but both should be sound, that is, unbroken and pos-
sess that metallic luster which creates such a pleasing contrast
between the rich red and the lustrous black. The same state-
ments about the character of the striping and the relations be-
tween the borders, edging and color of the shaft that were
made about the hackle, apply to the back and saddle. See il-
lustration, Plate 89.)
The Wings. — The shoulder is rich, brilliant red without
black markings and, as stated, should be of the same shade as
PLATE 90
1 2 3
PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCKS. SHOWING DIFFERENT
PLUMAGE OF WING-BOW, BACK AXD BREAST OF
MALES
1. Wing Bow. Black, broad, arrow-shaped marking at base of
web. Web and fringe rich, brilliant red.
2. Back. Broad, black stripe of black, well-pointed, following
quill nearly to tip. Fringe, rich brilliant red.
3. Breast. Lustrous greenish black. All underflufT, slate color.
282
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
the other red sections. Very often it is of a deeper shade, which
fault must be corrected as far as possible by breeding. The
coverts are greenish-black, forming a well-outlined bar across
the wing. This line between the wing-bow and wing-bar is
one of the beauty points of the male if it is distinctly outlined,
as it should be. When seen at its best, this line is not only
sharply defined, but very regular in outline, either running
across the wing or curving slightly ; either line if regular and
distinct is very beautiful. The wing-bay should also be sharply
defined, though but little difficulty is experienced in this par-
PLATE 91
12 3 4
FEATHERS OF PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCK MALES
1. Primary. 2. Secondary. 3. Top main-tail. 4. Main-tail.
PLYMOUTH ROOK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK
283
ticular. The wing-bay is about the same shade as the shoul-
ders, but seldom shows luster and frequently is lighter than
the other red sections. (See illustration, Plate 86.)
The wing-bows should be of the same shade of bright, rich
red that is found in head, neck and saddle sections. The fronts
of the wings should be black, showing a decided greenish lus-
ter; the primaries black with the lower side of the feathers
edged with bay; secondaries, upper part black and lower side
with sufficient bay to form a beautiful triangle when wing is
folded. The end of each of the secondaries should terminate
with greenish black. (See illustration, Plate 91.)
PLATE 92
12 3 4
PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCKS, PATTERNS OF MARK-
INGS FOUND IN NECKS OF FEMALES
1. Solid, single stripe down center, edging of reddish bay, most
desirable for breeding exhibition males.
2. Double penciling, solid center stripes, edging reddish bay.
3. Double penciling, light colored quill, edging reddish bay.
4. Triple penciling. Quill red in undercolor, edging reddish bay,
most desirable in females for breeding exhibition females.
284
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Legs and Toes. — The thigh is, of course, subject to the rule
which governs the other black sections. The legs and toes
should be yellow, but some of the richest colored and best pen-
ciled strains still show dark color on the shanks and toes.
The Lower Sections. — The under sections, breast, body and
fluff, should all be lustrous, greenish black. The best example
of what the color of these sections should be will be found in
the tail, which is most often highly lustrous. Brown is permit-
ted in the fluff and is often seen in the rear body feathers.
Breeders rather like its presence in the latter section as it
seems prevalent in lines or strains that produce strongly pen-
ciled females.
The faults of the black section are purple sheen and bronze
bars, both of which are highly objectionable. This will be
well understood after consulting the chapter in the Standard
on "Cutting for Defects."
THE COLOR OF THE FEMALE.
The novice would hardly regard the female of the Partridge
varieties as of the same variety as the male, so different are
the males and females in both color and markings, and we
must note at once the change in the Standard color require-
ments from the rich, brilliant red of the males to the mahog-
any-brown of the females.
The Color of Female. — The Partridge female is or should
be most uniform in color of all plumage, as one description
answers for all sections of plumage except the neck. Mahog-
any-brown penciled with black is the color description for all
sections. The head is mahogany-brown, much like the body
sections. Only for the neck do we find a different color de-
scription and a different color term, golden bay.
Penciling surreptitiously appears in the neck, the one lone
section in which it was not required. The beauty of the neck,
according to the old ideal, was thus sacrificed to contribute to
the beauty of the other sections. That being the object, ideals
as to the particular form and number of pencilings have become
very definite or exact. If these conform to the shape of the
feather, without any breaks, so much the better, but regular-
ity in penciling is usually given but slight notice, so if the
neck has a single penciling, well and good, if as a rarity, two,
so much the better. On a small feather the three that are
required can hardly be expected and but rarely occur.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK
285
The plumage is uniform in pattern in nearly all sections,
that is, nearly all the sections are alike in color and markings.
Only the neck and larger feathers of wing and tail are excep-
tions to this, and even these features show a tendency to follow
the color patterns of the feathers of the other sections. This
tendency is very pleasing to all breeders of penciled varieties,
PLATE 93
PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCKS, DIFFERENT PATTERNS
OF PENCILING ON WING SECONDARIES OF FEMALES
1. On lower (left hand) edge, nearly parallel, then turning irreg-
ularly outward to edge, on upper side breaks up into irregular cross
penciling, which should be nearly solid black except near end of the
smaller upper secondaries.
2. Is barred instead of penciled parallel to edge.
3. Penciling runs parallel to edge nearly all through lower (left
hand) web. Approaches ideal marking.
286
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 94
PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCKS, SHOWING THE DIFFER-
ENCE IN MARKINGS OF PRIMARIES AND SEC-
ONDARIES OF MALES AND FEMALES
Male: 1. Primary. 2. Secondary. Exhibition specimens.
Female: 3. Primary. 4. Secondary. Exhibition specimens.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 287
and proportionately as such a tendency manifests itself. ( See
illustrations, Plates 92 and 93.)
The Desired Shade. — This must, of course, be carefully
considered. For the color of the wing-bow, secondaries, back,
tail-coverts, breast and body, the Standard requires a rich, ma-
hogany-brown. Obviously, this term allows some latitude
for individual preference and, as the writer looks at the matter,
there is no objection to that, rather the contrary, because it will
be a regrettable occurrence when color requirements are made
so arbitrary that breeders cannot play their fancies within reas-
onable limits in this particular. Furthermore, judging for color
may be overdone and very easily, as frequently has been the
case when the Standard has described the color over-exactly.
We may state, then, that the shades of mahogany-brown as
they appear even upon different winning individuals vary
somewhat, some being a little lighter, approaching, perhaps, a
deep orange-red, others being very much darker or richer, the
latter being the term commonly used by breeders and exhibit-
ors of these varieties. The lighter shades are popular with some
PLATE 95
1 2 3
FEATHERS OF PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCK FEMALES,
IDEALIZED
1. Upper breast. 2. Lower breast. 3. Back
288
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
because the darker pencilings are, on account of greater con-
trast, more prominent. Though this feature is conceded an im-
portant one by all, others favor the deeper and richer, that is,
the darker shades which undoubtedly are regarded with great-
er favor by a majority of breeders, exhibitors and judges. This
is an indication that the deeper shades in the eyes of a greater
number are more beautiful.
Pencilings Required. — The markings of the sections named
in the preceding paragraphs are known among breeders and
described in the Standard as pencilings. Of these, we have
two forms ; the crescentic, the pattern which conforms to the
outline of the feathers, and the straight across, which runs at
right angles with the shape of the feathers. The pencilings of
the Partridge feathers take the crescentic form. (See illustra-
tion, Plates 95 and 96.)
That these pencilings should be distinct and regular is the
crowning ambition of all breeders of all Partridge varieties.
PLATE 96
1 2 3
FEATHERS OF PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCK FEMALES,
IDEALIZED
1. Cushion. 2. Wing-bow. 3. Wing-bar.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 289
PLATE 97
PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCKS, EXAMPLES OF DEFECTS IN PLUMAGE
OF EARLY SPECIMENS OF THE VARIETY.
Showing different forms of irregular pencilings in different sections.
290 AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 98
PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCK FEMALES, VARIOUS PAT-
TERNS OF PARTRIDGE MARKINGS
DEFECTIVE FEATHERS FROM FEMALE
UPPER ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT — 1. Shows about the right proportion of
brown and black. The break in outline of the center penciling is a defect. 2. Too
much brown. Outlines of pencilings good. 3. Too narrow brown pencilings. Too
few pencilings, being two only. Center penciling badly broken. 4. Brown pencil-
ings too narrow, and too few, leaving too much of the web black This is one
example of coarse penciling. 5. Slightly different form of number four.
SECOND ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT— 6. Brown pencilings, too narrow and
very faulty in outline, do not follow the outline of feather. 7. Brown penciling
entirely absent. 8. Brown penciling straight across, not the crescentic shape.
Usually seen on young pullets before adult plumage is developed. 9. A long feather
near the junction of back and tail, showing penciling without the crescentic form,
more resembling coarse striping than penciling. 10. Top, main-tail feather, showing
irregularities in penciling on upper web. Also, penciling on lower web not re-
quired by the Standard, therefore a defect technically, though not objected to very
seriously, if at all, by breeders. 11. Main-tail feather showing brown patches and
little penciling. Main-tail feathers, except the top ones, should be black.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 291
Many qualities are sacrificed to obtain these peculiar and
unique markings. Even the shade of color is of secondary im-
portance, and it is a noteworthy fact that the longer one breeds
this variety, the more he admires and strives to produce these
pencilings in the highest state of perfection ; and in natural
consequence, he comes to regard the exact shade of mahog-
any as of correspondingly less importance. (See illustration,
Plates 97 and 98 for examples of irregular penciling.)
The Markings Required. — As already stated, these should
conform to the outline of the feather. This is true of the sur-
ace of the feather, and a little below. The undercolor or fluff
should be a slaty color.
The Undercolor. — Formerly, considerable importance was
attached to the shade of slate below the surface, but of late
little attention is paid to that feature. The regularly and
strongly penciled surface is what is desired — and for under-
color? Why, take whatever comes with the surface, which is
usually slate of one shade or another, is the line of reasoning
usually applied by breeders. To be a little more explicit : Dark
slate undercolor was formerly desired very much because it
was thought that by breeding for and from specimens that
possessed it. the disqualifying white, so prone to appear in
males, was most effectively eliminated. The fundamental
reason why it is no longer insisted upon lies in the fact that
the best penciled specimens are inclined to have light slate in
the undercolor and males from the best specimens may have
light slate, or even white, at the base of the feathers, yet both
would be tolerated for the sake of producing superior female
plumage. Another reason is that more brilliant surface color
accompanies the lighter shades of undercolor ; or, at least, many
think so.
The Color of the Pencilings. — Because the ground color of
mahogany-brown is marked with broad, black lines or nar-
row bands, which, when approximately ideal, may have the
appearance of having been sketched with a pencil, these mark-
ings are known as pencilings.
To be ideal, the color must be black. This quality gives
strength to the pencilings, by virtue of the strong contrast,
as true black give prominence to the pencilings. Lustrous,
greenish-black pencilings sometimes appear and are very
pretty, though the Standard does not require penciling of
such pronounced black. Brown shades or any shade that
gives the penciling a weak, or, as fanciers express it, a
292
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
"washed out" appearance, are not desired for the reason that
there is little contrast between the mahogany ground color
and the pencilings.
Irregularities of Pencilings. — Aside from being weak in
color, irregularities take many and varied forms. In substance,
however, one description, namely, failing to follow the outline
of the feather, covers them all. Occasionally, pencilings will
vary so from their true course that they will run straight
across the feathers as barring does. This is far from what is
desired. Other pencilings will break, leaving a space, while
others zig-zag around instead of having a clean, straight out-
line. Again, one edge, usually the outer, will have sharp defi-
nition, while the other is inclined to rather gradually run into
the ground color. All these faults and others must be bred
out by selection of both male and female parents. (See il-
lustration, Plate 97.)
Too Few Pencilings. — The Standard requires each feath-
er in the penciled sections to have three or more distinct pen-
cilings. As a rule, when the pencilings are more than this
number, they are not as distinct as if reduced to three or less.
The fewer the pencilings, the more prominent they become
because they are heavier or coarser. Fineness is usually ac-
quired at the expense of prominence, and on this point some
difference of opinion has existed as to which characteristic
was the most desirable. The advocates of fine pencilings have
proven to be the most numerous as well as the most influential.
This much can be said as to the merits of each side in the
controversv. Both were trying for an attribute that created
beauty. The question was, which type was the most strik-
ing? The advocates of more pencilings won because of the
particularly pleasing effect of the remarkable regularity of
the unique markings in even and richly contrasting colors.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 293
CHAPTER III.
MATING PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
The widely divergent shades found on the male and female
of this variety, to which attention has already been called,
together with the complicated and intricate system of mark-
ings of the female plumage make the Partridge Plymouth
Rock one of the most difficult varieties in the Standard to
breed to an approximate degree of perfection. Therefore, ex-
perience and skill in selecting and mating on the part of the
breeder are assets of considerable value.
The Partridge variety of any and all breeds furnishes one
of the most pronounced examples of the necessity of double-
mating, according to the principles of mating as related in
Part Two, that a special mating for each sex is necessary
when the sexes have different color patterns. In neither color
nor in markings are the Partridge sexes alike. If one is not
familiar with the Partridge markings, it is inconceivable that
males with solid colored feathers m breast, shoulders, wing
and tail coverts will breed females, the feathers of which sec-
tions are of two widely contrasting colors, and furthermore,
diverge so widely from a solid colored web as to show three
distinct crescentic pencilings. Yet, a knowledge of the differ-
ence in color and color patterns of male and female in Par-
tridge varieties was handed down to us with our first informa-
tion about Asiatic fowls.
Single Matings. — Many of the breeders today practice or
claim to practice single mating. The requirements of the
latest (1915) Standard are much more favorable to this meth-
od than were the Standards before. First, because penciled
necks are permitted on the females. It has always been diffi-
cult to breed penciling in all soft and semi-soft feathers, ex-
cept those of the neck and exclude it from those. By accept-
ing necks that are slightly penciled, we receive more and bet-
ter pencilings in all other sections. Second, because the males
that are the sons of the best penciled females have also been
prone to show brown edging in the soft fluff feathers, which
the present standard allows, and very often, also, in the
breast, we have a beginning toward the acceptance of
the son of the best penciled female as the ideal male.
But this son of the female goes further and has more
or less brown in the rear-body feathers, and sometimes in
294
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
breast, and the striping in hackle and saddle is sometimes
broken and weak, failing in continuity and lacking in strength,
intensity and lustre. Often, only at the end and then for no
greater extent than an inch or less does a real stripe appear.
So that if we adhere to the ideals of old, or to present ideals
in males, there are still advantages to be gained by the double-
mating system, because we can more easily conform to Stand-
ard requirements in these sections, that is, we can more
easily obtain solid black breasts, and rear body sections, as
well as stronger or more metallic striping in male hackles and
saddles.
The Popularity of Single Matings. — Some breeders object
to double matings because amateurs cannot understand them,
and small breeders have no room for them. This causes the
novice to look for simpler problems, or, in other words, to
take up the breeding of some variety regarded as less difficult.
The idea is prevalent that double mating is a disadvantage to
any variety. Single mating is then practiced to create or
maintain popularity rather than to produce superior speci-
mens. As a commercial expediency, it may be wisdom to
develop Partridge Rocks along single mating lines. That will
manifestly depend upon the sentiment of the times. This
much is granted, that as long as breeders will adhere to the
practice of single matings, they will meet in the show room
upon even ground, because all their specimens will be pro-
duced by single mating. There can be no complaint of un-
fair advantages. In breeding, much attention must be paid
to the penciling and color of the females. Should the develop-
ment of these female characters produce males that are not
of sufficient exhibition merit to be satisfactory to the breeder,
it is obvious that females with stronger striping and with
less penciling in the hackle must be selected to produce males
of greater exhibition merit.
The Ideal Mating. — The mating sought at the present
time is one that will produce both exhibition males and fe-
males of sufficient quality to win. Such a mating usually
consists of a male of rich red, though not dark enough nor
deep enough in shade to obscure the black stripe in neck
and saddle ; as even in the red shade of neck, shoulders, back
and saddle as possible ; with some red in fluff feathers, and
possibly a little in body and lower breast feathers may be
tolerated in many matings and even sought in a few. Such a
male is now considered fairly good exhibition color, not-
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 295
withstanding minor discrepancies when compared with the
Standard description. It will be noticed that the fluff or soft
feathers back of and between the thighs may be "tinged with
red." Generally, the red extends beyond these limits and is
found in the body feathers. This is tolerated by most judges,
though not permitted in the words of the Standard as inter-
preted literally, because penciling is both desired and re-
quired in this section of the female plumage and it is con-
ceded that females with pencilings which extend well to the
rear of the body produce males with red in this section. In
a general way, it may be stated that the sires and brothers
of the most perfectly and consistently penciled females show
considerable red in those sections that correspond to the pen-
ciled sections of the females, breast and wing coverts pos-
sibly excepted ; though the better the pencilings of these fe-
male sections, the more apt are the corresponding sections
on the sires and brothers to show red or brown. (See illustra-
tion, Plate 99.)
The female desired to mate to such a male is the one that
conforms most closely to the Standard of Perfection in color
and markings, and shape also, of course, but this feature
is treated under that head, and one treatise does for all varie-
ties of Plymouth Rocks.
The Standard Partridge Plymouth Rock female should
present a rich, glossy appearance. In color she should be
neither too light nor too dark.
The penciling in each penciled section should follow the
general profile of the feathers and consist of three or more
distinct pencilings; each feather free from shafting; and the
feathers in each penciled section to be a rich mahogany-
brown, penciled with black.
The head should be a mahogany brown ; the neck feathers
bright red, closely matching the shade of color desired on
the neck of the male ; wing bows, back, breast, tail coverts,
body, fluff and thighs a rich, mahogany-brown, penciled with
black ; the wing primaries black, with an edging of mahogany-
brown on the outer web ; the inner web of the secondaries,
black ; the outer web, mahogany-brown penciled with black.
The main tail feathers black, except that the two top
feathers should be mahogany-brown on upper edge. (See
illustration, Plate 100.)
Beak, eyes, comb, face, wattles, ear lobes, shanks and toes
should be the same color as that required for the male.
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
300
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Different interpretations will, naturally, be placed upon
such color terms as reddish-bay and mahogany-brown, but
on the whole, breeders, exhibitors and judges agree very well
as to the correct and incorrect shades. Lighter shades of
mahogany-brown are, of course, preferred if the male is in-
clined to be too dark and darker and richer shades if the male
of the mating is rather too light or bright. Females that have
the required number of distinct pencilings which conform
closely to the outline of the feather and which are carried
out in detail in all sections, particularly in body and thighs
in which the penciling is usually the weakest, are as highly
prized for breeding as for exhibition purposes, and even more
so, though they may be one or two shades removed from the
shade of mahogany-brown most accepted as ideal, and will be
selected for the best matings.
The conclusion will be rightly drawn that such matings
will produce splendid females, but there must exist a tendency
toward weak hackle and saddle striping which may become so
much in evidence that the high quality of the males is very
seriously impaired.
In that case, and if one is determined to breed males of
the highest exhibition merit, special matings for that purpose
must be employed. (See illustration, Plate 101.)
Of the male for this mating little or nothing need be added
to the description in the Standard of Perfection and the ex-
planations already offered herein. It is merely necessary to
repeat the old rule so often repeated, to use the best male
available, that is, the one that most nearly conforms to the
Standard requirements, other qualities, particular lines of
breeding and length of the breeding lines being on par. This
means one with a strongly striped saddle as well as hackle
and solid, lustrous black breast, body and wing-bar. (See
illustration, Plate 103.)
The females selected would, of course, as far as the color
is considered, be those which had particularly rich, red color
and strength of black striping in the neck. In making selec-
tions for richness of color, do not overlook the short, small
feathers under the throat. A rich color or medium to rather
rich shade is very desirable for females that are to be used
for breeding exhibition males exclusively. (See illustration,
Plate 102.)
A Word of Caution. — "Two dangers must be avoided if we
wish to succeed, either in perfecting or improving fancy fowls.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 301
One is mating those with the same defect, and the other is
going outside of a strain for mew blood'. One is equally
as disastrous as the other. This idea of getting stock of abso-
lutely no relation to the fowls with which they are to be mated
has ruined more good flocks than we at first imagine. It is
almost a custom, and the idea that it is necessary is prevalent,
even among fanciers, while the very opposite is the case. Sel-
dom, although practiced with the very oldest breeds, will mat-
ings of entirely different strains of a breed produce much bet-
ter than culls, and their progeny is very inferior foundation
stock. Careful observation and experience with nearly half
the varieties of pure bred poultry convince me that there are
as few exceptions to this as other rules." (S. A. Noftzger.)
The greater the difficulties presented by a variety in breed-
ing, the greater the care should be to practice the above prin-
ciples of breeding.
As to Both Sexes. — "There is no question but that some
fanciers select their fowls of this breed too dark, both male and
female, while in other sections of the country the color of both
sexes is without doubt too light. There is a rich, bright, me-
dium color for the male and an exquisite, glossy mahogany
for the female that should be universally adopted, and when
all become better posted in this respect, the high color of
the 'Beauty Breed' will be more appreciated." (S. A.
Noftzger.)
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 103
FEATHERS FROM PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCK MALE.
USED IN BREEDING EXHIBITION MALES
1. Saddle feathers. Solid black stripe.
2. Breast. Solid lustrous black.
3. Wing-bar. Solid, lustrous greenish black.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 303
PLATE 104
TYPES OF MODERN PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCKS
Upper right hand, a Garden winner.
Other models furnished by State Agricultural College of Minne-
sota.
SECTION VII.
CHAPTER I.
COLUMBIAN PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
ORIGIN AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT.
THIS and the Partridge Plymouth Rocks are the latest
among- the Plymouth Rock varieties to receive Stand-
ard recognition. By accepting the variety prefix "Co-
lumbian," which up to that time applied only to the variety
of Wyandottes which carries the same color scheme as the
Light Brahma, a term was established that is now universally
understood to be applicable to all varieties of all breeds which,
now or will hereafter, bear the color scheme of that old and
much admired Asiatic variety. The term Columbian had al-
ready been applied to a variety of Wyandottes which made
their first appearance in 1893, the year of the World's Fair at
Chicago, known as the Columbian Exposition, was in progress
and from that fact the term was, seemingly, appropriately
applied to this, then a new variety.
The Incentive. — The incentive back of the endeavor to
effect a creation of this kind in life is apparent to all who
understand poultry problems. It was but another attempt to
transfer beautiful plumage to a type that had already proven
most useful. On the one hand we have a color design best
exemplified by the Light Brahma fowl, the plumage of which
is a wonderfully effective and striking combination of black
and white. All concede its wonderful beauty which had held
from the time of its introduction, the admiration of poultry
fanciers, breeders and the public generally, yet it is a fowl
which is adaptable to special purposes under special condi-
tions. It is the largest and most magnificent of our recog-
nized varieties, but it is known that the larger the fowl, the
longer the time required for maturity, all conditions being
the same. The variety did not, therefore, meet the demands
of some of its admirers in that it was not a variety that was
included, commonly, among the general-purpose breeds. A
PLYMOUTH ROCK STAXDARD AXD BREED BOOK
305
general purpose fowl with the same color scheme was but the
natural desire of those who admired the plumage of the Light
Brahma. Plymouth Rocks had proved their worth and pop-
ularity as such, and those who desired a general purpose fowl
with 'Light Brahma plumage, naturally thought of a Ply-
mouth Rock-Light Brahma combination or amalgamation.
This idea can hardly be called purely original, inasmuch as
this identical task had been before successfully accomplished
by breeders of Columbian Wyandottes. and this accomplish-
ment may have convinced Plymouth Rock admirers that the
same color scheme could be transferred to their chosen fav-
orite. We have noticed, heretofore, that the later Plymouth
Rock varieties did not originate as early as the corresponding
varieties of Wyandottes. as well as the fact that there are
not as many of them. This does not. necessarily, indicate a
lack of interest or initiative on the part of Plymouth Rock
breeders ; it may on the contrary indicate the state of very
general satisfaction with varieties already existing.
The Foundation. — Seemingly, the most direct way to com-
bine Light Brahma beauty and Plymouth Rock usefulness
was to cross the Light Brahma and White Plymouth Rock.
Ail that is desired above and beyond what the White Ply-
mouth Rock already had. was the acquisition of black in
certain sections. With this acquisition, some very undesir-
able features such as the Brahma shape, the comb too, and
too heavy body and leg feathering were bound to be trans-
mitted to the offspring of such a cross to a greater or less
extent which features could, of course, be eliminated by years
of a selective breeding. And this was the process by which
the variety was originated and in part established. There
was some doubt as to whether the offspring of such crosses
could be so mated from generation to generation as to grad-
ually eliminate the undesirable features and at the same
time retain those qualities that were so much sought after.
The plan was feasible, however, even though perplexing and
is the process by which certain strains were originated and
in part established.
Advantage was naturally taken of the pre-establishment
of Columbian Wyandottes and the fact that we have spas-
modically, from this, as from all rose comb varieties, single
comb sports and as if nature wished to assist, some of these
were much more like Plymouth Rocks than like AVyandottes.
Many of the Columbian Rock breeders were eager to secure
306
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
these sports and their frequent occurrence gave many op-
portunities to use them in crosses with lines that had been
originated in the manner described.
Still another cross was used to establish this variety with
more or less success. This was the cross of Barred and
White Plymouth Rocks. The results when the cockerel-line
of Barred Rocks was used are said to have been unsatisfactory,
but good results did come from the pullet-line cockerels mated
with White Plymouth Rock females.
The Influence of the Columbian Wyandotte. — Seldom is it
that credit for the creation of a breed or variety can be given
to one individual. Usually, one new creation in the poultry
world suggests another similar in many respects, but unlike
in some, to the first.
This Columbian Plymouth Rock variety probably fur-
nishes as striking an instance of this as is found among the
Standard varieties, but it is but one of many, and in no way
differs from the many. Columbian Wyandottes were ex-
hibited nine years before the first cross to perpetuate these
Plymouth Rock cousins was made. No doubt the Columbian
Wyandotte had suggested the possibility of a Plymouth Rock
of the same color pattern, long before the suggestion was
acted upon by the originators of Columbian Plymouth Rocks.
Many of us may be wondering how Columbian Leghorns or
Columbian Dorkings or scores of other varieties would look,
but we do not act upon this suggestion until we are con-
fident that such a variety will be worth while. To be worth
while, a new variety must be better in one or more respects
than those that are already established, or handsomer. It
must be admitted that most of our new varieties have been
an outcome of a conviction in the minds of one or more per-
sons, that the beauty of one breed can be combined with the
usefulness of another. By the creation of the Columbian
Wyandotte, a fowl, much smaller but yet of medium size, of
good laying qualities, with smooth legs and with the same
color pattern as the Light Brahma, was established, but an
important fact, the one which must have crystallized the sug-
gestion of a new variety of a different breed along these
lines into an actuality, was that the Columbian Wyandotte
had proved during this trial decade that it was worth while.
Who Was the Originator? — ( )n this point Mr. 1). M. Green,
one of the early breeders of this variety, for several years sec-
retary of the Columbian Plymouth Rock Club, since con-
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 307
nected with the United States Bureau of Animal Industry,
who has access to most of the manuscript on Columbian Plym-
outh Rocks, writes :
"To no one individual is due all the credit, as it is a con-
ceded fact that several fanciers, and not any one particular
breeder, took part in the origin and early development of
the variety. However, to Mr. F. M. Clemans, Mechanics-
burg, Ohio, and Mr. George H. Sweet, East Aurora. New
York, is due the honor of taking the first steps with this ob-
ject in view, Mr. Clemans making the first cross in 1902 and
Mr. Sweet about two years later. These two earnest fan-
ciers were the pioneers, although several other breeders did
as much or even more perhaps in perfecting and introducing
the variety to the public."
The Mr. F. M. Clemans, of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, men-
tioned in the above, is said to have been the first to create
this variety and the first to advertise them. Another of the
early breeders claims that the honor of originating the Co-
lumbian Plymouth Rocks belongs to several who actually
originated this variety by crosses of their own selection. These
selections have been pre\ T iously named in this article.
THE EARLY STRAINS.
Light Plymouth Rocks. — Mr. Clemans, however, positively
asserts that he was the first to make the crosses that proved
to be the foundation of this variety ; and these crosses ante-
date any others that were made with the same object in
view, and, in justice to him, it must be said that no one seems
to claim a definite date prior to that of Mr. Clemans' first
cross. You will note that Mr. Clemans did not call them
by their present name but combined the names of the origi-
nal parents as well as the blood. We quote from an article
of Mr. Clemans' as follows :
"As the date of my original crosses takes precedence of
all others, I can fairly claim to be the originator of Columbian
Plymouth Rocks. This honor is practically accorded to me
by the latest authoritive work on The Plymouth Rocks., pub-
lished in 1911. It is true that other breeders by independent
crosses later formed other strains (and I have no desire
to detract from them) but my crosses of 1902 antedate all
others. Mr. Sweet, practically the only rival for the honor,
did not begin his work until 1905. I was also the first to in-
308
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
troduce the breed. This was in 1907, when I 'brought out' the
breed through the columns of the American Poultry Journal,
naming them 'Light Plymouth Rocks' in honor of their Light
Brahma Plymouth Rock origin. My early crosses were made
with the best obtainable blood of the Light Brahma, Barred
Plymouth Rocks, White Plymouth Rocks and good boned
Columbian Wyandottes. I also used at that time a male bird
of unknown origin but almost ideal markings which I was so
fortunate as to find in the flock of a friend. The years of
breeding have since obliterated undesirable markings of the
original blood used, and I have been signally successful in
holding to the true Plymouth Rock type. This has been the
aim in my breeding — to secure real Rock type and combine
it with the beautiful and much desired color of the Light
Brahma."
Type Important in Early Columbians. — How great im-
portance Mr. Clemans attached to true Plymouth Rock type,
that is, the large-boned sort, in distinction to fine-boned
birds obviously of Wyandotte origin, is well brought out by
the following extract taken from a report of the Philadelphia
1911 show.
"The 'Columbian' Plymouth Rocks shown by the origi-
nator show the results he has attained in establishing his
Big-Boned Rock type of Columbian Rocks. His first and
third cocks, each weighing l0 J / 2 pounds, were regular models
in Rock type, also showing grand color. His cockerel weighed
9 pounds, was also a rare beauty and a most desirable bird.
His pen, with cock weighing 11 pounds and hens from 7 J / 2 to
8/4 pounds each, was a rare collection of the best of quality,
in fact we were much pleased to see this size with excellent
color and very choice shape."
The following discussion of type should be accredited to
Mr. Clemans : "The value of Rock type cannot be too
strongly emphasized. It is even more important than color.
The beginner must avoid being led into the purchase of the
modern Wyandotte 'sports.' The popularity of Columbian
Rocks has brought upon the market these little imitations
of the breed. Some of them are bred by unscrupulous breed-
ers who wish to get money out of the demand for the breed
and then drop out. Others are being bred and sold by ama-
teurs who know no better. The breeding of such stock can
only end in disappointment.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 309
"It is true that there is some Wyandotte blood in all good
strains, but it was combined with the Brahma and Rock
blood and produced quite a different fowl from the modern
'sport'. The true Rock type of the breed is 'a thing of beauty'.
Its popularity is perfectly assured. The demand for good
specimens will be on a rising scale for years to come. Al-
ready I have sold exceptionally fine male birds as high as
$100.00. While this is a phenomenal price for a new breed
it will be greatly exceeded for choice specimens in the fu-
ture, just as it has been in the older breeds."
The above is printed to indicate the conditions at the time.
These statements show clearly and convincingly that there
was a tendency to use Wyandotte sports, which was perhaps
legitimate, if used judiciously and not over practiced, be-
cause type must then be destroyed. That this expediency
was practiced to the detriment of the breed as a breed for a
time, there can be no doubt. There was, however, the usual
reaction against an unwise practice. The advertisements of
the leading breeders of the early period just following their
admission to Standard clearly bring out the disrepute in
which strains that showed the effects of a Wyandotte cross
were held. The breeders of Columbian Wyandottes had for
a short period reaped a harvest on their single-comb sports
that was quite remunerative, perhaps as much so as the speci-
mens that came true to lineage. The writer once heard a
prominent breeder of Columbian Wyandottes declare, upon
being asked as to the future of the Columbian Plymouth
Rocks, that the only purpose of that variety was to absorb
the single-comb Wyandotte sports at a price. That profit-
able period, as pointed out, was passed when Colum-
bian Plymouth Rocks became as well established as their older
rivals.
The Royal Strain. — The Mr. Green referred to in a pre-
ceding paragraph was one of the very first breeders and gives
the following account of how his strain afterwards called the
"Royal" was built up from the original cross of Light Brahma
and Plymouth Rocks. It is the plan for a foundation to
which reference was made in Mr. Green's own language,
written into this copy as "feasible, even if perplexing" ; name-
ly, of adhering to the straight cross of Light Brahma and
White Plymouth Rock, as the following account clearly
relates :
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
"The first crosses and the results obtained were as follows:
Light Brahma males with strong markings were mated to
extra large White Plymouth Rock females with small, well-
defined combs, bright, clean yellow legs and true Rock type.
The result was large, vigorous, sturdy youngsters with no
particular fixed type or color markings to any certain degree,
yet Rock type predominated and the Brahma color in many
specimens showed clearly that it was firmly seated. There was
a variety of combs and feathered shanks were a prominent
defect, but some few male birds were exceptional specimens
showing the latter fault in only a moderate degree and with
color nearly equal to their sires. These males were mated in
two ways, back to their dame, which were designated as
Flock A, and to the best pullets selected from the original
cross, which were designated as Flock B. Flock A produced
birds especially good in type, good comb and fairly clean
shanks but weak in color of hackle, wing and tail. The off-
spring from Flock B averaged good in color, showing ex-
ceptionally strong hackles and tails, but with poor combs,
type and more leg feathers. The next mating consisted of
the more desirable specimens reared from Flocks A and B ;
also pullets from Flock A back to the best male from the
original cross. The specimens from these matings showed
a decided improvement, some individuals having clean legs
with good type and color and quite even, well balanced combs.
At this point the best specimens were still far from what was
desired, yet it was evident that the new variety had been
created."
We have, then, clear and authentic accounts of the differ-
ent sources of the foundation stock of this variety. They
are, as nearly as we can determine, principally Light Brahmas
and White Plymouth Rocks, with a strong influence of single-
combed Columbian Wyandotte Sports and a somewhat less
influence of Barred Plymouth Rock blood. Besides these
established lines of blood we have the unknown male of Mr.
Clemans' that in some unaccountable way betook to himself
very much the appearance of the, as yet, unestablished ideal.
After the variety reached a stage where a general inter-
change of birds occurs between breeders of the different
strains, it became impossible to trace blood lines. Accounts
must then relate the progress of the breeds as to quality,
popularity, etc.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 311
CHAPTER II.
COLUMBIAN PLYMOUTH ROCK PLUMAGE.
STANDARD DESCRIPTION.
Disqualifications.
One or more solid black or brown feathers on surface of
back of females ; positive black spots prevalent in web of
feathers of back except slight dark or black stripes in saddle
near tail of male or in cape of either sex ; red feathers in
plumage; shanks other than yellow. (See general and Plym-
outh Rock disqualifications.)
COLOR OF MALE.
Head. — Plumage, white.
Beak. — Yellow, with dark stripe down upper mandible.
Eyes. — Reddish-bay.
Comb, Face, Wattles and Ear-Lobes. — Bright red.
Neck. — Hackle, web of feather solid, lustrous greenish-
black with a narrow edging of white, uniform in width, ex-
tending around point of feather ; greater portion of shaft,
black ; plumage in front of hackle, white.
Wings. — Bows, white except fronts, which may be partly
black ; coverts, white ; primaries, black, with white edging on
lower edge of lower webs ; secondaries, lower portion of lower
webs, white, sufficient to secure a white wing-bay, the white
extending around ends of feathers and lacing upper portion
of upper webs, this color growing wider in the shorter sec-
ondaries, sufficient to show white on surface when wing is
folded; remainder of each secondary, black.
Back. — Surface color, white ; cape, black and white ; sad-
dle, white, except feathers covering root and sides of tail
which should be white with a narrow V-shaped black stripe
at end of each feather tapering to a point near its lower ex-
tremity.
Tail. — Black ; the curling feathers underneath, black laced
with white ; sickles and coverts, lustrous greenish-black ;
smaller coverts, lustrous greenish-black edged with white.
Breast. — Surface, white; undercolor bluish-white, at junc-
ture with body, bluish-slate.
312
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 105
COLUMBIAN PLYMOUTH ROCK MALE
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
313
PLATE 106
COLUMBIAN PLYMOUTH ROCK FEMALE
314
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Body and Fluff. — Body, white, except under wings, where
it may be bluish-white ; fluff, white.
Legs and Toes. — Thighs, white ; shanks and toes, yellow.
Undercolor of All Sections Except Breast. — Bluish-slate.
COLOR OF FEMALE.
Head. — Plumage, white.
Beak. — Yellow, with dark stripe down upper mandible.
Eyes. — Reddish-bay.
Comb, Face, Wattles and Ear-Lobes. — Bright red.
Neck. — Feathers beginning at juncture of head, web, a
broad, solid lustrous greenish-black, with a narrow lacing of
white extending around the outer edge of each feather ; greater
portion of shaft, black ; feathers in front of neck, white.
Wings. — Bows, white; coverts, white; primaries, black,
with white edging on lower edge of lower webs ; secondaries,
lower portion of lower webs, white, sufficient to secure a white
wing-bay, the white extending around the ends and lacing
upper portion of upper webs, this color growing wider in the
shorter secondaries, sufficient to show white on surface when
wing is folded ; remainder of each secondary, black.
Back. — White ; cape, black and white.
Tail. — Black, except the two top feathers which are laced
with white ; coverts, black with a narrow lacing of white.
Breast. — Surface, white ; undercolor bluish-white, at junc-
ture of body, bluish-slate.
Body and Fluff. — Body, white, except under wings where
it may be bluish-white ; fluff, white.
Legs and Toes. — Thighs, white ; shanks and toes, yellow.
Undercolor of All Sections Except Breast. — Bluish-slate.
COLOR OF COLUMBIAN PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
A chapter under this heading will, as a matter of course,
be expected to discuss defects of both color and markings
when dealing with parti-colored varieties.
The Color.— Both male and female of this variety have
but two colors, white mainly, with markings of black in cer-
tain sections. In all sections where white is required, a sur-
face of clear, pure white is desired and required. The black
should be a positive black in all sections where required. The
black striping of the neck, tail-coverts and sickles should
PLYMOUTH ROCK STAXDARD AXD BREED BOOK 315
have that beautiful green gloss which sets off the white sec-
tion to so much advantage. The black of the nights, sec-
ondaries and main tail feathers has no greenish sheen as a
rule, which is, moreover, not required. Strong, positive black
is necessary to give quality to the specimen and it must be
borne in mind at all times that strength of color is always re-
quired. Black sometimes fades or rusts, that is, instead of
being positive in character, it loses the intensity necessary
to be so classified in the list of colors. That color which
the Standard would call black, or positive black, is some-
times described as coal black. The shade of black thus de-
scribed is the shade usually referred to in the Standard, w T hen
it does not specifically mention a lustrous, greenish-black.
Sometimes, black will take on a luster of bronze and some-
times of purple, neither of which is desirable.
The black found in the plumage of the Columbian varie-
ties has not so often the character of defects enumerated above
as a general weakness because of an admixture of w T hite.
Often, feathers that should be black are only partially black ;
often, the portion of a feather that should be black is broken
with a bar or a splash of white or gray, while again, an ad-
mixture of a certain amount of white makes a dark gray or
slate colored feather or part of a feather, rather than a black.
The white portion of the plumage on the surface is sup-
posed to be a pure white ; though, perhaps, a clear white ex-
presses the idea better. Owing to the difficulty of obtaining
the amount and intensity of black desired in neck, primaries,
secondaries, tail-coverts, etc., white undercolor, even in the
sections that are described as white on the surface, is not de-
sirable On the contrary, because of the difficulty of main-
taining the intensity of the black in those sections in which
black is required, and also, in order that black may be dis-
tributed in the right proportion in these sections, slate of a
stronger or lighter shade is required in the undercolor of all
the sections, even in those which are pure white on the sur-
face. In all sections except breast, the shade of slate re-
quired is of sufficient intensity to be described as bluish-slate,
while that of the breast is bluish-white, a lighter shade of
slate. This is natural because the breast, when both sexes
are considered, is collectively the purest white section of the
bird, and farthest removed from the tail, the section that
should contain the most black. By this means alone can
the lustrous greenish-black striping of the hackle, neck, sickles
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
317
and tail-coverts of both sexes be produced and maintained
from generation to generation.
An understanding of the color faults and excellencies of
each of the principal sections is necessary in order that the
breeder may mate his birds in a manner that will produce
satisfactory results. Therefore, a discussion of these features
will be entered into in some detail.
Neck of Males. — Because of its beauty when approaching
the ideal in color and markings, and the difficulty encoun-
tered in breeding the neck feathers to such an approxima-
tion of the ideal that they can be called beautiful, this section
when it possesses quality enough to deserve it, is very much
appreciated and is, therefore, very important.
The Black Stripe. — The Standard calls for feathers of
"solid, lustrous, greenish-black, with a narrow edging of
white, uniform in width, extending around the point of the
feather," in other words this calls, as former Standards have
stated it, for "a solid, lustrous greenish-black stripe down the
center of the feather and with a narrow, white border extend-
ing around the point of the feather."
From this description it would be easy to infer that the
black must not be dull and lifeless, neither must it have a
brown shading ; it must not be broken, at least near the sur-
face, because if any of these attributes are present, the de-
scription of the Standard, i. e., solid, lustrous, greenish-black,
is not complied with.
The Border. — As to the border, this should be white above
all things. Straw color or brassy shades are not tolerated
and, if present, should be cut so severely that the class in
which a specimen with this fault can win must be a very
inferior one, indeed. Besides, the border must be narrow.
Narrow is, of course, used comparatively. It refers to the
border according to the Standard description, and as the re-
mainder of the feather is black, the black stripe in the center
must be relatively broad. Such are the ideals of the pres-
ent time ; a broad, black stripe edged with a narrow white
border.
The white border should extend around the point from
both sides of the feather. This results in a feather with a
white border around a V-shape point of black, near the lower
extremity of this feather but not at the extremity. This is one
of the difficult features to establish, because there is a strong
tendency for the black to run through the border to the point
318
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
of the feather ; first, just on the shaft, perhaps. Then, with this
tendency, is one to extend along the very outer edges of the
feather. Thus, we have a black tip and a narrow black edge
outside the white border. .Such a defective feather is shown
in Plate 107, Figure 2, while Figure 1 shows weak black strip-
ing, with a white shaft and a border that is too wide and
with it, of course, a black stripe that is too narrow.
The light shafting noticed in this figure is also defective
inasmuch as the Standard states, "greater portion of the shaft,
black." The third feather in the row is a good natural feather,
but even in this, the black extends too low or too near the
point. The fourth feather from the left in the row shows very
nearly the ideal feather. Feathers in front of neck are white,
the same as the breast.
Neck of the Females. — The neck feathers of the female are
shorter and comparatively broader than those of the male.
The black center is also broader and the white border nar-
rower comparatively. Such a comparison between the male
and female neck feathers is found to exist in a great majority
of specimens of this variety and such the Standard calls for,
as the word "broad" occurs in the Standard description of the
neck of the female and this word is not found in the descrip-
tion of necks of the male. Narrow black striping with the
V instead of the rounded points are frequently seen in the neck
feathers of females and, though not strictly in accordance with
the Standard description, are to be much preferred to striping
that, though broad, is weak in color. The plumage of this
section of the females is very striking because of the broad,
metallic black with the very narrow but sound edging of pure
white. A perfect resemblance between both the pattern and
the color of the neck and tail-coverts of the females in a note-
worthy and taking feature when ideals are approached. (See
illustration, Plate 117.)
Cape. — The cape, or that portion of the back that falls
under the hackle feathers of the male and the neck feathers
of the female, is black and white. This portion of the back
is not seen when the bird stands in its natural position and on
that account it draws less attention than other parts of the
plumage. The feathers have, as a rule, a broad black center
with white edging. The exact proportion of black to white
is not as rigidly prescribed or enforced as in the more promi-
nent sections, but if the edging is narrow, yet clear and sound,
the feathers in the cape correspond more closely to the de-
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
319
scription of neck and tail-coverts than when not so propor-
tioned.
The Back. — The back proper of both sexes is white on the
surface. The importance placed upon this requirement is
emphasized by the color disqualifications for this section in
both sexes, as two out of the three disqualifications named
apply to the back only of male or female. "One or more solid
black or brown feathers on surface of the back of females ;
positive black spots prevalent in web of feathers of back ex-
cept slight dark or black stripes in saddle near tail of males or
in cape of either sex;" these requirements must give the read-
er a very clear idea of the importance of a clear white sur-
face in this section, that is, the entire back of female from the
rear of the cape to the front of the tail coverts ; and the same
for males, except for the slight dark striping in lower part of
the saddle hanger, "covering the root and sides of the tail."
The clause which requires this particular form of saddle
striping in those feathers that cover root and sides of tail is a
new one that was first introduced in the 1915 Standard. It
was not found in the 1910 Revised Edition. A clause of simi-
lar import is found in both the 1898 and 1905 Editions, as
follows in the latter, relating to Light Brahmas, the plumage
of which is acknowledged to be the plumage after which
that of the Columbian is patterned in all details, except leg
plumage which has been, of course, obliterated. "Saddle
white, except where saddle hangers take on the character of
tail-coverts which, if black in the web and laced with white,
shall not be considered defective ;" which, though not actually
demanding black stripes in the rear and lower saddle feathers,
clearly permitted them, and unquestionably for the reason that
is advanced for requiring the same now, namely: that better
black points, especially the tail-coverts, may be obtained in
both sexes, and a more perfect blending of back and tail color
is thereby obtained.
That such saddle striping in the males will and does pro-
duce the black feather or feathers that are pronouncedly spot-
ted with black or dark color approaching black in the back
of the female, most of the best authorities deny ; that is, if
the character of such black striping is as described in the
Standard, "With a narrow V-shaped black stripe at the end
of each feather, tapering to a point near its lower extremity."
Obviously a "V-shaped black stripe" is not the solid, lus-
trous, greenish-black stripe of the hackle. This description
322
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 110
COLUMBIAN PLYMOUTH ROCKS, WING-PRIMARY
FEATHERS OF DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS
1. Old style, too light in color. 2. Dark but gray near end an
white at root. 3. Correct, excepting white at root. 4. Idealized.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
323
PLATE 111
H[IHHHIHH^^HHiHHHBhHh9hbh
12 3 4
COLUMBIAN PLYMOUTH ROCKS, WING SECONDARIES
1. Old style, too light.
2. Too much white at tip.
3. Too much white at root.
4. Ideal (natural).
324
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
would signify a pointed or narrow V-shaped center of white,
inside the black stripe at the upper end ; and this particular
stripe must have the border as the clause, "tapering to a point
near its lower extremity" would signify, because, otherwise,
the black stripe would terminate at the extremity. Two saddle
feathers are shown, Plate 108, the first one weak in striping,
and the second an ideal or nearly ideal feather.
It will be observed that this stripe has not the same char-
acter as the saddle stripe of the males of other parti-colored
varieties and does not, as stated above, correspond in the pat-
tern to the hackle striping of parti-colored males of this or
of other varieties. The hackles and saddles of all other varie-
ties of Plymouth Rocks do, however, correspond as to color
patterns.
Between the upper termination of the V-shaped stripe
and the bluish slate of the undercolor, a white band of greater
or less width should intervene. This is desired because it is
considered that if the stripe extends to the slate of the under-
color, the male that carries it will throw females with black
on the surface of the backs. This is demanded, not only as a
point of individual exhibition merit, but as a safeguard in
breeding. A better and clearer idea of how the feathers of
the back and saddle very gradually acquire the character of
the tail feathers is shown by the series of six feathers in
Plate 109, 1 from center of back, 2 small saddles, 3 saddle, 4 tail
covert, 5 large tail-covert, 6 smaller sickle. All are ideal or
nearly ideal feathers for the positions on the back and tail
which they occupied.
The Wings. — The fronts, white except that portion which
is covered with breast feathers which may be partly black.
The bows, coverts, and outside of the secondaries are white ;
when spread, both primaries and secondaries should show
black. With the exception of a narrow edge of white on lower
web, each primary should be solid black. Such flights are
hard to produce because a mixture of white with black in
one or more of various ways is but natural in a variety that
has a predominance of white in its plumage; splashes of white
very often occur in the center of the upper or broader web of
flight feathers, as shown in Plate 110, feather No. 1. while gray
splashes near the end of the feather and white at the base are
faults that are frequently seen. The latter two defects arc
shown in Plate 110, feather No. 2. white feather No. 3 shows
the white at base, which is a defect, though it is, on the
PLYMOUTH ROOK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
325
whole, an illustration of a very good feather. Feather
No. 4 shows an idealized flight feather from a male, from
which sex are taken all these flight feathers, which show the
improvement of a period of fifteen or twenty years, as at that
^.period feather No. 1 was a very good flight feather indeed.
The improvement during the period is shown by comparing
feathers No. 1 and No. 4.
PLATE 112
1 2 3
COLUMBIAN PLYMOUTH ROCKS, MALE, SMALLER
SICKLES, DEFECTIVE AND CORRECT, FROM
DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS
1. Glossy black, with white at root. 2. White breaking across
the center. 3. Idealized.
326
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
The upper web of the secondary feathers, that is the nearer
web to the body, is supposed to be black, while the lower or
outer web should be white. As the body is approached the
proportion of black in the upper web diminishes and the white
increases, so that the wing- shows only white when folded
or, to localize the description still more, the wing bay is white.
Previous Standards have described secondaries in these words,
"Secondaries, lower portion of lower web, white, sufficient to
secure a white wing-bay, the white extending around the ends
of feathers and lacing upper portion of web, this color grow-
ing wider in shorter secondaries, the five next to body being
white on surface when wing is folded ; remainder of each sec-
ondary, black." This description, though laborious and en-
cumbered somewhat by phraseology, will nevertheless be
found to be accurate upon analysis. From it might be de-
duced the fact that the amount of black in the secondaries is
relatively proportionate to the length of the feather, the
shorter ones next to the body being white or having a lesser
amount of black than those that are larger and more remote.
Black, however, whatever the extent, should be black and
not a modified shade of that color. Where the secondaries,
or primaries for that matter, are black they should be black
and where white is required, white that is nowise modified
should be found. Furthermore, between the two, a sharp
line of definition should exist. Feather No. 2 in Plate 111.
the second feather from the left, shows gray shading in with
the white, also too much white at the end of the feather for a
secondary near the center of the wing; the third feather
from the left, too much white at the base ; the fourth is an
ideal secondary near the center of the wing. The flights of
the males as a usual occurrence are stronger in color, that is.
the black is more perfectly distributed than in the flights of
the females. Flights splashed with white are, then, much
more seriously defective in males than in females and in the
young than in the old females.
Tail. — The main tail feathers of both sexes should be black
from top to base; often, of course, white creeps in, but com-
paratively little difficulty is experienced in this particular.
The real difficulty lies in . another direction, to produce tail
coverts of lustrous greenish-black with narrow lacing or edg-
ing of white. Particularly in the females is it difficult to
breed the black entirely across these broad coverts and main-
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 327
PLATE 113
1 2 3 4 5
COLUMBIAN PLYMOUTH ROCKS, UNDERCOLOR OF AN
EXHIBITION MALE
1. Center of breast, white without bluish white undercolor.
2. Near center of breast, ideal bluish white undercolor.
3. Breast near wing, with very dark bluish slate undercolor.
4. Middle of back, bluish white undercolor.
5. Body, bluish white undercolor.
PLATE 114
1 2 3 4 5
FEMALE, CORRESPONDING TO SECTIONS IN ABOVE MALE
328
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
tain the uniform strength of color and lustre. It is also some
task to maintain the very narrow edging so much sought
and keep both colors well-defined, generation after generation.
Very similar in color and pattern but lacking somewhat in
the lustre of black portions are the broad, curly feathers at
the rear of and between the main tail feathers.
These smaller sickles are shown on Plate 112; feather No.
1 is defective because of white on base; No. 2, defective be-
cause of splashes of white; No. 3, ideal.
Breast, Body and Fluff. — These sections of both sexes
should be pure white on the surface, but show the bluish-
slate underneath. It is highly desirable that they do so, be-
cause with this slate undercolor lacking in all sections of
white surface, color points are sure to be weak, losing there-
PLATE 115
COLUMBIAN PLYMOUTH ROCK, MALE, DEFECTS IN
SURFACE COLOR
Neck too dark. Hackle feathers black on edge of borders.
Breast, next to wing-fronts and wing, near front, with too much black.
Black tips on wing-bar. Irregular gray striping in side of saddle.
Black showing on fluff and hocks.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
329
by the chief beauty of the variety. Over-dark specimens
would be sought more eagerly and prized more highly than
over-light or white specimens, both for breeding virtues and
exhibition merits ; however, there is grave danger in using
birds that are too dark.
The Undercolor. — The Standard describes undercolor of
both sexes in like phrases, "bluish-slate in all sections ex-
cept breast which may be bluish-white at juncture of body,"
thus calling for lighter color than if it used the simple term
"slate," which would allow an extremely large range of under-
color from medium slate that might be almost white to very
dark slate that approaches black. Too dark undercolor as
well as too light is dangerous in the breeding pen, as white-
surfaced sections would in many cases show black or dark
color on the surface of the back of the female and in the
sides of breast of the male or in the body feathers of one or
both sexes. In the breast of both sexes, a lighter shade of
undercolor is required, but at the junction with body the
Standard again demands a bluish-slate. A very clear idea of
the undercolor of the lower or under sections of the body is
presented by the series of feathers in Plates 113 and 114.
The undesirable black that occasionally will crop out in
sides of breast, near shoulder of wing, wing-fronts and
coverts, and fluff is illustrated in Plate 115.
CHAPTER III.
MATING COLUMBIAN PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
For the following we are largely indebted to F. M. Clem-
ans, to whom reference has been made heretofore, as one of
the pioneers in the development of this variety :
"The color markings of the Columbian Rock are practically
the same as those of the Light Brahma. When we consider
how long the breeding of Light Brahmas has been reduced
to a science it would be folly to ignore the valuable lessons we
can learn from a study of results heretofore obtained by Light
Brahma breeders.
"Those who have had most to do with the advancement
of the Columbian Rock have not failed to take advantage of
this record of achievement in Brahma breeding and our breed
has greatly profited thereby. The beginner can profit largely
by following the course of the successful Light Brahma man
330 AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 116
COLUMBIAN PLYMOUTH ROCKS, MALE, FOR IDEAL
SINGLE MAT1NGS
Illustrating the black markings of standard exhibition male for
breeding both males and females:
Upper row: Neck, back, saddle, saddle (hanging at side near
tail), smaller tail-covert, larger tail-covert, smaller sickle.
Below: Wing, primary; wing, secondary; main tail.
PLYMOUTH BOCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
331
PLATE 117
COLUMBIAN PLYMOUTH ROCKS, FEMALE, FOR IDEAL
SINGLE MATING
Illustrating the black markings of Standard exhibition female
for breeding both males and females:
Upper row: Neck, top tail-covert, smaller tail-coverts, larger
tail-coverts.
Lower row: Wing, primary; wing, secondary; main tail, under-
tail-covert.
332
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
and advise with him and study the best product of his art at
the shows.
"The requirements for color and markings of each section
have been so carefully weighed and considered with relation
to breeding tendencies, ascertained by years of experience of
breeders, not only of Columbian Plymouth Rocks but Colum-
bian Wyandottes and Light Brahmas as well, by the framers
of the present (1915 Revision) Standard for the Columbian
varieties, that the desired strength of color may be maintained
by using exhibition specimens exclusively in these matings.
This happy state of affairs has been brought about largely
by requiring stronger undercolor in certain sections, while
still demanding a surface of clear white in these sections.
Undoubtedly, however, the endeavors of breeders of this
variety to more thoroughly establish the strength and stabil-
ity of the color in the required sections have made a sub-
stantial contribution to the advancement we find this variety
has made during the past decade.
"In the past so much importance has been attached to a
clear white surface and many times to a clear white under-
color, that those sections in which black was required have
been weakened, for it is recognized that color is lost in suc-
ceeding generations to a certain extent and occasionally a little
excess must be added to maintain the balance. While such
study of the methods of the pastmasters in breeding Light
Brahmas will be a great benefit in mating for color, equally
important knowledge can be acquired from old breeders of
Barred and White Rocks. Here we learn much of value in
producing shape and true Rock characteristics. A Columbian
Rock of almost perfect color is of little value if lacking in
Rock character, for in Rock type lies more than half of the
beauty and utility of the breed.
"In mating this or any breed, consider well the ancestry of
the fowls being mated. It is an old saying that 'chicks gener-
ally favor the grandsire.' It is important then that individ-
ual quality be backed by ancestors selected for years for their
individual merit. Otherwise we must combat the law of re-
version to undesirable type.
"Being satisfied as to ancestry, next in importance is the
individual type of birds to be mated. The true Rock is a bird
of good size that will make Standard weight or better with-
out crowding; in other words, birds that have the bone to
carry Standard weight or over without being fattened to an
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 333
injurious extent. The shank bone is a good indicator of
weight-carrying capacity. A small light shanked bird in
a flock is an indication of the blood of a Wyandotte 'sport.'
The true Rock has a broad, deep breast, a long, broad and
deep body, with only a slight concave rise of back to the tail.
The thighs and shanks are strong and of medium length,
avoiding either the low-set Dorking or stilty Langshan.
Color. — "We have learned from Brahma breeders that the
tendency of this color is to breed lighter unless kept well re-
inforced by strong colored males at the head of pens, and that
a flock of birds of this color will, if turned loose without in-
telligent mating, gradually revert to white.
''The breeder of a Columbian variety should bear the
following fundamental facts constantly in mind when mat-
ing his breeding fowls :
"That while a puMet with a clear white back and white
undercolor is a bird to be admired, she should be mated to
a male with strong black in neck and wings, well-striped
saddle, with cape full of black and with dark slate undercolor,
if we would sustain the color of the chicks.
"That the male has much to do with producing and em-
phasizing color, and, therefore, very light and faded males
should invariably be sent to the block.
"That by the use of strong colored males, females that are
somewhat weak in color can be profitably utilized."
Mr. Clemans describes several matings utilizing different
grades of birds. These descriptions will be of service, especial-
ly to the beginners :
The Ideal Mating. — -"This mating requires birds of rare
show quality. Many, of course, cannot afford such a mating,
but the breeder with a good sized flock to select from can
often make a number of such matings. For the male, select
either a cockerel weighing seven to nine pounds or cock nine
to ten pounds, when in good breeding condition, with big,
strong, bright yellow shanks, bright reddish-bay eye and in
general type as nearly Standard as possible ; wing flights,
nearly solid black; cape, over one-half black; hackle, flowing
full over the shoulders and with broad, deep black stripe;
saddle showing some black striping near tail ; sickles solid
black, with lesser coverts nicely edged with white.
"For females choose either six to eight pound hens or five
to six pound pullets showing clear yellow, strong-boned
shanks, good eyes, flights over half black, stripe in hackle
334
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
strong and running well down the feather, laced tail coverts,
and undercolor bluish-white. The comb in both sexes should
be of excellent type. While such a pen is worth a strong
price it will be worth the money for future results.
Females Lacking in Color. — "A male bird as described in
the ideal mating but darker in plumage, the black in cape
showing well into the back, and some feathers of back may
even show a tendency to black striping. Undercolor, dark
slate. Mate to females considerably lighter than in the ideal
mating. This is a good mating for results, often producing
ideal show birds.
Females of Too Strong a Color. — "To utilize very dark,
even smutty necked and ticked backed females. This mating
is better adapted to practical purposes, but by its use good
results can be obtained where it is necessary to use such
birds. To females of this character, mate a male with flights
about one-third white ; neck and cape rather light but hackle
showing fairly good stripe and clear white edging; back, clear
white and undercolor light. While this mating will throw
some culls, it will produce a very fair percentage of good
birds.
Extremely Light Females. — "This is also a mating that
should be chiefly relied upon to produce birds for commercial
flocks and utilizes very light colored females which often have
light or pearl-colored eyes. Mate these to a male bird that
would be discarded as a show bird for too much color in back.
He should show very dark hackle, even smoky edge ; cape
and undercolor, so dark as to show in web ; wing, as near
solid black as possible in flights ; eye, very strong bright red.
Remember a red eye is a strong breeding eye. It is very
desirable in a male bird. Such a cockerel as here described
will often moult the second year into a great show bird, though
almost disqualified as a cockerel.
"This is an extreme mating, but it makes reasonably valu-
able females that would otherwise have to be discarded, and
verv often it will produce a percentage of show birds.
"Matings like numbers three and four and other matings
in which the defects of one sex are offset in the opposite sex
often meet the wants of a beginner whose purse will not reach
a more desirable mating, and from such matings a very good
flock is often started. A greater percentage of culls can be
expected but many good birds will also be produced, and from
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 335
these the beginner can build up. When the amateur can af-
ford it, however, let him invest in a mating like one or two.
Double Mating. — "Many ask about double matings and
how to make them. Columbian Rocks do not require that
system and it would be foolish to inaugurate it. However,
such matings can be made and occasionally circumstances
might make them desirable.
"A special mating for pullets would be one in which the
females of the pen conform closely to the Standard in all
points, while the male should be equally good except that he
should be exceptionally clear of black in web of back and with
few striped feathers in saddle, while his tail coverts should be
exceptionally nicely laced. This would throw fine pullets
and at the same time a good percentage of good males.
"A mating for show males might be made by mating very
dark pullets showing nearly black flights and smoky or ticky
backs, and such a mating should produce some grand males,
no doubt, but many of the females would probably be ticky
in back. On the whole, matings that will produce a good
proportion of good chicks of both sexes cannot be too strong-
ly adhered to."
Double matings are now rarely used in solid-colored breed
varieties or in those varieties in which the color pattern is the
same in both sexes.
As already pointed out, the tendency to use the last three
matings diminishes as the variety improves, until nearly every
breeder has one, at least, that approaches an ideal mating.
Two groups of feathers, plates — and — , show feathers
from different sections of male and female of an ideal single
mating, conforming with the best ideals for the best matings
of the present day, practically as described in paragraph under
heading of "Ideal Matings."
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
PLATE 118
MODERN WINNING COLUMBIAN PLYMOUTH
ROCKS
PART FOUR.
PLYMOUTH ROCKS FOR AND IN THE
SHOW ROOM
SECTION I. — AN EXPLANATION OF THE JUDGE'S
PART IN THE SHOW ROOM.
Chapter I. THE SCALE OF POINTS.
Chapter II. JUDGING PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
SECTION II.— THE EXHIBITOR'S PART.
Chapter I. THE EXAMINATION OF CANDI-
DATES FOR SHOW HONORS.
Chapter II. CONDITIONING FOWLS FOR THE
SHOW.
Chapter III. SHIPPING TO THE SHOW.
Chapter IV. CARE IN THE SHOW ROOM.
Chapter V. RETURNING FROM THE SHOW.
Chapter VI. CARE OF BIRDS AFTER THE
SHOW.
SECTION I.
EXPLANATION OF THE JUDGE'S PART
CHAPTER I.
STANDARD SCALE OF POINTS.
THOROUGHBRED races of horses, cattle, sheep and
swine, as well as domesticated breeds of dogs, are meas-
ured in value by a fixed scale of points formulated for
each breed and, with poultry, applicable to each breed even to
every variety.
The American Standard of Perfection describes the ideal
specimen in shape and color and this description is the guide
for the breeder, exhibitor and judge. It is the supreme law
which controls all judges of Standard-bred poultry in making
their decisions between contesting specimens in the show room
or the breeders' yards.
All breeds of poultry must be bred to the standards formu-
lated by the American Poultry Association and published in
the American Standard of Perfection, for without such Stand-
ards advancement in the art of breeding poultry would have
been impossible.
First Poultry Standard Published in 1865. — The history of
standard-making in the poultry world would make a long
chapter, for it dates as far back as 1865, when the first "Stand-
ard of Excellence" was compiled in England. The late Lewis
Wright, one of the most thorough students of the poultry
problems, as well as the most successful writer on poultry
topics in Great Britain, in his authoritative "Book of Poultry."
comments on the first Standard as follows:
"About 1865 a poultry club was formed in England, but it
did not secure many adherents and was speedily wrecked by
the personal animosity which developed between two or three
of its members. But it issued a description of the recognized
breeds, with numerical values for the points, under the title of
"Standard of Excellence," which was a landmark in the judg-
ing of poultry. In spite of many faults, it embodied the prin-
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
339
ciple that fowls ought to be bred to definite points and judged
by them and that the points could be and ought to be defined.
This was a great idea and a great service, though the first
clubs existence was brief and its Standard very crude. The
scale of points only added up to a total of fifteen, through all
the breeds, which quite shut out the modern system of "cut-
ting" a portion off for defects ; and in the descriptions them-
selves there were several errors — such as attributing red eyes
to Malays — which, however, could scarcely be avoided at that
early period. The existing judges ostentatiously declined to
be bound by this Standard, which had, in fact, no authority;
yet, nevertheless, its definitions or descriptions undoubtedly
had great influence in bringing about greater uniformity of
type and more general acceptance of a real type in many
breeds."
A. M. Halstead, Rye, N. Y., issued a reprint of this English
Standard in 1867, but it did not prove satisfactory to Amer-
ican poultry breeders. A year before the above made its
appearance, I. K. Felch, Natick, Mass., devised a Standard and
Score Card, with a scale of points, for Light Brahmas, that
proved to be the forerunner of an American Standard of Ex-
cellence. Mr. Felch claims that his score card was the first
to be used in America.
The Lockwood Standard, adopted in New York City in
1871, was the result of the embryonic scale of points on Mr.
Felch's first score card, embodying his valuation for shape and
color, but the Felch scale was raised to 100 points and, instead
of four sections, eleven were allotted to each breed. The bulk
of this Lockwood Standard was made up from the English
Standard, however. A. M. Halstead, in the fall of 1871, also
published an American Standard of Excellence, but neither of
these Standards proved satisfactory.
It was not until the American Poultry Association was
organized, February 15, 1873, at Buffalo, N. Y., that the work
of compiling a Standard of Excellence which would meet with
the approval of American breeders of pure bred poultry was
begun.
At a meeting of the reorganized American Poultry Asso-
ciation, held at Buffalo, N. Y., January 15, 1874, the first Amer-
ican Standard of Excellence was adopted. This standard con-
sisted of 102 pages. At the third annual meeting of the Amer-
ican Poultry Association, held at Buffalo, N. Y., January 21,
1875, a larger and more complete Standard was adopted, con-
340
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
taining descriptions of seventy-nine varieties of fowls, and
consisting of 243 pages. Revisions of this Standard of Excel-
lence were made at Chicago, 1876, Buffalo, 1877, and Portland,
Maine, 1878. The 1878 edition remained unchanged for many
years, as did the Scale of Points. Further revisions of more or
less importance were made at Indianapolis, 1888, Buffalo, 1889,
and Chicago, 1893, but the most thorough revision of the
Standard occurred at Fishers Island, N. Y., in 1897, when
many important changes were made, among them being the
separation of the shape and color descriptions to the breed it
belonged to. "Typical Carriage" was substituted for "Symme-
try" in the Scale of Points. This Standard was adopted at
the twenty-second annual meeting of the American Poultry
Association, held at Boston, Mass., January, 1898. Additions
to this Standard were made at Chicago, 1901, Charleston, S. C,
and Hagerstown, Md., in 1902. But the above revisions, as
well as all subsequent ones, did not affect the Scale of Points.
FIRST SCALE OF POINTS.
The first Scale of Points printed were those in the Hal-
stead Standard of 1867. They were called "Points in Brah-
mas," "Cochins," "Dorkings" and other breeds in vogue at
that time. As no Plymouth Rocks or Wyandottes were rec-
ognized by the Standard at that time, we reproduce below the
Scale of Points given for "Light Brahmas" :
Points in Brahmas.
Size 3
Color 4
Head and Comb 1
Wings, Primaries well tucked under Secondaries. . 1
Legs and Feathering, ditto 1
Fluff 1
Symmetry 2
Condition 2
15
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 341
For White Leghorns the Halstead Scale of Points ran as
follows :
Points in White Leghorns, Single and Rose Combed.
Comb 2
Face and Ear-lobe 3
Purity of Plumage 3
Size 3
Symmetry . . . 2
Condition 2
It is significant to note that breeders of Brahmas fifty years
ago placed the paramount value in their Scale of Points on size
and color, while the Leghorn fanciers of that time went even
further in making color, face and lobes, and size of the greatest
valuation in their Scale of Points, symmetry and condition
playing minor roles in the scale.
The above early, albeit crude, measures of value given to
the various breeds by breeders of a half century ago indicate
quite clearly, however, that their idea of valuation of points in
the respective breeds was founded on what they deemed the
salient features, and it seems to us that the foundation was a
good one.
First Scale of Points in the American Class. — In the Amer-
ican Standard of Excellence, as revised by the United Poultry
Fanciers of America, convened under the auspices of the i\mer-
ican Poultry Association, at their convention held in Buffalo,
X. Y., January 15, 1874, the first standard description of Barred
Plymouth Rocks is printed, with the following Scale of Points :
Symmetry 20
Size 20
Color of Plumage 25
Head . . . . ..! 5
Comb 10
Tail 5
Leg . .; 5
Condition 10
100
342
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Size played an important rule in the early days of the
standard-bred fowl industry, judging- by the instructions to
judges found in the 1874 Standard, as the following extracts
will prove :
"In figuring size or weight, the fowls which shall be com-
paratively small in proportion to a weight that indicates exces-
sive fat shall be estimated in the same ratio as those which
present large size and are deficient in weight compared to size."
"Judges must in all cases make a pro rata reduction for
any fractional part of a pound that a specimen falls short of
the largest or Standard bird."
In the Asiatic class, the specimen largest in size and weight
was deemed the perfect specimen and allowed full number of
points in size and weight, provided always that the cocks did
not weigh less than eleven pounds, cockerels less than ten
pounds, hens less than ten pounds, and pullets less than eight
pounds, under the 1874 Standard Scale of Points. As an illus-
tration :
"When the largest cock specimen in size and weight weighs
thirteen pounds or more, the remaining specimens shall be
figured comparatively, losing two points for every pound they
fall short of the weight of the per Standard specimen. When
the largest cock weighs under thirteen pounds, and not less
than twelve pounds, then the remaining specimens shall lose
four points for every pound they fall short of the weight of
said best or Standard specimen."
The same rule was applied to Asiatic cockerels, hens and
pullets, and all judges in other classes were instructed to first
establish a corresponding size and weight that shall apply to
their class and shall be in keeping with the spirit of the fore-
going.
MODERN SCALE OF POINTS FOR PLYMOUTH
ROCKS.
(An Adaptation From Mr. Drevenstedt's Article on Wyan-
dottes.)
But what Plymouth Rock breeders are interested in today
is the valuation placed on their breed by the American Stand-
ard of Perfection. In 1888 the Scale of Points for the three
varieties of Plymouth Rocks then recognized, Barred, Pea-
Comb and White, allotted to the different sections relative val-
uation as indicated :
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 343
Symmetry 8
Weight 6
Condition 6
Head — Shape 3, Color 3 6
Comb 8
Wattles and Ear-Lobes 6
Neck— Shape 4, Color 6 10
Back— Shape 4, Color 4 8
Breast — Shape 5, Color 5 10
Body and Fluff — Shape 5, Color 3 8
Wings — Shape 4, Color 4 8
Tail— Shape 4, Color 4 8
Legs and Toes 8
100
This scale of points applied to all varieties in the Amer-
ican class. Plymouth Rock breeders of today will note that
the valuations given placed too low a value on color of plum-
age, only 26 points being designated to this important feature.
But the Scale of Points in the 1898 Standard was practically
the same, with the exception that "Typical Carriage" supple-
mented "Symmetry." In the Scale of Points of the 1910
Standard we find some important changes. Twenty-eight
points are allotted to color of plumage and the shape of the
important body sections gains three points. Weight counts
less and failure to approach Standard weight is more severely
penalized. By the allotment it will be seen that more credit
for merit was accorded to the sections which were in most
varieties the most difficult to breed. Plymouth Rocks were
now recognized in six different colors and color patterns, or
six varieties, three of which were comparatively new. The
color patterns of two of these were admittedly difficult to
produce, especially at that stage of development.
1910 Scale of Points.
Symmetry 4
Weight , , 4
Condition 4
Comb 8
Head — Shape 2, Color 2 4
Beak — Shape 2, Color 2 4
344
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Eyes — Shape 2, Color 2 4
YVattles and Ear-Lobes — Shape 2, Color 3 5
Neck — Shape 3, Color 5 8
Wings — Shape 4, Color 5 9
Back — Shape 6, Color 5 11
Tail — Shape 5, Color 5 10
Breast — Shape 6, Color 5 11
Body and Fluff — Shape 5, Color 3 8
Legs and Toes — -Shape 3, Color 3 6
100
INSTRUCTIONS TO JUDGES.
Under the above heading, on page 35 of the American
Standard of Perfection, the following paragraph instructs
judges, as well as breeders and exhibitors, how to apply the
"Scale of Points" :
"Merit: The merit of specimens shall be determined by a
careful examination of all sections in the "Scale of Points,"
beginning with symmetry and continuing through the list, de-
ducting from the full value of each section of a perfect bird
for such defects as are found in the specimen. Judges must
familiarize themselves with the scale of points of each breed
they are to pass upon, to intelligently award prizes. And it
must be understood that no more and no less value can be
placed on any section than is provided for in the "Scale of
Points." And it shall be further understood that this system
must be applied whether judged by score card or comparison.
The minimum cut for any section shall be one-fourth of one
point."
On page 41, under "Cutting for Defects," the Standard
reads :
"These cuts should not be confused with nor take prece-
dence over the valuation given each section in the Scale of
Points of all varieties."
Owing to the fact that all of the largest shows are judged
by comparison today, the above paragraph is of greater im-
portance than the succeeding ones, giving cuts to be made in
the various sections. In other words, the "Scale of Points" is the
true measure of value which the judge must apply when select-
ing the winners in the Plymouth Rock classes in the showroom
or in the breeders' yards. In all sections, except weight and
condition, the relative value of shape and color are clearly
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 345
defined and, if adhered to, will determine the ratings of the
competing specimens correctly as a rule. But the size or
weight and condition of an exhibition specimen often decide
its standing among the winners in the show-room, and great
care must be exercised by the judge when handling birds that
appear large and look in the pink of condition.
Size is a relative term, so when two specimens are com-
pared the one that apparently looks the larger will often win,
other points being equal. But, applying the weight clause is
the safest rule in all such decisions.
It is also well to bear in mind that a Plymouth Rock when
over standard weight, though larger in size, may be coarser in
type. Size and overweight has a tendency to destroy the type
by making the specimen coarser. In defining Standard size,
page 39 of the present Standard of Perfection reads :
"In determining size, the judge shall decide by comparing
the specimens in competition, with due regard to weight in all
breeds and varieties, where weight is required by the Stand-
ard. When a bird fails to attain, or in case it exceeds, the
size proportionate with the type or shape, it must be dis-
counted quite severely."
Symmetry is valued at four points in the Scale, so a bird
approximately closely the Standard ideal can be rated 100
per cent or the full four points of value in the Scale of Points,
which will make the ratings of less typical specimens a mat-
ter of comparative percentages. But in comparison judging
today, as in the past, symmetry is rarely, if ever, computed
by a Scale of Points. Where one specimen which is almost
identical with another in typical shape or symmetry, has one
minor shape defect only, as for instance, a head too narrow,
or a comb too large for a Plymouth Rock, that defect should
be discounted under head points, as are all minor or serious
faults in the different sections, and the cuts to be made when
the score card is applied should comply with the rules given
in the Standard of Perfection under "Cutting for Defect."
Condition, like symmetry, is valued at four points, and is
equally difficult of application when measured by the "Scale
of Point" valuation, as no definite rule to determine the rela-
tive value of condition in competing specimens can be laid
down, for it is a duty of the judge to determine this matter.
The Standard defines Condition as follows : "The state of
a fowl as regards health, cleanliness and order of plumage."
Frosted combs, broken feathers and scaly legs are discounted
346
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
in their respective sections, and handicap seriously the speci-
men that may be in good health and feather otherwise; rough
and soiled plumage, if caused by poor washing and handling,
handicaps an otherwise hue specimen severely, but if the
plumage of a well-conditioned bird becomes soiled in the show
pen, due allowance must be made by the judge.
The relative values of color and shape in the neck, back,
wing and breast sections, given in the 1915 Standard, are more
just and equitable than those in the older Standards, as color
in parti-colored Plymouth Rocks is of paramount importance,
especially in Silver Penciled and Partridge, varieties that have
run less true to shape requirements than the Barred and White,
due to the extreme difficulties experienced by breeders in per-
fecting the penciled feather pattern demanded by the Standard.
To a certain extent, shape had to be sacrificed in order to
obtain the desired Standard color markings. It is, therefore,
necessary to place as high a valuation on these color sections
as possiole in order to protect the male or female specimens
which show superior color markings, but that fail somewhat
in the shape of different sections. (J. H. D.)
CHAPTER II.
JUDGING AMERICAN BREEDS— PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
The philosophy of judging Standard breeds of poultry is
the same as that which must apply for all other animate or
inanimate exhibits found in nature or produced by the art
and skill of man, for it is based on the knowledge which
governs the valuation of all such matter examined, or speci-
mens exhibited. In other words, the Standard-bred specimen
in the yard of the breeder, or in the show pen of the exhibitor,
is the matter to be considered by the mind of the judge. And
the mind of the poultry judge is governed by the American
Standard of Perfection, which is the only safe guide for the
breeder, exhibitor and judge in selecting breeding or exhibition
specimens. This Standard is the law which every judge must
obey.
The fads of breeders and exhibitors must be ignored by
the judge, for no conscientious adjudicator of live stock is or
ever will be a faddist. Fads of any description are short-lived.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 347
Furthermore, there are the dangers of the advanced types in
certain popular breeds or varieties to carefully guard against.
They may seem to be in advance of the present Standard for
the special variety in some one section of color marking which
has been produced by skillful and progressh'e breeding, and
beautiful as such may look to the producer and other admirers
of this particular variety, they cannot be justly considered by
an American Poultry Association judge until they have been
recognized, authorized and printed in the edition of the Amer-
ican Standard of Perfection that is in force at the time of
judging.
To recognize any one particular so-called advanced section
is to become a slave to a single idea, for the poultry judge
with a fad is usually the one who ignores the Standard by plac-
ing too much valuation on some particular section in one speci-
men and overlooking the general all-around excellencies of the
competing specimens.
With some judges of Barred Plymouth Rocks, under-
barring is a dangerous fad, one that is shared by breeders not
infrequently. A Barred Plymouth Rock, beautiful in surface
color, will often be passed because the undercolor is not barred
strongly and deeply down to the skin, notwithstanding the fact
that deficient underbarring and lighter, less sharply defined
barring in the undercolor is discounted from one-half point to
one and one-half points only.
Exhibitors or judges who cultivate this special fondness for
superior development in any one section of a breed or variety
will sooner or later realize their mistake ; for it is the exhibitor
and judge that stick to the Standard, obey its laws and require-
ments, who will win out in the short or long run always.
The Standard Is the Judge's Guide. — The American Stand-
ard of Perfection describes the shape and color sections in each
variety of all recognized breeds of poultry, gives the general
and specific disqualifications for which exhibition specimens
are to be disqualified by the judges, defines under "Instruc-
tions to Judges" the most important laws which govern the
selection of prize winners, while under "Cutting for Defects"
and "In Applying the Comparison System," rules are laid
down for the judge's guidance when examining and adjudi-
cating all specimens in whatever classes they may be as-
signed to.
The foundation of American poultry culture rests upon the
American Standard of Perfection and every poultry judge
348
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
should bear this in mind. The Standard is supreme law,
rirst, last and all the time. The breeder, exhibitor or judge
who fans to reeognize it as sueh destroys whatever chances ne
may have to make good.
Judging by the standard. — The American Standard of Per-
fection being the law, as well as the guide, for the poultry
judge, he must be thoroughly posted on its requirements be-
fore attempting to adjudicate in any classes at a poultry exhi-
bition. A thorough study of the rules which govern judging
is of the greatest importance, as more protests against awards
are based on the failure to observe these rules than on errors of
judgment. Never overlook a disqualification of any kind, no
matter how trivial it may be, or how much the mind rebels
against throwing out a surpassingly fine bird. The judge sim-
ply has to do it or invite protest. The Standard may seem
wrong to him, but that should make no difference, as all the
specimens entered in his classes have, or should have, been
selected by the exhibitors according to the same Standard.
The judge has no right to disregard any of its rules if he de-
sires to remain in good standing in his profession.
Another important point, however, and one that must never
be overlooked is: The Standard permits the judge to give
the benefit of any doubt he may have in his mind to the bird.
A superior specimen, the best in its class, may have some
defect so near to the disqualifying limit that an over-zealous
judge will exercise arbitrary powers and disqualify the bird.
This is placing a radical or literal construction on the laws
laid down by the Standard certainly not intended by its fram-
ers. A judge must exercise his common sense in interpreting
all such laws. To throw out the gem in any class because d
pinhead spot of black or red appears in a white feather is
both suicidal to the breed or variety and the judge.
Lastly, a judge should follow Davy Crockett's advice —
"Be sure you're right, then go ahead" — when judging poultry
at exhibitions. Under any circumstances he must' make his
decisions without fear or favor and care naught for what
exhibitors may say. A judge is an individual having but one
opinion. That one he should adhere to. Others may have
different ones, but that need not influence him in the least.
It is, however, his duty toward exhibitors that may be pres-
ent and who courteously ask him for explanations of his
awards to satisfy them. Jt is well to remember that many
exhibitors are as well posted on the merits of the birds entered
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
349
at the shows as the judge himself, and some may know even
better the strong- points of the best birds. Such exhibitors
are not kickers, as a rule, and it benefits a judge to associate
with them after the show is over.
First Impressions Are Best. — First impressions of any
specimen are usually the most reliable, and other things being
equal will govern final decisions of the thoroughly competent
judge, one who is thoroughly "up" on the breeds or varieties
he is called to adjudicate and no other should ever be engaged.
The real judge is one who — plus training and experience —
has a natural instinct for discerning the best, which a noted
English authority claims is a quality given to but few men
and fewer women, adding- : "Well do I remember many years
ago one such man, though there have been several others, but I
mention him because he seldom acted as judge, although one
of the best I ever knew. Put before him a dozen birds or
animals of any breed, even though he had never seen the like
before, and he would assuredly pick the winners, placing them
in correct order. He had the instinctive capacity which en-
abled him to gauge the type and idealize it."
This bears out the adage : "Judges are born — not made."
but which does not imply that training and experience are
not required, for without these valuable assets, no man should
accept the position of judge of important classes at any exhi-
bition of poultry.
Tt is the experienced eve of the judge that selects, often
at first glance, the bird which stands out among all the rest
pnd this one and the others must be measured by the Standard
ideal as it exists in the mind of the judge, provided on closer
insnection no serious defects are discovered, which would
debar them from winning. We call attention to this because
some pood breeders, who have attempted to pass judgment
on poultry in the show room, have failed to look at the good
Joints of the fowl but have started right off hunting for
defects. Thev wanted all that was bad and overlooked all
that was p-ood in the birds.
As an illustration, we will cite the case of an old and noted
breeder who did not think the judge placed his Buff Leghorn
cockerels correctly, contending that the second and third prize
birds were better than his first, just because the latter had a
tinpe of b 1 uish-gray in the undercolor of the back. Yet this
cockerel was far superior in surface color and shape to the
other two. All the owner could see was one little hidden
350
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
defect in color. He forgot all about the other fine qualities of
the winning cockerel. He judged not by first impressions, but
with a mania for discovering imperfections.
A poultry judge should be an optimist always, see the
g:ood and then discount the bad points of a specimen. He
must bear in mind that there are twelve sections for shape
and nearly as many for color, besides weight and condition,
which must figure in the complete and final examination of
every specimen. However, in a well finished and matured
specimen, typical shape is readily seen at a glance, in fact a
real top-notcher stands out from the rest. Other things being
equal, such a bird will win.
Yet it may so happen that an ideal bird in type and size
is handicapped by a bad comb, which, with the faddist judge,
may result in its being passed by without further examination
or patient consideration of its superior merits in both shape
and color. And therein lies the chief danger in awarding
prizes at a poultry show, for this one glaring defect obscures
the vision of the judge who happens to be a confirmed defect
hunter, at the same time being oblivious to the existence of
the Standard which describes the entire bird, even to placing a
limit upon penalties for defects.
General Disqualifications. — The American Standard of
Perfection, under "General Disqualifications," describes and
enumerates the defects which will disqualify the specimens on
which they are discovered by the judge. In most instances
the descriptions of such disqualifying defects are defined in
clear and unmistakable language, but in several others there
is considerable room for doubt, requiring intelligent interpreta-
tion and generous application by the judge.
For instance, where it reads : "In varieties where positive
white in ear-lobes is a disqualification, judges shall disqualify
for unmistakable evidence of an attempt to remove the de-
fect." The words "unmistakable evidence" should be carefully
weighed before proceeding to disqualify a specimen, as the
burden of proof rests with a judge, should an exhibitor
demand an explanation in the event of having a specimen
disqualified for removal of white from the lobes. To be on
the safe side, the specimen should be given the benefit of all
reasonable doubt.
But there is another disqualification clause which is even
more delicate of adjustment, as it is more difficult of inter-
pretation, and that is: "Faking in any manner shall disqualify
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
351
the specimen." This will bring up the perennial query, "What
constitutes faking?"
To define "faking" in terms that will prove satisfactory to
all good poultry breeders is a difficult matter ; as the dividing
line between real faking, such as bleaching or coloring of the
plumage, trimming of combs, pulling feathers from shanks of
clean-legged breeds, and the methods of preparing birds for
the show room, is a very narrow one, especially when it is
considered legitimate to pluck many feathers from a parti-
colored specimen in order to bring out the color markings more
distinctly and effectively, or to fluff up the feathers of a
Cochin, pull tails of a Cochin bantam a certain length of time
prior to a show, and a few other little aids or "tricks of the
trade" in fixing up exhibition specimens. It will keep the
judge guessing just where to draw the line in most of the
instances stated above.
However, the disqualifying clause that has caused judges
more trouble and annoyance than all others in the past reads :
"In all breeds required to have unfeathered shanks, any feather,
or feathers, stubs or down on shanks, feet or toes ; or unmis-
takable indication of feathers, stubs or down having been
plucked from same." The difficult part the judge must play
is in determining whether feathers have been plucked from
the shanks. The defect-finding judge will do the miscroscopic
act in order to discover the hole or incipient stub. The experi-
enced judge will obey the Standard admonition at the foot of
the rule for "General Disqualifications," which reads : "Under
all disqualifying clauses, the specimen shall have the benefit
of the doubt." If the naked eye of the judge cannot detect
a stub or "unmistakable evidence of feathers having been
plucked," no magnifying lenses or pen knives need be resorted
to in order to discover a puny stub located somewhere on the
otherwise clean shanks of a specimen. Exhibitors are human
and will do all in their power to prepare a bird which will
pass muster with the average judge, but they will frown
on the adjudicator who calls to his aid magnifying glasses or
surgery when examining the legs or toes of fowls.
Size and Condition. — The size and condition of an exhibi-
tion specimen often determine its fate in the show room, but
great care should be exercised by the judge when handling
birds that appear large and look immaculate in their feathered
garb. Looks are often delusive, especially in the artificially
prepared exhibition specimens such as judges are confronted
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
with in the white-plumaged varieties, and not infrequently in
the parti-colored ones. Cochins which appear immense in size
in their very loose feathering- which has been curled and
fluffed up by the skilled hand of the exhibitor, may fall short
of the Standard weight, although they look to have both size
and weight.
Size is a relative term, so when two specimens are com-
pared, the one that is apparently the larger will win, other
points being equal. But the weight clause is the only safe and
correct rule to apply in such close decisions.
It is also well to bear in mind that the specimen over
Standard weight, while larger in size, may be coarser in type.
As the veteran Light Brahma breeder and judge once remarked
to an old judge who awarded a twelve-pound Light Brahma
hen a prize over one that fell a trifle under the Standard
weight : "When we want meat, we go to market for it where
we can buy it for a shilling a pound." Size and overweight do
not make Brahmas, and every pound over the Standard weight
destroys the type by making the specimen coarser.
What applies to Light Brahmas will apply with equal
force to Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, Rhode Island Reds and
other breeds subject to weight clauses, where it is desirable to
maintain the correct typical form of the brood.
The size or weight allotted the various breeds in the Ameri-
can Standard of Perfection is based on the careful judgment
of the poultry breeders of the United States and Canada, so
that a strict adherence to the weight clauses, when judging
standard-bred varieties, is compulsory.
Relative Value of Condition. — Condition is given but four
points in the "Scale of Points," for nearly all breeds, the
exceptions being Sumatras, Games and Malays, which have
ten, six and eight points allotted to them. As the last three
mentioned breeds possess special characteristics in plumage,
condition is a most important factor when specimens of these
fanciers' breeds are exhibited in the show room.
But in the American classes four points is sufficient, as few
breeders and exhibitors will send poorly feathered or ill-
conditioned specimens to a winter show. However, at a
summer or fall show, due allowance must be made for the
condition of adult specimens, as few if any are through their
natural molt, consequently will not "shape up" like a finished
specimen, one that has molted in a completely new garb of
feathers. Nevertheless, shape can be approximately gauged
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
353
by careful inspection of the body, the breadth and length of
the back and breast sections, as a rule, furnishing a good indi-
cation of what the bird will develop into when in full plumage.
It is well to bear in mind that an adult specimen exhibited at
an early show, albeit in full plumage and exhibited in excellent
condition, may be greatly inferior in color markings to one
heavy in molt.
Typical Shape and Color. — -"Shape makes the breed, and
color the variety," is an old accepted belief among poultry
breeders which obviously makes type or shape all important
in a breed, and no judge can afford to sacrifice shape for
color alone. American poultry judges in most instances have
accepted and followed this belief, but in England the type
has not received the consideration at the hands of English
judges the Standard demands, a fact which has led progress-
ive poultry editors and breeders to issue warnings in the
poultry press, demanding that greater value be placed on type
and lesser consideration be given to color.
The American Standard of Perfection in the Scale of
Points for the American classes, allows nearly an equal num-
ber of points for color and for shape, aside from comb, which
places each on an equal footing, consequently both must
receive the same consideration when specimens are judged
at a poultry show. But great care must be taken in balancing
defects, especially in varieties where color markings may be
so strikingly beautiful that the judge must accord to such
their full value always, no matter what the defects in shape
may be. To pass by a magnificently Penciled or Barred
Plymouth Rock, simply because it may have a short back or
lean neck, is not consistent with careful and sound judgment.
The Standard demands that such consideration be given
to both shape and color, and what applies to Silver Penciled
Rocks, for instance, whether English or American bred, will
apply to all other varieties in the American, English, Mediter-
ranean, French or other Standard classes. The Standard rule
in applying the comparison system when judging typical
shape, reads : "In awarding prizes by comparison, judges
must consider carefully each and every section of the specimen
and not allow color alone to influence their decision. The
vital importance of typical shape is to be borne constantly in
mind, at the same time giving due consideration to color in
all sections, including under-color."
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And in judging size, the rule to be followed is: "In
determining size, the judge shall decide by comparing the
specimens in competition, with due regard to weight in all
breeds and varieties where weight is required by the Standard.
When a bird fails to attain, or in case it exceeds the size pro-
portionate with type or shape, it must be discounted quite
severely."
If poultry judges will obey and carry out these two rules
when adjudicating their classes at poultry exhibitions, satis-
factory judging will be the rule. For a thorough knowledge
of the Standard requirements of all breeds and their varieties
and of the rules governing the awarding of prizes to same,
poultry judges (especially the younger ones) should make it
a point to visit the larger winter shows for the purpose of
studying the winning specimens in the different classes ; a
surpassingly beautiful bird in shape and color will make a
lasting impression on the minds of close observers, and a
poultry judge should be the closest observer of all. (J. H. D.)
SECTION II.
THE EXHIBITOR'S PART.
CHAPTER I.
EXAMINATION OF CANDIDATES FOR SHOW
HONORS.
CHAPTERS upon this topic are generally written under
the title of "Selecting for the Show Room," but selection
is always accomplished by examination ; in reality it is
the result of several examinations from different angles, the
candidate for show honors passing successfully through at
least four successive examinations before it is finally crated
and shipped to the show room, where it is to undergo final
examination at the hands of the official arbiter, whose decision,
should it be final as it usually is, will determine whether this
particular specimen was worth while, or whether it was a
"misfit" in that particular select company, and whether your
energy was well directed or misspent. Chances of misdirected
effort or of selecting to little purpose increase with com-
petition, but so do also the benefits you derive from winning
in such competition and in such proportion as the competition
is keen. Your interests demand that misdirected effort in all
directions be so far as possible eliminated. That basic law
of success is just as applicable when selecting for the show
room as at any other time and in any other place. To select
wisely and well, your best candidate means much to you and
something to the poultry-loving public. To you it means the
saving of labor, expense and perhaps chagrin. To the public,
the elimination of poor and mediocre specimens means a better
impression and increased interest, attitudes worth cultivating.
The Processes of Selection. — The process of selection of
show birds as it is practiced by the experienced exhibitor, if
analyzed, consists of four steps : the candidates are quite
loosely selected, then examined closely, and carefully and
critically compared one with another, after which the selec-
tion by casual observation is confirmed or rejected.
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The First Step. — Selection is dependent upon examination,
casual at first and superficial, necessarily, as it is the superficial
attractiveness of a bird that must first catch the eye. An ex-
ceptionally good comb, stylish carriage, symmetrical form,
strikingly handsome markings, or brilliant colors, are super-
ficial qualities that please and win the specimen possessing
them almost instantly a first consideration.
"Catchy Quality." — This "catchy quality" should figure
largely in the selection of show specimens when not accom-
panied by too serious faults as it means beauty, and beauty
coupled with utility is the keynote of the Standard.
To explain the phrase "catchy qualities" would be difficult,
though to define it would be easy. It simply means beauty or
attractiveness. To state exactly of what it consists is prac-
tically impossible. However, it is a quality recognized by both
the professional and the amateur and must always be reckoned
with. Many birds with the catchy quality lack in certain
qualities and they become what is known as "fillers."
"Fillers." — Fillers are used, however, in the keenest com-
petition and one expects to take chances with a few of good
quality if they have characteristics to which the judge is
known to be partial. Fillers are, in general, birds of three
classes, first: birds of no more than average merit but one
phenomenally good section, or quality, which, if it is located
in some prominent section, makes the specimen very attract-
ive; second: often, however, a specimen having such phenom-
enal qualities in one or perhaps more sections is correspond-
ingly poor in possibly an equal number, yet it is possible that
the judge and even popular opinion will be overawed by the
excellence of the section of phenomenal merit, while the faulty
sections will be overlooked ; third : the class of birds that are
known as good all around specimens, though they have no
serious defects, they are very fair in all particulars and meet
technical requirements very well, but they lack attractive-
ness. While the analysis is satisfactory, the catchy qualities
are decidedly lacking. Without these, it is seldom that a bird
is returned a winner in close competition.
The Second Step. — Close Examination. — A winning speci-
men needs more than the power to attract admiration. It
needs also the power to retain it after examination, which
with one who has accepted certain standards of beauty means
that the specimen must meet the requirements of such a
standard as the person who conducts such an examination has
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 357
adopted. The first step, the selection of candidates by casual
observation, usually at a distance, is followed by an examina-
tion which should involve the closest and most critical scru-
tiny, section by section, as to their conformity with the re-
quirements of the Standard of Perfection.
Mental processes, even with the best trained minds, are
too restricted to attempt to accomplish this as a whole or in
one operation. The specimen must be examined carefully,
section by section, for both color and shape, beginning with
symmetry and ending with legs and toes, forgetting none.
Both the merits and defects of each must be accurately
weighed, the defects because they count against the speci-
men, the merits because upon these depend its position in the
awards. The examiner must expect to find both merits and
defects. These are two qualities that all birds possess. None
are perfect, and no well-bred specimen is entirely devoid of
merit. Unusual merit in one or more sections will offset
defects in others. Good color will offset good shape, and vice
versa. In some varieties good undercolor offsets to a certain
extent defective surface color, while in other varieties under-
color may be so universally good that but little attention is
paid to it in estimating comparative merits of two or more
exhibition specimens. In still other instances, undercolor is
almost wholly a breeder's point, not considered very seriously
in the estimation of show merit. The actual consideration of
the different phases of each section of each variety obviously
cannot be treated in this chapter, as such consideration forms
a large part of the entire treatise.
But it is in place, however, to call particular attention to
the chapters on common defects of plumage and the accom-
panying illustrations, which should be studied minutely after
a good mental digest of the standard requirements of the par-
ticular variety in question. Many other chapters in this work
would assist the exhibitor in selecting the strongest candi-
date for show honors, as there is much correlation between
breeding and exhibiting, and the understanding of the origin
and development of a breed or variety increases the capacity of
an individual to comprehend the trend of public opinion, which
as well as the Standard has its influence on the judge's con-
ception of what an ideal fowl of any variety should be, as it
has had, heretofore, its influence upon the Standard's printed
description of the same thing.
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Prime Requisites Overlooked. — There are, moreover, some
qualities which must be considered that are usually overlooked
as Standard qualities, though they should not be. Health,
vigor and a generally attractive appearance are surely most
essential considerations in final selection by exhibitors of long
experience. It is clearly the intenton of the Standard to make
these requirements of prime importance. Health is demanded
under the section of "condition," with but an allowance of
four points, it is true, but even at that it is next to impossible
for a bird to win unless it is in perfect health, or we might
better say, in good condition, which means more, including
both good health and good feather. It is not necessary that a
specimen should lose the total allotment of four points to
have a cut on condition fatal to his chance of winning. Often
a loss of one point or even of one-half a point in this section is
fatal. It is generally essential that the bird be perfectly con-
ditioned, if it is to be a possible winner, and such a condition
is acquired only by perfect health, which is confirmed, per-
haps, by the fact that it has already been selected as a candi-
date, which should be reaffirmed by closest examination. To
win in close competition without this quality would be difficult,
but alone it is not enough to win in good competition, though
it is sufficient many times to win the admiration of both the
novice and the expert ; that of the latter for only a limited
period, however, and that period comparative to the degree of
his proficiency.
Comparison of Candidates. — During this process many
things must be taken into consideration besides comparing
one section with another for shape, for color, or for both.
These are: The condition of the bird, the health, development
in regard to shape, in regard to plumage, weight, time of
show, or length of time available for process of conditioning.
When the time for the final consideration of the different
candidates with these requisites in mind draws near, much de-
pends on whether the show is to be judged by score cards or
comparison. For one thing, when the score card system is
to be used, weight becomes of much importance. A bird that
is a pound underweight loses according to standard rules two
points, and the ones which are so handicapped must excel one-
half of one point in four sections to get on even terms with
one not thus handicapped. This statement gives the reader an
idea of the handicap of underweight, yet it is not unusual to
see specimens on exhibition more than a pound underweight.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
359
and then the handicap becomes even more serious. Very
often birds of naturally very superior plumage are justly de-
feated by fully matured, up-to-weight specimens. As a rule,
well-balanced birds, or birds of good even qualities do well
in score card exhibitions. High scoring birds are often those
whose fundamental qualities are perfect. If a specimen be
fully up to weight, in good plumage, in perfect health, and
perfect in beak, eyes, and legs, and has a nearly perfect comb,
it is a hard bird to score low, even if it has only fair plumage.
The foregoing attributes are what we term the fundamental
qualities, and the previous statement is particularly true, if, in
addition, the specimen has good shape.
When the Comparision System is Used. — At exhibitions
governed by the comparison system, first impressions un-
doubtedly carry more weight than under the score card sys-
tem, which compels minute inspection, not merely invites it.
First impressions are, therefore, important and such birds
as described near the beginning of this chapter are the ones
which catch the eye at first glance and are good selections as
a rule. Not only do first impressions count more but if a speci-
men under the comparison system fails to "score" with the
first impression, that specimen is, then and there, down and
out. It must possess some strongly attractive feature, and it
must be one that impresses the judge quickly. What that fea-
ture must be varies widely and depends somewhat upon the
likes and perhaps the dislikes of this or that particular judge.
It might be shape or it might be color. It should be without
question even all-around quality. Thus it will be seen that a
study of judges as well as a study of standard requirements is
very often important in the solution of the big problem, "HOW
to WIN prizes." Again, the excellence of the markings of
one or more sections, possibly the condition or behavior of the
specimen in the show coop, the ability to pose, very likely
will have considerable weight with the judge that is just a
little emphatic about shape requirements.
It would be well at this stage for the novice to take from
the Standard a mental or written list of all possible defects
for each section for color and markings. Defects of shape are
not so complicated and are, therefore, more quickly seen. For
example, if a specimen of the Buff variety was to be examined,
a list something like this would assist the novice : Correct
shade of color, form, surface color, edging, mealiness, shafti-
ness, sections too dark, sections too light, undercolor too light,
uniform color, black or white in tail, in wing, etc.
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
CHAPTER II.
CONDITIONING FOWLS FOR EXHIBITION.
Successful showing consists of two things, having the
quality and showing it properly. The gardener who raises
roses for the market strives to place them on the market when
they bring the greatest price. The man who raises broilers
for a living times his product for the highest market. It is
the exhibitor's business to time his birds for the exhibition just
as the gardener and market poultryman time their products to
be at their best at the most advantageous season.
Regulating Development. — The second principle involves
the science or art (may we say knack?) of properly rearing a
bird and timing it for the exhibition.
The phrase "Every dog has his day," will never be applied
to anything more forcefully than to exhibition poultry ; the
bird that was a "Never Beaten" last w r eek is a "Has Been"
this, and we see it exemplified time and time again. There
comes a time in the life of every young bird when, seemingly,
a transformation from the awkward, angular lines and short,
scant, rough garb of the chicken to the full, round contour and
abundant, sleek, profusely flowing feathered dress of maturity
takes place, which, on account of its brevity, appears almost
magical. It is well then, to estimate the time, even the mo-
ment, which you can from years of experience with your own
strain of birds, when your birds will be fully matured in form
and fully fledged, as the growing proclivities of two strains
are seldom the same. Note mentally the progress and de-
velopment of your birds each year. If your memory is in-
capable of carrying the relative progress of your birds with
reference to age and development, keep accurate notes. They
will be both interesting and instructive if kept in connection
with a feather album, which is always a valuable asset to
any breeders' library.
Condition, All-Important. — A good exhibition specimen
must have first a certain degree of excellence in size, shape and
plumage. Excellent quality in all of these particulars except
size passes unnoticed in poorly conditioned birds.
We see then that condition is an all-important, overshad-
owing essential to a winning bird and without approximate
perfection in this particular, specimens even of great quality
PLYMOUTH BOCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
361
naturally will seldom win in close competition. With some
varieties, the relative places on the award list are but expres-
sions of the degree of perfection of condition of the specimens
shown. To win, some varieties are more dependent upon con-
dition than others. Most prominent of these varieties that de-
pend largely upon condition to win are all black and all white
varieties, and varieties of the red-black color patterns. Some
will object to this statement as too broad and certainly condi-
tion with nothing back of it will never win; but just as cer-
tainly will perfect condition cover many defects and enable
a bird of average exhibition quality to win over one naturally
superior.
Condition, Examined. — Y\ 'hat, then, does condition mean?
What does the word embrace? Many things and various
things : in some birds, it means the proper fluffy effect or
looseness of feather; in others, it may mean the opposite or
hardness of feather, and in still others, the American varieties
for instance, a mean between these two extremes ; in all varie-
ties, the necessary weight, the health and vigor that gives a
bright eye, glowing face, slick appearance and gloss of plum-
age. The shape that a specimen displays in an exhibition cage
depends upon condition, for without good poise no specimen
appears to good advantage and poise is in most every instance
dependent upon condition. Condition of exhibition specimens
consists of perfect health, full developed form and plumage,
but not over-development in either, the required smoothness
and hardness or looseness of feather, the acquired tempera-
ment and docility to assume and maintain perfect poise, or
correct carriage without which no specimen can create the
impression of form.
In the acquiring of good or perfect condition, two principles
become involved and must receive consideration. The first
is that —
Winning Quality Is Hereditary. — Good showing qualities
and aptness for good condition are just as surely transmitted
from generation to generation as any characteristics of the
species. You have often observed, if you are an exhibitor,
that some birds condition easily while it is almost impossible
to make others acquire the smoothness of feather and the
style or poise that gives them the winning quality. Both of
these characteristics, sleek plumage and poise, are hereditary
in fowls just as much as good combs, strong undercolor or
straight barring. A Barred Plymouth male that lacks a certain
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amount of style should be rejected just as quickly as one that
fails in undercolor, and any male that does not possess the
attribute of smoothness of feather should not be considered
long as a candidate for the head of a breeding yard. So much
for condition and heredity. Do not accept the testimony of
others, rather make careful observations along these lines if
you wish to develop a line of winning specimens.
Fresh Plumaged Birds Win. — Young birds that have just
attained maturity are fresh and bright in plumage and fresh
and bright birds are certainly attractive and for that reason
are the ones that usually win. This necessitates rapid growth
and that demands free range and skillful, judicious feeding.
This is the problem, then, to solve: how are some birds to be
pushed forward and some held back, so that the entire string
may be shown in uniformly perfect condition ?
Right here is where the writer will prove disappointing,
because he knows of no magic that will mature the immature
or freshen the fading colors of those that are past prime.
The Art of Conditioning No Mystery. — There are a few
who cling to the idea that there are sublime methods for
accomplishing anything. There are a few who believe that
winning specimens are made so by occult means. Were we
to find some agent which would effect such a marvelous trans-
formation in our flocks, we should have accomplished no less
than the alchemists of old undertook when they sought to find
the Philosopher's stone, a reagent that would form a panacea
as well as transmute the baser metals into gold. As well
dream the dreams of the old alchemists as to expect to make
winning show birds by any except the most thorough processes
of nature.
A prominent breeder asked another at one of the New York
shows how he managed to bring such a good conditioned string
of cock birds to the show year after year. "Would it be asking
too much to tell me?" said he. "Certainly not," replied the
other, "we just give them ample range, good food and keep the
lice from them." The questioner made it very clear that he
did not credit the answer. He was evidently a believer in the
occult. But as a fact, aside from selecting for breeding year
after year very smooth males, that successful exhibitor did
nothing more than he suggested to his questioner, who was
and still is one of the largest breeders of his variety.
The Pleasing Bird Wins. — The question naturally arises,
"Why is a winning bird?" The answer would seem to be one
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 363
that most nearly meets the requirements of the Standard of
Perfection. But is it? It is not always, even with the most
conscientious and the keenest judges, there is in some birds a
certain quality that is very hard to describe unless we limit
that description to one word and call it the "catchy" quality,
or the "pleasing" bird, as it is expressed by the more refined
exponents of the craft.
Under our present mode of comparison judging, and this
mode has its advantages as well as its drawbacks, the order
seems to be that the catchy or pleasing specimens are picked
out and then examined for defects according to the judges'
interpretation of the Standard. Under this method the bird
in poor condition and the one that has not catchy qualities
fare alike, being passed by while the pleasing bird, if he has
no glaring faults, has a good chance to win.
Too Close Cooping. — There are several methods of more
or less merit of fitting for the show room. The best is to let
the bird fit itself ; the poorest, and that which is more gener-
ally used, consists in confining the bird to an exhibition cage
two or three feet square and either starving it or stuffing it as
the fancy of the owner dictates. In such quarters, this bird
has the pleasure of moping around for two or three weeks. It
has a clean coop, perhaps, plenty of the best of food and a
nice bright tin cup to drink out of, but after all that has been
done, this bird is being subjected to the most unnatural life
that a fowl could live. If the cage is kept clean, the bird is
clean also, but its appetite soon diminishes, its digestion is
soon disordered, its feathers soon become rough, and its head
loses color. The bird deteriorates from the moment that
it is put into the cage. The only advantage is that you have a
tame bird. Unless it is endowed with an unusual amount of
vitality, it has become so lifeless and docile that it should not
even, in many cases, be admitted to classification in the gal-
linaceous division. Of all the idiotic methods that poultrymen
employ, this is the most stupid and foolish.
Range the Best Conditioner. — Those who have exhibited
at the early winter shows, say the early part of December or
the latter part of November, may have been favored by one
of our occasional warm autumns, when the weather permitted
keeping the birds out on the summer runs. Under these cir-
cumstances the birds probably went into the shows in the best
possible condition. If such is not your experience, it is the
experience of others. It should be, therefore, our aim to pro-
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vide the candidates for show honors with as near natural
conditions as the usual severe winter weather and sometimes
several feet of snow will permit. The greatest benefits that a
bird can receive are, of course, derived from range conditions,
but under the conditions mentioned, rang-e is out of the ques-
tion. How, then, can we supply a substitute? By affording
the bird a chance for exercise and by compelling it to exercise
if it is not inclined, and by supplying those things that con-
finement and the season of the year rob it of. Added to these,
there are some artificial methods that are simple and harmless
that we shall speak of later.
Food and Exercise. — Take the case of a young male bird
that is to be conditioned for winter shows under the usual
conditions when protection from the weather is necessary and
confinement unavoidable. Growth must be promoted and
health of the most vigorous kind maintained. The quarters
are the first essential. He should be penned by himself, with
one female, or some younger cockerels. In general the larger
the pen, the better, but one eight feet by nine, and even
smaller, will answer in most instances.
The floor should be of dry, clean sand if possible to obtain
it at a reasonable amount of expense or trouble, covered with
a litter of dry straw. The straw need not be cut, as the birds,
if properly trained, will break it up in a short while. This
litter should be from two to four inches deep, varying with
the size of the birds; the larger the birds the deeper the litter.
The Feeding Method. — In the morning throw in a small
handful of scratch feed, scattering it well. After an hour of
brisk exercise, give some warm mash but do not allow them
too much, because if not hungry, the birds will not exercise.
A heaping teaspoonful or two is about all that the average
bird will consume without becoming inactive, and unless he
eats this eagerly and rapidly, it is too much. An hour or two
later scatter more scratch feed and set them to work again.
If the birds are immature and you wish to force them a little,
feed another small amount of mash at noon. An hour later
a few kernels of small grains will induce more exercise, while
for the evening meal, a generous supply of good grain should
be allowed.
It should be kept constantly in mind that rapid growth de-
pends upon the amount of food the bird can consume and
assimilate, and that exercise stimulates the appetite, aids
digestion and increases assimilation of the foods consumed,
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
365
hardens the muscles and promotes the most rugged health
and vigor; which facts sufficiently explain the reasons for
feeding often in small portions.
Green food, he should have a little of and but a little. Grit
and oyster shells he should have in abundance at all times.
A Good Mash Makes Flesh. — A mash helps the bird to
acquire flesh, but too much of it overloads the crop and,
hunger being satisfied, the bird refuses to exercise ; conse-
quently, it will not eat as much nor can its system assimilate
as much. The ingredients of the mash may vary somewhat.
Cornmeal and bran may be mixed with a very small quantity
of white flour middlings in such a proportion that the mash
is a substantial but not a sticky mass. It should be mixed
with boiling water, merely hot water does not do. It must
cook to get the desired effect. To that end it should be packed
closely together and covered for a time. After standing for
half an hour, uncover and stir. Allow it to cool until it is
warm but not hot; then you have the food for a meal that the
fowls will relish.
For scratch feed, any of the small grains will do. Oats
are very good, so is wheat if you are not using it for a night
feed. But the prepared scratch feeds are to be preferred
above all, if they are made of good grain, for two reasons :
first, for the variety they supply, but principally for the fact
that the grains are cracked into small bits, which make the
fowls do the maximum amount of work for the minimum
amount of food.
For the final feed at night, nothing compares with wheat
of the best quality. This is the main food, out may be alter-
nated with barley with good results. For fowls that are
inclined to get too fat, barley is preferable to wheat.
Forcing Immature Birds. — Birds that are very immature
and that it seems advisable to force along as fast as possible
may take a quite different ration from those that are grown
or have ample time to grow. An excellent mash may be made
as follows : Put hamburg steak to boil in cold water, allow
it to boil until the amount of water is small, and then thicken
with cornmeal and a little bran. This may be fed once a day,
but not in such quantities that the bird is forced off his feet.
This bird should be kept scratching as the others, but he may,
if hearty, be fed more heavy grains. A good variety will force
a bird along faster than a limited diet.
A very appetizing meal is made of broken crackers and
cornmeal and bran. The birds like this, especially if the
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crackers are the sweet kind, and if not, they can be sweetened
with sugar or molasses. The value of the food as a weight
producer may be further enhanced by mixing with scalded
milk. It should not be forgotten that these birds must be
growing feathers and that it is sometimes necessary to aid
them in this. Nothing that I know of is any better for aiding
feather development than dessicated fish. A little may be
added to one of the mashes each day.
The Best Forcing Menu. — To make myself plain, the best
forcing feed consists of the broken scratch feeds, the sweet
cracker mash and the beef and meal mash with wheat or
mixed grains for the hearty meal at night. In very cold
weather a few kernels of whole corn might be thrown the
birds, after the evening meal and the last thing before they
go to roost. A very little buckwheat may be added to the
grain mixture.
Feeding for Color. — With reference to feeding, two classes
of birds might be considered, as each class must be fed in a
different manner. They may be divided into white birds and
others. The methods of feeding each differ, but the methods
that have already been described are tolerably well suited to
either class. These methods can be modified somewhat and
are then better adapted to each of the special classes.
Feeding White Birds. — By white birds, I refer to those that
have white in their plumage, not necessarily only the solid
white varieties. Barred, Silver Penciled, and Columbian
Plymouth Rocks, for instance, should be fed precisely as pure
white birds are.
It is a generally recognized principle that clear white color,
often described as pearl white, chalk white, or dead white,
cannot be obtained in its clearness and purity when allowing
these white birds oily foods. Therefore yellow corn, meat
scraps, meat fats, or any foods of an oily nature are excluded
from their diet. Those who wish to feed meat and are still
very cautious, may boil fresh beef, allow the liquor to stand
and cool, when the fat may be skimmed off. The meat and
broth may be reboiled and stirred into the mash, which has
already been thoroughly mixed. Cut green bone should be
treated in the same manner, if fed to white or partially white
birds. After boiling both lean meat and green cut bone, you
will find an amount of fat that will surprise you.
Foods That Develop Gloss. — For the varieties which re-
quire a glossy plumage, the fats and oils are a great help if
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 367
not an absolute necessity in getting birds of certain colors into
good condition. The best foods to produce gloss are corn,
buckwheat, sunflower seed, beef scraps and beef tallow. These,
with the single exception of corn, cannot be used in quantity
or as staple foods, as they "age" the plumage and impair
digestion if given in excess. A wonderfully glossy plumage
may be produced in a remarkably short time if conditions are
favorable. Besides oily food, plenty of sunlight and housing
conditions that embrace dryness and very moderate tempera-
tures are necessary.
Constant attention wherever administered is beneficial to
fowls for whatever purpose kept, and particularly so to fowls
that are being conditioned for shows, but is not absolutely
necessary. Many exhibitors are so situated that they cannot
attend their fowls during the day. I believe that the best
method they can pursue is to feed the mash late in the after-
noon, and in the morning, give the birds grain in deep but
light litters to scratch for during the day. Many contrivances
may be devised to induce or even compel exercise ; for instance,
a cabbage may be hung so high that they will have to jump
a little to reach it. Grains may be fed in automatic feeders
in connection with deep litters, etc.
Grouping the Birds to Be Conditioned. — The grouping or
arranging of the birds with relation to their association with
one another has oftentimes much to do with their develop-
ment. A male put alone sometimes loses his interest in life,
but not always. If he is a cock bird, one or two hens that are
active and alert should be placed with him. If it is necessary
to raise his weight, feed him alone, once or more daily. A
cockerel may be allowed to run with one or two hens, but if
he is not too far along, it is preferable to allow the society of
two to four younger cockerels. If he maltreats them, there are
but two alternatives left, the society of females, or isolation.
Young males, not too far along, generally do best in flocks of
six to eight, but these must have grown up together. Even
then the time will come when they must be closely watched.
At the first signs of fighting, both birds must be removed.
Females can be kept in groups of four to six. Quarrelsome
females must be kept alone, as they are sure to ruin the good
appearance of their companions.
Taming the Show Bird. — A show bird should be tame, so
that it does not become frightened when handled. The ad-
vantage that a bird that will pose while the judge is in front of
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the cage and handling it, has over one that gets all out of
shape the moment the judge touches it, is obvious. While
continuous cooping of any fowl is a crime against good condi-
tion and even against good sense, a half-hour a day or so is
necessary for all candidates for show honors. The bird may
be tamed quickly while cooped by offering tid-bits such as
meat and kernels of whole corn from the hand. By stroking
with the hand, the bird can be taught the correct pose for the
show coop.
Washing the White Fowls. — In these days of strong com-
petition, an unwashed white bird is practically debarred from
winning. An unwashed bird, be it ever so white, looks very
cheap beside a well washed one of much inferior color. This
is a branch of the industry in which a certain few have
become so proficient that it is practically impossible for
anyone not an expert in this line to defeat them. There are
many soaps and preparations used for washing white fowls,
but Ivory soap and soap-bark are the most generally used.
The best washers thoroughly lather the birds to the skin, and
use two rinse waters. The last water contains a very little
blueing. This will show in the feathers if too much is used
and beginners are almost sure to use too much. If not thor-
oughly rinsed, so that all the soapy water is removed, the
feathers will curl and crinkle.
In late years much is hinted at concerning the use of
bleaching agents that bleach a creamy or yellow bird, other-
wise fine, so that it becomes a winner. No doubt, hydrogen
peroxide, the active agent of which is a free atom of oxygen,
is used to a certain extent. So is ammonia and other cleaning
agents. Their value lies more in their power to remove stains
and dirt than in any real bleaching process that takes place.
The process of drying is very important and is in itself an
art. The most effective method of whitening a bird is to
repeat the washings. Persistency in this counts as in every-
thing else.
The best treatment for the comb, face and wattles of a
perfectly healthy bird is to wash in soap and water, dry and
let alone. When the face does not show good color, massage
and treat with a very small amount of vaseline. To keep the
color in the face, repeat the massage with a small bit of
vaseline. This treatment is simple and will bring more color
than would be supposed. There are many lotions and draw-
ing, burning liquids that are applied, but they are all at best
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
369
but temporarily efficient. A short while after the application,
the head possesses less color than before.
Cleaning Shanks and Toes. — The shanks and toes should
be washed in warm soap-suds, dried, and then treated with
cottonseed oil, vaseline, or something of that nature. When
there is much dirt under the scales, it should be removed,
which can best be accomplished with an ordinary wooden
toothpick dampened with some cleansing liquid. Many shanks
and toes are improved by brushing dry, with a stiff brush
before using the soap and water.
WASHING AND CONDITIONING WHITE BIRDS FOR
THE SHOW ROOM.
Washing white birds properly presents one of the greatest
difficulties to the amateur fancier. To get any bird into the
show room in perfect condition, is really quite an art ; and
white birds present the additional problem of washing. There
is, however, no reason why anybody, who is careful and pains-
taking, can not show white birds in good condition. Birds
other than white seldom require washing, except where a bird
has become very much stained or soiled, in which case a care-
ful washing will improve them. The following instructions
about temperature of water, in drying room, and other con-
ditions, will, if carefully followed, bring success.
Coop Training. — All birds that are to be shown, whether
they are to be washed or not, should be cooped up in cages
similar to those used in the shows. Coop them up for about
three days, so they may become accustomed to the cage and
to being handled by their attendant. Then put them back into
their usual run for a few days. Alternating in this way, they
will get the necessary coop training and show-manners with-
out becoming stale from too long confinement in small quar-
ters. Unless the bird has some such preliminary training, to-
gether with such special feeding as his condition requires, no
matter how excellent the wash, he will not appear at his best.
This preliminary training should extend over a period of about
two or three weeks.
Equipment. — Birds should be washed from forty-eight to
sixty hours before they are shipped to the show room. If you
are going to wash many birds, a rubber apron and rubber
boots will be necessary. The details of washing white birds
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
are as follows : Start with three ordinary wash tubs about
half full of water at a temperature of from 103 to 110 degrees.
Birds can be washed in a room at a temperature of about 70
degrees, which is as warm as an attendant can work in com-
fortably.
The Process. — Grasp the bird firmly by the legs, lower him
into the water, and begin washing by lathering him with a
cake of soap. Soap counteracts the oil in the bird's feathers
and allows the water to penetrate to the skin. Be careful in
handling the feathers until you get them thoroughly wet ;
afterwards you can rub them enough to build up a heavy
lather all over the bird, very similar to the process of sham-
pooing the hair. Then rinse this lather out, and repeat the
same process. If the bird seems very dirty, give him even a
third lathering. The rinsing of the heavy lather out of the
feathers seems to carry all the dirt and stain away. Then go
over the bird's comb, face, wattles, and legs with a nail-brush
and heavy lather. Also scrub the wings and any stained spot
on the bird's plumage with the nail-brush. Then thoroughly
rinse the bird successively in the second and third tubs of
water. You can wash from four to six birds, according to
how dirty they are, before changing the water. Then empty
all three tubs and start again with clean water.
The Water. — The character of the water you use will influ-
ence results to a considerable extent. Soft water, that is also
white, will give better results than hard water. Sometimes
water contains iron or other mineral substances that affect the
color and the finish of the feathers. You can generally find
suitable water in every locality, by a little effort, or you can
catch rain water, melt snow or overcome the difficulty in
some way. Borax or ammonia arc sometimes used to soften
hard water, and they help some ; but all such agencies have a
tendency to injure the fabric of the feather, and you do not
get quite the beautiful satin finish with anything but pure,
naturally soft water and some mild soap. All of these things
have to be carefully considered.
Blueing. — Until very recently, all white birds were blued
slightly in the last rinsing, and this practice was used by all
conditioners for many years, but is gradually being abandoned,
for the reason that otherwise well conditioned birds were left
out of the awards every year on account of being too blue,
streaked with blue, or in some way presenting a bad appear-
ance on this account. If done just right, this may add slight-
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 371
ly to the apparent whiteness of the bird ; but it is impossible
to give explicit directions for blueing, for the reason that water
from different sources requires different amounts of blueing to
produce the best results, and the different blueings that are
sold throughout the country differ very materially in strength
and composition. So, if you adopt this practice, you will have
to experiment beforehand as to the amount of blueing you will
use. The amount that produces good results in the laundry is
generally also about right for birds.
Drying. — After the bird is washed and rinsed, put him
into a coop similar to those used in the show room ; and if
possible, one having a wire netting bottom, so that he can
drain out for about fifteen minutes. Then transfer him to a
coop in a room where the temperature is from 85 to 90 degrees.
He will dry out there in proper shape in three or four hours.
Then gradually reduce the temperature to about 70 degrees,
at which temperature the room should be kept for eight or
ten hours longer. After that he should be able to stand
normal temperature as before washing.
Some of the larger farms have special rooms fitted up for
washing and drying, arranged so that they can have rooms at
different temperatures. Lacking this equipment, you can get
about the same results by moving your birds to and from the
fire or other source of heat. You can tie a thermometer to
the front of the coop in which your bird is drying, and keep
him in about the correct temperature in that way. To a cer-
tain extent, the actions of the bird indicate the proper tem-
perature ; as, when he is shivering, get him closer to the fire;
and, if he begins to pant, it is time to move him back. Indi-
vidual birds differ as to the amount of heat they need and can
stand ; and they will indicate, to the observant attendant, the
proper procedure.
Drying Long Tails. — In washing a Leghorn or any bird
that has long sickles, it is well to fan his tail out after he has
been drying about an hour, or just as the feathers begin to
web. Let one person hold the bird, and an assistant fan the
tail for about fifteen minutes. Otherwise the sickles are liable
to dry twisted or to come with a poor finish on the edge.
Impossible Specimens. — Some birds have a type of feather-
ing that does not improve by washing. Anyone who has
washed many birds can detect this at a glance, as a thinness
of the fabric of the feather, as we express it. This style of
feathering seems to go to pieces during the washing and dry-
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
ing process, shrivel up and finally presents an unsatisfactory
appearance. So it is always well to select, train and wash a
few more birds than you actually intend to show. This
precaution will save you disappointment, should anything go
wrong with any of the birds up to the moment that judging
actually begins.
One of the objections to washing birds for exhibition is
that the same bird can seldom be shown more than twice
during a single season ; and sometimes but once, if you want
to get the very best results. The reason for this is that wash-
ing and drying takes a good deal of the natural oil out of the
feathers, which causes them to become brittle and they will
begin to break up, and eventually to lose the natural sheen on
the feathers which makes them look so attractive. However,
any bird that is to be used for breeding should not be shown
more than once ; because, in conditioning, washing, and show-
ing the bird, getting him home and rested, etc., and ready to go
into the breeding pen, will occupy three weeks or a month.
During this time the bird has been inside in a warm tempera-
ture, and it is something of a shock to his system to go back in-
to a breeding pen in what may possibly be zero weather. Still
a strong, vital bird will generally stand this for one trip ; but,
when you keep repeating this for show after show, the bird
becomes softened and loses his natural resistance to cold, with
the result that he contracts a cold or in some way gets out of
condition. So, for this more vital reason, birds that are valu-
able as breeders really should be shown but once in a sea-
son. It is hard and cruel to keep a bird on the jump from
one show to another from August until late in February.
This practice is generally the result of greed or ignorance.
However, such a practice brings its own penalty ; because,
after such treatment, your fine bird will not breed you the
sound, vigorous stock that he otherwise would.
To Remove Stains. — If you should find a grease spot on
one of your birds that did not come out in the wash, you can
remove it by using gasoline ; but you must exercise great care
in doing this. Take the bird into the open air, and do not
use more than is necessary. It is possible that you might
just pick some birds ofif inside.
Feeding. — After the birds are dry, feed nothing but hard
corn until after they are judged. Be sure that you have suit-
able shipping coops.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 373
Shipping. — A good many birds lose their chance of winning
by poor shipping in transit to the shows. Inspect the coops
to see that they are high enough that the bird can easily stand
upright; also see that no sharp nail points are exposed on the
inside, which may tear the bird's comb or otherwise damage
him.
For the ordinary show where competition is not very
strong, perhaps all this preparation is not absolutely neces-
sary. It is possible that you might just pick some birds off
the roost the night before, and get away with it; but it is a
good plan to always show your birds in their best possible
condition. The more earnest effort you put into the poultry
business, the better your standing will be with the poultry
fraternity, and the more pleasure and ultimate profit you will
get out of it. (M. L. C.)
CHAPTER III.
SHIPPING TO SHOWS.
Considerable attention should be given this, one of the
necessary steps in showing fowls. Though it is but a single
step and a short one compared with the number and length
of time it takes to grow and to condition exhibition fowls,
yet it is fully as important as any of the previous or sub-
sequent steps in the process because of the dangers involved,
due to unusual, strange conditions, such as confinement, re-
striction of feed and water, and the inadaptability of some
fowls to such changes in the routine of life, to exposure to
weather conditions, extreme in either heat or cold, to sudden
changes varying from one extreme to the other, as when taken
from a heated car in cold weather in which they have perhaps
been packed all too closely together, and transferred in un-
protected trucks to other transfer points or to the show room.
Shipments Dependent Upon Three Conditions. — From the
foregoing it is apparent that three conditions are highly de-
sirable. First, that the bird be fortified to withstand these
changes of temperature and weather. The best means of
fortification against these is to select naturally rugged birds
that are in excellent health and conditioned to withstand
these changes. This is, however, the subject of another
chapter.
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Second, that the style of shipping coop provided furnishes
as much protection as possible against tliese changes and at
the same time allows a sufficient supply of pure air to insure
the good health and condition of the occupant or occupants.
Because the shipping coop does not allow always for a suffi-
cient supply of iresh air, the danger of overheating, particu-
larly in express cars, is also incurred.
Construction of Shipping Coops. — The proper construction
of a suitable shipping coop involves all these questions, also
the question of how much the occupant may be confined with-
out injury of either health or condition.
Large and Small Coops. — Obviously when the good ap-
pearance of the bird counts for so much it will not do to take
the slightest chance of injury even if that injury merely con-
sists ot rubbing the plumage or the breaking of a single prin-
cipal feather. Many claim that too large coops involve more
and greater injuries in this latter regard than smaller ones.
The idea advanced is that the bird breaks the feathers by
turning around in the coop and that when the coops are so
narrow as to prevent it, there is less liability to injuries of
this kind. The style of coops vary widely. One large poultry
show will show scores of designs. Shipping coops are usually
built of wood or have a framework of wood covered with cloth.
Cloth Covered Coops. — Cloth tears so easily that express
companies will not receive cloth covered coops at single rates
unless the wooden frame over which the cloth is put is so con-
structed that it will hold the bird even if the cloth is not put in
place. Cloth covered coops, when the frame is constructed in
accordance with these regulations, are very satisfactory except
in extremely cold weather. They offer the advantage of good
ventilation at all times and, it must be admitted, far too much
when the weather is severe.
Wooden Coops. — Wooden coops are without question the
most often used and the safest from many points of view. They
are certainly stronger and less liable to be broken and it is for
this reason that they are most often used. Ventilation is the
difficult problem with wooden coops. If they are open in con-
struction the birds take cold when left out of doors or in a
draft for any length of time. If they are closed the birds some-
times smother when large numbers are shipped, as they often
are when poultry shows are being held. This, of course, re-
sults from stacking a number of coops together. The coops in
the center of the stack or against the wall receive an insuf-
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 375
ficient supply of air or become overheated. There is no known
way to prevent this occurrence and at the same time properly
protect the birds against the weather, unless the handlers or
messengers of the express company will use reasonable pre-
cautions against overlarge stacks and overheated cars.
Material in Wooden Coops. — Wooden coops, as a usual
thing, are made with solid sides and bottom and are left as
open on the top as possible and still retain the bird or birds.
The sides are usually made of three-eighths inch matched lum-
ber and the floor of one-half inch, or sometimes thicker boards.
A sufficient number of narrow strips cover the tops to keep the
birds inside.
Dimension of Coops. — Some shippers make the top higher
at the center than on the sides to prevent setting other boxes
or packages which interfere with ventilation on top. Raised
strips, one at each end, an inch or more thick are sometimes
used to prevent too close packing. This allows some venti-
lation, enough in ordinary cases. Open spaces at the top, and
on the two sides, two inches or a little more in width are
sometimes left and answer the purpose fairly well.
Elaborate coops of much heavier construction with hinged
or sliding tops are often used. These afford, of course, rather
more protection, but because they are much heavier, their use
increases the cost of transportation very much.
Shipping White Birds. — Birds of white or light colored
plumage are usually shipped in coops that are so constructed
as to protect them from dust and dirt. This result can be tol-
erably well accomplished by tacking cheese cloth or a similar
fabric to the top of the coop, or by using closed tops and pro-
viding more ventilation through the sides. Large openings
even on the side should be covered with burlap, cheesecloth, or
some material that will prevent dangerous drafts and also, in a
measure, keep out the dirt and dust.
While there is some danger of the plumage becoming soiled
while in transit, by the dust and dirt that is in the air, there is
also some liability from the coop itself, if it has been in use
before. Consequently, all coop's should be thoroughly clean
before receiving the birds. This is a good plan to follow
whether shipping to a show or customer.
The greatest danger to plumage aside from that of breaking
feathers is that it will be soiled by the droppings. To prevent
this possibility as effectually as possible a bed of some ab-
sorbent must be provided. Sawdust or planer shavings answer
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
the purpose as well as any material yet used, unless it is a com-
bination of the same and long straw, with the straw on top.
Clean, hand-threshed, rye straw is best suited to this purpose.
While it is clean and unbroken, the droppings have a tendency
to fall through onto the sawdust or shavings which adhere to
them, absorbing the moisture contained in them, or covering
them with a thin coating of whichever bedding material is
used ; being protected in this way and by the straw above, the
plumage is kept clean. Unless shipments are very long, birds
shipped in coops fitted up in this manner will arrive in excel-
lent condition of plumage, provided, of course, that they start-
ed in that condition.
Feeding During the Journey. — When the journey is of such
length that the fowls must be confined to their coops for more
than two or three hours, food should be supplied. This should
consist largely of the small grains, but a supply of green foods,
which serve to entertain the fowls and keep the digestive tract
in good order, is important because the fowls must feel their
best to look their best. There is certainly a chance of their
crops becoming overfull if the fowls are not accustomed to
these foods. However, they should have been previously ac-
customed to them. The green foods should be of such a nature
that it will not soil the plumage and in the case of white birds,
greens are usually omitted from the bill of fare while the birds
are in transit.
Shells and Grit. — A small handful of oyster shells and grit
should be supplied. This is doubly essential because the
fowls will in all probability be deprived of both during the
show.
Whether water is necessary or not depends upon the time
of confinement in the shipping coop. In cold weather birds
may be deprived of water for twenty-four hours, or even a
little longer, without visible inconvenience or discomfort if
plenty of succulent food is provided. The more succulent the
green feed, the longer the period during which water may be
withheld. Without water the fowls are less liable to be soiled
in transit and usually arrive in much better condition than
when water cups are a part of the coop fittings. When it is
necessary to supply water in transit, cups that are partially
covered or have a float should be used, particularly when white
birds are shipped. After the birds have been washed and
conditioned for exhibition, shippers of white birds supply
water only when absolutely necessary.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
377
As the birds must usually return in the same coops as
those in which they are shipped, labor and time may be saved
by supplying enough grain, grit and shell to last throughout
the return journey.
Arrangements for Shipping. — The exhibitor should first of
all become acquainted with the dates of the exhibition, the first
day when the exhibition room will be open for birds, and the
last minute when they will be received for competition. The
most desirable time to have them enter the show room should
be determined, as under certain conditions it is better to have
them arrive at the first possible moment, while under different
conditions one would not want the birds to arrive until the
very last moment.
Consult the Transportation Agent. — The transportation
agent should then be consulted and the exhibitor should be-
come acquainted with the route, the changes from one route to
another, from one car to another, and all the changes involved,
whether they mean long delays and whether the birds will be
exposed or kept in comfortable rooms, etc. Sometimes in-
formation along these lines will make an entire change in the
shipping program advisable, as by so doing long waits, poor
connections, exposure from weather with chances of storms,
may be eliminated, or the chances of the same greatly reduced.
The best facilities in shipping should always be sought. Ex-
pense should not be the first item considered.
Travel with Your Birds. — When possible to do so without
incurring too great expense or making too large sacrifices of
one nature or another, it is advisable to travel not only by the
same route as the birds do but by the same train. The ad-
vantages are many. A small gift or kindly words will often
keep coops on a level that otherwise would be tilted sharply,
which is of obvious advantage in preserving the good condi-
tion of the bird's plumage as well as its tranquility, both of
which are essentials when competition is keen. Express cars
are very apt to be so overcrowded in the show season, when
all coops are going in one direction, that some wait; your coop
need not and probably will not if you are present to use gentle
suasion. Safe and sane stacking is another comfort that your
birds will enjoy if you travel with them, and comfort is neces-
sary for a highly conditioned show bird if it is to remain
highly conditioned. While it is usually against the rules of
express companies, the writer has often been permitted by
the messengers to remain in the car to feed, water and in
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
some cases exercise the birds. Such attention is naturally
beneficial on extended or prolonged trips.
Many appreciable and obvious benefits accrue if you are
with your birds and watch them every waking hour. Small
advantages tell in the long run and more likely than not, these
small advantages, just the barely appreciable things, will turn
the scale in your favor.
CHAPTER IV.
CARE IN THE SHOW ROOM.
The largest and most prominent exhibitors accompany
their birds to the show room and remain with them through-
out the show or hire a competent man to do so. The smaller
exhibitors do not usually accompany the birds except at
their respective local shows. It often occurs that many birds
are shipped a great many miles to important shows and en-
trusted to the care of individuals employed by the show
management. Very often these employees are incompetent
because inexperienced in either handling or caring for Dirds.
Undoubtedly, the greatest harm is done by the handling of
assistants that are inexperienced and, very often, even un-
instructed. Experienced help is always hard to obtain for
temporary positions, and no exception to this statement can
be made when poultrymen or even men competent to handle
show specimens, perhaps only for a few brief minutes, are
required. Because of the effect upon their value of even the
slightest injury, perhaps merely the breaking of a single
feather, particularly, if such is affected by a disqualifying
clause and on this account open to suspicion, it is very de-
sirable for an exhibitor to go with, stay with, care for and
come home with his birds when it is possible for him to do
so without too great a sacrifice on his part. Besides the care-
ful handling- that he can bestow, there are many precautions to
take against exposure and accident, and many things that one
can do to increase the chances of winning. That, to attend to
these things is worth while, may be soon proved to anyone's
satisfaction by watching closely the movements of the suc-
cessful and unsuccessful exhibitors. The time of the former
class is spent on their birds ; that of the latter, generally in
social duties.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STAXDARD AXD BREED BOOK 379
Delivery . — -Every moment before judging is a precious one,
as there is much to be done and much may depend upon what
is done or not done. First, the birds must be located. If
they are scheduled to have arrived and have not, the express
company should be at once notified and pressure applied to
bring about a quick delivery. As soon as they are delivered,
see that they are in a comfortable place. Before the birds are
put in the exhibition cages, the cages should be cleaned and
supplied with a proper amount of bedding, water, grain and
grit.
Clean Cages Important. — It is very important to rub the
exhibition cages until free of all dust, dirt, or mould, especially
if you have white or light colored birds to exhibit. Other-
wise, the plumage becomes so soiled in a very few hours that
the birds present a very poor appearance, compared to those
who have been washed white and kept clean. Metal cages
especially should be thoroughly cleaned before white birds
are put in them. Old papers or rags are suitable cleaning
agents, though clean rags should be used in the last cleaning
operations to insure its thoroughness.
Bedding. — The bedding may be planer shavings, sawdust
or straw, but the first two are most often used. The bed or
litter should be of sufficient depth to allow the birds to stand
comfortably which they can not do on bare boards. From
one-half to one inch of shavings or sawdust should be ample,
but these must be renewed from time to time for several reas-
ons. First, for cleanliness and sanitation, which includes elim-
ination of odors, offensive alike to patrons of the show and
to the birds themselves. The ammonia that arises from un-
clean litter or bedding is not only disagreeable but may in-
flame the organs of the bird's nose and throat and become the
cause of more serious troubles. Renewal of bedding, daily, is
advisable.
Drinking Dishes. — -Diseases of the mouth, nose and throat
are often transmitted because of unclean and non-disinfected
drinking dishes. Before using and before the birds are caged,
the drinking dishes should be washed and disinfected or thor-
oughly scalded, if possible.
Protection Against Drafts. — The doors to the show room
are often left open while the birds are being received, and in
such a manner as to allow strong drafts in the show room
itself or certain parts of it. In locations exposed to drafts,
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
the birds, if caged, must be protected by covering the tops
and possibly the front of cages with paper, or cloth, during
that time, and subsequently if need be. If the draft is strong
and the temperature low, the birds may be allowed to eat and
drink in the show cage and returned to the shipping coop until
necessary to feed and water again, or until conditions for
caging are more favorable.
Change in Temperature. — Many times, not as much heat
is provided during the night as during the day. In such cases
it is well to cover the tops of the cages as you are leaving for
the night. This not only keeps the birds warmer but darkens
the cages besides, and the birds rest better. This plan may
be carried farther and the front of the cage covered if the
temperature is so low that it seems advisable. With birds
of nervous temperament this scheme assists materially in keep-
ing them in good condition.
Feeds and Feeding. — In a large show individual attention
cannot be expected of the regular show attendants, and in small
shows they are not likely to accord it. For this reason owners
or caretakers should take to themselves the duties of feeding
as well as other cares. First, because the ordinary feeds of the
show room lack variety. Second, it is by no means certain
that feeds will be given at the proper time. Third, feeds are
not always of a suitable nature, and fourth, not given in the
right amounts.
Variety is Necessary. — Show room feeding often consists of
giving a supply of whole or mixed grains, usually cracked or
whole corn, wheat or oats, perhaps a mixture of all these or of
any two, twice a day. Very often this is the entire bill of
fare. There is, consequently, a lack of meat, greens, grit, shell
and mash, all of which are necessities for a continuance of
normal digestion. With a restricted ration, the digestive or-
gans soon become abnormal, a condition that may soon severe-
ly affect the good appearance of the specimen.
Meat and Greens in the Show Room. — As a rule feeding in
the show room should not differ materially from feeding at
home. If the birds have been accustomed to greens and meat
at home, greens and meat should be fed in the show room,
though not necessarily in the same form. Substitutes of the
same general nature will be relished for the sake of variety.
No fowl will object to a little Hamburg steak or fresh meat
in preference to beef scraps, or to cabbage as a substitute for
alfalfa or clover. There may be a slight objection to making
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 381
such substitutions on account of expense and because the
fowls may continue to demand such palatable foods, once they
have acquired a taste for them, but if they are weaned gradu-
ally, no harm will result. Lack of meat and greens often re-
sults in feather-eating when birds are shown together as in the
breeding pen. It is a wise precaution to hang a part of a cab-
bage or a bunch of lettuce in the top of the cage which con-
tains a breeding pen, of the lighter breeds particularly, to
prevent this trouble and if this is not efficacious, hang up
also a small piece of fresh meat. The more busy fowls are
kept, the less feather picking is practiced.
Grit and Shell. — Grit and shell may not be absolutely nec-
essary during a short show, but a small supply is often appre-
ciated by the fowls and serves a good and certainly not a
harmful purpose.
Overfeeding and Underfeeding. — Overfeeding is more like-
ly than not to be practiced by the novice or by the average in-
experienced attendant unless he neglects to feed at all, when
he practices underfeeding. Birds are sometimes underfed, not
for lack of feed, but because the hall or the coop is so dark that
they cannot see to eat. In such cases they must be moved to
the light and fed regularly, or perhaps given a grain, the physi-
cal nature of which makes it more visible than that which
they have been fed. Sometimes, in small shows so many birds
are confined in one cage that it is impossible for them to eat.
This is false economy as the birds lose rapidly in both weight
and condition.
Too Intensive Caging. — There are, also, other disadvant-
ages in connection with too intensive caging. No bird shows
to advantage when caged with others, even if only one other,
except in case of mated pairs and pens in correspondingly large
cages, and the more they are caged together, the more in-
ferior they appear. To properly appreciate a bird, a spectator
must see the whole of it at a glance, not a portion. When
caged with others and, as is often the case as closely as
though being sent to market, the best bird conceivable fails to
impress either the onlookers or the judge. Specimens of the
finest quality will fail to win for you under those conditions.
Consequently, we may conclude that of all the economies prac-
ticed in the show room that of caging closely is the most fool-
ish. If prizes are worth anything they are certainly worth the
coop fee which is usually about the traditional two-bits.
The specimen is supposed to have been "conditioned" at
home. This term, as pointed out, refers to the condition, fit-
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
ness or good order of the plumage and to general health and
state of flesh. Little or nothing can be done in the short time
that the bird is in the show room to materially affect any of
these conditions. The object of the various measures that
have been or may be taken while the bird is within the exhibi-
tion hall is to maintain the favorable aspects brought about
before arrival.
There remains, after the birds are properly caged and
fed, only a few duties that may affect the candidate's chances
for honors. These are generally termed the finishing touches,
and consist of cleaning the head and adjuncts and the shanks
and toes. The latter especially should have been attended to
at home as part of the process of conditioning. If not, how-
ever, or if either shanks or toes have become soiled in the
meanwhile, they should be cleaned and afterwards repolished
if necessary. The head and adjuncts may be redressed to ad-
vantage as described in the chapter on conditioning for show
room.
The exhibitor should, of course, be at all times on the look-
out for false, broken, or ragged feathers. By general custom
the removal of these is permissible.
After the judging, exhibitors are inclined to relax in their
efforts to keep their birds at their best. To a certain extent
this is good policy. Birds, no matter how well accustomed to
being handled and pampered, will get tired of too much atten-
tion and they, as well as the exhibitors, need relaxation. Re-
laxation, however, should not be carried to the extent of actual
neglect in the case of the birds. The regularity and variety of
feeding operations should be maintained from start to finish.
Nothing whatever should be allowed to interfere with these
rules, for neglect in these particulars, even for a day, may af-
fect the bird more seriously later; and at no time should the
exhibitor, as a breeder, lose sight of the fact that his best
birds in the show room are his best birds at home, as a rule.
The value of his flock next season will depend very largely on
what these birds which he has in the show room this season
will produce. What they produce depends, not alone, on
their quality but on their health and vigor which is very easily
affected, adversely, by neglect at any time and at any place,
at home, enroute to the show, on the return, and again at
home. Care that is well calculated to meet these varying con-
ditions and keep the birds at their best, physically, is one of the
many essentials of success in the business of producing "the
Best" in Standard Bred Poultry.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STAXDARD AXD BREED BOOK 383
CHAPTER V.
RETURNING FROM THE SHOW.
Birds that are returning from exhibitions are always
shipped by the shortest and most direct routes and always
by express, except shipments that are local or so nearly
local that they may be taken by the exhibitor's own con-
veyance or one that he has hired. Freight shipments are
too slow and unreliable even for the return journey when,
though the exact time perhaps of arrival is not important, the
duration of the journey must not be of such length that it is
wearisome to the birds being shipped and has, consequently, a
detrimental influence on their health.
Low Return Rate. — Generally, a lower rate is secured by
allowing the same express company that transported your
birds to a show, to handle the return shipment. Usually, two-
thirds or three-quarters of one rate is saved thereby, if fully
prepaid when the shipment leaves the home office.
A Change in Temperatures. — As to preparing the birds to
withstand the return journey, little that has not been may be
done now. It should be remembered, however, that the birds
have been in a room that ordinarily has been several degrees
warmer than a. poultry house usually is, at this season of the
year, and, therefore, the birds may be a little more sensitive to
weather conditions than when they started on the trip to the
show ; consequently, all the protection that was provided for
the first trip should be used for the return. Usually, the birds
are shipped out of the show room in the same coop in which
they entered it, and the protection would be identical for both
trips.
Condition of Coops. — The coops should, however, be in-
spected to discover any break that may have been incidental
to the journey, and if the same is so located as to cause drafts
or of such a nature as to afford a possible chance of injury to
the fowl, it should be repaired securely before the birds is
cooped. The shipper should see that there is ample bedding; if
it is the same that was in the coop when it started from home,
it should be ascertained to be in sanitary condition, and per-
fectly dry above all things.
Feeding for the Return Journey. — Grit, or shell, or both
should be there in small quantities, and wholesome grains in a
sufficient quantity for the needs of the birds during the jour-
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
ney. All of the above could have been put in the coop before
it left home, unless the journey was a very long one. A lib-
eral supply of succulents must not be forgotten. Besides their
value as an aid to indigestion, they are very palatable and the
fowls enjoy them. Like a good meal on a diner, they serve to
"kill time" and induce the birds to forget their confinement
and discomfort.
As in the case when shipping to shows certain advantages
such as more careful handling, quicker transfers if transfers
are necessary, better positions and more careful stacking in
the car accrue from traveling along with the birds.
Home Delivery. — Arrangements should have already been
made for the delivery of the birds immediately after their ar-
rival at the home express office. In large cities deliveries are
sometimes slow on account of the distance of the exhibitor's
poultry yards from the express receiving station, and often
many deliveries have to be made before the yards are reached.
When such conditions prevail and the express company's of-
ficials are obdurate and cannot be induced to make a special
delivery, as they generally can be, however, when a reasonably
large shipment is involved, it pays, if the birds are valuable,
to employ a truck for the special purpose of obtaining a
prompt and direct delivery.
CHAPTER VI.
CARE OF THE BIRDS AFTER THE SHOW.
Changed Conditions.
Though safely home, not all the possible dangers to the
birds are over by any means. While in the show room,
the birds have become accustomed to comparative high tem-
peratures and, in all probability, entire absence of drafts ; and
unaccustomed to cold poultry houses, with cold floors, an
atmosphere more or less laden with moisture, and a ventila-
tion system that in all probability is subject to perceptible
drafts; conditions that obviously contrast widely.
Gradual Changes. — Manifestly, the birds should not feel
tlie full force of these changed conditions at once. But as a
matter of fact, if a little common sense is applied to our meth-
ods, and the changes be made as gradually as possible, no harm
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 385
seems to result therefrom, and the birds even take up the life
of the pen precisely where they left off. A few simple rules,
obviously of good sense and judgment, are all that are neces-
sary to follow in ordinary cases to insure these fowls against
sickness.
Removing from the Shipping Coops. — It would certainly
seem to be unsafe to transfer them from their shipping coops
to the poultry houses during the night, early in the morning, or
late in the afternoon during severe weather. It would be far
more safe to select the middle of a bright sunny day, if such a
day accommodatingly presents itself within a reasonable
length x of time, as the auspicious time to make the change.
If the birds arrive during the day, they should be taken
from the coops long- enough to get food and water, and de-
pending upon conditions, be allowed more or less exercise. If
the weather is mild, or the poultry house is comfortable, there
is no reason why they should not remain there, if contrary con-
ditions are encountered, they should be returned to their ship-
ping coops and if necessary these should be covered. The
birds should be, however, again taken from the coops as early
as appears to be safe the next morning and may then remain
in the poultry house indefinitely, unless it is so cold that they
could not remain there under ordinary circumstances without
freezing, in which case they should be returned to the boxes,
and the boxes covered if necessary. It is much better to take
precautions against disease than to be obliged to try to cure it.
Prevent Diseases of the Head. — The diseases that are most
apt to be contracted in the show room and during shipment
are those of the head, including the nose and throat, and in-
testinal disorders. To prevent the former, it is well to bathe
the head in a slightly warm solution of some good disinfectant,
and the throat may be easily cleaned by swabbling it with a
flight or secondary feather after dipping the feather in a solu-
tion of hydrogen peroxide or listerine and water, half and
half. These treatments, especially if repeated two or three
times, often prevent such diseases as cold, canker, roup and
chicken pox.
To Prevent Intestinal Disorders. — Intestinal disorders are
harder to control but much benefit may come from administer-
ing a mild laxitive as soon as the bird is back from the show;
not wholly because that disease may be warded off. but be-
cause the general health of the bird may be greatly benefited.
It was the practice of a very successful exhibitor, with whom
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
the writer was long ago acquainted, to give each bird on its
return from a show a small cube of beef or ham fat, dipped
lightly in red pepper. This seems so simple as to be folly, yet
we readily can see that the fat was, because of its oily nature,
warming and laxative, while the pepper is known to be a stim-
ulant to digestive action.
The Use of Condiments and Laxatives. — Another equally
successful exhibitor and breeder who was most skillful in the
care of chickens, mixed equal parts of ginger, charcoal, flowers
of sulphur, and powdered charcoal together, added enough
melted lard or flour and water to hold the ingredients together,
and gave each bird a pill about the size of a large pea. We
can understand that this is mildly laxative and stimulating to
digestive action. These remedies are mentioned because of
their simple, harmless character, and because they are usually
available.
Compel Exercise and Feed Lightly. — Aside from these
simple precautions, it is necessary to mention but one or two
more, and these are so important, so obvious and so well
known that it is not necessary to go into very much detail. It
is known by every exhibitor that birds, partly because they
are overfed and underexercised, become lazy if not dyspeptic
during the time they are so closely confined. It is therefore
necessary to feed lightly for a few days and in such a man-
ner that the birds must exercise. This is easily accomplished
by supplying the same light, yet deep litter that is so neces-
sary to get birds in show condition, or to keep hens laying
briskly in the winter months.
Notwithsanding the usual demands of the show room and
the incidentals connected therewith upon the physical and
mental systems of fowls entirely unprovided for by nature in
the original parents, the difficulties of conditioning and show-
ing fowls seems very small and trivial to anyone who has even
a very few years of experience in this fascinating sport.
PART FIVE.
PRACTICAL POULTRY KEEPING.
SECTION I. THE MATURE FLOCK.
Chapter I. HOW TO START.
Chapter II. A BACK YARD FLOCK.
Chapter III. HOUSING THE FLOCK.
Chapter IV. SANITATION.
Chapter V. FEEDING THE BREEDING HENS.
Chapter VI. THE HEALTH OF THE BREEDING
FLOCK IN CONFINEMENT.
SECTION II. THE YOUNG STOCK.
Chapter I. HATCHING AND BROODING.
Chapter II. CARE OF THE GROWING STOCK.
Chapter III. FEEDING FOR GROWTH.
387
SECTION I.
THE MATURE FLOCK.
CHAPTER I.
HOW TO START.
WELL KNOWN American humorist once said, "The
way to start is to begin", and that applies as well to
poultry keeping as to any other enterprise. There is
no rule or set of rules for starting in this business which, if
followed, will guarantee success, or which, if neglected, is sure
to be followed by failure. How well one applies himself to
the details of the work and how well he understands the busi-
ness is far more important and necessary to his success than
that he start at any particular time or according to any particu-
lar plan or system.
Selecting the Breed. — Undoubtedly the first thing to do is
to decide on a variety which has a special appeal to the person
about to take up the work of breeding standard-bred fowls.
If he decides to breed Plymouth Rocks, he has his choice of
all the varieties of that breed which are described in this vol-
ume and all of these will give perfect satisfaction if properly
bred, housed and cared for. As all varieties are required to
have the same shape, the matter of choice is merely one of
color. As it is a generally accepted fact that a breeder will do
best with the kind he likes best, it is by all means advisable to
select the variety of Plymouth Rocks which appeals most to
him on account of its plumage, bearing in mind that in selling
eggs and stock for breeding purposes, and stock for exhibition,
there is more demand for the popular varieties than those that
are not so popular.
While many contend that the first thing to do is to build
and properly equip quarters for fowls or chicks, it is true that
there is no real poultry keeping or poultry breeding until one
possesses the chicks or fowls. Many a poultry breeder who
now occupies a prominent position in the poultry world started
by buying a setting of eggs at a time when he possessed no
more equipment than a sitting hen and a box in which to make
388
PLYMOUTH ROCK BTAXDARD AND BREED BOOK 389
a nest. If the start is made by purchasing eggs, the buildings
and equipment can be built as requirements demand.
Quality, Health and Vigor. — When starting in this way,
the first thing to do is to select the breeder from whom the
eggs are to be bought. As distance is no bar, if eggs are
packed and handled properly, the main point to be considered
is the quality of the stock that the breeder can and will sell.
When referring to quality, we mean how closely the stock
approximates the requirements of the American Standard of
Perfection and described, so far as they affect each variety of
Plymouth Rocks, in this book; and also, whether the same
stock possesses the health and vitality which is so necessary
for success. These things are of equal importance, because
one's success as a breeder of standard-bred fowls depends on
his having stock good enough to command good prices, and it
also depends on his having stock with the health and strength
which will make it productive, not only of good color, but of
plenty of eggs and meat. It should be particularly noted that
it is very difficult to produce the quality of stock in any variety
of Plymouth Rocks which will sell for high prices from any
except a line, or family, of healthy fowls.
Buy of a Specialist. — It is very satisfactory to see the stock
from which one buys eggs if it is convenient to do so, but al-
most all of the buying of eggs is done by mail and breeders
with reputations to sustain can be depended on to deal justly
with those who send to them for eggs for hatching. It is al-
ways best to buy of a breeder who has a good reputation, be-
cause it is difficult to build up such a reputation except by
breeding good stock and giving good value when filling or-
ders. Almost invariably the specialist is the best one to buy
from, for the specialist has more and better stock of his breed
or variety than one who attempts to breed or handle and sell
a great many different varieties. This is not intended to cast
reflections on the reputable and successful breeder who handles
two, three, or even half a dozen varieties and who has suc-
ceeded with all of them. Our readers will understand, how-
ever, why it is impossible for any man, or associated group of
men, to successfully breed, raise and sell high quality stock
of many different varieties.
Prices of Hatching Eggs. — Prices should be made a minor
consideration. The main point is to get good eggs from good
stock and while a few dollars more in the price of the eggs
amounts to but little, the difference in the value of the chickens
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
hatched will amount to considerable as the stock grows up
and develops, and is in turn bred from to build up the flock.
Poor eggs, or even good eggs from poor or ordinary stock,
are expensive at any price, because they make it impossible for
the breeder to progress as he must, in order to be successful.
In many cases, buying eggs proves a very inexpensive method
of getting some of the finest chicks. It frequently happens
that a setting of eggs sold for five, ten, or perhaps, in extreme
cases, twenty-five dollars produces a single bird which is worth
many times the original cost of the eggs. The writer recalls
cases in which settings of purchased eggs produced first prize
winners at several fairly prominent poultry shows.
Breeding Stock. — To start with, the purchase of breeding
stock requires more capital if the stock is first class, but on
the other hand a good trio or pen will supp 1 y several settings
of eggs. There is, moreover, a certain satisfaction in possess-
ing the fowls and considerable pleasure in feeding and caring
for them. When adopting this method of getting a start, it is
best to buy mature specimens, or at least those which are
nearly mature, in the case of young stock. Quarters and equip-
ment must be provided before the fowls arrive. It is just
as important to select the variety which appeals most to the
purchaser when buying stock as when buying eggs, and it is
also just as important to buy from a breeder who has a good
reputation for the quality of his stock and whose business has
developed to the point where one is justified in believing that
it is founded on honesty in his dealings. While this may not
be as important when the experienced poultry breeder is pur-
chasing, it is something that the beginner should not over-
look.
Here again, the quality of the stock individually and the
ability of the family, or line, from which it comes to repro-
duce its good qualities of shape and color as well as its strength
and vitality, are important matters to consider. Inasmuch
as the success of a reputable breeder depends considerably on
his ability to build up a strain, the individuals of which will
breed true to character, we find here another reason for patron-
izing a man with an established reputation. As such a breeder
knows the parentage of the members of his flock, and also how
to mate each individual member for the best results, a faculty
which is founded on his knowledge of the breeding tenden-
cies of his line, it is always best to have the breeder mate the
fowls which the novice purchases. If this is done, the inex-
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 391
perienced beginner is relieved of one of the most trying respon-
sibilities of his first season ; and if he takes care of his breeders
properly and rears the chicks with such good judgment that
they grow and develop well, he may be sure of good results
the first season. Whether it is best to buy young stock, if it
is mature enough to show its quality, or old stock, or a part
of each, is less important than whether one gets the right
quality. Pens made up of well matured stock hatched the
previous spring are often as healthy, as strong, and produce
as good results as old birds. Yet such birds are, of course,
untried and just what they will produce can not be foretold,
whereas the older birds can sometimes be bought with an
exact knowledge of what they produced the previous season
and what they may be expected to produce in the season to
come. While it is sometimes advised and occasionally advis-
able to mate cocks with pullets and cockerels with hens, there
is no well defined rule which must be followed calling for such
matings, and no preponderant proof that such matings are
best.
If only a certain amount of money is to be spent, it is
better to buy a few good birds than many poor ones, or even
an ordinary number of birds of mediocre quality. It should be
remembered that the stock bought at the beginning is to be
the foundation of the flock, and the better the quality of the
foundation stock, the faster the value of the flock will increase
as its numbers become greater. It may also be remembered
safely, when Plymouth Rocks are being considered, that beauty
and utility may be found in the same birds. There is no rea-
son why any variety of Plymouth Rocks can not be doubly
valuable because it meets the requirements of the Standard of
Perfection in shape and color, and at the same time produces
eggs in goodly numbers and meat in satisfactory quantity and
quality ; in fact, there is every reason why these qualities
should be found in the same specimens.
When to Start. — When the start is made with eggs, it must
be done in the spring or early summer, that is, in March, April,
May or the first part of June. Much depends on the use the
beginner intends to make of the chicks that are to be hatched.
If Plymouth Rocks are wanted for the early fall shows, they
should be hatched in March or the first half of April ; if to be
shown at the winter shows, May is early enough to get them
out, and at the late winter shows, those hatched in the first
fifteen days in June are frequently among the winners. It is
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AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
a fact that the best results are usually obtained when the eggs
are bought after the breeding stock has had a chance to get
outdoors and exercise in the open air, because chicks from
such eggs come out at the time Nature intended they should
and when they have the fresh, green, warm earth to run on,
and all Nature is favorable to them. For this reason, it is
best to defer the purchase of the eggs which are to produce
next season's breeders until the latter part of April or the first
part of May in northern latitudes, and hatch as soon as the
grass begins to get green in southern latitudes.
The average beginner buys stock when his interest is
highest, that is, generally during the show season, immediately
after the show season, or directly preceding the opening of the
breeding season, which begins about March first. At this
time of the year prices of breeding stock are generally at the
highest point because the poultryman has been to the expense
of keeping it through the winter and because there is more
demand for it. There is an advantage in buying at this time
because the stock is usually in good condition for breeding, if
supplied by a successful breeder, and the beginner can go right
to work increasing his flock. Again he secures his stock in
time to hatch chicks early in the season.
One of the best times to buy old stock is in the summer,
when breeders are offering lower prices on the stock which
they used the season before, and which they do not require for
the season following. Young stock can be bought most rea-
sonably in the fall, at about the time when the breeder must
put it in winter quarters ; but it should not be bought at this
time unless it is sufficiently developed to show its quality. An
excellent opportunity is sometimes offered to purchase fowls
from mated pens, or to purchase entire pens in the late spring
after the breeder has secured a certain number of eggs from
them, and while there is still time for the new owner to raise
a nice flock of chicks. There is no best time to start with the
purchase of the stock. That depends altogether upon condi-
tions. (H. A. N.)
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 393
CHAPTER II.
A BACK YARD FLOCK.
There are interesting possibilities connected with keeping
a breeding pen in the back yard, or, if the back yard is big
enough, keeping two breeding pens or perhaps more. Limited
room is no bar to success if the poultry keeper does his part.
The smaller the area to be devoted to a flock of fowls, the
more care that flock needs, for the things that the fowls
could do for themselves if they had a wide range must be
done for them by the owner when they are confined within
narrow limits. Naturally, none but standard-bred flocks
should be kept, for these not only can be made profitable
for eggs and meat, but there may be an added profit from
the sale of eggs for hatching and stock for breeding and ex-
hibition, if the breeder has the inclination and ability to
breed high class stock. Some of the winners in our largest
shows are from flocks that are kept in back yards, where there
is room for only a small house and a small yard. If it happens
that an owner can place his chicks on a farm where they will
receive good care and where they can have the advantage of
free range during their growth, he can raise more chicks, and
in many cases better chicks, than if obliged to do all the rear-
ing in his small back yard.
Advantages — Poultry Keeping Brings Health. — Back yard
poultry keeping is not only capable of making good profits,
but it offers recreation of the most healthful kind. Many a
man or woman has found improved health by spending, every
day, the time needed to care for one of these small flocks, be-
cause in doing so that man or woman was compelled to take
outdoor exercise.
The boys and girls can frequently be interested in the back
yard flock and thereby be induced to spend more time at home
in a useful pursuit than they otherwise would. Instances are
known where boys and girls have made the profit from a small
flock the nucleus of a splendid bank account, which afforded
them the means of obtaining an advanced education or a start
in business life.
Feeding. — The back yard poultry breeder has one decided
advantage. He has enough table and kitchen waste to make up
perhaps half the ration for his flock, which reduces the cost of
feeding his fowls and adds to his profits. These table and
394
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
kitchen sciaps can be mixed with a little corn meal and bran
and that part of one ration, therefore, costs but little. If pre-
ferred, these scraps can be fed separately m a trough, for a
lunch at midday. Usually, however, there is more of this
material, which is usually excellent for the purpose, than can
be fed for lunch only. (H. A. N.)
A Poultry House, after the Maine Model, at University Farm,
St. Paul, Minn. The cut shows the curtains open (left) for a mild
winter day and closed (right) for severe winter weather.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
395
CHAPTER III.
HOUSING THE FLOCK.
Housing is one of the most important items in poultry
keeping. A flock that is not well housed is not comfortable
and a flock that is not comfortable is not healthy, profitable
nor satisfactory to care for. It is a mistake to expect the
same type of house to prove satisfactory under all conditions.
Houses that seem to meet the requirement when placed in
sheltered locations fail utterly when exposed to the cold winds.
Houses that are used in the northern parts of the country must
obviously be more warmly built, and are, therefore, more ex-
pensive than those used in the South where the winters are
mild.
Plymouth Rocks have rugged constitutions and do not re-
quire particularly warm quarters, but they must be well pro-
tected from the elements and at the same time a reasonable
provision must be made for fresh air and sunlight. The fact
that they will stand extreme temperatures, when healthy and
vigorous, without apparent suffering, is no contradiction of
the statement that, if part of their energy and heat is used to
combat extreme cold, that same energy and heat can not be
used to produce eggs or meat. It is best to keep the fowls
comfortable.
Open Front Houses. — What is known as the open front
house, that is, the house with the north, east and west sides,
as well as the roof, tightly and warmly built and the south
side entirely open, can be used satisfactorily in warm and mild
climates and sometimes proves satisfactory in sheltered loca-
tions in all except the coldest parts of the United States and
Canada.
Warm Houses. — In most cases, however, poultry keeping
in the northern part of this country calls for houses which
can be closed up quite tightly during severely cold nights, and
which may be opened sufficiently to let in a plentiful supply of
fresh air during the daytime. It will be plain to all that in
order to properly protect the fowls and conserve their heat
and energy, they must have more protection in cold weather
than in warm weather, and that the protection afforded must
be at all times in proportion to the severity of the weather ;
that is, houses must be quite open in warm weather, partly
closed in moderately cold weather, and almost entirely closed
in very cold weather.
396
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
The house must be constructed in such a way that the
cold can not penetrate it readily, yet the sun can dry it and
warm the walls during the bright days, as the sun is the
cheapest heating and drying- agent that we have.
Houses for Warm Climates. — In parts of the country where
extremely cold weather is unknown and in parts even farther
south where only moderately cold weather is experienced,
buildings which are very simply and thinly built, open on one
side and with conveniences for letting in air through one or
more of the other three sides, may be constructed.
Simple Construction Best. — The poultry keeper who has
at his disposal the rear of a small city lot, or the village poul-
tryman who has a little larger space, will find the simplest
house the best in most cases, and also the least expensive to
construct. Of all buildings, the shed roof style, with the
front about seven or eight feet high and the back about five
to six feet high, is the cheapest to build and the one most
commonly used. It can be built any width up to sixteen feet
and any length desired. It should face south and have one
full size upper and lower sash window, hung preferably on
weights and pulleys, like the windows in a dwelling, for every
eight feet in length, if it is more than ten feet wide, or one
window for each twelve feet in length, if it is less than ten
feet wide. A house less than twelve feet wide is more expen-
sive to build, in proportion to its capacity, and is not advised
except in cases where a narrower house must be used for some
reason.
Walls and Roofs. — In the cold parts of the country, the
walls and roof of such a building may be built of tongued and
grooved boards nailed to a frame work of two-by-fours, and
covered with two or three thicknesses of tar paper, then one
thickness of any good brand of prepared roofing. This con-
struction, though simple and cheap, makes a wall that is rea-
sonably warm, because it keeps out the cold and is warmed
up and dried out quickly when the sun shines on it. Shin-
gles, clapboards, or any kind of siding on the outside makes
a better appearing structure and a warm one, but more ex-
pensive. In warmer territories, only a single thickness of
boards for the walls, with the same and tarred paper or
prepared roofing on the roof to make it water-tight, is re-
quired. A handsomer finish can also be applied to the same
construction.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 397
Ventilation. — This is an important matter, because it is
known that the presence of moisture impairs the health of
fowls. Fowls throw off quantities of moisture when exhal-
ing and this moisture, together with that which originates
from any other source, must be carried out of the building by
means of ventilation or currents of air. These air currents,
if rapid, cause drafts and drafts in the house endanger the
health of the fowls. To prevent these drafts the air must be
allowed to enter through the one side only by opening the
windows, much or little, according to the temperature and the
force of the incoming wind. In some localities, cloth covered
frames are placed in openings between the windows and high
enough up in the side of the house so that when these frames,
which should be hinged at the top, are opened the drafts can
not strike the fowls on the floor. These cloth covered frames
Windows hung on weights and pulleys serve as ventilators when
required. Openings above windows fitted with two sets of doors, each
of which can be closed or open, provide constant ventilation.
398
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
permit the air to enter and leave the house slowly and provide
ventilation when the windows are closed to keep out the wind.
In higher houses than we have described, a loft is built in the
top of the structure by placing boards an inch a part, high
enough to clear the head of the caretaker and covered with
a thick bed of straw or hay. Openings are made in the walls
of the house above this straw or hay and the air enters and
escapes from the house by slowly passing up and down
through this material.
No system of flues and pipes will work satisfactorily unless
artificial heat is applied to create a draft in them. In warm
parts of the country where the buildings have one side en-
tirely open, except perhaps for a wire screen to keep the hens
in and other animals out, the ventilation takes care of itself,
though frequently it is necessary to have open spaces in other
sides of the house to keep it comfortable in the hottest
weather.
Other types of poultry buildings, including those with the
roof divided into two equal pitches and those with the roof
divided into two unequal pitches, can readily be adapted to
suit the back yard poultry keeper's needs, if they seem to
better suit his convenience and fancy.
Whatever the type of the house, it should be so constructed
that it will be dry. If it is on a damp location, or one which
is not well drained and likely to be damp at any season of
the year, a floor is necessary. If, however, it is on a dry loca-
tion, the floor may be made by filling in with gravel and sand
to a height a few inches above the ground level. The last
named method makes the most healthful and the warmest
floor.
Interior Equipment. — The equipment of the back yard
poultry keeper's hen house should be very simple. The roost
platform should be placed two feet above the floor, so that
the hens can use the floor space under it, against the north
wall of the house and the roosts should be set from six to
eight inches above the platform. These roosts may be made
of small dimension stuff that is not more than two inches wide
on its upper surface, with the corners rounded, or of round
pieces not more than three inches in diameter. It should be
remembered that when the hen sits down on the roost her
toes automatically curl and for that reason the upper surface
of the roost must be rounded. If more than one roost is used.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 399
all should be on the same level and far enough apart so that
the fowls will not be crowded when the roosts are full.
Nests may be made of ordinary boxes, large enough so
that a hen can sit down in them comfortably, and hung on
the walls, or they may be made to look better by any special
construction and the use of good lumber. Grit and shell
boxes, feed hoppers-, etc., may be hung on the walls at con-
venient places and high enough so that the dirt will not be
scratched into them by the fowls. (H. A. N.)
CHAPTER IV.
SANITATION.
The average poultry-keeper pays too little attention to the
practice of the principles of sanitation, though it is of the
greatest importance that these principles should be thoroughly
applied in both the poultry houses and yards, because sanitary
measures must be practiced assiduously in order to maintain
normal health among the fowls.
Every condition that promotes the possibility of disease
may be classed as insanitary and the elimination of such con-
ditions must be accomplished as quickly after discovery as
possible, in order that the flock may be kept in perfect health,
without which the best results in any of the different branches
of poultry culture, as the production and hatchability of eggs,
and the livability and growth of young stock, can not be ob-
tained.
Cleanliness. — This is the most potent agency in promoting
sanitation. The vital importance of cleanliness must be ac-
cepted as a first principle in the successful management of a
poultry establishment, large or small. Manifestly, it is more
difficult and laborious to maintain cleanliness when large num-
bers of fowls or chicks are kept in small houses and runs, than
when the reverse is the practice. But, in that case, the neces-
sity is in a proportionate measure more urgent, and in all cases
cleanliness, not as a theory but as a condition, must be estab-
lished and maintained in all parts of the house, including
floors, walls, roosts, roost platforms and nests and, particu-
larly, in all watering and feeding devices. Cleanliness pre-
vents disease by removing the germs of disease and the accum-
ulation of filth which is conducive to their increase and de-
velopment.
400
The Use of Disinfectants. — The intelligent use of disin-
fectants is also effective as a method of destroying germs of
disease. There are numbers of these that can be relied upon
to do the work desired if the directions furnished are followed,
but while they serve their purpose nicely, it should be under-
stood that the necessity for their use is reduced or increased
as cleanliness is practiced or neglected. When a tolerable
degree of cleanliness is constantly maintained, the frequent
use of disinfectants will not be necessary, except when disease
is prevalent, or unless it is to destroy or prevent the intrusion
of lice or mites. Cleanliness of all parts of the house to a
degree that insures against ordinary dangers of disease can
be acquired by the common mechanical process of cleaning,
except in cases of feeding and drinking appliances, which
should be scalded or washed in disinfectants occasionally.
Roost platforms should be cleaned at least twice a week,
or daily if convenient, and with the roosts should be treated
copiously with a liquid disinfectant which is an insecticide
as well as a germicide once a month, and at least twice as often
during hot weather. The floor litter should be removed and
renewed as often as necessary, which is readily determined by
inspection.
Care of Grounds. — The sanitation of the small poultry yard
is often a serious problem. When the fowls are kept on the
same ground for a considerable length of time, disease germs
multiply so rapidly in the filth which accumulates, that the
ground becomes so contaminated as to become a menace to
health. Where the yards are exceptionally small, poultry-
keepers sometimes remove the surface of the soil for fertilizer
and replace it with new earth. It is also a common practice
to spade up the earth, turning the surface under and bringing
fresh soil to the top; but even when this is done, the ground
sooner or later becomes saturated with filth which nurtures
germs of disease.
Fortunately, Nature has provided a way for cleansing filthy
ground by means of vegetable grow th w hich may be of service
to the poultry-keeper. Wherever possible the back yard poul-
try-keeper, or any poultry-keeper who is obliged to use a small
area of ground, should take advantage of this fact by dividing
his yards, so that while the fowls are running in one, some
quick-growing, succulent vegetation, which is at the same time
purifying the soil and supplying green food, is being produced
in the other. As soon as this vegetation in the second yard
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
401
has obtained a good start, that yard may again be used by the
fowls, and greens planted in the yard first used. By this
process the ground can be kept in good condition and a cer-
tain amount of green food constantly furnished the fowls in
season. (H. A. N.)
CHAPTER V.
FEEDING THE BREEDING FLOCK.
Feeding the fowls from which the eggs for hatching will
be secured is a very important matter. Sometimes care and
feed which will secure a good yield will not produce eggs that
will hatch well, nor which will hatch strong, healthy chicks.
When feeding for high production alone, the main idea is to
feed the hen a ration that will enable her to produce the most
eggs in a given time, and that very often overworks her so
that her strength and vitality are reduced to such an extent
that she will seldom lay eggs that are suitable for incuba-
tion. To produce a strong chick, the egg must not only be
perfect so far as table qualities are concerned, but must also
possess a strong, vigorous life germ and the proper life-giving
material to develop this germ. It will be obvious that both
the male and females in the breeding pen must be in good
physical condition, or the qualities desired, hatchability of
the eggs and vitality of the chicks hatched, will be lacking
in the egg produced.
In accordance with Nature's plan, the hen usually waits
until warm weather comes and the ground is covered with
green grass before eggs are laid and incubated. She then
finds health-giving nourishment in form of fresh vegetable
matter and has an invigorating atmosphere in which to exer-
cise and build up her powers of reproduction to a high degree
— and the same natural conditions favor maximum vitality in
the male. Conditions are very different in most poultry yards
because the poultry-keeper has found it necessary to hatch
earlier than the natural season in order to get the most profit
from the chicks and because, in the case of the back yard
poultry-keeper in particular, he has not space enough for much
grass to grow or to give extended range. The breeding season
comes close after the severe winter weather in the northern
states, and although it comes earlier in the South, the condi-
tions are approximately the same as related.
402
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
It often happens that it is necessary to use the hens for
breeding that have been fed for egg production during the
winter. The vitality of these hens may have been somewhat
reduced by heavy laying. This condition must be met by
building up and maintaining the strength of the birds. To
do this the methods of management must be arranged and
foods selected so as to approach as closely as possible the
methods and foods which Nature uses and supplies so suc-
cessfully later in the season.
A Variety of Hard Grains. — A variety of feed is very im-
portant, for it is useless to expect the fowls to obtain from any
one or two kinds the many different elements which are
needed to build up and strengthen the different parts of the
body and to produce the egg as well. A variety of the ordi-
nary grains, as for instance, corn, wheat, and oats, usually
supplies the needs as far as grain is concerned.
The feeding of these grains also furnishes an opportunity
to compel hens which are in small quarters to take exercise
which they naturally get by ranging over the fields in warm
weather. The floor should always be covered with a litter of
straw, leaves, coarse hay, corn stalks or shavings, and all
the whole and cracked grain buried in this litter so that the
fowls will scratch vigorously to get it and, by exercising their
muscles, increase the flow of blood in their arteries and veins,
thus better nourish the different parts of the body. While
the fowls are exercising, the windows should be opened suffi-
ciently to allow them to breathe the pure air while at work.
In extremely cold weather, a very small opening is all that is
necessary to keep the air dry and pure.
Ground Grains or Mashes. — In addition to the hard grain,
which is fed as previously directed, a mash, either dry or
damp, is usually supplied. Dry mashes are fed in hoppers
or boxes which are open to the fowls a 1 l or part of the daw
Damp mashes are made by mixing the same ingredients which
make up the dry mashes with milk or water and are fed in
troughs once a day, usually. After each meal the troughs
are cleaned and removed. If damp mashes are allowed to
remain before the fowls very long, the}- become sour. When
in this condition mashes injure the digestive organs and at the
same time are likely to reduce the appetites of the fowls, and
a good appetite is very necessary to a healthy fowl.
Animal Foods. — In addition to the ground hard grains,
meat-foods and greens must be supplied. The most common
PLYMOUTH ROCK STAXDARD AND BREED BOOK 403
methods of supplying animal food are by feeding beef-scraps or
the by-products of milk, though usually it is best to furnish
scraps and bone-meal in addition to the milk. With that variety
the results are likely to be more satisfactory. Milk can be fur-
nished as a drink, if water is given in addition, or may be
mixed in the mash and it may be given sweet, clabbered,
whole or skimmed.
Green Foods. — When fowls are confined, green food of
some sort to take the place of the fresh green grass and tender
young shoots, which the hen gets by ranging freely in the
fields in warm weather, must also be supplied. In the early
part of the breeding season when the fowls are to be put in
condition for breeding the poultryman must depend entirely
on mangels, beets, cabbages, sprouted oats and green stuff
of that kind. Green-cured clover and alfalfa, ground finely or
cut in short lengths, are often added to the damp mash or
moistened and fed separately, furnishing green food to some
extent, but it does not take the place of the fresh succulence
of the greener foods. It will not do to feed mouldy or spoiled
vegetables of any kind, and when sprouted oats are used the
poultryman should be particularly careful that they do not
get musty or mouldy while sprouting.
Too Fattening Rations. — If the fowls are inclined to get
too heavy or too fat, the more fattening foods of the ration,
like corn and cornmeal, should be reduced in quantity and
the muscle-forming elements like bran, clover, alfalfa and
meat foods should be increased. This answers better than to
give less food if the fowls are eating well, because less food
is likely to reduce their strength.
Outdoor Exercise. — Y\ nen the weather is warm enough to
permit, some breeders allow their fowls to get a part of their
exercise by scratching in straw which is placed on the ground
in front of the house. In some cases the snow is shoveled
away for that purpose. (H. A. N.)
404
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
CHAPTER VI.
THE HEALTH OF THE BREEDING FLOCK
IN CONFINEMENT.
Breeding fowls that are kept in houses or houses and small
yards have less opportunity to keep in vigorous health than
breeding stock which is allowed free range when the weather
permits, or has the run of extensive yards. As we have before
mentioned, the only way to secure and maintain health and
vigor in a breeding flock is to provide as nearly as possible
the things the flock would secure if it were running wild in
the natural breeding season.
Healthy Stock. — In the first place, the stock must be
healthy to start with. It is a waste of time and money to at-
tempt to breed health and strength into a flock in confine-
ment. With healthy stock to start with and proper surround-
ings, proper care and proper feed, that health may be main-
tained to a satisfactory degree ; but unless surroundings, feed
and care are as they should be, the fo\v 1 s will weaken sooner
or later, and succeeding generations will have less and less
vigor as time goes on.
The House. — A healthful house is of the first importance
and a house which furnishes the requirements for health is
likewise a comfortable house, and a comfortable house is the
most profitable house to use. A sufficient amount of venti-
lation to keep the air reasonably pure, protection from drafts
and severe cold, provision for plenty of sunlight in every part
of the house, at least during the part of the day, are the prin-
cipal requirements. Under such conditions fow 1 s that a ,- e
properly fed and cared for will maintain their vitality.
Feeding. — Good feeding is another requisite and good feed-
ing must include sufficient variety of the right kinds of food,
comprising whole and cracked grains, ground grains, meat
food, green food, grit, charcoal and oyster shells. The grain
must be fed in deep litter to encourage exercise, for without
exercise no fowls remain healthy. Feeding at regular hours
helps to keep the digestive organs of the fowls in good con-
dition and hens that have good digestion arc likely to have
good health, at least, so far as anything affected by food is
concerned.
PLYMOUTH ROCK 8TAXDARD AXD BREED BOOK 405
Management. — Good care is of the utmost importance, and
good care includes not only careful methods of supplying
feed but careful methods of adjusting ventilation, cleaning
and disinfecting the house, etc. Closing the house up too
tightly in moderate weather and allowing it to remain too
open in severe weather is a prolific source of trouble ; colds
develop and colds weaken the bird's power of resistance to
other diseases. Drafts allowed to blow on the fowls day or
night, especially at night when they are inactive on the roosts,
will be likely to cause colds in the flock. When kept upon
filthy or damp floors or litter, fowls are uncomfortable and
soon get into such condition that they are easily affected by
any kind of disease germs.
Unclean nests not only injure the eggs laid there but
menace the health of the hens. Filthy dropping boards fur-
nish a place for the breeding of germs of disease and vermin.
All these fittings should be kept clean and should be disin-
fected occasionally. Vermin must not be allowed to get a
foothold. It not only makes the fowls uncomfortable, but
actually tortures them in some cases and by so doing reduces
their strength and vitality.
New Blood. — When adding new blood to the stock, ex-
treme care should be taken to obtain the most vigorous and
healthy birds, for anything else not only fails to assist in
maintaining the health of the flock, but it reduces the neces-
sary vitality. (H. A. N.)
BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCK BABY CHICKS.
(Courtesy Minnesota Agricultural College.)
SECTION II
THE YOUNG STOCK.
CHAPTER I.
HATCHING AND BROODING.
IN MOST CASES the keeper of a back yard flock depends
on the old hen that can cover thirteen to fifteen eggs to do
the hatching and she is as often entrusted with the busi-
ness of brooding the chicks. If the hens begin laying in the
fall or early winter, there are sure to be some broody ones
among any of the varieties of Plymouth Rocks by March
first, which is as early as most poultry-keepers care to set
hens. If the hens do not become broody early enough, or if
the poultry-keeper prefers to break up those which do become
broody in order to get them to laying again, and use their
eggs for hatching, a small incubator is a practical necessity.
All the high-grade makes will give satisfactory results if
properly handled and supplied with good eggs. Furthermore,
they are so perfected that they require but little care and are
safe and also easy to handle. Inasmuch as complete instruc-
tions for operating are supplied with each machine, it is not
necessary to describe these methods in this book.
The Sitting Hen's Nest. — Setting a hen is a more important
and exacting matter than most people think. Many hatches
are spoiled because the nests are not properly made. It is
unreasonable to expect a hen to distribute her warmth over
a large area and still have enough to incubate the eggs, par-
ticularly in cold weather. A warm nest is absolutely neces-
sary and that means that it must be made, or at least lined,
with a fine material, such as hue, soft hay and be built in a
good warm box. The sides of the box, however, should not
be so high that the hen will land heavily on the eggs when
getting down into the nest, or one side must be cut down to
allow her to enter easily. At the same time the box must be
deep enough to extend well up around the side of the hen's
body and of the right size so that the hen will lit snugly to
the nest, so that the heat of her body may be adequate for
PLYMOUTH ROCK STAXDARD AXD BREED BOOK 407
incubation, even in cold weather. The bottom of the nest
should be slightly lower in the center so that the eggs will
tend to keep closely together, but if the nest is too deep in
the center, the eggs are more apt to be crushed or broken.
Just enough gradual drop is necessary to keep the eggs under
the hen and in the center of the nest. Less chicks are crushed
during hatching in a nest that is flat or almost flat, therefore
the nest may be flattened by removing the material on the
outside when hatching time arrives, so that the eggs on the
outside will not exert too much pressure on the newly hatched
chicks, or on the chicks that are partly out of the shell and
are located in the center of the nest.
Care During the Sitting Period. — Vermin must not be
allowed to exist on a sitting hen, and she should have her
plumage treated with lice killing powder just before she is
set, and again every six days, the last time at least twenty-
four hours before the chicks are expected to break the shell.
Usually the hen will do well while sitting if fed on a variety
of hard grains, but many poultry-keepers depend entirely on
corn, and we have had good results by feeding that grain
alone during the incubating period, perhaps because corn
is a heating food, and the hen requires considerable of that
kind of nourishment to keep up the incubating temperature.
To assist digestion a supply of grit and charcoal should always
be ready when the hen comes off the nest, as well as plenty
of fresh, clean water. The hen should leave the nest once a
day, and usually the morning is the best time. The hen
knows when feeding times come and is nervous and restless
if it is allowed to pass without feed being gi\ T en her. This
results in a complete or partial loss of the eggs. Hence,
punctuality and regularity in feeding and care are vitally im-
portant.
Care at Hatching Period. — When the chicks are hatching,
it is well to remove the empty shells so that they will not cap
the unhatched eggs and perhaps prevent the chicks from
getting out. When the hatch is complete the hen should be
encouraged to stay on the nest for twenty-four hours, after
she has been taken off, fed, and returned. In cold weather,
the chicks should be covered with a warm cloth while the
mother hen is being fed.
Care of Baby Chicks. — When they are from twenty-four to
thirty-six hours old. the hen and brood should be removed to
the brood coop and it is best to darken the coop at intervals
408
AMERICAN POULT I'Y AHXOCIATIOX
during the first day so that the lien will brood the chicks
frequently and conserve their strength. Unless the weather
is warm the brood coop should hot be placed outdoors, but
should be given a place in a well lighted building which is
clean and which has been thoroughly disinfected if neces-
sary. In warm weather the little chicks can be moved to a
coop on the warm ground immediately, and should always
be given fresh green grassy runs. They should not be put
where older broods or fowls have been running earlier in
the season.
Feeding the Baby Chick. — The first feed may be stale but
not musty or mouldy bread, moistened with milk and then
squeezed quite dry, with a little grit and a little finely granu-
lated charcoal sprinkled on it; johnny cake baked hard, crum-
bled and fed dry ; hard boiled egg chopped fine and mixed
half and half with bread crumbs ; steel cut oatmeal, or any of
the numerous, satisfactory rations given to little chicks by
NESTS FOR SETTING HENS. BUILT IX PAIRS.
Placed on the ground or floor in any building if secluded. By this
arrangement the liens may be fastened on and fed at regular intervals
or allowed to come off and go on at will.
PLYMOUTH ROOK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 409
successful poultry-keepers. Sometimes the chicks are started
from the very first on prepared chick feeds, made from finely
cracked grains, and when they can have plenty of outdoor
exercise they will do well on such a ration. They should be
fed five times a day at the start. Milk is especially good for
little chicks, but plenty of clean water must also be provided,
for milk will not take its place. A little lettuce or a tender
cabbage leaf may be given each day from the first. No better
green food can be supplied young chicks than short, tender
grass on the sod.
Cleanliness, plenty of pure air, warmth, protection from
chilling winds, and lots of sunlight are essential to the well
being of the little chicks.
The Artificial Method. — If incubators are used, the chicks
should remain in the incubator until they are from twenty-
four to thirty-six hours old. They should then be removed
to the brooder, which should occupy a well lighted, clean
room where there is plenty of sun. The hover should pre-
viously have been warmed to a tempe«itu+-e of about- ninety
degrees. After the chicks are in, their animal heat will raise
the temperature under the house from ninety to about ninety-
five degrees.
It is advisable to keep the youngsters under the hover most
of the time during the first twenty-four hours, letting them
out at frequent intervals to become accustomed to the brooder,
and to drink a little water and eat a little food. After the
first day they may be allowed to go in and out at will, unless
they are found to crowd in the corners, when they must be
returned to the hover until warm again, for crowding in out-
side corners always means that they are chilly. The same
food that was recommended for chicks with hens will prove
equally satisfactory for chicks in brooders. (H. A N )
410
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
CHAPTER II.
CARE OF THE GROWING STOCK.
After the little chicks are well started on life's journey,
under the old hen or in the brooder, it is necessary to see that
they have proper care throughout the growing period. A
setback at any time in their growth can never be entirely over-
come and the more severe the setback, the greater the harm.
The brood should be kept with the hen or in the brooder as
long as artificial heat is necessary, which is until they are
well covered with their chicken feathers and sometimes longer,
depending on the season of the year. They may, of course,
remain in the same quarters if the weather continues cold
and be allowed to run out doors only when conditions are
favorable. Unless the accommodations are ample, they are
likely to soon outgrow them and more room must be fur-
nished. A brood mothered by a hen can sometimes be kept
in a good sized brood coop for a short time after the hen weans
them, but they soon fill a coop of ordinary size so completely
that they are crowded at night. Before that occurs they
should be removed to what are generally known as roosting
coops.
Roosting Coops. — These roosting coops are of various
sizes, but a common size is six feet long, three feet wide, three
feet high in front and two feet high at the rear. If the chicks
use these little buildings during the heat of the summer, it is
customary to make the front entirely of wire netting or slats,
so that the air can circulate freely. To provide protection
against the storms and occasional cool weather, especially
in the fall, a burlap or cotton cloth curtain is often arranged
so that it can be rolled or dropped down to cover the open
side, in this way shutting out strong winds and driving rains.
This curtain should not be kept down except when necessary
for the before mentioned reasons, because at any other time
it confines the air too much and makes it too warm for the
youngsters.
When the brooder chicks are ready to be put out on the
range, that is, when they no longer need the protection of the
brooder or colony house in which the brooder is operated,
they are usually put into the roosting coops which are dis-
tributed over the range. The same procedure is followed in
the case of hen-brooded chicks.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
411
Rearing in Restricted Quarters. — The back yard poultry
keeper faces a serious situation when attempting to rear
chicks, yet good results can be obtained on a small area. If
one has no more room than is necessary for the fowls, it is
useless to try to raise chicks in his back yard, because chicks
cannot occupy the same ground as the fowls and do well ;
nor can they occupy ground that has been fouled to any ex-
tent. Under such conditions, arrangements must be made
to have the chicks grown away from home, and care should
be taken to get them into the right hands and to be sure that
they have suitable quarters and proper feed. If the home
quarters are of a fair size, it is possible to grow very good
chickens by giving them extra care. The same method of
cooping should be followed as if they were on range and the
outdoor runs should be frequently spaded over. The location
of the coop and yard should be changed every few days if
possible, and some small grain which sprouts quickly planted
in each spot as soon as it is vacated. As the chick can not
develop muscle and will not be healthy or strong without
exercise, they must be made to scratch vigorously in litter
for the dry grain part of their ration.
Cleanliness is absolutely necessary in all cases, and the
coop must be cleaned at frequent intervals and occasionally
disinfected, especially the floor. If, as the chicks grow, they
fill the coop to a point where it becomes crowded, the flocks
must be divided, for each chick should have ample room to
sit on the floor comfortably at night. When the youngsters
are half-grown they may be given roosts placed lengthwise
of the coop, two being as many as can be used satisfactorily
in a coop of the dimensions we have mentioned. These roosts
should be of good size, but round enough on top so that the
toes of the chicks can curl around them, as Nature intended,
when the chicks sit down.
Lice will injure or even destroy a flock of chicks if given
any lee-way, and liquid mite killer should be used on the
floors of the coops and on the roosts when the roosts are
put in. The chicks should be dusted thoroughly with a lice
killing powder, if any lice are discovered on them, and one
should search industriously for vermin at frequent intervals.
(H. A. N.)
Ml'
A .1/ /<; /,*/ ( m A' po / ; ///'/,' v .1 n n o r 7 ,1 tion
CHAPTER III.
FEEDING FOR GROWTH.
There are various methods of feeding growing chicks,
many of which are entirely satisfactory. The test is whether
or not they produce the desired results. A great many differ-
ent food elements are required to nourish properly the differ-
ent parts of the chick's body, and unless food is given in
reasonable variety the chick usually cannot obtain, from what
is given it, enough of all the elements required to make satis-
factory growth. Obviously, if too much fat forming material
is given and too little of the material that makes the lean
meat and muscle, the chick can not develop as it should. A
chick on free range can sometimes overcome mistakes in feed-
ing by collecting from the range the different food elements
which it requires but does not obtain from the food provided.
In the back yard poultry keepers' little flock of young, this
can not be done, and the owner must be careful to furnish a
reasonably well balanced ration.
A good ration for chicks from two weeks to one month old
is as follows :
A mash consisting of three parts each ( by weight) of
wheat bran and cornmeal, one part wheat middlings and one
part beef scraps, mixed dry and kept before them in hoppers ;
a mixture of three parts cracked wheat, two parts finely
cracked corn and one part pinhead oatmeal, fed in a litter in
order to compel them to scratch for it. During the second
month of their lives, the same dry mash may be always avail-
able and a mixture of three parts wheat, two parts cracked
corn and one part of hulled oats may be given for scratch
feed. From the end of that time until they are grown they
should have constantly before them in hoppers, a dry mix-
ture consisting of three parts wheat bran, three parts wheat
middlings, three parts cornmeal, and two parts beef scraps,
and a scratch mixture of equal parts of wheat and cracked
corn, if they are on free range. If not on free range, the
scratch mixture should be given in a litter, to induce exercise,
twice a day. The same mash may be mixed with water, or
sweet or sour milk, and fed once a day, in addition, to hasten
development.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STAXDAKD AXD BREED BOOK
413
Very simple rations sometimes prove quite effective when
chicks are on free range. A hopper of beef scraps and a
hopper of cracked corn constantly in reach is said to grow
excellent chicks, the corn furnishing the heating and fatten-
ing part of the ration, and the beef scraps the material of
which to make solid flesh. Of course, the chicks pick up the
green stuff and other food on the range. We would not ad-
vise anyone to feed such a ration to chicks confined in yards,
because, if there were no other arguments against it, it is
plain that the chicks would soon tire of it.
Chicks in yards must a 1 ways be furnished green stuff once
each day, but none should be allowed to remain after they have
satisfied their appetites, because it soon becomes unwhole-
some. Grit and charcoal should always be available and plenty
of fresh water must be furnished. If milk can be given them
to drink in addition to water, better growth will result:
(H. A. N).
COLONY COOP FOR YOUNG CHICKS.
Design from Minnesota Agricultural College. Capacity three or
four hens and 50 or 60 small chicks. Later twenty-four larger chicks.
Front can be protected during stormy weather by bran sacks at
either end.
PART SIX.
UTILITY FEATURES OF THE PLYMOUTH
ROCKS.
SECTION I. MARKET QUALITIES OF THE PLYM-
OUTH ROCKS.
Chapter I. THE TERM "UTILITY" EX-
PLAINED.
Chapter II. THE PLYMOUTH ROCK AS A GEN-
ERAL PURPOSE FOWL.
Chapter III. THE PLYMOUTH ROCK AS A MAR-
KET FOWL.
Chapter IV. THE PLYMOUTH ROCK AS A
TABLE FOWL.
SECTION II. PLYMOUTH ROCKS AS PROLIFIC EGG
PRODUCERS.
Chapter I. PLYMOUTH ROCK EGGS.
Chapter II. PLYMOUTH ROCKS IN EGG LAY-
ING CONTESTS.
414
SECTION I.
MARKET QUALITIES OF THE PLYMOUTH
ROCKS.
THE TERM "UTILITY" EXPLAINED.
HE CHAPTER ON THE utility feature of the Plym-
outh Rock fowl may very well contain a definition of
what is meant by the term "utility." It is so often
misused that, far contrary to its real meaning, it has come
to mean to many not much more than lack of Standard qual-
ity. This is due to the fact that it has become a custom among
fanciers to sell or offer for sale all the stock that does not
meet the requirements of the Standard of Perfection in a
degree to meet the approval of those that buy it on that basis
as "utility" stock, or eggs from such stock as "utility" eggs
In many cases, not only the quality but the vitality of such
stock has become so inferior that the term has fallen into
disrepute. "Utility-stock" now means to a great many who
have perhaps suffered in their transactions along this line
with unprincipled breeders and dealers, and we are thankful
that it is usually the latter, simply something that is unfit to
sell as Standard-bred stock. This application of the word is
to be regretted as "Utility-stock" should be desirable stock
that is useable for its purpose, and the word utility should be
held to its original meaning when it applies either to breed-
ing or to sales.
"Utility-stock" is that which yields a useful product. The
utility products from poultry are two only, flesh and eggs.
Stock that will produce progeny of a superior meat quality, or
that grows and produces flesh more rapidly than does ordinary
stock is entitled to the term "utility," and such stock does
not discount itself or discredit the term.
"Utility-stock" should have utility quality, and should not
be confused with Standard-bred specimens of poor quality. To
be such is the result of accident very often. To improve any
CHAPTER I.
415
416
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
quality in any stock, the most satisfactory results arc obtained
by selecting for that quality.
Standard-bred Fowls, Useful. — It is a noteworthy fact and
the most convincing refutation to any imputation that Stand-
ard-bred poultry is ornamental rather than useful, that in the
beginning all of our American breeds originated with men who
were interested in poultry in a practical way and not as fan-
ciers; consequently, these breeds took on at the start a practi-
cal rather than a fanciful aspect. Both aspects have been im-
proved. That our American breeds, including all varieties of
Plymouth Rocks, have improved in appearance, everyone in-
terested is aware, but that they have improved in usefulness
and productiveness some may not be disposed to admit, yet all
available records, both public and private, show such an enor-
mous advance in these respects as to be almost incredible, not
only to those skeptically inclined but to all, except the com-
paratively small number who because of business or other
interests follow the results of such tests most closely.
It should not be concluded from the foregoing statement
that fowls should be bred to improve in one particular alone;
although, it often happens that a specimen of the most pro-
nounced degree of excellency in a certain particular is often
so deficient in other requirements that no one of good judg-
ment would use it in a breeding capacity, and for that reason
alone it often happens that we do not acquire one quality as
rapidly or in as marked a degree as though we limited out-
selections for that one quality alone.
Yet rapid growth and laying qualities are very dependent
upon health and vigor, and when selections for these qualities
are the rule, more productive fowls are bred.
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
417
CHAPTER II.
THE PLYMOUTH ROCK AS A GENERAL
PURPOSE FOWL.
The shape of Plymouth Rocks required by the Standard
of Perfection is such as to insure the highest quality as a
table and general purpose fowl. The "rather long" back,
which is "broad its entire length" ; the "broad, full, moderate-
ly deep, well rounded" breast and the rather "long, broad,
deep, full" body which extends "well forward", guarantee the
largest proportion of edible flesh and the least waste in
bone, feathers and refuse. The long keel bone, the plump
breast and large thighs, all of which are well covered with ten-
der flesh of finest texture, give the exceptional quality desired
for table use to the choicest portions of the bird.
The shape of the body also affords ample room for large
and vigorous egg organs and a digestive system which is con-
ducive to high egg production. They produce large numbers of
brown shelled eggs and also produce flesh rapidly. They are
rapid growers, quick to mature, and fatten easily.
The economic value of the breed is shown by its wide
scope of usefulness. They are well suited for pleasure or
profit ; for a city lot or for the farm ; for the show room or for
commercial purposes. It matters not what may be wanted,
broilers, roasters, mature fowls, capons or layers, Plymouth
Rocks possess qualities which recommend them if they have
been selected and bred according to standard requirements.
Birds of this breed are of a quiet, gentle disposition and they
are easily confined.
Because of their combined market qualities and egg laying
ability, the Plymouth Rocks are recognized as a great dual
purpose or general purpose breed.
Plymouth Rocks are faithful sitters and good mothers.
They are active as well as good foragers, and will find a good
portion of their living if given the opportunity. Their combs
being of medium size and their bodies rather blocky, compact
and well feathered, they are prepared to withstand severe
weather. Their type is one that is symbolical with great vigor,
and is well adapted to varying conditions ; it is also one which
combines many desirable qualities in one fowl.
The chicks reach maturity quickly and some pullets have
been known to lay at five months of age. It is not advisable
418
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
to force them too rapidly for fear it will stunt their growth,
that is, it is not best to force early laying at the cost of size,
bone and muscle, if the pullets are to be used subsequently
as breeders ; but if they are intended for broilers or roasters,
they may be fed heavily on growing and fattening foods, upon
which they will develop very rapidly and reach the broiler age
in nine to fifteen weeks, depending upon the size and type of
broilers desired. (T. E. Q.)
CHAPTER III.
THE PLYMOUTH ROCK AS A MARKET FOWL.
The fact that the Plymouth Rock rapidly gained pop-
ularity and still is the most popular breed of poultry among
farmers simply means it has stood the test for more than
a quarter of a century and has not been found wanting.
A farmer's fowl which represents ninety per cent of the
entire poultry crop of the continent is no mean fowl. A farmer
wants meat as well as eggs. Step into almost any special
finishing or feeding plant and watch the superintendent smile
when a crate of Plymouth Rocks arrives or go into the dress-
ing room or finally into the dressed poultry boxes. Ask a
dealer to see a sample of the boxes of dressed poultry of prime
quality that he has to offer the trade and in nine cases out of
ten he will show a box of Plymouth Rocks. All of which
must mean that to date the Plymouth Rock is still America's
banner market chicken. It has stood the test of time and is
yet the market fowl.
What is there to the Plymouth Rock that makes it so popu-
lar as a market bird? First they are vigorous. That is, they
withstand disease and are good feeders. You do not want a
bird that is not a good feeder. Fowls, the whims of whose
appetite you have to study hourly, will never stand the test of
time. The Plymouth Rock is a good feeder, and stands second
to no breed under forced feeding or special finishing. Right
here is where its abundance of vigor comes worth while.
The second consideration is that the lean meat or muscles
are well distributed over the various parts of the body. The
breasts are well muscled. There are very few Plymouth Rocks
with long, high, bare breast or keel bones. There is fair dis-
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
419
tribution of both light and dark meat. Hence the dressed
birds please the various tastes of the average family. Every-
body does not want white meat, very few want a hard, dry,
unbitable chicken, whether it is dark or light meat. The
grain of the Plymouth Rock flesh is such that it tends to be
juicy and tender.
The third consideration, is that as a breed Plymouth Rocks
are smooth skinned and elastic fleshed. They have a pleasing
appearance when dressed. The skin of the bird, when the
feathers are removed, does not present the appearance of a
horse-radish grater, but is smooth and mellow. This adds
very much to the attractiveness of the dressed carcass and
also is one of the best quality indicators.
Last, but not least, the fact remains that in the dressed
poultry shows held in this country, Plymouth Rocks have won
more sweepstake prizes than all the other breeds. They are
year after year the outstanding dressed fowls in the shows.
A breed of poultry which pleases the large packer and
makes money for him, which is bred more than any other
breed by the farmers, which wins sweepstake prizes at dressed
poultry shows and is constantly selected on the market by
intelligent housewife, needs no argument as to its position
or qualification as a market bird. The fact that it is still
the most popular fowl among over one hundred competitors
and has been the popular fowl for over a quarter of a century
simply means that it is well rooted and is bearing a satis-
factory crop annually. (W. R. G.)
WHITE PLYMOUTH ROCK CHICKS.
(Courtesy Minnesota Agricultural College.)
420
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
CHAPTER IV.
THE PLYMOUTH ROCK AS A TABLE FOWL.
When the bird has been properly fattened and dressed,
its beautiful rich yellow skin and plump carcass never fails to
attract attention and favorable comment and to command
the highest market price, because it is characteristic of the
breed that after the birds are plucked few undesirable pin
feathers are left to detract from their appearance.
Every part of the Plymouth Rock's body is well covered
with meat which is rich in flavor, line in texture, and, when
milk-fed or raised under proper conditions and fed abundantly,
is extremely tender and juicy. The breast and thighs, which
are recognized as the two choicest portions of the bird for table
use, are especially well covered with flesh. These exceptional
market qualities, combined with their great egg laying ability,
class them as one of the greatest American breeds.
Note. — The qualities, as related by Messrs. Quisenberry and Graham
are ample explanations as to why the large packers and feeding estab-
lishments favor Plymouth Rocks over all other breeds. This point
brought out by Mr. Graham, the editor has taken the pains to verify.
Furthermore, these concerns agree that the Plymouth Rock leads all
other standard breeds in numbers received and easily.
BUFF PLYMOUTH ROCK CHICKS.
PLYMOUTH BOCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK
421
A White Plymouth Rock pullet that combined standard and high
egg-producing qualities in a remarkable degree.
SECTION II.
CHAPTER I.
PLYMOUTH ROCKS AS PROLIFIC EGG
PRODUCERS.
PLYMOUTH ROCK EGGS.
LL VARIETIES of Plymouth Rocks should lay mod-
erately large, tannish brown eggs. Eggs which weigh
twenty-four ounces to the dozen are recognized as
standard in weight, but the average Plymouth Rock pullet
lays eggs which exceed this weight. As hens, they usually lay
a slightly heavier egg, some averaging as much as twenty-
eight ounces or more to the dozen. In shape, the egg is spher-
ically oblong, tapering slightly to one end.
The Plymouth Rock egg has a quality of contents, and a
thickness and texture to the shell by which it is assured of
carrying well while being shipped to market and also assures
the minimum amount of evaporation while being held for
hatching, for market or in storage.
Uniformity of shape and color, and freeness from wrinkles,
rough places and thin shells should be sought for by all breed-
ers. Uniformity largely controls the appearance, and appear-
ance seriously affects the selling price.
Some families or flocks of so-called Plymouth Rocks lay
eggs which are very much under-sized, misshaped, thin shelled
and of many colors. The country abounds in Mucks of this kind
which, though they bear a certain resemblance to standard-
bred Plymouth Rocks, usually the Barred variety, are far from
having the qualities of the latter and are. in fact, very inferior
in size, productiveness and appearance, and they are not stand-
ard-bred Barred Plymouth Rocks though often mistaken for
the latter.
The qualities of the eggs can be controlled to a large ex-
tent by the breeder. By selecting and hatching from eggs of
the desired shape and color, and by using only males and fe-
males for breeding purposes which have been hatched from
such eggs, one can soon establish a flock that will produce
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK
423
eggs that possess these qualities to a reasonable degree of cer-
tainty. See that all eggs for hatching weigh two ounces or
more, and are of the perfect shape desired, and with firm, sound
shells and of uniform color. Such care in selection and breed-
ing for two generations will make a remarkable difference in
the qualities of the eggs, and if continued, will insure the pro-
duction of a very large per cent of eggs which meet the market
requirements for Plymouth Rock eggs. (T. E. Q.)
Barred Plymouth Rock Pullet No. 5501, Purdue University Ex-
periment Station. Record, 166 eggs in 182 days. December to May,
inclusive.
424
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
CHAPTER II.
PLYMOUTH ROCKS IN LAYING CONTESTS.
The egg laying competitions which have been held in
America have proven not only that Plymouth Rocks lay a
sufficient number of eggs to make them profitable as egg
producers, but in every instance that Plymouth Rocks are
among the best as layers. They have also demonstrated
the facts that Plymouth Rocks are good layers in winter when
eggs are highest in price ; that they begin to lay when from
five to seven months of age ; and that they lay well in the fall
months or during what is generally recognized as the moult-
ing season.
Plymouth Rocks, as a rule, make a good yearly average
and an especially even distribution of their eggs throughout
the year. There is no season of the year that they do not pro-
duce a reasonable number of eggs. In one contest the Ply-
mouth Rocks distributed their eggs throughout the year as
follows :
30.2 eggs per pullet in December, January and February.
62.4 eggs in March, April and May.
45.3 eggs in June, July and August.
27.1 eggs in September, October and November.
All varieties of Plymouth Rocks collectively, have aver-
aged from one hundred and forty to one hundred and ninety
eggs per hen each year in practically every contest which has
been held in this country.
In one contest the pullets which averaged five pounds in
weight, averaged one hundred and seventy-six eggs each ;
those weighing six pounds averaged one hundred and fifty-
eight eggs each ; those weighing seven pounds averaged one
hundred and forty-two eggs ; and those weighing eight pounds
averaged one hundred and twenty-two eggs. This would indi-
cate that the females slightly under standard weight were the
best layers, but nevertheless, it is best to adhere to standard
weight in breeding as much as possible, otherwise, in time, the
breed might become too small to be classed as a general pur-
pose fowl.
The highest record ever made by a pen of any variety in
the National Contest at the Missouri State Poultry Experi-
ment Station was made by a pen of Barred Plymouth Rocks,
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AXD BREED BOOK 425
the five pullets laying one thousand one hundred and eighty-
five eggs, or an average of two hundred and thirty-seven eggs
per bird in twelve months. Barred Plymouth Rocks won the
highest honors for two years in succession at this contest.
The highest individual record ever made by one pullet of
any variety at the same Experimental Station was made by a
White Plymouth Rock which laid three hundred and four eggs
during the year. This bird also scored ninety-two and one-
half points. A Barred Plymouth Rock in the same contest
scored ninety-two and one-half points and laid two hundred
and fifty-four eggs. Buff Plymouth Rocks which laid over
two hundred eggs in the same contest also won prizes at the
Panama-Pacific International Exposition Show. These facts
plainly show that high scoring Standard Bred Plymouth Rocks
can also lay large numbers of eggs.
In the American Egg Laying Contest, the highest scoring
Plymouth Rocks proved to be the best layers. Plymouth Rocks
led throughout most of this contest.
In the North American Contest at the Delaware College of
Agriculture and in previous contests pens of Barred, White,
Buff and Columbian Plymouth Rocks averaged more than two
hundred eggs per bird, or over one thousand eggs in a year
from a pen of five pullets. The highest individual records
made in this contest by birds of this breed were as follows :
In the International Egg Laying Contest at the Connecti-
cut Agricultural College, it was found that only one breed laid
eggs that exceeded those of the Plymouth Rocks in size. Only
one breed lost less time in broodiness than Plymouth Rocks.
If the birds had been marketed at the close of the contest, alive
or slaughtered, the returns from the Plymouth Rocks would
have exceeded all others. In the sixth Annual Contest held at
that place, the best laying pen of Plymouth Rocks were of the
Barred variety and the ten pullets laid two thousand, one hun-
dred and nineteen eggs during the year. The best individual
record was by a Barred Plymouth Rock that laid 277 eggs.
In the International Egg Laying and Breeding Contest
conducted by the New Jersey Experiment Station, a White
White Plymouth Rock
Buff Plymouth Rock
Partridge Plymouth Rock
Columbian Plymouth Rock
Barred Plymouth Rock...
247 eggs
250 eggs
200 eggs
287 eggs
283 eggs
426
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Plymouth Rock won first place, with a record of three hundred
and one eggs ; a Columbian Plymouth Rock was in third place,
with two hundred and eighty-eight eggs to her credit; and a
Barred Plymouth Rock won fifth place, with a record of two
hundred and seventy-eight eggs ; three of the highest records
being made by Plymouth Rocks, with one thousand pullets
of different varieties competing; the best Plymouth Rock
pen records of ten birds each being as follows : Barred Ply-
mouth Rock, 1956 eggs; White Plymouth Rocks, 1985 eggs
and Columbian Plymouth Rocks, 1854 eggs.
The Plymouth Rocks entered in the First All Northwestern
Egg Laying Contest demonstrated their winter laying quali-
ties and ranked among the breeds as follows :
From October 15th to October 30th, 1916, second in aver-
age egg production per fowl.
For the month of November, second in average egg pro-
duction per fowl ; second in actual profit per average fowl.
For the month of December, third in average egg produc-
tion per fowl.
For the month of January, 1917, first in average egg pro-
duction. (T. E. Q.)
PARTRIDGE PLYMOUTH ROCK CHICKS
PLYMOUTH ROCK STAXDARD AXD BREED BOOK 427
At the left, the White Plymouth Rock hen, Lady-Show-You, No.
717 in the Mountain Grove, Missouri, egg-laying contest, November,
1911. to November. 1912.
Lady-Show-You sold for $800 after making a record of 281 eggs
in twelve months. Even with this number to her credit, Lady-Show-
You did not la}- an imperfect egg. The industry that is characteristic
of a good layer was displayed in this case. Lady-Show-You invariably
spent the day out of doors if allowed to do it, and usually laid early
in the morning. She also shows the conformation we expect to see
in a good layer, broad across the hips, large in heart girt. When han-
dled, her body feels firm, well filled out and muscular.
At the right, a Barred Plymouth Rock hen with a high and very
creditable egg record and which shows much the same type as the
White Plymouth Rock.
423
AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
INDEX
Page
American Standard of Perfection, Introduction to the 1915 Revised
Edition 3
Applying the Comparison System 29
Back 122
Back of Female 134
Backs, Ideal and Defective 123
Male, Defective 124
Female, Defective 125
Back Yard Flock, The 393
Bennett's Early Plymouth Rocks 64
Bodies, Male Defective 124
Bodies, Female Defective 125
Body and Fluff 128
Breast 127
Breeding of Domestic Fowls.
In-Breeding 50
In-Breeding, Limits of 50
Injudicious In-Breeding 53
Like Begets Like 56
Line-Breeding 52
Principles of Breeding 56
Offset Defects 57
Out-Crossing 51
Resting Males 54
Strain Building 52
Uniformity in 58
Why Like Begets Like 56
Cochins — Black Cochins in America 77
Black Cochins in England 76
Cochins and Javas 79
Color Terms, Explanation of 35
Comb 112
Base of 113
Blade of.. 113
Carriage of 113
Outline of 113
Points of 116
Size of 113
Combs, Defective (111.) 117, 133
Conditioning, The Art of 362
Conditioning Fowls for Exhibition 360
Constitutional Vigor 60
Copyright 2
Corrective Breeding, I. (111.) 141
Corrective Breeding, II. (111.) 142
Corrective Breeding, III. (111.) 143
Corrective Breeding, IV. (111.) 144
Corrective Breeding, V. (111.) 146
Cutting for Defects 31
Defects, Common, in Plvmouth Rock Plumage 148
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 429
Page
Definitions of Technical Terms, see Glossary of Technical
Terms 14-25
Development of Domestic Fowls 40
Disinfectants, The Use of 400
Domestic Fowls — Breeding of 44
In-Breeding of 50
Limits of In-Breeding 50
Mating of .44
Origin and Development of 40
Out-Crossing 51
System of Mating of 45
Early American Importations 42
Early Days of the New Breed 96
Examination of Candidates for Show Honors 355
Feeding — During a Journey 376
For Color 366
The Breeding Flock 401
White Birds 208 366
Feeds and Feeding 380
General Disqualifications for Plymouth Rocks 30
General Disqualifications, Discussion of 350
General Purpose Fowl Demanded 64
Glossary of Technical Terms 14
Hatching and Brooding 406
Heads of Males, Defective (111) 117
Heads of Females, Defective (111) 133
Health of the Breeding Flock 404
Health of the Breeding Flock in Confinement 404
Housing the Flock 395
Incentive to Poultry Keeping 41
Individual Disposition 54
Influence of Health on Shape and Color 139
Interior Equipment 398
Introduction to 1915 Revised Edition , 3
Judging Plymouth Rocks — Instructions for 26, 344
American Breeds 340
By the Standard 347
Color Defects 29
Comparative System 29
Cutting for Defects 31
Dated Score Cards 28
Defective Score Cards 28
Disqualifying Weights 29
Faking 28
Handling , 29
Merit 26
Old and Young Specimens Competing 28
Private Scoring 28
Proper Tail Carriage Ills 32
Reweighing 27
Rules Governing Sweepstakes 27
Scaly Legs 29
Scores of Exhibition Pens 28
Ties , 28
430 AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Page
Weight 26
Typical Shape 29
Like Begets Like 56
Line-Breeding 52
Male One-Half the Flock 59
Male Parent of the Plymouth Rock 91
Mating — Barred Plymouth Rocks 158
By Natural Selection 44
By Artificial Selection 44
Buff Plymouth Rocks 242
Columbian Plymouth Rocks 329
Partridge Plymouth Rocks 293
Silver-Penciled Plymouth Rocks 255
White Plymouth Rocks 203
Matings — Advantages of Two Matings 164
Double 46
General Methods of, To Overcome Defects in Shape 140
Intermediate 46
Large 54
Single 45
Special Matings an Old Established Institution 165
Stud 53
Systems of 45
Systems of, In Early Days 169
To Produce Exhibition Specimens (Barred Plymouth Rocks) . . 158
Mendelism 55
Mr. Ramsdell's Account 72
Mr. Upham's Account of Origin 69
Mr. Upham's Account, Vital Points in 71
Neck 118
Neck of Female 134
Nomenclature of the Male (111.) 12
Nomenclature of the Female (111.) 13
Origin of Domestic Fowls 40
Out-Crossing 51
Plumage — Barred Plymouth Rocks 148
Buff Plymouth Rocks 216
Character of — Affecting Form and Outline 138
Columbian Plymouth Rocks 314
Partridge Plymouth Rocks 274
Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks 248
White Plymouth Rocks 202
Plymouth Rocks — All Varieties 62
Drake Strain of 99
English Opinions as to Origin 81
Essex Strain of 103
Essex County Strain of 101
Instructions for Judging 26
Gilman Strain of 100
Judging 346
Name, How Selected 104
Origin and Early Development of 63
Ramsdell Strain of 98
1910 Scale of Points for 343
PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 431
Page
Shape of . 108
Spaulding Strain of . ... 97
Upham's Account of Origin 69
Upham Strain of 97
Plymouth Rocks — Columbian.
Color of 314
Color of Female 314
Color of Male 311
Mating 329
Origin and Early Development of 304
Plumage of 311
Plymouth Rock, Early Development of 63
Plymouth Rock Shape, Defects of 112
Plymouth Rock Comb — Blade of.... 113
Base of , 113
Carriage of 113
Outline of 113
Points of 116
Size of 112
Plymouth Rock, Buff — Buff Plymouth Rock Color 220
Color Defects Accounted For 228
Color of Male and Female 216
Common Defects of Buff Color 221
Development of Buff Color 216
Matings 242
Origin and Early Development of 209
Plymouth Rocks. Partridge — Color of Female 274
Color of Male 274, 275
Mating 293
Origin and Early Development 266
Plumage of 274
Plymouth Rocks, Silver-Penciled — Color of Female 245
Color of Male 245
Description of 248
Mating 255
Origin and Earlv Development 243
Plumage 245
Plumage Defects and How to Overcome Them 262
Plymouth Rock Standard and Breed Book —
Contents, Table of 10
Contents, Part I.. Table of 11
Contents, Part II., Table of 39
Contents, Part III., Table of 61
Contents, Part IV., Table of 337
Contents, Part V., Table of 387
Contents, Part VI., Table of 414
Introduction to 8
Preface to 5
Plymouth Rocks, White— Color of Male and Female 202
Defects of White Plumage 203
Mating 203
. Origin and Early Development of 193
Recognition by American Poultry Association 197
Poultry Keeping, Incentive to 41
432 AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION
Page
Poultry Keeping Introduced into Europe 41
Poultry Keeping, First Authentic Accounts of 42
Preface 5
Prepotency 38
Prepotency, Value of 59
Sanitation 399
Score Cards (Official) 33
Selection of Show Birds 355
Sex Control of Character 59
Shape of Plymouth Rocks 108
Common Defects of Plymouth Rocks 112
Male, Ideal and Defective 140
Shape — Counts More Than Color. Why? 137
Female, Ideal and Defective , 132, 135
Importance of 137
Mating to Overcome Defects in 137
Shape Perfection Unattained 145
Typical 353
Shanks and Toes 129
Shipping to Shows 373
Size and Condition 351
Skull 118
Slow Feathering 136
Equipment, Interior 398
Standard Measurements 34
Standard, Judge's Guide 347
Standard, Judging by 348
Standard Scale of Points 38, 338
First Poultry 338
First Scale of Points, American 340
First Scale of Points, American Class 341
First Scale of Points, Brahmas 340
Scale of Points for Plymouth Rocks, Modern 342
Scale of Points for Plymouth Rocks, 1910 343
Scale of Points for White Leghorns 341
Strain Building 52
Symmetry and Awkwardness, 111 140
Tail 126
Tail, Female, Defective 111 125
Tail, Female, Tail of 134
Tail, Male, Defective 111 124
Taming Show Birds 367
Type vs. Shape 136
Type Faulty 136
Types, Geographical ." 42
Types, American 43
Types, English in America 43
Variation in Early Types 40
Views of Early Writers 73
Washing White Fowls 368
Wattles and Ear Lobes of Males, Defectives 117
Wattles and Ear Lobes of Females, Defective 133
Why Like Begets Like 56
Wings 119
Wings, Defective 120, 121
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