Rensselaer Standard, Volume 1, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 November 1879 — Pure Bred Fowls. [ARTICLE]

Pure Bred Fowls.

WIT AM THKY SOFKKJOX TO IOIOIBUT To the incredulous or unthinking man, the moon for tb« groat disparity between the prices of pare bred Aid mongrel fowls remains a mystery. Their narrow phylooophy (lads no replj to the question why one fowl should sell for 50 cents and another for $lO. The same clam of persona once thongbt his native cows good enough, nnd SIOO to SI,OOO extravagant, ruinous, foolish prices to pay for a thoroughbred Short horn, or thought equally wild and foolish, their neighbor who paid SSO for a pair of Berkshiree, or $25 for a Ceuwold lamb. "They are now silent, their voice is no more beard in the land,*' you say. Don't be toe Seat, Ask some of your neighbors whst they think of Maxwell, or Biown, or John* sob paying $6 for pullets, or $25 for a rooster and you may bear the same old proverb. "A fool and hia money," etc. They have a new subject, and" by crying out againat thoroughbred fowla they hope you may forget their former bitter opposition to fine farm stock which they now exhibit with pride. They may cry "never, never," and "shoo, shoo,’’ all they wish, yet nevertheless, in a few years they will be boaatiDg of the heavy weighta of their Asiatics or the number of eggs produced by their Leghorns or Houilsbs. A pure bred fowl is defined as one which will pro. dueeite like in color and characteristics, and herein liee their great and chief excellence. From Mongrels you may select a dozen large, white fowls, all good layers, Their progeny will be like Joseph's^coat or Jacob’s cattle for color, will be of all sizes some good layers, others worthless. Select a dozen pure bred Cochins, their progeny will all resemble their parents in color, often feather for feather and will be as large and as noted for goo<l winter layers. A dozen Leghorns or {loudens and their progeny will all have the distinctive markings of their parents and you will ne»er induce one of them to “»el” if you breed them true, down to the 10th generation. This, to the man or woman of taste and culture, is sufficient. Their eye will at once decide in favor wf the stately, noble, corn colored flock of Asiatics, or sptightly, beautifully colored Leghorns or Houdans over the motley heterogeneous assemblage of mongrels. But then we must address our arguments to men whose hearts lie in their pockets, and lo the great miss of mankind who in their struggle with fortune have no time to indulge either taste or culture when it runs counter to money getting. There is a greater return of v.tlue for the amount invested in pure bred fowls than in any other kind of stock. One bushel of corn will make at the bi-si 10 lbs. of pork at 4 cents per pound. The same amount fed to a Cochin chick will make 7. lbs., worth 10 t . 1 cents per lb. But our comparison is not 1 e tween purebred fowls and other stock, but between them and moogrels. '’Feed a bushel of corn to a mongrel an l unless it is cooped it will be but little fatter thau at first. Feed it to a Cochin and he w-ll stop running about and become so fat’ that lie* can hardly walk-, and will bring3cents more per pound lhau the former, while he will weigh several pounds more. We Lave tried this and know. Again, a dozeu Cochins Will weigh, fatted for market, an avenge of 84 lbs. and bring IQ cents pec lb., $8.40. A doaen common fowls of the best will weigh 48 lbs. and are worth, in the same market, 7 cents. You must chase all over the farm and tear your Sunday-go-to-meej/ ing-pants before you can catch two or three * longlegged mongrels for dinner. Step out and pick up a single Cochin. It will make a larger meal ana be much more toothsome. Further, mongrels lay but a short lime in the spring and autumn and .half the time you must have them under an old tub to keep them from setting. If you possess Leghorns or any of the laying varieties the supply of eggs is constant and a setting, fussing, clucking hen is unknown. Call and examine the yards of some of your neighbors that have pore bred fowls, and yon will want no further arguments.