CROSS-BRED FOWLS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3488, 11 September 1882, Page 4

CROSS-BRED FOWLS.

The practice of crossing the different breeds of fowls never yet resulted in the production of a perfect bird, and never will. Fowls may be obtained that answer every purpose of egg production, and a fair profit may be realised from their flesh, but, as a general thing, they cannot be depended on. For market chickens the common producer is satisfied, but the amateur requires something better. This he finds in the pure breeds. Any cross not only affects the quantity of eggs, but the quality also suffers. The object of the amateur (says the Albany Cultivator) is not direct profit I o himself, although this is attended to in the long run, but the pleasure of beholding fine birds that furnish fine eggs and chickens for the table all of home production. The caterer to the public market generally employs a cross in which there is largely mixed the Brahma blood. In this he obtains size, and by adulterating the blood with some other, the size often exceeds the original fowl. Quick feathering is often sought for, and this is found in the Leghorn race. This cross makes tolerable layers, pretty good sitters, but miserable flesh, although answering well for the purpose of early broilers. The epicure is fond of broiled chicken, and so long as the flesh produced had once worn feathers the appetite is satisfied, and the price obtained by the producer is in reality more, owing to the advance in weight, than from pure breeds. But, when one has really had the opportunity of testing the difference between the pure well bred and the mongrel, the decision is in favour of the thorough bred, fowl, for all purposes where home consumption is concerned. Crosses have always been employed, and will continur to be, so long as the multitude

see an increase of size by the procedure. In crossing, the strongest, purest blood will predominate. For instance, a brown Leghorn cock crossed on a Brahma hen will produce a chick with Leghorn colour and markings, while size is obtained from the dam. In many instances the feathering of the leg will disappear. Both these breeds possess pencilled necks, and the newlyhatched chick 3 will show the triangular mark on the top of the head, and the three dark or coloured stripes down the back. The Leghorn blood is stronger than the Asiatic, and the strongest will crop out in colour and marking of the chicks. The Spanish blood is even stronger, when in purity, than the Leghorns, and a stronger blood than either of them is the Dorking. A perfect bird is hard to obtain. It is not the result of crosses, but the mingling of pure blood that has been kept distinct through many generations. Uniform birds can only be obtained from purity of blood, and when this uniformity has been established for many generations we may approach in the rearing of fowls as near perfection as is possible. The perfect bird is only seen among wild specimens. Our poultry yards never yet produced one. The perfect birds only are those that for generation after generation beget their like alone. There is never any discrepancy in the markings and colouring of our migrating birds. Did any one ever see a partridge with any markings other than the usual blending and mottling of grey and white ?—lrish Farmer.