Few
notes
about
some Correspondents
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Mrs
Banning has been involved with chickens for many years in the Netherlands. She
is a breeder judge and author, having published to my knowledge at least two
books on chickens. She co-operated with the late Mr Frank Gary, Chairman of
American Bantam Association Standard Committee, when European breeds were
being discussed.
Over the years Mrs Banning has assisted with much information for my researches. After corresponding with Annie for some years, on a recent visit to Europe I was able to visit her home four a couple of days and discuss many matters with her. This personal meeting was most pleasant.
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Dr
Carefoot, M.Sc., Ph.D., of Chipping near Preston, Lancashire, UK, is a Poultry
breeder from around 45 years, inheriting this pastime from his father and
grandfather before him.
He
is a breeder of quality stock, always aiming for perfection. Among his bantam
breeds are Partridge Wyandottes, Plymouth Rocks, Sussex, Silver Pencilled
Wyandottes and Black Orpingtons. A recent addition is the Chocolate Orpington
which came from his Blacks and now is breeding true to colour, this being
governed by the gene Choc.
I
have been fortunate to view Dr Carefoot’s stock and I must say the quality
of the markings in his birds is without doubt high
quality.
Dr Carefoot’s book published a few years ago Creative Poultry Breeding is a book any sincere Poultry Breeder should have on his bookshelf. He also has a number of papers on Poultry Genetics published in Poultry Science.
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Professor
Carter 
before his retirement was Emeritus professor of Geography at the Texas
A&M University - College Station - Texas in the United States. Professor
Carter’s contribution to the subject of chickens stems from his chapter in
the treatise Man Across the sea when
he wrote of Pre-Columbian chickens in the New World, the Americas.
Although
many do not agree with Professor Carter’s deliberations he has over the
years stood firm on his argument of chickens in the Americas Pre-Columbian
times. He is preparing a book on the subject but has been having difficulties
getting it published.
He
has contributed articles to a publication the
Ellsworth American from the States of Maine which discusses Pre
Colombian matters over the years.
Professor Carter has been a most informative correspondent and I have received some very interesting letters from him.
Professor
Crawford of the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada, is another
person with whom I have had correspondence which has also been must helpful.
A
few years ago he took on the job of gathering and editing a comprehensive
study on Poultry Genetics bringing all literature up to date. Previous to this
F.B. Hutt’s Genetics of the Fowl
was the main literature on this subject. However this was published in 1949
and in the intervening years more information has come to hand.
Professor Crawford’s effort with his publication Poultry Breeding and Genetics is to be commended.
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Frank
Fogarty of Taree, in the State of New South Wales, is a particular friend of
mine with whom I have frequent contacts.
Frank
has been working on the making of Barred Pekin 
-
with some success. As far as I
am aware he is the only breeder in Australia involved in this project at the
moment. He also constructs unique carrying boxes for the transport of fowls
which are eagerly sought by exhibitors to convey their birds to shows.
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I
had much correspondence with the late Frank Gary of New Jersey in the United
States during the years research was being carried out on the revising of the
standard for the Pekin in Australia.
Mr
Gary was most helpful with his advice in doing this time and we of the Pekin
Bantam club of Australia consider ourselves most fortunate that we had someone
of his experience to turn to.
Mr
Gary was for many years Chairman of the Standards Committee of the American
Bantam Association and through his drive and thoroughness the ABA produced, I
believe, six editions of the ABA
Standard.
There was no half measures with him. It had to one thing or another, no in betweens. In my opinion he was the best standard maker we have seen. His work should be an example for anyone compiling standards. I have always had great respect for this man.
Dr
Green of the University of Auckland is emeritus Professor in Prehistory in
that Institution.
Although I have not had a lot of correspondence with him, he has been most helpful when I have been searching for information on the Pacific area.
The late Mrs Hering from Saratoga, California, in the USA, was a Poultry Historian in that country and author of a number of articles in the American Bantam Association Yearbook. She assisted me a great deal providing much information for my researches.
Professor
Higham of the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, through
correspondence alerted me of the presence of chicken bones he excavated in
North East Thailand some years ago.
This was an important discovery being dated around 3500 BC which enabled me to expand my researches. His assistance was much appreciated.
I
have been corresponding with Dr Edmund Hoffmann of Canning, Nova Scotia,
Canada, for some time now and he has been most helpful with general and
contact information. Also his comments on my researches have been most
constructive.
Ed
is most interested in ducks and geese, particularly the Muscovy duck, the
history of which he has been researching for some years. He also published a
booklet on quail.
Ed travels quite a lot as he as a number of waterfowl breeding experiments operating in Saudi Arabia and I do believe China. His assistance has been much appreciated.
March
31, 2003
Dr Edmund Hoffmann, poultry pioneer passes
Dr
Edmund Hoffmann, Ph.D., passed away peacefully on March 31, 2003, in Valley
Regional
Hospital, Kentville, Nova Scotia.
Born
September 4, 1914, in Woodhaven, New York, he was a son of the late Michael
and Elsie (Aker) Hoffmann.
Dr Hoffmann was an animal nutritionist, educator, renowned author of
poultry books and a worldwide agricultural
consultant. He had great intellect
and a terrific sense of humour and spoke several languages.
His
career in poultry started as an extension agent and progressed to University
Professor and consultant. Over the last 50+
years he was a breeding consultant to many large breeding operations
throughout North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He developed many
excellent broiler strains of poultry, several of which contained the
sex-linked dwarf gene. He was also an expert in breeding commercial waterfowl
and worked for over forty years with the Taiwanese duck industry. He earned
his BS from Cornell University in 1937, his Master of Science from Rutgers in
1947 and his Doctorate from the University of Maryland in 1950.
Dr
Hoffmann’s 1946 book "Successful Broiler Growing" (1st edition
with Hugh Johnson and 2nd & 3rd editions with "Jimmy" Gwin) was
the first on the commercialisation of the broiler chicken. He was key in
developing a white-feathered broiler and was one of the originators of the
Delaware Breed.
An
active individual all his life, at the time of his death, he was facilitating
the transfer of a unique broiler strain to the Middle East. In later years he
wrote the definitive book on the Coturnix Quail and was working on the second
edition at the time of his death. It will be published posthumously.
A
conservationist, he donated the Muskrat Farm Wildlife Preserve in Canard, Nova
Scotia to the Province. He is survived by his wife, Lynn Hoffmann, Canning,
NS; brother John Hoffmann, Dunedin, FL;
sons, Michael and Robert, Pennsylvania; Thomas, West Virginia; eight
grandchildren.
Brothers,
Francis and Bud Hoffmann, predeceased him. There will be no service. Donations
in memory of Dr Hoffmann may be made to the SPCA or Heart Function Clinic, QE
II Health Sciences Centre of Halifax, Nova Scotia or the Victoria Order of
Nurses, Kentville, Nova Scotia.
Cards
of sympathy may be sent to the family through Serenity Funeral Specialists at
P.O. Box 239, Port Williams, NS, BOP 1TO.
290
- World’s Poultry Science Journal, Vol. 59,
June 2003
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With
Fred Jeffrey of North Amherst - Massachusetts - in the United States, I have
been in contact for many years and he has always been ready to give me advice
and information when I requested. We used cassette tapes for some time to
communicate, particularly when my eyesight began to fail. Unfortunately his
file of correspondence cannot be located among my large amount of material. I
believe some of his letters are distributed among other subject matter files.
How Mr Jeffrey has been a real help to me over the years: his book Bantam
Chickens is, I believe, one of the best books written on this particular
subject available. It has had wide popularity around the world. He is also
involved in another book on Old English Game Bantam. His work on colour
breeding is invaluable.
Most of Fred Jeffrey academic career was spent at Rutgers University in New Jersey and the University of Massachusetts. Prior to his retirement he served as Dean of the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at the University of Massachusetts. After retirement he was for some years Secretary of the American Bantam Association and currently Secretary of the Old English Game Club of America. Fred Jeffrey has had at all times been only too pleased to answer to any of my queries.
Dr
Longenecker and I usually exchanged short letters in my early years of
research, particularly when I was exploring the history of the Cochin.
He
was with the National Agricultural Library at Beltsville - Maryland - in the
United States and searched through its file seeking information for my studies.
I am indebted to him for his assistance.
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My
correspondence with Veronica Mayhew
of Woodcote, near Reading, in England, has
been over quite some years but our letters have usually been of a very short
nature due to the fact that it has been mainly regarding the purchase of
poultry books.
Veronica
has supplied me with many books over the years as she is I would say the leading supplier of both new and antiquarian books in the world
having customers in most countries.
I have appreciated her assistance over the years and on my recent trip to Europe had the opportunity to spend a pleasant day at her home.
Mrs
Sally Rodwell of Cambridge, England, replied to a letter I had written to Dr
Higgs. Unfortunately Dr Higgs had passed away, so my enquiry had been passed
to her.
Mrs Rodwell had done a study on the chicken bones that had been unearthed in China. This opened a new avenue for me. It was necessary for Sally to move to Hong Kong, which interrupted her studies.
Professor
Skinner of the University of Wisconsin at Madison in the United States is now
retired. I believe was involved with the American Poultry Historical
Association.
He also edited a new style of American Poultry Association Standard of which he sent me a complimentary copy. Professor Skinner was also the author of a book on Bantam.
Dr Specht of the Department Anthropology at the Australian Museum in Sydney was must helpful with information on chicken bone recoveries in Melanesia and was always ready to answer any my questions.
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Loyl
Stromberg
of Pine River, Minnesota, USA, has over the years conducted the
business of supplying poultry equipment, books etc. I have been corresponding
with Loyl for many years and during that time have noted his efforts in
compiling an encyclopaedia of World’s Poultry Breeds.
The information is that publication will be available during 1996. Loyl has also been working hard on the formation of a Poultry Museum in Bonner Springs, Kansas, USA. I am sure his efforts will be rewarded.
Dr
Vickers Rich is with the Earth Science Department of the Monash University in
Melbourne, Australia. She has been working in the field of Palaeontology in
conjunction with her husband for some years.
Dr
Vickers Rich has been most helpful in my researches providing information and
contracts which proved invaluable. She was responsible for giving me a contact
in China which gained much information for me. She is a co-author of quite a
large treatise on Palaeontology in Australasia.