Getting Technical In Comparing Jacobins
by Darcy Cook (written for the 1974 APJ Jacobin Special )
In the following article I wish to make comparisons between
English, Scottish, Australian, American-Canadian Jacs which
I will refer to as U.S.
In the 1950's I corresponded and received many photos from that great breeder of Jacobins James Purdon, Girvan, Scotland of his top winners. Bill Whiteside of Christchurch, New Zealand the authority in that part of the world visited the top pigeon shows in England in 1963. He brought back to me photos of the winners and just and just six months ago Seik Rabczynski showed me photos of last year's 1973 Harrogate winners.
Around 1948 Bill Whiteside imported a Purdon white, and some blacks from Dr. Elliot. In 1963 he imported Mrs. Reid Scottish stud, the last Jacobins from Britain imported to this part of the world. My foundation were these pigeons crossed with my own.
The Dr. Elliot Jacobins in black were thick in the body and shoulders. They were short in neck, with average often inconsistent carriage. The feather was long but hairy. Plenty of mane, but lacking webbing and not put on evenly but it was length of feather. After commencing in 1952 with Australian Jacs with feather approximately one inch to inch and half lone, I sure was thrilled to receive three pair from Bill Whiteside in 1955 with long feather, to heck with the quality. The Reid imports were the reverse. They were slender, stood fairly well, good quality globular feather, but no length. Bill forwarded some to me, and by fanatical breeding of these two strains I came up with a good Jacobin so much so N.S.W. gave me a Master Breeder's Award in 1968 which Frank H. Hollmann awarded to me during his visit.
English Scottish Jacs today have followed the pattern, one would expect from the above descriptions. The whole key to the comparisons of English and U.S. Jacs is in feather. English you have globular feather, that is it curves inward in mane and chain and in hood naturally over and forward. The U.S. feather is straight. The mane has no curve and the webbing from the skin is fluff for in some instances up to half of the feather. I have U.S. feathers in front of me now, as I write. I had to leave the birds behind. It is this vast wealth of long feather so well knotted with this fluff that gives these best U.S. Jacs these beautiful long smooth even manes. Naturally, the globular feather can look beautiful, but it loses length in the curve. Now when you look at the chains, you have U.S. with long straight feather with no curve so you see open fronts. After 22 years of breeding I had to go to U.S. for the Central Jacobin Club Show and National this year to see the chests of Jacobins 80 per cent anyway. The English with the curve in feather from both sides closes the chain up. U.S. breeders take note, your Standard reads, "curving downward the two sides meet in perfect alignment." How can straight long feather coming from each side of the neck meet in perfect alignment?
Roy Boug, the greatest breeder of all time in my book, was satisfied if a Jac met at the bottom of the chain only, but that is not what the standard requires. Scottish fanciers condemn U.S. Jacs from view, but appreciate the profile. U.S. Jacs have great slender bodies on the top birds more slender than English yet allows only 50 points to the English 9 but must say U.S. breed all the way chasing their 15 points for carriage alongside English 10. What a pleasure to judge these top U.S. Jacs. They stand like statues and you manipulate them with your hand to any position you like. I was surprised to see the top men handling Jacs and two judges and am yet to see one open the wings and look at condition of feather and markings although its only 7 points. They are so well marked and clean you would think it was twenty. Maybe the judges take it for granted.
Australian Jacs, well I will talk of my own. I left them here in January 8th this year in full moult looking shocking. In the meantime I looked at U.S. in full bloom, and feel now I was a bit hard on my Jacs. Australian Jacs are in full bloom in July.
Whilst looking at the black Jacs being judged at Central Jacobin Show I turned around to that great comparatively net asset to the U.S.
Fancy, Ray Stepnowski and said "I am not homesick looking at these black Jacs. They resemble my type in feather." U.S. whites have greater wealth of feather but my white have more stretch but not so profuse in feather which after all is the name of the game. Actually my black compare very bit as favourable. It is those red and yellow Boug and McNorgan blood that kill me. Would sooner look at them than mini skirts.
Fancy, Ray Stepnowski and said "I am not homesick looking at these black Jacs. They resemble my type in feather." U.S. whites have greater wealth of feather but my white have more stretch but not so profuse in feather which after all is the name of the game. Actually my black compare very bit as favourable. It is those red and yellow Boug and McNorgan blood that kill me. Would sooner look at them than mini skirts.Getting back to this fluff, I referred to earlier, if you manipulate your fingers into the manes of black and white to a lesser degree, you can see the skin. Not so with the red and yellow, your fingers are lost in fluff. I am now of the opinion red and yellow grow better longer more profused feather. Remember Roy Boug was a red and yellow man. The greatest he ever had Nos. 95 & 532 were red. The two best cocks in his loft today, which I had the honour of seeing last January, were yellow, and wow!
Red and yellow long face Tumblers carry the largest feather, red and yellow Fantails carry bigger feather, than white and black. Or is t the U.S. masters, who were breeding Jacs, when I was in napkins, specalized in red and yellow. Or is it, the colder climate, with snow in the fly pens that creates this profuse feather. The most beautiful feathered road peckers that is road pigeons, I ever saw were in Vancouver in 11 degrees below zero. To answer these questions a good breeder I feel would have to have bred Jacs in both countries.
I was surprised at U.S. fanciers number one hate, what they refer to as shingling. I do not entirely agree with them on this point. If a Jac breaks in top chain and at the break the feathers out of alignment hang over those feathers below it, well that is a sin, sure. On the other hand if the U.S. fanciers look at Robertson's splash English Jac page 98 of Levi, the whole chain is a continuous slight rollover from the top feather and looks beautiful. U.S. would refer to this as shingling, as it is not the straight feather they breed. To my way of thinking this rolling over and forward English feather can more easily comply to the U.S. Standard. Chain to have "pronounced forward extension in front of hood."
Up to this point of my article I hope I have the U.S. Jacs well in front today but I never forget the fact that James Purdon told me in a letter in 1954 (I have it still today), the great Scottish breeder Willie Russell exported hundreds of pounds worth of Jacobins to America when a pound was really money. What I call amusing only, when making comparison is the fact that Ed Bachmann sent good Jacs in his own words to me, to a young chap in Holland and he has beaten, so has crossed them with his own. Talk about home town decisions! If it happened in Los Angeles, the Mexicans would have pulled the pavilion down. The only decent looking Jac photo to come out of Europe was a black of Paul Muhlmann well and truly touched up.
In summing up, may I say Bill Whiteside who has seen and imported English-Scottish Jacs says I have done wonders with them. I feel the U.S. boys would either like or hate. David Littmann, Queensland, visited the Pageant a few years back. He knows Jacobins and was lavish in his praise of U.S. Jacs. I am afraid the feeling is mutual.
These excellent publicity men Harry Alexander and LeRoy Taub asked me to contribute and article, so I hope I have not let them down.
