MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION I9II 2/7 



been isolated and are ncjw being propagated lines carrying 

 high egg productiveness, and lines carrying low productiveness, 

 the character apparently being definitely fixed in the pedigree 

 line or strain in each case. 



In order to determine the mechanism by which fecundity is 

 inherited more data are needed. From the evidence in hand, 

 however, it is now clear that this character is inherited funda- 

 mentally according to JNIendelian principles. High fecundity and 

 low fecundity segregate definitely following crosses between 

 breeds of poultry bearing these characters as definite breed 

 characters. Further studies on this phase of the problem are 

 now in progress. 



A complete account of this work in breeding for egg produc- 

 tion is given in Station Bulletin 192, copies of whicli will be 

 sent on request to residents of Maine as long as the supply 

 lasts. 



LAWS OF EGG LAYING. 



In connection with this study of the inheritance of egg pro- 

 duction investigations regarding the laws of egg laying in 

 poultry in general have been made. During the past year there 

 has been published by the Department of Agriculture at Wash- 

 ington as Bulletin no. Part II, of the Bureau of Animal In- 

 dustry, an extensive memoir prepared in the Department of 

 Biolog}^ of the Station, on the distribution of egg production in 

 different seasons of the year. A summary account of the re- 

 sults of this study follows. 



Seasonal Distribution of Egg Production. 



The data on which this study was based are the trap nest 

 records of Barred Plymouth Rocks collected at the Maine 

 Experiment Station, involving detailed monthly egg records of 

 more than 2400 birds, collected in a period of nine consecutive 

 years. 



The mean of average monthly egg production exhibits the 

 following characteristic changes in the course of the laying year : 

 (a) The lowest mean production of the year is in the month 

 of November, (b) The mean monthly production increases 

 in December and January at a relatively very rapid rate, (c) 



