172 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol. 88 



The months selected were November of the pullet year and the following October 

 and the intervening months, January, April, and August. These 110 coefficients 

 are without exception positive in sign. This indicates that if abnormally high 

 laying at one period tends, as the result of nutritional or other physiological 

 factors, to result in abnormally low production during a subsequent period, 

 the reduction is not sufficient to outweigh the influence of the initial differentia- 

 tion of the birds in their capacity for egg production suggested above. 



Two laws are evident in these intermensual corralations: (1) The correlation 

 between the egg production of the individual months tends to become smaller 

 as the records upon which the correlations are based become more widely sepa- 

 rated in time. (2) There is a more intimate correlation between the egg produc- 

 tion of the autumn and winter months at the beginning and end of the contest 

 year than between the egg production of these months and the productions of the 

 intervening spring and summer months. 



The cycles and rhytlini of egg production, 0. T. Patterson (Jcmr. Amer. 

 Assoc. Instr. and Invest. Poultry Hush., S {1916), Nos. 2, p. 16; S, p. 20). — ^A 

 discussion of the cycles and rhythm of egg production as a basis for selection 

 of high egg producers. The term cycle is used by the author to mean the 

 number of eggs the hen lays without missing a day. The rhythm of egg pro- 

 duction means the recurrence of the cycle. In selection experiments with sev- 

 eral hundred hens, in connection with the egg-laying competition at the Missouri 

 Poultry Station, those having a cycle of 4 eggs or more during March averaged 

 156 eggs in the year, and all which had a cycle of 2 eggs or less averaged 110 

 eggs each. 



The hen's annual vacation, G. M. Rommel (Jour. Heredity, 8 {1911), No. 3, 

 pp. 132-lJf2, figs. 11). — The author discusses the natural causes of a scarcity 

 of eggs in winter and suggests simple rules for increasing fall and winter egg 

 production. Briefly these are (1) hatch chickens early — between March 1 

 and April 30, (2) develop the pullets properly, and (3) furnish good quarters 

 for the following winter. Feed liberally when laying begins. 



Fourth Irish egg-laying competition {Dept. Agr. and Tech. Instr. Ireland 

 Jour., n {1916), No. 1, pp. 88-109). — A detailed account is given of the fourth 

 Irish egg-laying contest held at the Munster Institute, Cork, from October 1, 

 1915. to August 31, 1916. 



Fourth Irish egg-laying competition, 1915—16. — Supplementary report on 

 the nonconipeting pens, with some notes on the breeding of Rhode Island 

 Beds for egg production. Miss L. Murphy {Dept. Agr. and Tech. Instr. Ire- 

 land Jour., 11 {1911), No. 2, pp. 280-289).— A report is given of the perform- 

 ance of the noncompeting pens in the egg-laying contest noted above, together 

 with some notes on the breeding of Rhode Island Reds for egg production. 



The breeding experiment was started in 1909 with 10 Rhode Island Red 

 pullets which were mated to a male bird hatched from eggs imported from 

 America. The average egg production of the 10 birds during their pullet 

 year was 129 eggs. In 1911, 10 of the best pullets that had been raised from 

 the above mating were mated to a male bird that was selected on the factor 

 of vigor. These 10 pullets averaged 139 eggs each in their pullet year. 

 One of the pullets laid over 200 eggs and made a high winter record. Her 

 eggs were large, thick in shell, and of good color. From this hen and the 

 above male 8 pullets were reared in 1912. These 8 pullets averaged 214.5 eggs 

 each during their pullet year. From a half sister of the above hen mated with 

 the same male 8 pullets were raised that averaged 221 eggs each for 12 months. 

 These birds have become the foundation of a valuable line. 



In breeding for increased size of egg it was found that whenever a hen 

 laying a first grade egg (2 oz. and upwards) was mated to a male bird, the 



