ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 571 



One lot of hens fed for 12 months on a I'ation consisting of 25 per cent of 

 meat gave an average yearly egg production per bii'd of 140 eggs, the feed 

 per bird costing $1.32, and the profit per bird above feed being $1.08, while 

 another lot fed a similar ration with 10 per cent meat scrap gave an average 

 of 96.7 eggs per bird, costing $1.27 for feed and yielding a profit of $1.10 i)er 

 bird. 



It has been observed that a close relation exists between the degree of vigor 

 present In the individuals at breeding time and the vigor of the offspi'ing. 

 Natural vigor may be decreased and increased in young stock by care, feeding, 

 and management while it is growing. Layers and breeders, as well as male 

 birds, are usually lacking in vigor during long periods of excessively hot 

 weather and after periods of continuous heavy laying or intensive use in the 

 breeding pen. Some of the characteristics by which the vigor and vitality of 

 an individual may be judged are the color of the comb, the brightness of the 

 eyes, the strength of the beak, the breadth of the back, the depth of the body, 

 color of the shanks and skin, and the activity of the individual. 



An account is given of a White Leghorn hen which yielded in her first year's 

 production 246 eggs weighing 29.5 lbs. She consumed 118.5 lbs. of feed, or 92 

 lbs. of dry matter, costing $1.79 and yielded a net profit of $4.72. During the 

 second year this hen laid 221 eggs weighing 21.6 lbs., or a total of 467 eggs in 

 730 days. It is said that this hen is one of 20 birds which are the product of 

 definite breeding for high fecundity and whose average yearly production for 

 the first season's laying is over 190 eggs. 



The results attendant upon special mating indicate that it is through the 

 male progeny primarily that the egg-producing propensities of any given female 

 are transmitted. 



In crossbreeding experiments the occurrence of barred chicks from a sup- 

 posedly pure-bred White Leghorn male of known breeding is noted. These 

 barred pullets show throughout the Leghorn carriage, and nearly all of the 

 Leghorn characteristics are present with the exception of the plumage pattern. 



With a view to determining the mode of inheritance of common variable 

 factors in different breeds, namely, plumage pattern, color of ear lobe, shank, 

 egg, beak, and feet, body shape and shank feathering, reciprocal crosses were 

 made between standard-bred White Leghorns and Black Langshans. In the 

 Fi generation nothing but white birds were obtained, none of which, however, 

 were pure white. No barred feathers were apparent, but black feathers were 

 quite common. It appeared from an analysis of the Fi generation that in " the 

 case of shank and eye color, the factor of sex limitation was present; the female 

 progeny inherits from the paternal parent only, while in the case of shank 

 feathei'ing the presence of this character is in each case dominant over its 

 absence, no sex limitation being apparent." 



A crossbreeding experiment with Muscovy ducks, which produce eggs requir- 

 ing five weeks of incubation to hatch, with Pekin ducks, whose eggs hatch 

 in four weeks, is reported. The eggs from the Pekin duclcs and a Muscovy 

 drake required about two days longer than the pure-bred Pekin ducks for 

 hatching, while the eggs from Muscovy ducks and a Pekin drake were thought 

 to require nearly the full five weeks. All of the 30 ducklings hatched from 

 White Pekin females and a White Muscovy male were nearly black in color, 

 resembling quite closely that of the colored Muscovys. The young hybrid ducks 

 seemed to be equally as vigorous as the pure-bred ducks of either kind. They 

 grew faster, however, than the young ducks of either pure variety. 



"The crossbred ducklings presented much the same appearance as did the 

 Muscovy ducklings, there being more meat in proportion to the total weight of 



87235°— 15 6 



