FERTILITY AND HATCHING OF EGGS. 



129 



TABLE X. 



Showing the Correlation between Fertility of Eggs and Winter 

 (November to March) Egg Production. Hatching Season 

 of ipop. Pullets and Yearling Hens Combined. 



infertile? There are undoubtedly a large number of factors 

 concerned in this matter. The only hope of ever determining 

 what all these factors are and what is the relative influence of 

 each one is to make an analytical study of the facts. One 

 factor must be taken at a time and its relative influence deter- 

 mined. Proceeding in this way there is reason to believe that 

 in time it will be possible to arrive at a more adequate under- 

 standing of the matter than we now have. 



The opinion is very commonly expressed that the fertility 

 of eggs during the hatching season, and in particular of pullets' 

 eggs, depends very largely on the previous laying record of the 

 bird producing the eggs. It is contended that if a bird has laid 

 very heavily throughout the winter her eggs will not run so high 

 in fertility, on the average, as will those of a bird whose winter 

 production has not been so great. From what has gone before 

 it must be clear to the reader that the only way to make an 

 exact test of the truth of this assertion, or in general to find 



