CONTROL OF SEX. 



195 



siderably trimming down the fluff will make a 

 marked difference in the produce. The exces- 

 sively large combs, now bred so often in Minorcas, 

 Leghorns, and sometimes Dorkings 



Special 



and other birds, also cause a great 



Causes of deal of sterility. In such cases 

 Infertility. dubbing at once remedies the mis- 

 chief, which is common among 

 breeders of these varieties who do not know the 

 cause. Many experienced breeders systematic- 

 ally dub all their breeding males of these 

 varieties, as soon as the exhibition season is 

 over. A very cold and at the same time wet 

 and dull winter is peculiarly prejudicial ; this is 

 often helped by iron tonic and a little cayenne, 

 or even by a few drops of tincture of damiana 

 daily. Sometimes one particular seison will be 

 mysteriously and generallydistinguished by wide- 

 spread infertility. The year 1899 was unusually 

 remarkable for this in America, and only less so 

 in England also. In the former country many 

 breeders, who usually sell thousands of eggs, 

 were obliged to withdraw them from the market, 

 and complaints came in from all sides ; the 

 calamity was as prevalent amongst Leghorns as 

 in the larger breeds, and extended to the middle 

 of June, after which things mended. Opinions 

 as to the cause were various. The only ex- 

 planation we can give is that the season was a 

 dry one ; and we had occasion to notice about 

 twenty years before that a very dry season, 

 especially if accompanied by dry feeding, had 

 on that occasion also been accompanied by 

 wide complaints of barren eggs, which must be 

 distinguished from poor hatching. 



A point to be considered in regard both to 

 the time for breeding and the composition of 

 the breeding pen, is the sex desired in the pro- 

 duce, concerning which the breeder 

 Control has on an average (with, of course, 



of Sex. numerous exceptions in detail) some 



measure of control. Of course, he 

 will rather desire pullets in pullet breeding pens, 

 and vice versa in most cases. As a rule, also, 

 cockerels require quite a couple of months more 

 growth to bring them into full feather for 

 exhibition than pullets do, especially in the 

 larger breeds, which take longest to mature. In 

 small breeds chickens mature more quickly, and 

 cockerels are less behind. Thus a breeder likes 

 to get his exhibition cockerels out earliest, and 

 large cockerels earliest of all. Now amongst 

 the larger Asiatics it has generally been found 

 that a vigorous cockerel mated to three or four 

 adult hens in winter produces a high proportion 

 of cockerels in the early broods, this proportion 

 diminishing later. With an adult cock mated 

 to three pullets, pullets more predominate, 



though sometimes, if the male is unusually 

 lively, cockerels will be numerous there also. 

 If there are more pullets than three or four, and 

 the eggs are fertile, the pullets are usually in 

 the majority ; but here, also, there are usually 

 more cockerels in the early broods than later. 

 When young or adult stock is mated together 

 the result is impossible to predict, save that 

 experience seems to show that the more 

 vigorous the stock and the fewer the females 

 (so long as evil is not produced), the greater on 

 an average the proportion of cockerels. Of the 

 small breeds we have little personal experience, 

 but the broad results will probably be on the 

 whole similar, with a somewhat higher number 

 of females to one male. In regard to the larger 

 ones, however, such facts suit the breeder very 

 well, as he can easily get a few of his early 

 moulted hens ready for early laying, while a 

 cockerel will ensure him fertile eggs for his 

 earliest cockerels ; and the rest, with his pullets 

 and older stock birds, will come on later for 

 his other champions, and provide progeny not 

 weakened by too early breeding. 



Time of hatching has also some influence 

 upon the bodily character of the produce. Early 

 hatched cockerels from adult hens are usually 



fully furnished in tail and hackles, 

 Season and and of good stature. On the other 

 Bodily hand, chickens hatched really late 



Character. j^ ^j^g season — say at the end of 



May or June — are, as a rule, less well 

 supplied with feather, and very often also more 

 slwrt legged in comparison. Occasions some- 

 times occur when these facts may be useful. 



The first year's produce from newly pur- 

 chased and mated stock may very likely prove 

 of a most disappointing character. It is not 



always so, since among the be.st 

 Further breeders there is now generally 



Breeding some amount of blood common to 



Operations. ^jj^ which prevents the worst results, 



such as were frequent in earlier days. 

 But, as a rule, the reversion caused by the fresh 

 cross will be but too evident, and only a minority 

 of the first year's produce may be fit to use. 

 These will now have to be mated up again, 

 according to the principles explained in the 

 preceding chapter, and thus the new breeder 

 will go on to form his strain ; but he will be no 

 longer a novice, and no more need be added 

 with reference to such a stage of experience. 

 Mr. Felch's chart, with what has been said in 

 connection with it, will e.xplain the methods by 

 which line breeding can be carried on for years 

 without injury. He has only to remember that 

 any point, bad a? well as good, and weakness of 

 constitution as well as anything else, will be 



