TfiEORY AND PRACTICE. 240 



by an expert, while others will show their dung-hill 

 origin very clearly, and yet, as layers, these may be the 

 very best. So improvement goes on. The flock will in 

 two or three years assume the appearance of " fancy" 

 poultry of the breed selected with which to produce the 

 improvement. The question naturally arises, Will they 

 be improved? be better and more profl table than they 

 were before? Perhaps not for all uses, but as layers, 

 yes. The hens will lay more eggs; they will be less in- 

 clined to sit; if they sit at all, they will probably be 

 broody only for a few days, and as producers of eggs no 

 doubt the flock will be more satisfactory. Should one 

 of the French breeds have been selected say the Houdans 

 or Crevecoeurs the change and improvement in the 

 flock will be very marked. As to the number of eggs, a 

 flock crossed and graded up with Leghorns will surpass 

 them, but the eggs of the French grades will exceed the 

 others in size and possibly total weight. Besides, the 

 birds will be larger, and very much superior for the table. 

 In fact, were one to set out to grade up a flock of com- 

 mon fowls to produce the best table fowls for autumn and 

 winter, he could hardly do better than take the Houdan 

 or Crevecoeur, which are large, have superior flesh, white 

 skins, and are persistent layers of large white eggs. They 

 are, however, less hardy than the Leghorns. 



MULTIPLICATION" OF BREEDS OF POULTRY. 



With our domestic animals, as with wine and cheese, 

 the value of a breed depends in some measure upon its 

 age. If breeders realized this, there would be less run- 

 ning after the so-called breeds which spring up every 

 year or two. At the time the Leghorns were first brought 

 to this country, they were a most unpromising lot, as we 



