40 PROGRESSIVE POULTRY CULTURE 



purpose of intensifying a valuable quality in the off- 

 spring. 



Some breeders avoid pairing brothers and sisters. 

 Others breed together the best birds for their purpose, 

 regardless of relationship. The main thing is to know 

 the birds and understand what one is doing. 



A scheme of line breeding presented by the vet- 

 eran poultry breeder, Mr. I. K. Felch, will best illus- 

 trate how the poultryman may proceed in safety and 

 with surety of good results, if he will be careful rather 

 than careless and act with intelligence rather than ig- 

 norance in making his selections. 



The poultry-breeder secures first a pair of birds 

 which are the best obtainable for his purpose i. e. such 

 as are possessed, at least in considerable degree, of 

 the quality which he wishes to make a leading charac- 

 teristic of his poultry family. This may be typical 

 plumage, large egg-production, fine quality and large 

 quantity of flesh or any other choice characteristic. 



Beginning with the selected pair of pure-bred birds, 

 the matings of successive seasons are so made that three 

 decidedly distinct lines of breeding stock are developed. 

 The second season the original sire is mated to one of 

 his daughters, the choice of all the pullet chickens of the 

 first year's hatching. The original dam is paired the 

 second season, to one of her sons, the pick of the cock- 

 erel chickens. The third season the original sire, if 

 still in good breeding condition, is mated to one of his 

 daughters by the second season's mating to his own 

 daughter. The original dam is mated in corresponding 

 manner to one of her sons by her son, selected from the 

 offspring of her second season's mating. 



Two lines of breeding coming from the original 

 pair, are thus established, one in which the blood of 

 the original sire predominates and one in which the 

 blood of the original dam is dominant. By breeding 

 together two birds, each of the same generation, one 

 from the sire line and the other from the opposite line, 

 a third line is obtained having equal amounts of the 

 blood of the original sire and dam, without pairing 



