152 Farm Poultry 



pering his fowls. This is a serious mistake, 

 and one that frequently prevents the true ap- 

 preciation of improved breeds. It should not be 

 forgotten that the best of improved breeds have 

 reached their superiority through years of skilful 

 feeding and breeding. Food has always played 

 an important part in the formation and improve- 

 ment of all noted useful breeds. Abundant feed- 

 ing and good care have produced an organization 

 that is capable of digesting and assimilating large 

 quantities of food and turning it to good account. 

 That is, the machine is an economical one and 

 strong enough to do much work. The farmer 

 who invests in pure -bred stock and gives it 

 the same treatment that has maintained for 

 years an indifferent lot of fowls, finds the im- 

 proved stock satisfactory at first, but succeeding 

 generations become more and more unsatisfac- 

 tory until they reach the level of the common 

 stock, which was the highest standard that his 

 care and feeding could maintain. Such breed- 

 ers stoutly maintain that it does not pay to 

 breed pure-bred stock. 



Improved breeds are the best, and should be 

 selected whenever it is possible to give them 

 proper food and care. While they may not prove 

 greatly superior under adverse conditions, yet they 

 respond so much more quickly to improved con- 

 ditions that those who are able to care properly 



