72 



AMERICAN SQUAB CULTURE 



better and superior to others goes without saying, but even an 

 inferior breed, in my opinion, is better than newly-created 

 crosses. With the former, one at least knows the kind he has, 

 while with the latter it is a continuous grope in the dark. 



Why experiment with crossing breeds? I have asked many 

 people this question and this is the general run of answers: 

 "We wanted to see what a Carneau-Homcr or a Carneau- White 

 King or a Carneau some other breed would produce." 



In many cases they had the result of the cross there to show 

 me, and invariably they were much disappointed with the hy- 



SQUAB BREEDING CROSSES 



brids produced. Another common answer to my question is: 

 "We wanted to improve the size of our stock of this or that breed 

 so we are crossing the Runt with them." Other people had, 

 so they said, a few birds that the color was not just what they 

 wanted so threw them into a pen of mixed breeds; and this is 

 their reason for crossing. Others were trying to raise a dozen 

 or more breeds without sufficient room to raise one, and were 

 allowing these different breeds to cross and re-cross as they 

 pleased. 



A hybrid generally carries the color of one parent, the shape 

 and tyi)e of the other and the poor qutilities of both. To 



