BREEDING BY SELECTION 283 



base his selection not only upon the external appearance, but upon 

 type, as well as the color of the eggs, since uniformity in this 

 respect is important. 



Next should be considered the ancestry or pedigree of the 

 birds. At the beginning, owing to lack of records, it will be im- 

 possible to know the exact ancestry of the breeders, and external 

 appearances must count for much; but, when possible, the best 

 plan is to purchase the male bird for this foundation stock from a 

 reliable breeder who is known to carry the best birds of the 

 type desired. Even if he costs a considerable sum of money, a 

 good male means much to the future progeny and will be a profit- 

 able investment. It is often said that a good male is worth half 

 the flock, but he is worth more than that, for even in the first 

 generation he means fifty per cent of the blood of the progeny. 

 If he should be prepotent as to his characteristics and is bred to 

 his daughters, he represents three-fourths of the blood of the prog- 

 eny in the second generation; and so on, until, through line breed- 

 ing, uniformity of type is attained. If this method be followed 

 continuously, it is possible to raise fowls inheriting almost entirely 

 the pure blood of the first male. After selection has been thorough, 

 it is a very simple matter to trap-nest during the rest of the year, 

 as records show that the winter layers are the most prolific, hence 

 the ones from which we should breed. 



It is important to choose for the breeding pen females noted for 

 their high production of eggs, which fitly represents the commercial 

 worth of the individual. They should have laid their eggs, or a 

 large proportion of them, during the fall or winter. The male 

 used in this pen should be descended from high producers, which 

 means he should be the son of a prolific hen. In this way high 

 productivity will be inherited from both parents. 



Prepotency of the pair is also of prime importance ; they should 

 not only possess the desired characteristics, but the power of trans- 

 mitting them to their progeny. This trait can be studied for a 

 number of generations by means of pedigree records, and is shown 

 by the resemblance of offspring to their parents. If a fowl capable 

 of high production is not prepotent, and there are many of this 

 type, she is of little value* in the breeding pen, and it is wise to 

 make a study of this from a practical standpoint. 



External characteristics should be considered, yet not be given 

 greater weight than the functional. For instance, birds should 

 not be introduced into the breeding pen for the sake merely of 



