Develop Useful Qualities 83 



may frequently be sold and used for breeders after 

 having served a period of forced egg production, 

 provided it represents fairly well the type of fowls 

 to which it belongs. Fowls are more likely to rep- 

 resent a type in color if they are solid-colored than 

 if the plumage is distinguished by various markings, 

 as seen in many of the useful breeds. In other 

 words, the poultryman finds it much easier to develop 

 the one point of egg production than to breed 

 for plumage and develop for egg production at the 

 same time. One important principle in stock breed- 

 ing should not be forgotten, that it is much easier 

 to develop one useful quality to its greatest per- 

 fection than to develop two qualities which are 

 not closely correlated. Consequently, it is found 

 much easier to produce strong, robust fowls of a 

 solid color for egg production than to produce 

 equally good birds of a colored variety, for both 

 exhibition and useful qualities. 



Minorca. This breed is thought to have been 

 introduced into England from the island of Minorca 

 in the Mediterranean Sea, and it is said by some 

 poultry authorities to be the progenitor of the White- 

 faced Black Spanish breed. The varieties of this 

 breed are: 



Single-comb Black Rose-comb Black 



Single-comb White 



These are the heaviest of the Mediterranean 

 fowls. 



