156 



Farm Poultry 



some or all of the desired improvements may be 

 transmitted and rendered permanent. The improve- 

 ment of breeds consists essentially in fixing the 

 desired variations. 



Poultrymen usually . look to the male for the 

 greatest tendency to vary.* Consequently in many 

 improvements and in the development of many 

 new breeds the male leads. As a rule, the males 



FIG. 56. An inclosed scratching-shed, an excellent plan Rhode 

 Island Agricultural Experiment Station. 



of a breed or variety differ more from one another 

 than the females differ from each other. The young 

 more nearly resemble the female than they do the 

 male. It is also observed that the organs most 

 highly developed in the male differ more than do 

 the organs which are most highly developed in the 

 female, that is, the comb, wattles, and tail, which 

 are most highly developed in the male, differ more 



""'Heredity," by Wm. H. Brooks. 



