58a EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



a type of winter egg record was secured from many individuals 

 that has been practically absent from the Rhode Island Reds, 

 and which we believe corresponds to the class designated as 

 mediocre producers by Pearl. They should furnish important 

 corroborative evidence regarding the inheritance of fecundity. 



The trap-nested pullets were transferred again this year to 

 roosting sheds, this time in July. We find this method a satis- 

 factory solution for the problem of carrying the birds through 

 the year and still having the houses ready for the pullets in 

 September. We shall, however, make the transfer in June the 

 coming season. 



The flock of pullets bred for absence of broodiness numbers 

 this year about 125 individuals. In addition, we have retained 

 40 non-broody hens for breeding purposes, besides a number of 

 males from families of similar breeding. Among the families 

 tested last season was one in which the ratio of broody to non- 

 broody individuals was 1 : 3, while several others had a ratio 

 of 1:1. The normal ratio for our flocks is 19:1. Unfortu- 

 nately, the exigencies of the situation have resulted in reduced 

 winter egg production. However, no difficulties are anticipated 

 in eventually bringing this strain to a plane equally high with 

 that secured when birds are bred primarily for winter produc- 

 tion. 



As a part of the work on broodiness an endeavor is being 

 made to produce a strain in which broodiness shall be as in- 

 tensively developed as possible. 



Up to the present the facilities afforded by the present plant 

 have been fairly adequate for the work in breeding for increased 

 egg production, since this period has been devoted primarily to 

 a study of the problem rather than to an attempt to breed for 

 increased egg production. The steps that must be taken to 

 secure high annual production are perfectly well defined. Briefly, 

 they involve the permanent combination in one strain of all 

 those factors, e.g., non-broodiness, high rate, etc., that make for 

 high production. The chance of securing the proper combina- 

 tion in one individual is directly proportional to the number of 

 individuals studied. It is probably not greater than 1 in 5,000. 

 But since the genetic composition of the male cannot be directly 

 observed, but must be inferred from a study of his female rela- 



