ANNUAL REPORT, 1929 



371 



possible standard in characteristics affecting fecundity. The matings of 

 1929 consisted of sire on daughters in three different groups. The mat- 

 ings of 1930 will be made up using half-brothers and sisters. The same 

 rigid standard for selection will be employed as long as the experiment 

 continues. 



Heredity and Environmental Characteristics Affecting Variability in 

 Egg Production. (F. A. Hays). Data are now being accumulated under 

 this project, and the second-year group of daughters are now housed to 

 be tested for laying. The selection of the 1929 breeding stock was within 

 the three lines established by the 1928 matings. 



Factors Governing Egg Weight and Shell Character in Domestic Fowl. 

 (F. A. Hays). The matings for 1929 in this project were made between 

 individuals hatched in 1928 from the small, medium and large egg groups- 

 The daughters hatched in 1928 from the mothers laying 52-gram eggs 

 or 53-gram eggs in December did not show a significant difference in 

 mean winter egg weight. On the other hand, the daughters from the 

 mothers averaging 59-gram eggs in December showed a winter egg 

 weight very superior to that of the other groups. 



Egg weight in the entire flock has shown a very significant increase 

 in the last two years. The flock hatched in 1928 reached a 24-ounce 

 average in February. Egg weight records are now available for a com- 

 plete year on 225 birds. A paper entitled the "Inheritance of Egg Weight 

 in the Domestic Fowl" was published in the Journal of Agricultural Research 

 for May 1, 1929. 



Relation of Intensity or Rate of Laying to Feather Pigmentation. (F. A. 

 Hays). Sufficient data under this project will be available next year 

 for study. In a general way there appears to be considerable relation 

 between intensity and shade of pigmentation in the Rhode Island Red. 



DEPARTMENT OF VEGETABLE GARDENING 



(Market Garden Field Station, Waltham) 



Frank A. Waugh in Charge 



Conditions Affecting the Production and Vegetative Propagation of 

 Washington Asparagus. ( V. A. Tiedjens). During the 1929 season 

 investigations on the vegetative propagation of asparagus were continued. 

 One-year-old roots weighing 160 pounds a thousand, and having crown 

 bud development indicating high potential yielding power, were divided 

 into two, three, four, and five or more crown sections. The results may 

 be summarized as follows: 



