80 



POULTRY BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT 



tryman must necessarily cross his fowls. But there are cer- 

 tain disadvantages, some of which will now be considered. 

 First, before there can be any crossing, there must be 

 breeds to cross. Why, then, should breeds be made and then 

 unmade ? It is not necessary that they should be unmade, 

 if the breeds remain in their original purity. The only ex- 

 cuse for crossing is that 

 breeds have been partly 

 unmade, or they have 

 lost some of their origi- 

 nal utility. They may 

 have lost vigor, and size, 

 and productiveness, and 

 the excuse for crossing 

 is to restore those lost 

 characteristics. 



There is no need of 

 crossing, however, i f 

 sane methods have been 

 followed in breeding. 

 But in crossing, if vigor 

 and fertility be restored, 

 other characteristics 

 will be 1 o sj , a n d 

 it wjll be for the breeder to decide whether the gain is 

 equal to the loss. For example, he is breeding White Leg- 

 horns and they have lost in vigor and productiveness ; a cross 

 with Brown Leghorns will restore these, but he has lost the 

 perfection in white color, and it will take several years to 

 eradicate this taint. If color is all important to him, or if 

 other points that may have been lost by crossing are more 

 important than the points gained, then he should hesitate 

 to cross, and depend rather upon the introduction into his 

 breeding yards of birds from other strains of the same breed 



WHITE WYANDOTTE BLACK MIN- 

 ORCA MALE, FIRST CROSS 



White plumage color and rose comb 

 dominant characteristics. 



