154 POULTRT-CRAFT. 



Let it be fully understood that to breed from birds because they are related, 

 without making selection for points desired, is as wrong as to refuse to mate 

 related birds. The whole matter is well put, in a nutshell, by a writer on 

 cattle breeding when he advises to ignore the fact of relationship altogether, 

 and breed from the best individuals obtainable. Then the question for the 

 poultry breeder is whether he can get, or can afford to get, better birds than 

 he has. By breeding only from vigorous selected stock, and observing the 

 rule not to mate fowls having bad defects in common, mating together only 

 fowls which in individual merit and in pedigree whether akin or no kin 

 are what they should be for the purpose of the mating, a breeder may be sure 

 that he is avoiding the mistakes of those who miss it when they inbreed, and 

 also of those who miss it when they do not. 



213. Cross Breeding. To breed crosses regularly, is not good policy 

 for any poultry keeper. // is not a rule that crosses are hardier or better 

 layers than fowls of pure blood. Some crosses give good results, others do 

 not. As to comparing all crosses with all pure bred fowls : the breeder of 

 crosses generally, very soon leaves them for thoroughbreds. In crossing, the 

 breeds selected should have such unlike qualities as when combined to form 

 an intermediate type, would give the result sought. The cross of two breeds 

 having a bad fault in common, should never be made. Crossing to give stock 

 vigor, is not better than using vigorous blood of the same variety ; it is not as 

 good. Crossing two weak stocks in the hope of producing a strong one, will 

 give satisfactory results in very very few instances. Some good crosses are 

 White, Brown, or Buff, Leghorn and Light Brahma, or Buff, or White, Cochin ; 

 Brown Leghorn and Partridge Cochin ; White Plymouth Rock, or Wyandotte 

 and Light Brahma ; Golden, or Buff, Wyandotte and Buff Cochin ; Indian 

 Game and Light Brahma, or Buff, or Partridge, Cochin, or Plymouth Rock, 

 or Wyandotte : all these give yellow skin and legs. Good crosses, not right 

 in color for "yellow" poultry, are Indian Game and Langshan ; Black 

 Minorca, or Houdan, and Langshan ; Houdan and Brahma. In crossing birds 

 differing much in size, males of the small breeds and females of the large 

 should be used. In color, cross bred pullets most often resemble the sire, 

 cockerels the dam ; though the likeness is not very complete, and often quite 

 different colors result. In shape and size, the progeny of both sexes is mostly 

 intermediate. Occasionally the cross offspring are larger than either parent. 



214. Mating Standard Fowls. With a copy of the Standard and an 

 illustration of his variety before him, a novice who has studied the remarks 

 on selecting for shape (^[203), will not need to have the points of shape 

 desired explicitly set forth in the directions for mating each variety. The 

 matings as described in the following paragraphs are mostly color matings ; 

 but a few points on shape which need special mention are introduced, and in 



