492 POULTRY CULTURE 



only knowledge of the type to be produced ; in substantial points of shape 

 " like closely produces like." But in color and some superficial points sex 

 differences and tendencies must be considered. In poultry other than fowls the 

 color varieties are few. In fowls the duplication of color types (varieties) in 

 breeds (shape varieties) is so general that discussion of color matings can be 

 reduced to a few heads. In the treatment of details fowls will be considered 

 first, and the order of consideration of objects and characters will be (i) egg 

 production, (2) meat production, (3) superficial characters. 



Mating fowls for egg production. In common practice mating for egg pro- 

 duction deals only with a few essential characters. Whatever the type or variety, 

 when eggs are the special object the male should be an active, vigorous bird, and 

 one that grew quickly and matured a little earlier than the average for males of 

 his race. He should be of at least average size or, in a variety having a standard 

 for weight, should closely approximate that weight. The hens should be selected 

 for the same points, except that, as each hen influences only a small proportion 

 of the offspring, and the mating ratio is usually made as wide as possible, it is 

 not so necessary to give special attention to the point of early maturity in indi- 

 vidual cases. If the mating is made, 'as it should be, before February, any pullets 

 that are then well developed and laying may be used with reasonable assurance 

 that the proportion of slower-maturing birds is not large enough to materially 

 affect the general result, provided the male is not one that developed slowly. 

 The matter of size is more important in selecting breeders to produce layers 

 than in selecting layers. Slightly undersized hens often lay as well, or better, 

 than larger hens, and lay as large eggs. A male a little under size may give 

 offspring not notably smaller than those of a somewhat larger male, but the 

 continued use of breeders of less than average size for their kind quickly reduces 

 the average size of the stock. Even with care to use only birds not below medium 

 size, the proportion of smaller stock is usually larger than desirable. Many 

 poultry keepers who are indifferent to this point in mating offset their error by 

 careful selection of the eggs set, taking only such as are of good size, form, and 

 color. When only a small proportion of the eggs are to be set, this may be the 

 more convenient and economical way to select ; but since the hens of medium 

 size, or larger, are usually the hens that lay the kind of eggs selected, it is 

 better, when the object is to get as large a proportion of selected eggs as pos- 

 sible, to exclude small birds from the matings. 



Breeding for improvement in egg production. The practice in mating just de- 

 scribed, with good management in growing and handling the stock, will bring the 

 egg production from poor-laying flocks to a good annual average, with occasional 

 production in a part of a stock or for a season much above the average. These 

 occasional instances of great production stimulate interest in the question of 

 bringing the common average production of a stock up to the high marks, and 

 the results from the best producers proportionately higher. Many breeders 

 have tried to develop heavy-laying strains from known great producers. Results 

 have sometimes seemed encouraging in a few individuals, but there are no 

 authentic records of extraordinary laying characteristics continued in a stock, or 



