SELECTINd HHEEDINCJ MALES FOR Kdd PKODIJC'TION. 



47 



19H) inclusive; in the I')0 to 10!) c^t^ class in the years ]!)I7 and IDIS; and in tlu; 

 200 to 21!» e|!,t>- class in tin; years 1020 and I02l'. H(;nc(( in the pnipuration of 

 (!hart 11 the birds iiatched duriufj; the first fiv(! yeai's iiavc been p;n;Uped into oik; 

 polygon, those hatf^hed in the next two yeans into a second polygon, and thos(! 

 hatched in the last two years into u third polygon. Low prodiK^ers laid from to 

 00 cfifrs in their i)iillet year; in(-<linni jjrodiicers laid from 100 to 100 Of^>j;s in their 

 pullet year hiti;h producers laid over 200 ef;)i;s in their pullet year. 



Chai't II siiovvs that in the first five; y(!ai's there were 27.7(i per cc.ui low i)rodu(UM\s, 

 {'tSM'.i per cent niediutn producers and Ji.Ol per c(!nt hiffli jjroducers. iJurinfj; tlu; 

 two-year pcjriod following, tlu; percentage of low j)rodu<!(!rs IVill to HJf), tlu; niediiun 

 class increased to 75.28 per c(!nt, and the hip;h i)roducers in(;reased t,o l.'').07 per 

 cent. Durinj; the last two y(!ars, tht; low class fell t,o 1.07 p(!r c(!nt, tlu! mcdiuni 

 class fell to 47.01 per c(!nt, and the hiffli (ilass increased to 50.72 \H'.r c(!nt. 



Tabl(! 1, pr(!s(!nte(l Ixilow, fjjiveH the number of sires used, tlu; numlnir of dams 

 used, the jiuinber of |)ullets comj)letinfr yearly njcords, and the av(!ra,f;(' of all 

 annual records by brcKKlins years. The; last coliunn inchidc^s piillels halchcd in 

 th(! respective muting years. 



Tahi.h 1. 



Referring to the first column of the tabic, it will be observed that during the 

 first four years of the experiment the average numbtir of males was about IS, 

 while during the past five years tlu; number was cut down to an average of about', 

 13. This ))oli(ty has given a great;er opportunity t.o d(!t,(;rmine th(! breeding ability 

 of tlie sires and to regulate future mating with a greater degree; of certainty, because 

 the breeding ability of the sires can be ascertained with a higher degree of accu- 

 lacy when their prog(!ny are trap-nested in large numbers. This fact made it 

 possibh; to r(!gulat,(! matings more carcifully along sp(!cific blood liii(!s. 



The number of dams us(;d was greater (luring the first four years (»f the exp('ri- 

 ment than dui'ing the last five. The rang(! in nunilxu- oi dams for tin; niiuvyear 

 period is from 20 to 00. The use of fewer dams mak(!s possibk; more rigid selecition 

 standards and probably is of value in reducing variability in the flock. 



The av(,'rage number of (;omplet(!d records per year is 243. In geiKsral, thr; mc-un 

 annual pivjduetion of tli(! flock shows j)rogr(!,ss from year to year. The first r(!sults 

 of breeding at the Station are shown oi)posit,e the mating y(!ar J013. S(!V(!nty- 

 seven i)ull(its averag(!d 140 eggs. These 77 pulletis represent a selected group froni 

 a larger number, and eonsecjuently show a higher average than tlu; 120 pullets 

 hatched in 1914. The (;ffs[)ring of 1015 brings the averag(; of the flock up f/t 123 

 eggs, and from that tinu; t,o the pr(;sent th(!re has been unintcri-upted progress, 

 excei)t for the disease outt)reak of 1020. TIk; 121 pullet,s hatched in 1020 averaged 

 107 eggs. The 207 hatched in 1021 avei-aged ai)jjr(jxiniately lOS (;ggs. There is 

 no noticeable tendency in the flock to i)roduce a few phen(nnenal records, but 

 rather a general homogeneity in [injduction. Tliis tendency to uniformity is 

 probably tracc^able t(j the methods of mating for specific characteristics, antl to a 

 certain degree of relationshi]) within the fkjck. 



