226 PRINCIPLES OF POULTRY BREEDING 



portionately greater variation in the transmitted qualities; hence 

 the necessity of breeding from parents as purely bred as it is pos- 

 sible to obtain them. By eliminating alien blood the desired prop- 

 erties become dominant, so to speak ; that is, they become intensi- 

 fied, and there are fewer contending characteristics to crowd them 

 out. The longer a family of individuals can be bred purely, so 

 much more powerful will its dominant traits become. (The mating 

 and selection of individuals is discussed in the next chapter.) 



The influence of environment on future generations is im- 

 portant. All conditions and operations included in the care 

 and management of birds will more or less influence the indi- 

 vidual, and also leave their mark upon the offspring; lack of 

 proper environment may tear down and soon destroy all that has 

 been accomplished by years of hard work in selection and breed- 

 ing ; hence the necessity of understanding the natural requirements 

 of the birds before practising or experimenting with the laws of 

 breeding. 



Controlling Factors. The influences which are active in the 

 propagation or breeding of poultry are numerous and varied. 

 They may be grouped under three heads: 



All characteristics which are transmitted from parent to off- 

 spring, this group being termed inheritance. 



All characteristics which are due to external conditions sur- 

 rounding the individual, these being termed environment. 



All characteristics which are functional in nature, and in many 

 cases influenced by man's activities. In demonstration these func- 

 tions are nearly all influenced directly by man, while in the wild 

 state they are given freedom of exercise. This group may be 

 termed functional activities. 



Inheritance. Inheritance, in the sense here used, is a much 

 broader term than when employed to define the law of heredity. 

 It embraces all the powers, qualities, and characteristics which are 

 transmitted from the parents to the progeny through the egg, the 

 combining or merging of traits possessed by both male and female 

 into one, and the new characteristics of the resulting chicks. 



This factor of inheritance affects or influences a great variety 

 of conditions. Among these are the shape and size of the body, 

 and the quality and color pattern of the plumage; all internal 

 bodily functions, such as the development of the digestive system, 

 the power of the circulatory system, and the capacity of the 

 respiratory system; the texture and structure of muscles, bones, and 



