174 BOAKD OF AGRICULTUKE. 



and the progeny possess </<e ^oocZ qualities of both. One of 

 these breeds is the Berkshire, upon which the breeder depends 

 for constitution, abundant milk, size, prolificacy and the 

 quality of the meat. The other is the small Yorkshire, which 

 gives the color, the leaf-lard, the quickness of growth and 

 the smallness of bone and offal. 



The natural laws taken advantage of by these lamb and pig 

 raisers are equally at the service of poultry breeders if we 

 know how to apply them. 



LAWS OF BREEDING.. 



The characteristics of a breed become more and more 

 fixed after generations of breeding for the same points. 

 Promiscuous breeding, entirely without accessions of fresh 

 blood, such as takes place on an island or in an isolated dis- 

 trict, establishes characters of great persistency, but it takes 

 ages to accomplish it. The most rapid fixing of individual 

 or family physical traits takes place when close in-breeding 

 is practised. Thus families are confirmed in the possession 

 of valued peculiarities which it is sought to establish. 

 When the valued characteristic is reproduced strongly in 

 the oflTspring, the power or inherent potency to reproduce its 

 like is known as "pre potency," because it dates back of the 

 individual. Our common, mongrel, nondescript breeds pos- 

 sess this power to a very limited extent. Among poultry, 

 especially in yards bred with little care, the flock soon 

 settles down upon a basis of useful mediocrity or inferiority. 



I take pains to indicate distinctly the basis of law upon 

 which the improvement of these common useful flocks 

 depends, because by their improvement the w^ealth of the 

 State in this class of property may be vastly increased, and 

 because, though it is very easy to state the rules, and not 

 difficult to convince sensible people of their importance, 

 yet without a thorough understanding of the reasons for 

 the rules few people will carry them out. In fact I find it 

 hard to do so myself, though knowing well the reasons. 

 The grades are so fine, so large, so well plumed and so 

 well formed that it is hard to believe that the cocks are 

 worthless as sires, because being of mixed blood them- 

 selves they have no power to get ofi*spring like themselves. 



