NOTE. First Lessons in Poultry Keeping appeared in serial form in FARM-POULTRY, in 1905. The 

 Second Series of Lessons in Poultry Keeping, which takes up some advanced subjects, and some necessarily 

 omitted the first year, was published serially in the same paper in 1906. The third year's course now appear* 

 Ing in FARM-POULTRY, describes and discusses special branches and combinations in poultry culture with 

 the same fullness of detail and explanation as the Lessons in the earlier series. 



Lessons In Poultry Keeping, 



SECOND SERIES. 



LESSON I. 



Inbreeding and Line Breeding. 



IN TAKING up these two closely related subjects, I anticipate that the treatment of them 

 which the facts bearing upon them require will be In a measure disappointing to many 

 readers. Outside of those who have made a somewhat thorough study of the principles 

 of breeding, comparatively few people can be found who will come to a consideration of 

 the subject without a prejudice against inbreeding, while among novices in poultry breeding 

 "line breeding" is very commonly regarded as an elaborate scientific system of mating by 

 which expert fanciers produce their finest specimens. 



Both of these attitudes are wrong. The prejudice agiinst inbreeding, though ages old, 

 almost universal, and supported by religious and social teachings, will not stand impartial 

 Jnvestigation. A reasonable test of inbreeding, with due^regard to recognized general prin- 

 ciples of breeding, while it will not invariably give results which confound the claims of 

 those who oppose it, will do so often enough to discredit their arguments, and demonstrate 

 that their position is not tenable. 



Systematic line breeding, according to a prearranged "scientific" system designating the 

 exact lines to be followed, and approximately the individuals to be used, is rarely practiced by 

 the best breeders. Their " line breeding" plans are designed not to perpetuate certain blood 

 lines, but to secure certain results or establish certain characteristics. If the results they 

 seek can be best obtained within the blood lines which they are breeding they keep to those 

 lines, or rather within certain lines; but they regard adherence to a particular line of breed- 

 ing as a good thing only as long as it furnishes the best route toward the goal they seek the 

 best means of attaining the ends for which they are working. At any time that they see 

 results in other lines which make it appear that blood from those lines might be introduced 

 into their stock to advantage, they try to get such breeding specimens of those lines as seem 

 most suitable for their purpose. They use this new blood at first experimentally to learn 

 what results will come from the introduction of the new blood. If results are satisfactory 

 the new blood is gradually distributed through their whole stock, and with its introduction 

 begins a new general line of breeding to be followed only as long as it gives better results 

 than are to be obtained by other matings. 



Now while the breeder does not bind himself to follow a certain line or system, and, 

 theoretically, is free to introduce new blood at any time, in practice he does so only at long 

 Intervals. The reasons for this will appear further on in this lesson. The two facts I wish 

 io impress before taking up the special consideration of each of our subjects are: 

 1. That inbreeding is neither a necessary evil nor necessarily an evil. 

 2. That there is no virtue in line breeding except as it secures and fixes certain 

 desired results. 



