100 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMEXT STATIOX. ipo^. 



teen of this group of 29, selected in the field, laid from 115 to 

 164 each. 



Although there are some poor yielders in this pen of 29, it 

 is probable that as a lot they average considerably better than 

 the whole flock from which they were selected. The small num- 

 ber of unprofitable birds and the large proportion of good ones 

 would warrant the method of selection as the best, when trap 

 nests, or equally reliable methods of selection are not practicable. 



Early maturity in pullets is generally accompanied by physical 

 vigor and when the function of such birds is to produce eggs, 

 and they give evidence of it, they are certainly the best of their 

 race to breed winter egg producers from, if we accept past expe- 

 riences in breeding as our guides. 



The records of a full 3'ear's laying in trap nests would be 

 better as that would enable the rejection of all poor workers; 

 and as the birds would not be bred from until the year following, 

 they would be more mature and the chicks would be larger when 

 hatched and would develop into larger birds at maturity than 

 they would if their mothers were doing their first year's laying. 

 The differences in size from these causes, have been very notice- 

 able in our work. 



Poultry men are generalty desirous of securing as many well 

 bred pullets as possible and so use yearling hens as breeders, 

 in addition to their two-year-olds. The work done by pullets 

 from September to February or ]\Iarch is pretty good indication 

 of their usefulness and their eggs are available for breeding 

 during the pullet year. \A'hile the chickens from such eggs are 

 not generally as large at maturity as those from older hens, w^e 

 have not been able to discover any lack of constitution or vigor 

 in them, and know no reasons w^hy they are not desirable as 

 workers. 



THE PEDIGREE CHARTS. 



In order to make clear our methods of breeding and register- 

 ing, there are appended hereto two pedigree charts w^hich illus- 

 trate the breeding of the t\vo classes of birds which we designate 

 as "registered" and "unregistered." We do not use these terms 

 with reference to purit}' of blood, for ours is one of the oldest 

 of the families of Barred Plymouth Rocks, having been bred by 



