284 MAINU AGRICUIvTURAL EXPl^RIMENT STATION. I912. 



dian Games F^ generation 352 



Matings of Barred Plymouth Rock males and Cornish In- 

 dian Game females 353 



Mating's of Cornish Indian Game males and Barred Ply- 

 mouth Rock females 354 



Summary of Fi matings 358 



Matings of the second cross-bred (F») generation 358 



Matings of Fi c? 576 with F^ females 361 



Matings of Fj c? 577 with Fj females 363 



Matings of Fj $ 576 with Barred Plymouth Rock females 364 



Matings of F^ d" 576 with Cornish Indian Game females 365 



Matings of F^ c? 577 with Barred Plymouth females .... 366 



Matings of Fj J" 577 with Cornish Indian Game females 366 

 Matings of Barred Plymouth Rock males with Barred Fi 



females , 367 



Matings of Barred Plymouth Rock males with Black Fi 



females 370 



Matings of Cornish Indian Game males with Black and 



. Barred Fi females 373 



Summary and discussion of results >. 377 



The facts and their interpretation •. 382 



Possible criticisms 382 



Selection problem 387 



Prepotency 390 



The practical bearing of these results 391 



Literature cited 392 



Introduction 



During the course of an investigation into the inheritance of 

 fecundity in the domestic fowl, which has now involved thirteen 

 gei-ierations and several thousand individuals, and has occupied 

 the major portion of the writer's time during the past five years, 

 two definite and clear-cut results have come to light.^ These 

 are: 



First: that the Record of egg production or fecundity of a hen 

 is not of itself a criterion of any value whatsoever from which 

 to predict the probable egg production of her female progeny. 

 An analysis of the records of production of large numbers of 

 birds shows beyond any possibility of doubt that, in general, 

 there as no correlation between the egg production of individuals 

 and either their ancestors or their .progeny. 



^ For a complete list to date of the publications, in which the results 

 of the investigation referred to have appeared, see the bibliography at 

 the end of this paper. Throughout this paper numbers in parentheses 

 refer to titles in the bibliography. 



