2l8 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I9I4. 



fact, witnessing its last decline before utter extinction. Un- 

 prejudiced observation, however, would seem to indicate that 

 these contests make a strong appeal to the poultry public. It is 

 difficult to conceive of any single measure better calculated to 

 arouse general interest in poultry keeping and to call attention to 

 the results which follow good care and breeding. In other 

 words, the educational value of laying contests would seem to be 

 beyond question. That they can be so conducted as to contribute 

 to existing knowledge of the laws of egg production also is 

 beyond doubt. I have recently had the opportunity of examining 

 the detailed plans for the conduct of a series of such laying com.- 

 petitions, which are to be undertaken, with government sub- 

 sidies, in two European countries. There can be no question 

 that these plans, if carried out, v/ill contribute materially to 

 scientific knowledge of the laws of egg production. 



Underlying the immediate stimulus afforded by the laying 

 contest are to be found two fundamental reasons for the pres- 

 ent interest and activity in the direction of improving egg pro- 

 duction. These are : 



(a) The poultryman's belief that egg production is an inher- 

 ited character. In holding this opinion he is certainly correct. 

 One might indeed, say "knowledge" instead of "belief" here. 



(b) His belief that any character which is inherited is cap- 

 able of improvement by intelligent breeding. Again, this belief 

 is entirely well founded, provided only that an exception be 

 made for characters (if there are any such) in which all possible 

 improvement in innate hereditary constitution has already been 

 made. 



Egg Production is Inherited. 



To say, as we have above, that "'egg production" is an inher- 

 ited character is not quite enough. This might be taken to mean 

 only the fact that the mode of reproduction characteristic of 

 birds, which is to say reproduction by means of eggs with albu- 

 minous and calcareous envelopes — is an innate and hereditarily 

 fixed matter in the fowl. But the poultryman is interested, as 

 well as the investigator in the field of genetics, in something more 

 than this. He wants to know whether the differences which he 

 observes in egg-laying capabilities amongst different breeds, or 

 flocks, or finally individuals, are inherited. General observations 



