POULTRY "WORK. 21 J 



POULTRY MANAGEMENT. 



The poultry management investigations will be of the same 

 general character as those hitherto conducted. From year to 

 year, as in the past, definite practical experiments on isolated 

 topics in poultry management will be tried with large flocks of 

 hens. 



POULTRY BREEDING. 



Two general problems will be investigated in this direction. 

 The first of these is whether it is possible by another method 

 of breeding than that which has been tried at the Station to fix 

 the characteristic of high egg production in the Station's strain 

 of Barred Plymouth Rocks. It is not necessary at this place to 

 enter upon a detailed discussion of what the method of breeding 

 to be tested in this experiment is. It may in general be said, 

 however, that it will be an attempt to apply to poultry breeding 

 for a utility characteristic the same fundamental principles in 

 breeding which have led to such brilliant and important results 

 in the breeding of cereals by the Hon. W. M. Hays, Assistant 

 Secretary of Agriculture, and of Doctor Hjalmar Nilsson at the 

 Swedish Experiment Ststion at Svalof, Sweden. The funda- 

 mental idea underlying the method of breeding which is to be 

 tried is to base the selection of breeding stock on mutative rather 

 than fluctuating variations. The past experience of the Station 

 demonstrates that the individual performance of a hen in respect 

 to egg production is not necessarily an adequate indication of 

 her desirability as a breeder in attempting to found a strain of 

 high laying hens. It is the purpose to test the transmitting 

 power of individual hens and cockerels always with regard to 

 the character egg production just as in wheat breeding work 

 the centgener power of an individual head is tested.' The 

 experiment will have a very considerable scientific interest 

 derived from the fact that it will be the first attempt on a large 

 scale to apply to -practical animal breeding those principles which 

 are proving of such wonderful value in plant breeding. 



In addition to the experiment in breeding for increased egg 

 production an experiment will be tried to determine whether by 

 a combination of hybridization and selection it will not be pos- 

 sible to breed a strain of fowls of superior quality for table use. 

 A development of the meat type of poultry has been very much 



