BREEDING BY SELECTION 283 
base his selection not only upon the external appearance, but upon 
type, as well as the color of the eggs, since uniformity in this 
respect is important. 
Next should be considered the ancestry or pedigree of the 
birds. At the beginning, owing to lack of records, it will be im- 
possible to know the exact ancestry of the breeders, and external 
appearances must count for. much; but, when possible, the best 
plan is to purchase the male bird for this foundation stock from a 
reliable breeder who is known to carry the best birds of the 
type desired. Even if he costs a considerable sum of money, a 
good male means much to the future progeny and will be a profit- 
able investment. It is often said that a good male is worth half 
the flock, but he is worth more than that, for even in the first 
generation he means fifty per cent of the blood of the progeny. 
If he should be prepotent as to his characteristics and is bred to 
his daughters,he represents three-fourths of the blood of the prog- 
eny in the second generation; and so on, until, through line breed- 
ing, uniformity of type is attained. If this method be followed 
continuously, it is possible to raise fowls inheriting almost entirely 
the pure blood of the first male. After selection has been thorough, 
it is a very simple matter to trap-nest during the rest of the year, 
as records show that the winter layers are the most prolific, hence 
the ones from which we should breed. 
It is important to choose for the breeding pen females noted for 
their high production of eggs, which fitly represents the commercial 
worth of the individual. They should have laid their eggs, or a 
large proportion of them, during the fall or winter. The male 
used in this pen should be descended from high producers, which 
means he should be the son of a prolific hen. In this way high 
productivity will be inherited from both parents. 
Prepotency of the pair is also of prime importance; they should 
not only possess the desired characteristics, but the power of trans- 
mitting them to their progeny. This trait can be studied for a 
number of generations by means of pedigree records, and is shown 
by the resemblance of offspring to their parents. If a fowl capable 
of high production is not prepotent, and there are many of this 
type, she is of little value in the breeding pen, and it is wise to 
make a study of this from a practical standpoint. 
External characteristics should be considered, yet not be given 
greater weight than the functional. For instance, birds should 
not be introduced into the breeding pen for the sake merely of 
