THE BREEDING OF CHICKENS 



1G7 



awaited with interest. Pearl' remarks in discussing tlie 

 inheritance of fecvuidity in domestic fowl that "after two 

 years the fecundity of Pljaxiouth Rocks, in all cases which 

 have been observed at the JMaine Experiment Station, 

 becomes greatly reduced." 



Table XXVI. — Relation of Eaulv I^aying to High Pkoduction. 

 (Data of Rice.) 



Grouped , „ 

 according to f^"^™; 

 age first egg ' ^"^ "' 



was laid. 



bei 

 hens. 



Per cent. 



of total 



hens. 



Average 

 I aj;e when 



tirat egg 

 ' was laid. 



Average 

 product 

 first year 



Average 



produrt 



second 



year. 



Average 



product 



third 



year. 



Average 



total pro- 



' duct for 



first three 



years. 



241- 270 

 271- 300 

 301- 330 

 331- 360 

 476 

 1110 



22 

 11 

 6 

 1 

 1 

 1 



13.02:255.50 108.10 121.05 108.50 337.65 



6.51 



3.55 



.59 



.59 



.59 



285 09 

 315.50 

 359.00 

 476.00 

 1110 00 



93.91 

 88.33 

 45.00 

 27.00 

 0.00 



271.74 

 325.00 

 189.00 

 308 . 00 

 3.00 



241-1110 



42 



24 . 85 299 . 88 



95.55 111.81 99.00 306 36 



Total 



169 , 100.00 231.08 136.92 124.48 109.18 370.57 



Breed and Varietal Characteristics. — Breed and varietal 

 characteristics do a very real service in aiding in the selection 

 of breeders. As pointed out in another connection, strong 

 breed characteristics are generally considered to indicate 

 close and careful breeding and to be a mark of prepotency. 

 Other things being equal, the bird that shows most strongly 

 the breed type and color markings is the bird to choose. 

 Without them there could be no uniformity, which is so 

 vastly important from the standpoints of both feeding and 

 marketing. 



Official Breeding Tests. — There is an urgent need of per- 

 manent breeding records of high-producing lines of stock 



■ Maine Bulletin No. 205. 



