NATIKkV M'.CUKT KKVKAJ.Kl) TO Till-: UljKKDF.l! 7!l 



A bird may haw a serious defect in comb or plumage and yet thai 

 detect may never appear in the next or in any future generation. In 

 such a case that delect is not persistent . Ft it does appear in ever) sub- 

 sequent generation it is persistent. 



The same is true of all qualities good or bad, desired or undesired. 

 The creation of improved strains of fancy fowl has resulted from the 

 working of this law of persistence. Whatever the distinguishing qual- 

 ity or qualities may be that distinguish one breeder's si rain from another's. 

 peculiar coloring or marking of feathers, style of comb, shape or carriage, 

 or habits and traits, they are known by their persistent presence in the 

 individuals and in their progeny. I'nless such distinguishing features 

 are thus persistently present there is no strain. 



In 1S!IS the writer raised a lot of Plymouth Hock pullets. Those that 

 developed a persiste.nl laying habit under very unfavorable conditions 

 were marked. From year to year I lie most persistent layers from that 

 lot were retained. 1 have some of them now. One of those birds laid 

 177 brown eggs in ['.Mil. This hen has a very imperfect comb. This 

 year she was mated to a finely marked cockerel thai had a very ordi- 

 nary comb. From those I wo birds 1 have cockerels with good five-point 

 combs. 1 never found the imperfecl comb of this female reproduced in 

 any of my chicks, any year. It is not persistent. That hen has never 

 been brood) but once and then only in a slight degree. Her shape does 

 not resemble a Leghorn, by the way. 



The persistent laying habit is easily recognized by the trap nest user. 

 One writer who had evidently used Irap nests, for he recommended 

 them highly, said that if we keep individual records at all we must keep 

 thein throughout the war in order to determine which were the good 

 layers. This writer may have had persistent layers, but he himself lacked 

 persistence for he was grievously in error in making such a statement. 

 The persistent laying habit does nol require a year for its discovery. 

 The female that produces eggs freely under unfavorable conditions at 

 any time shows a persistent laving tendency. 



There may be other persistent tendencies that will eventually dominate 

 the egg producing tendency and they may he observable without the 

 aid of Irap nests, or the\ may not. L5roodiue»s is one of these ; inherent" 

 constitutional weakness another. The female that lays steadily and 

 freely throughout the natural breeding season under conditions that are 

 favorable to the development of the incubating instinct discloses a per- 

 sistent laying tendency that dominates broodiness. The bird that goes 

 through its molt in tine condition keeping fully clothed and in good 

 health and vigor all of the time while its mates, or other birds subject 

 to the same conditions, are ragged and despondent shows a persistent 

 tendency for normal fealber-reproduction. If such a bird lays during 

 this period she shows the persistent laying tendency also. 



