200 The Hen at Work 



daughter, and that daughter made a winter record 

 of eighteen eggs. 



This result was not at all unexpected, and is 

 given to show that it is often possible for a hen 

 to lay heavily, while her eggs are no good for hatch- 

 ing, and her children wiU have no value what- 

 ever. 



The same station carried on an important test for 

 ten years with a large flock. Breeders were se- 

 lected by reason of their egg-production, as shown 

 by trap nests. Three quoted sentences show the 

 results: "Not only was there no improvement in 

 average flock production, but actually there was 

 a slight decline in production during the selection. 

 — As a matter of fact daughters of 200-egg hens, 

 with from six to nine years of mass-selected 

 ancestry behind them (on the basis of trap nests), 

 were no better layers on the average than birds 

 from the general flock. — There does not exist any 

 critical evidence that the selection of the highest 

 la3nng birds, on the basis of the trap nest re- 

 cord as breeders, wiU insure or guarantee any 

 definite, permanent improvement in average flock 

 production. " 



There is ample evidence of the same kind to show 



