t)eoamb«r, 19l3. 



P Potiltry Notes <^ 



Curves. 



Ill the N.S.W. Farmers' Bulkuu 

 No. 66, " Ten years' egg layuii; 

 Tests, " by A. A. Dmmiclifi, jun. 

 Mr. Cuthbert Potts, the Hawkcs- 

 burv College, conlributeiS a particu- 

 larly interesting article on the 

 average and fretiuency curves of 

 the ten years' laying under review. 

 We may perhaps be pernuttecl to 

 say that thc}- bear out in rathdr a 

 striking manner, what we have fre- 

 quently maintained, that the 

 selection of the individual " best " 

 hen has no effect whatever on the 

 a\-erage of the "strain" and still 

 less, if that be possible, on the 

 a\"erage of the breed to which she 

 belongs. This theory, is not popu- 

 lar in any sense but that does, not 

 prove that it is not correct. 

 Curves, by the way, are largely 

 used in scientific and experimental 

 work and are merely a diagrama- 

 tic illustration of a series of re- 

 sults (figures) showing more clear- 

 ly and more quickly what has been 

 done and what may be expected 

 in anv given line of work. The 

 curves plotted by Mr. Potts have 

 to do with the three popular 

 breeds (it is of course evident that 

 the greater the numbers involved 

 the greater will be the accuracy 

 of the curve) and some interesting 

 deductions are made. Summarized 

 the curve (egg average) of the 

 AVhite lyeghorn can be slightly 

 raised. In Silver Wyandottes the 

 reverse is the case. Black O'rping- 

 tons have apparently reached their 

 maximum, though there is evidence 

 to question this. Expressed in 

 figu'res Mr. Potts puts the limit- 

 ing breed average of White Leg- 

 horns at 200, for the Black Or- 

 pingtons at 188, at 166 for Silver 

 Wyandottes, that is with the 

 " strains " or combinations of 



" strains " at present in N.S.W., 

 under conditions isiir.ilar to 

 Ilawkesburv and the present more 

 or less indvscriininate methods ol 

 breeding. Thv article is a thought- 

 ful aiKl iielpful contribution both in 

 its facts and its suggestions and 

 siiould be read and studied by 

 bree<lers who do not think that the 

 teaching of competitions begins 

 when .'^ beats li and C brings up 

 the rear. 



— What does it Teach ? — 



Where does it bring us and what 

 of the future ? Broadly answered 

 the reply is : — To the importance 

 of the isolation (sdiection ) of 

 strains rather than the selection 

 of the individual within the strain. 

 Air. Potts" curves do not in any 

 way clash with the Pearl theory, 

 of which we have recently had 

 something to say, which is based 

 on the principle brought out in the 

 artick before us. Dr. Pearl goes 

 much further, that is all. What 

 have thev to offer to the commer- 

 cial man ? Broadly speaking — 

 Pyverything ! What to the com- 

 petition breeder. In one ^ense and 

 to some extent, nothing, especially 

 the first liighters. The former be- 

 cause in the main he builds on 

 average (type) laying which is in- 

 herited, the latter on exceptional 

 (individual) capacity, which is not 

 inherited. One builds on an ori- 

 ginating constant force, the other 

 on its varying expression. Put 

 scientifically, one builds on " game- 

 tic " rock the other on " som.atic " 

 quicksands. That doesn't look like 

 a scientific sentence, but it ex- 

 presses a soundly scientific idea, 

 at least as we understand. 



— Strains. — 



Years ago we used to believe 

 and write of individual selection, 

 lit seemed so sane and reasonable, 



Koonoowarra Poultry Farm - Enfield. 



6 minutes' walk from electric tram. 'Phone 273. 



Breeder, Exhibitor, and Importer of Highest Class 

 BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCKS. WHITE PLYMOUTH ROCKS 

 WHITE ORPINGTONS RHODE ISLAND REDS 

 WHITE LEGHORNS. 

 PEKIN DUCKS. WHITE RUNNER DUCKS. 



(Never beaten in Show Pen). (Wonderful Layers of White Shell Eggs). 

 Stock have won numerous prizes at Adelaide Leading Shows. 

 Eggs and Stock for Sale in Season. 



For further particulars write — 



P. O. MANUEL, Proprietor. 



llun things l)egan to h.ippen and 

 biuks to lly. Kirsl we read of tlie 

 "g-enotype," that was No. I, then 

 we heard and read of conii.etition 

 breeiding and results and the .\Iainu 

 ]*)xperiment, and finally, two or 

 three vears ago, we read a paper 

 by Dt'. I'earl. Since that third 

 brick hit us the name oi best hen 

 seleiction has been off as far as we 

 are concerned. New words are 

 constanth' being added to the 

 language, and though "geaotype 

 is some ten years old, we may be 

 allowed a few words as to what it 

 stands for, what it means and how 

 it affects selective breeding. This 

 brick, as m.entioned, was thrown 

 by a man named Johannsen, prob- 

 ably a Dane, no doubt a professor 

 and certainly sane. Nothing wrong 

 in that pedigree. We. mL-ntion it 

 lest any of our readers should con- 

 fuse the gentleman with a person 

 of soni'ewhat similar name who 

 visited Australia some time ago 

 who was a nigger, and a pugilist, 

 whose sanity has recently been 

 called in question. Returning to 

 the professor and his doings. Brief- 

 ly, he took some (nineteen j pack- 

 ets of beans, ordinary trade sam- 

 ples, showing in each the usual 

 variation in size, some small, some 

 medium, and some large. He sowed 

 these beans and they produced in 

 turn small, medium and large, but 

 did so quite irrespective of the 

 parent bean. A large " mother " 

 bean was just as likely to produce 

 a small as a large bean and 

 equally a " small " mother was 

 just as likely to prodiibe a large 

 as a small bean, though the aver- 

 age size of the whole of this ser 

 cond generation remained constant 

 to that of the first ; he repeated it 

 the following year with precisely 

 the same result and may be doing 

 so still. The beans of an}- genera- 

 tion were on the average the same 

 as the previous or succeeding gen- 

 eration, but there was no slightest 

 evidence that the children of small 

 beans produced small beans or 

 the children of large beans, large 

 beans. The beans, whether small 

 or large produced beans of all .sizas 

 but the average of the whole was 

 always constant to that of the 

 average of all beans. The name 

 of selection of big beans to produce 

 big beans, as far as the scientific 

 world was concerned, became mud, 

 and if it applied to beans for 

 size, it applied to other qualities 

 as well. Not only so, but it would 

 applv to all similarity fertilized 

 and constituted organisms. These 

 deductions have been prov^ed to be 

 co'rrect by many experimental 

 workers, and are accepted now 

 without question or comment. Ap- 

 plied broadly to poultry and ad- 



