Selection of Breeding Stock. 
13 
in the business, and the more observant and apt lie is the sooner will desirable results crown his efforts. 
The proportion of high-class specimens in any flock, no matter how large, is invariably small, and if they are 
bred in a careless manner will be still smaller. This is the reason that startling prices are often paid for 
high-class specimens, and readily, too, by those who wish to ini[)rove their present stock. Systematic 
selection and breeding of stock is the only plan to obtain jjrofitable results, no lasting benefit ever being 
brought about by mere chance, the former being due to long-continued and well-directed efforts in the 
selection and breeding of stock for either market or show purposes. 
The succes.sful breeder of Poultry must begin long before the advent of the chickens. Hens that have 
been starved or neglected will not lay eggs containing healthy, vigorous germs, and young pullets that are 
forced into early laying by the free use of stimulating foods never make good breeding stock. 
Again, the infusion of new blood is in most instances desirable, but there are exceptions to the practice 
which make it necessary to proceed with caution. If this is not intelligently carried out, much loss in time, 
money, and patience, coupled with disappointment, will surely result. 
In Farmers' stock, where the production of eggs and meat are the prime consideration, it is a good plan 
to change the breeding cocks each year, to infuse new stamina into the stock, which will do much to 
secure an immunity from disease, and tend towards increased size in the progeny. 
But for the Fancier, whose sole object is to produce high-class specimens, such proceedings would be 
most unwise, as in-breeding must be resorted to so as to firmly establish certain given characteristics in a 
strain of high-class Poultry. This would be all undone if a fresh cock from some other strain were intro- 
duced each year. To explain this: That in the majority of show specimens the process of artificial selection 
has fixed certain characteristics which are known as the points of the breed, and, as long as the breeding 
stock is composed of birds which have blood relationship, though distantly apart, these points will continue 
to show themselves in the stock bred from them ; immediately that fresh or alien blood is introduced rever- 
sion steps in, and the stock will in nearly every instance revert to the original type, in many instances proving 
quite worthless, showing by practical experience that in-breeding is a necessity, though at times it may be 
productive of evil results ; cross-bred birds being, as a rule, healthier, stronger, and more vigorous than 
pure-breds, for the simple reason that the animal vigor is strongly stimulated and quickened by the crossing 
of two distinct varieties, and it is to this increased vigor that the increase of eggs and the desire to reproduce 
its species is directly responsible. It is well known that cioss-bred birds of pure breeds grow much faster, 
fledge more quickly, and mature earlier, and are on these grounds alone far preferable f(.ir market purposes or 
egg-production than pure-breds at all in-brcd. The greatest difficulty with beginners is the want (if kn(j\vledge 
or idea of crossing, for which there must be a distinct object in view — for instance, mating any of the (Jame 
races with a Plymouth Rock, ^Vyandotte, or l^rahma, or any of the Mediterranean lireeds with the same 
varieties, the progeny will arrive quicker at maturity both for egg and meat qualities, a point which should be 
always uppermost in the mind of any Poultry Farmer ; and we are aware that b\- crossing birds totally 
unrelated and of different breeds, we mix the two bloods which will impart vigor, strength, and ability to the 
birds thus bred to produce eggs in greater abundance. These excellent qualifications, however, are only 
embodied in the first cross, as by in-breeding, that is, the cockerels to the pullets, we at once destroy these 
qualities, and the progeny are nothing but mongrels. These benefits, howe\er, are cliiefl)- of interest to the 
Poultry Farmer who breeds for egg and meat production, and who does not retain for breeding purposes any 
other than pure-bred stock, or stock crossed each successive Vini- with a pure-bred bird of anotJicr variety : but to 
the person who keeps Poultry for a hobby and the pleasure derix able from the pursuit, and who has but limited 
space, pure-bred birds will give far more satisfaction, and, under tlie circumstances, higher profits, if desired, 
than cross-breds. For the Farmer cross-bred birds arrive at maturity earlier, and are, without tloubt, better 
layers as pullets than pure-breds, but they cannot approach any of the more prominent pure-bred la\'ing breeds 
after they have passed their first year. There is little doubt that cross-breeding has increased to a consider- 
able extent the hardiness of birds thus bred, and this excellent result has induced the " Fancier " to do the 
