1 
Vol. LXXVIII. 
Published Weekly by The Rural Publishing Co.. 
383 W. 30th St., New York. Price One Dollar a Year. 
NEW YORK. OCTOBER 11,1919. 
Entered as Second-Class 
Office at New York, N. 1 
June 26, 1879. at the Post 
the Act of March 3. 1879. 
No. 4555. 
Selecting, and Breeding, White Leghorns 
For Heavy Eg,g, Production 
I MPORTANT POINTS.—The editor has asked me 
to tell you something about the selection and 
breeding of heavy laying fowls, but T realize that it 
is a very difficult task to write out a formula that 
can be applied successfully by the average person 
under varying conditions, so I will try to give some 
idea of the principal points to take into considera¬ 
tion. We often hear discussions as to the most im¬ 
portant factor in the profitable production of eggs— 
breeding, feeding or selection. It appears to me to 
be just as reasonable to ask which is the most im¬ 
portant wheel of an automobile, as all must work 
be traced almost entirely to selection and breeding. 
For example, one pen in the Vineland contest at the 
end of the first 45 weeks laid an average of 218 eggs 
each, while another pen of the same variety aver¬ 
ages 125 eggs each. This is a difference of 93 eggs 
each in 45 weeks. Figuring these extra eggs at 5c* 
each, which is a fair average price, each good hen 
brings in practically $4.65 more profit than the poor 
ones, as the extra eggs are nearly all profit. While 
the difference between good stock and poor is not 
always as noticeable, there is always enough differ¬ 
ence to make it well worth while to purchase good 
the small Leghorns, which weigh from 2 V. to BV lbs. 
each when mature, are a sort of drug on the market 
and must be sold at low prices, which reflects dis¬ 
credit to the whole family of Leghorns. The good 
qualities, however, of the S. C. White Leghorns 
have been recognized in the State of New Jersey, 
where a survey was recently made of 150 poultry 
farms, and of the 122,000 laying hens found on these 
farms, 118.000 of them were S. C. White Leghorns. 
VIGOR OF CONSTITUTION. — Constitutional 
vigor is the next thing to consider. Without a strong, 
vigorous constitution, a bird, either male or female. 
A Quarter of a Mile of Leghorns on a Chenango Co., X. Vann. Fig. It'll. (See Page l'tS.’t) 
in harmony if smooth running is expected. This 
article, however, will deal only with breeding and 
selection, which are so closely correlated that 1 will 
not try to treat them separately, but rather as a 
unit, not attempting to solve any of the perplexing 
problems which have been left unsolved by Darwin. 
Mendel and Davenport. 
DIFFERENCES IN VALUE.—To my mind it is 
certainly strange to see how many people seem to 
think that “a chicken is a chicken” and do not con¬ 
sider the breeding or individual character of the 
birds which are purchased for laying and breeding 
purposes. As a rule, price is the chief factor con¬ 
sidered, and quality and breeding come as a sort of 
second consideration. The egg-laying contests prove 
the folly of this attitude beyond any question, as 
the different pens, kept under identical conditions, 
produce widely varying results. This difference can 
stock from absolutely reliable breeders, instead of 
buying poor stock at slightly lower prices. 
BREEDING FOR SIZE.—The first thing to con¬ 
sider iu selecting our breeders i- size and general 
characteristics of the variety, such as shape and 
color, which must conform in a general way to the 
recognized standard set for the breed. With White 
Leghorns, which I breed exclusively, 1 want the 
males to weigh 6 lbs. or more when mature, and the 
females from MV. to 4V. lbs. each. The reason I 
breed for size is because there has been too little at¬ 
tention paid to this point by the majority of breeders 
all over the country, which has resulted in giving 
the Leghorns a had reputation a> a table fowl, while 
the truth is that the large Leghorns make first-clas*- 
broilers when six to 12 weeks of age, and there is a 
good demand for mature fouls at prices but little 
lower than are offered for the heavy breeds, while 
cannot be expected to reproduce this quality in its 
progeny. In selecting for vigor we must understand 
the fact that a hen may he strong and vigorous, yet 
she can be a very poor layer: but she cannot be an 
extra good layer without the strength and vigor 
necessary to keep her vital organs in proper work¬ 
ing condition. 8o f-trength and vigor are absolutely 
necessary to, although not an indication of produc¬ 
tion. This can be illustrated with a big, strong, vig¬ 
orous Hereford cow, which may not give milk 
enough to feed her own calf, because she ha- been 
bred for beef instead of milk production. 
CONFORMATION.—The next point to Consider is 
conformation. There is just as much difference be¬ 
tween the conformation of laying liens and those 
bred for meat production as there is between a Jer¬ 
sey cow of the dairy type and a Durham or Angus 
of the beef t> pc. Their functions are entirely dif- 
