Profits in poultry : useful and ornamental breeds and their profitable management . urcommon mixed sheep, which are regular breeders, goodmothers, and have plenty of milk, are crossed with purerams of one of the established breeds. If size is wanted,with long wool, the Cotswold is perhaps employed; if thewool is to be improved in fineness without so muchreference to the mutton, one of the Merino breeds willbe selected; while if early lambs of fine quality are de-sired, one of the Down breeds is chosen by the is precisely the course which should be followed bvfanners in poultry rais
Profits in poultry : useful and ornamental breeds and their profitable management . urcommon mixed sheep, which are regular breeders, goodmothers, and have plenty of milk, are crossed with purerams of one of the established breeds. If size is wanted,with long wool, the Cotswold is perhaps employed; if thewool is to be improved in fineness without so muchreference to the mutton, one of the Merino breeds willbe selected; while if early lambs of fine quality are de-sired, one of the Down breeds is chosen by the is precisely the course which should be followed bvfanners in poultry raising. The advanta^fe of grading 2oi PEOFITS IK POULTEJ. np common poultry is, however, not so profitable inmost cases as cross-breeding. This is, properly, the in-terbreeding of two pure varieties. We have, however,usually no pure breed of fowls upon the farm, and ofcourse wish to utilize those which we have. Therefore,the first thing to do is to grade up the flock. After twoor three years, when they have the looks and qualitiesof pure-breds, the hens may be crossed with cocks oi. FIG. 99. CROSS-BRED GEESE (Wild Gray and African). ttnother breed, and then most of the advantages of cross-breeding will be realized. In this use of pure-bred cockswhich we recommend, no male bird should run with thesame flock more than two years. If he is healthy andvigorous, pnd his progeny of the first year take stronglyafter him, in form as well as feather, he may well bekept the second year to run with pullets of his own three years the blood of the original flock will be BBEEDINQ AND CKOSS-BREEDING. 255 reduced to one-eighth; after four years to may have a flock of hens wliich have been carelesslybred, and into which no fresh blood has been introducedfor years. They are small, hardy, active, fair layers,good sitters and mothers, and get their own living allsummer—but the garden suffers. How can the flock beimproved ? This, we conceive, is the question whichmay be pu
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