76 VERMONT AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



How often do we pick up an egg in the winter with the shell so brittle 

 that it won't stand shipping? Sometimes you find an egg with nothing 

 but tissue — no shell at all. What is the matter with that hen? The shell 

 is composed of lime, and it is a mighty drain on the hen's system, laying 

 an egg every other day, to produce the shell; they must have lime 

 enough to cover the egg with a shell. Clover is rich in protein and it is 

 rich in lime, but, in addition to this, we slack a little lime and put it into 

 the shell-box, and the hens will go there if they require it; and you will 

 be surprised, if you try it, at the difference in the results. What is the 

 result of this kind of food? We will break an egg in a saucer and see. 

 The white of the egg is thick, heavy; it is attractive, nutritious; the yel- 

 low of the egg is the golden hue that was desired, and the shell is firm 

 and strong and will stand shipment. There is the perfect egg, just 

 brought about by thinking the matter over carefully and feeding intelli- 

 gently. 



In this way, you see the business becomes more profitable to us. Fur- 

 thermore, it is just as essential for us to breed hens of the laying type, 

 if we are going into the business, as it is for the dairyman to have a cow 

 of the milk type if he wants her for milk purposes. 



Now, as to the laying powers of the hen. I visited Professor Gowell, 

 who told me that it took him fourteen years to develop the laying 

 functions of the hen so that he produced 241 eggs per hen. He has 

 hens right there of the same breed that laid only forty eggs per hen 

 during the same year, and some hens were barren. I there studied the 

 type of the hens; I noticed their characteristics. They were very per- 

 ceptible. You could see it at once in their general make up. 



The best investment that we ever made in the poultry business was 

 when we purchased our foundation stock. We bought thirty hens and 

 three cockerels from Mr. Wyckoff. It took him about twelve years to 

 develop the laying functions so that he got 197 eggs per hen from 600 

 hens. I have already passed the meridian of life, age is crawling on, 

 and life is so short that I wanted to begin where Mr. Wyckoff left off, 

 and I was willing to pay him for the knowledge he had in the business. 

 So our foundation stock was up to snuff. They are very intelligent, as 

 well as very strong; they are the fashionable styles, up to date in every 

 respect. I brought them home, and for eight years we have been fur- 

 ther developing the laying functions of that stock. 



You see, what you want is to select a hen something of a wedge shape, 

 a little long over the back, and deep through the heart; that gives plenty 

 of room for the ovaries, and that insures heavy egg production. We 

 are studying it very closely, and last year we had 950 hens in one house 

 that produced us 201 eggs per hen. But, we are not satisfied with that. 

 W r e want to increase the egg production still further. But, don't you 

 see, just as soon as the hen puts on fat it dwarfs her egg production. 

 When a dairy cow puts on fat it dwarfs her milk production. Just upon 

 the same plan. There is the difference between success and failure in 

 the business. I will tell you how we do. About the middle of August 



