234 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



9-10 EDWARD VII., A. 1910 



House No. 2 contained spare cockerels for breeding purposes, also a pen of Black 

 Hamburg hens and three pens of White Leghorns. 



Male. Females. 



House No. 3, pen 20 — Light Brahmas 1 4 



" " 2^^— Mixed 1 11 



" " 25— White Leghorns 1 7 



" " 26— White Plymouth Rocks 1 10 



« " 27— S. G. Dorkings 1 11 



Cotton front house No. 32, without scratch-shed and unheated. — Contained 1 

 cockerel; 7 pullets and 13 hens, Buii Orpingtons. 



No. 1 Double house with scratch-shed, unheated. — Containing pens 33 and 34. 

 In pen 33, were 1 cockerel and 24 hens. Barred Plymouth Rocks. In pen 34, were 

 1 cock and 22 hens. White Wyandottes. 



No. 2 Double house, unheated. — Containing pens 35 and 36, with scratch-shed of 

 cotton. Pen 35 held 1 cockerel and 20 pullets, Barred Plymouth Rocks. Pen 36 con- 

 tained White Wyandottes : 1 cockerel and 17 pullets. For full description of this 

 house, see Bulletin No. 54, figure 44. 



Many of these birds had laid well during the previous winter, and continued to 

 do so, while others commenced only on the approach of spring weather. The records, 

 which in all cases were secured by the use of trap-nests, are published in the tables 

 following. 



EGGS SOLD FOR HATCHING PURPOSES. 



As usual, in the spring there was a greater demand for eggs for hatching purposes 

 than could be supplied. The eggs, which were sold at one dollar per setting, were 

 carefully packed in small boxes designed for safe carriage. The purchaser paid 

 express charges. In most cases the eggs arrived in ,good order. One hundred and 

 eighty-four settings of eggs were sold during the season. 



HATCHINQ OF CHICKENS BY NATURiVL AND BY ARTIFICIAL MEANS. 



As in previous years, chickens were hatched by both natural and artificial means. 

 The results corroborated those of many previous years, and showed that when the 

 germs of the eggs are weak neither hens nor incubators will satisfactorily hatch them 

 out. It has been said by unthinking enthusiasts, in favour of natural means, that a 

 hen will hatch out a weak germ that an incubator will not. Experience gained by the 

 writer, in many years of careful investigation, leads to the conclusion that one of the 

 greatest drawbacks to successful poultry-keeping is breeding from constitutionally 

 unsound parent stock. If the incubator does nothing else than kill weak germs, it is 

 indispensable to the best interests of up-to-date poultry-keeping. 



i 



IMMATURE SPECIMENS SHOULD NOT BE BRED FROM. 



There is reason to conclude that injurious, rather than beneficial, resvilts follow 

 the too common practice of breeding from pullets, and that still more hurt is done 

 when young cockerels are mated with them. Pullets and cockerels are immature 

 specimens, and as such should not be placed in a breeding pen. Those who desire the 

 best and earliest layers and the meatiost cockerels for early market, should breed only 

 from well-matured and vigorous specimens. 



WEAK OFFSPRING THE RESULT OF WEAK BREEDING STOCK. 



It is safe to express the opinion that, if more attention were given by poultry 

 keepers throughout the country to the proper housing and feeding of their poultry 



