172 Bureau of Farmers' Institutes. 



dozen can be kept for pleasure and the production of a few fresh 

 eggs for family use. Their eggs are prized highly for children 

 and invalids. If comfortably housed and properly fed they will 

 about as many eggs as other fowl. If kindly treated they 

 will become as tame as a cat or a dog. They eat so little that the 

 eg^'s they do produce are about all profit, and they are beautiful 

 for table use, either to boil or fry, at any age. 



Mr. Davenport. — Three questions in one. The Buff and 

 Black Cochins seem to us to be favorites as they are very quiet, 

 not easily scared, great pets, good layers and good mothers. The 

 chicks are easily raised and are always in good demand. They 

 sell well and many fanciers say there is double the money in them 

 there is in the larger fowl. This is certainly so where space is 

 limited. iSTot long since we saw 15 of these little birds kept on 

 a space of 8x15 and their coop was 2^x3, 20 inches high at back 

 and two feet in front. 



Question. — Why is it that there are not more farmers raising 

 thorough-bred poultry ? 



Mr. Davenport. — This is a hard question to answer. Our 

 idea is that it costs too much to get stock to start with and 

 they do not seem to understand that they can raise thoroughbred 

 stock just as easy and just as cheap as they can common stock. 

 Then the most of the farmers think that the time spent in taking 

 cure of the poultry is so much time wasted or thrown away, and 

 if you ask a farmer why he does not put in thoroughbred stock, he 

 will tell you it costs too much to buy the eggs and he cannot spare 

 the time to fool with them. 



Question. — Which is the best way to introduce new blood into 

 a flock : to buy a pure bred male, a female, or eggs ? 



Mr. McGrew. — Much depends upon the result you desire to 

 bring about. If you simply desire the new blood to strengthen and 

 build up vigor and egg production, this can be accomplished most 

 satisfactorily by introducing strong healthy males into your flock. 

 If it is your wish to improve or give new blood to a fine strain of 

 thoroughbred fowl that you have bred in line for some time, intro- 

 duce the new blood through the best female you can secure. 

 Either or both of these methods can be followed a year later with 

 the outcome of eggs purchased the year before, providing you are 

 sure the eggs are from good stock and the chicks from them are fine 

 individually. Two points must be kept in sight: Always demand 

 sterling individuality; to this must be added high-class breeding. 

 The good breeding is lost upon a poor specimen ; but the grand 



