usually the success attained is greater, and the general conditions are 

 better. A flock of seventy-five and upwards is usually regarded as a 

 commercial enterprise, and of sufficient importance to warrant the neces- 

 sary time to give it what, in the farmer's estimation, is proper care. 

 Ordinarily small flocks do not receive this attention. They are maintained 

 principally for the convenience of the home, to supply it with eggs and 

 fowl. If there is a surplus, it is sold in any convenient way; perhaps 

 given to the local grocer in trade for groceries and other household neces- 

 sities, or if sold for cash to a travelling huckster, the housewife is gener- 

 ously awarded the proceeds. 



It is generally accepted that in order to manage a farm economically, 

 there should be some provision made for poultry. And since it is also 

 accepted that poultry may be made one of the most profitable, if not the 

 most profitable department of the farm, it stands to reason that the flock 

 should be of a commercial size. For these and other obvious reasons, a 

 farmer should keep a flock of not less than one hundred hens. 



Age to Which Hens are Kept. 

 In a large number of instances no system of selling oflf hens which have 

 outHved their usefulness as layers, is practised. It is common knowledge 

 among good poultrymen that a hen becomes less useful as an egg pro- 

 ducer as she grows older. Mr. F. C. Elford, in his recent publication 

 entitled " Farm Poultry," says : " Many such experiences have gone to 

 prove that as each year a hen grows older her egg-laying ability decreases 

 25 per cent." Flocks containing a large proportion of hens, three to five 

 years old, are quite common, and on many farms some hens are kept as 

 long as they will Hve. For ordinary farm purposes hens older than two 

 years should not be retained. A good plan is to leg-band all pullets. 

 Place the bands on the left leg one year and on the right leg the following 

 year, and so on, alternating each year. In this way there will be no 

 difficulty in identifying the older fowl. 



Table No. 3. — Showing How Flocks are Bred on 448 Ontario 



County Farms. 



Pure Bred Flocks 



Breed 



Barred Plymouth Rock . 



White Wyandotte 



White Leghorn 



Silver Grey Dorking 



Silver Laced Wyandotte 

 Buff Orpington 



Total. 



No. of 

 farms 



53 

 6 

 5 

 3 

 2 

 1 



70 



Percent, 

 of total 



11.8 



1.3 



1.1 



.7 



.4 



.2 



15.5 



Crossbred and Mongrel Flocks 



Breed predominating 



Barred Plymouth Rock . 



Black Minorca 



White Leghorn 



Rhode Island Red 



Brown Leghorn 



White Wyandotte 



Buff Orpington 



Black Spanish 



Silver Grey Dorking. . . . 



Houdan 



SilverSpangledHamburg 



White Rock 



Ancona 



Total 



No. of 

 farms 



207 



44 



32 



26 



22 



19 



8 



5 



4 



4 



3 



3 



1 



Percent, 

 of total 



46.2 



9.8 



7.1 



5.8 



4.9 



4.2 



1.8 



1.1 



.9 



.9 



.7 



.7 



.2 



378 



84.3 



