270 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



evident that when the hen is laying a large number of eggs we 

 must study all sides of the problem. The vitality of the hen, the 

 digestibility of the foodstuff, and to the furnishing to the hen every- 

 thing needed to produce the egg and to maintain the vigor of the 

 fowl. When we neglect these things we cannot hope to realize 

 on the possibilities of the race to the extent we should. I am in- 

 clined to the opinion that the absence of shell material is limiting 

 the egg yield of many farm flocks. I have observed hens trying 

 to pick the mortar from the barn foundation in a desperate effort 

 to get a bit of carbonate of lime for shell making. It would be 

 interesting and profitable to follow some of these problems more 

 in detail but time fails me. It is only by working out the details 

 as each individual finds them that great success is assured. 



SOME EEASONS FOR POOR HATCHES 



By W. THEO. WITTMAN, AUentown, Pa. 



Being the last speaker for the afternoon and the hour growing 

 late an endeavor will be made to greatly curtail this address, aim- 

 ing to touch only the most Important or vital points and then lightly 

 or briefly. 



The audience will notice that my topic even originally had in mind 

 only touching on "some" of the reasons for poor hatches. It would 

 be utterly impossible in one address to cover all the reasons why 

 eggs hatch poorly or not at all, so intimately is this process of re- 

 production in the chicken interwoven with the arts of breeding, 

 feeding and keeping. For popular opinion to the contrary, suc- 

 cessful poultry craft involves a multitude of details and knowledge, 

 which must be mastered and studied ere we can expect anything 

 like uniform success or a clear understanding of the many principles 

 iavolved. 



Hence it follows that usually to attain any success with poultry, 

 it is necessary to be an enthusiast and have what might be termed 

 "a poultry knack." From this I w^ould not wish anyone to gain 

 the impression though that not a great many more farmers might 

 not take a greater interest in poultry and it is one of my regrets 

 this afternoon as I stand here before you that I lack the personality 

 and oratorical powers to present this poultry problem to you in 

 such a way as to more thoroughly arouse your interest and enthu- 

 siasm. Because I am very sincere in my belief that perhaps as 

 many as six in every one hundred farms we have in Pennsylvania 

 could be devoted largely in part or as a whole, to poultry raising 

 and egg production, thus adding many millions of dollars to the 

 annual poultry products of the Commonwealth and to the income 

 accruing to its farmers. For after all when all is said and done 

 whether in speaking of large intensive poultry plants or so-called 

 ''systems" for the village and city poultry keeper, the farm is, and 



