THEORY AND PRACTICE. 251 



looking breed in the yard, though magnificent in the 

 pictures ; and yet the whole world of American poultry 

 people seem to be going daft over it, probably because 

 it is so well advertised. It is pretty near a crime to ad- 

 mit these mongrel breeds, if they may be so called, to 

 "the standard," and give them the approval of the 

 united poultry breeders of this country. We have now 

 breeds enough, unless somebody will get up a breed of 

 fowls that will lay buff eggs, and will not sit. That 

 would be both novel and useful. It would be better for 

 poultry fanciers to try to improve the breeds we now 

 have, and to learn by experimenting how to best use 

 them in crosses. 



A WOMAN'S POULTRY KEEPING. 



Poultry are never better cared for than when under the 

 charge of women, especially during the hatching and 

 brooding season. The following letter is full of common- 

 sense hints: 



Farmers do not appreciate chickens at near their full 

 value. In fact, they are frequently grumbling about 

 them for one reason or another, though they are very 

 fond of fresh eggs, the cakes and puddings that require 

 eggs in their composition, or a pair of fine roast fowl on 

 their table once a week at least. I think that chickens 

 I keep no other kind of poultry now pay more, in 

 proportion to their cost, than anything on a farm. I 

 have received many compliments from local buyers on 

 the fine quality of my fowls, but they will not give me one 

 cent more per pound than they do for an inferior lot. 

 The farmers get more for the best-fed fowls in the large 

 cities to which they ship their poultry. I have only a 

 rough board hen-house, twelve by sixteen feet, with strips 

 of clap-boards over the cracks to keep the wind out. A 



