62 Poultry that Pay a Profit. 



A building 12x60 feet will give plenty of room for 100 

 hens, divided into three flocks, and need not cost over $75. 

 The yards should be long for ease in plowing, and a row of 

 plum trees down the center will furnish shade and the finest 

 fruit. The yards are plowed up to loosen the soil for the hens, 

 to cultivate the trees and to keep the places clean. Prepara- 

 tions are being made to build more houses, and the flocks will 

 be increased to 1,000, and what the business will become only 

 time will reveal. 



BREEDING LAYING LEGHORNS. 



In response to many questions regarding his method of 

 selecting breeding and feeding his hens in order to increase 

 their productiveness, Mr. Wyckoff has prepared the following 

 statement : 



The subject of improving the laying qualities of hens is one 

 that, in my opinion, has received but little attention up to the 

 present time, considering the number of people who are more 

 or less employed in keeping poultry. Why this is so I can not 

 understand, unless it is because nearly all who have interested 

 themselves in the improvement of poultry in the past, have 

 directed their energies principally from the fancier's stand- 

 point, simply breeding for uniformity of form, color, and gen- 

 eral markings as laid down in the Standard of Excellence for 

 the various breeds. 



While I have been more or less interested in the keeping of 

 poultry since a boy, it was not until about ten years ago that 

 the opportunity was offered for me to begin keeping hens es- 

 pecially for the production of eggs for market. Then almost 

 the first thing that attracted my attention in connection with 

 the business was the fact that some of my hens were naturally 

 far better layers than others, when all were of the same breed, 

 and all received the same general feed, care and management. 

 I at once attempted ta profit by the observation, and selected 

 the best layers to breed from. After trying several breeds 

 and crosses, I settled down to the single-comb White Leghorn 



