Feb. 15, 1912 



— say lay enough eggs to pay for the feed 

 they require. Let me digress a little. 



Some time ago I thought I had discover- 

 ed a way of getting more pullets and fewer 

 males by crossing the Leghorns and Butter- 

 cups. If the mothers were all white, the 

 most of the chicks would take after their 

 white mothers, because the Leghorns are a 

 much older and better-fixed type than the 

 new Buttercups. Well, I still think there 

 is sofnething in it, and now I have about 40 

 pullets of this cross, and these forty are just 

 now giving me twice as many eggs as the 

 remaining forty. Now, in this flock of forty 

 there are almost all colors imaginable. 

 There are at least a full dozen hens as black 

 as any Minorca, and there are {in looks) 

 blue Andalusians, Brown Leghorns, and, in 

 fact, fair types of a dozen different breeds. 

 It is one of these crosses that lays eggs while 

 she is sitting; and if some of you experts 

 would take the pains to develop this trait 

 that you do in "breeding to a feather," for 

 instance, you would be doing more real good 

 for coming generations. My theory is that 

 crossing an old and established breed in this 

 way not only tends to throw out a multitude 

 of sports in color, but fowls that have queer 

 and eccentric ways and habits, as I have 

 outlined above. 



"new discoveries," etc. 

 We are pleased to note that at least one 

 poultry journal is taking note of our poultry 

 department. See the following, which we 

 clip from the (great big) Reliable Poultry 

 Journal for January. It really is a beauti- 

 ful large monthly, and contains a vast deal 

 of information. 



We are kept busy these days reading: about the 

 wonderful new "discoveries" in poultrydom. A 

 writer in (iLEANiNGS has "discovered'" that all 

 hens lay " two eggs and slvlp a day. two more and 

 skip another day, laying the eggs 30 minutes later 

 each day." Another writer has " discovered " the 

 best and cheapest food for laying hens. He secures 

 from his local butcher the " lungs and lights of fat 

 animals, which are placed in an out-building and 

 there left undisturbed for a few days. Flies of many 

 kinds are attracted, and deposit their eggs. When 

 hatched the worms proceed to devour the meat, 

 and to get fat. When thoroughl.y ripe I mix the 

 mass with bran, which removes much of its offen- 

 sive nature, and allows it to be handled easiLv." 

 These "discoveries" are given and favorably com- 

 mented upon by earnest men! And it was found 

 in a publication which takes pride in its claim as a 

 truthful and highly decent journal. 



Our readers will notice the above are not 

 strict quotations, neither did the editor say 

 my " discoveries " are usually given in a 

 vein of jjleasantry; but we can forgive it, 

 even with his implied sarcasm, for he prob- 

 ably felt a little sore over my criticism in 

 regard to advertising in the reading-pages — 

 see p. 678, Nov. 1. 



In regard to the larvae of house-flies and 

 other insects as food for poultry, there has 

 been some discussion. As this is the prin- 

 cipal incentive to chickens scratching over 

 manure-piles and around stables, I can 

 hardly think rearing larvae to supply the 

 meat ration objectionable. Miner's domes- 

 tic poultry-book, published 60 years ago, de- 

 scribed and urged it very strongly. And 



now I am sure I shall please the " Reliable " 

 man still more by giving the world another 

 " great discovery. " 



HOW TO MAKE INDIAN RUNNER DUCKS LAY 

 LARGE EGGS EVERY DAY IN THE YEAR. 



It is very simple and easy. Give them a 

 big panful of corn at night, and let them 

 help themselves to it all night long and un- 

 til they have all laid an egg in the morning. 

 Ours u.sually have their eggs all laid by day- 

 light, and then they are let out into the 

 canal, where they forage until they come 

 home at night for their pan of corn once 

 more. This is a remedy, too, for small and 

 medium-sized eggs. "He that soweth spar- 

 ingly shall reap sparingly " applies to get- 

 ting ducks' eggs as well as to almost every 

 thing else. If your ducks are laying small 

 eggs a part of the time it is just because you 

 are not giving them the needed good strong 

 food to get up a nice "corn- fed" egg every 

 day. The new ducks are really capable of 

 doing wonderful work in the line of egg-lay- 

 ing, but to perform these great feats they 

 must have good material in great plenty. 

 The reason why I lay so much stress on corn 

 is that ours seem to prefer it to any thing 

 else. Of course, they get an abundant sup- 

 ply of green stuff and animal food along the 

 canal, where they spend the greater part of 

 the time during daylight. The following, 

 m regard to these ducks, I clip from the 

 Jacksonville Times Union: 



Keep a large low dish of shell, grit, and charcoal 

 (one of each) before them all the time. You will be 

 surprised at the amount they will eat. Grain is 

 not a good feed for ducks as a steady diet, but we 

 giv_e ours some whole corn or wheat once in a while, 

 and they seem to enjoy it for a change. Whether 

 It IS necessary or not, we are undecided. If any 

 thing, we would consider it unnecessary: but it 

 makes a quick way to feed, and we generally give 

 It to them on Sunday nights, as that is our lazy day. 



There is a certain prejudice among some people 

 against duck eggs, probably because some ducks 

 are fed on foul food; but I can assure you that, if 

 the ducks are fed as I advise, the eggs will be as 

 sweet and wholesome as hen eggs. This is especial- 

 ly true of Indian Runner eggs. Their eggs should 

 be perfectly white, and ducks laying green-tinted 

 eggs should not be used as breeders. We do not 

 have any trouble on this score now. as ours all lay 

 white eggs. One of our local breeders finding that 

 the grocer who was buying his eggs did not want 

 duck eggs started selling to another grocer, and 

 put all of his small duck- eggs right in the crate with 

 his chicken eges, and no one was the wiser. He 

 only took the pains not to put in any eggs that were 

 large enough to arouse su.spicion, which only 

 proves that, if people only knew, they would de- 

 mand duck eggs in preference to hen fruit. It is a 

 perfectly harmless fraud, and one that benefits the 

 buyer. 



As the muddy season is coming on, and we all 

 know that ducks are apt to lay their eggs around 

 anywhere, we are trying with fair success to teach 

 ours to lay in nests. Try it for yourself: and even if 

 only half of them lay in the nests it makes just that 

 many less eggs to wash. 



UNEEDA BISCUIT AND THE CHICKEN BUSI- 

 NESS. 



Now, you need not jump to the conclusion 

 that I am going to advise these crackers as 

 a cheap chicken feed— nothing of the kind, 

 although I think they mi-^ht be just the 

 thing, and perhaps just the best thing crum- 

 bled in milk, say, for "day-old chicks," and 

 perhajis for ihe flrst week; but what I have 



