12 The Business Hen. 



whitewash, add a little carbolic acid to it, and smear the whole inside over. 

 An old house is alive with lice, and you should kill them all before you 

 force a hen to stay there. Before cold weather comes make that house 

 tight. Either tack paper all around inside or put up lath or wire and stuff 

 in straw. Keep drafts away from the hens. Study what is said about 

 house building and feeding, and come as near to it as you can. The chief 

 object of this book is to show how others have succeeded with hens. The 

 scrub grows into the true Business Hen by the application of business 

 principles which mean work, care and patience. You must work these 

 general rules out to suit your own case. Do not be satisfied with the scrub 

 that lays 50 eggs, but give her children the breeding and care that will 

 make them lay 150 eggs. 



The history of one of our best American breeds, the Rhode Island 

 Red, will show a farmer what an ordinary hen may come to if well handled. 

 By carefully selecting his best hens and crossing them with an Asiatic 

 breed, a Rhode Island farmer obtained a class of poultry which became 

 noted for egg production and meat value. Others took up the hens, and 

 from them developed the Rhode Island Reds, which are considered by 

 many as strong rivals of the Wyandottes. The breed has not yet been 

 ' fixed" — that is, specimens will not breed as true in color or habits as 

 a breed like the Plymouth Rock. Its future will depend upon the breeders 

 who perfect it. If they favor large egg production, they will select hens 

 with that object in view and thus we shall have a smaller and more active 

 bird than the Light Brahma or even the Plymouth Rock. We speak of this 

 to show how a breeder may control the character of his poultry. 



Another thing connected with improvement of the scrub hen is the 

 moral or civilizing effect it will have upon the family. The effect upon 

 any household of changing a lot of neglected mongrels into a flock of 

 handsome and uniform hens cannot help being beneficial. It will create 

 a new interest in farming and lead to efforts to improve the larger stock 

 on the farm. If some bright boy can be put in charge of the work and 

 given a fair chance to develop the hens you will begin to train a good far- 

 mer while improving the flock. On some farms the boy often has a colt 

 or a calf or pig to call his own, though he does not always get the money 

 for it. For many reasons a good flock of poultry would be much better 

 for him, and it would be hard to think of any better training for such a 

 boy than the patience and skill required to turn a scrub into a "Business 

 Hen." 



