112 The Business Hen. 



any point get a male strong in that point to breed them to. But do not 

 sacrifice vigor and health to fancy or fads; leave that to the showman. 

 Don't try to keep more than one breed ; you won't know all there is to know 

 about that in 20 years. It is more profitable to be known as a good breeder 

 of White Leghorns, Wyandottes or Plymouth Rocks than it is to be able 

 to advertise one hundred different varieties of poultry for sale. 



There is plenty of money in poultry if managed in a business-like 

 manner. A dairyman would not keep Holstein cows for a fancy butter 

 trade, nor would he expect to get rich from selling Jersey milk, although 

 there are good butter cows and good milkers in both breeds. So a 

 poultryman should keep the breed that is adapted to his business ; the 

 heavy breeds for market poultry and the lighter more active breeds 

 for eggs. You will have hens in any breed that do not pay their board, 

 and these must be weeded out and got rid of by the "ax process." It is a 

 nice business to pick them out, and many a fine hen has been sacrificed 

 because she was in such a ragged and generally dilapidated condition, 

 due to her persistent laying. One trouble with scrubs is the lack of type 

 and the extreme difficulty of culling out the unprofitable birds. We 

 have all seen where good breeds that have been bred for years true to 

 type were crossed. The result was a reversion and any old thing. Get 

 purebred stock ; keep it pure ; strive to improve your strain constantly, 

 and you will have a greater pride in your flock and give them better 

 care, which after all is the secret of success in the poultry business. 

 Who ever heard of a poultry man with some fine purebred hens allowincr 

 them to roo.st on the rail fence or over the pigpen? Take care of the 

 hens and they will take care of you. 



"PEDIGREE" HENS.— The "trap nests" mentioned on page 14 are 

 not popular with most poultrymen, as they require much time and close 

 attention. There is no doubt, however, that they can pick out the drones, 

 if they are operated carefully. At the Maine Experiment Station over 

 1,000 hens were tested. Out of this large number 35 hens were found that 

 gave from 200 to 251 eggs in a year. There were several that laid only 

 36 to 60 eggs and three never laid at all. These hens were all selectea 

 because they looked like layers in shape and size, but the trap nests showed 

 that the eye cannot be relied upon entirely. It has also been found that 

 hens vary in their laying habits, some laying regularly month after month, 

 while others lay well for a time and then take a vacation. These variations 

 will be shown even when all are selected close to a "type." 



