4 THE HOME POULTRY BOOK 
should make it a point to buy his breeders from a 
man who has a flock of hens known to be good lay- 
ers. It is the strain and not the breed that counts. 
Two men with adjoining plants may keep fowls of 
the same breed and yet one may get twice as many 
eggs as the other. He is the man who has selected 
his best laying hens year after year to breed from 
and so has perfected a prolific strain. The begin- 
ner who can get breeding stock from such a man 
will be fortunate. If he must, however, he can buy 
his birds at a poultry store in the city, but it will be 
the part of wisdom for him to admit his lack of 
expert knowledge and take an experienced poultry- 
loving friend along with him when he makes his 
choice. If he is able to buy his stock of a poultry 
keeper near home, he may not need to pay more 
than a dollar a head. Perhaps he will have to 
pay two dollars. If he seeks really fancy stock he 
will go to a professional breeder and pay according 
to his inclinations and the length of his purse. 
When a start is made after the first of March 
and up to the middle of May, eggs for hatching may 
be purchased. More amateurs begin in this way 
than in any other. The eggs will cost from one 
dollar a setting up. In the country, it is often pos- 
