PROBLEM OF HIGHER FECUNDITY 



113 



ovarium of a fowl is composed of 600 ovula or eggs ; there- 

 fore a hen during the whole of her life cannot possibly lay 

 more eggs than 600, which in a natural course are distribu- 

 ted over nine years in the following proportion.*' 



This has been abundantly disproved by trapnest records. 

 At the Utah station, prior to 1905, a number of egg records 



B42 CROSS-BRED HEN, LEG- 



HORN BLOOD PREDOMI- 



NATING 



A60 CROSS-BRED HEN, H LEGHORN 

 AND y PLYMOUTH ROCK 



Laid 834 eggs in four years at 

 Oregon Station. A world's record 

 for four years. First year, 228 816 eggs in four years and 958 eggs in 

 eggs; second year, 250 eggs; third five years. 



year, 184 eggs; fourth year, 172 

 eggs. 



were secured exceeding the 600-egg limit in less than four 

 years of laying. (Bulletin 92, by the writer.) Since then 

 one hen has laid 816 eggs in five years. At the Oregon sta- 

 tion the writer has secured many records exceeding 600 

 eggs. ( In one case 664 eggs were laid in three years, and 

 819 in four years by the same hen. In her fifth year she 

 reached a total of 987 eggs. At the beginning of her sixth 

 year she passed the 1,000-egg mark. Another laid 958 in five 



