24 POULTRY FOR PROFIT 



industry. Too many flocks in times past have been 

 managed on the principle that "chickens is chickens," 

 a most mistaken idea. Chickens, like cows, are pro- 

 ducers or they are nothing. 



In planning for the production of eggs, the merits 

 and demerits of the different classes of fowls must be 

 carefully weighed. The Mediterraneans will produce 

 more eggs, but the heavy breeds produce more meat. 

 It is also possible by careful selection to increase the 

 production of the heavy breeds until they are almost 

 equal to the lighter. Some of the best layers in 

 recent egg-laying contests have been Rocks, Wyan- 

 dottes, Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds and Lang- 

 shans. On the other hand, the frequent broodiness 

 of the heavy breeds is a trial, but this can be bred 

 out to a large extent. If there is any difference at 

 all in quality of eggs, it is in favor of the heavier 

 breeds, which usually lay an egg with a more solid 

 shell and a firmer and better colored yolk. 



I believe we shall see in the next few years, as 

 prices of beef rise higher and higher, an increasing 

 recognition of the economic importance of the 

 heavier breeds. 



