CHAPTER "A" 



THE VALUE OF THIS BOOK. 



The world is full of people who are not willing to give credit where 

 credit is due. The American Poultry School, as publishers of this 

 book, wish to say that no one man has done as much to aid the poul- 

 trymen of the world in culling out their drones and nonproducing hens 

 as has Walter Hogan, who first discovered this system. 



Seven years ago, when this School first started to advocate this 

 system, the agricultural colleges and Government authorities made 

 sport of the thought that anything could be told about the productive 

 ability of a hen by her external characteristics. Too many scientists 

 are not willing to give credit unless they themselves are at least parti- 

 ally responsible for the discovery. At that time poultry journal editors 

 and poultry writers and contributors ridiculed any method of selection 

 by examination of external characteristics. These same authorities 

 and writers looked upon anyone with suspicion who made the state- 

 ment that he or she had a hen with a record of more than 200 eggs. 

 But in these seven years we have noted a wonderful change. All Gov- 

 ernment and State Institutions have been making tests, culling flocks 

 and putting on demonstrations where the methods recommended in 

 this book were always used, in whole or in part, in culling all flocks. 

 Some new ideas are being developed from time to time and there is 

 no system that is perfect. But to this School and this book is due 

 the credit for starting all this agitation which has resulted in a definite 

 system of culling and selection being universally used and adopted. 



Some breeders hesitate to sell their stock and subject it to this 

 sort of a test, because the per cent of birds that would come up to the 

 high standard which we all want is comparatively small. Some people 

 who apply this test, condemn it because they do not know how to use 

 it. Others say it did not work in their case, but upon examination 

 we find that they used it only in part. 



In applying this test no one characteristic can be depended upon 

 to indicate the true value of the bird being tested. You must take 

 into consideration the vitality and general health of the fowl. It 

 should have a bright, prominent eye that extends out from its head, 

 apparently, and the eyelid should not be heavy and overhanging. 



The bird should be a late moulter. It should be broad across the 

 back and the width should extend well back toward the tail. The 

 length of the ribs, or the depth of the bird up and down, should be 

 as great as you can get it in the individual. 



In the good layer the vent will be moist and large; in the poor 

 layer it will be dry and puckered. The pelvic bones should be reason- 

 ably thin and straight, but I would not select birds for breeders where 

 the pelvic bones are too thin unless the other bones of the body seem 

 to be sufficiently large to insure the bird's strength and vitality. Select 

 birds with as much width between the pelvic bones as possible. 



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