6 THE CALL OF THE HEN. 



For a half century the fanciers and poultrymen generally have 

 devoted their attention to the showroom in the development of shape 

 and color. No opportunity has been offered or anything specially 

 done to encourage the farmer and poultryman to develop the natural 

 resources of the hen her ability to lay eggs. A few of our best experi- 

 ment stations have made some investigations along this line and done 

 some very valuable work indeed. Here and there an occasional poultry- 

 breeder has given some thought and attention to breeding for egg-pro- 

 duction; but certainly, as a whole, the attention of breeders generally 

 has not been along this line, and it seems that this important matter has 

 been too much neglected. 



Haphazard methods of mating and breeding don't pay, and in- 

 discriminate methods cannot prove successful in building up a flock of 

 laying hens. There never was a time in the history of this country 

 when poultry and eggs were in greater demand; the price at which 

 poultry and eggs sell has increased much more in proportion than has 

 the price of feeds necessary to produce these products ; but because the 

 industry is flourishing today more than ever before does not justify 

 us in continuing indiscriminate or foolhardy methods. The opportunity 

 is ours to insure greater profits, if we will but carefully and systematically 

 solve the problem which is facing us: "How can we insure a reasonably 

 high average egg- production?" 



The interests of the fancier are served through the showroom. If 

 a breeder enters birds in a showroom and is beaten, he tries to improve 

 his flock and perfect it by introducing new blood or by improved methods 

 of breeding and careful selection. If he wins, he tries to keep his flock 

 in that high state of perfection. It is just as important, and even more 

 so that he know just what his flock can do in the matter of production, 

 and he ought to use the same care in trying to perfect his strain of layers. 



There are exceptions to all rules. You will find some exceptions 

 in selecting, testing, and breeding your poultry according to the method 

 described in THE CALL OF THE HEN; but many breeders have tested 

 it for some six or eight years; many of these have doubled their egg 

 yield in this time. We feel certain that Mr. Hogan's method of selec- 

 tion and breeding will prove him to be to the poultry industry what 

 Burbank is to horticulture, Edison is to the electrical world, or Darwin 

 or Mendel to the breeding kingdom. That the mastery of this method 

 of selection and breeding, and sensibly applying the principles revealed 

 herein, will mean much to the poultry industry, is our honest belief. 



