THE CALL OF THE HEN. 105 



"Can it be possible that Mendel's law obtains in egg-production 

 just as it does in feathers and form? Do we eliminate, according to 

 Mendel, the factor governing certain things in egg-production, just as 

 we do in the attempt to control coloring in birds, fowls, animals, and 

 flowers? If a son of a heavy-laying female is mated to a non-layer and 

 this son does not carry the excess of laying proclivity, do we get poor 

 layers or good layers? If a 100- per cent producing hen (200 eggs or 

 more) is mated to the son of a 100-per cent producing female, it does 

 not follow, if Mendel's law applies, that the mate to the second 100 

 per cent female inherited egg-laying proclivities; therefore, why should 

 the offspring of the second mating be prolific egg-producers? And how 

 far back must we go to get the excess of female inclination to repro- 

 duction? 



"Predominance of inclination exists somewhere in some tangible 

 form, but we do not seem to be able to find it under our present system. 

 That we will is conclusive, but we must do so quickly, in order to offset 

 the growing increase of foodstuffs." 



The trap-nest identifies and gives you the number of eggs a hen 

 lays and is absolutely necessary if we wish to line breed or raise pedigreed 

 stock. The writer has studied Mendelism since the spring of 1910, as 

 he has numerous other scientific works, in the endeavor to find some- 

 thing that would be of aid in getting out this work. I must confess 

 that the title, "The Call of the Hen" was suggested while on a visit 

 with Comrade Jack London, and that is all I have been able to find 

 that has aided me in this case. Mendelism may be found an aid along 

 the line of feathers but I doubt if there is anything in it that will aid 

 the poultryman in the selection of breeders for type, stamina, and the 

 production of eggs or meat. It may be that, having eyes, I fail to see 

 it. Even if there should be anything of value in Mendelism, it would 

 take two or more years to get it out, while "The Hogan Test" indicates 

 the value of a bird in a few minutes, at most. It looks to me as if the 

 poultrymen will have to look at the trap-nest and "The Hogan Test" 

 to develop and maintain the high-scoring meat- and egg-producing hen. 

 The best pullets can be selected at maturity by "The Hogan Test" 

 and then trap-nested when the poultryman is breeding pedigreed stock; 

 while the culled pullets, lacking in prepotency and other points, can be 

 kept as market-egg producers. In this way it will be necessary to trap- 

 nest only the cream of the flock, and thereby save an immense amount 

 of labor. The cockerels can also be selected at three months of age and 

 the most promising saved from slaughter. By this method poultry- 

 breeding will be reduced to a science and become a pleasure, where now 

 it is a brain-racking proposition. 



A TRAP-NEST OR THE HOGAN SYSTEM. 

 By Charles H. Parker. 



March 21st, 1916. 

 To the Editor, 



The Poultry Item, Sellersville, Pa. 



Dear Sir: Some seven months ago I saw an advertisement in the 

 Poultry Item about the Hogan System. I at once wrote for a copy 

 and after reading it carefully was so much impressed with the principles 

 upon which it was based that I determined to give it a thorough trial. 



