30 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [P. D. 4. 



on the three-year basis. We could not include the record of 

 birds that die. Some birds always die the first year or the 

 second year, and we studied their records very carefully, and 

 we find that as a rule they are likely to be perpetual producers, 

 but occasionally a very low producer dies because of phj'sical 

 exhaustion. 



A Member. In making that test do you substitute another 

 bird? 



Professor Rice. No, we have never substituted another 

 bird. We carried the same birds through always, and have not 

 taken into consideration any bird that died in the meantime. 

 It would not affect the principle in the least. 



A Member. Could these scores be made by physical tests? 



Professor Rice. They could all be made by physical tests; 

 as a matter of fact, however, it will pay to use trap nests, 

 especially for persons who want to sell their eggs. For a farmer 

 who is simply anxious to get results he can use physical tests, 

 but to a poultryman who wants to sell eggs on absolute guar- 

 antee, and get high prices, it will pay him to put in trap nests 

 and know absolutely the day that a hen began or ceased to lay. 



I can only speak in passing of the importance in the quality 

 of eggs in selecting our breeders, and a person can well afford 

 to take the time to go over every egg that he uses for setting. 

 Take a case of 30 dozen eggs and the chances are, if he uses the 

 proper discrimination as to color, shape and size, he would find 

 it a pretty difficult matter to get 50 eggs out of that case 

 absolutely all right in every way. That is true of Ueghorns, 

 and I think true of every breed, and the importance of it is 

 that the color pigment and color, shape and size are inherited 

 characteristics, and we need to be exceedingly careful that we 

 do not use an egg that we do not want perpetuated. One big 

 loss is due to the necessity of having to throw out so many eggs 

 that are not up to standard as to color or shape or size. If we 

 can simply follow that practice, however, of using only the 

 choicest eggs for breeding purposes, we will find our birds 

 growing better and better, and we will see that every year our 

 eggs will grade higher and higher. We have a number of 

 people in our State who are doing this thing and have been 

 doing it for many years, and the results are phenomenal in the 



