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Breeding, Feeding, Rearing and Marketing. 



(Prof. Jas. E. Rice, Ithaca, N. Y.) 



The four most conspicuous places where we find that poultrymen 

 could improve their methods with profit are, first, in a more rigid 

 selection of their best stock for breeding purposes. 



As regards their constitutional vigor, the quality and quantity of 

 eggs that they lay and uniformity in type of fowl for meat produc- 

 tion. Improvement can be made in this respect by bringing up the 

 general average of the flock in two ways first, by eliminating the 

 unprofitable individuals, and second, by improving the quality of all 

 of the flock by careful breeding. 



The second method of improvement would be to take more care 

 in preparing rations that will give the best results in egg production 

 and to feed these systematically. Many farmers in this and in other 

 states are prone to feed those things which they happen to have on 

 hand, and do not pay enough attention to giving a good variety of 

 grains and ground feed, or to include meat and oyster shells, both of 

 which are essential to the best results. 



The third way in which improvement can be brought about is 

 in better methods of selecting eggs for hatching and rearing the 

 chickens with a view to getting large size and vigorous stock. We 

 find that the size of the chicken of any given variety is determined 

 quite largely by the size of the egg out of which it was hatchec, other 

 things being equal, and that the method of feeding has an important 

 bearing on the growth of the chick, which determines its future use- 

 fulness as regards the number of eggs that they will lay and their 

 quality. 



The fourth important factor, by way of improvement, would be 

 to keep more poultry in order that they may give it more systematic 

 attention and market the product in larger quantities and to better 

 advantage. This would mean better care in gathering eggs regularly, 

 cleaning them, grading them, carefully packing and stencilling and 

 shipping to a special trade. 



There are many other factors of great importance ,but the four 

 which I have mentioned seem to be the ones where there is greatest 

 room for improvement. 



Lack of Interest and Attention to Details, 



(Prof. Harry M. Lamon, Bureau of Animal Industry, Washington, D. C.) 



When we were gathering data for the Bureau of Animal Industry, 

 Department of Agriculture, Bulletin 141, "Improvement of the Farm 

 Egg," we visited over one hundred farms, and the greatest fault we 

 found with the farmer's methods of raising poultry was his utter lack 

 of interest and inattention to the little details, w r hich mean so much 

 for the successful handling of poultry on the farm. In fact, we found 

 the women to be the poultrymen on the farms. 



I would suggest that the farmers of this country take at least 

 two exclusive poultry papers, one that is published in the east and 

 the other published in the west. The information derived from read- 

 ing these journals would tend to bring about improved conditions 

 and better methods for raising poultry on the farm. 



