THE THREE CONDITIONS OF EGG PRODUCTION. 



It was a maxim of Lord Bacon, one of the greatest men 

 that ever lived, that Nature is the great teacher, and that in 

 order to learn we must interrogate Nature. If we study Na- 

 ture with open eyes she will often give us suggestions of great 

 value and fruitfulness. The poultry man must continually go to 

 Nature, the great teacher, and he will not go in vain. In the 

 state of nature in which wild fowls live, or in the state of semi- 

 nature in which the farmer's fowls are kept, what is the season 

 of egg production? Summer. Why? Because in summer the 

 conditions of egg production are present. What are these con- 

 ditions? Warmth, proper food and exercise. Reproduce these 

 conditions at any season of the year and the fowl will be likely 

 to lay. The poultryman should keep this fact in mind and 

 govern himself accordingly. 



IS THERE AN EGG TYPE? 



Before I pass to the next chapter I wish to take up a subject 

 upon which there is a wide difference of opinion Is there an 

 e gg tyP e ? Some of those who ought to know claim there is not. 

 But I am of the opinion that as there is a type of cow that we 

 associate with large production of milk, so there is a type of 

 hen that we may associate with large production of eggs. -I 

 believe that a hen with a broad breast, a long, deep body and 

 straight underline (the so-called "wedge-shape" fowl) will lay 

 better than one with a narrow breast, a short body and curved 

 underline. The reason is not far to seek. The vital organs are 

 confined within the body, and in a hen with a broad breast 

 and long, deep body there is plenty of room for the organs of 

 assimilation and reproduction ; while in a hen with a short, 

 curved body these organs are necessarily constricted. If a hen 

 is to lay well she must eat well, breathe well, and have large 

 ovaries; in other words there must be plenty of room inside 

 for all the great organs to perform their functions. This ex- 

 plains why there is a tendency on the part of the egg-produc- 

 ing breeds to increase in size. 



