98 THE CALL OF THE HEN. 



capacity, and while type and prepotency can be procured only 

 by selection, capacity can be governed more or less by environ- 

 ment, in other words, feed, care, the right kind of houses,, 

 ground, etc. We will say, for instance, the reader has a pen 

 of egg type birds, both male and female, with large prepotency 

 and capacity; and suppose they were all 200 egg birds. There 

 would be no difficulty in raising chickens from them with the 

 same degree of type and prepotency; but if he should stint 

 them in feed of the proper kind and quantity while growing, 

 they would lose in capacity each generation. I develop the 

 capacity of both pullets and cockerels from the time they are 

 three days old to the fullest extent by the most liberal feeding, 

 care, and surrounding conditions. In concluding this chapter, 

 I would say that the bird with the desired characteristics is 

 more or less of a sport; and the value of the "Hogan Test" 

 lies in the fact that with this knowledge you can discover the 

 sport and perpetuate it through intelligent breeding. Again I 

 want to say here that my best cockerels measure four fingers 

 abdomen at three months old. All my stock is developed as 

 much as possible at this age and I try to prevent the cockerels 

 from shrinking. But the pullets will develop until some of 

 them are six ringers abdomen. The enclosed article from the 

 Petaluma Weekly Poultry Journal emphasizes what we have 

 said in regard to the feeding and care of young stock. These 

 cockerels were not crammed, or penned up and fed, but were 

 taken off free range and sent directly to market. I wish to 

 remind the reader here that in examining the cockerels for 

 prepotency he may be proficient enough in the matter to ex- 

 amine them by holding them between his knees and not be 

 obliged to put each one in a sack. The article follows : 



Walter Hogan Can Raise Chickens. 



Walter Hogan backs up his system ol selecting the good 

 layers from among the poor ones, but he has never made much 

 fuss about his ability as a poultry raiser. For that reason some 

 people have absorbed the idea that he is more of a theorist 

 than a practical man. But he now has a flock of his own, and 

 evidently he is making good, for he is getting results that will 

 convince any one from Missouri or anywhere else who must 

 be "shown" before believing. For instance, last week there 

 was a spell of most discouraging depression in the prices which 

 dealers were willing to pay for young poultry. There were 



