128 THE CALL OF THE HEN. 



opment, in inches, is correspondingly smaller. It would be 

 manifestly misleading to apply the same measurements to the 

 two birds. 



While the ability to make this allowance will come to the 

 operator quickly almost intuitively, after a very short ex- 

 perience I have thought best to confine all my descriptions 

 and measurements here, to one breed of fowls only, the Leg- 

 horns, these being a medium sized, representative bird, well 

 scattered over the entire country. It will be easy from the 

 measurements to work up or down as the birds on hand may 

 be larger or smaller. It is all a matter of comparison, and, all 

 things being equal, the bird with the widest and most pliable 

 pelvic bones, will be the greatest layer; while the one with 

 very narrow, contracted pelvic formation will lay little, if at 

 all. Behind the pelvic bones lies the egg machinery, and it will 

 be found more abundant and roomy the wider the bones. 



SELECTING PULLETS. 

 (Leghorns.) 



Perhaps the best time to select layers for a flock is when 

 the pullets are from four to six months old. If all are in .1 

 uniformly thrifty condition at this time, it is next to impossible 

 to make a mistake. The best pullets at that age should show 

 a width of about two inches, while the best matured laying 

 hens should show a development of about two and one-eighth 

 inches. See cut No. 1.) 



Pullets of Plymouth Rocks and their class should be se- 

 lected about a month later, and then show slightly larger, 

 about two and one-eighth inches. The best Asiatic pullet 

 about two and one-fourth at seven or eight months old ; the 

 Leghorns being earlier maturers. At the end of six years oi 

 careful selecting and breeding, I found my Leghorn pullets 

 quite as wide and well matured at four months as my first 

 rnes were at five months. 



Second class Leghorn pullets from five to seven months 

 eld will show a development of about one and five-eights 

 inches. (See Cut No. 2.) 



At six months old, all Leghorn pullets showing only an 



