Hatching. 165 



as early in the year as possible, to have them matured 

 before the autumn and winter shows, except in the case of 

 Bantams, in which, small size being a desideratum, tbey 

 are bred late, so as to prevent undue growth. Thus it will 

 be seen, that there is a way provided for all denominations 

 of poultry keepers. 



Among old-fashioned henwives there is a very general 

 impression, that it is a much better plan to let a hen set 

 herself, than to provide a nest for her. This is doubtless 

 true to a certain extent, with some breeds, as they are thus 

 content, and, being under perfectly natural conditions, often 

 produce larger broods than they otherwise might. But, where 

 there is any attempt at careful breeding, it is almost impossible 

 to adopt such a system, unless the amount of ground at 

 disposal is very large indeed, and the birds are at perfect 

 liberty. In addition to the need for space, there are other 

 drawbacks to a plan of this kind. In the first place the 

 owner is at the mercy of the birds — he must wait their con- 

 venience, and it- may be lose the best weeks of the year. 

 Time is everything, and if none of his own hens are broody, 

 he should seek for others that are, if he wishes to succeed. 

 Then, in the second place, no other eggs than the ones laid 

 by each hen herself can be used for hatching, which is, of 

 course, simply out, of the question ; and in the third place, if 

 a hen elects to set herself in the laying house, constant 

 fighting will be the result, probably ending in the spoliation 

 of the whole nest. Some hens resist being removed, and 

 refuse to sit anywhere but in the places they select ; but, as 

 a rule, they are much more reasonable than this. On a large 

 farm where hatching is to be extensively adopted, it is 

 better to have a docile sitting breed, and for this we know 

 of none better than Brahma-dorkings, as they will allow 

 themselves to be handled, are large, without being clumsy, 

 cover a goodly number of eggs, make excellent sitters and 



