AMERICAN POULTRY CULTURE 
this time, for in addition to developing her own 
bodily characteristics of bones, muscles, feathers, 
etc., the pullet has also to turn a large part of her 
energies toward the proper development of the 
internal reproductive organs, the ovaries. Some- 
times poultry keepers become anxious to have their 
pullets to commence laying at once, and dope 
them with stimulating foods and mashes. These 
often hasten the development of the reproductive 
organs, but the development is not a healthy or a 
natural one, and is therefore unwise. ‘The secret 
of genuine success is to keep the pullets developing 
steadily in a natural, healthy way that shall insure 
perfect bones, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, lungs, 
digestive system, and last but by no means least, 
reproductive organs. 
It is at this time that the germs of the eggs are 
being formed,* and it is very important that each 
of these shall contain all the force, stamina, hered- 
itary quality and life powers necessary for the pro- 
duction of a new chick which shall have the ability 
to thrive and grow and mature, and in turn repro- 
duce its kind. This is not a machine process. It 
is life development; it is Nature’s work, deliber- 
ately done with a definite purpose: the perpetuation 
of the species. 
The Use of Condiments. Do not, under any 
* Heredity determines the number of eggs a hen shall produce in her life- 
time; feed and care determine the number of them we can force out of her in 
a given period. 
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