3° COMMON SENSE 
these principles in their‘horses and cows, and yet would put a 
Brahma, Cochin or Plymouth Rock cock amongst a flock of half- 
blood Leghorns or Hamburghs. 
Previous experience had taught me the value of these facts and 
principles, and I determined to secure a purely-bred cock of either 
Hamburgh, Leghorn or Black Spanish, and mate hiin with six 
of my largest and best hens. 
If I had been smitten with the “Hen Fever” I would have been 
a reader of the poultry journals, and would soon have found out 
where my wants could be supplied; but as it was I had to. hunt 
about for information as to where such a bird could be found. 
One day I heard accidentally that there was actually a-poultry 
farm near a village about seven miles from my place, and thatthe 
owner had several different kinds of pure-bred fowls. With the 
usual exaggeration of ignorance, my informant told me that he had 
ailkinds; that he had thousands of chickens of every kind that 
could be named, and that he got enormous prices for his eggs and 
chickens, with much more to the same purport. I did not have a 
great deal of faith in the details of this account, but having nothing 
special -to do that afternoon, I harnessed up Madge and drove out 
that way. It was a road over which I had never travelled before, 
but fortunately there was little opportunity to go astray, and ere 
long I found myself near the village and opposite what appeared to 
me to be extensive greenhouses. Inquiring of a passer by where 
the poultry yards of Mr. Thompson were situated, I was told that 
these glass structures formed part of his establishment, and of - 
course I at once tried to find the owner. I hesitated at first 
whether to make my errand known at once or not. I suspected 
that if I told him that I_had driven seven miles for the sake of buy- 
ing a rooster he would conclude that I wanted the bird pretty 
badly, and he would charge accordingly, so I said that I had been 
taking a drive, and having heard that he had some fine poultry for 
sale I had called to look at it—all of which was strictly true. 
I found that he had some very good poultry on hand, though he - 
had disposed of most of his stock, having concluded to give his 
whole attention to anew breed that had recently been brought 
