• SELECTING A BREED TO KEEP 13 



and Pennsylvania the white egg hens are more pop- 

 ular. 



Of course, this matter of color preference is 

 merely a notion, fostered by custom. There is ab- 

 solutely no difference in the quality of a brown-shell 

 egg and that of one with a white shell. On the 

 Pacific coast an effort is being made to lead peo- 

 ple away from their unreasoning prejudice for white 

 eggs, so that the amateur will be encouraged to keep 

 the general purpose breeds, which lay brown eggs. 

 In most sections, though, the professional poultry- 

 men who have a white-egg market are well satisfied, 

 for the White Leghorn is the nearest approach to 

 an egg-producing machine which has yet been de- 

 veloped. 



There are other points to be considered, too. 

 Hens like the Leghorns and Anconas, which are 

 marvelous layers, are very small and so of little 

 value as table fowl. Moreover, they are non-sit- 

 ters, which means that it is impossible to hatch eggs 

 under them or to raise chickens with them, making 

 it necessary for the amateur to keep a few hens of 

 another breed or to rely upon incubators, if he 

 raises his own birds. Also, these light hens are 

 high flyers, so that more fencing is needed than for 



