4 THE HOME POULTRY BOOK 



should make it a point to buy his breeders from a 

 man who has a flock of hens known to be good lay- 

 ers. It is the strain and not the breed that counts. 

 Two men with adjoining plants may keep fowls of 

 the same breed and yet one may get twice as many 

 eggs as the other. He is the man who has selected 

 his best laying hens year after year to breed from 

 and so has perfected a prolific strain. The begin- 

 ner who can get breeding stock from such a man 

 will be fortunate. If he must, however, he can buy 

 his birds at a poultry store in the city, but it will be 

 the part of wisdom for him to admit his lack of 

 expert knowledge and take an experienced poultry- 

 loving friend along with him when he makes his 

 choice. If he is able to buy his stock of a poultry 

 keeper near home, he may not need to pay more 

 than a dollar a head. Perhaps he will have to 

 pay two dollars. If he seeks really fancy stock he 

 will go to a professional breeder and pay according 

 to his inclinations and the length of his purse. 



When a start is made after the first of March 

 and up to the middle of May, eggs for hatching may 

 be purchased. More amateurs begin in this way 

 than in any other. The eggs will cost from one 

 dollar a setting up. In the country, it is often pos- 



