Personal Experiences 29 



The papers printed numerous testimonials from prominent 

 poultrymen all over the United States — some of whom were 

 known from one end of the country to the other. These 

 poultrymen claimed that this system of feeding laying hens 

 was the best that had even been brought before the public, 



and strongly advised its use. S 's Method is a good 



method under some conditions, but under other conditions 

 that you will presently understand it is worthless. 



I built a large house 32 by 100 feet, with an alleyway run- 

 ning through the center of it. It was divided inside into 

 pens every 10 feet, and it also had a yard 10 by 50 feet for 

 each pen. I had this full of beautiful white leghorn hens, 

 7 months old, and I will say that those pullets were in the 

 best health of any that I have ever seen on any poultry farm 

 I have ever visited. The wind was broken by the trees, 

 which were very thick, and while there was not very much 

 sun in the yards and the yards were damp in wet weather, 

 I had not a single case of sickness of any kind whatever 

 among the hens. I did not lose a single hen; every hen was 

 the picture of health, and the roup they had when young 

 disappeared entirely. There was not a single case of bowel- 

 trouble all the time I kept them, except one day when I 

 used meat-meal instead of "Beef, Blood and Bone." A great 

 many people from all around the country came to see these 

 hens, and they were pronounced by all to be the finest that 

 they had ever seen. 



These hens had been badly afflicted with roup when they 

 were young and in the brooder house. I bought Roup cures 

 — enough to cure all the hens in the country — but I soon 

 found out that roup cures do not work if you leave hens or 

 chicks in draughty houses, such as I afterwards found this 

 brooder house to be. I was pretty much disgusted with roup, 

 but after the chicks were older and were put in a large house 



