PREFACE. 



IX this book I want to have a heart-to-heart talk with the Thoughtful 

 Reader. I have the advantage that I can talk all of the time and 

 the reader cannot talk back. The reader has the advantage that 

 he can "cut me out'' at any time, if he become bored. I shall not try 

 to exhaust my subject or vocabulary and do not wish to exhaust the 

 reader. 



I am not talking- to the novice all of the time, I am talking to the 

 reader whoever he may be. There are some things in this book that I 

 am sure some people do not want the novice in poultry keeping to 

 know. I do want him to know them. That is the difference. 

 The reader is for the nonce my friend and I propose to let him in on 

 the ground floor. If he does not like it he can move out. 



We poultry raisers are a free-and-easy lot. We can talk glibly on 

 any subject whether we know anything about it or not. 



Guessing counts and those who guess the nearest alike guess the 

 oftenest . A plausible guess is contagious and we are now apparently 

 enjoying a sort of guessing epidemic. Down South we don't guess so 

 much but ''I reckon" is the same disease modified by environment. 



It saves a great deal of trouble and worry to be able to guess freely 

 and often. "Of the making of many books there is no end and much 

 study is a weariness to the flesh." Guessing saves study. Allien it 

 causes weariness it is when it makes someone else tired. 



Guessing promotes economy. Should, we suspect that our hens are 

 not as good as any, we can guess that the}' are better and so save 

 buying new blood. We never guess that what costs nothing is well 

 worth it for that would not be a practical guess. Guessing courage- 

 ously and without too many unpractical, unbusiness-like scruples will 

 increase our egg yield fifty per cent. 



This form of guessing antedates the flood. It will never be stamped 

 out. It thrives best in warm weather but survives the most frigid cold. 

 If we guess ourselves out of the hen business we can guess about for- 

 mer egg records The longer we keep it up the bigger they grow. 



If we rupture a heart string, and spend money we can guess that we 

 will be swindled and after the goods come we can guess that we have 

 been; and so it goes, this merry guessing bee. We could not stop it 

 if we would and some of us would not stop it if we could. 



The reader is beginning to guess now and when he has read this 

 book he will guess again. We simply cannot help it. "We have all 

 got the complaint; some have it worse than others, that is all. 



