32 THE TRAP NEST TEXT BOOK 



known it to injure an egg. Satisfy yourself by actual test before de- 

 pending upon rny experience. 



If the care of the nest boxes is a periodical occurrence they should be 

 taken out of doors, thoroughly cleaned, kerosined and tilled with fresh 

 nest material. The styles of boxes herein described are admirably 

 adapted for convenience when cleaning up time comes. 



That reminds me of the story of Augeus a fabulous king of Elis who 

 won fame as the possessor of a stable, containing 3,0<)0 oxen, that had 

 not been cleaned for thirty years. Hercules cleaned it out in a single 

 day. Could some modern Hercules be pressed into service on all of 

 the poultry plants that are in a condition similar to that of the stable of 

 Augeus the increased egg production of the country that would result 

 might have a serious effect on the egg market. 



COLLECTING EGGS. 



There is a familiar saying that practice makes perfect. The chronic 

 guesser may have heard the saying but is seldom willing to apply it 

 impartially. 



An experience of several years with trap nests, during which time I 

 have personally collected forty thousand eggs, more or less, from them, 

 is no doubt responsible for a view of this matter that differs materially 

 from that obtaining among those who, for various reasons, desire to 

 bring discredit upon the individual system, those who have adopted it 

 and the appliances necessary to use in connection with it. 



It is claimed by some, who have had more or less experience in 

 handling poultry or writing upon the subject, that, even admitting the 

 value of this system in the abstract, the attention of traps consumes 

 time that could better be employed in other directions. It has been 

 figured out on paper — the same process that they accuse us of applying 

 to our arguments — that, if it takes one minute to collect and record 

 one egg it would lake six hundred minutes, or ten hours, to collect six 

 hundred eggs. Six hundred eggs, they claim, at current market prices 

 will not. bring- enough to warrant us in spending ten hours in collecting 

 them and recording the numbers of the hens that laid them. 



This is the sum and substance — shorn of a lot of superflous verbiage — 

 of the arguments, wise and otherwise, that our critics have written. 



Several of these same critics have, at one time or another, when the 

 trap nest was iiol their text, placed themselves on record by asserting 

 that, to lie successful witli poultry, one must devote considerable time to 

 them. One of our most practical editors, a man whom, 1 believe, is 

 sincerely trying to upbuild (he poultry business as hard as any writer 

 we have, says: "The successful poultryman is the one who is constant- 

 ly with his hens," and he does not exclude, as should be done, the 



