t'l'LUNC KOli I'KOI.'IT 4;"i 



1 have reason to believe Unit many who use trap nesls make the mis- 

 take of retaining birds that have shown good evidence that they will 

 never lay profitably with their present owner. Many are also prone to 

 use as breeders, birds thai > while they may have laid freely, are worse 

 than useless as breeders. 



We want to breed from our besi birds, but our best birds are not al- 

 ways those that lay the most egos. A bird that lays steadily, without 

 loss of vigor, under fair conditions, and gives us a good egg, is abetter 

 layer and breeder than one that has nearly laid herself to death, under 

 hot-house conditions and a forcing ration, even though the latter pro- 

 duces a much greater number of en-ox. 



The art of cull in»' wisely and correctly is not easily or quickly ac- 

 quired. Every infertile ego- that is lost, every chick dead in the shell, 

 every weak chick hatched, every unprofitable bird raised and retained, 

 means expense and a reduction of profits. 



One market-poultry man lias said: "An experienced poultrymau 

 can readily choose birds to market, retaining only those that, it will 

 pay to keep (iiid to fri'd." (Italics mine.) This same poultrynian 

 shows how he thinks that it can be done by explaining his own method. 

 He says: •'Our practice for years has been to market hens at, or near, 

 the end of their second laying year. Occasionally a young hen or pul- 

 let would be killed for meiit as they were ■not ax actioe and robust as we 

 like to see than." (Italic* mine.) From this we readily make the de- 

 duction that any hen that is active and robust will lay profitably for 

 two years. — from laving maturity : after this she will not lay profita- 

 bly. This is very remote from the truth. 



The trap nest, in the hands of one who is willing to learn, will show, 

 that, while a skillful feeder, who sells to a not-over-particular buyer, 

 may make his business profitable by such extremely simple methods of 

 procedure, he is working in the dark and will not only be liable to 

 "kill for meat" birds that had better be burned or buried, but will, un- 

 wittingly, sell two-year-olds that might be profitably kept, and retain 

 for two years birds that do not lay profitably. 



There is no way known to determine surely that a pullet is likely to 

 become a profitable layer for one or two years, until we have gained a 

 knowledge of her lay/ny habit. This must be on record in black and 

 white and not merely the speculation of a inore-or-less unreliable mind 

 and memory. To observe closely enough to learn these things accu- 

 rately, or even witli approximate accuracy, so that they can be record- 

 ed, would take more time than the attention of trap nests requires, and 

 more time than can profitably be devoted to it. 



The presence in our common markets all over the land of poultry 

 that is unfit for human consumption can be accounted for by the neces- 

 sity of straining every nerve (and nerve can be given more than one 



