WHAT TIIF. THAI" XKsT sAYS (ill 



characteristic (if the steadiest liners in my (hick* f<ir I he several year- 

 that 1 have been observing' tin- matter. 



While the general tendency is for the eggs lo »rmv lighter as frequent 

 and regular laying progresses, still there are marked and peculiar va- 

 riations in the color, as well as the size and shape of the same hen's egg 

 from time to time. This shows how unreliable was the old method of try- 

 ing' to distinguish each hen's egg by its appearance. It is true that some 

 hens will produce eggs that are almost exactly alike from day to day, 

 such changes as take place being so gradual as lo lie unnoticed unless a 

 record is made of them and comparisons made that cover a long period. 

 But others will lay eggs of different sizes, shapes, and styles of 

 color without rule or apparent reason. Thus we will find a bird that 

 gives us a dark brown egg, then a spotted egg. then an egg quite light 

 in color soon followed by an egg of the original dark brown. 



Some moderate and some very poor layers will give a fine brown egg 

 all of the time. The most beautiful brown egg that we get is from a 

 very moderate layer. It varies but little in color, size or shape through- 

 out the year. The exceptional hen has given a large number of well 

 colored eggs. 



A professor in an Agricultural College wrote me that he thought 

 that their heavy layers held up the color of their eggs as well as the 

 rest. Had he known that they did it would have been more convincing. 



Quite numerous reports from trap-nest users confirm my own obser- 

 vations as noted above. 



What effect confinement and ration have on this matter I do not 

 know, but I have long suspected that it had some bearing. I believe 

 that the time will come when it will be possible to introduce elements 

 into the food or drink of fowls l hat they can convert into color pigment 

 for the surface of the shell. That the color of the shell is influenced by 

 conditions that have no apparent connection with the number of eggs 

 previously produced or being produced 1 know. 



Birds of mine have deepened the color of the shell after being given 

 more freedom of range in grassed yards. The same has been true when 

 carbonate of iron was being added to the mash to assist the molting 

 process. 



That the range, or the gras.-. or the carbonate of iron had the slight- 

 est influence on the matter I do not know. 



The several conditions were coincident with some individual birds, 

 but not with all or even the majority of them. The only food that I 

 have ever found that had any influence in determining the finality of 

 the shell formation without the shadow of a doubt, was bone. Green- 

 cut bone and granulated bone will improve the quality of egg shells in 

 a bird in normal condition. 



I have read in some scientific work that animal color pigment was 



