% THE THAI' XKST TEXT lillllK 



pullets arc wry likely to lay (luring- tin- fall of their second real', when 

 the early-hatched pullets of (he previous year are ordinarily not laying.. 

 It will lie impossible for a market poultrvman to get the best results 

 in egg production or meat production and at the same time be able to 

 select his breeding females and mate them for best results unless lie 

 combines an expert knowledge of his own birds with a knowledge of 

 the best rules that are followed by the leading breeders of Standard 

 fowls and (he most successful market poult rynien. People who possess 

 any of these requirements in a superior degree probably form a very 

 small part of our poultry-breeding population. 



In descriptions of the exceptional poultry plants there appears much 

 that leaves room for speculation. Professional writers usually know 

 what looks best in print. The fact that X does a several-thousand- 

 dollar business in a year doe- not carry with it anything that requires 

 us to believe that he practices all that (he advertising agent preaches for 

 him or all that he preaches himself. It docs not necessarily detract from 

 its value if he does not. 



A man's business is his own private properly and we not only have 

 no right to pry into it. bu( he is not bound to disclose anything that he 

 prefers to hold back; unless public necessity demands it. 



Those who have even a slight trace of Sherlock Holmes' seniles for 

 deduction can derive some little pleasure from a comparison of some of 

 the facts which a practical use of trap nesfs will bring out with some of 

 the fanciful romances that we occasionally read. 



Any of us who own or hire a bit of land can hatch and rear chickens 

 and keep hens. We. can by reading the best poultry literature and 

 carefully studying our birds gradually learn the best way to care for 

 them. Both our flock and our reading' require careful and rigorous 

 culling, and we have a clear right of way for independent study and 

 judgment. The poultry industry is still in its formative period. Men 

 have become established, but precedents are comparatively few upon 

 which to establish methods. Some of the greatest successes depend up- 

 on artificial conditions for their success. 



Three or four good poultry papers are sometimes more valuable than 

 one Occasionally some point, of agreement between different writers 

 will be found and can be noted in I he inenion . or it may do to hang our 

 hat on, temporarily. 



One of these points is likely to be this matter of early maturity, for it 



was threshed out long ago. With t tore lighl (ban 1 now possess if 



1 wanted to gel (be best obtainable advice for growing young stock for 

 the best results in future egg production I would look to the veteran 

 fancier rather (ban (lie average market poultry man. 



The greatest layers ever known have been bred b\ fanciers, and I 

 want to advise my utility brother, or sister. (ha(. while bad practice is 



