<o\{;lisiox 119 



egg standpoint, under conditions that to muuy people would .-win to be 

 very unfavorable. 



The flock of common-place layers, — hens whose egg producing ten- 

 dencies are no stronger than other tendencies that interrupt or interfere 

 with egg production may be coaxed to lay — by careful housing, feeding 

 and care -well enough to pay a good profit when a considerable part 

 of the eggs are sold for hatching, and stock is sold for breeding. 



When the flock of exceptionally strong layers can be given exception- 

 ally good care there may be an exceptionally large egg yield. The 

 profits would, as in all other cases, depend upon the factors outlined 

 under the heading "The Question of Profits" in this book. 



Such books as "1'oiltuy Craft," ''Winter Eggs and How to 

 Get Them," "All About J.roilers," and some others, treat of tech- 

 nical work with poultry from the standpointof practical workers. These 

 books do not contain all that there is to know about poultry maintenance 

 or breeding; for the reason that no one individual or combination of 

 individuals have yet learned all that there is to know about poultry. 



The authorship of the books that I have mentioned is an absolute 

 guarantee that they contain valuable and practical information. 



Our poultry papers and magazines periodically bring to the reader 

 both old and new facts, old and new theories, current poultry news and 

 gossip, and a general symposium of the good, bad and indifferent 

 methods and ideas of a large number of writers, and an occasional 

 mimic. 



Some of these writers are similar to the politicians whom Thomas B. 

 Reed described in the mot: "Every time they open their mouths they 

 subtract from the sum of human knowledge." 



We are, of course, all aware of the truth contained in the statement 

 of Bulwer: "He that fancies himself very enlightened, because he sees 

 the deficiencies of .others, may be very ignorant, because he has not 

 studied his own.'' 



The poultry keeper who is searching for truth will be sorely perplexed 

 by the mixture of conflicting testimony that will confront him which- 

 ever way he turns. He -hould not be deceived by the personality of 

 the writer or speaker. Some of the most harmful and serious errors 

 being promulgated to-day are fostered by people who have some handle 

 or other to their name, or a skill in the use of language and the f urther- 

 ance of their own personal interests that gives them the appearance of 

 wisdom and sincerity. 



Some of the strongest poultry-fact- are presented in our periodicals by 

 people of humble station whose work is rude but helpful. 



On the other hand those people, high or low, who are ignorant of the 

 moral ethics of business and life, or for personal reasons choose to ignore 

 them, are continually fostering wrong ideas in the minds of the people. 



The person who needs or wants anything about which he has no 

 special knowledge is between the devil who wants his money and the 

 deep sea of going without what he needs or wants. He should be will- 

 ing to buy what he wants. He should not expect his favorite paper or 

 magazine to furnish it at the expense of those who are, or may be, able 

 to supply him through a regular commercial transaction, llie journal 

 already gives the subscriber much more than lie, or it, pays for. - What 

 he desires generally exists and can be easily obtained at a price that in- 

 formed people know to be a just price, — but where? 



He does not know, and those who do know generally will not, and 



