TO CHOOSE BEST LAYERS 



377 



mongrels when pure bred birds can be had for almost the same 

 price. Those who appreciate the value of uniformity in body 

 and eggs, and who realize the need of transmitting these qualities 

 to the progeny, find no argument in favor of the manure pile 

 diggers. There are more beauty and more dollars in the thorough- 

 bred — ^be it hog, horse, cow or fowl. 



Heavy Laying Strain. — The trap nest is the only positive index 

 to the hen's performance as a layer. It has furnished the only 

 means of establishing many facts leading to a more or less definite 

 conception of just what characteristics belong to the heavy layer, 

 also, the qualifications of the fowl possessing the faculty of trans- 



(Courtesy Missouri Experiment Station) 

 Fig. 248. — Brood coop with slatted run for chicks. 



mitting certain desirable qualities to its offspring. In fact, the 

 trap nest has collected such a vast amount of data, that it is now 

 possible to dispense with its service, if need be, and still profit 

 from it. In other words, we are now able to verify certain ex- 

 ternal indications, actions and habits as belonging to this or that 

 type of fowl. 



Thus, the progressive poultryman who wishes to mate his birds 

 along definite lines, but who is not in a position to trap them, can 

 select his breeders so that their increase in efficiency compares 

 favorably with flocks that are trap-nested. 



Relation of Size and Shape. — ^No sensible person questions the 

 importance of shape and size in the matter of breeding horses 



