74 THE CORNING EGG FARM BOOK 



in any line unless the animal is of a build capable of 

 the performance. No one would expect to breed a 

 two-minute trotter from a Shetland Pony. 



The hen which is capable of becoming an ideal layer 

 must have a deep keel, a long body, and, as she faces 

 out, she must have an appearance of broadness, and 

 must be the shape of a wedge back to the point where 

 the wings join the body. 



The Large Flock System is carried on in the Breed- 

 ing Pen on The Corning Egg Farm, and it has been 

 most successful. It has been found that the small 

 pen does not produce the high fertility continuously 

 which the Large Flock System does. During the 

 season of 1910, for long periods, the fertility ran as 

 high as 96%, and as early as the first of March it 

 was above 90%. In the season of 191 1, eggs in- 

 cubated in the early part of February, ran above 

 91%, and during the season there were times when 

 the fertility reached 97%. 



The Breeding Pens are mated up two weeks before 

 eggs are to be used for incubation, and early hatched 

 cockerels are used to head these Breeding Pens. It 

 has been found that the mating of cockerels with 

 yearling hens produces a very decided predominance 

 of pullets, and the youngsters are strong and vigorous 

 from the start. 



The proportion of mating is one to twelve, and the 

 records of The Corning Egg Farm show that by this 

 method of mating the number of cockerels produced. 



