94 A REVOLUTION IN EGG PRODL'CTION 



order to keep these yards in a sanitary condition, they must 

 be frequently limed. 



Third. The owner of the flock having to leave home 

 before seven a. m., and not being able to arrive home again 

 before seven thirty p. m., and often not before ten to eleven 

 thirty p. m. week days (including Saturdays) his opportuni- 

 ties for putting into practice the principle of "Asking the birds, 

 their judgment is good," were, of course, greatly limited. 



At night the automatic feeders had to be filled for the 

 next day, the dry mash, grit, oyster shell, and charcoal hoppers 

 had to be seen to, and replenished when necessary, and the 

 water fountains filled and put in place. 



In the morning the green feed of sprouted oats, cabbage, 

 or whatever was available was taken down, and the houses 

 opened up before leaving home for the day's business. 



In this way the work for the good wife was cut down to 

 feeding the moistened mash, once a day, and gathering the 

 eggs. 



Business is business, and the keeping of poultry in the 

 rear of the lot was only a diversion in an extended experiment, 

 over a number of years, in the possibilities of a problem in 

 economics. Business came first, and could never be neglected 

 for a hobby. 



We have read of individual hens producing two hundred 

 eggs and over ; and these records, many of them, come from 

 reliable and authentic sources. We should always set our 

 ideals high, in order to strive to attain them ; and, if we suc- 

 ceed in actually reaching our ideals, we should not be satisfied, 

 but should advance our ideals to a higher point — thus always 

 having something ahead of us worth striving to achieve. 



]\Iuch depends on the breed, and the different treatment 

 needed to successfully handle each breed, \^'^ith the heavier 

 breeds, susceptibility to broodiness must be reckoned with as 

 a hindrance and a handicap. With the Mediterranean breeds 

 this handicap of broodiness is greatly cut down. 



For laying purposes, the concensus of opinion in the 

 United States seems to lean toward White Leghorns. These 

 birds, under proper care and feeding, are certainly efficient 

 "egg macJiines." 



Judging by past experience, and taking account of the 

 handicaps under which he has operated, the author has no 



