44 
The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 
months. A large proportion of the prizes for “ preserved eggs,” opened and examined after several 
months’ storage at the London Dairy Show and Birmingham Show, during recent years, have gone 
to eggs thus packed in dry salt, large end down. Such prizes have also gone to eggs placed in 
lime-water or lime-cream, after greasing, and also without it; care must, however, be taken to add 
water now and then, or the lime may set into a hard concrete. Some processes appear uncertain : 
thus, eggs wrapped in paper and dipped in wax, took second prize at Birmingham in 1883, but 
were rotten from the same exhibitor in 1884. Even bedding in good sweet bran has answered 
very well for several months, and taken prizes. Another good receipt is : To four gallons of 
boiling water add half a peck of quicklime, and stir well. When cold, pass through a fine sieve ; 
add ten ounces of salt and three ounces of cream of tartar ; dissolve and mix well, and leave to 
temper for a fortnight. Pour off the clear liquor, and imbed the eggs closely in this, keeping 
plenty of liquid over them. There is one important point : whatever method is used, the eggs 
should be treated the same day they are taken from the nest. More seems to depend upon this 
than upon the exact method adopted. 
The fertility of eggs must obviously depend much upon the number of hens allowed to each 
cock, which will vary according to the breed and other circumstances. In a wide run a cock may 
be allowed more hens than if penned in a small space. As a rule, the number of Dorkings, 
Cochins, or other large hens allowed a cock should on no account in confinement exceed four ; 
while, if at large, the number may be often doubled : but an old bird must have less than a 
vigorous cockerel. Indeed, much must depend, in all cases, on the individual bird himself; and if 
his hens appear nearly stripped of feathers on the back, the obvious remedy is to allow him more. 
Spanish also should seldom have more than three or four hens ; but Houdans and Hamburghs, 
Game, and in general all fowls of very lively habit, may be allowed from eight to twelve, if needful; 
further than that we would not go. Houdan cocks are generally the most vigorous of any. 
It has often been said that the sex of the future chick could be foretold from the egg. The 
opinion is as old at least as Horace, who affirms (Lib. ii., Sat. 4) that the long eggs “ would 
produce cocks,” and are sweeter than the round ! Columella, another old author, says the same. 
Others affirm that if the air-bubble at the large end of the egg be exactly in the centre, cocks 
will be produced, whereas those in which it is decidedly on one side will produce pullets. We 
can only say that we have altogether failed to succeed with any such test ; and we should not 
have noticed a theory so long exploded had not a popular work lately published again revived 
it as if a known and tested fact. The truth is, that each hen lays eggs almost exactly alike; 
and by this theory they should, therefore, produce all cockerels or all pullets, which is never the 
case. Any sound knowledge of the formation of the egg, as already described, would prevent 
such absurdities from being believed without absolute proof, which has never yet been obtained. 
We have known, it is true, singular coincidences. We have known of thirty eggs selected on this 
system to produce cocks, and they did so ; in consequence of which the experimenter and many 
others were quite convinced of the truth of the theory. But it unfortunately turned out that next 
year a nest selected on the same plan to produce pullets, produced nearly all cocks. Yet it 
would be reasonable to suppose that a theory which has survived two thousand years had 
lomethinv at the bottom of it ; and careful experiment and inquiry (forced upon us by many 
who had read the pamphlet in question) have satisfied us of the following facts : — 1. As a rule, 
the eggs of a pullet are longer in proportion and more pointed at the end than those of the 
same bird next year, or even later in the same season. 2. On an average, her early eggs produce 
cocks in about the proportion of six to four. (There will be numerous and startling exceptions 
both to this and the other rules : we are speaking of averages.) 3 The eggs laid by hens early 
