pWmUattMttSi 
Advertisers treat all correspondents 
well if they mention The Rural New- 
Yorker. 
know of their true value. The egg-laying 
trait in a hen can be developed in most 
breeds by proper care in feeding and hand¬ 
ling. 
I once owned a lot of Buff Cochin pullets 
that laid as many eggs as any breed I ever 
had for a time, but after they became 
broody the jig was up. Yet the type was 
contrary to what a layer should be like. 
If we could have an exhibit of dressed poul¬ 
try, illustrating the layers of each breed 
and their records, we might get some idea 
of the anatomical construction of an egg 
machine. 
As to picking out the highest scoring 
bird as the best layer, I have but one an¬ 
swer: “Don’t do it.” Nine times out of 
ten she may prove a poor layer. Exhibition 
birds are forced for show, not for eggs ; 
and it takes considerable time to get them 
back into breeding condition. Birds in 
tended for laying eggs and breeding pur¬ 
poses on a large scale should never enter a 
show-room. Another point is that the 
highest scoring fowl, if carefully and scien¬ 
tifically bred, is apt to be bred in and in for 
“points” only. Beauty is the object re¬ 
gardless of all other qualities. 
j. h. drevenstedt. 
Middlesex Co., N. J. 
Actions Speak Louder Than Shape. 
From the peculiar shape or type of an in¬ 
dividual specimen of a breed of fowls, I 
don’t think anybody can tell whether she 
is or is not a great egg producer in com¬ 
parison with the other members of the 
flock. But from her actions as a pullet, 
when nearly matured, one can almost al¬ 
ways say with a fair degree of certainty 
that the bright, active, nervous, mischiev¬ 
ous specimens, in short, the workers, those 
that are always busy, are the shelters out 
of the eggs. Of course it is universally 
understood that the breeds of medium or 
perhaps smaller sizes are our great egg-pro¬ 
ducers—the Leghorns, Hamburgs, etc. The 
laying quality of any breed can be im¬ 
proved by continually selecting and breed¬ 
ing from those specimens that are the 
greatest layers, regardless of type or mark¬ 
ings, if eggs are all the breeder is desirous 
of obtaining; but with breeders of thor¬ 
oughbred, high-scoring, typical standard 
specimens he has to look after the improve¬ 
ments of other qualities, and to mate and 
breed for them, and he cannot sacrifice all 
for one quality alone, or he will be going 
backward, perhaps, in all save that one. 
But for the breeder wishing eggs alone, 
improvements can be made in this way. 
Fulton Co., N. Y. F. B. ZIMMER. 
is one of the shining humbugs of the age. 
The fowl which to-day stands above all 
others for utility is the Indian Game, the 
best general-purpose fowl the world has yet 
seen. It has the finest flesh and makes the 
most rapid growth from the shell till it is 
20 weeks, and is equal to the Plymouth 
Rock for eggs and in weight. The plumage 
has the most intricate markings, the feath¬ 
ers are short and hard, the legs yellow, and 
it can stand any climate. It has no combs 
to freeze. It was the winner of first prize 
in the dressed poultry class at the great 
New York show on February 4. 
Niagara Co., N. Y. c. A. sharp & co. 
As Applied to Langshans. 
I have noticed that among Langshans, 
the hen that gives the best egg record, is 
the one that has a long body and stands 
well upon her legs. One can certainly im¬ 
prove the laying qualities of a flock by con¬ 
tinued selection of those hens that make 
the best egg record, for breeders. In all 
cases I would not pick out the bird scor¬ 
ing the highest for the best layer. 
Columbia Co., N. Y. E. P. kirby. 
Wants A Long-Bodied Light 
Brahma. 
FAmong Light Brahmas I think a rather 
long-bodied hen will lay the best. I don’t 
think the shape of the head has anything to 
do with it. One thing is sure—if you set 
the eggs from a good layer her progeny 
will be good layers. Set the eggs from a 
Brahma hen that never wants to sit and 
her pullets will be non-sitters. No; I would 
not select the highest scoring hen for the 
best layer. I don’t think scoring has any¬ 
thing to do with egg production. 
Bristol Co., Mass. P. williams. 
Mr. A. C. Hawkins Talks. 
I have never noticed that the best laying 
hens had any peculiar form, and I have my 
doubts if the general form and make-up 
have anything to do with the laying qual¬ 
ities. Some hens are more prolific than 
others, and if these are selected as breeders 
the laying qualities of the flock will be im¬ 
proved. A high-scoring fowl will lay no 
better than one of ordinary merit, but I 
have found that my finest specimens were 
good layers, and their attractive ap¬ 
pearance both in form and plumage, makes 
it a pleasure to care for a flock of high- 
scoring standard fowls. My varieties are 
the Plymouth Rocks and Wyandottes, and 
I breed them with deep, full breasts and 
broad bodies and orange-yellow legs, all 
desirable market qualities as well as high 
standard points. I have had flocks of these 
breeds that averaged 200 eggs each in a 
year, and if there is any form that will 
make them do better I should like to know 
it; but I do not believe there is. What is 
there more attractive and practical than a 
hen weighing six to seven pounds, with 
deep, full breast, distinct markings from 
head to tail and rich yellow legs, that will 
lay 200 eggs per year. A. c. hawkins. 
Worcester Co., Mass. 
A Good Layer Must be Active. 
I find that a hen of rather light build, 
indicative of great activity, and of medium, 
or perhaps rather under medium size for 
the breed, is usually the best layer. “A 
hen with short legs, chunky body and 
small head ” is not the best type for a pro¬ 
lific layer, though, in exceptional cases, 
such hens may prove good layers. To im¬ 
prove the laying qualities of a flock of 
fowls it is better to select the best layers, 
let their type be what it may, and mate 
them with male birds bred from good lay¬ 
ers, than to attempt to do this simply by 
selecting a given type, although it may be 
possible to make improvement in laying by 
selecting the type that is indicative of great 
prolificacy. The former method would, 
probably, result in considerable uniformity 
of type, and would be an indirect method 
of selecting the fowls by type. It would, 
also, in time, prove what is the best type 
for a layer. I would not select a layer by 
her standard score, for of the 100 points al¬ 
lowed for perfection, 50 or thereabouts are 
allowed for color and markings. Color and 
markings can not have much, if any, effect 
upon laying. I have little doubt, however, 
that in the great laying families, the fowls 
which most nearly All the requirements for 
shape in the standard, and which, there¬ 
fore, would score the highest so far as shape 
is concerned, would be found, also, to be 
the best layers, as a class. This, however, 
is tantamount to saying that the standard 
describes correctly the shape of these fowls. 
But this statment must be confined to the 
great layirg families, such as the Mediter¬ 
ranean and Hamburg classes, for it would 
not be found true of some breeds. 
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A Large Comb Wanted. 
I think the shape of the head or body has 
nothing to do with egg production. Hens 
with large combs, however, are usually the 
best layers. A bird may score 95 points by 
the standard and perhaps be a poor layer, 
and one worthless for exhibition purposes 
may be also worthless for laying. We can 
improve the laying qualities of a flock by 
selecting each year as breeders the hens 
that are known to lay the most eggs. 
Dutchess Co., N. Y. e. b. Thompson. 
From a Polish Breeder’s Standpoint. 
In my opinion medium-sized hens with 
fine symmetry like the Hamburgs, Leg¬ 
horns or Polish, are the best egg producers. 
A trim-built hen with a medium neck, 
small head, and not too short legs is the 
best. After the Leghorn, Hamburg and 
Polish, come the Dominique, Game, etc. 
All the large breeds are poor lajers, but 
good sitters. By selecting for breeders the 
pullets from good laying hens, the flock 
can be improved. I do not think a high- 
scoring hen is necessarily a good layer ex¬ 
cept as symmetry, condition and vigor are 
concerned. I have not made a study of tho 
best way to produce most eggs, having 
been breeding for symmetry and other 
points and not for eggs. CHAS. L. SEELY. 
Chenango Co., N. Y. 
The Whole Subject Considered. 
I cannot conscientiously say that any cer¬ 
tain type or shape of a hen is superior to 
another as regards egg production. I think 
the only safe way is to keep an egg record, 
a thing that I have done for the past six or 
seven years. I know it is comparatively 
easy to select the milking type in cows, but 
I never trusted to that alone, but kept an 
individual record with each cow. That told 
a story in black and white, often at variance 
with all the most approved theoretical se¬ 
lections. The reason why shape cannot well 
determine the egg laying trait is because 
birds are covered with feathers which may 
completely hide the “egg type ” As a rule, 
I would always prefer a fine-boned hen to 
a coarse-boned one. The leading layers of 
the world are the Hamburgs and their 
trim bodies, fine bones, quick and nervous 
actions convey the impression that they 
are susceptible of being forced for eggs. 
The Leghorns are in the same class. 
Yet when we get among the heavier 
breeds and study the Brahmas, Cochins, 
Plymouth Rocks and Wyandottes, we 
are apt to be greatly mistaken in se¬ 
lecting layers. The best Wyandotte hen I 
ever owned as regards laying, weighed 
eight pounds, wa3 full and deep In the 
breast, long in the body and back, and fairly 
long in the neck, with a small, neat head. 
She laid 28 eggs in 36 days. The best old 
hen I now own is four years old and lays 
regularly, but no man would pick her out 
for an “egg type.” She is loosely feathered, 
has an enlarged crop, is low down with 
short legs, yet she was always a good layer. 
The Indian Game here is exceeding well- 
built for an “egg type,” having the stern 
superbly developed, yet I have never heard 
of Indian Games being superior layers, 
although some claim they are exceedingly 
good in this respect, but it is by far too 
early to judge this breed. At present the 
fanciers have the breed almost exclusively, 
and not until practical poultrymen have 
handled the birds for eggs only will we 
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