1908. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Sol 
MAPES, THE HEN MAN, AGAIN. 
“ Germless Eggs Dry Mash Feeding. 
I see on page 470, in “Brevities,” that Mr. Mapes is 
selling guaranteed “germless eggs.” As I am in the 
poultry business I would like Mr. Mapes to tell us in full 
how it is done. p. w. M. 
Connecticut. 
It is a wonder to me that the trade has not sought 
for “germless eggs,” backed by the guarantee of a 
responsible party, long before this. 
Most people in this part of the world 
want animal food in some form as part 
of their bill of fare, rather than an 
exclusive vegetable diet. Of all the 
forms of animal matter used as human 
food, an egg is best calculated for 
transportation to distant markets, and 
can be successfully kept in good con¬ 
dition easier than flesh, fish or milk. 
Nature has provided in an egg all the 
elements of matter needed to grow and 
sustain the life of a chick for three 
weeks or more, thus making a complete 
food of it. The only other example 
of a complete food which we find in 
nature is milk. While milk is easily 
susceptible to all sorts of bacteria and 
other forms of decay as soon as drawn, 
an egg is done up in a neat package 
enclosed in a case that is almost im¬ 
pervious to air and water, and then 
surrounded by a protecting calcareous 
shell or case. In the case of a germ¬ 
less egg, this package of animal food 
will keep in good condition for eating, 
for weeks and months in ordinary sur¬ 
roundings, either Summer or Winter. 
If, however, at a certain period in the 
formation of the egg it is fertilized we 
have an entirely different proposition so 
far as preserving it in good condition 
for eating is concerned. It now only 
awaits the application of a certain 
the eggs laid will be germless. Ten days after I 
removed the roosters from my “hen barn” I placed 
four eggs in an incubator, and one of the four proved 
to be fertile. About 95 per cent had previously been 
fertile. At present there i§ no known way of deter¬ 
mining whether or not an egg is fertile, short of ap¬ 
plying sufficient heat to start the germ into life, hence 
the consumer who buys germless eggs must depend 
largely upon the honesty of the seller. This seems 
would think that a small flock having free range in 
the months of March, April and May would lay well on 
“any old way” of feeding. Such was not the case, how¬ 
ever. I tried various systems, including hopper feeding 
of a variety of grains, wet mashes, dry mashes, etc., and 
finally found out that I got the most uniform results 
by keeping the dry mash before them at all times, 
and feeding about an ounce of wheat per hen in the 
morning and an ounce of corn per hen for the ration 
at noon. From that time until the next 
morning they had only the dry mash to 
work at. The week which gave best re¬ 
sults I was feeding a dry mash of one 
part cornmeal and one part wheat mid¬ 
dlings, with three per cent of bone meal 
added. This week the five hens laid 28 
eggs, an average of 80 per cent per day. 
Why the last feed of whole grain given 
at noon is better than to wait until night 
to give it, is not apparent. By the 
middle of May I was ready to test this 
system on all my flocks, and found to 
my surprise a uniform gain in all the 
flocks. The best of the laying season 
is usually supposed to be over by May 
15, yet I got a gain of 200 eggs per day, 
most of which still holds after a month’s 
trial. Most of the hens would greedily 
eat more than this allowance of whole 
grain, yet I found that to allow them 
to do so retards egg development at 
once, besides increasing the mortality in 
the flock. Hence I conclude that quan¬ 
tity is an important factor to consider 
in feeding .grain to hens, as well as 
quality. o. w. mapes. 
GINSENG STORIES.—The ginseng 
nen have been remarkably quiet of late. 
We can remember the wild stories told a 
few years ago by those who were try¬ 
ing to sell plants and seed. They suc- 
amount of heat for this germ of life LACH ENALIA PENDULA. Much Reduced. Fig. 249. See Ruralisms, Page 554. un f or tunate S peopfe who 7 expected^ 
to begin to develop into the chick for 
which nature has provided this package of food. The 
necessary heat may come from the bodies of broody 
hens sitting on the nest, from an incubator, from the 
sun, or even from fermenting manure or other sub¬ 
stances. It takes but a short exposure to the neces¬ 
sary heat for development sufficient to be discerned 
with the naked eyes, even without breaking the shell. 
Remove the source of heat after development has 
once begun and death results within the shell, and 
instead of an appetizing package of food we have 
what might properly be called a coffin. 
In view of these facts is it any wonder that a 
laciienalia luteola. much reduced. 
See Ruralisms, Page 554. 
Fig. 24S 
germless egg is more to be desired than a fertile 
egg when looking for table supplies? 
A hen will lay the same number of eggs regardless 
of whether there are males in the flock or not. Just 
at what period in the development of the egg the 
germ of life is enclosed, is not so well known, but 
for all practical purposes we may conclude that two 
weeks after the males are removed from the flock 
to present-great possibilities for building up a reputa¬ 
tion, and placing a little bit of “character” into the 
eggs as well as the barrels of apples we place upon 
the market. The most approved style of package at 
present seems to be small .boxes or “cartons” hold¬ 
ing one dozen each. These are sealed, and the guar¬ 
antee printed on the box or seal. In view of the 
chances which the ordinary grocer’s egg runs, either 
from being left in the nest several days under a 
broody hen, or sitting about a hot grocery, or in the 
freight car moving slowly to market, or standing 
upon some siding switch, to say nothing about the 
subsequent months in cold storage, it is a wonder 
that so many eggs reach consumers’ tables in edible 
condition. 
TRESPASSING HENS.—I have been interested in 
the discussions in recent numbers of The R. N.-Y. as 
to best way to handle a neighbor’s hens that are trouble¬ 
some. The plan of fixing up a nest for the hens to 
lay in while visiting you looks feasible to the novice, 
but unfortunately in'this case the chances are more 
than 1G to 1 that she will go home to lay as well as 
to roost. She was made that way. The Deacon’s 
plan is more practical. He recommends fixing up 
some sort of an enclosure on your grounds into 
which the visiting hens can be lured, and the door 
closed early in the day. If there is no barn or other 
building at hand a temporary affair can be cheaply 
provided with the aid of a little wire netting. When 
it comes time of day to seek her nest, the hen finding 
the way barred by a closed door will soon search 
out some corner and deposit her egg for you. A 
little subsequent tact in telling of the nice large eggs 
your neighbor’s hens lay will bring him to reason in 
most cases. Trespassing animals and unruly children 
are two great sources of neighborhood quarrels, and 
a peaceable man will find diplomacy needed at times. 
DRY MASH FEEDING.—Perseverance seems to 
have solyed the problem of “dry mash” feeding for me. 
“Other people succeed with it, and so can you,” was 
a favorite saying with the Deacon. I wanted to raise 
some good cockerels for my own use next year that 
would obviate danger of inbreeding, and for this 
purpose mated five pullets raised from eggs secured 
from a noted breeder last year, with what I considered 
the best cock I had, and placed them near the house 
in a colony brooder house, where I saw them many 
times a day. A fence prevented them from annoying 
us about the house, but there was nothing to prevent 
their roaming as far as the north pole in the other 
direction. The Deacon suggested that here was a good 
chance to watch the liens’ behaviour under different 
systems of feeding. It is surprising how quickly a 
hen will respond to a change of feed, either for better 
or worse, especially in the natural laying season. One 
reap a fortune in a backyard, but ended 
by losing every cent they paid out. We know several 
people who ivoulcl invest in ginseng in spite of all we 
could tell them. They threw their money away. The 
latest yarn comes from Indiana, and is about a gin¬ 
seng dog! 
The dog goes into the woods and sniffs. It can smell 
ginseng a mile, the owner says, and as soon as the gin¬ 
seng root is found the dog begins barking, as if it had 
treed a ’coon. All the owner has to do is to follow 
the dog’s bark, dig up the ginseng root and take it to 
market. 
In some cases the dog digs the root out with his 
LACIIENALIA TRICOLOR. MUCH REDUCED. 
See Ruralisms, Page 554. 
Fig. 250. 
paws and carries it to his owner. This story teller 
should go on and prove that the dog dries the root, 
carries it to market and carries the money back to 
his master. It is a shame to make the poor man 
work at all, since ginseng farming is “easy money.” 
Here- is a chance to revive the ginseng business and 
sell a new crop of seeds and roots to the old crop of 
suckers. Throw in a dog of this wonderful breed 
with every order! 
