THE RURA-^i NBW-YOKKEK 
February 15 , 
^30 
BLUE RIBBONS.AND EGG CONTESTS. 
In noting the entries at the egg-lay¬ 
ing contests this past year I looked for 
the names of some of the larger 
breeders, men who have made famous 
their strains in the show room, and I 
was surprised at the absence of their 
entries. At first 1 failed to understand 
why this should be so. It is undeniably 
the greatest advertising feature to be 
able to carry off the honors in a well- 
conducted and properly advertised egg- 
laying contest. Back of all the “fuss 
and feathers” of the fancy poultry busi¬ 
ness is the foundation fact “utility,” to 
which every breeder, both large and 
small, must look for his profits.' Hence 
one would naturally expect that all the 
breeders who have won the ribbons in 
the larger shows would have made 
entries in these contests to demonstrate 
the superiority of their strains for 
utility purposes. It seems that this was 
not generally so, hence your reader’s 
inquiry, Why? Judging from my per¬ 
sonal experience in the poultry business 
and from a general survey of the situa¬ 
tion my answer to your question is in 
the negative. Heretofore breeders, and 
by breeders I mean those who have 
been breeding fancy stock and winning 
in the show-room, have not paid as 
much attention to the utility end of the 
business as they have to the fancy. A 
man will try to have what the other 
man wants, and the other man has been 
demanding the fancy stock. Witness 
the great increase in the number of 
poultry shows held throughout the 
country and the enormous increase in 
the number of entries. Go into the 
showroom, talk with the exhibitors, 
look over their stock, mentally record 
the remarks made and then think these 
over and draw your conclusions. You 
will find that almost without exception 
your attention is directed to the points 
that makes the specimen of exhibition 
value. Very seldom do you hear much 
about the utility value of the birds, only 
in a general way. Hardly ever do you 
find an exhibitor who has anything 
definite to offer about the egg-laying 
ability of his strain. Attention is cen¬ 
tered upon producing “winners !” And 
the men who breed in large numbers, 
advertise extensively and exhibit at the 
various shows are in a large measure 
responsible for the breeds. If the effort 
has been directed largely towards pro¬ 
ducing a “guarantee to win” strain it 
is done at the expense of the utility 
value of the birds. For instance a man 
who has in mind capturing the blue 
ribbon in the shows would not think of 
putting in his breeding pens hens that 
are fine layers but way off in the type 
of the breed, color, head points or 
maybe had some disqualification. He 
would not expect to get show stock. 
The scheme of mating is directed to¬ 
wards one thing, viz.: show stock. Hens 
that are good layers, far ahead of the 
winners in his yards are discarded for 
those which the breeder thinks will give 
the greatest per cent, of show stock. 
And along this line I wonder if “The 
Standard of Perfection” is not in some 
case doing damage to the utility value 
of the breed. The Standard calls, in 
case of Black Orpingtons, for a loose 
feathered bird rather low down on 
shanks. Now it is my experience that 
the close feathered birds bred a little 
higher than the Standard calls for are 
the better layers. Others have reported 
the same experience, and I have noted 
the same in many articles in the poultry 
magazines. The judges bound by the 
“Standard of Perfection” have to place 
the awards with the loose-feathered 
low-down birds, and thereby give an 
impetus to breeding this type of bird. 
This very thing killed the utility value 
of the Black Orpington in England. I 
believe the American Orpington is to 
be saved from that fate. There are 
other reasons that can be given to sub¬ 
stantiate my position, I believe. The 
trouble is our viewpoint has been 
wrong. The men responsible have bent 
their efforts towards the fancy stock. 
Now the egg-laying contests have been 
started in this country and I believe 
the viewpoint will be changed to the 
utility end of the poultry business. Look 
at the matter any way we want to, 
‘‘utility value” is the real “Standard oi 
Perfection.” Breeds that are to-day the 
center of attraction in the show room 
will be short-lived if they do not prove 
their worth in the barnyard. The 
masses of the American people are 
more interested to-day in meat and eggs 
than in fancy colored feathers and five- 
point combs. The breeder who has the 
birds that will produce the eggs is the 
breeder who will do the big business ill 
the poultry industry in the future. 
“Meat and eggs” should be the watch¬ 
word. 
New York. fredk. f. Andrew. 
A SOUTH JERSEY CHICKEN PICKING. 
The North American recently printed the 
following: 
“Chicken-pickings have begun to take 
the place to some extent of the old-fash¬ 
ioned hog killings in (ilouccster county. On 
several places this Winter farmers have 
invited their neighbors, in to help them 
dress and prepare the fowls for market 
and have thereby solved to some extent one 
of the vexing problems that is always con¬ 
fronting the poultry man who wants pick¬ 
ers just when they are most in demand 
somewhere else. 
“At the farm of Moses Groff, near 
Barnesboro, 30 neighbors were invited in 
one day this month to nelp at a chicken 
picking. Groff raised more than 3000 
chickens last year without the use of in¬ 
cubators, having' trusted to the old-time 
method of using his setting hens to hatch 
out the eggs. It was 500 of the finest 
of these birds that were fattened up for 
market and all killed on one day. The 
Groffs and their neighbors began the work 
of picking the fowls early in the morning. 
At noon they paused to partake of a sub¬ 
stantial country dinner, similar to the 
feasts usually provided at hog killings and 
which was served at two long tables in the 
big farm house. It was a frolic for the 
men and women and the work gave them 
keen appetites, so that they did full jus¬ 
tice to the meal. After dinner ail hands 
turned to again and by the middle of the i 
afternoon they had stripped the last chick- ' 
en clean of feathers. 
“The 500 chickens had an aggregate ' 
weight of 2700 pounds and as Groff re- j 
ceived 24 cents a pound for them, the two- { 
horse load of poultry that he took to mar¬ 
ket the next day netted him $650.” 
Mr. GrofT, a subscriber of The R. N.-Y. 
tells us that the exact weight was 2090 
pounds. About 500 weight of old fowls sold 
at 17 cents and 2190 pounds of roasters 
at. 24 cents. This made the total sales 
$012. The chickens were raised by Mrs. 
Groff. . This “chicken-picking” celebration 
was a great success. 
Forkner Light Draft 
Hangs low and has 
great extension—you 
work l’ight up to trees without dis¬ 
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can cultivate 20 to 30 acres a day 
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for long, hard service. 
THIS BOOK FREE. 
Modem Orchard Tillage, written 
by a practical orchardist, chock- 
1 full of valuable informa- 
I tion. Write 
1 for it. 
Light Draft Harrow 
Company 
612 E. Nevada St. f 
ftiurahnlltown, Iowa 
MAKE BIG PAY DRILLING 
WATER WELLS 
Our Free PrillerR’ Book with 
catalog of Keystone Drills 
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Beaver Falls, Pa. 
HARNESS 
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or lay up the horse. *2.00 a 
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ABSOKBINE, JH., liniment for mankind. For 
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Sharpen your bluntest axes in three 
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for 30 days free. Send for free book 
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LUTHER FARM 
TOOL GRINDER 
«ir*t 
not tlio bent 
thine of the 
kind I mvr 
BOW 1 Would 
have returned 
it. 
Any farmer who 
ow jib machinery 
that needs ah*r|**;i- 
cannot afford 
without it. My 
twin sharpened two 
18-shoo Discs with 
it In 1 «m than 
a day that would 
have eo$i me 
(14.40 fofxfetrpeii- 
in£ nt 1,10 Week¬ 
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J. W. Bnddard, 
Nninrk, Del.,wrlt: 
“It took my boy jn*t thiee 
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ioned scythe and cradle.” 
Agricultural Colleges Recommend It 
“I Hud Lho Luther Grinder an ideal machine for 
general farm use, and I believe it will be money 
well spent for any farmer to have such a grinder 
to keep tlio tools in shape on his farm. 11 I* far 
In advance of the old fashioned grindstone. The 
macliino is well put up, ud 1 am happy to eay 
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IIKNRY G. KNIGHT, Director of Agrrlcidture, 
University of Wyoming, Laramie, \Vy©w 
Standard Farm Outfit conatata of 
tiit'He 14 different uttaehmeiiln. 
I, Fine l)lmo-Grit wheel; 2, Coarse Dimo-Grit 
wheel ; 3, Universal tool rest; 4, Ckiiti and 
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Disc grinding attachment. 
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outfit on 30 days’ trial without paying for it in advance. Write today. 
Luther Grinder Mfg. Co., 403 Stroh Building, Milwaukee, Wis. 
DIMO-GRIT wheels on Luther Grinders 
are made of artificial diamond crystals made 
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emery—will not draw temper from steel—no need 
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tool rests and attachments for grinding sickles, 
discs, etc.—does all farm grinding, plow points 
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NEGLECT 
Will Ruin 
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only 
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Mineral Heave 
MINERAL 
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money refunded 
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Remedy Co., 461 Fourth Ave., Pittsburg.Pa. 
Here’s the sure 
and speedy way to cure 
your horse of spavin or/ 
ringbone, or for removing f * 
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prices quoted on request. 
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MILK CAN COVER EXPANDER 
MAKES OLD COVERS NEW 
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“Everything For Dairymen Always 
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WIT I I DRILLING 
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HERCULES MFG. CO. 
»30'Zl«t Street, 
^- Centerville, la. ,U.B. A. 
For a limited time, 
we will give abso¬ 
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Riemer’s Shoe Life 
with every pair of 
Riemer’s Wood Sole Shoes or Boots 
It’s a perfect dressing for Riemer's or any 
other work shoes, boots or harness. 
Riemer’s Wood Sole Shoes should be worn 
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shoes. A trial will convince you. II not 
at dealer's send us his name and 12.50 
for Shoes or $ 3.75 for Boots. We pay ex¬ 
press charges. Money back if not satis¬ 
fied. Illustrated booklet free. 
A. H. Riemer Shot Co. 
2911 Vliet Stre*e 
Milwaukee, Wu. 
