1913. 
THE RUR.A.U NEW-VO R EE re 
785 
The Henyard. 
Ailing Hens. 
I am having some trouble with my 
hens, which is uew to me. The flock in 
general looks well and the hens are lay¬ 
ing heavily, but all the time I have two 
or three sick ones. The first thing I no¬ 
tice is that the hen is lame. Then she 
stands around and will not eat. Some¬ 
times her comb gets dark, sometimes it 
doesn’t. Sometimes she becomes very 
thin, but most always the hen dies with¬ 
in a few days after I first notice Her. 
Almost always at the last there is a 
white discharge from the vent. I think 
the trouble started from some bad beef- 
scrap I fed in the mash. But I have 
changed that and still I lose some. It 
looks to me like a mild form of ptomaine 
poisoning, but what can I do for it? 
New York. a. ir. p. 
While impossible to make a positive 
diagnosis from the symptoms that you 
mention, it seems probable that your 
flock is suffering from some form of 
moderately communicable disease; pos¬ 
sibly asthenia, or “going light,” a bac¬ 
terial disease affecting the digestive or¬ 
gans, or perhaps tuberculosis. If the lat¬ 
ter disease, the liver or some of the 
other internal organs should show the 
tubercles as small gray or yellow points 
scattered over the surface, or even larger 
masses of broken down tissue. What¬ 
ever the trouble, the safe course to fol¬ 
low would be to remove all affected 
fowls as soon as they can be detected 
and burn or bury all carcasses. The 
premises and utensils should then be dis¬ 
infected by carbolized whitewash or 
other suitable disinfectant and boiling 
water. Attention to the feed will remove 
any possible trouble from that source, 
and the disease should disappear. 
M. B. D. 
Superiority of Infertile Eggs. 
The note by .Tno. A. Wells on page 725, 
stating that a Philadelphia firm of grocers 
“are doing a big business in infertile 
eggs at 52 cents a dozen while they are 
selling strictly fresh eggs over the same 
counter for 25 cents,” is extremely in¬ 
teresting, though it suggests that Phila¬ 
delphia egg consumers are being mildly 
buncoed ; however, if the poultrymen are 
getting their proper share of that extra 
27 cents we will not complain. Any 
poultrymau can as well produce infertile 
eggs as fertile ones; the whole secret 
lies in keeping all males out of the 
flock, and this should be done anyway 
after the hatching season is over. An 
infertile egg will keep longer at the same 
temperature than a fertile one, and life 
development will not begin within it at 
any temperature, but if both eggs are 
“strictly fresh,” and it is not desired to 
keep them, the fertile egg is in every 
way the equal of the infertile one, and 
it is difficult to see why a city consumer 
buying at retail for household use should 
be willing to pay more than twice as 
much for one fresh egg than for another, 
unless he has some erroneous idea of 
the meaning of fertility. Rotting is not 
caused, as Mr. Wells seems to suppose, 
by beginning development of embryonic 
life within the egg, but by access to the 
contents of that egg of certain forms 
of bacteria, the putrefactive bacteria, and 
these may find entrance through the pores 
of the shell of either a fertile or infer¬ 
tile egg. It is by closing these pores 
against the entrance of bacteria that a 
solution of water glass or lime preserves 
eggs. It would not be ■worth while to 
go to the doctors of a community, as Mr. 
Wells suggests, with the statement that 
“An infertile egg cannot rot under any 
circumstances,” because it can, and one 
would not be likely to find many doctors 
who do not know it ; if the statement is 
made, instead, that infertile eggs do not 
rot as readily as fertile ones, and that 
there is no danger of their containing 
embryonic chickens as a result of having 
been exposed to too high a temperature, 
the truth will be stated and the only 
valid arguments in their favor will have 
been advanced. Germination in a fertile 
egg will begin at any continued tempera¬ 
ture over 70, therefore the necessity of 
keeping them below this temperature— 
and the further below it down to freez- 
mg. the better—if they are to be kept 
fresh.” But if any market will pay 
more for infertile than for fertile eggs, 
by all means work it, and work it hard. 
M. B. 1). 
Breeding for Quality. 
On page 705 Theodore Shuey tells o 
his experience with hatching eggs fron 
two pullets, and says that he “knows’ 
that unless we are “vei-y careful” tlx 
vitality of our great laying hens wil 
dimmish with every year. Then he say 
he believes” (he does not know) thi 
only way to maintain the vigor of ou 
great layers is to introduce new bIoo< 
ach year. In breeding I am taugh 
, . we have three laws—variation 
atavism and correlation. The greates 
> hd one most easily influenced is varia 
'>n, and from this we get the grea 
mdmdual record. Ho says his first pulle 
n!, W i !. ( ‘ ed a , a !l <fiiy for over a month 
ae only hatched one chick from If 
i.,, us suppose this pullet wil 
thl f «P> hnd lay 205 eggs in t 
a ' Kl he goes over to his neigh bon 
j* Sets a mate for her of differen 
It. „ in £’ >ut *. rom an equally productive 
m,n’c. roa i this mating he will hatcl 
lS nex t year. Will he expect then 
to lay 265 eggs or better? The law of 
atav.sm may step in here and blast his 
hopes very much, for he does not "know” 
whether these two bloods will “nick,” 
but may take him back for generations, 
possibly to his primitive hen. But if Mr. 
Shuey can go to another neighbor and 
get a mate that has been bred with the 
same blood in his veins, ho, I believe, 
don’t “know,” is more apt to get near what 
he is aiming for. How can our English 
friends produce better stock than we do? 
s. D. H. 
As I don’t know how onr English 
cousins produce better stock than we do, 
I wifi refer that to Mr. Cosgrove, whose 
knowledge and experience exceed mine. 
I think that it is generally acknowledged, 
however, that the English excel us, and 
perhaps all other nations, in both the 
science and art of breeding; but why 
shouldn’t they? Ought not the man of 
60 to excel the boy of 20? I quite agree 
with Mr. Shuey that heavy laying is not 
conducive to vigor in the offspring, and 
that unless we are very careful the 
vitality of our flocks will show a pro¬ 
gressive loss with each year; but I 
think that the necessary care can tie 
observed without the frequent introduc¬ 
tion of new blood, and, moreover, that 
such introduction may prove disastrous 
even though from strains equal to our 
own. With a reasonably large flock to 
select from and the maintenance of vigor 
through proper conditions of feed, range, 
and housing a breeder should be able to 
maintain the vitality of his flock in¬ 
definitely, and if he has developed a 
superior strain, he will bo incurring un¬ 
justifiable risk in introducing new blood 
without first testing it in a limited way 
to ascertain the effect of the cross with 
his own. This presupposes, of course, 
a sufficient knowledge of breeding and of 
fowls to enable him to select for vigor 
as well as for records, and both the 
ability and will to give his breeders such 
care as shall increase rather than dimin¬ 
ish their inherent vitality. m. b. d. 
No Wheat Chaff for Baby Chicks. 
In preparing the litter for my brooders 
I found that the chaff worked into my 
flesh; thinking this might do the same 
with baby chicks, and work into their 
legs, I asked several poultrymen about 
its use, but all said they used it and 
it was all right, so I used chaff for litter 
for iny baby chicks to scratch in. After 
a time I began to lose a lot; they moped 
around and died. They seemed healthy 
and there was apparently no disease that 
I could find, but their crops were en¬ 
tirely empty and they were almost too 
weak to stand. I noticed that some 
had watery looking eyes, and that their 
feathers were damp whore they tuck 
their heads under their wings. I picked 
up one of these and examined its eye • 
ou close observation I saw in the corner 
a white spot which I probed with the 
eye-end of a needle; I thought it a piece 
of straw. Upon getting hold of it with 
a small pair of tweezers I found it to be 
the sharp end of chaff which had worked 
far down into the eye. After removing 
it the chicks at once began to eat, and 
was soon all right. I found 85 or 40 in 
this condition out of a flock of ^OO 
baby chicks 10 days old. The pieces 
varied from a quarter of an inch to 
five-eighths in length, and two chicks had 
three pieces in one eye. 
Virginia. airs. joiix COOK. 
Bumbiefoot. 
V hat is the trouble with my hens? 
I had one hen whose foot began to 
swell and was getting worse all the 
time, so I cut it open; blood and pus 
came out very freely. In a day or two 
it was the same way; now I have an¬ 
other. Can it be cured and bow? 
Ohio. j. 
Bumbiefoot, or abscess formation in 
the foot, is caused by infection through 
scratch or other injury to the foot, and 
predisposed to by bruising. such as 
might be caused by jumping from perches 
to_ a hard floor. Open the abscess freely 
with a sharp knife, syringe out, if you 
wish, with mild antiseptic solution like 
peroxide of hydrogen, or a two per cent, 
solution of carbolic acid, and give the 
fowl a clean grass run until the foot has 
healed. m. b. d. 
An express company distributes the 
following “Suggestions to Shippers of 
Eggs” ; 
I se strong, substantial cases, of not 
over 86 dozen capacity. 
Repair them when necessary; it will 
repay you in the end. 
Don’t use old. broken-down fillers; it 
is false economy. 
See that fillers fit snugly, if necessary 
using old newspapers to take up space. 
If there is room between the cover 
and top layer use a layer of newspapers 
there. 
If_ the fillers are so loose as to shift 
continually in transit, it is sure to re¬ 
sult in some cracked or broken eggs. 
Place a layer of excelsior, hay or 
straw in the bottom of case. 
It is to your advantage to have your 
eggs reach the consumer or commission 
man in good condition. Even if a com¬ 
mission man remits for the full number 
in the case, cracked or brokeu eggs often 
cause others to become specked or 
soiled, making them less attractive to the 
buyer and often lowering the retail price 
per dozen. This reduction may not show 
up in your statement, but it is there 
just the same aud is a direct loss to 
you. 
The Sign of a 
Good Dairy Farmer 
There are more than a million such signs on the best farms 
the country over. They are almost invariably a badge of 
prosperity and practical progressiveness. They are a most 
impressive object lesson to the farmer who hasn’t one. They 
point the sure way to better things in dairying. 
Where there’s a De Laval user without a De Laval User’s 
Sign a new enameled sign will be gladly sent him free of all cost. 
Where there’s a dairy farmer—big or little—without a De 
Laval Separator the De Laval User’s Sign—that badge of pros¬ 
perity and progressiveness—will come to him with his 
separator. 
W hy not buy a De Laval Separator now? Try one any way, 
through the local agent, and satisfy yourself. This will cost 
you nothing and may save you much. There never was a better 
time to make so important and self-paying an investment than 
right now—and the “sign of a good dairy farmer” goes with it. 
The De Laval Separator Co. 
NEW YORK CHICAGO SAN FRANCISCO SEATTLE 
MAKA-SHEL l300 ” res " ,t3 
GRIT 
Box J 
cannot pos¬ 
sibly be obtained from poultry if j 
not fed a good grit. ‘‘Maka- 
SheF t has no equal ; there is 
none “jnxt as goixL” Ask 
your dealer or send ns $ 1.00 
for two 100 lb. bags; one ton for $ 7 . 00 , f. o. b. 
cars. Agents wanted. W r j( e today. 
EDGE HILL SILICA ROCK CO., 
New Brunswick, N. J. 
RHODE ISLAND REDS 
won National laying contest. Unusually fertile, 
prime SELECTED HATCHING EGGS the year round from 
famous flock of RECORD WINTER LAYING Rose and 
Single Combs, raised by HENS on FREE RANGE clover 
in separated colony houses. WIDE OPEN ALL WINTER. 
Hardy, vigorous, beautiful deep-glowing CHERRY 
RED RIGHT TO THE SKIN. $3 per sitting: $10 per 100 
Some splendid, large, BEAUTIFUL EARLY 1912 PULLETS 
from record-laying mothers, now laving heavily, 
for sale. A I cn f-nPY FRFI WEEK, TWO-WEEK. 
MONTH AL0U bUMtnLLO OLD chicks, past 
danger. Utility stock at reduced prices. Upright 
dealings assured. Correspondence a ploasure. 
VIBERT RED FARM, Box 1, Westen, N. J. 
MAPLE COVE POULTRY YARCS 
R No 94 Athpns Pa Breeders for 33 years of pure- 
n. NO. 24, Alliens, ra. i, rei j j,oultiy 0 £ high quality. 
CHICKS 
7e. Shipped C. O. D. S. C. W. Leg¬ 
horns. Will return money for dead 
ones. Pamphlet on roup Free. 
B-73. C. M. LAUVER, Richfield. Pa. 
Baby Chicks 82c. Each 
from Single Comb White Leghorns. All breeders 
are on free range and from selected stock. Prompt 
delivery. A hatch every week. Safe arrival guar¬ 
anteed. Circular free. 
CHAS. K. STOXE 
Baby Chicken Farm, Staatsburg-ou-Hudson, N. Y. 
PHIII TRYMFH~ Sen,i 2c stamp for Illustrated 
r 1 11 Catalog describing 35 varieties. 
EAST DONEGAL POULTRY YARDS MARIETTA. PA. 
RARY Rfll Y — ,2c each—S.C. White Leghorns, Prize 
UnU I U III A stock, free range. $10.00 pei 100. I. 
R. dnek eggs: all 7c. each: $5 00 per bit). Stock for 
sale. ROCKEY GLEN POULTRY FARM, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. 
Pearl Guinea Eggs 
-forty, $2. L 0. QUIGLEY, 
Box 266, Goshen, Orange Ca.,N.Y. 
Rose Comb Reds and MAMMOTH 
BRONZE TUTKEYS —(Crescent Strain) 
Eggs from all matings half-price during remainder 
of the season. Also high-class breeding birds at 
half-price during next CO days- Mating list free. 
D. R. HONE, CRESCENT HILL FARM, SHARON SPRINGS, N. Y. 
R, I. Reds, Houdans, Indian Runner Ducks 
High-class stock for UTILITY, SHOW or EX¬ 
PORT. Eggs for hatching. Mating list on request. 
SINCLAIR SMITH, 602 Fifth St.. Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Chicks$8.50 per Hundred 
Purebred S. C. White Leghorns. Range yearling 
breeders. Big strong chicks that will please. 
VANCREST POULTRY FARM, Salt Point, Dutchess Co.. N. Y. 
Bloodsucking Mites 
are the hot weather scourge of the 
poultry yard. Kiil the pests before they 
ruin your flock. Use 
PRATTS l-IOLTD LICE KILLER 
or PRATTS DISINFECTANT 
Guaranteed. Dust the fowls with 
Pratts Powdered Lice Killer. 
Pratts 160-page poultry book 10c 
by mail. 
At all dealers, or 
PRATT FOOD CO.. Phils.. Chicago 
New York Prize-Winning Strains a Tdo e tt'L T : 
Rnrred Rocks, R. I. Reds; Brown, White Leghorns, 
Eggs.$1.50,15 :17,100. Dark, Light Brahmas: Eggs. 
$2.50, 15. Catalog free. A few choice breeders for 
sale. F. M. PKKSCOTT, Kiverdnle, N. J. 
Ra hv W. leghorns. Barred 
DaDy A^niCKS Rocks. R. C. Reds. Strong, 
livable. From vigorous, thoroughbred, range 
bteoders. Safe del:very guaranteed. Circular free. 
WESLEY GKINSELL - SODUS, N. Y. 
Austin's 200-Egg Strain 
high record stock. Old and young stock for sale. 
AUSTIN POULTRY FARM, Box 17. Centre Harbor. N. H. 
THE FARMER’S FAVORITE WINTER 
* LAYERS—Kellerstrass White Orpingtons. Eggs 
and chicks at reduced prices dat ing June and July 
W. It. STEVENS, Culver Road, Lyons, N. Y. 
B l FK WHITE !,E(;ilOlt\S, S. C. K. 1. ft EDS—KgfiS, 90c. per 15 
SI. 50 per 30. Mottled Anemias. 111. Mlnmvas, curs, St.00 pet 
15; $1.75 per SO. Catalogue free. Joint .4. Kotb, Quabertonu. I*a 
Rearing Minorca Chicks in June 
You have possible advantage of winning late shows. 
Wecaa prove by ribbons and papers a6 ourdesk that 
they won hatched as late as June 20ih in Madison 
Square Garden in strong competition. One hatch 
July 1 won at Battle Creek, Mich., in class of 60 
birds. Until July 1st is your chance. Only 75 cents 
fora setting of egg*: $2 for 50. Cases free. We 
have 1013 letter from every State, people saying, 
never saw snch fine eggs. Also excellent hatches. 
Minqrca chicks grow in few weeks. Try at least 1 
setting Chicks at any age for sale. COLDEKHAM 
POULTRY YARDS, W. L. Burnett, Prop., Montgomery, N. Y. 
THE LEVIN PRUNER 
The best pruner. Cuts %-inch dry 
branch. Quick, clean, easy cut. We 
will send it post paid for club of two 
new yearly subscriptions at SI each, 
or for club of 10 ten weeks trials at 10 
cents each. 
Tue Rural New-Yorker, New York 
