22 
THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
January 3, 
The Henyard. 
Selecting Hens as Breeders. 
The enclosed clipping is from an ad¬ 
vertisement in a western poultry paper. 
Will you give us the facts concerning 
these trap-nest results at the Maine Sta¬ 
tion ? 
“The Maine Experiment Station trap- 
nested hens for years and bred from the 
best layers and the roosters that came 
from the best layers, and finally arrived 
at the conclusion that it was impossible 
to build up with any certainty a flock of 
heavy layers. That was because some 
people, some animals and some birds are 
able to transmit to their progeny their 
predominating characteristics and some 
are not, and the managers of the Experi¬ 
ment Station did not know how to pick 
out the prepotent birds. So, when they 
had, with the trap-nest, ascertained the 
best layers, they did not know how to 
mate so as to produce more good layers, 
and further progress was a matter of 
mere chance.” 
Concerning the feeding of milk. Mr. 
Cosgrove stated some time ago that 
Tom Barron “always fed his milk as 
sweet as possible.” I think some have 
often said “Feed only sour milk.” Per¬ 
haps you can give us some discussion on 
this subject. w. H. M. 
Orland, Cal. 
The facts are about as stated in the 
clipping referred to by W. H. M. But 
that does not contain all there is to that 
subject. Prof. Gowell, who began the 
practice of breeding from only high-pro¬ 
ducing hens and their sons, at the Maine 
Station several years ago, and whose ex¬ 
periments did not result in building up 
a strain of heavy laying birds as he ex¬ 
pected. probably was not aware of one 
fact that has been pretty conclusively 
demonstrated by further experiment; viz. 
that the high producing lien does not 
necessarily transmit that quality to her 
daughters, in fact does not usually do so. 
By extended records of the performance 
of the daughters of high-producing hens, 
it was found that there were fewer 200- 
egg pullets produced by them than by 
fairly good layers, say 160-egg hens. 
These experiments were carried on for 
years after Prof. Gowell’s death, until 
it was pretty conclusively demonstrated 
that the 200-egg hen transmits her lay¬ 
ing qualities through her sons, rather 
than through her daughters; and to raise 
good pullets it was better to use fairly 
good laying hens mated with males from 
high-producing danis. Prof. Gowell 
doubtless thought that as Jersey cows 
had increased production by mating high 
producers with sires from high producers, 
the same result would follow from mat¬ 
ing hens likewise. But there is an es¬ 
sential difference. The hen has to put 
life into every egg; part of her vitality 
is gone with every egg laid, while milk 
is a manufactured article; if the Jersey 
cow had to produce 10 or a dozen calves 
in a year, her vitality would be depleted, 
as is that of the high-producing hen. 
In regard to feeding milk, Mr. Barron 
did say that he feeds his milk while 
sweet, and in that condition there is no 
doubt that it is a very valuable food. 
But when fed sour, milk has another 
value as well; that of producing condi¬ 
tions in the intestines of the chick that 
are unfavorable to the multiplication of 
certain harmful bacteria; notably the 
bacteria that produce black-head in turk¬ 
eys, and white diarrhoea in chicks, and 
I do not know that milk loses any of its 
food value by becoming soured. I mean 
by “soured” what is variously called “lop- 
pered milk,” “bonnie clabber,” “sclimear- 
ease,” etc. All utensils in which it is 
fed should be boiled and thoroughly 
cleaned frequently. At Storrs last 
Spring 100 chicks just hatched in an in¬ 
cubator, were divided into two lots of 50 
each, and put in adjoining yards. Both 
lots were fed and cared for exactly alike 
except that one lot had sour milk every 
day, the other did not. I saw them when 
they were six to eight weeks old. ‘ No 
one would hesitate to give twice as much 
for the lot fed sour milk, as he would for 
the other lot. The sour milk fed chicks 
were at least one half larger than the 
others, were better feathered out, more 
even in.size, and only one had died; while 
six or seven of the other lot had “gone 
to fertilize the earth.” 
No man knows it all, Mr. Barron real¬ 
izes that he has something to learn from 
American breeders; as we have much to 
learn from him. And the longer a man 
is in the business, the 'humbler he be¬ 
comes because he realizes more and more 
what a lot there is that he doesn’t know. 
GEO. A. COSGKOVE. 
Criticizing a Henhouse. 
On page 1312 Harry R. Lewis in “An 
Efficient and Economical Poultry House” 
states: “It should be high enough to give 
ample head room when caring for the 
birds, and should admit sunlight in the 
front openings, so that at some time dur¬ 
ing the day they (it) will shine on the 
floor clear to the back of the pen.” lie 
further states that the sized unit found 
to be the most efficient and economical is 
a room 20 by 20 feet with nine-foot stud¬ 
ding in front. Figure 515 shows v. indov, s 
five feet high placed midway between the 
plate and sill, making the top of the 
window only seven feet above the floor. 
Under such conditions sunlight will reach 
back only about 16 feet, and that distance 
only on December 21. To have the sun 
light reach clear to the back part of the 
pen it would be necessary to have the 
window placed clear up to the plate. In 
the building described the rear four feet 
of the floor will never be reached by the 
sun, neither through the windows nor 
the muslin curtain openings. 
Theoretically the square pen is the 
most “efficient and economical,” but the 
practical poultryman will find it rather 
cheaper and more satisfactory to build a 
single span or shed-roof” henhouse from 
14 to 16 feet wide. With a building of the 
latter width it will be possible to have 
the sunlight reach clear back to the rear 
of the pen not only on December 21, but 
for nearly a njonth. Besides, he can do 
away with the middle supports for the 
rafters, and the posts running through 
the center of the pens. 
The eight-inch concrete wall is much 
thicker than necessary for a building of 
this size. Such a wall will easily support 
a dwelling-house or a good-sized barn. 
While the extra thickness does no harm 
it adds 33 1-3 per cent to the cost of the 
foundation, and as the average poultry- 
man lias no State funds with which to 
put up his poultry buildings, it is simply 
good business to build amply strong and 
put the extra money in better poultry, 
or, perhaps, give it to the “missus” for 
kitchen conveniences. The diagram 
shows a door in the east end. I like to 
make the ends and back as tight as pos¬ 
sible, thus cutting off any possibility of 
drafts. j. d. prickett. 
Ohio. _ 
Concrete Poultry House Floor. 
On page 1312 appears an article on 
poultry house construction which I can¬ 
not let pass without entering a decided 
criticism. The article referred to gives 
the plan of a poultry house which con¬ 
forms very closely to those used through¬ 
out the country on the larger farms, and 
is without question the best that can 
be designed with one exception, the con¬ 
crete floor. The writer of the article, 
Mr. H. R. Lewis, doubtless knows that 
many of his readers are going to adopt 
his house without question, and this is 
where the harm creeps in. They think 
any plan emanating from an experiment 
have ii> the same breeding house four 
pens of Leghorns, and all eggs are col¬ 
lected together, and it is impossible to 
tell the white White Wyandotte eggs 
from those of the Leghorns. Of course 
I get some colored Wyandotte eggs, but 
these are mostly pinkish white. I breed 
as well Brahmas, Rocks and Reds, all 
of which lay brown and dark brown eggs, 
but my Wyandottes lay nothing near as 
dark as the above mentioned breeds. This 
year’s pullets seem to be laying 50% 
clear white shells and the other 50% is 
a light pink color. I have done nothing 
to make this so, as my business is eggs 
for hatching and show birds, and I don’t 
care what the color of the eggs is. From 
my experience, however, I feel confident 
that I could produce a strain of white- 
shelled White Wyandotte egg layers in a 
short time. f. m. prescott. 
New Jersey. 
Large White-Egg Fowls. 
Would you tell me the name of the 
largest breed of chickens that lays white 
eggs suitable for the New York market? 
The White Wyandottes would suit me 
very well if they laid white eggs. 
c. b. c. 
There are no breeds comparable with 
the Wyandottes in size which lay white 
eggs, and you will be compelled to make 
a choice between color of eggs and size 
of fowls. The S. C. Black Minorcas are 
the largest of the white egg laying breeds, 
and they have no superiors when in comes 
to size and beauty of their product. As 
a breed, however, they do not lay as 
many eggs as the Leghorns, and unless 
in some special market, their eggs do not 
bring a premium. They cannot compete, 
therefore, with Leghorns upon commercial 
egg farms, but when size and beauty of 
the fowls and their product are the chief 
considerations, the Black Minorcas can¬ 
not be excelled. 
station must be all right, and from 
of experience and opportunity to 
other houses go ahead and build, 
article does not tell the important 
that a concrete floor, while being 
lack 
see 
The 
fact 
the¬ 
oretically correct as far as keeping out 
rats and moisture is concerned, must be 
covered with two or three inches of sand 
or soft loam, and that this must be re¬ 
newed twice or three times a year, and 
that without it you might as well hold 
your lien’s toes to a grindstone, so quick¬ 
ly will it cut them down to the flesh. 
Then supposing the sand is used to pre¬ 
vent this trouble, anyone who has ever 
tried to fill a small hollow in his lawn 
with two wheelbarrow loads of dirt and 
found that it took six wagon loads in¬ 
stead, knows what the labor would be, 
and the result is that it gets done the 
first time when the house is new and the 
busy farmer says “never again,” leaving 
all the filth to collect or else grinding the 
hens’ toes off. I have seen many farms 
where concrete floors were used, and the 
results were exactly as set forth, so that, 
while believing concrete to be the best, 
I will never recommend another, but will 
take the dilemma by the horns and advise 
a double-boarded floor with six inches of 
suitable litter. IRVING c. LEWIS. 
Pennsylvania. 
Reply by Prof. H. R. Lewis. 
This correspondent virtually agrees 
that the concrete floor was ttye best for 
moisture prevention and the keeping out 
of rats. In regard to the birds grinding. 
their toes off, and in regard to the using 
of sand on the floor, will say that we have 
used concrete not only on this plant, but 
cooperatively with over 100 of the leading 
poultrymen in the State, and we have 
never seen the results described. We 
never put sand over the concrete floor, 
but keep it covered with a good scratch¬ 
ing litter to a depth of from eight to 12 
inches, and it is not long before 
this litter is broken up so that there 
is plenty of fine material next to the 
floor. From the sanitary standpoint, it 
is absolutely necessary to clean any 
poultry house, at least, twice a year. 
Where the floor is dirt, it is necessary 
to take out not only the litter, but also 
from six to eight inches of the top soil, 
and replace with clean soil; whereas in 
the case of concrete the poultryman can, 
with a shovel, hoe or broom, clean the 
house very quickly and completely, and 
then by using a good disinfectant the 
house is absolutely clean, and he can ac¬ 
complish this with the least amount of 
labor and the greatest assurance of suc¬ 
cess. Mr. Lewis advises a board floor, 
and uses the same treatment in refer¬ 
ence to litter as we do with our concrete 
floors. NEW JERSEY EXP. STATION. 
Rheumatism in Fowls. 
One of my R. I. Red pullets, which 
was just about ready to begin laying, 
showed lameness in her right leg, being 
unable to use same from the knee down. 
I thought perhaps she had hurt her foot, 
but a close examination seemed to show 
it was all right. Three or four days 
later the left foot or leg was similarly 
affected. The hen was isolated and from 
information at hand can only imagine 
it is what is called “leg weakness.” She 
seems perfectly healthy and normal in 
all respects and eats well, but shows no 
improvement to treatment, i. e., I have 
taken away all corn, only feeding oats 
and wheat and some oatmeal, bathing 
her legs occasionally with arnica. I hope 
you can advise me. w. R. H. 
New York. 
Rheumatism is one of the most fre¬ 
quent causes of lameness, and final in¬ 
ability to stand, in fowls, and is quite 
likely the cause of the trouble which you 
describe. If the quarters which your 
fowls occupy are damp or expose their 
occupants to wind and drafts while on 
the perches, you should correct these con¬ 
ditions, and if you wish to treat this 
hen individually, you may remove her 
to warm dry quarters where she can be 
fed by herself. Give her soft food of 
which wheat bran forms a considerable 
proportion, plenty of green stuff, and 
slcim-milk if you have it, and do not 
feed meat of any kind. As medicine, give 
three or four grains of sodium salicylate 
twice daily, dissolved in as much water 
as you can administer. For convenience, 
the drug may be obtained in tablet form, 
but it is irritating if given undissolved in 
water. m. b. d. 
Grumpy Straphanger (loudly) : “I 
wish you’d move those confounded valises 
out of th’ aisle.” Indignant Sitter: 
"Those aint valises—those are my feet.” 
Grumpy Straphanger (more cheerfully) : 
“Well, you might at least pile one on top 
o’ t’other.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer. 
Smythe : “I dropped a penny in front 
of a blind beggar today to see if he’d pick 
it up.” Tompkins: “Well, did he?” 
Smythe: “No; lie said, ‘Make it sixpence, 
mister, and I’ll forget myself.’ ”—Tit- 
Bits. 
When you write advertisers mention The R. 
N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and a 
‘•square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
Licks the Bucket Clean 
Blatchford’s Calf Meal 
As good as New Milk at half the Cost. 
100 pounds makes 100 gallons of Perfect 
Milk Substitute. 
Send for pamphlet, “How to Raise Calves 
Cheaply and Successfully Without Milk.” 
At your Dealers or 
MEAL 
BLATCHFORD’S CALF 
WAUKEGAN 
FACTORY 
ILLINOIS 
YOURS 
-“For Greatest 
Power Profits! 
Send in your name on postal! Don’t buy 
a power outfit of any kind till you get our 
3 facts, figures and proof. You don’t 
realize the economy, reliability and 
superiority of the famous 
*' TPCI STEAM 
rrtL ENGINES 
I hey are replacing all other power 
outfits wherever introduced. Learn 
the reasons. Buy your last engine 
Jirst and save big money. Leffel 
runs any machine, does many 
things gasoline can't do. 
Burns anything for fuel. 
Don't wait! Write us now! 
iames Leffel & Company 
, Springfield, Ohi< 
Pump 
with a 
Farm Cushman 
All-Purpose 
Engine 
4-H. P. 
4-Cycle 
Does 
everything 
any 4-H. P. engine 
will do and some work 
no other engine can do. An 
ALL-PURPOSE, all-season engine 
AND will run any binder. Weighs 190 
lbs. Throttle governor. Guaranteed 
10 years. Also 2-cylinder 6 H. P. up to 
20 H. P. Get catalog and trial offer. 
CUSHMAN MOTOR WORKS, 2091N St., Lincoln, Neb. 
Save 14 On Feed-^ 
Practical farmers and stock raisers know the 
value of the corn ground with the cob. 
Fatten your stock quicker and at less cost 
by using the 
/leu o/Zol/and 
Feed IVIill 
It grinds cob corn, shelled grain and table 
meal perfectly. Grinds easily and quicklj 
Will last many years. An examination 
will prove to you its many superior 
qualities. Real money-mak¬ 
ers for the farmer. Write for 
low prices and free trial 
offer. 
NEW HOLLAND MACHINE CO. 
Box 41, New Holland, Pa. 
'SJIon’t Stop 1 
to make fast the rope. Use the Burr Self-locking 
Tackle Block for all kinds of lifting. Booklet FREE 
postpaid. Ask your dealer or write us. 
THE BURR MFG. CO. 
2105 Superior Ave., N. W. Cleveland, O. 
Wyandottes and White Eggs. 
I notice on page 12S0 the note about 
White Wyandottes laying white shelled 
eggs. This does not appear to me so dif¬ 
ficult as Mr. Cosgrove’s at tide might in¬ 
dicate. I have bred White Wyandottes 
for seven years, and without trying to 
influence the color of the eggs by select¬ 
ing as breeders only those females which 
laid white eggs. I notice from year to 
year that my White Wyandottes are lay¬ 
ing whiter eggs and more of them. I 
fS 
m* 
Don’t Buy; 
Until You Get My Factory Price 
on the Detroit-American Tongueless Disc—I’ll save you 
money—don’t pay dealers’ prices but send a postal NOW 
for the greatest low price, long time, free trial offer 
1 ever made on the original 
Detroit-American Tongueless 
It’s all steel—perfectly balanced—light weight—light 1 
draft—greater strength—absolutely guaranteed and I 
1 sold only on 
Davd EVoo Trial MANURE SPREADERS and 
>6 Days rree I rial CULTIVATORS at equally 
, low lied t ook prices. A complete spreader i$G5— delivered— 
ye--. Freight Prepaid—to all East, Central and Middle 
West States. 
1 
m 
m 
r 
)Big Book Free 
for the asking—drop me a line 
right away. 
16 , 18 , 
20 inch same price 
FRED C. ANDREWS 
General Manager 
AMERICAN HARROW CO. 
1416D Hastings St., Detroit, Mich. 
