'I'H IS RURAL NEW-YORKER 
G65 
“The Favorite Hen Contest” 
The R. I. Rods have done the best 
work of any thus far, as they seem to 
be a more uniform lot of birds. The 
Leghorns have not done as well as was 
expected, as we see that one of them. 
“Peggy/' has not yet laid a single egg, 
and several of the others were very late 
in starting. When the entries were first 
made we found that a very large propor¬ 
tion of them were Reds. This was a 
surprise to us. as we thought the great 
majority of country people were keeping 
Leghorns. It appears, however, that 
most farmers seem to prefer one of the 
larger breeds. These heavier breeds ap¬ 
pear to be better layers through the Fall 
Mrs. Walter F. Fletcher, Owner of “ Peggy ” 
and Winter, and they certainly give a 
very much larger and better carcass than 
the Leghorns do. The shortage of beef 
and mutton seems to be creating a heav¬ 
ier demand for good poultry meat, and 
this is reflected more and more appar¬ 
ently in our farm flocks. Most farmers 
appear, as we have stated, to be keeping 
the Reds, Wyandottes or Rocks. The 
Fp to .Tune 13th the record of the 30 
Favorite hens ran as follows: 
Rhode Island Reds to June 13. 
Mrs. Carrie M. Bliss, Virginia, Pocahontas.. 83 
Mrs. E. S. Mnrlatt. New Jersey, Polly.129 
Mrs. T. Sell week. Connecticut,’ Rosie-Lou.... 67 
Miss Ethel A. Pierce, New Hampshire, Lady 
Pierce . 4 a 
Mrs. Samuel O. Travis, New York, Rose""! 117 
Mrs. W. U. Merrick. Massachusetts. Petty M.116 
Miss Edna M. Porter, New York, Hetty. 63 
Mrs. Andrew J. Wilson, Connecticut. Hetty..116 
Mrs. E. P. Andrews, New York. Golden Lass. 65 
Mrs. Cecil Earnham, Maine . 69 
Leghorns—Record to June 13. 
Mrs. N. T>. Kami, New York, Lucy. 40 
Mrs. Lewis J. Ilappich. New York. Lady 
Hopeful . 87 
Mrs. V. D. Miller. Ohio, Ann. 94 
Mrs. A. J. Skellie, New York, Ity. 70 
Mrs. 0. L. Todd, Virginia, Patsy . 81 
Mrs. Walter Fletcher. New York. Peggy. 75 
Miss Tillie B. Cloud, Pennsylvania, Peggy. 
Mrs. Josephine Ilollenbaeh, Pennsylvania, 
Viola . 88 
Mrs. W. E. Phelps, Pennsylvania, Beauty.... 120 
Mrs. L. E. Hilborn, New York, Madam Toot- 
sey .102 
Mixed Breeds—Records to June 13. 
Mrs. E. M. Earl, Connecticut, White Wyan¬ 
dotte. Gladness . 71 
Mrs. A. N. Couell, New York, White Wyan¬ 
dotte, Dolly . 25 
Mrs. it. W. Stevens. New York, White Wy¬ 
andotte. Tilly .151 
Mrs. W. S. Walters, Michigan, Barred Rock, 
Bridgman (iirl . . .:. 88 
Mrs. G. L. Kothgeb, Virginia, Barred Rock, 
Koxie . 69 
Misses Osier and Wilcox. Now York, Barred 
Rock, Marguerita . 31 
Mrs. Robert H. Wood, New York. White 
Rock, Faith . 06 
Mrs. Joseph di Fabrizio, New Jersey, Black 
Minorca. Betina .107 
Mrs. Emma H. Wood, New York, Buff Or¬ 
pington. Louisine .134 
Mrs. Edwin Walker, Massachusetts. Buff 
Orpington, Lady Ashby . 44 
large farms which are run as business 
propositions or factories are apparently 
going to Leghorns almost exclusively, 
hut the farmers appear to call for a lar¬ 
ger bird. The Favorite Reds in this con¬ 
test appear to be of a more uniform type 
than the others, and the average produc¬ 
tion per hen up to the end of the 32d 
week is largest. For example, the R. I. 
Reds average about 89 eggs each, the Leg¬ 
horns 78, and the mixed breeds 81. Four 
of the Reds have now passed the 100 
mark, with two of the Leghorns, one 
Wyandotte, one Black Minorca, and one 
Bud; Orpington. The great White Wyan¬ 
dotte hen “Tilly" still holds first place 
among the Favorite liens, as she had 
laid 151 eggs during the first 32 weeks. 
This hen became broody and stopped lay¬ 
ing entirely during the twenty-eighth 
week. She came back the following 
week with two eggs. She is now at full 
work again, having laid 19 eggs in the 
last three weeks. We must realize that 
Tilly went five weeks without laying an 
egg, so that her record of 151 eggs has 
been made in 27 weeks or 189 days. She 
is now up among the first dozen of the 
entire thousand hens, and stands a good 
show of ending at the top, as she is m 
good health and now laying well. 
She is followed among the Favorite 
liens by Louisine, the Buff Orpington, 
with 134 eggs. Louisine laid an egg on 
the first day of the contest, and has laid 
one or more eggs during each week ex¬ 
cept the twenty-ninth, but she has not 
been able to keep up with Tilly. The 
third hen is Polly, the R. I. Red, owned 
by Mrs. E. S. Marlatt. Just now Polly 
seems to be broody, but when she gets 
over that we shall hear from her again. 
No. 4 on the list is Beauty, owned by 
Mrs. W. E. Phelps. Here is another 
hen that is coming back, laying 23 eggs 
in the last four weeks, and now appar¬ 
ently ready for business. Following 
Beauty comes Rose, the R. I. Red from 
Mrs. Samuel O. Travis, while two more 
Reds, Betty M and Betty, one from 
Massachusetts and the other from Con¬ 
necticut are tied in the sixth place. At 
this moment it looks like Tilly for a 
winner, but there are four or five other 
hens not out of the race yet, and quite 
likely to be heard from before it is over. 
This week we are printing the picture 
of Mrs. Walter F. Fletcher of Madison 
County, N. Y.. who is the owner of the 
Leghorn lion Peggy. Mrs. Fletcher says 
that she did not want to have her pic¬ 
ture taken until Peggy actually laid 50 
eggs. When she passed that mark Mrs. 
Fletcher had her photograph taken. She 
says that Peggy’s sisters are doing splen¬ 
didly at home, and perhaps she made a 
poor choice in sending her bird to the 
contest. Peggy is now doing better. She 
has a record of 75 eggs, and during the 
last three weeks has been attending to 
her business so thoroughly that we ex¬ 
pect to see her make a good record yet 
before the contest is over. 
Ailing Chicks. 
I am losing my little chicks. They 
seem perfectly hardy when hatched, and 
then in a few days they get puny and be¬ 
come wet around the wings with perspir¬ 
ation and soon die. At first I feed boiled 
eggs and bread crumbs and then chick 
feed. They are hatched under hens. 
Virginia. p. 0 . p. 
I do not know what ails these chicks, 
your description not being characteristic 
of any disease with which I am acquaint¬ 
ed. Older fowls with catarrhal dis¬ 
charges from the eyes and nostrils some¬ 
times soil their wings by covering their 
heads with them, and chicks kept in 
crowded, or overheated brooders, or those 
that are allowed to huddle together, be¬ 
come wet with perspiration and dumpy. 
I should not expect to find these condi¬ 
tions in flocks brooded under hens, how¬ 
ever, unless altogether too many chicks 
were given each hen and they were, con¬ 
sequently, crowded out and into corners 
of the coop. m. b. n. 
A Long Journey for Eggs. 
Facts bearing on the shipment of eggs 
long distances for hatching purposes are 
interesting and valuable, and I therefore 
send you details of a recent shipment 
from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, 
showing a 100 per cent, hatch after the 
long journey. On April 24 there was 
shipped to me by Mr. A. V. Deane of 
Massachusetts a setting of 15 Sicilian 
Buttercup eggs These arrived in Ken¬ 
wood, Sonoma Co., California, on the 
evening of April 28, a quick express de¬ 
livery. The eggs lay until noon of Sat¬ 
urday, May 1, when they were put un¬ 
der a hen—a pullet which had earlier 
hatched a brood. On May 21 she hatched 
out 13 and by early morning. May 22, 
the other two, making a perfect hatch 
of 15 chicks from 15 eggs. They are 
today, at nine days old. the healthiest 
and liveliest chickens possible. As Ken¬ 
wood is some 62 miles north of San 
Francisco by rail, involving a transfer 
to and from ferry en route, we have a 
good test, when added to the over 3,000 
miles transcontinental travel, of the ef¬ 
fect of long distance in the hatch and 
have in this record an answer to the 
question often raised. There was also 
shown fine fertility in the eggs. I may 
say they were finely packed in a card¬ 
board box (placed in a basket with ex¬ 
celsior) containing individual cups or 
cartons with each egg suspended inde¬ 
pendently and thereby saved from shock 
and vibration so far as possible. The 
expressage of eggs was S5 cents. 
ROBERT G. HARBUTT. 
Apoplexy. 
Can you tell me what to do for one 
pen of pullets which have been laying 
very well, but a couple are dead every 
morning after having laid generally the 
day before? Their dry mash consists of 
100 pounds bran, 100 pounds middlings, 
100 pounds provender, 50 pounds gluten, 
:>0 pounds oil meal, 50 pounds corumeal, 
100 pounds beef scraps, four pounds salt 
and four' pounds charcoal. They get 
chopped mangels twice a week, also six 
pounds green bone to 100 hens. The 
bone has sometimes started to heat. 
When dying there is fluttering of the 
wings and they die very quickly, the 
comb turning a dark purple. An exam¬ 
ination showed a soft, pale spongy liver 
with yellow streaks in it. w. J. t. 
Connecticut. 
These pullets are probably suffering 
from long-continued heavy feeding with, 
perhaps, close confinement and too small 
a proportion of green stuff in their ra¬ 
tion. Your mash is a rich, forcing one, 
and has placed considerable strain upon 
the digestive organs of the fowls. The 
liver shows the effect of this heavy diet 
and the deaths are probably due to apop¬ 
lexy. The remedy is “back to nature” 
for these pullets, more range, less food, 
fewer eggs, and greater health. Never 
feed “heated” green bone, and. *in this 
case, cut it out altogether, the pullets 
are getting sufficient meat in their mash. 
M. b. n. 
Colonial Reds 
A real bred-to-lay strain of national reputation. 
We offer bargains in yearling hens and cockerels. 
A fine lot of young stock coming on. Correspond¬ 
ence solicited. Honorable treatment guaranteed. 
COLONIAL FARM, Box 0, Temple, New Hampshire 
AUSTIN’S 200-EGG STRAIN S.C. R. I. REDS 
Standard bred, high-record stock. Red to theskin. 
OLD AND YOUNG STOCK FOR SALE. Book- 
let. AUSTIN’S POULTRY FARM, Box 17, Centre Harbor, N H. 
D j REDS. WHITE WYANDOTTES, Light 
and Hark Brahmas , Barred Hoci.s, S. ('. 
White and Brown Leghorns. Show and utility 
Quality Illustrated catalog free. Hatching Eggs 
and Cliix, RIVERDALE POULTRY FARM, Riverdale, N. J . 
WHITE LEGHORN 
BABY CHICKS-$9, 100 
cash with order: ship every Wednesday. We 
positively guarantee safe delivery of strong, 
healthy chicks. Eight-Weeks-old pullets. 
A. 1?. H ALL, - Wallingford, Conn. 
BARRON COCKERELS 
We will have some very choice S. C. White Leghorn 
Cockerels for sale, the result of a cross of Cockerels 
purchased direct from Thomas Barron, Catforth, 
England, with our two-.vear-old hens which have 
been bred for heavy laving and white eggs. 
These Cockerels are March and April hatch. The 
price for selected birds will lie Si.00 each, ten to 
twelve weeks old. We will also have 500 Yearling 
hens and 1000 2-year-old heavy-laying 8. C. White 
Leghorn hens for sale. 
Yearling Hens a< . . $1.00 each 
Two-yoar-old Hens at . .75 each 
THE HAVEN LAKE EGG FARM. Milford, Delaware 
CHICKS 
Red-Skinned Hens. 
My hens are a year old, and some of 
them have the skin turning bright red. 
They seem well but we tire afraid to eat 
them tis their skin has always been white. 
What is the trouble? c. b. 
New York. 
It is not likely that this redness of 
the skin that you notice indicates any¬ 
thing wrong with the hens that seriously 
interferes with their health or makes them 
unfit to eat. If the feathers over these 
red places are broken and missing, it 
shows that depluming mites are at work 
in the skin and you may get rid of them 
by rubbing some kind of grease, like lard 
or vaseline, into the skin. This may need 
to be repeated once or twice at intervals 
of several days. These mites, like the 
other vermin that infest hens, cannot 
live in contact with grease, but, as they 
burrow into the skin, it requires a little 
more effort to reach them. The addition 
of “blue ointment” to the vaseline or lard 
will make it more efficacious, but as this 
is poisonous, it must be used cautiously; 
not more than one fourth part of blue 
ointment in the whole amount should be 
used. m. B. d. 
Diarrhoea. 
What is the cause, prevention and 
cure for diarrhoea in young chickens? 
When about a week old nearly entire 
broods droop and die. We raise them for 
family use only, keep about 100 old ones, 
R. I. Reds and White Leghorns. We are 
in woods, large, airy, clean houses and 
clean surroundings, pure fresh water and 
feed. It is a new trouble with us. 
Virginia. j. e. e. 
Young chicks may have diarrhoea from 
such causes as improper brooding with 
chilling or over-heating, or from the feed¬ 
ing of improper food, these, at least, be¬ 
ing the predisposing causes. But, when 
diarrhoea with a white, pasty, discharge 
strikes a flock that is about a week or 
10 days old, and affects a large number 
of the chicks, it is likely to be true ba- I 
ciliary white diarrhoea, or a diarrhoea 
caused by a specific germ, the bacterium 
pullorum, which the chicks have derived 
from the parent stock or picked up on in¬ 
fected litter, or from other sources. 
There is little that can be done to cure 
this form of diarrhoea. All chicks should 
be hatched from stock that is known to 
be free from the disease, as old fowls 
carry tin' germs and transmit them to 
their young through the medium of the 
egg. All poultry quarters and all uten¬ 
sils where the disease lias existed should 
be thoroughly cleaned up and disinfected. 
The early and continuous feeding of sour 
milk acts as a preventive to the develop¬ 
ment of the germ in young chicks but 
can hardly be called curative after the 
chick has become infected. After this 
disease has made its appearance in a 
flock, all ailing chicks should be prompt¬ 
ly disposed of where they cannot infect 
others, and if there is reason to believe 
that they acquired the trouble from the 
parent stock, these fowls should not 
again bo used to produce eggs for hatch¬ 
ing. The disease may be prevented but 
it is doubtful if it cau be cured, m. b. d. 
White Leghorns Exclusively 
D. W. Young’s Strain 
3,000 breeders on free farm-rnngo, drinking from never- 
failing streams, as nature intended. Special Bred-for- 
W i n ter eggs. Entire Plant Buttermilk fed, \\ hich means 
\ Igor and great Vitality, Eggs, $4 per loo. Balance of 
season orders tilled on a day 's notice. Babv chicks in nnv 
quantity, $9 per 100 for June. A hatch every Tuesday. 
My book, 'Trouts in Poultry Keeping Solved,' 1 free with 
all 89 orders Circulars Free. 
EDGAR BRIGGS, Box 75, PLEASANT VALLEY, N. Y. 
i—6 and 8c. Leghorns. Money back 
for dead ones. Circular free. 
W. A. tauver, Box 1, Richfield, Pa. 
50 S. C.W. Leghorn Hens for Sale n e t ^ 5 c c f 1 nts 
Mr, PAUL McOEVITT, Box 13, Marietta, Lancaster Co., Pa. 
WICHMOSS POULIRY FARM 
Guarantee safe delivery on properly-hatched, 
Healthy, vigorous chicks and ducklings. 8. C VV 
Leghorns, $10.50 per 100. White Pekin Duckling's. *20 
per luo. flNDRESEN & ZIMMERMAN, B ox 137, Demarest, N J. 
SHIPMENTS ON APPROVAL-S- A"- 
Chix, 10 cents each: 500 or more 9 conts en<m ti- 
weeks Bullets 50 cents each: 12-weeks, $1. JUNTA 
POULTIiY FARM, Southampton, New York 
WHITE LEGHORN PULLETS 
3 months old. Also cockerels, including Barron 
S. C. White Leghorn Chicks 
$0 per 100. Order from this ad and save time. Chicks 
ready Juno 21st and 29th. Yearling breeders, $1 
each; 2-year breeders, 75c. each. Also pullets and 
cockerels. V ancrest Poultry Farm, Salt Point, M.V. 
C. O. D. Leg- 
horns. Money 
bftek for dead ones. Pam- 
phlet free. O. M.LAUVEIt 
Box 78, Rich Held, Pa. 
CHICKS 
6 and 8c 
CHICKS 
S. C. WHITE LEGHORN CHICKS 
BARRON STRAIN IMPORTED 0IRECT. Also Famous American 
bred layers. Americans, 8 cents each; Barrens at big 
reduction. Strong chicks and safe arrival guaranteed. 
Will ship C.O.D. Write lb T. EWING, Atlantic, Pa. 
PULLETS - J Mrlil| 2 Hens, S. C. W. 
. ”, ^ Leghorn, Farris Wyckoff 
11 b--VI 1 e ts—-oOc. to 75c. eacli. Hens—70c. each. 
O. S. MILLER, - Bridgewater, Va. 
—6 and 8c. S. C. Buff Leghorns. 
Money back for d e a d o n e s 
_ JACOB NEIMOND, RICHFIELD, PA. 
For Sale: ?£? White Leghorn Yearling Hens Ea* 
ST0NELEIGH POULTRY FARM, E. C- Frampton, Solcbury, Bucks Co., Pa. 
S. C.W. Leghorns-Ezra C. Carter, Marathon, N. Y. 
My entire flock is for sale. Write for prices. 
SINGLE COMB WHITE LEGHORNS 
Yearling hens, farm raised, from Hall ami Kirkup 
stock. Choice breeders. 
F. S. Winchester & Sons, Route 2, Brist ol, Conn. 
DKONZE TURKEY EGGS—twenty-five cents 
“ each. C. JL. Wilson, R. 53, East Hampton, Conn. 
2-M0S.-0LD DUCKLINGS, $1.50 EACH 
Giant Rouen Dncks, 4 to 5 lbs. eacli 
3 DAY-OLD INDIAN RUNNER DUCKLINGS, 20c EACH 
Aldliam Poultry Farm, R 34, Phoenixville. Pa. 
LEVIN PRUNER 
npiIE best Primer. Cuts i^-inch 
A dry branch. Quick, clean, 
easy cut. We will send it post¬ 
paid for one new yearly subscrip¬ 
tion at $1, or for club of 10 ten- 
week trials at 10 cents each. 
These articles are not given with a sub¬ 
scription to The Rural New-Yorker, but 
are given to tbe agent as a reward, in 
place of cash, for extending the subscrip¬ 
tion list of The Rural New-Yorker. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
333 WEST 30th ST., NEW YORK. 
