1564 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Henyard 
Early Layers and Early Molters 
It is stated that the late molting hen 
i> the good layer, and it is also stated 
thi- pullets laying first are the best lay¬ 
ers. Last Spring my chicks were all of 
one age, and in the Fall 1 marked those 
that laid first. Now I find many of those 
marked are early molters. One scheme 
oi' the other is not reliable, or perhaps 
both are faulty. Who knows? What 
shall be done with the hen that molts 
early and yet lays through the molt? 
Pennsylvania. E. R. 
This is a very good question, and one 
which will require considerably more 
study before we will feel that we know 
just what we are doing in every case. 
We know that, other things being equal, 
the early laying habit denotes a good 
layer, and it is also true that late molting 
denotes good layers. It is right here that 
many a novice falls down, when it comes 
to judging fowls for egg production, by 
only taking into consideration one or 
possibly two points, while it is an ac¬ 
knowledged fact that a great many points 
must be taken into consideration before 
an expert would venture an opinion as 
to the laying qualities of a pullet or hen. 
A good layer must not only be an early 
layer, but she must also be a late Fall 
layer. Some hens lay right through the 
molt and keep it up through November 
and December, taking a rest in January 
or February. One of my best laying pul- , 
lets in the' Fall laid 2(1 eggs during the 
month of November. She laid fairly well 
the rest of the Winter, and then wanted 
to sit at frequent intervals. She stopped* 
laying entirely and molted the following 
August. This hen proved to be of but 
little value during the second year, and 
was sold for meat. This proves that the 
early laying pullet does not always make 
a good laying hen. so we must take into 
consideration all the points which denote 
heavy egg production, and not look at 
only one or two. The old saying that “a 
little knowledge is a dangerous thing” 
certainly proves true when it comes to 
selecting fowls for egg production. 
It is an excellent plan to mark the 
pullets that are laying in October. Novem¬ 
ber and December, and then keep records 
of these same birds during the following 
Fall months, and those which make good 
at both ends of the season are pretty 
sure to be good layers, but either early 
laying or late molting alone does not 
prove much when it comes to selecting 
breeders for heavy egg production. We 
always sell off a small proportion of our 
early layers at the end of their first lay¬ 
ing season, when it is possible to tell 
from their external characteristics about 
what could reasonably be expected of 
them during the next year. A hen that 
molts early and lays steadily during the : 
Fall would have to make a pretty poor 
record the remainder of the season to dis¬ 
qualify her for the breeding pen. I be¬ 
lieve it is a great mistake to discard all 
early molters just because they are early 
molters. If they stop laying in August 
and lay on fat during this period of 
course they should not. be retained, but 
there are many conditions which may 
cause a good layer to molt early, and it 
is up to the good judge to take all these 
points and conditions into consideration 
when selecting layers. e. S. GREENE. 
T should say the fact that she laid 
through the molt is not proof that she is 
the best layer by any means, although it 
is a good indication. Again, the fact that 
one pullet begins to lay a week <>r two 
weeks ahead of another is no proof that 
she is the best layer. It again is a good 
indication. In selecting breeders the 
trap-nest Is the only real proof. The 
pullet that lays 200 eggs or better during 
her pullet year and comes out of it in 
good healthy condition, active and vigor¬ 
ous. is a good breeder. .. 
My 255-egg hen, that won third indi¬ 
vidual record in the Mountain Drove. 
Mo., laying contest in 1912-1913, was one 
of the first in her pen to begin to lay. and 
molted to a considerable extent before 
-lie stopped laying, which was rather an ' 
early molt, but when the contest ended 
and she was shipped home she weighed 
less than three pounds, but the most 
vigorous and active thing you ever saw. 
'This weight for a Duff Wyandotte is 
pretty light. Iler second year she molted 
in July, but did not stop laying to any 
extent, and molted agaiii the last of De¬ 
cember. I kept her until she was six 
years old. and she always molted early, 
but also laid all Winter. Only that once 
did she molt twice. Therefore, in my 
opinion, the trap-nest is the only sure 
way of selecting breeders for. another 
year, along with good judgment in select¬ 
ing birds of good vigor. .T. H. clark. 
Carbolic for White Diarrhcea 
I see so much about the white diarrhoea 
that I am compelled to write to you of 
my experience. My remedy is five drops 
of carbolic acid stirred in one quart of 
water. Let them drink soon as they come 
off the nest, do not wait until they are 
sick before commencing to give it. and 
keep on giving until they are past the 
diarrhoea age. It did well for me. I 
should like to know what success anyone 
else has. H. b. n. 
New Jersey. 
The attempt to destroy the germs of 
bacillary white diarrhoea by feeding such 
antiseptics as carbolic acid, corrosive sub¬ 
limate. permanganate of potash, etc., lias 
been tried, but without success. If it 
were possible to disinfect the intestinal 
tract without destroying the bird, this 
would be an ideal way of getting rid of 
a number of diseases, but, unfortunately, 
most efficient germ destroying drugs are 
destructive of higher forms of life also, 
and it is not possible to give them in suf¬ 
ficient strength to accomplish the intended 
purpose without poisoning the animal to 
which they are given. Five drops of car¬ 
bolic acid to the quart of water would, of 
Coarse, be a very weak solution, probably 
harmless to the chicks, but. it is to be 
feared, equally harmless to the germs in 
the chick's interior. There is no harm in 
experimenting with these, however, if one 
realizes that he is dealing with poisons 
and must stop short of poisonous doses. 
M. B. T>. 
Poultry Feeding Problems 
Would you ask some practical hen- 
keeper to tell me what l should have to 
pay per head for the feed of 170 fowls— 
kept only for our own table? At present 
my man tells me he feeds: 
5 100 lb. bags scratch, at $3.60.. .$18.25 
2 10O lb. bags middlings, at $4.25- $.50 
2 100 lb. bags cornmeal. at $4.60. 9.20 
2 100 lb. bags ground oats, at $."..50 7.00 
2 10(* lb. bags bran. 5.80 
Total .$50.00 
About 30c each per month. 
This seems a very excessive sum. I 
cannot afford it. I know some of my 
neighbors feed 4 lbs. of good scratch per 
month to each bird, and they seem to lay 
very well and do well—no other artificial 
food. My fowl are warmly housed, and. 
even during -the day. in a big yard and 
neighboring field and garden. The hen¬ 
houses are kept clean. Can l not get 
reasonable results it' I feed with scratch 
alone, and some beef scrap during cold 
weather? w. s. u. 
('onnecticut. 
Your fowls are eating nearly eight 
pounds of grain each per month, which 
appears somewhat excessive, particularly 
if they are of the lighter breeds. The 
variation in what well-fed hens will con¬ 
sume in different docks and at different 
times is so great that it is hard to fix 
even an approximate standard, however. 
(>ne thousand hens in one of the Connecti¬ 
cut laying contests, and 11 different 
breeds were represented, consumed an 
average amount of 6.9 pounds of grain 
and mash each per month, taking the year 
through. One pen of 10 Plymouth Docks 
ate 18 lbs. in one week, while another of 
October is, 1919 
the same size at 18 lbs., and very likely 
still greater variations were found. A 
mixed flock of Leghorns of my own, most 
of them being young pullets, are now eat¬ 
ing 4.5 lbs. each per month. 
Hens cannot be expected to do as well 
where no ground grain and meat scrap 
is fed. though yours might do “reasonably 
well." Your mash would be improved by 
the addition of at least one-seventh part 
of beef scrap, and the beef scrap is cost¬ 
ing you but a few cents per hundred more 
than your cornmeal. Your present mash 
is costing you $3.85 per hundred and con¬ 
tains but a trace of meat, one thirty-third 
part by weight. By rearranging the in¬ 
gredients as follows: 100 each of corn¬ 
meal. wheat middlings and beef scrap, and 
200 each of wheat bran and ground oats, 
it would contain one-seventh part of meat 
and would cost four cents less per hun¬ 
dred, using the prices you mention. By 
keeping this mash before them, dry and in 
hoppers, and feeding scratch grain by 
hand twice daily. I should expect good 
results from good young hens, and with 
let - than a monthly consumption of eight 
pounds of grain each. m. it. D. 
"Well. Jock.” said the laird of a cer¬ 
tain Scottish estate, “you are getting very 
bent. Why don't you stand up straight, 
like me?" "Eli, sir." said Jock, “ye see 
that field of wheat over there? Week 
ye'll notice that the full heads hang down 
and the empty ones stau’ right up!"— 
Londou Farm aud Home. 
R EMEMBER, going through the moult is like going through a 
, long spell of sickness. To force out the old quills and grow 
new feathers saps a hen’s vitality. 
If you expect your hens to be fall producers and winter layers, 
then feed them Poultry Pan-a-ce-a during and after the moult. 
Dr.Hess Poultry Pan a ce a 
will start your pullets and moulted hens to laying 
It contains Tonics that put your moulted hens in fine condition—Tonics 
that tone up the dormant egg organs—Iron that gives a moulted, run-down 
hen rich, red blood and a red comb. It contains internal antiseptics that 
destroy disease germs that may be lurking in the system. No disease 
where Pan-a-ce-a is fed. 
It brings back the singing—it brings back the scratening—it brings 
back the cackle. That’s when you get eggs; and it’s eggs you 
want—fall eggs, winter eggs—when eggs are eggs. 
Feed Pan-a-ce-a to all your poultry to make and 
keep them healthy. The dealer refunds your 
money if it does not do as claimed. Tell the dealer 
how many fowls you have and he will tell you 
what sized package to buy. Always buy 
Pan-a-ce-a according to the size of your 
flock. 30c, 75c and $1.50 packages. 25-lb. 
pail,$3.00; 100-lb. drum, $10.00. Except 
in the far West and Canada. 
DR. HESS & CLARK 
Ashland, Ohio 
Dr.Hess Instant Louse 
Killer Kills Lice 
ICILBF.RT HESS, M D..D.V. S. 
DR. HESS 
STOCK TONIC 
keeps hogs healthy, 
drives out worms 
