Evening journal., 1902-11-21
RUNNING OUT
THEIR POULTRY STOCK
Earliest and Best Layers Breeding Stock
Is Weak and in Bad Shape

When one stops to think of the CON
ditions surrounding common farm
poultry, it is not surprising that it is
of such Indifferent quality, lays so Few
eggs and is so easily susceptible TO
diseases. For years and years farmers,
by their Indifferent method of breed
ing, have been running out their stock
Instead of carefully selecting the
earliest layers and the best layers to
breed from, they have taken the eggs
that happened to be laid at the time
the hens are to be set, and every OBJ
server of poultry knows that the hens
turning off the most eggs in the breed
ing season are the ones that have loaf
ed all winter and are then indulging
in a squirt" of laying. Similarly with
the male bird let run with the hens.
The best-the earliest hatched and well
matured birds. are dressed for the
table or sold off to market, and it is
only the later maturing, more sluggish,
and in many ways less desirable bird
that becomes the sire of the young
sters. How this works out in practice
is well illustrated in a report of Off
cials of the Bureau of Animal Indus
try at Washington, who, with officers
of the Rhode Island Experiment Sta
ton, investigated a very fatal disease
called 'blocll head in turkeys in that
State.
Breeding Stock Weak
They found that the weakened
and run out condition of the breeding
stock made the young very susceptible
TO the disease and that the stock had
been systematically and continually
weakened by the habit of selling of
the earlier hatched and best grown
birds TO market and only the later
hatched and slower grown birds. that
We're less salable, had been retained on
the farm. Some might think that il
these later Matched, and perhaps slow
er growing birds were kept till two OF
three years old they would become well
matured and be strong and vigorous,
but they never do; they are always
poor sticks, and so, year after year,
the farmers had been weakening and
weakening their stock. Then, too, they
had neglected to get new blood, had
been continually inbreeding, and this
is another road to certain deterioration
Of the stock. Quite possibly the short
sighted farmer would argue, Il can't
afford to buy a new Tom; the turkeys
amt pay.n' as we'll they use'terl" And
by that very neglect he is helping the
poor turkeys another step downward
and making it still more difficult fol
them to make money for their owner;
few dollars invested in a half wild
Tom would pay twice over, first in
strengthening and improving the stock
also in giving a better and more salable
product
Select Good Hens
If a farmer would but select doze1
Of the hest (and best laying) hens tC
raise next years youngsters from. and
buy a new, pure bred male to matte tc
them, he would see an immediate i'm.
provement in the strength and vigol
Of the stock and i'm egg production, Civ
. ing doubled profits. Under the head
, ing, Results From a Little Money In
vested I'M a Pure Bred Dairy Sire" il
the Practical Farmer, for July 8. Mr.
Terry tells Of the good results his son
, Robert. has obtained by grading up his
stock of common cows with pure blood
+ males: "He started with common cows
that is. such as could be picked ul
at low price in the fall. No extra
, money was put into the business. ex
. cept to purchase a pure bred sire. HI
now has a fine registered Holstein. H
has raised some calves every yea
, from the best COWS. A record has beeI
kept OF what each cow gave. so as t'
know which were the best, no guess
work about it. AS half bloods cam