The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-08-08

TEE TEsT ARRANGED FOR 4 YEAR


Hundred nna Twenty Fishf For
Honors Upon the Grounds of the
Hawkesbury Agricultural college
Fifty Breeds Are Represented.
whoop Ter up for the great little
American hen. she's racing down here
in Australia, eighteen Of her. against
402 Australian hens In an interna-
tional, interstate, worlds first egg lay
Ing competition. and she's been ahead
from the first, and at last accounts she
was still leading But the race Is one
for year, whole year, and Of
course, since the race Is not always to
the swift, the great little American hen
may continue the fight or she may be
bested by next April, when the race
viii end, says the sydney correspond
ent of the Chicago Tribune, writing
under date of July C.
For some time previous to April.
1902, two New South Welshmeu. A.
E Henry OF Ryde and II z. Kelly Of
Campbelltown, had been hotiy debat.
ing with each other fiji the columns Of
one Of the sydney newspapers the re-
speetiye merits Of Silver Wyandottes
and Buff Orpingtons. Poultry breeders
and poultry Journal readers in many
other parts Of New South Wales joined
in the wordy fray, and finally Henry
challenged Kelly to an egg laying con
test, each with his favorite fowl.
Out of this proposition grew an open
competition, backed by a newspaper
which donated the sum OF sos as
prize money. John Kidd, the minister
of mines and agriculture. was waited
upon, and he granted permission that
the race be held upon the grounds Of
the Hawkesbury Agricultural college,
one Of the best institutions Of its kind
In the world.
These are the conditions determined
upon for the competition: The pens fol
the competing fowls were to be ST By
II feet, constructed Of iron bark posts
and six foot wire netting. The houses,
each divided to answer as two pens,
were TO be II by feet ga feet high
IN front and ~ feet at the back. The
fronts were to be open wire netting
with a northeasterly aspect.
The competition was TO begin April
I. The competitors were bound to pen
their birds during March, each pen to
consist Of six pullets or hens Of any
age. no male bird to be excluded. All
birds were to be bred by the compet-
itor All birds were to be examined
by the poultry expert Of the college, ID
s. Thompson, upon their arrival at the
college. If a bird died during the com
petition it was to be replaced.
The competition was to be decided
by the greatest total number Of eggs
laid by the birds in each pen, eggs IN.
der one and one-half ounces were not
to count Tho market value of the
eggs laid was to be recorded, also the
weight Of eggs from each pen; also the
total quantities of the various foods
consumed by the competing birds; also
the cost Of maintaining the birds per
head, and finally the prizes were to be
awarded according to the aggregate
weight Of eggs, pen against pen.
The American competitors IN this
great race are: w. b. Candee. Fayette-
vile, N u, White Wyandottes; Mrs A.
FL Hansell, Loup City, Neb., Brown
Leghorns, and w. X. Hays, Henley.
vile, Cal, White Wyandottes. The
birds arrived in sydney on March "A
last in a sad plight They had had a
rough passage indeed, but had survived
and were thirsting for a chance to dis
tinguish themselves, their breeders and
their country Mr.. Thompson tenderly
took them in hand and ere long they
began to lay at a furious rate. The
year long race began on April ! and
those modest Nebraska Brown Leg
horns bore Old Glory to the front III
the egg line on the first day and have
done It every day since
ExpertThompson, in response to ques-
tons regarding the competition, said;
Fifty breeds are represented. The
students at the college eat the eggs.
The fowls are all doing splendidly and
the number Of eggs from the competi-
ton Is $50 per day The American
Brown Leghorns are ahead just now,
and they have been from the first. The
last time / took the number they were
ahead Of the best Australians by FIVE
eggs. The best Australians are Silver
Laced Wyandottes, owned by G. Howell
Of Wentworthville, N. s. W. / was dis
appointed that there were two sets Of
White Wyandottes In the American lot.
wanted the selection to be three diff
ferent breeds, so we could have an
even better idea Of what the Americans
can do The students at the college
take a great interest in the competition,
and they do all the the manual
work-connected with it, under charge
of a poultry man"
Mr.. Thompson is deeply interested 10
this competition, for he holds the view
which, 1t seems, is controverted by the
large majority Of poultry breeders
that by means of these competitions
breeds Of fowls can eventually be sci
entihcally classified as egg producers,
and thus those who do commerce In
poultry and eggs can indubitably know
which is the best bird for the table,
which the best for laying and which
the best for general utility.