The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-02-27
HENS TAKE A TRIP.

-
Team Of Twenty-one Go to Australia
80 Compete in Laying Contest.
Chicago, Feb. 24.-American hens
have accepted the challenge Of the
Australian hens and will soon be en-
gagged in an International egg laying
contest that will continue for a year.
! The competition was arranged in
Chicago. Miller Purvis, editor Of Com
mercial Poultry. and A. A. Dunnicliff.
secretary Of the poultry association
of Sydney, New South Wales, drew up
the articles of agreement in the course
of correspondence that began last No
yember.
Twenty-one hens, representative of
the best breeds in the United States,
sailed yesterday afternoon from San
Francisco, their destination being Aus
tralia. Each Of them has a record Of
better than 200 eggs a year. The voy-
age will. consume little more than three
weeks, and after a few days in which
to get acquainted with conditions on
the island continent they will be or
dered to work.
The Australian government offered
TO O the expense Of the American
hens trip, but the gangway plank was
to them a bridge OF signs. as none of
them will return. The hens That finish
sixth or better in the contest will be-
come the property Of the Australian
government, and their former owners
will receive $25 for each of them. The
hens Of inferior talent will be offered
for sale at public auction.
The eggs that are laid in the contest
will be sold to the poultrymen of Aus
tralia at S. a dozen.
chicago poultrymen say there is no
doubt of the superior abilities of the
American hens. Some Of the hens that
have been entered in the contest have
a record of 240 eggs a year, while the
ordinary barnyard hen averages only
sixty. In connection with the contest
1t is pointed out the poultry business
OF the United States amounted to more
than $600,0o0,o 900 last year.
Chicago a Poultry City.
"chicago is city Of poultry
cranks.'" said Mr.. Purvis yesterday
ested in this contest, which lis the first
of the kind ever held, so far as I
know. Why, I know Of Chicago people
who have chicken farms on the roofs
of their flats. I do not believe there is
a county in the United States that has
SO large a number of poultry raisers as
there are in Cook county.
For instance, a certain clerk who
gave up a $4,000 a year position some
time g told me that he made twice
that amour last year on a f1ve-acre
farm near Chicago Heights. When
eggs are quoted at 80 cents a dozen in
the open market he receives so cents
from the clubs and leading restau-
rants"
Both the east n the west will be
represented in h Australian contest.
w. L. Hays, Henleyville, CAL, sent
white Wyandottes; Mrs. A. N. Hansel,
Loup City, Neb., sent single comb
brown Leghorns, while w. BIZ Candee,
Fayetteville, N. Y, sent white Wyan-
Sdottes.
The Featherless Hen.
From Washington comes the story
of some great experiments that aim to
produce a featherless hen and a nice.
clean pig-one fit to be kept in the
parlor. These have been undertaken
at the department of agriculture. Quite
"a number Of experiments looking
toward the improvement of the exist
ing species of birds and animals have
been undertaken by the department,
and some of them appear to be sue
cessful.
Some time ago the bureau of animal
industry made a start toward deyel-
oping a breed of naturally clean pigs,
who would not Intentionally get their
feet muddy, and who would prefer
wholesome food to tina Of a racier
flavor. Thus far the experiments are
only experiments. although the pros
poets seem to be lovely. and only the
pigs are vile.
The department does not desire to
produce freaks, but there is said to be
a chance that if chickens could be
raised without feathers their original
market value would be increased be-
cause Of the readiness with which thew
could be prepared for the table. In ad-
dition to that it is said some food the
chickens take necessarily is used to
produce feathers, which are practically
useless. On the other hand, old farm
ers I'VE advised the department that
if the is deprived of its feathers
it will either die or else its skin will
by the usual laws of nature become
stronger and tougher to supply the need
of outer clothing, SO that in the long
run the bird would have to be skinned
to be prepared for the table, which
would be more tiresome and expensive
than the operation Of picking feathers
ALL TIE PARTIES AGREE