The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-03-09
REN6| WORLD CHAMPION
Her Record 257 Eggs in One
Year, Stands Unbroken.
STlMULATEEGGINDUSTRY

maihe NAN eaching Hens to Lay
Faster and Better--Bddies Are
Too Lazy, Says Professor George
M. GowelI, Poultry specialist-A
Hen to Be Proud Of.
Bangor, Me.-CnampIon of the
world is the proud title successfully
held against all comers for three
years by Hen No. CIT Of Plymouth
Rock, of the hennery of Prof. George
M. Gowell, poultry specialist at the
experiment station of the University
of Maine at Orono. Hen No. GIT
promises to retain her title for as
many years more, for no other blddy
has laid as many eggs as she in
given space of time. Two hundred and
ffty-one laid in one year is her rec
ord A paltry 240 Is the nearest ap-
proach made to 1t, All ordinary. ev-
eryday hens are happy If they lay as
many as $50 in twelve-month.
The champion hen of the world,
like most other champions, bears her
honors modestly. Far from being
large, proud bird this record breaker
is understood and narrow of body.
Her neck is too long. Judged by all
standards of the barnyard, but she is
healthy and vigorous, and when it
comes to laying eggs she can't be
touched
Prof. Gowell believes that he can
produce breed Of hens that will lay
more eggs than the ordinary hen,
whose laziness is responsible for the
high prices of eggs in American mar
kets today. Thus far he has developed
more than forty hens which have. in
year, laid more than 200 eggs apiece,
while great many have exceeded 160
eggs in year.
Persons who understand omelets
better than they do hen history, and
who have a better appetite for eggs
than they have for statistics, do not
realize the Importance of this effort
for poultry improvement, but some
idea of the benefits to flow from even
partial success in Prof. Gowell's work
may be aimed from few figures.
Prof. Gowell denies with indigna-
ton reports that he has devised plan
OF coaxing hens to lay with inventions
designed to deceive the biddies-ma-
chimes that make the egg disappear as
soon as laid, and intended thus to spur
the hen into renewed effort. Good
faith with his hen friends, Prof. Go
well affirms, is the only good policy
ii one wants to attain results.
AS means Of securing the needed
information, fifty-two trap nests" of
Prof. Gowell's own devising and con-
struction were placed in the thirteen
pens OF the breeding house. Each
hen in the experimental class carries
upon either leg broad metallic band
bearing her number. When the hen is
released from the trap the attendant
takes her number, and then, upon
board fastened on the wall over her
nest, whereon the records are system
atically kept, she is credited with the
egg laid
At the end of the year the results
are figured up, and the good perform
ers are known by their records and
separated from the rest. All that
have laid less than 100 eggs in the
year are disposed of, the others are
congregated in different pens. accord
ing to their productive capacity, and
the experiments continued, both as to
the laying capacity of the selected per-
formers and as to the productlveness
of their eggs, all duly labeled with
the number of the hen laying them,
In the incubation of chickens.
The experiments began in Novem-
ber, 1898, with about 1000 hens. Barr
ed Plymouth Rocks and White Wyan-
dottes. During the first four years in
which Prof. Gowell selected breed
ing stock by use of the trap nests
he found 35 hens that yielded only
36 to so eggs, and three laid no eggs
at all. The Plymouth Rocks have far
outstripped the Wyandottes in laying
all through the six years of the ex-
periments, and today the champion
hens, all Plymouth Rocks, are:
No. GIT, hatched in May, began lay
ing in November, first full year. 251
eggs; first year, Nov. to Nov. l. 234
eggs; second year, Nov. / to Nov.
$50 eggs.
No. 1908, hatched in April, 1901,
laid in 1902, 240 eggs.
No. 1,001, Matched in April, 1901,
laiu in 1902. 213 eggs
No. 3O3, hatched in May. began lay
ing in November, laid in first full year
20S eggs; same number in first year,
Nov. 1 to Nov. l. Eleven other Ply
month Rocks exceeded 900 eggs in the
first year of the experiments, while
only three of the Wyanlottes reached
200. Since then the Wyandottes have
cut no figure in the experiments. In
all, thirty-seven Plymouth Rocks and
three Wyandottes have equaled or ex-
ceeded 200 eggs in a year.
From the mating of cockerels and
hens hatched from the eggs of his re-
markable egg-layers, Prof. Gowell ex-