Martinsburg statesman. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1869-1906, 1905-08-18
HEN 6|V WORLD CHAMPION
Her Record 2S7 Eggs in One
Year, Stands Unbroken.
STIMULATEEGGNDUSTRY
Maine Man Teaching Hens to Lay
Faster and Better---6iddies Are
Too Lazy, Says Professor George
M. Gowell, Poultry Speeialist--A
Hen to Be Proud of.

M. SoWei, Poultry Speciaitst--A
Hen to BE Proud of.
Bangor, Me.-Cnampton of the
world is the proud title successfully
held against all Corners for three
years by Hen No. CIT of Plymouth
Rock, of the hennery of Prof. George
NJ. Gowell, poultry specialist at the
experiment station of the University
of Maine, at 0rono. Hen No. 6l7
promises to retain her title for as
many years more, for no other biddy
has laid as many eggs as she l.. "a
given space of time. Two hundred a. 4
fifty-one laid in one year is her rec
ord. A paltry 24o is the nearest APP
roach made to 1t. All ordinary. ev-
Otyday hens are happy II they lay as
many as $50 in twelye-month.
The champion hen of the world.
like most other champions. bears her
honors modestly. Far from oeing a
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 1t
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 100
eggs in a 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 10 gained from few figures.
Prof. Gowell denies with indigna-
ton reports that he has devised a 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. Co
well afiirms. 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 hand
bearing her number. When the hen Ii
released from the trap the attendant
takes her number, and then, upon n
board fastened on the wall over her
nest. wherein the records are system
atically kept. sne is credited with the
egg laid
At the end of the year the results
are figured up. ana 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 productiveness
of their eggs, all duly labeled with
the number Of the hen laying them.
In the incubation of chickens
The experiments began in Novem-
Der, 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 IS 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. Matched in May, began lay
ing in November, first full year, 251
eggs; first year, Nov to Nov. 1, 234
$50 eggs.
No. 1908, Matched in April, 1901,
laid in 1902. $40 eggs.
No. 1901, Matched in April. 1901,
laiu in 1902. 213 eggs.
No. 1903, Matched in May. began lay
ing in November, laid in first full year
20S eggs; same number in first year.
Nov. to Nov. ]. Eleven other Ply
mouth Rocks exceeded 200 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-seyen Plymouth Rocks and
three Wyandottes have equaled or ex-
ceeded 200 eggs in a year.
From the mating of coekerels and
hens Matched from the eggs OF his re-
markable egg-layers, Prof. GoweII ex-
poets to produce still more wonderful
hens. But. as said, he Is not aiming at
the phenomenal--only to bring forth
breed of hens that will lay more eggs
than the hens of this day and gener-
alton are doing and that he will ac-
complish this there seems to be no
doubt. The day OF the two-minute