The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-24
ANnrnEn NnM oNE.


 Those who have read and have not forgotten the book of Genesis will re- member the game or trick that Jacob played on Laban. his father law. while he was keepsng the latter's flocks: how he entered into an agree ment with the old man under which he was to have all the streaked. striped and speekied among the increase of the cattle, sheep and goats: how he took boughs of poplar. hazel and chest nut and pealed off portions of the bark so as to leave streaks around the rods: how he kept these rods stand ing all the time by the watering troughs so the flocks would look at them while drinking; and finally. how, through some mysterious process, the account goes on to state that ''the flocks conceived before the rods. and brought forth cattle ring-streaked, speckled and spotted" By this scheme 1t came to pass that nearly all the cat tie. sheep and goats fell to Jacobs share, until finally Laban and his sons tired of that kind of business and Jacob had to pull out for another place. taking all the stock with him. however.
 All this has been brought to mind by reading about New Jersey man who. by pursuing a plan similar to that adopted by Jacob. has produced a wonderful variety of hens eggs. He had probably been reading up on Jacob and came to the conclusion that the Iatters plan would work on his hens and so. according to a correspondent of The Newf York Tribune, he caused the inside Sf the building where the hens are confined in winter to be paint ed white. Food was taken to the hens in large. white vessels. each having one handle. Water was furnished in simi- lar vessels of a smaller size.
 Across the single windows white teacups were suspended on strings. No other furnishings of any other shape wore permitted to be around the build fnRs. The hens were nightly sung to sleep to the tune of drinking songs within two weeks the new eggs had definitely formed handles
 The result was that an egg was pro- duced with a handle. and 1t is thus de- scribed by the correspondent:
 The form of the excrescence is curve, the smaller end resting near the middle of the shell cf the egg, and having & perfect resemblance to the handle of a teacap; Ihe opposite siSe structure will stand alone. The hens have laid seven eggs of similar con formation, each furnished with we'll defined handle.
 At the time the letter was written only seven egg had been secured. as stated, but the hen man was confident that the process would go on indeft- nitely. and probably other and more interesting developments would follow. If he has done so much why may he not induce his hens to lay them with three feet. so that they will stand more steadily while being eaten? And think of the convenience. when out camping, | to eat your soft-boiled egg and use the shell for a teacupi There are so many ways that eggs of this kind may be useful that it is not necessary to speak Of them.
 But there is another feature of this business that Is still more interesting, and that Is the brand of chickens that will come from these eggs. So far as has been learned the experimenter had not tried matching any of them. as the few he had obtained were too valuable as curiosities to be thus disposed of. but if the hens keep up their record he will soon have enough to spare setting Cor Is 1t a sittingO and then we may see something even more startling. Whether we are to have chickens with tails like the 'possum, or with horns like a goat, or what kind of monstrosities will be developed. from the new style of eggs, no one can tell. but we hope the Jersey fellow will hur- ry up with his show. It seems to us that he already has Burbank skinned a mile