The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1906-01-03

about a fourth of our flock were not
worth breeding from. The next year
we secured 20 per cent more eggs
with % per cent less hens-we bred
only from the cream. In other words,
we got more eggs for less expenditure
for feed or labor. Surely the trap
nest paid us for the attention we had
to give.
When the demand grew for brown
eggs of the White Wyandotte breed,
we discovered that about One-fourth
laid white eggs and one-fourth gave us
tinted eggs One hen in particular
laid rich brown egg.
We set all the brown eggs and then
started to pick out the brOwn-egg
layers. The trap nest caught them
for us. To our surprise all these
hrOwn-egg layers were among our
poorest layers, while the best layers
gave us pure white eggs. Here we
were confronted with a problem:
(Which would be the wisest- breed
from the hens merely for color of
shell. and ignoring their egg record,
or breed for quality of eggs regard
less of color of shell?'' We determined
to work for the brown color first, as
the call was greater for them, and
then annually pick out the best lay
ers i'm that lot and work for higher
records The latter experiment is
now i'm force and by next year we eX-
pect to give results.
The trap nests have also taught us
which hens lay the best-shaped eggs.
which the largest-sized eggs and
which the best-fertilized eggs. 1t is
a remarkable fact that there are hens
i'm flock that never give us good fer
tility. and again there are others that
are very strong in that particular. Is
it not worth the time to gain this
knowledge?
Another great service that the trap
nest performs is to arrest the egg
eater If you have reason to suspect
that Il certain hen (Which is found
quite frequently upon the nest and APP
parently never lays is guilty of eat
ing her eggs give her an egg while
she is on the nest. If it is not there
when you look again. you have pretty
good evidence that you have caught
the right party. DecapitatiOn should
be the sentence.
You cannot always tell your good
layers by the number of times you
find them on the nest 1t is remark
able how often hen will go on the
nest and not lay. The trap nest will
point out all such. The trap nest, too
will tell you which are your best win
ter layers, which pullets begin the
laying early in the season, the number
of eggs they lay in succession, the
number of times they become brOody
during the year, and many more facts
which can be obtained in no other
way.
The trap nest exploded a theory
that for years was credited by the
poultry fraternity. 1t was the cause
of the pigeOn-sized eggs. The theory
was that it was the end of the litter,
and that the hen which laid this egg
would not be likely to lay any more
for some time. No one disputed the
theory until we had three hens lay
these small eggs, and in every case
they not only kept on laying, but the
natural size of the egg was again re
Sumed. One of these hens was very
fat, but the other two were not, yet
we believe that the trouble is due to
some fatty accumulation around the
egg organs.
Objection has been made to the trap
nest on account of the time required
to attend the same. We find very lit
tie time need be spent with hens if