The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-23
UNCLE ARSSCHOOL FOR hens
QUEST FOR A BREED THAT WILL
LAY nut WON'T SET.

VIII Induce Her 20 Let the IncubHtor
DO tho WOrk That Now interiors;,
with Egg Production Its on Trial.
WASHINGTON. Sept. 72.-The United STATE.
Government has turned its attention to the
long neglected duty Of educating the Amer.
oan hen. As IN abstract proposition thu
American hen is admitted to have admirable
qualities, but examination Of her character.
istics at close ranRe shows certain short
oomings which can be obliterlted only by
Thorough course under a careful tutor.
1t Is for this reason that the United States
Gov ernment has just opened a school for
hens at 1t. Denis. The particular line Of
study to which the institution il to devote
It's energies 10 in association with the lay-
ing OF eggs. Prof. Robert H. Slocum, a
doctor Of ~eggOlOgy OF exceeding great
fame, 10 president Of the institution. He
IL now installed at st. Denis with a select
faculty and a large number Of pupils.
Tho necessity for a school for the educa-
tiOn OF tho hen in the art OF laying eggs
arises from the failure OF the bird 10 keep
abreast OF this progressive age. Slow
to abandon the traditions OF her race. the
hen has ignored the presence Of the IN
oubator among civilized peoples and con-
tinued to persist in both laying and Matching
eggs.
The mission Of Prof. Slocum and his able
faculty 10 70 persuade the hen that man is
perfectly capable Of attending to the hatch
ing end Of the business il she will devote
her time and ener gies to the production OF
the eggs. For the time being, at least, man
is forced to admit that the hen has a mo-
nopoly Of egg making.
II has been shown by various expert
ments that the hen ar under encouraging
conditions, lay q great many more eggs
than she does under normal circumstances.
The great stumbling block has always been
the instructive propensity to hatch out a
brood Of little chicks which every now
and then asserts itself in the hen breast.
This results in loss Of time and a falling
Oh in the egg supply. with a consequent
bull movement in the market that affects
custard pie prices and the current quota
tons for omelets. A sound and stable
basis with a minimum Of auctuation ia the
desideratum from q commercial standpoint
and Prof. Slocum's task is to make this
possible.
Individual efforts 10 wean the hen from
her desire to sit AVE been frequent and
Of a wonderfully varied character. Every
farmers boy knows the trick Of tying a
piece Of red flannel to the hens right hind
leg 10 break her Of her desire to sit.
The presence Of the bit Of gaudy cloth
has the effect Of distracting the hens atten-
ton from every other ambition than that
Of getting rid Of the unusual adornment,
and she will spend days in whirling about
in circles in her endeavors to pick out the
knots in the flannel. Another method is
to place the hen in an apartment in which
there are not the necessary facilities for
INDUCING her inclnations.
Still another is to remove all eggs upon
which the designing hen might elect to sit.
All these plans and others have proved
successful in but . limited degree, and as
the outcome Of all research and study the
conclusion has been reached that the de-
sired end Ia to be obtained only through
an appeal TO the birds reason. and perhaps
to her vanity.
The fundamental principles upon which
Prof. Slocum's work is proceeding includes
the universally recognized fact that there
IN deep down in the heart Of every creature
a desire to excel. He holds. therefore,
that II be can train one hen TO lay necessarily
and without interruption for sitting pur-
DOn1G OJn9I ODtlb kuNOWh III OAtlN hta
with this pacemaker will be stirred to
equal II not to exceed her accomplish
ments.
thus in time the entire community Of
hens will be engaged In q laudable egg
laying contest to which they will 50 assidu-
ously devote themselves that they will
abandon all thought OF sitting and hatch
ing. Heredity Is looked to to care for the
rest. =
The eggs produced by these egg laying
rivals after being Matched In incubators
are expected TO present a generation OK
pullets inspired only with a ambition TO
lay. Thus in time a race Of hens will have
been secured that will know no more about
the cares Of brood raising than they DC Of
Sanskrit, and care as little.
This experimental college, for II has
just been opened and must be regarded
as experimental until later advices give
some assurance OF its success, is under the
direct charge OF the animal husbsndry
! Office OF the bureau OF animal industry
OF the Department OF Agriculture. The
course Of instruction begins in the case 81
zach chicken with an appeal TO the appetite.
Il is an accepted TACT that certain foods
fed under certain conditions act AZ incentive
TO the laying hen to pursue her vocation
with zeet,
The class that has Just matriculated
consists OF white Plymouth Rocks and II is
said by Prof. Slocum To be a bright and
promising collection. The first work at
tempted with these freshmen was with the
moist and dry mash systems OF feeding
and the self-feeding hoppcrs.
The class Of sevepty-hve hens was equally
distributed in three sets, each with a suit
able house and yari. The conditions OBJ
tanning in each colony are the same as in
the others with tho exception OF the feeding
arran gement.
The hens in colony No. 1 are receiving
morning and night a mixture Of whole or
cracked grain scattered on the ground
and at noon a mOistened mash. The same
menu IL served to colony No. 2, except that
the noon mash ia dry.
Colony No. 3 has more ample opportunity
to indulge its appetite. Its food is not
scattered abroad, but is supplied 10 the hens
in III -feeding hOppers. one 81 which 10
open day and night, and there Is no re-
s~triction as TO the time Of eating or the
quantity Of food eaten. All mash served
to this colony is dry.
While there will always he ample nest
facilities for the hons az long a. they show
a disposition 60 lay, a gentle but firm mana
will be laid upon them when they indicate
a weakness for the ancient and honorable
but now wholly unnecessary art 81 sitting.
Every influence will W brought 10 boar
to turn them from any such inclination
and IL is said by the members Of the faculty