The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1906-02-07

sensations made in the reading notices
| refused to give you. and | credit
you with intelligence enough to know
| that as well as do. A practical pOuI-
| tryman does not have to give every
| new food or device that comes along
a trial to know how it will work. In
ii general way he can tell the moment
| he looks at it,
We had it up and down for some
| time, but he finally admitted that some
modification of his statements about
conditions in which the use of his
nests would be advantageous would
bring the reading notices nearer the
plain truth. but (and there was the
rub) on the plain truth about the mat
| ter the nests would not sell. So while
| temporarily obliged to admit his case
Il weak one. he and never could agree
very well on matters rela ting to trap
nests and records.
| found his Successors i'm the trap
nest field very like him. They are
prone to consider all but those who
agree with them utterly incompetent
to discuss the question, and at the
same time they are themselves APP
parently unconscious of the arguments
which facts make against them.
| Writing on the subject of an Ameri-
can aristOcracy. someone once remark
ed that there never could be any aris-
tOcracy in this country. because the
masses of the people would not take
aristOcratic pretensiOns seriously.
The case of the trapnesters who as
sumo that all wisdom on that subject
is to be found i'm their little circles,
presents a parallel. The masses of
pOultry-keepers do not take them
seriously, and never will.
| have never used a trap nest. Per-
haps never will. though if so situated
that it was more convenient to use
trap nest. | should certainly do so. So
far | have always found it an easy
matter to keep hens separate when
| wanted to identify their eggs. But
| have examined some dozens of trap
nests. have visited many scores of
plants where trap nests were. and
have talked with a great many people
who have used them had Opin-
ions by letter from many more to
say nothing of a general acquaintance
with the literature of trap nests. On
the plants | have visited l have found
more trap nests that We're brought
home and never set up than l have
lOullu Ill pldce. anu OF Une nests Ill
place | have found only very few
actually used as they We're intended
to be.
To me all talk of competent trap
neSters and authorities on trap nests,
and the philosophy of trap nests and
detailed technical comprehension of
them is in a class with the atterances
of the devOtees of science in poultry
feeding. Personally. l would consider
any practical pOultryman who, after
looking over Il trap nest and listening
to the argument for it took a position
opposite that of the trap nester''
competent antagonist for any of them
so far as his knowledge of the subject
went-whether his command of Ian
guage would enable him to uphold his
position in Il public discussion, is an
other matter.
1t is absurd to make intricacieS and
mysteries to go with trap nest argu-
ments. and to assume that there is
here philosophy too deep for the I'M
initiated or even for the ordinary
mortal. In the mechanism of trap
nests there need be nothing complex
beyond what the simple savage makes
to snare game for his food. or the
boy to catch rabbit, or than