The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1909-06-25
sDL EfTING THE LAYERS.

good layer a hen is going to be as
Il Is to anticipate the quantity OF
milk a heifer will produce before she
comes in with her first calf. Trap
Nesting is the only way Of telling ex.
actly what a hen Is doing in the esq.
producing line, but even that is In
capable of delving into the future
and showing how long or how regu.
iarly she is going to lay. Besides,
kthe trap-nest requires too much time
for the farmer to find 1t practicable.
Observation is about the only
guide for the farmersto 60 by. With
this. method there is no fixed rule
that can be stated to always have a
certain meaning, but 1t Is fact that
hens differ individually as well as BY
breeds, and a knowledge Of their IN
dividual characteristics, gained by
constant association with them and a
careful observation of their traits,
often is worth a great deal.
The hen that is always active and
busy, full of life and ready to scratch
and make the dust fly, is usually
good layer. This is because her active
habits keep her in the proper condi
/ ton for laying. Hence, we may adj
wise, in selecting, let the busy, active
hen be retained; and it will also be
noticed that such hens are usually
the first to be off the perches in the
morning and the last to retire at
might keeping on the move for just
as great a part of the day as they
possibly can.
A bright red comb and wattles
and a happy disposition are good
signs, while bright eyes and clean
feathers are also sometimes credited
with denoting certain good traits. Al
hens have bright red combs when be-
ginning to lay, but usually information
Of this kind is of most service when
Il can be secured in advance. This
Is ''the rub
Doubtless the best method is to
breed for good layers The way to
do this is to select the best layers
every year, mating with them male
bird from strain OF known good
layers. This is the shortest road that
leads towards heavy egg production,
and also the surest. When the farm
er finds a lot of drones in his flock,
the thing to do is to get rid of them
as quickly as possible and breed
from only the remaining good ones.
The rule that likes begets like"
holds good with poultry just as
strongly as with horses or cattle, and
a full realization of this fact should
lead to the production of better
stock. 1t is also important that the
male bird be given the same careful
consideration as the females, as it
has been well-proven that the trait
of heavy laying is often transmitted
through the male bird; and remem-
Der that the male bird is the sire of
all the chicks you shall raise, and in
this respect his influence equals, APP
proximately, that of all the females
with which he is mated.-R. B. San
do, in the Epitomist.
AN ARGUMENT FOR SHEEP.
Ordinary or less than ordinary
grass land is often more profita5ly
stocked with mixed animals. A sheep
bites the sweet young grass so close
that no Other animal. can get any.
but the sheep leaves the long coarse
grass OF other parts for the healthy
and hungry cow, whose complicate,
digestive apparatus can deal with
any coarse foods. hence the most
parsimonious stock dealer has some
difficulty to starve a COW or to dam.
age her by scarcity of food or meag.
erness Of diet.
Perhaps sheep suffers most, the
fattening flock going back rapidly In
time Of drought or any other insult
able weather, and the breeding fiocks
suffering from abortion and other ills
when hardship or scarcity OF ford -
their unhappy portion.
During month of bad time the
wcol grows weak and the buyer gives
less for the fieeces, because the
weak link in the chain is the true
test of its strength.
AZ GA SidoSCo vi AOiSSS II IS Q0Ciu-
ed disadvantage to have twins, as
they are generally dwarfs, but there
Is no disadvantage in small sheep,
as small joints are now. in great re-
quest, and the quaint Old saying
when you have done weighing you
have done selling" does not now hold
good.
The two influences which result in
many twins and triplets are the
breed of sheep and their condition
in the autumn when they are visited
by the ram
If the ewes are then low in con-
dition nature still demands an effort
for the continuation and preservation
of the tribe, but she does not in
fict upon the eve so many cruel
cases of double duty.
Half fatten the eve. however, and
nature then sees energies in store
and nh1 ,x%fIi~ac 49,.