St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1909-12-25
HAVE TO WORK FOR
fOOD--AN EGG TO
EVERY FEED.
New York Physician Inyents
Unique COntrivance to
Make His Hens Lay.

Chatham, N. Y, Monday Since ii
became known that he has perfected
a nest which makes it impossible for
a hen to shirk her greatest RESPONSE
bility. DR.. I. C. Washburn, n of
the most prominent physicians in this
part Of the State, has been flooded
with letters from farmers in all parts
Of Columbia County begging him to
disclose the details Of his remark
able continuance.
With the exception of the hens
everybody up this way is enthusiastic
oYer the physicians discovery, which
promises to put fresh eggs within
the reach Of all. The hens cannot
be blamed for their lack Of enthusi-
assn.
Birds that we're W Mt to cackle
Joy0nsly at sight OF DR.. Washbnrn
no longer speak when he passes by.
His invention means longer hours and
an increased mental strain for them,
az any hen who does not perform up
to standard might just as well lay
her head on the block and wait for
the ak.
Lay or starve!n is the ultimstum
handad to the hens by the physician.
For years it has been a battle of
wits between the birds and himself,
with the birds fooling him at every
turn. But at last he has triumphed.
With his patent nests in every cor
ner the hens are obliged to choose
between swelling the egg census or
going hungry.
HENS COON STRIKE.
Or. Washburn demands an egg for
every meal, and Of late has been get
ting them. When the hens discov-
cred the manner in which he had cir
cumvented them they declared they
would starve before they would CON
sent to deliver goods under a time
clock arrangement. They held in-
dignation meetings and denounced
tie attempt to force them and char
aeterized the whole proceedings IS a
shell game.
But when lack of food made them
too weak to eackle they returned to
work at the physicians terms. Since
that time DR.. Washburp has had to
have help in Grating his enormous
supply Of fresh eggs.
His patent nest is the result of
years Of earnest study. Each of
these nests is a boxlike structure
filled with food. The hen enters by
i door which snaps behind her the
minute she plants her foot on the
floor.
Mrs. Hen helps herself to a seven
course dinner and has no idea that
she is a prisoner until she starts to
leave. She tries the door, but it
won't bulge. OF course it isn't lady
like, bus as a last resort she puts her
foot against the unyielding panel.
She sets Up an awful elatter for a
few minutes, but nobody pays any
attention to her. II she is an intel
ligent hen she whites away the time
BIZ laying an egg.
This egg drops through a hole in
the nest and IN its descent strikes a
spring which opens the door. Mrs.
Hen regaihs her liberty, and che egg,
after striking an inverted rubber
stamp containing the day and date,
rolls into a receiving box under the
nest.
At first the hens spent hours in
ths nests before they realized that
Ely were expected to make a depos-
I, but q they eat their meals, lay
an egg, and hurry out to work up an
appetite for the next performance.
Before DR.. Washburn perfected
this continuance, he fooled the birds
for 9 short time with an ordinary
nest The nest had a hole in it and
the eggs the hens dropped disappear
ed through the opening.
When a hen looked over her shout
der and failed to see any visible
proof Of her activity she would get
busy again. One foolish hen drop
ped 80 many eggs in this way one
day that she finally slipped through
The hole herself.
Have they tried to beat your
present system?" DR.. Washblrn was