The independent-reporter., 1910-12-29
POULTRY SHOW WAS
VERY SUCCESSFUL
Dressing Fat Stock Real
Climax of Show
Quality Throughout Vas More Than
Feather Deep.

The first annual exhibition of the
Somerset Poultry Producers Asso-
citation passed into history Friday
night, with a record that made every
one connected with it feel proud.
With the experience of this year as
guide, the managers may be counted
on to carry still further ahead next
year, their efforts to hold up economic
ideals and standards for the poultry
industry.
The judging of the exhibits began
with the lighting of the eggs by Sec
retary Jewett and Professor Brown,
Wednesday night. 1t took something
besides mere appearance to win too
One plate of large brown eggs that
weighed 81 ounces for the dozen, and
would have been almost sure OF first
prize at any fair in the state, failed
to get a prize because the eggs were
too long to ship without excessive
breakage. White Wyandotte eggs
took first and second prizes, with H.
|. Reds third. Size, color, freshness
and character of contents were all
considered. 80 that these ribbons real
ly mean something.
Considerable interest centered about
the awards in the White Wyandotte
class on Thursday. and some of the
old fanciers got quite Jolt when the
blue ribbon on pen went 10 compar-
ative novice There WAS great deal
of quality all through the show, and
lots of it was more than feather deep.
In the evening Prof. Brown spoke on
Egg Production" in the upper hall.
and after he had talked for thirty
minutes, the crowd kept him busy
answering questions for three quar-
ters of an hour more He said in
part:
Egg production is one of the fea-
lures of agriculture that we under
stand as little as anything In other
kinds of live stock 1t is possible to tell
with reasonable accuracy when an
animal will reach productive matur-
ty, but | will defy any poultryman to
tell me accurately when given flock
of pullets will begin to lay" Then
the Professor went on to tell of a
South Portland poultryman whom he
visited during the recent show down
there. Almost every tradition of the
industry was being persistently vio-
lated, yet there was an egg yield of
from forty to fifty per cent. Continu-
ing he said: 1T isn't question of
increasing the number Of birds so
much as increasing the production OF
what we have. But the annual egg
record does not mean much. The
hen that lays we'll in other than the
natural season Is what we must work
for. We don't get eggs enough in
the summer months by from fifteen to
twenty per cent
There is a popular impression that
Leghorns are great producers, yet
there are no authentic records to
prove their superiority. 1t Is also
an open question whether egg produc-
ton Is a question of breed or strain.
If 1t is inherited at all, 1t Is to such
small degree that 1t Is hardly worth
trying to breed for. Vigor to start
with and favorable environment af-
terwards. seems to be the winning
combination"
Practically all the water that a
hen drinks, is exhaled through the
lungs, and we must then get rid Of
that water by proper ventilation. The
drift in the industry Is all towards
the open front house. We can feed
healthy pullet and get remarkable
egg yield for a time, but afterwards
we are likely to lose her by sudden
death. Fowls have laid In winter for
so many years that we do not need
to consider the climate as the govern
ing factor"
"The belief is growing among dairy
men that the great increases in milk
production late years have been due
TO greater skill on the Dart of the