The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-18
ELECTRICITY'S PART
IN EGG PRODUCTION
Longer Hours for Laying Hens
Still a Matter for Ex-
periments.

In England they are having quite q dis
cussion on longer hours for laying hens
and some very Interesting experiment.. are
being carried out. One man has been
experimenting for over two years with
electricity and now has given II up for
ace,ylene gas which. he claims. is giving
him better results. This though has been
seriously challenged by Randolph Mech.
who conducts an experimental farm and
writes ms follows:
Il am installing. in addition to another
poultry farm. an apparatus which has a
clock with four hands, two for the morn
ing and two for the evening. and all that
= necessary Is to set these hands once
lay. wind the clock. and the rest Is done
Electrically. and at the time at which IL
Is set, the light will come UP gradually
and this period Is arranged TO run from
ten minutes to half an hour without q
licker. quite automatically. and gradually
GOES down at the time fixed for II to do
so. which Is when IL is full daylight. and
II goes up again at twilight and down
again at the time set. must certainly
take an exception about Light Sussex
aging two eggs in eight hours and that
the average ~ three eggs In forty -eigh,
hours | defy any man to prove that
he can make any hen lay three eggs in
torty-eight hours under the electric or
any other system.
1t is possible. Of course, for one hen
TO lay two eggs within few hours OF
each other. just In the same way as a
hen may lay a double yolked egg, which
Is caused In no other way than on ac-
count OF the overprolfc!ty OF the bird
or the bird being fed on too forcing foods
but To pretend to argue the point that
a hen will lay II kept under the rays OF
| electric light three eggs every forty
eight hours IL nonsense Any one who
| has kept birds under the rays Of electric
light knows fully well that the bird.
| win start to lay almost instantly. but
there is no man yet that can prove that he
| has produced even Is per cent. or II
per cent more eggs in the long run unde,
| the rays of electric lieht than from hens
| that have been kept under normal condi
| lions during the summer months. Las
| year our birds did exceptionally wei
under electric light from September t,
| Christmas but they fell immeasurabl,
short from the beginning OF January I,
| the end OF February. and I am at th'
| present time under the impression tina
the extra amount Of eggs obtained dur
| ing october November and Decembe
was certainly curtailed TO almost a sim
| liar amount short In the new year
| This year ! have half the birds undo
| electric light and half under normal con
dtions. and ! hope TO be In a position
to say by the end Of March which o
| 'hesc birds have In the long run don
hest. I do not wish 20 discourage an
one who would like to experiment witt
the birds under electric RAYS but I can
not let the statement that three eggs ca'
he obtained on an average In every for
weight hours from every hen PASS with
out comment. Every one knows that a
this time OF the year 10 get 80 per cent
Of eggs continuously from the birds
where large nocks are kept. II good. an
above the average. and II one was able Z
Obtain an average Of three eggs IN forty
eight hours from each hen under cleo
trio Hight 7 would nj once install q plan
Of twenty thousand hens"