The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-01
by PROF. F. II. sToNEBURN

stock, whether horses. cattle. sheep,
swine or fowls. is rewarded In proper
ton to the amount of skill and intellf-
gence that he brings to bear upon his
work. Present day conditions, the high
price of land. labor and feedstuffs are
steadily forcing stockkeepers to a real
ization of the fact that no profit can be
made from the handling of inferior
stock that average quality must be
high or the business will be conducted
at a loss. This applies IN all cases,
regardless of whether the primary OBJ
Ject is the production of fancy or ex-
hibition animals and fowls or those
which are kept for the marketable prod
uots they yield.
The breeder of fancy stock is con-
fronted with somewhat different prob
lens than the producer of business
stock. The former is especially in
terested in conformation. color, etc,
while the latter may ignore these exhi-
bition points, If he so desires, and set
his standard in pounds of flesh, of milk
or butter. or the number of eggs pro-
duced. 1t might be added that the line
between these two groups is daily be-
and commercial breeders alike have
come to realize that they must know the
pedigree of the individuals which are
used as breeders if sure and rapid prog
ress is to be made. Guesswork in
breeding seldom accomplishes much.
POOd Producers Improbable
1t may safely be said that the milk
scales and Babcock test have practically
revolutionized the breeding of dairy
cattle. The scrub thoroughbred" cows.
the inferior specimens often retained
simply because they happen to be the
daughters of registered parents, are
rapidly passing, and their places filed
by those descended from known produc-
ers and which themselver are able to pay
their way. Thus the drones, the robber
cows, are gradually being eliminated
on progressive dairy farms, to the bet
terment of the farmer and the industry.
Very recently the same movement has
taken form among poultry breeders and
the effort is being made to increase the
average egg production of the laying
hon. 1t is clear that 1t costs no more
house and care for and but little more
to feed the 200-egg hen than her sis
ter which belongs in the 100-egg class,
but there is big difference in the re-
turns. As in other lines of breeding,
the basis of Improvement is y knowl-
edge of individual performance and ped
igree, and the most practical method
OF securing this Information is through
the trap nest.
This useful little appliance was intro
duced in a crude form by an ingenious
poultry breeder less than 20 years ago.
1t did not become popular for some
time but after the publication by an
experiment station of individual egg
records, showing how hens of the same
breed varied widely in laying ability,
thoughtful poultry breeders began to
adopt this plan of record keeping.
The great publicity given the records
made by the trap-nested hens in the va
rlous egg-laying competitions held dur
Ing the last two or three years has also
given impetus to the movement. A
vast number of poultry plants all over
the country are being equipped with
trap nests, and as a result, the breeding
Of fowls along more definite lines will
be generally adopted.
A trap nest is designed to hold the
layer until she is released by an at
tendant This enables one to keep a
reliable record of the actual perform
ance of the individual hen. and also to
Iedigree each chick. since both the ia
ther and mother are known. Under the
Z old system of pen breeding, one male
mated to several females. it was