Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-02-13
CBy KATHERINE ATHERTON

(By KATHERINE ATHERTON
GRIMES.)
To succeed with the work Of the
Matching season one must be all ready
for 1t before 1t commences. Plans
must be laid several months ahead.
and all the actual work possible got
well under way, % that ones time may
not be too crowded to allow him to
give attention to the many unforeseen
tasks that are sure to bob up serenely
- the season progresses.
The first thing to consider II. Of
course. the kind of stock from which
the eggs are to come for setting.
Where the selection of fowls has been
made in the fall. a. recommended In .
former article. this part of the work
Ii practically finished. Still.. even In
a small flock where all the fowls are
good, there are sure to be some that
are better than others. These are the
ones to choose for breeders.
Suppose that in your flock Of ten you
have one that IL better layer. truer to
type and in every way more desirable
than the rest The difference may be-
slight. yet there IL q difference In her
favor. 1t Is the wisest thing you can
do to put this hen by herself. or to use
a trap nest to be sure Of her eggs. and
then keep her chicks separate. or
marked so that you can tell them read
lily. From these, in turn. select the
best. and in few years you will have
built up a flock far better than one
where eggs are set from the whole
number Of layers, and where no atten-
ton has been paid to the close seiec'
ton of breeders.
This does not mean. of course. that
you should set no other eggs than
those from the best hen. You may
have a very fine flock all through. and
may get many good chicks from any
Of them. But II you keep wedding out
all but the very best. in time you viii
get to the place where you will have
no inferior stock and then you will be-
gin to reap the reward Of your pa
tience.
This selection cannot be done in q
week, or even In . month. You Will
have to keep watch of your hens for q
long time before you can decide with
a certainty which you want to breed
from. Often the fowls you expect the
most from will disappoint you In some
respect.
The next step 10 the selection Of the
eggs themselves. Not every egg. even
from the best hens. Is disable for
Matching. Be careful not to use eggs
that are either too large or too small
Watch your layers until you have de-
termined about what good average
sized egg should be. and then use
only those which come pretty close to
the mark.
Eggs showing any imperfection Of
shape should be discarded. An egl
that is too round IL a. bad a. one thai
is too pointed. Find out what the
standard shape Of the eggs laid By
your variety Of hens should be. and
then pick out those that are ~ neal
| 1t as possible.
The shells should show neither spot
or ridges. These usually mark THU
places, and such eggs are likely Il
get broken in the nest Choose ONLY
those which are smooth and perfect.
The first eggs laid by pullets are no
as good az those laid after they have
been at work two or three months
Better still are the eggs from hens I
wear old. While the pullet is develop
ing much of her vitality must 60 II
her own growth. and the egg ID no
likely to produce q strong. vigorous
chick. The older fowl. having ai
tanned her full growth and vigor. ha
more strength to spare for her eggs.
Eggs which have to be kept awhil
before setting should be turned ever.
day to keep the yolk from settling
The fresher they are at setting. tn
better. Eggs that have been shippe'
should always be allowed to stand TO
at least twenty-four hours before sci
ting.
Great care must be taken that egg
intended for Matching should not chill
In cold weather they should be gatf
cred twice every day, and then KEEP
where the temperature Is well abov
so degrees.
It is a good plan to get all you
nests, coops and other fixtures needle