Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-12-15
BACK TO THE FARM
FOR LADY EGLANTnNE,
THE CHAMPION HEN
Bird Valued at 100000 Tires
of the Bright Lights and
Longs for the Barn
yard
SHE'S A RECoRD-BREAKER

No more will the bright lights OF the
city dazzle the eyes of Lady Byzantine.
worlds champion egg-laying hen, after
the Poultry Show here closes Saturday
night The 100000 hen Is tired of Broad
way OF life at swell hotels, of travel in
Pullman cars She is going home to Egg
lantine Farms, at Greensboro. Md, and
there in the peace and quiet of the barn
yard she will end her days.
That end is not likely to come for a
long time, for the bird Is only 81 months
old. II is believed that she should live
TO be years old at least And for each
year OF life, according to rough esti-
mates she will be worth $4,000 a year
TO her owner A. A. Christian of this
city. To be on the safe side. to guard
against accident TO the valuable hen, II
has been decided that she shall retire for
all time from the poultry show circuit
In the secluslon of Byzantine Farms
her ladyship will settle down to her old
life to the life she was leading when
she made the worlds record of 3l4 eggs
in 365 days. Perhaps she will try to
break even that wonderful record. for
the making of which she has become
famous.
just now Lady Byzantine lives at the
Hotel Walton. She has splendid apart
ment there, such as is given to few hu-
mans to dwell In. Every day she goes
20 and from the Metropolitan Building,
where the poultry show Is being held, in
a taxicab. She is constantly attended by
Frank Vadakin, head poultryman on Egg
lantine Farms. She is the centre of in
terest everywhere she goes Nevertheless,
she Is tired of II all.
Lady Byzantine has not been acquainted
long with the bright lights. 1t is a new
thing to her, but II has not interested
her. Before she came here for the show
,l, t,, A..t,t
the poultry show there. This is really
her first venture out into the world, and
1t is to be her last.
In the Metropolitan Building she Is
housed in u large coop in the centre of
the floor. Mr.. Nadakin is always al her
side. Two stacks of eggs are piled in
front of the cage. There are 20 eggs in
one pile, showing the number laid by
the average hen each year. In the other
pile are 3l4 eggs, showing the number laid
4by Lady Byzantine. The champion hen
cannot read the signs which point out
the meaning of the symbol, but she
knows Just the same that she has reason
to be proud. She Is not so proud. how
ever, that she will not consent TO an in
tetview.
She addressed the interviewer in hen
language, with Mr.. Vadakin as inter-
prefer.
'There is nothing in the white lights"
she said. 81 have been out In society
but short time. but | am tired of 1t.
1t is a superficial kind of existence-a
chase after the unattalnable. The place
OF every dutiful hen is In the home.
am going back to the farm.
81 have received several fiattering vau-
devllle offers. but ] have decided to de-
cline all of them. I must return to my
work 1t is my business to lay eggs, to
raise my family. II Is impossible to go
transforming about the country and do
ones duty at the same time. l am great
ly Interested in my work, and I'm train
ing rigidly In the hope that l may be
able to break even the record | have
made, which some OF my admirers have
been pleased to saw was quite wonderful.
81 want to so back to the farm. I'm
going, tool"
She is going back all right. While on
the road Lady Eglantne IS not prolific
egg-layer, and her eggs are valuable.
The housekeeper who thinks eggs at
so cents a dozen are expensive should
read the price lists OF Byzantine
Farms. Hatching eggs from the pen
in which Lady Byzantine was hatched
sell l5 eggs for $50, or Sl.33 an egg.
In this batch OF 10 will be found one
marked egg from Lady Byzantine her
self
Lady Eglantine is not a beautiful
bird Although pure breed of White
Leghorn, she is quite common In APP
pearance, and by no means of large
stature. But she does not mind that
She makes up in usefulness what she
lacks in beauty. She is indeed, as she
said one day to Mr.. VadalSin, the bird
that put the egg in Byzantine.
The following awards were announced
today:
BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCKS.
Glass @ hens-F1rst. G. y. Myers: second.
Newton Cosh third, Meadowbrook Poultry
Class t. pullets-First. Newton Gosh: sec
ond and third. G, n. Myers.
Glass ID, cockerel-bred femae-First and