Weekly journal-miner., 1919-11-05

periments begun to develop a type of laying fowl which could be identified by rules simple enough to be of prac- yical value, and 1t is not long since anyone who talked of a strain of hens that would lay above 200 eggs a year each would have been thought a TO- nlAncer-or a plain liar.
 Now, most of us know in vague way that there are such fowls and that hens can be bred for egg records as truly as race horses can be bred tor speed-and that is the first thing Nhich our poultry specialist is ready to tell Us about if we wish it. If a group of the poultry growers in one community wish to see demonstra- ton of how experts tell which hens ill flock are best for eggs and which are meat birds request sent to the poultry department, University oi Arizona, Tucson, will bring both lit erature and when the date can be ar ranged, a personal demonstration by the poultry extension expert.
 I think it is worth while right here to quote from the literature sent out because just now all poultry growers are planning to cull their hocks and sell the birds that do not promise winter eggs. Culling is the most inn portant fall work for every idle hen in a flock means just that much extra expense for no return.
 This method of knowing tine best egg birds was discovered and tried out by a poultry student named Ho- gan and it is now popularly called "Hoganizing." It is no longer a theory but is one of the accepted rules by which the everlasting lay CTS" in various breeds of fowls have been developed. To quote Francis Kenney's bulletin:
 Capacity.
 By capacity is meant the abdom- inal capacity of the bird, the ability of the bird to eat and digest food in | creases with the capacity. If bird eats large quantity of food it has a large amount of material out of which to make eggs. MT. Hogan measures capacity by placing the hand across the abdomen of the bird so that the forehnger touches the two pelvic or lay bones.' One of the other fingers will then touch the end of the breast bone. The number of fingers which . will fit in between the ends of the pelvic bones and the breast bone will determine whether the bird IS two finger a four-finger' bird, etc. A four-hnger bird is apt to be a good one for eggs, other conditions being favorable. This abdominal measure ment will vary somewhat according to the condition of the bird.
 Condition.
 To determine the condition of the , bird take the sharp edge of the breast bone just back of the crop between [ the thumb and forehnger When the flesh is even with the bone 1t is not | possible to grasp the bone and the .. bird is in condition. If the flesh has shrunk away from the bone the sharp edge can be grasped aud the bird is not in good condition. If the flesh has shrunk away from the sharp edge O. the breast bone as much as one third of the length of the first joint of the forehnger the bird is said to be one finger out of condition if the shrinkage amounts to two-thirds the length of the first joint the bird is two fingers out of condition,' and if the full length of the joint can grasp the bone the bird is three fingers out of condition Mr. Hogan contends that if a bird is two fingers out of condition and has a 'two-hnger ca pacity,' the bird, if ill condition would have 'four-hnger capacity Therefore, it is necessary in deter mining the true capacity of a bird to \ add as many fingers as the bird is out ,, of condition to the capacity as meas ured from pelvic to breast bone.
 Type.
 "A bird may be of the egg type or ? of the meat type. A bird of large capacity may lay many eggs or a few eggs according to whether she is an , egg type or meat type. Mir. Hogan . determines this type by the thickness of the pelvic bones. By this is meant the thickness of the bones including . the flesh and skin on them, The end of the bone is taken between the thumb and forchnger and its thick l ness determined. A bird of very thin pelvic bones Is the egg type and d : bird of thick pelvic bones is the meat type. Some of the best Leghorn lay r CTS have only one-eighth inch pelvic ) bones. Also, it is very desirable that the bones be straight rather than . curved"
 Perhaps it seems new and strange : to cull flock of hens by such rules 3 when most of Us have been used to :. choosing pretty feathers or at the r very best rcd comb-but stockmen , have long divided dairy COWS and beef stock by the build and the same logic