Smyrna times., 1925-09-30
TO START SOON AT STATE FARM
STATEWIDE EGG LAYING CONTEST
PERSONS INTERESTED IN POUL-
TRY MAY ENTER WITHOUT COST
Work To Be Conducted At U. of d.
Farm Under the Direction of HIS.
Palmer Extension POultryman

well as those VINO are keeping chick
ems as a side line to their general |
type of farming will be interested in
the farm egg laying contest which |
will be launched this fall in the state |
under the direction of the Poultry EX- |
tension Department of the University |
of Delaware in cooperation with the |
three County Agricultural Agents.
This work will be conducted under
the personal supervision of H. S. Pal
mer, extension pOultryman, who is
preparing records and literature that
will be used by those poultry raisers
who decide to enter this contest and
keep an accurate record of their daily
egg production for a period of one
year. Each farmer who takes up this
work will be furnished a calendar free
of charge for each month of the year
on which to keep an account of all the
eggs laid by his flock each day. These
calendars will also contain valuable
and interesting information relative
to the proper feeds and general pOul-
try management adaptable to this sec
tiOn of the country, so that every
pOultryman in each county who re-
ceives one of these record sets will be
able, not only to determine his daily
egg production, but to keep in close
touch with the poultry specialist and
the county agent on all matters that
pertain to profitable poultry prOduc-
tion in general.
| oopt0~f IN oO,,,+V- will ho
conducted under the leadership of H.
S. Palmer cooperating with County
Agent Russell Z. Wilson, and all those
poultry raisers in this county who
would like to enter this project are re-
quested to give their names to Mr..
Wilson, at Dover, on or before October
15, as the contest will begin on No
vember l, and all the calendars must
be in the hands of the cO-operatOrs
by this latter date.
In addition to the keeping of egg
records, each operator in this work
will be required to keep a record of
the number of hens and pullets on
hand each month. These monthly re-
ports will be mailed to Mr.. Palmer at
Newark, who will prepare a summary
of the total egg production of all
those poultrymen in the contest, as
well as a letter of timely suggestions
relative to the feeding and manage
ment of the flock throughout the year.
: This summary will also contain the to-
s tai monthly production of the five
highest records in the state, but the
2 names of these winners will not be
. published as each contestant upon en-
= tering the contest will be given a GER
tain number, and the results will be
: published by numbers only. One of
! the chief objects of this egg laying
e contest will be to create among the
progressive poultry raiSers a desire
5 to keep a more complete set of records
which the extension department plans
to conduct in the near future. Any
of these poultrymen who are now
keeping complete record of their ex.
Z. penses and receipts are requested t.
= write to the poultry department of the
University of Delaware, and state
their experiences and system of keep
ing these accounts. Where a suffici
ent amount of interest is shown in an!
community in this particular line o
work, it is the plan of the extension
department to organize poultry rec
ord clubs throughout the state.
1t is also the intention of the poul
try specialist and the county agen
to visit each farm on which one o
these egg records is being kept, an
in this manner give the poultry rails
ers as much personal attention an
assistance as possible during tn
period of the contest.
According to Mr.. Palmer, Delawar
is an ideal state for profitable poultr
raising, and the farmers here are car
able of producing eggs that are equ;
to those from any other section of til
country, but not all of the producer
are realizing as much profit frol
their fiocks as they should. This ma
be attributed to such causes as in
proper and insufficient feeds, ina,
equate housing facilities, inferc
, breeding stock, or failure to Gull Il
! non-layers from the flock at the pro
er seasons Of the year.
d." No business can prOftably succet
without keeping a complete set
records, and this is especially trl
in the poultry business in which
many of our Delaware farmers a
engaged at the present time. tn
egg laying contest will tend to stir
ulate increased interest in poult
production, and also to furnish t
average poultryman with some hel
full information toward a more 81
N cessfal business. Over seventy-fi
ork poultry raisers in the three count
ma have already signifed their deside
lsc enter this contest, but those in char
of the project are hoping at lea
twice this number will take advanta