National Agricultural Library

The Original and Only

A poultry farmer explains how he changed from "The Fancy" to egg production after buying a special hen for twelve dollars. Although the hen, "Number 5" was chosen originally for her promise as a producer of other champion chickens, she was kept for her simple, but powerful ability to lay eggs.

Farm-Poultry Publishing Company. Boston, Massachusetts

"Suddenly I saw the trap nest in a new light. Before that it had been associated in my mind with big egg stories and line breeding for eggs. But it has no necessary connection with either. One needn't abuse his trap nests to make his hens too prolific for the stamina of the stock, if such a thing is possible; neither need he lie about their findings, neither need he tell the truth about them if the truth was so remarkable as to look like a lie. He could keep his mouth shut in that case....

....'You see what one hen can do. We knew that she laid 200 eggs---call it that. We didn't have to take anyone's word for it. It don't satisfy you, but it satisfied us. It gave us faith to go ahead. It gave us a sound basis to figure on, which is the hardest thing in this word to get.'"

page 353

John Henry Robinson, Editor

Farm-Poultry, Volume 14, Number 17, page 352-353