Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 286, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 December 1915 — ENGLISH CLIMATE FAVORABLE TO POULTRY. [ARTICLE]

ENGLISH CLIMATE FAVORABLE TO POULTRY.

These fresh importations of English fowls are making good egg records and in some cases are slightly ahead of our American-bred fowls, bue recently a Canadian restated a fact which is well known. The climate and soil of England are particularly suited to produce great size and an increased egg laying in all varieties after being bred for a few years in England. The reverse of this is also true. After a few generations in America these English fowls drop off, not so much in size as in egg production, and these breeders who are going to use any of these much-exploited English fowls for eggs will find it necessary to make frequent and regular importations of stock. Otherwise, after a few generations a very noticeable falling off will occur in a total of eggs produced in a year. The economic importance of keeping our robins and bluebirds supplied with food is emphasized in department Bulletin No. 171, entitled “Food of the Robins and Bluebirds of the United States.” These two members of the thrush family are most attractive and desirable assistants to the farmer, reducing the insects that prey on his crops besides eating a number of undesirable weed seeds. However, as 'they are generally distributed throughout the United States and are * usually abundant wherever found. It sometimes becomes a problem to provide for them when the supply of insects and wild berries is insufficient and the birds have to resort to cultivated crops to sustain life. In order to keep the birds from destroying valuable crops the department's biologist advises that they be provided with adequate supplies of wild fruits and berries by their human friends. Ornamental trees and shrubs which furnish these may be planted in the vicinity of cultivated crops for this purpose. Select eggs of uniform size for hatching. They should also be normal in shape, not rough on the outside, and of good size, but not abnormally large. v A few moth balls put into the nesting material of sitting as well as of laying hens will help to keep out lice and mites.