Show BACK YARD FARMER interesting pointers on gardening for the city man or suburbanite WHAT TO PLANT AND WHEN advice by zin an expert on agricultural matters chickene chicken and winter laying raising small fruit garden information by PROF JOHN WILLARD BOLTE it if you want eggs next winter you must get some of this years chickens hatched mighty soon this Is the most important consideration in getting winter eggs get the pullets hatched early keep them growing as fast na as Is safe bate get them into their winter quarters before snow files alea next fall and you will have no trouble getting the eggs from your flock white while roust must of your neighbors aro are paying ave alya cents centa apiece tor for theirs of course there are a number of othor other things that are of prime importance in securing a satisfactory nimber of eggs during the oft off season but tho the one great essential feature to Is early hatching with somo some breeds of chickens the middle of february Is none too early for the first hatches and plymouth rocks nocks hatched then will often begin to lay early in august and will lay right through the winter without skipping the smaller breeds can como come along in march and early in april but pullets hatched later inter than this will frequently fall to mature before cold weather sots sets in and will often be delayed several months in starting to lay tho the pullet that lays her first low fow eggs before frost stands an excellent chanca of keeping it up right through we ibo winter the pullet that does not ay before frost Is frequently di scour aged from arom exercising her acquired function until the advent of tho the nat iral laying season and that IS when we need her eggs least of all old hens hena do riot not as a rule begin to efty until toward the end of the winter winfor they molt late in tho the lall fall and are not in full feather before cold weather comes on getting as they necessarily do a long rest their eggs are usually larger heavier shelled more mora fertile arid add more bat chable than those of pullets that have bavo been laying during the cold weather for this reaton reason I 1 it la Is much preferable bleto to set eggs mature lions for hatch lur pur deposes when you aro are saving eggs agea tor for hatching batching bo sure to gather them ap ag soon eoon as tos tessible sible after they are laid so BO as aa to avoid tho the possibility of the germ getting eggs will freeze in a re inar markn kably bly short time in the nest neat never attempt to set eel egsa that have been chilled bring tho the eggs inta a room roem with an oven even temperature above the freezing place pace them in a receptacle with ithe tho small end downward nud and cover them up to prevent evaporation sol set yar thorn as aa sogn as possible after laying idaia iti lias been liean proven time and ada again fa that everyday which passes lessons lesson 1 the chances of an egg to hatch a t strong lively c I 1 valess unless you aro are going to set act at le least list ft hundred eggs this spring an incura tor will not pay you except in tho the fact that it will enable you to hatch your chickens whenever mover you desire to do so BO instead of walling waiting for hens bens to feel inclined coset to set for tho the average city poultry keeper an incubator la Is an extravagance the small flock will not lay eggs fast enough to fill up the smallest incubator and it will bis bg bettor either to depend on hons hens tor for your hatching under such conditions or to buy day di old chicks from some of the hatcheries hatch irlea in your vicinity the setting betting hen is a groat great nuisance in every way and she ho la Is a persistent time killer wasting not only her own time lilt but that ot of her owney but man has i nover never yet been able to develop a brooding device that would take place in the small adall flock F for or this reason even it you do buy your little llella chicks it will vill bo be well to have a hen about ready to camo off when you these chicks blip them under her ber night they arrive and she aho will raise jalaa thorn them as fu U they wore were her own |