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Show RMIEf rim-. BEAUTY AND EGGS COMBINED Puzzling Question as to Whether These Desirable Qualities Are Found in Same Hen. (By T. E. QUISENBF.RRY, Kansas' City, President of American School of Poultry Husbandry.) Can utility and beauty be combined in the same fowl, or, In other words, is It possible to combine egg production produc-tion and standard requirements? If not, we had better change tlie standard stand-ard where necessary. It is said that the life of the average fancier is three years. If this be true, it is our duty to get busy and help him develop ways and means by which he will be enabled to make more dollars and cents and thus stay longer in the business which he has chosen and in which we are all pleased to have him engage. We hear many arguing for and against tlie question of combining "utility and beauty." Instead of say- Basket of Eggs on Left Represents 75 Eggs Laid by Average Hen One on Right Represents 220 Eggs Laid by Best Hen at Crookston (Minn.) Experiment Station. Ing it cannot be done, had we not better bet-ter be trying to harmonize and combine com-bine these two desirable qualities? A hen that never laid an egg would naturally be expected to score some higher than a hen of the same variety that laid a great many eggs, but we would rather have a hen that scored t0 and laid 200 errjro than to have one scoring 04 that laid only 90 eggs. The man is either prejudiced or narrow minded who would attempt to discourage discour-age the breeders from making an attempt at-tempt to combine these two qualities in all varieties of poultry. The standard stand-ard of perfection calls for 100 points for each variety. No one ever saw a bird or perhaps ever will see one that is perfect or would score 100 points. But that is no reason why we should discourage breeders in their efforts to breed more perfect specimens. It is just as sensible to do that, however, as it is to try to tell them they caunot combine utility and beauty to a greater great-er degree than they are found in the average flock at the present time. The tiling to do is to make the effort and quit arguing about it. We are convinced con-vinced that it can be done. If it cannot can-not be then it. is high time we had that certified. Today, eight or more of our leading state colleges of agriculture and universities uni-versities are putting on contests and hundreds of progressive poultry-men are having their birds officially trap-nested. trap-nested. The breeder who has a good egg record and a good show record back of bis birds is the one who is getting the business. |