A Useful Hen

Poultry Farmer Claims to Have Bred One That Does Work of Two

Charles Helmke of Green Village, near Morristown, N. J., has a hen which lays two eggs a day, says the New York Press. The hen has been watched carefully for the last month and has not varied from that record since she was placed in a coop by herself. On two days she has laid three eggs, but on the following days has laid only one.

This hen is not a freak, but is the result of breeding experiments carried on for three years by Helmke. He had the idea it would be possible to produce a breed of hens that would lay every day in the year. He even thought it possible to produce hens that would lay two eggs a day. But he did not know how near he was coming to the desired result until March 1, when he placed this hen in a coop by herself for observation. Since that time she has laid sixty-eight eggs.

Helmke is gathering the eggs for the purpose of hatching. He has three sittings in operation. He believes that he has produced the greatest hen for commercial purposes in the world.