Howard Park says so and he has had a heap of chicken
experience. They will do better when you get out there. You will feed
them properly and regularly. Their laying streak has been broken up. We
must train them to lay while eggs are expensive and lay off when they
are cheap."

Alfred insisted Pearl keep a "farm book," entering on one page the
expenditures opposite the receipts. After two months Alfred declared the
book a trouble and worry. "Just spend what you have to and let it go at
that. Howard Park says everybody has the same experience when they first
go into farming." There were two entries on the two pages of receipts,
nineteen pages of expenditures:

February 14th--Credit by 2 dozen eggs $ .98
March 11th--One bull 35.00

Alfred bought the bull from a neighboring farmer. "Registered Jersey,
worth at least $100; I got him for $75," boasted Alfred. "The man needed
the money." It was learned later that the bull had been accidently shot
by trespassing hunters and permanently disabled. When Alfred was put
wise to this, he sold the bull for beef.

[Illustration: "I Want a Rooster for Every Hen"]

In the grocery bill, (Alfred furnished everything), there was a charge
of four dollars and thirty cents for eggs. Alfred argued to his wife it
was for hatching eggs for the incubator; that he had instructed Mrs.
Roost she must raise four hundred chickens at least. But Mrs. Roost,
over the telephone, advised that farmers must have eggs to eat and she
always cleared her coffee with eggs, and our hens were not laying and
that most of them had the roup, and you can't expect eggs when you only
got two roosters for a hundred hens. Alfred called up Mrs. Reed and
advised that he must have more roosters. "How many do you wish?" she
inquired.

[Illustration: AL. G. FIELD, 1886]

"Well, we are not getting any eggs. I want a rooster for every hen. I'm
bound to have eggs."

The wife changed her mind as to Rhode Island Reds. She declared the only
person she knew that had good luck with Rhode Island Reds was Mrs. Mott
and she just lived with her chickens. "Now, Mrs. Goodrich has Barred
Plymouth Rocks and they are the chickens." Alfred ordered a flock of
Barred Plymouth Rocks. Someone recommended to Alfred Black Minorcas.
Charley Schenck had a pen he wished to dispose of. Alfred figured that
since they had experienced so much bad luck with one breed they would
soon strike a winner by having severa