The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1854-07-26
Hints about Poultry.

Whether the large.sized varieties of
fowls, which are "all the rage "now
amongst fancy breeders and dealers, are
really preferable to the old d-fashioned barn
yard fowls, is subject on which there are
TWO opinions among those who have tried
both. To say nothing of the enormous
prices which they occasionally command
th9y weigh heavily in the market scales,
or hll large platter on the dinner table.
But, on the other hand, they are great
gormandizers themselves, and are gener-
ally considered difficult to raise. Roos.
lers should he ch aDged as often as once
IN two years, if not annually; and pains
should be taken, in replacing them. to
procure strong, healthy; and perfect birds;
the hen will lay better, and hatch more
chickens. Only small number of hens
should be kept in one house, or together.
We have known repeated instances in
which Keepers of poultry have become
dISgusted at their failure to lay, and have
determined to kill them off. They have
commenced reducing the number, which
was perhaps forty or fifty, and when
they got down 10 half dozen, were sur
prised to fad every one of the hens lay
ing, and the supply of eggs for the
whole family better than the whole num-
Der furnished. AS to profit, we doubt
whether, ifall their food be bought, the
eggs and chickens produced by any breed,
and sold at the regular market prices, for
the table, will pay the expense of keep
ing bu. it by no means follows from this,
that hens are not source ofprofit on a
farm. They eat much which would 9th
erwise be entirely lost and wasted and a
snail patch of buckwheat, sown at trri-
fling cost, and left on the ground where
they can stroll over it and feed. at their
pleasure, will keep Them as fat as but
ter. the main point Is, the great value
OF the manure ofpoultry. The hen-roost
IS the place where most farmers should
go for their guano.. .f obtained there
it will invariably prove of good quality.
There need be no fear for those who get
their guano from this source, that it will
turn out to be spurious or inferior. We
doubt whether even intelligent farmers
would estimate at more than one-hun-
dredth part Of its amount the quantity
of excellent manure which can be made
in this way in the course of the year.
The hen-roost, duck-roost, goose roost
and turkey-roost should be supplied
with several loads of peat, swamp muck
or loan, spread evenly over the surface
Of the floor, and on this there should be
scattered thin layer of sand and
gravel. On rainy days, when the work
can be done as well as not-and as Of
ten rs practicable-this should be all
shoveled over, and the manure thus
mixed with the other ingredients. The
compost soon becomes strong, when it
can be removed, and a fresh supply Of
suitable material be thrown in. The
house is kept sweet, clean and healthy
foI the fowls; and If any farmer will
adopt this plan, and practice it faithful
ly Tor five years, and keep an accurate
account of the crops raised directly from
the compost made with the poultry ma
nure, and from the manure made by
feeding those crops out in their turn,
he will be amazed at the amount of
cash which he will have realized, and
at the permanent improvement of his
farm.-Londonbe,ry Standard.