Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-07-29

IL.
used by poulterers near the great cities of
England; but we are not aware that it is |
Systematically adopted, as in France. In
fattening by natural means the food rec
commended by English feeders, chiefly, we
presume, by reason of its cheapness, is a
mixture of barley-meal, oatmeal, or buck
wheat-meal, with the husk sifted out,
mixed with milk and made into the con-
sistency of dry, crumbly paste. This is
fed three times day, care being taken that
only sufficient be given ut a time to be
eaten up clean, and none left, water being
supplied ut the same time. The artificial
means is that adopted chiefly in France,
and consists of two methOds-One of cram
ming with solid food; the other by means
of funneling, with the food in a semi-tluid
state. Mile Rabinet affirms that the best
food for fattening fowls is buckwheat-
meal, bolted quite fine, kneaded up with
sweet milk till it gets the consistency OF
bakers dough, then cut into ratiOns and
made into rolls of about the thickness of a
woman's finger and administered to the
fowls in pellets of about two and a half
inches long. On the other hand, it is stated
by NJ. Jacque that the funneling process, OF
examining by means of funnel with far
inaceous food in a liquid form, is, by reason
of its simplicity, ease, and the rapidity
with which it is performed, the quickest
and best method to be adopted. He rec
ommends barley-meal properly sifted,
mixed in equal proportions of milk and
water, and to be of the thickness of clear
soup, when it begins to boil and this
method would seem to be coming more
and more into favor in France, and for
wears past the largest feeders of poultry
/ have been using these machines, inasmuch
as they are supposed to disturb and excite
the fowls less, the whole meal being inject
ed at one operation. Other minor improve
ments us regards the management of fat
/ tening fowls have from time to time been
made, but the most perfect system yet de
/ veloped appears to be that carried on ut Il
town in France by NJ. Martin, where the
method of procedure is so superior that Il
commission was appointed by IN agricul-
/ tural society, and its report published, on
which Mr.. Wright in his poultry book re
marks as follows:
The food employed by NJ. Martin con-
sists of fine maize and barley meal, mixed
in about equal quantities; to this is added
a portion OF lard, and the whole is then
mixed smoothly with milk, 50 thin as to be
| almost liquid. The most peculiar thing
about NJ. Martins management, however.
| is the singular fact that the fowls are tied
upon their perches by thongs of rawhide,
which are passed round their feet but leav,
inc them otherwise at perfect liberty.
Partitions or upright slabs fixed to the
perChes divide them from each other. and
keep them practically in separate compart-
ments, with the great advantage of a free
circulation of air. The. whole apparatus
is frequently disinfected with sulphate of
iron, which keeps the birds perfectly free
from vermin. The feeding is done by a
machine which contains the food in Il res
ervoir. The operator, VINO has seat
which he can vary in height. takes the
head of fowl in one hand, and with the
other places down the 9ullet of the bird a
nozzle fixed on the end of Il flexible tube
which reaches to the machine; by then
pressing Il treadle, 4 piston forces the
proper quantity into the fowls crop. \
graduated dial regulator the quantity
given according to the age, size and stage
of fattening each bird. A slight push VITA
the hand causes the frame to reyolve so as
to bring the next bird opposite the feeder,
and the feeding is thus performed with
such rapidty that one hour is sufficient for
the entire two hundred birds. 1t might be
thought that the fowls would struggle
violently on finding themselves fastened to
the perches; but this is not the ease if put
on at night. The advantages in cleanliness
and ventilation are very great, and it Is
found that the birds almost invariably
thrive and fatten well. The commission.
in fact, express great surprise and satisf;tc-
ton ut the result achieved, and strongly
recommend the adoption of NJ. Martin s
| system, which may be considered the latest
improvement us regards poultry fattehing
in France
In this country all kinds of grain are
4 much cheaper than in England and France
except buckWheat, which with us is always
scarce. Not so in France; buckWhpat is a
plentiful grain, and for this reason. as wei
rs its being an excellent food for poultry
is extensively used. Corn meal is AWAY:
cheap with us; and by mixing with it ;
little of the other meals, will make an ex
F cellent food for fattening. If farmers were
to apply little more of their time and at
tention to the raising of poultry and the
rearing and fattening of chickens for tn,
market than they do, they would find in i
Il useful and profitable employment for the
female and Junior members of the family
In France it is made business and fount
to pay we'll fattening and killing has beer
brought to n system. Poultry in Franc,
IS considered as part of the general econ
omy of the form, and poultry food enter,
in the f;u mcr's rotation of crops Large
establishments exist, although nothing on
50 grand II scale rs some poultry writer.
have announced, yet there arc LARGE poultry
farms. Some years since, NJ. Geyelir
made a journey from England to France
with the special object of procuring infor
nation i'll this respect, and found poultry
farm conducted by NJ Manoury in Picar:
dy, where about five thousand head pel
annum were raised; and further informa-
ton proves beyond doubt that there are
numbers of farmers in France who raise
for market their hundreds "a few theil
thousands-of poultry annually: and thi:
item of farm produce is regarded by then
as of the utmost Importance, and all con.
nected with it assiduousIy cared for ant
looked after; ami that in many depart
ments it forms Il large proportion Of tho
whole agricultural trade. We must moi
be considered us advocating such whole
sale system us that pursued by NJ. Ma
noury of Picardy, but that each farmer
could, without any additional cost by way
of labor, produce annually much larger
number of fowls and eggs for market thar
he does, is beyond doubt; and besides
being help, it would add to the produc
ton of the very best kind of meat
The EFFECT OF CAMpHOR ON SEEDS
luxurious EXPERIMENTS.-Som curiou.
and all but forgotten experiments, of much
interest to agriculture and gardening, OBJ
serves London paper, have lately beer
revived by II German savant. Very many
years ago it was discovered and recorded
that water saturated with camphor has :
remarkable influence upon the germina
ton of seeds. Like many other nsnfn