The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1875-06-25
AGRICULTURE.
Poultry.


From he outhern AgricuI'uriss.l
There are few readers of the Agrjcll-
tu75st who are aware of the vast sum Of
money realized from the growth OF fowls.
Mr.. Mechi. an eminent Enlgish agTlcul-
turist, speaks as follows with regard TO
poultry on the farm NO one item on q
farm pays so we'll as good stock Ofpoui,
try, properly managed. With them
everything is turned to account. Not
kernel, WHIP seed or insect escapes their
scUutinizing eyes. Their Industrious
claws are ever at work uncOvering, ready
for appropriating ever hidden bnt coI-
sumable substance. FO Is must have
access to chalk or lime for the shells Of
their eggs, and grit or grave to grind the
food in their gizzlrds. They luxurlate
on grass or clover, which is 4 necessity
for them. In the winter they like mau>
Colds or swedes. They must have ac~
cess 20 plenty ct pure water. The qual-
itY of the eggs depends upon the quality
Of the food. They, like ourselves, like
shade In the summer and warm sheltered
! corners in the winter. They must have
so me access to shelter IN wet weather
/ Fowls will not be long healthy on the
same ground or yards. The earth gets
tainted Therefore, to prevent disease,
lime and salt your yards and their usual
! pasture once a year--saY in autumn,
when the rain will wash it we'll in and
| soften and sweeten the surface BTOJds
of chickens never do better than on
the grassy bIOws or patches abuttlBg
upon the growing crops, either Of corn
or pulse, INFO which they run either for
insects or for shelter. The roof Of the
coop should be water tight, and the coop
should often be removed, having Cnly
the natural ground for the floor. The
ground soon gets tainted unless YOU
remove the coop You can hardly make
some people good managers Of poultry il
they lack observation and judgment
These are especially necessary to the
breeding Of poultry. Your male birds
should be often cianged-say at lenst
once 10 two years and they should be
yCung and vigorous. Bre eding in and IN
will not do, any more than it will do
with other animals | consider winged
gare-poultry and birds-the farmers
friends. Ny poultry have access at all
times to my fields, Fowls are very use-
fuF III cleaning off flies / haye often
been amused at seeing the neat and
quick manner Of their taking off h.cs
from reposing builock5 AMI sheep, much
to Il cir comfort.
The question as to which IL tie best
breed Of fowls for every country home
has been asked over and over again
The poultry fanciers discuss Brahmaa,
and the common farm-r has stuck TO his
common fowls, as if he need not look for
ANYTHING higher or better; butte Hou~
dams have en- so uniformly praised that
We must accept them as now the most
popular breed for family use
MIR. A b. Allen, poultry fancIer,
says They are Of great constitutin7,
very hardy of quiet disposition, and ma
ture early. They grow t. nearly as
great size as the Brdhma, Cochin, or
other East India and China fowls, IN
less particular pains are taken to force
the latter, for, with ordinary IA feed
and care, the latter do got generally ex-
coed TX TO eight pounds, and the Hon~
dams, with the same treatment, easily at
tain tLis weight when full grown. Then
they are better shaped than the large
Eastern fowls, having - larger body AMI
rruch lu.isr AMI more nratY bTcI5t.
! This renders them, ike the DoTkiu,
Superior fowl Tor the table. Another
advan aye, the chickens mature two or
three months earlier ard are not near
80 long in the leg. The hens 81 this
breed are among the greatest of layers
| Not one Of mine has manifested any
disposition to set yet, and am told they
rarely do so past three years old. Th, If
| eggs are Of a pure white color and are a
| full size larger than | ever got from
| Brahmas, Cochins, or any other breed.
| think my hens lay az least nine months
in the year on an average, and some If
| them still! longer In fact. as layers,
find them nearly, if not fully equal &c
! the LeghoTns, which have hitherto been
considered the greatest layers f all