Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-02-17

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ceived and at its conclusion the meeting was
adjourned to Wednesday morning, at half
past nine o'clock
WEDNESDAY MORNINGS SESSION.
At the opening Of the meeting Wednesday
morning, there was a large attendance, the
hotel hall, where the meetings were held,
being well filed. The interest was apparent
during the whole of the days proceedings
and Secretary Collier said it was the largest
and best Of the meetings that had been so
far held.
The President took the chair at ten o'clock,
A. NJ, and announced the first address to be
by Rev 5. 5. Davis, of North Montpelier on
"Poultry."
Mr.. Davis did not read from any manu-
script or notes, but spoke in a conversational
way on his subject, drawing instructively
from his own experience and observation
lie said it seemed strange to him that far
mers did not pay more attention to their
hens. They deserved care and attention,
and in return would pay handsome profit.
A hen worth fifty cents in the fall, would
pay for herself four times over during the
season, which was a great deal more than
most cows would do lie had purchased
forty hens the season before, by picking
them up wherever he could get hold of them,
paying in someinstances what seemed to him
to be large prices, and after keeping them
through the season, he had sold them for more
than they cost him, and realized the nice little
profit Of s25 from his experiment, besides
paying for six-dollar hen house out of their
products. The true and only secret OF sue
cessful poultry-keeping, was to pay attention
to them, Just as you would 10 your fancy
COW, horse, or pig. The ordinary farmer
lets the hens roost on the big beams, where
they sit during the winter weather, filling
the hay with filth, which made it unfit for the
cattle, and freezing the combs and feet. Was
it reasonable to suppose that hens kept in
such manner would lay, except on the ground
or the warm side of board
Cleanliness is the first thing to be observed
in the care of poultry lie provided for his
hens clean, comfortable home. Then in
regard to diet he gave something warm in
the morning for the same reason that he
took his own warm cup of tea or coffee. At
noon he gave them oats or screenings, and
at night full feed of corn. He considered
corn to be the staple food for hens. In re-
| gard to the kind of hens, there were two
kinds wanted the first, one that would
prove a good mother and sitter; and another,
that would mind its own business. He
named the IIoudins, Brahmas and Leghoms
as likely to embrace these qualities.
There is one breed of Brahmas with an
eternal propensity to keep sitting. lie took
such hens as these, when he found them on
the nest when they ought not to be, and put
| them in a bare room with no roost scant
feed and plenty of water. lie found that
after staying in there few days or times,
they were thoroughly cured Of this propen-
sity and would soon begin to lay. He had
wmtered thirty.hve fowls, with a larger pro
portion Of cocks in the flock than usual; ten
hens had laid through the winter, and these
hens had paid for their own keeping and the
keeping Of the whole flock. He was always
careful to keep dust pan in the room with
the hens, filed with dust and an admixture
of the flour OF sulphur; and this he placed
in front of the window where the sun could
strike it, so that the hens could get the ben
eft of the sunlight. The effect was to keep
the hens free from vermn. II farmer
cannot afford the time to take care of his
poultry, he better not try to keep it. He
was in the habit Of giving iron to his hens
in their water; he used the Douglass mix
ture, and gave it to them at the rate of tea
spoonful TO pint of water twice week.
lie found that it did them a great deal of
good. Dirt was the source of all disease
about poultry.
lie concluded by describing the hen-house
which he had constructed, and by making
some comparisons with others that had come
under his observation.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Dayis's remarks,
the discussion of the dairy interest, which
was begun the evening before, was taken up,
and continued till time of adjournment.
Hon, f. ID. Douglass, Of Whiting, occupied
the time principally. lie described his own
methods of manufacturing butter, from the
time of milking to the final packing away.
Mr.. Douglass exhibited pals which he used
instead of pans in his system, and discussed
the old fashioned and new fashioned ways
that differed from his own, with some free
dom, though with degree of fairness.
Outside of this exhibition of dairy utensils,
Mr.. Douglass remarks were similar in gem
eral tenor to those he made year previous
on the same subject at East Montpelier.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Douglass discus
sion of the dairy question, a recess was
taken until afternoon.
Nathan Skinner, of Plainfeld, gave our re-
porter the following facts about his famous
COW Katie" referred to by Mr., Arms in his
paper Tuesday evening The COW is a
thoroughbred Jersey, and in ten months dur
ing the last season gave five hundred and three
and one-half pounds of butter besides sup
plying a family with milk and cream five
months OF the time.
AFTEnNOON gEgsION