The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-03-23
THE FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
Will Poultry Payf

Yes and no. In yard, no-unless it is in
farm yard, yard attached TO a gentleman's
or or other premises where there IS stable
and where it is common for other things be-
sides poultry. In such yards twenty mems
will pay more and raise more chickens, TAX
ing ten years in succession, than larger num-
beers but for all that poultry writers may say
or fanciers who know all about how every
feather on fowl should grow, and how they
they should be marked, penclled, &C., may
dictate, / positively state poultry yard 10
be the very worst place Tor any kind OF fowl.
Yes. strictly private, well fenced and beau
tifully. arranged poultry yard is the worst
place to grow poultry in greater NUMBERS
than dozen, that they can be kept IN, ana
such flock must not be allowed to set ana
hatch and raise chickens, or they viii be dis
eased. Ispeak SO decidedly because, though
not knowing aught about the fancy coloring
and disfiguring of fowls by top-knots and
feathered legs, &C., have in the course OF
the last fifty years seen more OF the failures
in raising land of successes, tOo,) than per-
hans apy other man who is living at this day;
and of course as regards health and propr'e-
ty in rearing common fowls for market, VIII
apply to the keeping of poultry selling for
hundreds of dollars each.
Mr., Lewis Nelson says: "We are going to
start a poultry yard on a large SCALE" There
never was and never will be yard on any
large scale that will pay, no matter how
clean it is kept. The variety of food, the ex-
traordinary attendance, and the less eggs
confinement causes TO follow, will make any
attempt of the kind a certain loss. For i'll
terested motives, one or two large yards OF
poultry have been represented to prosper and
tc have been healthy undertakings; but they
were complete misrepresentation, and in two
instances were total failures, not only not
pavino hut every fowl diving.
In 1920 one of the most expensive ana
most convenient poultry houses, fatteniEg
house and yards attached, was brought into
use by one of the old East India Company in
England, who had retired and bought beau
tiful estate. Everything that Inauguration
could desire was afforded to make 1t success.
full. This was in the West OF England, and
all that the most lavish expenditure and care
full management could do was done. A wO-
man from Dorking, in Surrey, was obtained,
and the best fowls known were bought, ca
pops being tattened to an extraordinary
weight, &C.; but although this was only to
supply one mansion, instead OF doing 1t, after
the first start no chickens could De raised, and
disease took off all the old fowls, while
at the extensive farm yard wnere tnere
was no restraint, and hens, ducks, DC, had
perfect liberty to roam in the pastures ad-
Joining, prosperity abounded. The game
keeper, too, had at the same time the most
astonishing success in raising pheasants, par
tridoes. and wild ducks. As boy with
great liking for live stock, was in the habit
of running over frequently to see them, tor
my father lived on the farm adjoining the
preserves, and the stewards children and my
brothers and sisters were school ielioWs, :.
The gamekeepeI's management OF MS
pheasants and partridges, which he raised
with common hens, by putting under them
eggs which used to be moved in the tenant
farmers fields, gave me the knowledge how
to assure perfect health in great numbers OF
any OF the feathered tribe. He has bought
hens of the farmers wives which wanted to
set, or giving them good price for the use
of them, and kept them ready to put
eggs under them when brought; the now
ers bringing the eggs always recelV-
ing a present of half a crown, as
an encouragement to take care of them and
start with them SO that they would not get
cold. When Matched, they were put In
coops, and every one was moved daily on
fresh ground. Several hundreds of each va
riety would be raised annually without the
slightest ailment, because they had sweet,
clean greensward to range over; and ever
since that time it has been quite clear TO my
comprehension that the only way to keep
poultry healthy is not to c)nfine them in one
place, nor have many together, and to study
to treat them naturally as far as clrcumstan-
ces can be made to permit.
Ten times the number Mr.. Nelson men,
tions can be kept spreading over space
enough; but they must be in small families,
and have range enough to get half their
living from worms, grubs and insects gener-
ally. / have attempted the raising OF too
MANY, according to the room, and tried to
avoid the penalty for overcrowding, having
given meat, milk, lime and extra vegetable
food, with varieties of grain and corn in diff
erent forms, scalded, &c. but it was OF no
use, and the only way is to spread them out
with comfortable sheltered resorts, so that II
10000 or 10000 are kept, every family will
will be separate and have range unmolested
by neghboIing colonies; then there is no
limit to the numbers which may be kept.
The best fowls ever possessed were cross
between the speckled Dorking and Buff Co.
chns. Almost as well might bee-keepers
expect bees to pay by covering over yard
and bringing flowers for them to suck honey
from, as for thousands of fowls to pay in a
yard.-Rural Nesn Yorker.