Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-02-14
SECOND DAY.

Friday mornings session was opened b.
music from the choir, after which Mr.. ID
G. Spaulding read II paper on " Poultr,
us a source of profit on the farm" Poul
try gives II larger per cent of life givin!
food than any other branch of fArmin!
for the capital invested. The income de
rived from poultry is usually in proper
ton to the care bestowed on them.
OF the twenty-five varieties in common
use, the breed one should choose must b.
decided by the object for which they ar,
to be kept. Hens should be allowed tc
rest from laying, Or the progeny will suf
fer, He believed in breeding pure blooC
fowls. as well as pure blood animals.
He regarded the leg as the most impor
tant indication of character of the fow
a long, thin LEG with long feet, will gen.
orally be found with body to correspond
and is only fit for the pot
He gave the light Bramahs the first pc.
sition, but thought they had been bred toe
much Tor size. The Leghorns were good
layers; the Plymouth Rock, were the old
dunghill bred to greater excellence, and
were II valuable breed. In breeding tur-
keys, the largest sized female should not
be selected, but plump, compact body,
while the male should be larger. In
geese, the Hong Kong, Tolouse and En-
den were the best. Among ducks, he
classed the Perkins as the first; early
fowls would be found the more profitable.
Mr.. Chapman had raised the Do
mniQues. and he had never found any
other breed which would give so many
eggs from II given amount Of food, and he
thought they would lay as many eggs us
any non-sitling kind, and find time to
raise one or two broods of chicks beside.
Mr.. Spauldng said in reply to questions
as to keeping fowls, he estimated the vol
ne of IL bushel of corn to winter fowl,
but corn was too fattening for the exclu-
sive feeding of fowls desired to lay during
the winter; u warm mess was good in the
morning, plenty of variety in food, meat,
crushed bone, and plenty of dirt, which
could best be secured by Il ground floor.
and covered in the fall with sand. In
combining fowls, too small space should
not be enclosed, and they should be let
out every day; when this was done Just
before shutdown, they would do no dam
are.
Mr.. Fassett, of the board, gave
some results obtained by one of his boys,
who had taken some interest in fowls,
which be had encouraged us a counter
interest to what his son might find in the
hotel or store. His son had for the past
year, eighteen hens which had given 17G
dozen Of eggs, and forty-fve chickens.
The net profit derived from these eigh.
teen hens was 1920, u profit of over 400
per cent. At present his hen-house was
more profitable than his dairy.
Mr.. Justin E. Montague read pape.
OF Sheep. A mans taste and situation
should decide on what breed he should
kecp-and having decided. then keep them
well. A little grain fed the whole season
was better than Il larger amount fed for II
shorter period; II mixture of salt, sulphur
and ashes should be kept by them; they
should be fed twice day, after sunrise in
the morning, and early enough at night so
they may be through eating before dark;
shear before leaving the barn, give them IA
good pasture and pnre water, wean the
lambs ut four months old and give them a
little bran, which will make them tame,
and they will never forget it. NIerinos
stood first in numbers, at least, and first
in Importance for wool; for mutton the
Soulhdowns We're pre-eminent, while of
the long woods the Cotswolds, Leicesters
and Lincolns were the best, while the Cots
wolds were the most common, giving II
fine white fleece of long glossy wool for
Many breeders had been tempt
ed TO force unnaturaly iho growth of both
carcass and fleece, when the animal will
show well, but be of little worth to the
general farmer.
The next paper was by j. II. Mead,
Esq, Of West Rutland, member of the
board, on "Sheep Ilusbandry," in which
he gave the scientific method of breeding,
he structure of the skin and the structure
md growth of wool. He agreed with Mr.. !