The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-02-22
AGRICULTURAL.
Farm Notes for the Month Of Febru'
ary-Stock and Sheep Raising.
The South as Poultry Country-B See
Raising-The Best Grasses Tor
the South Minor Notes

WINTER EGG PRODUCTION
W. ohtain a breed of fowls that arc per
,,,t,,.l LAYERS Ia the object that many aim
n This 10 All impossilhilty, for naturs will
exhaust itself, and must have period of rest
~ order that we may have q 1nrpetunl pro-
Sfncttop or fresh eggs the business must be
arranged beforehand There Is difference
n breeds. some laying better thaD others at
nv time Of the year. and tthers. again. will
rive their eggs In winter. Therefs little dir.
ficulty In ohtainiER eggs IN summer but tho
winter eggs mast be worked for and the
fowls managed beforehand. Hena that have
laid we'll during the summer cannot be
depended on Fur late fGH or early wlnt,'r even
lf we'll fed, bat will generally commence In
January and keep IL ~ throughout February
and March, giving good supply Of eggs II
not too old But It - better not to allow
Zach birds to ~ fnto the winter. They are
generally fat after having hniehed the annual
mott, and should he killed for the table. After
the second annual molt hsns are apt to be-
come egg -bound especially II well fed and
fat The excess III fat that eccumulates about
the lower intestines and O1ariB weakeDs these
organs and reDders them Incapable Of per
forming tkeir Offices. Hence the fowl suffers
and becomes pruiltlaas When left too long
the bird bec.ns,ts t.verisf and tha flesh ID unfit
for food. Tia better way Is to avoid this
trouble, siuoe there IL NJ cure, by not allowing
birds tD ~ into the SECOND winter. Trouble
OF this kind seldom occurs with pulets or
young hens.
To obtain supplyaf winter eggs we must
have the chicks outin March or April. Ley
horns and some uf the smaller breeds will do
In May or the first 0' June, but the Brahmas
and UOchins must GENE off early, that they
may have the iuIl season for growth. The
AsiRtiCs are generally good layers In winter,
and need less artificial heat, as nature has not
Furnished them with any ornamental appan-
dages which suff+rtby xposure to frost For
them 1t Ia not necessary to spend large sums
In large buildings. What they can dispense
with Ia this respect they demand in feed,
which must be given regularly. The feed
must be kept up and varied with animal and
vegetable diet The supply Of water must
never fail We must feed and feed long
time before the eggs will come. Any breed OF
hens will consume an enormous quantity of
feed before commencing TO lay, but after
having once begun they will not require or
even take. 80 much grain. When laying, their
great craving Is for vegetable and animal
substances aud crushed Clam or oyster shells.
Fowls that are regularly trained have Ger
tain portions Of the day for their different
feeds. My birds require their shells at night.
;as we'll ne their greens. and always fresh
Wnter. When one has the time and convp-
Ing warm etews on very cold days Is IN ad-
mlrable plan, and the birds relish them mar
velously. Take beef or pork scraps and put
into an old kettle, having them previously
chopped fine, and fill 1t half full Of water.
While stewinK, throw Ia dozen chopped
onions, two d'zen cayenne peppers. and the
days coffee and tea grounds. Thicker the
mixture with corr meal, and serve 1t around
among the hens hot. They relish 1t amazing
" when once taught to eat 1t. and will look
for the ration daily at the certain time. On
cold winter days 9ive this feed between 2 and
. o'clock IL the afternoon, and the chicks get
their crops warmed up for the coming cold at
night III scraps are not handy boil unpeeed
potatoes and serve in the same manner add
Ing little gravies left over from yesterdays
dinner.
The combed varieties require warmer quar-
tars and SUMMER exposures than the Asiutics,
and are good winter layers after December
and early January. They will lay In the fall
N early Matched. but the change OF fall to
winter. and the getting into winter quarters,
affects them. and they seldom commence
which time Brahmas will cease egg produc-
ton and become broody Where one has the
convenience 1t is we'll to keep both kinds, Ia
order to insure supply OF eggs. 1t ts 1850
variety. Have the buildings ready early, and
the fowls Of the right age and In condition to
insure success. The business of our domestic
hen Is to produce eggs. and we must feed her
for 1t.
THE ACCLIMATION or CATTLE.
Ihad always known that there is some risk
Ii taking cattle from the Northern and Mid
die States or from Great Britain and Con-
tinental Europe, into the Gulf States; but [
never understood the Significance OF the fact
until had informed myself by conversation |
with Southern breeders. According to these
gentlemen, fully one-half the importattons
from the North die In the course OF the two |
years In which they are going through the
process OF acclimation, though most of the
losses occur the first summer. Aud | was
surprised to learn that cattle from Tennessee
or Virginia ara quite as liable to suffer as
those from Europe or the Northern United
States. While my friends, who were mostly
Jersey cattle breeders, were not inclined tO
commit themselves to the opinion that Short
horns and Hereiords are less hardy under a
Southern climate than the Jerseys. Ayrshires
and Holsteins. l Inferred that such ~ the case
This inference was strengthened by what |
saw of the common cattle, which sK4wed
more Jersey blood than of all other breeds to-
Rether, except IN the swnmps along the Gulf
coast, where the Southern French and Span
ish origin OF the mlch cows are strikingly
Just what the disease III which
attacks Northern cattlca-nobody appeared
able to decide. The cattle first neglect their
food, then refuse 1t altogher, and then sud-
denly die, some In only u few hours after they
are taken, and some linEer for weeks and often
months. III cattle are brought into the cotil-
try late In November, or during the winter
they renpt subject 70 attack until
hot weather comes On. but those brought
then are just as Liable to die as those brought
I'm the spring or summer. Taking advantage
81 this fact, many nich cows from the North
are sent into the q ulf States In the autumn.
where they are fed and MIXED as long rs cool
weather lasts. and axe GREATER slauGhtt
VIZ beef. But this matter Of aecitmatization
W an interesting and profitable side for
G. utharn breeders as against Northern Ones
n O. 1t gives 10 the native bull or COW fully
II, bis the value II Introduced animals. Or
, % ut 1t In another form, every animal which
as become thoroughly aeclimated has had
4 \ alue doubled, since Of every hundred
ruuo hit la fifty are sure TO die In course OF
NO :. ears. This is a strong point for the
reede. rs Of the Gulf States, whether they
reed II w mixers Or beef Mules, swine and |
lerino ,beep was given to understand do I
mi suffev from any OF these climatic inGu- {
ss.,s to any dangerous extent. and horses /
70 not SCI iousiy affected, though 1t Is consid
red necessary to be careful of them, and OF q
10 lonu-w, S,ied mutton breeds Of sheep for ,