Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-11-11
Agricultural.


We believe it was Gail Hamilton who knew
that every woman wanted to possess a man,
whatever concealments she might practice or
whatever disavowals she might make, just as
she knew that stars which could not be seen
filled the heavens in the day time. The
simile is little lame, because all the stars are
invisible by day. 1t reminds us Of an UNI
written side in the experience Of the agricul-
turist that every observant farmer knows to
exist, as well as Gail Hamilton knows there
are stars in the sky in the day time, etc.
The papers are filled with accounts of sue
cessful operations on the farm, while the
failures are not only unwritten but often con-
ceaed or disavowed. The following relation
of experience in the poultry business, which
we find in the Ohio Farmer, is refreshing be-
cause il gives details of a kind so seldom
made public. 1t is a record of an attempt to
do the poultry business on a large scale, re-
sulting in failure little worse, perhaps,
but similar to what has been made thousand
times, if the truth were told, and not alone
in that branch of farming. If it is not as
easy in farming to do business at loss as in
some other occupations, it is still not diff
cult:
''In 1873 invested three hundred dollars in
poultry. 1 owned ten acres of land, with a
good little house and barn on it, near a thriv-
ing railroad town in Eastern Ohio. Some
who will read this perhaps, will know who l
am, but others need not know, as it would do
them no good.
well, 1 invested three hundred dollars in
the poultry business and was going to get
rich in a few years. built a commodious
poultry house at a cost of $3.50, and bought
300 chickens at a cost of about 500. The
other $50 was expended in various etceteras,
such as troughs for drinking, nest-eggs, saw
dust, baskets, boxes for shipping, food, etc
had 80 roosters and $50 hens They had
the run of five-acre lot, and about an acre
of orchard. The rest Of the ten acres was in
meadow and garden. The poultry house was
divided into two parts-for roosting and for
laying The nests were arranged in long
boxes nailed to the walls and divided from
each other by cleats nailed on top.
II had all arranged by April 10. The hens
were all young-one year old at most-and
they began laying well Through April and
May gathered about twelve dozen day,
which shipped to Cleveland. But this did
not last. About the middle of May fourth
of the hens wanted to sit, and by June one
half of the remainder were in the same fix.
From fifteen dozen a day it run down to
twelve by the middle of May, and by June
10 l was not getting five dozen day. l
tried to keep them from sitting, but you
might as well try to dam up Niagara, and
soon gave it up and let them rip" Such q
clucking you never heard.
about the middle of July disease broke
out among the fowls, and they began to die
At first would find one or two dead in the
morning, then half dozen, and finally TWEEN
ty. tried everything l could hear of-fumi-
cation, pepper, alum-water, coal-oil, blue
pill, ETC., but it seemed as though if a hen
got sick that was the end of her. BY the
middle of August 1 had just forty-six hens
left, and they were a sorry-looking set.
fed them up, however, and marketed them
the last of September with seven ROSTERS,
realizing for the lot $22.30, and quit the bus
mess in disgust. My account is about as
follows:
DEBIT.
Poultry, house, food, etc.................$3 $500
Time, rent, interest. Observation-Disclosures. 100
1Otdl'.'''.s',' '.'''...., .,...'.',.....,'S fOU
CREDIT.
Eggs. OO
lOtal ...s.....,.....'.. .............NJ0 oU
~
The next spring purchased dozen Ply
mouth Rocks, and have kept on an average
twenty to thirty fowls ever since, and they
pay well. Have no disease, lay well and
furnish us both eggs and meat for our table.
My experience is conclusive that in large
numbers fowls will not do well. Perhaps ]
did not know how to manage them.
Ex-PoULTRYMAN.