The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1882-04-05
More PrOfls in Poultry Well Man
aged ThSn Anything Else.
Fodder and Ensilage-The Com
parative Value OF Ashes
Early Cucumbers.
The First Thing to do Now-Wild and
Cultivated Greens-Farm and Work
manship Sotes.


nav q greater proportional return than larger
ones This is partly because small focks re-
ceive more care and attention, and partly |
because fowls will not thrive when kept
together in large numbers In venturing
into the poultry business beginners should |
understand that If it is intended to
keep the fowls in large focks, even when
well attended, bountifully fed and the full
range of the farm given, success can not be
assured. This experiment has been tried
over and over again, and to-day there is but
one farm in the United States devoted to
poultry in large numbers, and that one is
conducted on a different plan from that to
which farmers are accustomed.
Poultry raising should be encouraged 1t
can be so managed as to give light employ
ment to females and children, and within
the reach of those with limited means
Long before the Americans discovered that
there was great secret in poultry raising
the French put in operation method that
enables them to ship eggs to England, Ger
many and Austria, as we'll as to supply a
large demand at home. 1t is often remarked
that the French are the most successful
poulterers in the world, but we can do all
they can do in the matter, and more, too,
for they have no home raised Indian corn to
assist them. They divide their fowls into
flocks of not more than one dozen. Each
flock has a small fowl house, 10x10 feet, and
ward OF about 100 feet divided in the mid
die. The houses stand separately in the
center of the yards, which are
l.
thus has a 5Ox3O feet yard in
front. and the same in the rear. An acre of
ground will allow fourteen OF these houses
and yards. The fourteen yards, with one
dozen fowls each, will accommodate los
fowls This is large number for an acre of
ground, but they kept healthy by
changing them frequently from one vacant
yard to another. The partition fences are
built very cheaPly, sometimes OF wire, and
again of lath- To make this system palmer
to the reader it should be known that two
hocks of fowls are never in adjoining yards,
as perfect seclusion from other tiocks must
be enjoyed by each of the small hocks.
Thus, while one flock is running in the yard
at the front of its house, the adjoining yard
on the left and right is empty, the next
lot of fowls will be running in the rear OF
their quarters: or, to illustrate by means OF
a checker-board the dark spaces represent
ing the occupied yards and the white spaces
the vacant ones
As soon as the fowls are placed in one OF
the yards-fthe front one, for instance the
rear one is spaded up and seeded to grass,
oats, rye quick growing vegetables having
goodaarge tope, or anything else that will
afford plenty of good food. When fail
growth has been secured the fowls are turned
INTO the rear yard and the front one is in
turn spaded up and seeded down. The fire.
lin 4 nd moi nj
the yards fresh and clean, but their fertility
is greatly increased by the rich droppings o.
the fowls.
There is another important matter con
neCted with the French system of poultry
raising-they are particular in regard t.
breeds. Unlike the American farmer, any
and every sort of fowl will not do for them
They are partial to the non-setters, and be
ieve eggs TO be more profitable than chicks
although some of them are beginning t
alter their opinions in this respect. They
have demonstrated one fact in poultry rails
ing, which has been verified by Englishmeu
and Americans, and that is an acre of
ground will support nearly 200 hens. With
a margin of 81 profit Oh each hen, which
is not by any means a large estimate. the
reader can calculate for himself the ad
vantage of this kind of poultry raising
But to do as the French do there must bC
some person willing TO give all his time tt
the care Of the hens. 1t will not do to attend
to the horses, cows and pigs and give an oc
casional look at the poultry. Some particu
lar person must have the care of them, t.
see that they are fed regularly; that plenty
OF fresh, clean water is kept within theil
reach all the time that ground or broke"
oyster shells, gravel, little box of sulphur
charcoal and bones or scraps of meat il
given literally. Perfect cleanliness anC
ventilation are always to be looked out for
In winter there must be no cracks in The
-. 4 i
mand always for eggs and poultry, ant
there is no danger of overstocking the mar
ket.
Green and Dried Fodder VS.. Ensilage.
A series of experiments was begun at tn
College Farm of the New Jersey Elk perimen
Station, on the LIST of September, 1881, undo
the direction of Mr.. George H. Cook, to de
termine the relative value of green fodde
corn, dried fodder corn and ensilage. Elk
pertinent having demonstrated that 40t
pounds of green corn yielded 100 pounds o
dry matter, containing 80 pounds of ash,
comparison was made between it and tn
weight of dry matter in the ensilage ant
feld-cured stalks. While 100 pounds o
the dry matter of green corn yielde'
6.32 pounds of ash, 50 pounds o
the dry matter of the ensilage and S2A o
the field-cured stalks gave the same result
During The process of field curing, therefore
400 pounds of green corn lost III pound
of what, under circumstances, would max
dry matter, while 400 pounds Of green cor
packed in a Silo lost Is pounds of the same
Neither the feld-cured corn nor the ensilag
suffered a loss of pTotsine, fat or fiber, bu
the loss fell upon the class carbohydrate
sugar, starch, ETC., which includes the leas
valuable ingredients of folders. 1t is ad
mitted that quite as much of the dryabl
matter Of green corn was preserved, by tina
experiment, by field curing as by packin
in a silo, and the feeding qualities were nc
considered.
Four cows were selected, and for sixt
days treated alike in all respects. The fir:
twenty days they were fed on twenty pound
of dried corn fodder, three pounds of whes
bran and thirty pounds of brewers grains
containing of total digestible food, 06
pound fat 257 pounds proteine and ia
carbohydrates. This quantity was a ratio
made up for each 1000 pounds of liv
weight. The next twenty-five days til
daily ration for two of the cows was tn
same as during the first period, but the othe
two were fed ensilage instead of dried foe
der corn. For each 1000 pounds of liy
weight this second ration was fifty pound
ensilage, three pounds wheat bran an
thirty pounds brewers grains, containin
0.60 pound fat, 2.62 pounds proteine an
1172 pounds carbohydrates. The ensilae
rof;or xvoe than fod IN oil tho cows duriu