Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1882-12-28

This country is probably better adapted
to the raising OF ducks than any other fowls
Ihey are very healthy here and seem to
flourish with the least care. Time and again
we have seen wild duck eggs set under hens
and nice flocks of ducks raised. They seem
to be free from disease and are better rus
tiers than most other birds. The only won
der is that there are not more of them raised,
for they are never worth less than 50 cents
each, and the demand is good. s".@-
SOME OF our readers whose minds are en-
crossed with sheep, cattle, horses and grain,
wonder why we devote column more or
less every week to poultry. Why we do not
give the space to larger industries. The
reason is that other industries are establish
ed and are flourishing, while poultry is not.
The idea prevails that it is an insignificant
interest, but it is not Poultry or eggs are
preferable for three hundred and sixty-tive
meals in the year to either beef or pork and
are cheaper, or at least can be made cheaper
when the industry is once thoroughly estab-
lished, Montanians, as rule, spend more
for the luxuries of life than they do for the
necessaries. 1t is therefore as important an
item in our system of political economy to
keep at home the money that goes for the
luxurles OF life as that which goes for the
necessaries. Then, to the general farmer
the poultry can be made inexpensive Fried
eggs, tried chicken, roast turkey, ETC., it
must be remembered, will go as tar toward
making home happy as any other commod-
ity the farm produces; a q.4. {.
THE Turkey seems to be the hardest bird
to raise than the Montana farmer has vet
had anything to do with. In the Southern,
climate, where they roost at nights in trees,
and where the old hen hides away in an OBJ
scure fence corner, or in the adjacent forest
in a pile Of brush, they are quite as easily
reared as. other birds; but in Montana,
where they have quarters indoors and where
there is littleor no show for them to hide
away their nests and trough it," they seem
to become tender. They lay well enough
and the eggs hatch well, but the principal
difficulty is with getting the chicks through
AVA Vic III GIll &C VI lOuI WGGkSs lie mOSE
careful poultry managers assure us that it is
with the greatest difficulty that they are
kept from all danger, and we have but little
hope that they will ever be grown with
much success by fanciers, but out on the
farm it does seem as if experience would at
length enable growers to overcome the diff
ticultes. Occasionally, in looking over the
country, we see good housewife who has
goodEsuccess and markets several hundred
dollar ssworth OF these birds annually. This
leatisti to believe that it is not altogether
the 5elimate, and that experience will yet
lead to a method that will insure success.
----+ R~-e--a ------
WE have known mum Der of experiments
of poultry keeping in Montana on large
scale, every one of which in the end result
ed in a failure. They were reasonably sue
cessfal for the first year or two. But after
that time were Improbable, and the fowls
in most cases all or nearly all died. The
reasons for these failures are very obvious.
These poultry yards were run on the COM
mon farmers plan, with one room for five
or six hundred birds, which is mistake.
Poultry on the farm in Montana is, when
attended to, an immense success. 1t is true,
fowls and eggs are high in our markets, but
one reason of this is that our farmers con
slider marketing eggs and chickens foo small
a business and indulge these lIAuries on
their own tables. And there is no reason
why poultry on large scale cannot be made
a success also. But they must be kept in
small colonies and provided with separate
runs. BY this method they can be kept as
healthy as if each flock was on separate
farm. To get all the profit there is in such
a business, it will be necessary for the
grower to raise his own grain, peas, roots,
cabbage, etc, to feed his bird on, so that all |
the money that is taken in will be profit on
his own labor. The houses for snch an ex-
pertinent must be made warm, and would
be better if provided with two rooms, for
two reasons, one Of which il that they must
have very warm place for winter, which
may be reasonably dark, and the other is
that they lag best when they can go into a