Daily Republican., 1883-09-25
"A G RIC u L TUR AL
A BOYS SUCCESS WITH POULTRY.

/
"a Boy" thus relates his experience
In the poultry business through the
Fe run and Firsside "When l CON-
Inenced raisiug fowls, I determined to
thoroughly satisfy myself If keeping
poultry was really profitable In q pc
cuniary point Of view. As school boy
! undertook 1t almost solely for the
pocket money thought 1t would fur
nish me. Nor was l dlsappointed in
my expectations began with White
I.eghorns, and afterwards changed tU
the Browns, az their dark plumags did
not show the grimy influence Of coal
smoke and dust. lived In the heart
Of q town of 1000 inhabitants, aud 1t
was necessary to keep them almost en-
tirely In u small fenced off portion of a
city lot. Confined in such limited
space, the White Leghorns soon pre-.
sented an unsightly appearance, which
made the change desirable one. From
a record before me find that for the
first four months Of 1880 my yard con-
tsined 20 hens.
From theseI received 22l eggs in Jan
uary, 376 in FEBRUARY, 47S in March, and
431 In April-a grand total for the
four months Of 1,5O6, or 1851 dozen, I
sold these eggs for Si24 the price
averaging less than 10 cents per dozen,
which was remarkably low for this
time ofyear. During these four months
l paid for feed $529. This left me a
profit of $7.O2, or something over %
cents clear OH each hen or, at the
same rate, "a cents per year This Is
the profit on eggs alone. During this
time was raising q large number Of
young chickens, the food for which In
included In feed account Of 81. 20, above
mentioned. During the next month
(May) my profits increased the general
average for a year to $l.32 on each hen,
instead of 81 cents.
/ think the above ought to convince
any one that hens are, all things con-
sidered, more profitable, even In town,
than any other kind of stock. If hens
will clear from 70 cents to 81 q year,
with eggs at 10 cents per dozen, any
one living near city can make $l.5O
or $500 from them. Why more persons
do not make speciality of this business
cannot imagine. 1t requires but little
capital, Is light work, and any one of
Of ordinary intelligence ought to sue
ceed from the start. Especially would
it be sui able for ladies', girls and boys.
The latter would find it a sure way to
secure all those little pleasures which
cost money, and which, on that account,
cannot be supplied by father or mothcr.
After this, hope many of your young
readers will procure some good hook on
the subject, study it carefully and then
embark in the business.
FEEDING FOR MILK.
To the milk producer the quantity of
milk each cow produces is an impor.
tant item, and how he shall obtain that
result is the question for him to solve.
Can quantity be Obtained or increased
except at the expense Of quality p
Every experienced dairyman will ALL
swer this in the Affirmative. A COW
may be considered machine for pro-
ducing milk. She must be properly
fed and cared for, or the result Is un.
1t is As vain to expect that
a COW will give milk without sufficien
and proper food as to expect the steam
engine to afford power without sufficient
fuel and water.
If we feed the steam boiler with
water in excess, or an insufficient quan-
ty, and Ouly fuel enough to merely keep
the boiler warm, 1T is in vain to look
for power and so it is to give COW
only just food enough t. keep her alive
without starving. IT milk is desired
in quantity the cow must be fed a sur
plus beyond the other needs of the sys-
TEN, or all the rest is loss. think | t is
that about two-thirds of all a
cow eats is needed to maintain her ex-
istence all the profit comes in from the
other one-third, and too often this is
withheld entirely.
The best milk producing food should
be provided and fed in abundance
Will the cows are giving milk roots,
grain and the best of hay and fodder
during the winter, and good pasture,
with partial soiling, during summer.
This will necessitate the growing of
green crops like = mixture Of peas and
oats, rye, Hungarian grass, corn and
clover Tor summer and dry time. Corn
meal is good for quality, but bran or
middlings should make large, half or
two-thirds of the grain ration. | would
leave cottonseed meal out, or not feed
over half pint mixed with the other
grain at feeding. Corn and oats
ground together make an excellent
grain ration. In feeding green fodder
| would cut the stalks finely and mix
with the meal and grain, and allow
them to soften somewhat before feed
ing. Hari glazed cOrnstalks, fed
whole, are apt to make the teeth sore,