Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1884-07-12
Eggs.


alone" is one Of the questions | answer
pretty often, but, like good many
others, it never stays answered. This
time it comes from a woman, who puts
it in this way: III am a farmers
wife, and like most farmers wives
have plenty of homework to do. Still
am anxious to do something extra
something that will bring little money
into the family treasury. AS am
situated, caring for poultry seems to be
the only outside work that I can en-
in without neglecting home duties,
and raising eggs for market, the only
branch of the poultry business coming
within my reach. The average mar.
ket price for eggs in this locality is
twenty cents per dozen, and the ques>
ton is, at that price for eggs, will a
flock Of fifty or hundred hens pay
when kept for eggs alone?
"lf you can. give your fowls free
range during warm weather, com,
Portable house and good care in winter,
you can make $50 year from the sale
of eggs from a flock of fifty hens !;
judge for yourself whether that would
pay or not. Yes, of course, somebody
will tell you that you cannot make half
that amount from fifty hens, but wait
bit; here are the figures, and we all
know that figures can be depended
upon--especiaIly when, as in this case,
they are taken from the poultry ac-
count OF farmers wife swho raises
eggs for market. Fifty hens, if well
cared for, will lay 1900 eggs in a year,
an average of $50 apiece; allow 1900
for use in the family and for Matching,
qnd you have 500 dozen for market,
which will bring an even 500 into the
"family treasury" "But how about
the cost Of keeping? You have al
lowed but S25 for keeping 30 fowls for
a year !" and the "other of us" smiles
the superior, triumphant sort Of smile
he keeps for such occasions.
Not quite so fast to that $50 add
the value of 100 dozen or so of eggs
that will be used in the family, the
value of the poultry manure, which,
pound for pound, is worth quite as
much as the best commercial fertilizer
take into consideration the fact thai
fowls running at large on farm car
be fed at less expense than those thai
are confined to the limits of even large
yards. That fowls on farm are gen.
orally fed much refuse stuff (and it il
often the best kind of food for laying
hens) that would be wasted, or nearly
so, if not used for chicken food, anc
you will find that | have made pretty
liberal allowance for the cost of keep
ing.
Now, let other farmers wives, o.
anybody else who is interested in thu
subject look over my figures, and theI
find out for themselves whether keep
ing fowls for eggs alone will pay il
their locality or not. l think a focl
of so or 100 fowls can be pro6tably
kept for eggs alone on every farm
where the average price of eggs is fit
teen cents per dozen, and 1 think tina
for farmers wives and other womel
who live on farms, and who can de
vote but small portion of their tim
to outside work, this raising eggs 70
market will pay better in proportion t
the time and capital invested than an,
other employment that comes within
their reach.
When fowls are kept for eggs alon
fully two-thirds of the hens should b
disposed off early in the fall, and thei
places filed by pullets that were hatch
ed early enough to commence layin
late in the fall, when eggs usual
command good price. To get tn
pullets, mate eight or ten of your beS
laying hens with vigorous young coc
and keep them separate from the res
of the flock until after you have set a
the eggs you care to then dispose {
the male bird and save the useless e2
pense of keeping him for the rest {
the year.
A Startling Discovery.
"a I