Delta chief., 1885-04-08
PouItry and Profit.


From the Colombo Farmer.
What is poultry kept for? To produce
ergs and meat A fowl, therefore, which
will not pi ioduce one or both nj profit, has
no place on a farm. Those who desire to
breed for mere fancy, are as much at liberty
TO do so without being found fault with, as
those who keep pet squirrels, canSries or
parrots. Among pure bred fowls. large aud
small, the best 10 combine the qualities men
toned has been the Plymouth Hock. The
birds Of this breed are quick TO mature and
are plump and close built ana the flesh is of
good quality They produce eggs in sutsi-
cieut numbers to place them among the good
LAYERS and the eggs are Of good size. There
are no feathers on the legs TO clog with snow
and mud. The comb and watties arc OF me-
dium size thus lessening the chances Of frost
bites. They have proved with Us for all pur-
pose. the best pure breed we have ever had.
For mere fancy our choice is Brown Leg
horns, which are handsome fowls and large
producers Of medium sized eggs. Their flesh
Is very good, bat not sufficiently abundant to
make them good table fowls. Their hand
some dark plumage is not easily soilcd. In
an experience Of a good many years We have
no, had one attempt TO iucuhaie. They are
next to the game in pluck, and are naturally
very free from disease. For The average
farmer, cross.brcd fowl is the best, as no
matter how hardy in faucier's hands
,horous sbbreds may be, they are not adapted
10 "rough.it' like common fowls. pure
bred cock among the b&rnyard hens will
make great difference in the progcncy, and
that at u small cost. One cock may be used
for two years to good advantage. Il Is better
TO secure eggs or hens OF some pure breed
and cross with cock of another breed. The
resul, is fowl as good, sometimes better,
according to the judgment used ia mating,
and always harder than either parent As
much skill may be used In crossing jude
iously as In breeding pure breeds. Take a
White Leghoru cock and cross il with a
light Brahma hen; a Brown Leshorn cock
OF Black Breasted Game on Partridge Coch-
In hens. Dark Bramas and Plymouth Rocks
make a splendid closs either way being
nearly equal in size. In crossing between
large and small breeds, use hens from the
fofner aud cocks from the latter, rs much
finer birds arc secured than by using heavy
cock with light hens. Never cross two
breeds of non.settcrs, us the chicks will rival
the Asiatics in setting propensities, strange
as this may seem. As soon as the chicks are
"a hours old remove to dry, airy coop, and
feed for few days on bread crumbs and a
little hard boiled egg and give water freely.
Feed as early in the morning and rs late in
the evening as possible. The more they cat
the more they grow. Coarse oat meal moist
cned with water, after they are week old,
il one of the best foods for them also thick
skinned milk which contains the essential
elements TO form bone aud muscle aud cause
rapid growth. If the weather be warm take
the mother away when the chicks are five or
six weeks old. WEAVING chickens may be a
new idea to many but we know from expert.
cnce II is the best method, provided the cold
weather is past, Huddling under the mother
only generates heat, which has tendency to
breed vcrmin. Take flower Of sulphur, place
in small tin can with perforated top and
dust little under each wing and around the
neck and tai! feathers.