Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-10-20

supply OF eggs IN the market and i Is
necessary 10 import them N large
quantities"
"lias not this growth OF the business
increased the demand or poultly sup
plicsp"
"Yes very lnr9cly. Anon. the ar
ticles in great demand are grouni bono
and oyster shells. which are led 10 the
ch ckS. WHY. we sell at least fifty tons
of this material n year, and tho demand
has made new way OF disp0Sing OF
bones and oyster shells. Not long aga
man started a manufaclor, at Yonk.
ers for the special purpose OF e ind ny
bones and oyster shells for the chicken
trade. and has u big trade in it already.
1t has alro made II great demand for
wire netting for fences TO poultry.
yards. The other day we sold and put
up for one party mile OF this wire
netting"
You spoke Of chicken ranch.
What is Iikel"
Ours at Franklin covers six acrts Of
ground. 1t is incloied by fence about
six feet high. 1t contains numter Of
wooden buildings, built especially for
chickcn-rai,ing. One of these Tea..
urcs sixty BY eighty feet and is twenty
feet high 1t was originally built for
the fattening OF poultrt. 1t is divided
INTO pens for hocks of chickens of di:-
frr1nt breeds. The Gu measures about
ten by twenty feet, and ench contains
nest boxes, roots. and fceding-troughs.
Another building on the ground Is long
and narrow. 100 feet by ten. and is
divided into pens, the same as the
other. Still another is 70. ty by fifteen
feet which weu principally for ducks.
1t has small pond al ming. On II
knoll ba k OF the.e buildings we keep
a large number OF the artificial brood
ers for young chicks taken from the
incubatprs at the store They arc kept
in these brooders four weeks. and are
then old enough 10 be put in with the
larger ock, l..
What Is the capacity Of such a
ranchP'
''WIIhout crowiing. it will accom-
modate nicely one thousand full grown
fowls, five thousand young chicks and
one thousand ducks The cos. Of such
a ranch complete. without tho land, is
about 5000 One man an boy can
attend TO it n cely. Their duties are to
feed and water the fowls regularly and
keep the buildings thoroughly cleaned.
II this 8 properly done it keeps the
fowls in perfec ly good health. Such
q bus ness, properly carr ed on, Will
| yield profit OF at least 100 per cent
on the capital invested and oven that
isa low estimate. Take fancy bred
fowls and they bring from u 10 $40
apiece, and | know a man who has y
partr dye cochin cock which 500
couldn't buy. Then take BIO lers.
They are worth to-day and it is III,
dull season, twenty-five cents q pound,
live weight. Each one VIII weigh two
and ope-half pounds, and the cost to
raise il is not over fifteen cents. In
winter they bring from fifty 10 sixty
cents pound. or " pair.
The demand for eggs for Matching is
great, and large part OF our business
is TO supply eggs for this purpose. In
fact our ranch is carried ON for ra;s-
ing thoroughbreds. not for market
poultry. Do we allow vsitorsP Yes.
we set apart Fridays for any who want
10 see the pla,e. But there have beer
number of such ranches lately start
ed in the ne;glborhood OF this city.
One on Long Island and co ductcd by
a stock company is the largest. ThC
capital invested is $4,000. and the
place is conducted for the exclusive
production of broilcrs. 1t now has &
capacity for hatch'ng seven thousand
eggs aud they are putting up more
buildings, so that the place will have 9
capacity for hatch ng out one thousand
chickens dat They find the busi
ness profitable. and their trade is in
This city. Another somewhat different
ranch is in New jersey which IS do
voted to the production OF eggs cxclu
sively, its owner having contracts will
parties in this city. Tho man who
owns it started the business thrie year:
ago with capital Of just $25. lie has
now one thousand laying hons. and hi:
present bu ldngs cost Ii m S., 900, al
OF which he made out of the business
Yet, all this tmc he has been engaged
in regular business in this city, ant
has come in every dsy.-h. T. Mai
dad Express.