The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-10-28
OUR RURAL TOPICS
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
TURKEY TALK.

TURKEY TALK.
Fanny Field says in the Ohio Farmer that
late Matched turkeys will do as well as earlier
ones If they are Matched early enough to get
fully festhered and are well fed and cared for
from the start. She says:
"We once had two broods Of turkeys come
off in September; we didn't think they would
amount to much, but we hadn't 'spunk'
enough to kill them, SO we fed and cared for
them precisely as we had the earlier broods,
and when they were 10 weeks old they were
full as large as the earlier ones were at their
age, and we had only lost four out of the "a.
Cold weather came on about that time, but our
little turks had such good start that they kept
right on growing until the last Of February,
when they were dressed and sent to mar
ket They averaged 12i pounds apiece,
dressed weight, and brought 90 cents pound.
OF course ii cost more to grow those turkeys
than il did to grow turkeys of the same size in
warm weather. because more Of the food con-
sumed went TO keep up animal heat but still
il paid TO raise them. They wouldn't have paid,
though, il we had marketed them at Thanks
giving time. Everybody who has turkeys
sends them TO the Thanksgiving market and
that is the best time TO sell the best, but it is
|
Pick out your largest, plumpest turkeys for the
| THANKSGIVING market and keep the smaller
ones for later market. In the late Winter and
| early Spring months fine, fat, young turkeys
| command almost as good prices in city markets
as Thanksgiving turkeys. But if you do sell
| off all your turkeys, large and small-except
| breeding stOck-at Thanksgiving time it will
pay. il shipping to a city market, to send them
| in two lots The small ones will sell for just as
| good prices, If sent in a separate lot, as they
| would if mixed with the big ones, and the big
| ones will bring more alone than they would If
the small Ones were put in the same lots but If
all are put in together the chances are that the
whole lot will sell at the price Of second-class
birds.
Don't keep the late-hatched turkeys over
| for breeders; it will be poor economy. Save
some of your earliest and best, and pick them
out before you put the flock on full feed to fat
| ten for market.
1--WE never found 1t necessary to provide our
| turkeys with a nice, airy place to roost; they
| generally took to the fence aud trees as soon as
they were fully feathered, though some that
| were raised with chickens would always roost
| in the house with them.
| "And while / am talking about turkeys
can't help wondering why farmers wives who
| raise poultry do not raise more turkeys. In
| some localities turkey raising will pay better
| than chcken-raising. One year / raised $50
turkeys that brought almost 800, and fully
| two-thirds of that was profit"
THE RAIL-FENcE TAX.
Ifany one wishes TO know what heavy tax
| the rail-fence imposes on its owner let him take
| a 100 acre farm aud measure the loss. A rail-
| fence will occupy space ono yard wide A
| 100-acre farm is about one-third Of mile front
and about one-half q mile deep. Or, we may
| say, 1,S00 feet front and 2,400 feet deep Now,
| we have two sides i 500 feet. making 3 600 feet,
/ nd csd foot i'm A faaf
total of s,4O0 feet. Multiply this by the three
feet occupied by the fence all around the field,
and we have q. 200 feet. This Is the space that
the rail-fence will take up. Thus, in order to
| secure what some suppose to be an economical
fence, the farmer taxes himself all this ground
on field of 100 acres. If his crops are worth
$40 an acre he pays tax thereon to his fence.
II his crops pay him $40 per acre he pays 1.-THE
TO the fence. Such fence is a dear luxury. 1t
also harbOrs all the weeds that can find a foot
| hold in its corners, renders the farm unsightly,
and is more laborious to build. The only ad-
vantage in it is that the farmer can get the
| rails on his farm and Is. therefore, not COM
| PEELED TO pay out cash at the saw-mill or to the
lumber merchant but he pays for the fence in
land and crops. This per cent. of his land goes
10 that fence every year, and 10 per cent. more
for work done in getting rid of the weeds
seeded over the farm from its corners, in which
harbor not only insects and vermin, but rab-
bits TO gnaw the trees. Let the crooked rail-
fs=ce 60. 1t is not cheap at any price.
IMPERIAL PEKIS DUCKS.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: The Imperial
Pekin ducks originated in China, and have
been bred in this country since 1874. They
are clear white in color. with a tint of very
pale yellow in the lower feathers. They yield
an abundance OF feathers and are easily con-
fined, their wings being shorter than other
breeds. Except Cor drinking. they care little
for water, are very hardy and excellent layers,
laying from $50 to 200 eggs a year. Although
one of the heaviest species they mature very
young and are in fine condition for the table
when 10 weeks old. They begin laying at six to
seven months old. Their bills are golden vel
low and their legs are reddish yellow. Pekin
ducks in fair condition weigh 10 pounds. They
are the largest known breed of ducks. Their
flesh is very fine and extremely palatable. II
any of the readers of THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE
wish any further information in regard to the
Pekin ducks it will be cheerfully given if 9
stamp is inclOsed for return postage.-DELOS
STAPLES. West Sebewa, lonia Co., Mich.
TO KEEP TOOLS FROM RUsrING.
A. T. Jones. Du Page County, ILL.,, writes the
Prairie Farmer: After trying many other prep
arations, have at last found one that never
fails in protecting steel articles from rust, and
yet is easily removed when any tool is wanted
for use. IL is simply common lampblack and
kerOsene OIL, mlAeu just tnick enough 10 spread
over the surface with a stiff paint brush. My
method is to mix up gallon paint keg of tho
"black paste" as my help call the mixture, anC
have it setting handy by the tool house, with
good sized brush in il. Whenever a tool is laid
|, by from everyday work IL is ut once given
thorough coating of the paste, and thereby
saved from beginning to rust. Unlike tn,
l many other kinds of cOatings which / hav,
used. IL comes off easily without any botherin;
. or securing. and perfectly preserves the brigh
polish, untarnished by weather or vermin, TO
any desired length of time. When once tried
it will always be kept ready for use.
NoTELETs.
) Whenever fowls can run at large withou
! detriment TO the garden they should be allowed
TO do so by all means. Nine-tenths of tn
trouble and diseases among poultry are the 70
suit OF keeping fowls too close.
Don't begin feeding corn to the pigs to-
= soon. Grass milk. roots, and refuse vegetable
: will be better until cold weather approaches
v Warm quarters win greatly reduce the expens
4 of feeding during the Winter.
Plough the heavy land and leave il in tn
rough condition so that frost can penetrate ant
render il fine. There is no better agency 70
4 pulyerizing tough soils than frost. Ii will als
Q at the same time destroy the cutworm.
= All root crops for culinary use are bette
= stored in heaps in the field, protected from al
c and frost until the prospect Of severe weathe
: warns owners 10 move them into the cellar
e The cooler they are kept, in either situation
: the ionger they will remain sound.
Il a.. lou Il Nl..A..