The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1888-05-22

N. c. He will most cheerfpdy answer all CUES
lions relating to poultry through this column.
Write him -EDIToR PRoeREss1yE, FARMEE)
After the eggs Lave been under the
hen six days, take a piece of thick
brown paper or pasteboard about eight
or ten inches square, cut a hole in the
center of it a little smaller than an
egg and same shape. After dark take
a hand lamp with you to the nest and
gently remove each egg from under
the hen, placing them sideways, one
at a time in or against the holes, with
the paper between the lamp and egg.
You will find by looking through the
egg thatthose that are fertile will have
asmall black object floating inside. The
lower half Of the egg will be clear, and
the upper half somewhat cloudy. The
small black object floating in the upper
or cloudy half with the small veins
extending in each direction, resembles
in appearance a long-legged spider. If
you find that some of your eggs are
perfectly. clear, you may be sure that
they are not fertile and will not hatch.
Remove the clear ones and gently
place the cloudy ones under the hen
again, with the assurance that they
will each hatch a chick in due time,
providing that the hen is faithful to
her nest. .s.3
f. az.1 Eating Their Heads Of.
T. Thousands Of farmers let their poul-
try "scratch for a living" in winter;
feet, wattles and comb are frozen off
and the fowls are nearly half starved;
in summer they are infested with lice;
steal their living like crows, at the ex-
pense of the garden and the patience
and happiness Of the "overworked
farmers wife. They roost On fences
and in trees, exposed to all kinds of
weather and the prey of hawks and
owls. Their nests are broken up by
hogs, or their eggs are sucked by
worthless dogs. When approached
on the subject of poultry-raising, some
will say, as my neighbor did the other
day, pointing to a couple Of forlorn,
ragged chickens, at don't pay to
raise chickens. They eat their heads
off. I suppose them chickens have eat
enough to raise a steer. Have to
raise a few to please my wife. Some
how my hogs always was my chicken
eaters, and that dog Of mine, [ think
sometimes, sucks eggs. That's all fancy
talk about money in poultry. II hear
they have machines now to pop
chickens out just like corn; they don't
work, though. Smith, down in Men
ard county, bought two 3OO-egg incu-
bators. %. He set EN- to Matching and
500 didn't pop and thesone that did
had four legs 1t just walked around
over them eggs with it's four legs for
about half an hour a-huntin' of it's
mother, then died Of a broken heart.
He turned one of the machines into a
bee hive and the other one into kind
ling wood, with success in favor Of
the latter. " I've heard that you've
made money with poultry, Mr.. Fleet
wood what you advise meyto do ?"
Well, my friend, feed and take care
of your poultry; kill that dog. Hogs
are taught to eat chickens, by the
farmers neglecI Ootn OF hogs and
poultry. Get out of that ukind Of
stock. Have a place for your chick
ems; treat your hens as we'll as you do
yourself. If you want eggs, protect
your fowls and feed them. 1t is the
feed that makes the egg. No feed no
egg, Don't forget that a hen is an
egg machine. She takes food matter
and converts it into albumen, oil and
shell; the assimilation Of the greatest
amount Of the proper food of course
gives the greatest amount of egg pro-
duction9F 90 Contraction of feed means
diminution of egg supply. Then feed
well, keep your fowls safe from bad
conditions of weather, interruption and
accidents. Put your mind and heart
into the business and you will make
money."-H. r, IN Prairie Farmer.
2. 1,Er - n - "sst. =. E4-