Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-09-28
Farm AND ORCHARD.
SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR CALIFORNIA
POULTRY-RAIsERs.
Horses Part Their Hair in the Middle
Breeding Saddle Horses-Gen-
eral Farm Notes.

this county, is one of the most successful
poultry -raisers in the State She write.
as follows on the reasons why we import
eggs from the Eastern States:
'Signs of a break in prices were observ.
able this morning. Three cars of Eastern
eggs have arrived, and others are al
hand" Such was the news in the market
report of last Saturday. And yet it is a
common thing to hear California farmers
say 1t does not pay TO raise poultry. If il
is true that, with all the natural advan-
tages we possess over the Eastern States,
they cali ship eggs and poultry here, cut
down the prices and crowd us out of the
market, there must be something wrong,
If poultryraising can be profitable in such
thickly settled States as New York, Ohio
and Indiana, where there are more poul-
try-yards in one county than in the whole
State of California, why should not the
business pay here? Think of the long,
cold winters, and though the poultry
houses are built so tight that windows
have to be provided for the admission OF
Light and air, they are very fortunate if a
large percentage of the fowls do not come
out in the spring with frozen combs and
toes. Water has to be carried to them
three times a day, and warmed at that, or
it will be frozen before reaching the poul-
try. / think the trouble with the average
California farmer is that he thinks poultry
raising too small business to engage in
Systematically. Too long it has been left
to the wife and children on he farm, who
have not had the time to give the poultry
proper attention.
Many farmer who would get up at four
or five O'Clock every morning and clean
out the stables, put in fresh straw every
night for the cows and horses, would feel
well satisfied with himself if he cleaned
out his poultry house twice a year. And
such small matters as fresh water every
day in clean drinking vessels, variety of
food and various other little things
probably would not be thought of at all
If, In consequence of such slip-shod way
of doing things, the fowls become diseased
and infested with vermin, and "biddy" re-
fuses to perform her duty of shelling out
eggs-why, poultry does not pay But |
think we are improving, and there is room
for still further Improvement. While
Californians take such pride in raising fine
horses and cattle, the production of fine
poultry, and in greater quantity, should be
of equal, if not more, Importance. From
recent statistics the production of eggs in
the United States. in single year.
amounted to a larger sum than that Of
any one of the more important cereals.
Great number of eggs are imported into
the United States every year, thereby
cheapening home production And if we
do not want the foreign hens to come into
competition with our own native born
"biddies," We must raise more and better
chickens, take better care of them and the
result will be more eggs. California poultry
men should bear in mind that with our
natural advantages, and by following the
Eastern poultrymen's rule which is atten-
tion to details, there is no reason why we
should not excel in poultry, as we do in
everything else. Give the California
chanticleer chance, and he will rival the
national bird himself.
THE HORSES NAME.
Gan English writer observes that the
Dest-bred and thinnest-skinned horses have
very little name; it is not only thin and
fine, but the hair is short. A heavy. mat
ted name means w-bred, coarse horse.
| am inclined to think that in a state of
nature the name divides upon both sides of
the neck, though Virgil writes of the dense
name Of the young colt falling upon the
right shoulder. Long as the horse has
been domesticated and carefully groomed,
this habit OF wearing the hair is not vet
overcome, and the name has to be care
fully coaxed to the right side, where for
thousands OF years man has resolved it
should be Worn, though the horse himself
insists upon parting his hair in the middle.
Ancient authorities write of training the
name to the right, but all the horses repre-
sented IN the Elgin marbles show the name
close cropped, or, as we say, "hogged". l
think 1t IS clear that the right side now,
"oh side of the horse, was the 'near" side
to the ancients. The best horseman use
no "oh' side or "near" side, except to con-
form to their harnesses. ! think man
should teach his horse to be Familiarity ap-
preached and allow his stall to be entered
on either side of him. Horses driven in
palCs should frequently change sides. as
the mouth becomes hardened on one side
and the muscles of the back become affect
ed by the unequal pull of the double reins.
Coarse hair about the heels is natural, but
| confess to a prejudice against it, and
have it carefully clipped. Hair growing
in thick tuft inside the ear must never
be touched. Ignorant and officious grooms
will remove it with the scissors, but it is
great defense against the flies that would
IN lis absence, secure lodgment upon the
sensitive skin inside the ear. Long, coarse
hairs upon the muzzle and the eyebrow
are often plucked away No horseman
should allow this to be done. These hairs
are not superluous; they have a valuable
use. They are like the whiskers of the
feline race, having sentient power and con-
veying impression to the brain.
BREEDING SADDLE HORSES,
II. Pratt, one Of the most successful
breeders of light horses in Ireland, laws
down the following rules for the breeding
of hunting and saddle horses /. De-
termine exactly what it is you really
desire TO produce, and, having done SO,
never lose sight of il. 2. Procure a
young mothor that has arrived at ma
turity, and is healthy, roomy, well-shaped,
round, large-sized, with good temper and
good action and remember the better bred
the mare is that possesses these qualities
the more valuable she will be. 8. The
dam, as general rule, has more direct
influence on her offspring, as regards
health and size, than the sire has. L. The
offspring bred from greatly dissimilar
parents in either size or character should
never be used for breeding purposes; their
offspring will certainly prove to be mon
greis of a nondescript character. That
the parents should be as similar as pos
sibie is rule the neglect of which has led
TO more disappointment than almost any
other rule know Of 5. A pure
thoroug Inbred sire that has got good ones
should be selected, and ! do not believe a
really good, weight-carrying hunter will
ever be bred from anything but thorough
bred horse. 6. The sire has more direct
influence on the bones, heart, tendons and
,,nrros nf The EAnl H. L..