Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-09
FARM BND ORCHARD.
VALUABLE REPORT ON THE PROPER
CARE OF POULTRY.
Marketing Farm Products-salt as a
Blood Purifer-Dishonest Fac
ing-Meat for Eggs.


from the locality and greater distance
have visited the poultry department with
evident desire to gain all the Information
possible as to the most profitable sorts OF
roultry and the best methods OF caring Tor
them. From the tenor of the questions
asked on the occasion of such visits, the
following general information may be
found Of service, and anticipate many
onestions others are DESTROYS of having
answered. As preliminary, | may state
that the best authorities hold that the
poultry department of the farm ought to
be the best paying. The same authori-
ties state that hen will yield a profit of
one dollar per annum. This result, how
ever, can not be obtained without a thor
ough knowledge of the best methods.
A farmer can no more receive return
from neglected hens than he can from
neglected fields. 1t is not whit more
unreasonable for him to expect paying
crops from frozen ground than it is to an
ticipate a crop of eggs at winter prices
from frozen hens. A profit from his fields
can only be derived by the systematic, in
telligent and industrious manipulation of
the soil. So it is with poultry. He must
understand what he is about. He knows
that his fields must be properly fed to in
sure a paving return. The laying stock
must be equally as well fed They must
be comfortably housed in the cold season.
They must be given food best calculated
to furnish egg-forming material and gently
stimulate; material TO furnish the lime for
the shell, meat to make blood.
There is a constant drain On the re-
sources of the regularly-laying hen as
there is on the fields from which successive
crops are reaped The farmer supplies
the drain on his fields by liberal supply
of manure He must supply the drain on
the resources of the laying hen by similar
generous treatment in food. In sum-
mer, when the hen can roam at
large, she supple; herself with all
the necessary egg-making material.
But when she is confined to limited space
in winter, she must be furnished with all
she has been accustomed to help herself to
when abroad. And this is the whole
basis of winter laying. lie: the hens be
supplied in the house as nearly as possible
with what they can pick up outside, and
what is it We will speak about it d.
rectly First, it is absolutely necessary
that the laying stock should have good
winter quarters.
PROPER FOOD FOR LAYING STOCK.
In the cold weather of winter warm
meal in the morning is necessary to start
and keep up a steady supply of eggs. A
good plan is to throw all the waste of the
kitchen, in the shape of scraps, pieces Of
bread, uneaten vegetables, etc, into a pot,
heat up in the morning till nearly boiling,
and then mix bran, provender, shorts, or
whatever is most abundant or cheap on
the farm, into hot mess, busting in
small quantity of red pepper before mix
ing. Let the mixture stand for few
minutes until the meal is nearly cooked,
then feed in a clean trough, with laths
over it, to keep the hens from jumping ID
and fouling or wasting the feed in their
eager anxiety.
Feed only enough of this soft stuff to
barely satisfy; never enough to gorge.
When a hen has had so much food that
she will go into a corner and NOPE, she
has had too much, and if the overlooking
is continued will soon cease to lay. The
LAYING hens are the active ones. If food
is given at noon, it should be oats, and
scattered among the litter on the floor.
This meal should be light. The last feed
in the afternoon should be generous. Each
hen should be sent to roost with full
crop to carry her over the long night.
Green food, in the shape of vegetables usu-
ally grown on every farm, viii be reiished
by the layers.
Cabbages, turnips, and carrots are gen.
orally the most convenient. Small pota-
toes boiled and mixed with provender or
bran is good change for the morning
meal. Some of the above named vegeta-
bles should always be in the pens of the
layers. There is no danger of their eating
too much. Red clover hay, steamed,
chopped and mixed with bran, and given
while hot, is one of the healthiest foods
for the morning meal. Meat in some
shape must be given at least twice week,
to furnish blood-making material. Hens
fed on meat lay we'll. If given no meat
the hens will eat their eggs and pick
feathers from one another.
MARKETING FARM PRODUCTS.
Every one who has paid any attention
TO this matter understands that the con-
dition of the product when placed upon
the market has very much to do with the
prices it is possible to realize, and this APP
plies to every product marketed from the
farm, whether of grain, fruit, vegetables,
butter, eggs, poultry or stock of any kind,
and, in a majority of cases, a little work
spent in preparing in good condition can
always be made profitable.
With many varieties of fruits and vege
tables it pays to sort carefully. If the
smaller ones must be sold, sell them by
themselves, as it does no: pay to take a
less price for the best in order TO get rid Of
the inferior.
With grain of all kinds care must be
taken TO have it clean, as the better prices
received will pay for the cleaning Stock
men know that good even lot of stock of
the same size and weight will bring
better price than mixed lot, and when it
can be done it will pay to sort weight and
grade into different lots. 1t is poor econ
omy to sell number Of good animals at n
less price in order to get rid of some in
ferior ones. Sell separate.
The appearance has also considerable TO
do with the selling Take two packages
or lots of almost any kind of product; have
of the same quality, but have one in neat
and attractive form and the other with no
pains taken in the preparation, and the
better-appearing lot will sell the most
readily and at better price.
When prices are low very small diff
ference in the price per pound or bushel
will often make the difference between a
profit and a loss with the crop, and it is
quite an item to realize the best prices;
and to do this care must be taken to put
upon the market in as good condition as
possible. OF course it viii add something
to the cost, but the better price realized
viii make it profitable.
Sort the apples, peaches, pears, potatoes,
turnips, and all this class OF products. If
the smaller ones caunot be sod al a rea-
sonable price, use to feed the stock. Mar
ket the better separate, and don't try to
make the one sell the other And, in adj
oition to grading according to quality,
send 10 market in an attractive form.