The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1891-06-05
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
HOW TO MAKE THAT EXTRA
ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS.

How TO MAKE THAT EXTRA
ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS.
Ono Farmer Says 1t Can be Done with
Eggs-Many Pointers for Agricul-
turists and Points for
Housekeepers, Etc.
Money in Poultry.
Many farmer would come out more |
than ..even'' if he only had made 500 |
more during the year. The want of |
that 800 will be keenly felt all /
through the year to come-yes, the
years to come-for if farmer once
gets behindhand in settling his bills
they seem to accumulate in remark
able way. While he pays cash he
buys only what he actually needs; SO
soon as. he ...runs an account" his
judgment is blinded by visions of the
good crops and the good prices to come
in the future, and he banks on an un-
substantial capital and buys according
to his expectations. Need I say
they are never realized? says a farmer
in the Chicago Herald well, how
can get that hundred dollars?" he
asks. That is what wish to tell him.
am not certain, but have strong
impression that many farmers do not
read the poultry department because
they have contempt for the poultry
business generally and an extra con-
tempt for fancy poultry. They for
get the fact or they never realize it,
that all we have in the way of good
stock, horses, cattle, sheep, pigs or
chickens is owing to the labors OF
fancy breeders; without them we
should still be keeping scrubs of low
degree and receive but precarious
profits from their keeping.
For the past few years I have been
keeping AN accurate account with my
hens. I thought, as many farmers do,
that maybe they were costing me more
than they were worth, and l said if
they wouldn't pay for their feed and
care it would be better to get rid OF
! them and buy what chickens and eggs
we required for family use. Here is
| the result: For the first year we kept
sixty hens and they paid net profit
| over cost of feed OF $1.80 per hen. No
fancy prices were received for eggs or
chickens sold-just regular market
| prices, such as any one within reach
of a good market can get But few
we had 100 hens, and they paid net
profit over cost of feed of $131, O1, or
an average of $1.31 per hen. The to-
tai receipts were $1SS. 50 and the feed,
ETC., cost $3.50. The hens laid 10, 2S9
eggs, an average of only 102 per hen,
which is a very low average and was
owing to the fact that / had so many
old hens.
One thing surprised me very much,
and that was we used 5000 eggs, and
my family is small one, too. This
shows that many farmers who say
that the hens don't pay are not aware
of what they really get from them. Il
they sell dozen of eggs occasionally
they charge all the feed against the
eggs sold, and the large quantity used
they do not take into the account My
eggs cost less than 7 cents per dozen
for feed, but of course they cost me tc
use exactly what they would have sole
for.
Now here was the sum Of $131 re.
ceived from my hens as profit; not {
very large sum it's true, but large
enough to pay for the labor OF caring
for the hens, and almost any farmer
can do as we'll or better. The chic
reason why farmers do not pay more
attention to poultry is because they
think there is no money in the bust
ness, and there isn't as it is usually
managed on the farm. have no fame,
poultry or poultry houses; my hens arr
Plymouth Rocks and American Domi
niques and grades of both breeds.
use no fancy feed, no continental food
no patent ''egg producer" but jus
what is grown on the farm, excep
pork cracklings, which I buy but d.
not feed much of them. My hens ar
confined in yards the year round, 81
the objection can't be urged that the.
destroy more than they pay for. w
have fresh eggs. every day in the year
and the skinned milk fed to the hen
; pays better than if fed to the pigs; 70
the amount invested, hens pay large
profit than any other stock. My prof
,, per hen is small as compared wit
! what many poultry-keepers make, an
I merely give it to show that an
farmer scan easily add 500 to his in
!, come by the aid of the hens if he vii
! only go about it in the proper way
L Distance from market will of cours
:, make reduction in the profit, but an
farmer can make arrangements to shi
to the commission man direct.
Paint for Shingles.
n A correspondent asks advice as to
) good quality of cheap oil or paint fo
o his shingle roofs or barns. Countr
: Gentleman recently advised as the mos
o economical application for out-doo
r woodwork q wash of crude petroleum
f either of light or heavy oil, but best
q a mixture. It lis not a paint, for it in