The record-union., 1891-06-24

The following are portions of an essay
recently read at Worcester West District
bardston, Mass:
am we'll aware that many agricult-
urists look upon the so-called hen farmer
with a sort Of contempt or pity. Without
a thought as to the importance of the
industry, let me quote from report of
United States Department Of Agriculture
for the year 1889:
'"The time has come when the impor-
tance of the poultry interests should be
recognized III this department.. The
poultry products OF the United States had
a farm value of at least $500 000, 900 last
year, and no less thad 16,0O0000 dozen
eggs were imported at a first cost of over
fifteen cents per dozen, or nearly $780,,
COO, while the average annual value of
such importation during the past four
years has been S2,2l6, ,326.' Such being
the facts, we can look forward with conf
dence to the future ofthe poultry business.
We read in the Book of Books'' that
man was ''glven dominion over the fowls
of the air." and all Improvement which
has been made is the work of man. To
the fowl which laid perhaps twenty
five eggs, man said, lay fifty eggs, and
straightway he made the necessary con-
ditions and fifty eggs were laid. But
man is never satisfied and has continued
down through the ages to command
the hen to lay more, consequently we
have breeds to-day that Will lay 250 eggs
per year with proper treatment.
1t would be sad indeed to spoil q good
dairyman to make Il poor preacher or
poulterer. If you cannot take pleasure
or comfort in your business or calling
you will never know success. If you can
see no beauty in your poultry or III your
pigs, you will never attain the best re-
suits with them. You must be in love
with your business, then If you have a
hen or pig that does not thrive you will
know it, and will look for the cause and
Will remedy it. Now every one that does
not hate a hen can produce fall and
winter eggs if he will make the necessary
conditions.
l. Secure good, vigorous stock.
.. Do not try to keep too many in q
family. A pasture large enough for
three cows would not be expected to
pasture six.
8. Do not feed whole corn or cornmeal
Feed in the morning something Of this
sort: Boiled potatoes, turnipS or cabbage,
clover roWen chopped into half-inch
lengths or shorter If you can, and scald,
mix with shorts, little cOrnmeal or
buckwheat meal, ground oats or barley
with little ground meat and pinch of
salt. / would not advise a constant diet
of any one mixture. But the greater the
variety the better the result.
Don't forget to keep your fowls at work;
they must have exercise. Litter the floor
with leaves or chopped straw or hay, and
scatter few oats, wheat, buckwheat or
barley, and let them scratch for it. Feed
small quantities at time, but feed well.
Do not keep large amounts of food by
them that they can get without work.
Idleness always breeds disease. Hang
up a cabbage, turnip or beet where they
can get it If they will only work for it; or
bundle of oats, barley or wheat-any-
thing to keep them at work. Don't for
get 10 give good, clean water at least
twice a day, and they viii thank you for
little milk once in a while if you have
it to spare; and don't forget to supply
them with plenty of grit. This is very
important if you keep large number on
limited space. For grit give gravel
broken crockery, oyster or clam shells.
And another thing let me emphasize
avoid damp, close quarters. And in
winter look out for cold draughts of air
such as come from broken panes of glass
or top ventilation.
1 need not say much about cleanliness.
You all know that it is necessary even
with hogs, if you wish to attain the best
results. The droppings should be re-
moved from under the roostS at least
three times per week. Every day is
better.
And hens must have a place to dust
themselves if you do not wish to feed a
lot of vermin. Dry sand, sifted coal
ashes, with little sulphur, will be excel
lent. Dry coal ashes for poultry houses
value very highly. Perhaps you will
say the dust settles on everything about
the houses. That is why I value it.
After your chicks are hatched feed
them for growth. AS soon as you can
distinguish the males separate them from
the pullets, which should have as wide a
"
rot forgetting beef scraps, but avoid the
so-called poultry invigoratOr or egg food.
And if you do not want TO do the work
don't blame your hens because they do
not lay. Instead of manufacturing our
own eggs we send our grain abroad and
then buy the eggs produced by the pauper
hens of Canada and Europe. The poul-
try business in our country is yet in it's
infancy. We talk of artificial incubation
as though it were something new, when
1t has been practiced thousands of years
by the Egyptians and destined soon to
become a universal method in our
country.
HOME OF THE PECAN.
The Hickoria pecan is one of the best OF
all nuts, and is found wild only in North
America. 1t abounds in the rich river
and creek bottom lands of the Missis-
sippi Valley, especially in Texas, Louisi-
ana, Mississippi. Indian Territory Ar
as southeastern Iowa it grows wild, but
the region of profitable culture does not
probably extend so far north as the other
species of the hickory family. In the
Gulf States is found the best climate foI
this nut, and already there are considera-
bic orchards of 1t planted there. 1t is
needless to expect success in poor soil
for, like all nut trees, the pecan grows 10
the greatest perfection in rich, moist al
luvium. Many of the lands subject to
periodical floods along the Mississippi
River and tributary streams might be
planted to the pecan with great profit
Once well established these orchards in
rich bottoms would yield largo quanti-
ties of the very best nuts, and would not
be injured by the floods, which usually
occur long before the time of gathering
the crop. There is great variation in the
nuts as TO size, shape, thickness of shell
and quality Of the kernel.
MILK AND BUTTERMILK IN SUMMER.
While milk and buttermiIk are excel
lent for fowls and chickens, it Will not b,
beneficial to give either unless fresh anc
unchanged. To place milk whore it is
liable TO be fermented Tor become sour
may be the cause of bowel disease. 1t i!
true that some persons feed sour milk tC
poultry, but we have known il to xii
chicks when given too literally
Skinned milk Is a very cheap article il
some sections, and there is no necessity
for giving il in any condition excep
fresh, especially in the summer season
The hens will not drink sour milk if they
can get milk that is fresh. For chicks
the best method is to mix the food Will
milk, let the chicks eat all they desire al
one time and clean away that which i.
loft For fowls that have a range. a par
of fresh milk at night viii be all tina