The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1893-05-17
Poultry Feeding.


bantam-nOt for any pecuniary benefits
have gained flor / never sold q chick Orl
IN egg for more than the market price
but for the various pleasures derive
from having them around
In the first place, am very fond of
my feathered pets. Secondly, am not
at all prejudiced against a nice fried
chicken or a few soft-boled eggs forl
breakfast, and I am inclined to favor al
dinner having for piece de resistance al
fat six or eight pound capon, nicely
baked, with dressing and gravy; and
occasionally a young pullet, or the pull
let's mother, or even the pullctsI
mother-in-law, properly treated, ac-
cording to age and previous condition,
goes far toward varying the monotony
of our bill of fare.
And, besides these and other similar
reas ons for keeping poultry, | can al
ways safely count on borrowing from
my ''old woman" few dollars saved
from her chicken and egg account
when "Cu1fees" share and my share of
cotton fail to net enough to pay forI
"Cuffee's" store clothes and spike-toed
shoes.
During these twenty years Of eXpe-
rience | have never had cause to regrets
the occasional introduction of game
blood among my flock 1t gives energyi
and hardness, with increased egg pro-
ductiOn and early maturity.
When | wish to infuse game blood Il
select twelve or fifteen we'll matured
hens of one of the heavy breeds, for1
instance, Plymouth Rocks. With
these | mate vigorous young camel
cOcl1erel-my choice being a Geor-
gia Shawlneclz. This cross gives mel
a fine lot of half-breeds, marked
after the Plymouth Rocks. l then use
full Plymouth Rock cock on these
half games, and continue with the
plymouth Rock cock until my flock is
seven-eighths Plymouth Rock In this
way L keep my trough and tumble"
fowls, as l call them, always healthy
and vigorous.
In the spring of '88 tried an expert
ment with a fine Shawlnecl1 cOckerel
and twelve as pretty and we'll marked
Plymouth Rock pullets as it was ever
my good fortune to see. 1 mated this
yard and turned them over to a trusty
negro living on my place at some dis
lance from my regular poultry yards
This mating threw as fnely-marlIed
Plymouth Rocks as one could wish toI
see. So we'll pleased was 1 with this
experiment that the next year II
selected thirteen pullets Of this
cross and mated them to com
pactly built cOcl1erel from the
same pen. When brought home to mel
in December 80, the progeny of this
mating were, to all appearances, full
blooded Plymouth Rocks, and l was
positively afraid to turn them with my
pure Plymouth Rocks, thinking l might
not be able to distinguish them when
l should wish to separate them in the
spring. have bred this cross, which
l call my "Game rocks" for the past
three years, and can truly say they are
the best all-rOund fowl l ever raised.
= They lay more eggs than the Ply
mouth Rock or games, the eggs are
larger, more uniform in size and shape,
have the rich color of the Plymouth
Rocks, and are exceedingly fertile.
The chicks grow off quickly, and are
fat from the shell to the frying pan.
this quality of taking on fat they ge:
from the game, as no game in good
health was ever caught poor.
The hens make the best mothers,
having just enough pugnacity to pro
tect their young, without being quar-
with ooo1l Ofbor tyUn1Uc