The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-01-03
Two Ways to Improve tho Farm Poul'
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4
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At the Middle Tennessee Farmers
Convention, held in Pulaski, Tenn.
the following paper was read by Ms
Geer, and, at the request Of Commis
sioner Allison, is published in th'
Southern Culttvator
In this essay shall briefly discuss
poultry as meat, and poultry for eggs
and give my opinion as to how il
should be managed and sold so as tx
bring in the most money to the pro-
ducer.
In the first place, I am strong be-
lever in the superior value Of pure
bred poultry, and advocate the breed
ing Of thoroughbred stock Of every
kind, in preference to the common
sort.
In raising fowls for the market, the
half breed or grade chicken is much
superior to the dunghill, and is just
as easily raised. No great outlay il
| required at the start to raise half
breeds, as it is only necessary to dis
pose Of the common cocks and replace
them with thoroughbreds. This il
the course the market poultryman
should pursue. The best purebred
cocks foz this purpose are those Of the
larger or Asiatio breeds, such Us Lang
shans, Brahmas or Cochins, or the
American breeds, Plymouth Rocks and
Wyandottes. If smooth legged
chicken is preferred, then the Ply
mouth Rock or Wyandotte cocks
should be used. My choice would be
the Plymouth Rock. The latter, in
its purity, is very popular variety,
and one that stands in the front rank
as a market fowl. The time has not
yet arrived, however, when purebred
Plymouth Rocks can be bought in the
regular market. But cocks Of any Of
the above named varieties may be OBJ
tained, however, at reasonable figures
at this season Of the year from breed
ers Of purebred poultry, Of which there
are goodly number within the State.
The advantage in crossing males Of
the larger purebred varieties on the
common hens of the farm consists in
the fact that chickens from such a
mating grow faster and grow larger,
are capable of taking on much heav-
ier weight when fattened, and they are
also more healthy and vigorous than
the ordinary inbred mongrel chickens.
The present system Of buying and
selling poultry, however, operates
against the interests Of the purebred
poultry industry, the raising of grade
stock and the fattening Of the fowls
before they are marketed. The Gus
tom Of buying and selling chickens by
the head or dozen, instead Of by the
pound, either dressed or alive, is
wrong, altogether wrong. tits unjust
to the producer, it is Of no advantage
to the middleman and it often disgusts
the consumer with chicken meat.
Gentlemen, is there one among you
in this convention who would take
poor, unfattened, scrawny hogs to
market, or who would drive cattle or
sheep to market too lean and bony to
walk steadily? No, of course not.
But you know, and I know, and city
and town housekcepers everywhere
know that in the spring Of the year
some old hens androosters are brought
to town for sale, so poor and tough
that no one can eat them.
Now this is all wrong, very wrong.
It comes of system Of buying and
selling that is based on the idea that
"a chicken is a chicken" no matter
what kind Of a chicken it is, or what
it weighs.
In France, the greatest and most
successful poultry raising country in
the world, all market fowls, dead or
alive, are bought and sold by weight.
Over there they fatten their poultry
before taking it to market, just as
carefully and as thoroughly as they
fatten any other kind Of market stock.
The result is better prices, more
money and greater satisfaction to the
consumer.
In selling poultry by weight, the
producer has some incentive to i'm
provement. He has cause to fatten
his fowls and to make them as heavy
as he can, because every pound of ad-
ditional weight means so many cents
additional cash for his produce.
IF this system were adopted in this
country, if it was the custom here in
Tennessee uow, it would revolutionize
the market poultry business Of the
State. It would give the purebred
poultry industry lasting boom. It
would place the thoroughbred fowls
where they shonld be-on every farm
in the State. As it is, the farmer is
handicapped and the purebred poultry
breeder is handicapped by system Of
marketing poultry that works injustice
to both, and to the consumer as we'll.
When we consider, gentlemen, that
an ordinary mongrel fowl weighs from
four to seven pounds only, and then
remember that purebred Brahma,
Cochin or Langshan fowl weighs