Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-01-22
Written for the oxford Democrat.
POULTRY NOTES.

Incubator aud setting hen time ar,
dawning upon the wide-awake poultry
man. now that the historical ground
hog day'' is looming iu the near future
and il behooyes the farmer TO look
ahead a bi, and make up his mind as e
what he proposes 10 do In poultry tbs
I coming year.
/ II is now that the careless or improvi-
dent owner of flock of hens awakenS
/ TO the fact that he wishes 10 add new
male 70 his birds, or that his own male
I bird Is ailing or has Unexpectedly died
I Tie bethinks himself of the man who
I has all the past fall had choice birds FOR
sale, who has perhaps been willing To
/ sell his surplus st low figure, rather
than winter Il over or kill for market 3
male that would grace any pOultry-yard,
and that far outdid anything that the
surrounding poultry yards might have
To show He didn't buy at that time be-
cause. well. he was hardly willing to in
vest the large sum of one or two dollars
i'm only rooSter-but now he finds,
perhaps, that the osners Of choice birds
NAV have no more for sale, or that they
may be making profitable use them.
selves of their choice birds for the end
Of the ultimate gain they seem TO feel
sure lies In the future.
But 20 the provident poulterer there
awakeus now a spirit Of happy anticipa-
tiOn in the labOrs of the coming season
He feels stirring within him vague
aud delightful sensations, (tor the lover
of youltrv i also lover Of other ami
mails aud has many a taste that y re-
fined because OF his contact with and
study of nature), and his Imagination
kindie. charming little visions of the
things he feels are possible for him IN
the line Of his chosen work.
To him also, SS she did 10 the sainted
AgaSSiz;
Mature, the obi nurse, took
The child upon her knee.
Come. wander with ne she said,
Into regions yet uutrvd
And read " nat l. still unread
In the manuscripts ~ Cod.
Even 80 i IL with him Nh0 il truly In
love with his livestock, whether II be-
horses. milch cons, sheep or hen-,-they
all offer unlimited opportunities for the
cultivation Of the mind and the gather
ing OF experieuce-and they all alike,
bring out aud. develop the best sides OF
the individuals nature.
In no field of stock-rsising can one
obtain results 81 speedily - in that of
poultry. The rapid maturity of the hen
renders her particularly subject with
which many and often great results can
he Obtained in comparatively few years.
Let u recall how short time il has TAX
4 l-.asa n.an
OF the best breeds We have In this coun-
try to-day.
Ii j. wonderful how malleable Nature
becomes IN m1u's hands, when he eN-
perimentS with these children of hers
The intelligent brcedcr-and every
farmer i breeder, and has no right to
~ other than an intelligent one-can pro
duce almost any,hing he wants. Al will.
There i no doubt hut that much more
remains to be done ia this direction-we
mean i'm the direction Of still greater
utility 10 man rather than 20 simply
fancy OF startling festures-and that We
have bv no means begun To approach
the limit Of what We can We, do IN making
the domestic fow subscrvieut TO our ends.
\ term OF ouly ten years OF careful
selection and breeding, can do mNvei>
In The WAY of perfec,ing any special
poiut. whether il be size, color, early or
late laying maturity, propensity 10
brood, the special development of one
part OF the body like the breasD, over
another, or in producing greatly in-
creased number OF eggs annually.
There are plenty of well-authenticated
case. recorded wherein certain strains OF
hens have been gotten 10 produce each
their 200 eggs in one year, and that an
average tor all the birds in the Hook 90
not one or two phenomenal indiyiiuAls :
Now there j. a vast difference between
- 10 100 eggs and 200 eggs-to be OBJ
tanned in the same length of time.
Likewise in the matter of color; \
few years selection has enabled some
breeders 70 develop a race OF birds
whose output of eggs would average
over ~ per cent of dark brown ones.
This little point persisted in for some
wears by friend of the writer's has en-
sbled him 20 create a market AZ seem
inc fabulous price for any number OF
such very dark brown eggs he could
furnish. The little observance OF select
ing such eggs 70 breed from, seitcung :
again and sgain. year after year, breed
ing MALES from dark eggs 20 females
from dark eggs, right along, falthiuiiy,
has made "A matter of some thousands Of
dollars difference in the increased price
on such eggs,
Likewise with jGdicious breeding and
crossing for the resultant shape of car
cass. A. poultry, il Is the shape aud
color of the carcass that determines mar
ket aud price Some races OF hens are
specially developed in the breast, offer
inc twice a. much breast meat 10 carve
from than Others. This fact makes TINS
bird more desirable and more saleaoie.
This peculiarity can be cultivated oy
selection, aud by crossing with such
breeds a. have already we'll developed
breast. the Dorking and Indian Game,
for instance.
Again. il il being discovered that the
crossing OF several well-defined and Wig
orous breeds, each OF themselves perhaps
of high yellow color chat Is, dressed) }
can be- made 70 produce, with proper
selection. yellow far more intense than
ether Of the 0rigjadi breeds possessed .
La this direction some careful expert
mepts are now being made, with the OBJ