The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-06-05
All about Poultry.


To THE EDITOR OF The TIMES: TIE
TIMES teens with the latest Associated
Press dispatches and the best sssort-
mens Of miscellaneous reading, but |
have seen nothing this season on poul-
try culture, which ts most Interesting
subject to the people of Southwest Viro
ginia. l breed from fowls that are best
marked and of the best shape and style
and, above all, of robust and vigorous
constitution.
The reason OF so much fatality among
young poultry Is because the eggs are
not the product of parents shat have
been stalwart and healthy for several
generations. viz: for two years. And 20
perfect this standard. poultry must be
reared as nearly on the partridge and
wild turkey plan ss practicable.
Free range with plenty Of grits,
green's and fresh water is essential.
Chicks and young turkeys must be fed,
II at all. on mashed corr and wheat, and
only one.third 40 much of this as thew
Will eat. Overlooking is great mis-
take, and millions Of young poultry die
from this, together with close conf,ne.
ment In novels, coops, boxes, barrels,
&c.
Bugs, worms, grasshoppers, insects
and the various deposits Of these above
and under the surface are the best diet
and IL you will let the mother alone she
will take care of her brood. The earth
abounds with thousands Of items OF food
for young poultry which we know not
OF, and this contains more nutrition and
prosperity than sll the bread, dough
and prepared food in the world.
have ascertained by the closest OBJ
servation thst wild turkeys, partridges
and birds OF the air lose no young with
gapes, droops, snufflers sleepiness and
the like. If there are four eggs in the
robins nest there will be four nestlings
and four young birds will be reared.
These are made of the same bone.
feather and fibre with poultry and the
great God Of nature did not and could
not make the one to live and flourish
and the other to droop and die,
Take . setting OF eggs of the healthy
tame turkey hen and place them under
the wild turkey In the forest and she
will raise them all and at three weeks
old they will roost up in the tall pine
with their mother. Now why should
the housewife conflne them and feed
them on eggs, onion dough, pepper
dough, asafoetida and what not, and
handle them In every foolish way until
they are oil dead through mismansge.
men,?
l6
she has given so much pains and atten-
ton to her turkeys, they should all die.
The attention and pains Is the trouble.
L have no roup, cholera or sleepiness
ever among my fowls, and II you will
set perfect eggs from the strongest
layers you viii not have any either.
IL you want to know what I mean By
the strongest layers 1 will tell you in
my next. l had magnificent Lang
ahan hen with fine form and size and
appetite. She ate and drank like
horse and layed 255 eggs year. She
remained on the nest only few mo.
ments and scarcely ever cackled. She
would often lay two eggs within eight
cen hours, and was as black as Blind
Tom, and as much of a prodigy. Fifty
dollars would not have bought that hen,
for she would yield $3.50 year at eight
cents per pound for her product.
| have one of her chicks Dust kid
seven months old. 1 have the finest
results from CROSS breeds. They are
strictly all-winter layers. The best
strain OF the Langshan blended with
the select strains of Minorca and Leg
horn make perfect bird in size, con.
shtution and laying qualities.
The nonsitsiDg Leghorn and Minorca
hen is an interesting fowl. ! thought
there must be some mistake about this
feature of the poultry tribe until I
bought some genuine specimens of the
best strains of the above and was con-
WINGED. 100 per cent. Of my hens lay all
the winter and if the proper course in
breeding Ia pursued no one will have an
idle hen in winter.