The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-12-09
AGRICULTURAL.
POultry.RaisiDg In Vermont.

Butter and cheese are our chief pro
auctions, but is there not an opportuE
ity TO build up other branches of farm
ing more than has been done2 A grea
deal of poultry goes from Verm ont tt
the cities of Massachusetts,, also many
eggs, but caunct this brar ch Of oui
farm work be greatly improved? Their,
are difficulties in the way, and they
must be considered. The first is dis
lance from markets. While we are
not very far, yet we are far enough
from the cities to take quite large
share of the profits for transportation
and other expenses. This is espe,
cially true of winter eggs, which are
forty or more cents in the cities, while
here they are only about TWEEN y-fve.
This is largely owing to the difficulty of
transportation in cold weather. Again,
to be successful grower of poultry,
one must ettend daily 10 many little de-
tails with which the average farmer
does not think he can bother, and it
may lot be best for him to have such
work to do. If the farmer is too busy,
if the housewife is too busy, if there
are no children or anybody else to at
tend to the poultry, then things on that
farm had better go on in the ordinary
way; keep a few hens and let them
take care of themselves. But there are
many farms where there is some one
who can devote more or less time to
hens, turkeys, ducks and geese, to say
nothing of pigeons. etc.
There is generally good home mar
ket for strictly fresh eggs, especially
where the summer visitor from the
city finds a home. Every family or
person who uses eggs wants them
strictly fresh. A bad egg is about the
greatest nuisance that gets into the
kitchen, and when any one can deliver
eggs once a week or 80, which are
guaranteed to be strictly fresh, he can
generally secure the very best price.
Now there are probably hundreds of
families in towns, villages, and cities
in the state that would be very glad to
arrange for fresh eggs, and there are
other hundreds of farmers wives and
children who might meet this demand.
1t may not be always possible to sup.
ply given number of eggs every week
in the year, but the effort TO do this
will lead to study and improve ment.
Once awaken an interest in the egg
busire ss, or any other branch of poul-
try keeping, and better ways will be
sought out and adopted. Many young
people on the farms would be greatly
helped in various ways by getting inter-
ested in poultry. They would enjoy
the care and work, take pleasure in
seeing the fowls grow, and would be
able to earn money to use. We advise
farmers to encourage their children
and do all they can to help them in
this work. 1t takes only little lum-
Der to build house for poultry, and
most of the agricultural papers print
directions for caring for different kinds
of poultry.
One of the most helpful poultry pa.
pers is Farm Poultry published by I.
8. johnson & Co., % Custom House
street, Boston, Mass. For farmers and
their families this paper is invaluable.
1T is issued twice a month, has fifteen
pages and many Illustrations. This
paper clubs with the WATERMAN and
subscribers can save something by Or
dering with the latter. There are a
great many points in poultry keeping
which every one needs to know in or
der to have success, and it lie far better
to learn these from paper than by
costly experience. Those who have
kept fowls in the old way and wish to
change have a great deal to learn and
some things TO unlearn. Reading good
poultry paper gives those who live back
here among the bills great advantages.
We have plenty of room, do not need to
crowd, and on most farms there is
plenty Of skim milk which is one of the
best foods for hens and chickens. BY
keeping poultry on dairy farms and
feeding the waste products of the dairy
to the fowls much more can be made
than by feeding those products to hogs.
In most branches of farming it is
best to do little or a good deal differ
ent from others. Most people market
their poultry at Thanksgiving time.
But il is nice to sell broilers when there
is local demand, to supp ly summer
hotel or city boarders or campers out.
Or sometimes one can arrange to supply
a family or families weekly with fowls
and eggs. The best advice to give in
this line is to cultivate the home mar