The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-02
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Poultry in Florida.

The question is often asked by nothern
people, looking southwark for new homes,
rs not the climate of Florida too hot
for poultry raising?" To a large extent
this is caused by the mistaken idea that
our summer months are extremely hot
Now while 1t is true that a few days in
the season are followed by STILL sultry
nights, the rule is to have good cool
breeze from about O'Clock in the after
noon until the next morning. Some times
this breeze lasts all day, and at such
periods, which are frequent, we have the
most delightful and cool summer climate
The past season has been unusually hot
everywhere, and yet we did not have over
five or six sultry night all through the
summer. l speak for the section known
as Orange county, where we have hun
dreds of little fresh water lakes scattered
about, and over which the cool breezes
play in summer. Insect pests on poultry
promoted by hot weather, are not more
numerous here in poultry yards, properly
cared for than in colder sections of the
country. They do prevail, however, where
neglect is practiced. Our winter season
say from the middle of November to the
middle of February, is full of cold days
cold enough to tone up" fowls that have
had warmer summer than prevails here
No matter how hot the middle of the
day may be, as a rule, the nights are cold
and this fact makes it necessary to have
as warm and comfortable hen houses
here as in the more northern states. Or
dinarily the fowls run out of doors all
winter in the daytime, but at night they
must be properly housed. Too many peo-
pie here make the mistake of giving their
poltry houses too much open work, for
ventilation they say, and yet it more fire.
quently turns in upon the fowls a cur
nf cold Oh hot .fto III 10, At
ease and death With suitable winter
hen houses for cold nights, which we
never fail to have, with chilling winds at
certain periods, our climate, summer and
winter is admirably adapted to poultry
breeding
Orange culture had tendency to make
our people neglect many things that were
desirable and should be found about every
well-regulated farm home. Prominent
among these things were kitchen gardens,
strawberry patches and poultry yards es-
pecially in and near the towns and small
cities. But the terrible freeze changed all
this, and with the loss of our orange groves
came thrift in gardens, fruit culture and
poultry breeding, the result of which is
that our people live better-more lat
nome, as we say-than ever before. Now
the poultry yard is the rule and its abb
sence the exception. Few of our people are
so situated that they have to keep their
lOWlS clOStly tOIIlnesl. II Is easy 10 give
them sufficient range to enable them to get
all the bugs, etc, that they need Owing
to our open winters this matter of almost
daily range the year round is quite an
item in the care of fowls. Hot water and
stoves and listed doors and windows for
hen houses, such as you find in New Eng
land and the far west are unknown and
not needed here in Florida.
Fancy pure-bred as we'll as cross-bred
fowls, turkeys. geese and ducks are to be
found here, but the majority of fowls are
a high grade of ordinary stock. l mean
that our White Leghorns and other choice
breeds are not petted and kept up to
poultry show standard, but fed and car
ed for simply as egg producers and table
fowls for home or market purposes No one
breed seems to predominant, most families
having several breeds, all running togeth-
er, and all doing we'll with proper care,
including the heavy Asatics. In over fif-
ty years observation and experience, from
Maine to the west and south. Ilhaye seen
no section of country where fowls can
be successfully kept at so little expense
and trouble as in Florida. OF course, this
does not include people who think it is
mo trouble to have few hens" II is
trouble to have poultry, anywhere but it
pays persons who give their fowls proper
attention in the matter of feed, range and
boosting quarters. Sidney Herbert.
Orange County, Fla.