Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-11-04

Not many more years than can be
counted on the fingers of one hand not
one farmer in ten knew the names of
a half dozen breeds of poultry. But to-
day the farmer who cannot tell his
choice of the different breeds, and the
reasons of his preference, is consid-
cred behind the times. This is as it
should be, for nowhere else can small
flock of fowls be made to yield so much
clear profit as on the farm.
It seems to me best that the farmer
should keep but one variety of chickens,
if he intends raising only for eggs,
broilers, or market stock.
We have settled on Buff Cochins as
the kind that suits us best. They are
extremely gentle, of large size, quick
growth taking only about two months
to reach frying size. They are heavily
feathered, and so stand the cold
weather we'll, and lay better in winter
than in summer, which suits us, as
we do not care to sell eggs when they
are down to five or six cents. When
they reach this price, we think it pays
to boil few occasionally for the little
chicks, if we have more from the COM
mon hens than we need for kitchen
use.
Eggs from our best hens sell readily
among the neighbors for a good price,
for setting, if we have more than we
wish to set ourselves.
We aim to have our early chicks
ready for market as early as possible,
and these are sure to bring good prices
in the home market.
Later, whenseverybody and all his
folks are taking chickens to market,
prices take leap downward, and as
by this time all except the very small
chicks can almost pick up living, and
as fowls, live or dressed, are in de-
mand about Thanksgiving, Christmas
and New Years, and often between
times, we keep our chickens growing
on to be ready for the market at som e
of these times.
When setting hens, we set two at
one time, and when they hatch, put
all the chicks with one hen, and if the
other hen seems doing well-if she
seems bright and in good fesh-put
more eggs under her, and set another
hen at the same time. This is late in
the season, when one hen can take care
ofstwenty or thirty chicks; earlier
it is not safe to allow more than fifteen
to the hen.
We often hear people say there is no
use in setting eggs to match in June,
for June chicks will 'sleep themselves
to death" This is often true, because,
the weather being pleasant, chicks are
not' cooped, but allowed to wade
through rank grass and get wet with
dew.
We have never had but few June
chicks droop and die, and those few
deaths have invariably followed close
ly after failure to Keep them cooped
until the dew dried off in the morn
ing.
Another thing which causes many
among warm-weather chicks is the
practice of feeding almost exclusively
on corn meal dough or batter.
Corn-meal should not be fed at all,
raw. Bread made of corn meal is bet
| ter. Bread made of mixture of meal
and wheat bran is best, and to this
should be added generous allowance
of table scraps; meat, fruit and vege-
table trimmings, and what sweet milk
or clabber can be spared for them,
need never be considered wasted.
A flock of poultry on any farm can
be made the source of a neat income;
but, even should the farmer only raise
enough for his own family, selling
never an egg nor feather, still they
will pay better than almost anything
else requiring no more outlay either
in time or money, than they.-Ina
King, in Farm, Field and Fireside.