The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-21
A PROBLEM SOLVED.
The Kumor That Mr. Cleveland Is
Raising Chickens

tFIom the Memphis Commercial AppezL)
The interes ing report i in circulation
that our earnest young friend. Grover
Cleveland, has turned his attention 20
the raising OF chickens; and, II this be
true. il solves that old problem What
shall We do with our ex-PreSidentSZ
But we do not feel that We can allow
Grover to embark upon this important
undertaking without giving him some
general advice. In the first place. chicken
raising is no dream. and We hope that he
viii not ge- discOUra ged because things
are seldom what they seem in the hem
house and the barnyard- II is a condition
and not a theory that now confronts
Grover, and he must prepare himself for
many discOuragements. and if he would
succeed ne must be active, prompt and
unremitting in mis- attention 20 the fowls
under his care. In order that his hens
may lay regularly he must see 20 il that
they have proper food Il is an open
question as 10 whether meat is the best
egg ration. some contending that it pro-
duceS Over-sjimulatiOn- and results in
disease; others contend that charcoal and
green stun will cOunterbalanCe any bad
effects of meat, but the important qUes-
Fion then arises whether the cOnstitu-
ton and general welfare of the fowl is
| improved by an internecine strife be-
tween meat and charcoal in its midst
Philosophical problems like these viii
no doubt prove intensely interesting 10
our young chicken raiser But though
they are in a measure unsoIved. there can
be no doubt that hens should have every
| day a certain amount of gritty substance,
such as crushed oyster shells or bones
Doubtless Grover can find a large stone
on his place at Princeton. and If he can
borrow a small sledge hammer from one
of the neighbors he can do the bone
crushing himself and thus save expense
II would be advisable fer him 10 do this
early in the morning before the fowls
awake. or after they have retired TO
slumber at night. In order that the best
results may be obtained il may be neces-
sary for Grover TO plow up his place about
twice a year TO provide his chickens with
fresh soil and he should be especially
careful TO supply them with fresh water:
indeed, would advise him to ill the
cans twice a day. Strict attention should
be paid TO cleanliness and during the
warm months he should clean out the
henhouse at least once a month, white
wash the inside walls and scatter lime
around profusely. Chickens suffer a great
deal from chicken lice and other pests.
and Grover will find it advisable to rub
coal oil on the roosts, as well as on the
backs and under the wings of the fowls
as Il preventive
The best time for this is after they
have gone to rooSs. Chickens suffer
from a variety of diseases, such as chol-
era. gapes. paresis and young dogs. Gro
/ yer vii. find 4gapes very interesting
! disease. II is cause1l. V the gape-worm.
} hich gets into the lungs Of the young
nick and strangles it. This parasite
! comes from the hens. and if the hens
! are properly treated the chicks can be
| saved. If our young friend will give the
/ hens small doses OF turDentine or any
other simple vermifuge during the win
and keep them on fresh ground. he
will not have much trouble. When, how
ever. young chick has the Sapes. Gro
yer should mix few drops of creosOte
| with some sweet OIL dress small feath-
! er to a narrow vane one inch long. drop
/ Il in the mixture and deftly pass it down
| the throat OF the chick as far as il will
| 60 and then twist II - it is drawn out
! This will extract a quantrr- - ~ mucous
| and froth with the small worms In al
| immature stage and will remove the OBJ
| stacle to breathing. OF course, our friend
| will be much disappointed when dozen
1 or so of his chicks lie down and die of
ennui in a single day, or a young puppy
| chews up all he can catch. but eternal
| vigilance should be his motto. And il he
! should raise one brown leghOrn from
/ thirty eggs he must not get discourageds
| he win probably do better next time