Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1899-08-24
Heating Poultry Houses.

Heating Poultry Houses.
 Recently we clipped the following paragraph from a paper published in the northwest:
 ''Fhe North Dakota station is one eE the few agricultural experimental sta tions that has a poultry department. in charge Of an expert chicken crank. fhey began series of experiments to determine, if possible, what effect, 1T any, heating the poultry house woulo have upon the production of eggs ano the food requirements. On December
 they put forty-six chickens, inelud~ ing several varieties of birds, into the poultry house January 20 large stove was put into the house and fire started with Ignite coal. On Janu- ary 31 the feed had decreased to six pounds in the morning and eight and three-fourths in the evening. The last of March four and q half pounds morning and four and thFee-fourths evenings. The total amount of fues burned from January 20 to April costs $450. During the month Of Jan uaTy previous to the use of the stove, the average number of eggs a day was two and three-fourths, the remainder of the month from the 21st 10 the en0 1t was six and three-elevenths, show ing the influence that heat eXertea upon the production of eggs. The question naturally arises, can far mer under the conditions existing on the ordinary farm afford to take care of his poultry by furnishing artificial heat? An examination of the figures shows that but half the food is con sumed and that the egg production IS more than doubled With eggs worth 25c a dozen at that season of the year and food at the ordinary prices. t should seem that it would not only be economy to heat the poultry houss3. but would be a source of great profit especially after arrangements had once been completed so that it woa4d re- quire but little extra work"
 
 If there ever was a more pointless experiment than this we would like to know about It. This comparison is made with two periods of laying, one from December i to 28th Of January, and the other one from the 20th o2 January, when the stove was put in, ap' to the last of April The conclusions drawn that all of the extra eggs are due to artificial heat is an absurdlty Every poultryman knows that al. through this section of the country few eggs are received in the period from the 1st of December to the 10th of Jan uary, while about that time laying commences, in spite of cold weather, and continues except in periods ct great cold. The only fair test would be to take two lots of poultry and keep them through the entire winter under respective conditions of artificial heat and no artificial heat. The conclusion that heating by stoves will pay largely is not to be accepted without further proof It certainly will not pay in the latitude of Illinois In the extreme regions of Dakota and Minnesota, II might pay, but that remains to be 1 demonstrated.
 Few Rays of Light Let In on News,
 paper Row
 Park row has life by itself, and no one can write it. It must be lived and lived for years, to be understood thoroughly. It is a life so varied and complex that it defles analysis and complete portraiture. Certain pbases of it, caught here and there. may he i shown to the outside world by clever naonle who have haan 3n IA F. and this has been done by Jesse Lynch Willia--s in The Stolen Story" The volume is collection of stories of Park row, and takes it's name from the. opening sketch. The stories are faith ful pictures. taken at random in the newspaper country, and are written with considerable skill Those who are of Park row will appreciate them. and those who are outside of tho, newspaper world will find in the book, glimpses of life which cannot faiY to attract their interest and appeal to them from it's novelty if from nothing else MT. Williams weakest story is the last one in the book, The Old Reporter" a story which he evidentfv Intended to make the strongest. He wrote it with a view to rounding out. the whole subject and showing just what is the effect upon character of the news gathering and news writing depicted in the previous stories" In this it is failure, and succeeds only in being what the other stories are d sketch of certain phases of newspa. per life. The Stolen Story" by Jesse Lynch Williams: Charles scribner'ss Sons.