Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-08-02
DAIRY AND POULTRY.
INTERESTING CHAPTERS FOR
OUR RURAL READERS.
How Successful Farmers Operate This
Department of the Farm-A Few
Hints rs to the Care of Live Stock
and Poultry.


Does feed change the quality Of the
egg? Probably not. Good feeding
may increase the number of eggs drop
ped, but will not increase the so-called
richness in each egg.
A writer on Leghorns says that
fence fifty feet high is needed to con-
fine them. This is just a trifie Of an
exaggeration, but it indicates high
flying power in the Leghorns. 1t is
perfectly easy to confine them inside
four-foot wire fence. with no top rail,
provided the wings are kept clipped.
A man that has had experience in
poultry farming says that the kind OF
soil most adapted to poultry farming
is sandy soil. Where elayey soil is
used, the droppings remain on the top
and the ground soon becomes sticky
and filthy. On sandy soil the rain
washes the manure into the ground,
and the latter becomes pure after each
rain. This is a great advantage when
one has not the time 70 often turn up
the soil.
One poultry writer asserts that the
a'amon!acal gases arising from the
Groupings OF poultry kill lice, and he
advocates permitting the droppings TO
accumulate to point where they will
emit ammonia. We do not believe
this is advisable as a practice. for the
q m mi 10 In, nf wnylln
be detrimental to the health OF the
fowls. But il ammoniacal fumes are
destructive to lice, 1t might be possible
to use the fumes to destroy them, by
other means than depending on the
droppings.
From the standpoint OF the absolute
circumstances in which each man is
placed must decide the question as to
what breed is the best for him. Much
depends on the inclination of the poui-
try raiser. A man will naturally do
the best with the breed in which he
is most interested. As they receive
the best of care, they are very likely
to do better than fowls in which the
owner Is not interested. Then, too.
the matter of choice must be governed
to some extent by the range that can
be given the fowls. IL a man have
but limited range and wishes to build
no fence except such as is needed
around his orchard or garden a fowl
like the Light Brahma will be found
very serviceable. But IL he has an
abundance of range and inc.ines to-
ward the production of eggs, lighter
fowl OF the Reproducing specialist
type is preferable.
Poultry Notes from Foreign Consu,s.
Great Britain imported 100000 900
eggs in 1899.
Denmark. exporting four times as
much butter to England as France
does, has applied to the egg trade
those principles of cooperation which
have already proved successful in the
butter trade and other industries con-
nected with agriculture. In the rural
districts Of the little Baltic kingdom.
cooperative societies undertake the
expectation Of fresh eggs of good
quality, and members are required to
scrupuously conform with the rules OF
the society. To ascertain, for example
by what member of the society a bad
egg has been furnished, the shell OF
every egg is required to be marked
with an india-rubber stamp, so that
the person by whom the egg was sup
piled may be at once identified. De-
pots are established along the lines
Of the railway, and each producer Is
required to make delivery of eggs al
least three times a week. At each de-
pot there is an agent OF the society
who has the right to refuse any eggs
about which suspicion arises or which
are more than four days old. The ap-
proved eggs are sorted according to
size. The inspection takes place with
lamp in a darkened chamber, and
the discovery of a single rotten egg in
London would be followed by heavy
claim against the Danish depot which
furnished it. The Danish egg trade In
England is growing tremendously, il
reports are to be trusted.
Geese are less in favor with the
British public than formerly; but
there is demand in excess OF the
home supply. especially at Christmas
time, and France reaps this benefit al
most exclusively, it being estimated
that 100000 to 100000 are sold in Lon
don In December. while the other cities
in England also furnish advantageous
markets for geese.