Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1900-02-15

Rye for Poultry.
From Farmers Review: There Is
entirely too little written Of rye as
green feed for poultry. Why, it is
hard to tell for surely there Is moth
ing cheaper and easier had, also it is
extra good for all kinds of poultry
and at the same time it Is making
pasture for fowls and possibly the
COW 1t is loosening the ground for
next years crop. Its fertilizing quail
ties may not be so good but 1t does
no harm and without a doubt makes
the ground looser. There is no one
but what can sow patch in his gar
den anyhow and after 1t gets a start
let the fowls have the run of it. I'm
less your poultry is in very great num-
bers and the rye patch small no harm
Is done to allow them the run Of 1t all
the time-except the ducks and geese.
Their broad feet pat the soft ground
down so hard and then after it is
up the blades do not seem to grow
up so quickly after being nipped off
by ducks or geese bills as when they
are picked by chickens or turkeys.
After it gets start there is nothing
better however for laying ducks than
to be turned into rye patch. Four
weeks ago we sowed the garden and
truck patch to rye after narrowing the
ground. The rye was broad-casted,
then logged, and now Nov. 1S) it is
quite green, notwithstanding the short
winter we had the week after it was
sown and that almost hundred head
of poultry have had the run of it all
the time. There is a little over two
acres on which was planted two and
one-half bushels of rye. We were
compelled to keep the ducks off it.
much to their disgust, but can soon
allow them to pasture on 1t.
There is hardly bit of pasture for
the chicks, and for awhile it seemed
the rye would have to give up the
struggle, for the chicks would eat in
the day nearly all the growth the rye
could make In twenty-four hours, but
it is coming on nicely now, thanks
to the warm rains. If you have never
NuiNhNu NlllNhSJ yOu nave lO luGd III"
busy they will keep on a patch of rye
all day. Were the ground in condi
ton and | had no rye or clover pas
ture, l would not hesitate to SOW now,
for it would probably make pasture for
the poultry next spring before grass
starts up much.
During every warm spell this winter
the rye will be there inviting the poul-
try to eat, and they will not wait for
the second invitation. Then in the
early spring what feast, 1t will
not only result in our getting larger
number of eggs, but they will hatch
better and stronger chicks, ducks and
turkeys. By all means have patch
of rye if you haven't patch of clover.
especially for your poultry's use.
We sold all of our young gobblers
and the largest of our young turkey
hens the first of the month, receiving
S1a cents per pound. We received but
IA cents last year. The way prices
are running now we sold them well
We will keep the young hens for the
February market. Our experience the
past two years in turkey raising has
been such that our plans are now to
procure enough old hens, so that they
may sit after laying their first litter,
unless too early in the season; let
them sit upon, hatch and raise their
own young, but not without our SUI
pervision. To be sure they will need
to be watched to the nests, eggs gath
cred and taken care of until they are
set; then after Matching they will
need to be penned week or two, but
after that they will be comparatively
little bother, nothing like as when
chicken hens raise them, and they
make better growth. also are free
of disease.
EMMA CLEARWATERs.