davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The citizen., 1901-06-21
PROFIT IN STANDARD BREED
A Well Known Breeder Gives Fig
ures to Prove That the Best Pay.

| have been breeding standard bred
poultry for about ten years. Previous
To this l thought anything that Wore
feathers and rescmblcd a hen would
answer the purpose but experience has
taught me better.
have been breeding Buff Plymouth
Rocks almost from their introduction
and have found them very profitable
both for fancy and market purposes.
| want To tell Your readers the results
l obtained from an investment Of Sl2
in Buff Rock eggs a year ago this
spring, aS ! have kept n strict account
of the chicks raised and the profit de
rived from them separate from the
rest of my flock. l sent a noted west
ern breeder SD for IL Buff Rock eggs,
and he was To send me eggs from his
best birds These II eggs We're set the
Goth of April, 1900 under some game
hens which | borrowed from neigh
Dor. These hens were the worst things
TO break eggs | ever had any expert
ence with. for when Matching day
came (Aiay IL there only remained 80
eggs III the nests. From the 81 eggs 30
strong. healthy chicks We're hatched
Not satisfied with breaking eggs. these
pesky game hens tramplcd two chicks
to death in the nest. which left me
with only 2S chicks. and | raised the
whole 2S to maturity. Now to show
the profit | have made on these 2S
chicks TO date (April %. 1000, l quote
from my poultry account book
After culling out and selling surplus
birds | had left nine females and two
cockerelS, which We're kept for breed
ing purposes. Following is the ac-
count as it appears in my account book:
Sold five cockerels at 81. 500, -
cents, 50 and S3 respectively; one pair,
81: 100 incubator eggs, 50; eggs for
Matching to date april 2Ol. $11; sold
eggs to stores during winter, $515;
used in the house four dozen, 81; total,
S39.l0.
My expenses We're: Eggs for hatch
inc. SD; express. 60 cents: feed and
other expenses, S11.3G: total. SOB .9G
profit, Sl544. or an average of 4 tritle
over Sl.44 per head. including male and
females, with the original nine females
and two males yet on hand, which,
figuring from the average price 10y
which the other stock was sold CS2.10
would he worth about $23.G5, or a total
profit of 5000
There is n prevailing idea among q
very large class that a hen is n hen ant
one is Just as good as another so
quote the above for the benefit of thi.
class. PoulIymen who have and are
making the business a success will tel
You that standard bred poultry is the
most profitable in every way and this
decision comes from knowledge and cX
/ pericnce in their business Henry
/ Tralford in Poultry Keeper.
The citizen., 1901-06-21
MASH AT NIGHT.
An Expert Tells Why He Gives PouI-
try soft Food In the Evening


In my effort to obtain results which
seemed TO me satisfactory | have en-
deavored to initiate nature as far as
my limited knowledge gave me a con-
ception Of her methods and to improve
on them where, in my judgment, inn
provement was possible
In observing wild birds it has seemed
to me that they hunt food about all
day long. and in my fancy | have
pictured them rs often going to their
roosts at night with their hunger but
partly appeased.
Fowls will not exercise for the sake
Of exercise. Given full crop and they
will doze until hunger prompts them to
move. This has been my experience
and the experience of all with whom
| have conversed on the subject. Given
a mash in the morning they apparently
do not see the grain thrown in litter
for them to scratch for
With my first lot of fowls | followed
the beaten paths given in poultry lit
erature of the day and fed "all they
"""Id Vl'dH up quickly OF maSn IN
the morning as instructed "All they
would clean up quickly" bothered me
bit for l found their appetites to
vary considerably, pen of II fowls
cleaning up anywhere from one to six
pounds, so that when making the mash
| was Mt a loss to know how much
meal to use. The monday meal Of
grain scattered in litter seldom interest
ed them. and their scratching was spas
modic and rare. | changed the bill Of
fare and fed them mash for the noon
meal and after awhile secured exercise
in the forenoon. Another change, and
mash was fed Mt night and by this
method was secured constant exercise
The citizen., 1901-06-21
Doesn't Feed Boiled Eggs.

l find one of the very best foods for
little turkeys is raw eggs. discovered
it by accident, but wondered afterward
why had not reasoned it out before.
turkeys and chicks as well. 1t is to
them what milk is to the infant. l
wonder that SO many recommend hard
boiled eggs after years of trial and
even admitting they do not succeed
well in raising turkeys. Hard boiled
eggs, especially the whites, are very in
digestible food for the strongest per-
sons, and think of giving them to any
thing SO tender as baby turkey!-Mrs.
Mackey in Poultry Journal.
The citizen., 1901-06-21
May Hntched Chicks.

Years ago, when | used to buy good
many eggs for Matching in the north
and east, ! was imbued with that old
fogy idea that still clings to some that
May hatched chickens were inferior to
those hatched earlier in the season.
Hence | used to place my orders in
March, with instructions to ship as
early as possible; that | wanted April
hatched chickens. One man that | dis
tinctly remember breeder at Water
vliet, Mich, wrote me in reply that
they still had winter up there, that his
chickens were all housed and that he
could not guarantee his eggs to hatch
satisfactorily so early in the season. |
told him to hold the order and to ship
when he thought l would get best re-
suits from the eggs. He did so. The
eggs were set the latter part of April.
and l got the best batch | ever had
from shipped eggs and raised every
one of the chickens too.
On two or three other occasions |
bought eggs from a leading breeder of
White Leghorns in New York state and
urged early shipment and in each case
| was advised to wait until later before
the eggs should be shipped. But |
wanted the eggs, and so they were for
warded against the judgment of the
shipper and with Indifferent matches
too.
So after a time l came to know by
experience that for a sure hatch and a
thrifty, quick growing chicken the May
sitter and the May chicken were the
SureSt
May is the natural Matching month
of the birds and the wild fowl. They
nest and hatch after the trees have
leafed out and the surface of the earth
has been warmed up generally by the
suns genial rays and the insect life
awakened as well. Without the latter
the mother bird could not provide food
for her young; therefore, animated by
natural instincts, she awaits the call of
nature before nesting. She knows that
the leafiess trees and the barren, brown
earth would afford her no subsistence
for her young.
The citizen., 1901-06-21
Artificial Heaks.

In times past when a valuable hen or
cock Of first class breed happened to
lose one Of the halves of its beak by ac-
cident or in fight it was either penned
up and fed artificially or killed. Now
the missing part Of the beak, formed
Of hardened celluloid, can be grated
on, and the fowl lives and feeds as
comfortably as ever. From time to
time new beak has to be mounted,
but 1t is a simple affair in the hands Of
a good "animal improver." A modern
way Of improving turkeys, too. is to
split the wing and tail feathers. which
then gradually mott off, and a much
finer crop takes their place.
The citizen., 1901-06-21

| had an unpleasant little adventure
with an egg the other day. 1t is my
custom whenever hen matches out
and leaves an egg unchippod 10 always
pierce the larger end ana see if the
youngSter has cot into difficulties This
time was going through the same per-
formance, and when | had seized upon
an innocent looking cgg and dug my
knife point into the shell it suddenly
went off with a bang, and the interior
Squirted out Ill over my new spring
suit. If it had been election time,
should not have grumbled, but the par
ish council was elected a year ago, and
there was not even a dispute. This
egg had mistaken its place and ought
never to have taken up the calling of
n sitter. At present my new spring
suit hangs upon the clothesine a good
distance from the house, and the black
birds and starlings, that don't seem to
mind an unsavory odor. being brought
up in the trade, as it We're, are carry
ing ii away wholesale for nesting pur,
poses. Let this be n warning to others,
as it will he to me. Don't test eggs in
this manner after they have been sat
upon for three weeks. Get somebody
else to do it.-Mr. Jingle in Poultry
Englandl.
The citizen., 1901-06-21

Ducks Will be cleaner in plumace il
water is at hand after they are old
enough to be permitted to run at lyi-
sure aud enjoy their daily swim They
will grow rapidly by feeding with
green food, grain, flesh ana garbage.
Water insects and fish they like. For
young duekliugS, cooked mash Of
turnips or potatoes, or both, with one
third meal or wheat screenings and
one-third Of animal meal. three times
a day till three weeks old, is excellent.
They are fond of fresh fish. ana any
kind Of ordinary food is dcyourcd by
them readily and is easily d,4estcd.
Grass, heritage, a run upon an old pas
ture, all conduce to their thrift anl III
kept away from the water until over a
month old almost every duckllur may
be raised and tattened for market. Ii
in the carly days they can have skim
milk with tDeir soft food, it will be N
rreat advantage. - American Stock
Keeper
The citizen., 1901-06-21
A cnNyENIENr unIsr.

thrown about 10 afford scratching room
for the confined fowls during the win
ter months. The nest boxes are here
nicely arranged, giving the secrctive
hen opportunity 10 select her nest in
the darkened space or alley in front Of
the openings into the nests. Tho eggs
can be conveniently collected from the
back of the nest. which should have a
drop door opening into the hallway.
The roosts are arranged above the row
Of nest boxes and should be movable
in order to frequently clean or renovate
to prevent lice and vermin Collecting
American Poultry Journal.
The citizen., 1901-06-21

throughout the day. This seems to me
more in line with and perhaps an i'm
provement on natures way. \ care
full sprinkliug of small quantities Of
grain in deep litter during the day imi-
tates nature iii that il compclS the
fowls TO seek for their food grain by
grain. while tie feeding of mash at
night is the Improvement ON natures
way, which in>urcS a full crop daily
just before going To rooSt. | prefer
mash TO grain ~ night because it di-
geStS quicker. bringing birds from the
roostS the next morning with Il sharp
encd appetite. willie q full grain feed is
often but partly di-cSted in the morn
Ing. one u.@ht nm accidental dropping
of grain after they had eaten all thcy
would Of mash surprised me hy cauS-
ing the fowls To jump for it grecdily.
| thought ii over ana the next night fed
about half of The quantity they clean
ed up the ui-hj before. then gave an
other portion anl third. with about
ten minutes interval between each ana
noted they ate fully ono-half more N
this way Since then have repeatedly
tried feeding them AZ once the full
quantity they %t' Tie night before, but
| never bad tlem hViSh il. In short. by
feeding small QuauI t.es 1T n time | was
coaNing them 10 eat more than they
/ otherwise would In theory. rs in fact,
l have never bccn able to see any
The citizen., 1901-06-21
HOW TO USE HEN MANURE.
1t should De Mixed With soil and
Kept Moist. Not Wet.

Kept Moist, Not Wet.
Hen manure, like Peruvian guano
and all other fertilizers rich in ammo
MIA, should not in its fresh undiluted
state be permitted to come in imme-
date contact with the roots Of plants.
nor with the seed. The floor Of the
poultry house should be strcwed with
powdered muck, or woods earth, OF
land plaster TO fix the ammonia and
purify the atmosphere. Subsequently
the manure should be compostcd before
being applied to the field. Usually for
vegetables it should be broadcasted and
raked in. For greenhouse use it is
nearly always applied in liquid FORM
sparingly and cautiously at all times
as it has the tendency to burn if
used to excess, and like all other nitrog
enous manures produces LEAKAGE rath
er than bloom.
The dung of all domestic fowls and
Of birds generally has marked ma.
nurial properties on account of the
large amounts of ammonia and phos.
phate contained. Hen manure could be
successfully used for any greenhouse
crop If composted with five times its
amount of soil Tor better, sods), and to
every barrel Of manure 10 pounds Of
The citizen., 1901-06-21
PEKlNS FOR MARKET.
A Profitable Business. but 1t Re
Quires Close Attention.

The raising of Pckiu ducks for mar
ket is successfully and protiably con
Quoted on many large farms in the
eastern part of this country. There
are many plants marketing every sea-
son from 10000 10 10000 ducklinGs.
They are scattered from Norfolk, Va,
10 Bangor. Me, and all are each year
called upon to face an increasing de
mand. The largest consumers are found
among the best hotels Tie high priced
restaurants. railroad dining cars clubs
and summer resort hotels The wealthy
classes in the large cities. the coast
wise AMI transatlantic steamers. are
all steady purchasers from the begin
ming 10 the cud of the season. the -en-
eral public iudulging only az intervals.
as it does in the case of any luxury,
which this may he properly called. ow-
ing To the comparatively high prices
Mt which they are sold. The masses
cannot afford To pay the retailer 20
cents per pound for dueklu-~.
The business Of raising. Hrkiu ducl-
liu-> ON large scale is one ri can~ii-
erahIc detail. Many little things unite
in bringing about q successful result,
and any of these trih- neglected or
omitted is as sure t9 bring disastrous
results Is leak .u ship.
Always remember tap~e clct~ That
We are trying toceuduct a natural proc
c~s artifrially; not only This but we
are reversing the natural order Of
The citizen., 1901-06-21
RAISING TURKEYS.
Mrs. Jones Describes Her Method of
Feeding and Caring For Them.

Feeding and Caring For Them.
\ lady in the eastern states wrote
that she hatched 100 and raised one
young turkey. writes Mrs. Charles
Jones in The Poultry Keeper. If by
giving my way of caring for the poults
can assist any one in avoiding such 4
loss, shall be very glad Although l
have given my way Of feeding and
caring time and again, l will repeat ii
here. as some readers may not have
seen il.
When l take my young turks ont Of
tile nest. l spray box with lice killer
and put the old hen in. not closing ii
up So tight that she cannot get some
fresh air leave her for two or thgce
hours, keeping the poults wrapped up
warm. l have a large dry goods box
With sliding lath door TO keep the
old hen in and let the little turkers run
out in Il tight yard. l have a board
door to let down to keep vermin out ut
u@lt aud to keep them warm until the
weather gets settled.
My first feed is an c@g put in cold
water aud boiled hard for half an hour
or Horr ANA chopped shell and all
only feed little at time and only
feed Three times Il day. as that is all
cam get time 10 do. l put in a little
( chick size grit every morning and
4 cracked oyster shells. ! find that both
/ chickens aud turkeys are healthier by
The citizen., 1901-06-21

Why not raise drove of guineas
asks writer in Farm Journal Their
eggs are as good as hens, and their
flesh has the flavor of wild fowl and is
popular with epicures. Their danger
signal makes them equal to the best
of watchdogs in giving warnings and
soaring off prowlers. They are NO
harder to raise than turkeys and will
CLEAN living from orchards and fields.
The white guineas are preferred by
many because they are peaceable and
more domestic in their habits than
the pearls.
The citizen., 1901-06-21

Being interested in pure bred poultry
and desiring to have part of our chicks
hatched early in the season. we found
it necessary TO purchase an incubator.
We had never had any experience with
an incubator; but, after having oper-
ated one through eight or nine hatches.
we have learned few things that
some incubator catalogues don't tell.
our machine is not affected by out
side temperature" is a statement that
may be found in more than one cata-
lo@ue, and if the temperature of the
room in which the machine is operated
always remained the same the state
ment would be true enough, but we
know from experience that it is
more or less affected by the tempera-
ture of the room. y machine in n cool
room will keep quite an even tempera-
turc, but if the room warns up TO 50
or 30 degrees the regulator will be of
little use, as the live eggs. after the
first ten days, will radiate a great deal
of heat, and that with the heat of the
lamp and the extra heat of the room
will oyerheat the eggs. Sometimes we
have to eXtinguish the light and on real
warm days open the machine to keep
the temperature even. We have learn
ed that it is not necessary to add mois-
ture to help the hatch, as there is
enough moisture in the egg to hatch it
if the machine is operated right. but
great deal depends on the ventilation.
Too much ventilation will tougher the
membrane and harden the shell, so
much so that the chick cannot get out.
w. ii. o. in Central Farmer.
The citizen., 1901-06-21
Prevailing agricultural and economic

Prevailing agricultural and economic
conditions are placing a large amount
of wealth in the hands of the farmers
of the country. Not for many years
have they been so favorably situated.
1t is hardly to be expected that this ia.
vorable condition of things will contin-
ne indefinitely. and it seems to us as
though the wise man would seize the
present opportunity to get square with
the world rather than to be tempted to
increase his line of indebtedness. There
is an immense amount of satisfaction
in the feeling that one owes no man a
dollar. 1t is hardly within the power
of hard times to hurt the man who
lives on his own farm and who is out
of debt, in which particular he has the
advantage over men in any other bust.
ness or profession.
The citizen., 1901-06-21

feet deep across the bed of the stream
and up each bank to the required
height and then filled with clay and
raised it up to the point desired, it be-
ing about eight feet high at the high
est point. At one side is an overflow
channel, and at the other near the bot
tom. the irrigation pipe goes through.
Said pipe is common black iron pipe
two inches in diameter
The reSer ;Oir covers about three
fourths of an acre and is from three to
eight feet deep This gives him an
abundance of water not only for irli.
cation. but for other uses. The iron
pipe which is sunk in the ground deep
enough TO avoid freezing, is continued
along the west side of cultivated land
and high enough on the bank to in
sure a good flow of water through the
irrigating bitches. Two inch Is are
placed in the pipe at distance Of 1J0
feet apart, and a short pipe comes to
the surface of the ground. with Il key
for turning on the water to irrigate
any part of the field These are indi-
Gated by dots along the pipe line in
the plan of system.
The farm consists of e. acres. Five
and half acres can be irrigated and
are thus made more productive then
all the balance of the farm. It pres
ent speciality is made Of growing eel
cry. and as this is Il crop which re-
quires 4 liberal supply Of water TO in
sure . rapid growth at certain periods
the irrigating plant is very useful
The worry that an irrigation plant
takes off the farmer is aone worth the
cost of it even if his crops were not
increased tterehy.
The citizen., 1901-06-21
A POULTRY HOUSE.
Practical ana Convenient aud May
he Extended Indefinitely.

The illustration given is for a poultry
house 10 hy 10 and $ feet high The
length Of this can be extended indefi-
nitely ii desired. If this size house is
built Of common dressed boards, with
three battens on the outside and Ncpon-
set roofing paper fastened on with laths
on the inside ana the >lanting front, as
shown covered with shingles, the cost
Of material would not exceed SD.
In very stormy weather or when the
sun is shining very brightly it would
be we'll to have a curtain of this roofing
paper arranged TO roll down over the
window.
The large floor room gives ample op-
portunity TO have a good lot of litter
The citizen., 1901-06-21

The daily papers report a certain
Boston millionaire as buying some fine
poultry at prices which make previous
big figures look small-S1,00 for a
dozen birds, $4,000 for two pair, 500
for another pair. We never did bank
very heavily on the accuracy of the
daily papers when they treated mat
ters relating to poultry mot much on
other matters either and know of no
reason for changing our method now.
Indeed, such statements serve to con-
firm us in our old opinion of the in
accuracy of the daily papers.-Farm
Poultry.
The citizen., 1901-06-21

1t is doubtful which feels himself
more aggrieved, the man whose hens
won't sit when he wants them to or
the man whose hens persist in sitting
when ne doesn't want them to sit
Whichever is worse word of caution
may well he spoken to the way the
birds are handled. If persons would
stop TO think that for hens to sit is
quite as natural as for them to lay
and indeed it oftentimes seems more
natural-they would hardly, as reason
able beings, subject the birds to such
inhuman treatment as is often resorted
to in the effort to stop their desire to
sit y person who deliberately uses
harsh and cruel means or roughly han
dies such hens is not fit to have the
care of anything and rightly should be
breaking stones for the state. Let's do
away with ducking and chasing and
behave more Like men than like haz-
ing college students.-Reliable Poultry
journal
The citizen., 1901-06-21
ChenD Birds.

Don't imagine "A bird is cheap simply
because you got it at low price In
buying low priced stock knowledge and
observation are necessary. If a man
wishes to take chances on secondhand
clothing and considers he has secured
n bargain. while the rip up the back
escapes his notice, there is no law to
prevent him. But it always pays to
buy good goods, pay living prices and
remember that the cheapest bird in
your yard may have cost you the lar.
gest sum.
The citizen., 1901-06-21
Furs In the snrinG.

Furs should not be worn on hot days
In spring, as the moth makes an early
appearance and lays its eggs secretly
and swiftly, and the eggs may bt
Matched after the fur is put away
Keep them in a very dry place as
damp is fatal to furs. Furriers wra
them in bags of stiff brown paper ana
paste the ends securely up, but they
require constant taking out and shak
ing.
The citizen., 1901-06-21

In the past there has been quite a
controversy as to top or bottom heat
for brooders. This, believe, has been
settled in favo: of top heat. The heat
from the natural mother comes from
the top, which is just sufficient to
warm the floor of the coop. y brooder
made so that the heat descends upon
the backs of the chicks will lend sufli-
cient heat to warm the floor and CORE.
spends, therefore, with the natural
method. Breeders constructed so as to
have the heat come from underneath
the floor are very apt to keep the floor
too hot and consequently will overhead
the chicks aud leave their backs toe
cold, but whatever style of brooder is
used the chicks should be carefully
watched on the start to see that there
are not too many in together, for l be.
lieve this to be the principal cause of
finding dead chicks in the morning.-V
NJ. Crouch in Commercial Poultry.
The citizen., 1901-06-21

1t is stated by one authority that
100 pounds of clover meal contains
enough lime for the shells of 17la doz-
en eggs, says Indiana Farmer Clover
Is very rich in protein and contains
potash. soda, phosphorus acid and 9th
er ingredients that make it one of the
best feeds for fowls that can be nam
ed. 1t contains all the essentials in
well balanced proportion and is pal
atable to the fowls as well as health
full