Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1901-08-01
DAIRY AND POULTRY.
INTERESTING CHAPTERS FOR
OUR RURAL READERS.
How Successful Farmers Operate Thfs
Department OF the Farm - 4 Few
Hints rs to the Care of Live Stock
and Poultry



w. G. Calkins. in an address before
the Galesburg poultry association.
thus tells Of his first experience in
poultry raising:
woke up one morning with $4,000
and an idea. still have the idea. 1t
was this learned from observation
that the average hen could make
table d'hote dinner off a manure heap
and lay an egg every working day. l
also learned that this proud city of
ours was entirely at the mercy of
few Indifferent, non-union hens, dis
tributed among the farmers round
about, for its supply of fresh sweet
scented eggs. Putting the two to-
gether (the money and the ideal.
thought | saw chance to promote an
industry which would rival John d.
Rockefeller's oil plant when it came
to a matter of declaring dividends. 1t
was evident that there was nothing
to do but collect large, choice COM
pany of fowls. give them happy
home, and then lean back in my boun-
teous office chair and softly murmur,
Lay on, McDuff," or whatever their
various names happened to be.
l, therefore, purchased a tract of
rolling prairie. 1t was covered with
heavy growth of green, blue grass,
shaded In spots by stately elms and
towering catalpas, and irrigated by a
sparkling, babbling brooklet. 1t was
a spot that would make a hens life
one long dream of happiness. 1t was
a resort that would have coaxed eggs
out of the most barren prospects. 1t
was here l built a chicken house Of
such mammoth proportions that it re-
sembled snowshed on the Northern
Pacific. 1t was built on the most i'm
proved plan of architecture. l gath
cred my ideas from personal visits to
all the poultry farms In the country
that were worth while, and every time
| visited new one came home and
changed my plans. There was an en-
tire suite Of rooms for every particu-
lar grade Of chickenkind. There were
drawing rooms for the aristocratic
and hospitals for the feeble. There
was souvenir building for the Ply
mouth Rocks; there were temples for
the Brahmas, improved footballs for
the White Leghorns and china closets
for the Cochin Chinas. hired a small
boy to do the scratching for them, so
they might sleep during the early
morning hours. / built q stable for
my horse and delivery wagon, sunk
well, fitted up an office and bought
burglar-proof safe in which to keep
the eggs pending rise in price. Then
l began to look around for tenants.
This was difficult. At that time all
hens looked alike to me. was COM
PEELED to take the sellers word as to
their pedigree and habits. have
since learned that hens, as rule. do
not always carry out the agreements
Of their former owners.
After getting into touch with every
willing to part with, secured enough
to open up business. The first roll
call showed 375 present. Statistics
show that one energetic hen will lay
one egg day, on an average. ! did
not have an average around the place,
SO substituted a good, soft, well up
holstered nest for each one of the 375.
In a short time, through the courtesy
of a dozen naughty ROSTERS which |
introduced among those present, and
with the help of two steam-hsated in
cubators, / swelled the total number
to 1880. Then felt that my troubles
were at an end. | had spent enough
money to supply the town with eggs
for years at Easter prices. had pur-
chased everything from satchet pow
der for the prevention Of lice to ground
bone for aiding their digestion. |
bought drinking fountains, hovers.
footballs, steam heaters and egg
cases. l naturally supposed that it
was all over but putting the income in
the bank. / was hugging the delu-
sion. It soon developed into a prop
osition of stupendous proportions My
health began to fail and my placid
brow, on which my earlier years of
struggle had left no mark. became as
corrugated as dashboard.
I decided to secure manager for
my plant, one who knew the hen bust
ness. and give myself a needed vaca-
ton. | employed a man who came to
me well recommended-by himself He
claimed he had made the chicken
business life study; that he was on
speaking terms with every hen in
Knox county; that he knew every i'll
that chicken flesh Is heir to; knew all
their little troubles, their faults and
their accomplishments. When
thought Of all he said he knew,
wondered how / got him SO cheap.
AS soon as he entered the place he be-
came universal favorite. Day after
day the hens grew more fond Of him.
They would eat from his hand, climb
upon his knee and permit him to
shampoo them and manicure their toe
nails. | turned the whole business
over to him and went away on a two
months vacation, thinking that the
next hen census would show a re-
markable increase, and that the abso-
ute control of the egg market OF the
world would be In my grasp. But l
reckoned without my host, also with
out my manager. When returned to
the scene Of my labors, bringing with
me the latest style of cash register to
figure up the profits, found out Of
1850 happy, well-contented hens. only
27 were gathered to welcome me. My
manager assured me that the great
majority had passed into the dim,
hazy unknown.
Some Good Advice.
The buttermaker in an eastern CO.
operative creamery sends out to the