The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1901-09-17
DAIRY AND POULTRY.
INTERESTING CHAPTERS FOR
OUR RURAL READERS
How Successful Farmers Operats This
Department of the Farm = Few
Hints as 10 the Care of Live Stock
and Poultry.
Espsrience Of ono Norlor.

"StAS W OAC lnOlhAA6 Win f1gOVO |
and an idea. / still have the idea. II |
was this i learned from observation |
that the average hen could make a
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
tfibuted among the farmers round
about for its supply of fresh sweet
scented eggs. Putting the two to-
gether (the money and the idea), i
thought saw chance to promote an
industry which would rival John d.
Hockefeller's oil plant when it came
to matter of declaring dividends. 1t
was evident that there was nothing
to do but collect a large, choice COM
pany of fowls, give them a 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
a heavy growth of green, blue grass,
shaded in spots by stately elms and
! ANN''~ SAboApc1<9y anu II A6alOh W a
sparkling, babbling brooklet. 1t was
a spot that would make 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 | 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 a new one l 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 small
boy to do the scratching for them, SO
they might sleep during the early
morning hours. 1 built stable for
NY AOlSC anu QOINClg md5Ony quinn Q
well, fitted up an Office and bought q
burglar-proof safe in which to keep
the eggs pending rise in price. Their
began to look around for tenants
This was difficult. At that time al
hens looked alike to me. 1 was com
PEELED to take the sellers word as tt
their pedigree and habits. 1 have
since learned that hens, as rule, de
not always carry out the agreement
of their former owners.
After getting into touch with every
, man in Illinois who had hen he wa!
willing to part with, secured enough
to open up business. The first rol
call showed S75 present. Statistics
show that one energetic hen will la!
0 one egg a day, on an average. l die
not have an average around the place
SO substituted a good, soft, we'll up
holstered nest for each one of the S75
In a short time, through the courtes,
of a dozen naughty ROSTERS which
i introduced among those present, an
!, with the help of two steam-heated in
cubators, / swelled the total numbe
to 1850. Then 1 felt that my trouble
money to supply the town with egg
for years at Easter prices. l had pur
chased everything from satchet pow
, der for the prevention of lice to groun
bone for aiding their digestion.
bought drinking fountains, hover:
footballs, steam heaters and eg
= cases. l naturally supposed that
was all over but putting the income il
the bank. / was hugging the delu
h sion. 1t soon developed into a prop
osition of stupendous proportions. M
health began to fail and my placi
. brow, on which my earlier years c
struggle had left no mark, became a
corrugated as washboard.
lie / decided to secure a manager fo
my plant. one who knew the hen bus
ness, and give myself a needed vacs
ton. / employed a man who cane
me well recommended-by himself II
claimed he had made the c1icke
Is business life study; that he was o
ID speaking terms with every hen
g Knox county; that he knew every |
- that chicken flesh is heir to; knew a
. their little troubles, their faults an
their accomplishments. When
lie thought OF all he said he knew,
wondered how I got him so cheal
AS soon as he entered the place he D'
: came a universal favorite. Day afte
" day the hens grew more fond Of bin
They would eat from his hand, clim
re upon his knee and permit him
n shampoo them and manicure their to-
Or nails. l turned the whole busine:
a over to him and went away on tT
,s months vacation, thinking that Il
next hen census would show Fl
markable increase, and that the abs
ute control of the egg market of Ii
world would be In my grasp. But
reckoned without my host, also will
n out my manager. When / returned
lie the scene of my labors, bringing wit
me the latest style of cash register
:. figure up the profits, l found out
a. 1850 happy, well-contented hens, on
81 were gathered to welcome ME. n