The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-03-05
The Poultry Yard.
A DOLLAR A YEAR FOR EACH hen.

correspondence of The Progressive Farmer.
If one could depend upon making
a net profit of a dollar a year from
each hen it would not be improbable
work to conduct the poultry bust
ness on a large scale. 1t is possible
to make this amount in some in
stances, and we hear of undoubted
cases where this is made from a col
ony of one hundred or more. But
to make such a profit it is necessary
that intensive culture should be OBJ
served and rigidly lived up to. 1t is
more than likely that the average
hen makes only a profit of half this
amount, or say from go to rs cents
per year.
Yet 1 know of a colony Of hens
that has in the last year averaged a
net profit of 1926 per year. They
were a selected lot, however, and
hardly represented what all the hens
of a farm could do. There is excel
lent a why such a colony should
be formed by itself. Select from the
farm the best layers and put them
together in a separate colony. Then
keep an account of all the eggs they
lay. If for any reason some of the
hens should fail to keep up their
standard, take them out of this col
Ony and add those from the general
yard which show qualifications for
the select company. This %selective
process IS an excellent training in
showing you just what hens of the
flock are the best layers, and it also
demonstrates pretty fOrcibly what
can be accomplished if n weeds out
those that do not pay. Now if the
whole flock could be brought up to
this high standard, would not the
chance of making a dollar a year
and more per hen be greatly ad-
vanced? In order to keep even one
colony up to this high state of eff
cheney it will be necessary to Gull out
from their number and add new
blood every year., for some will run
out of their powers of laying and
will no longer be fit for the company
they are in. 1t will be necessary to
raise more new blood continually to
keep up the special colony. If one
is successful in thus establishing an
ideal colony of layers, a second col
Ony should then be started. This
one might be just a little lower in
prOduCtIveness than the first, and 1t
can be used as a feeder for the first.
By carrying this policy right through
the whole farm, the chickens will all
be graded IN d short time according
to their proftableness, and one knows
at once how to handle them. There
is more chance of profit in this way
than by letting the colonies go about
in "a mixed condition. with good, bad
and Indifferent layers together.
ANNIE G. WEBSTER.
~
find an effectual way to get rid
of sassafras, persimmOn and other
bushes, is not to cut them down until
the roots are killed. To accomplish
this, remove the bark from the trunk
or bole in the spring, when the leaves
are partly grown this cuts off the
life-giving supply and puts the roots
on starvation fare. When the bushes
cease to put out leaves they may be
cut without fear of sprouts.-Chas
Bennett, McDOnald's Mill, Va.
Make the dairy your speciality if
your taste run that way, and make
u reputation for the best products.
With plenty of buttermilk and skim
milk, poultry will pay we'll, selling
the freshest and best to private Gus
toners only. Cater to the tastes of
the wealthy, with attractive prod
ucts we'll put up. Put your name on
everything and make a reputation
for the brand. A young delicate
woman has made a success of a farm.
not OF average fertility and without
much capital. A young mar ought
to do as well or better.-M. Allison,
Columbia, S. c..
[ agree with you in your state
ment about the seed distribution of
the Agricultural Department at
Washington. Every seed sent me
was inferior to seeds bought in mar
ket. The sweet corn was inferior 10
my own seed, the turnips worthless,
and the radiShes the poorest we over