The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-09
Poultry Raising.

Poultry raising on our Southern
farms ought to be a very prontaple
side employment affording enough
profit to provide good many little
extras that otherwise must be denied.
While more or less poultry will be
found on nearly every farm, so little
attention is given them that it is rare
that any clear profit is made out or
them.
A good supply of eggs for the fam
ilv table a few months out of the year
with perhaps a surplus of one or two
dozen chickens to be carried to mar
ket in the fall of the year would per
hapS fairly represent the average re-
suits of our Southern farms in the
way of poultry raising. Now and
then we may find farmer, generally,
it is his wife, who can claim profit
of SIS or 500 on the poultry yard for
the year. A very few possibly make
more than this, but poor management
and small profits is generally the rule,
and there is great room for improve
ment. With the new spirit of agri-
culture that is being developed in the
South, it is safer to predict that this
subject will receive the attention that
it deserves.
The intensive farmer of the future
N@N~
any adjunct that promises profit how
ever small, and when intensive prin-
ciples are applied to poultry raising in
Georgia the product in chickens and
eggs will represent millions of dollars
added to the wealth of our farmers.
Already poultry farms are springing up
in different parts of the state, and we
have a considerable number of breed
ers of the very best varieties of pure
e lrnnrN
business before the people, but the
larger number have never thought of
advertising, and consequently many
orders are sent off to the North and
West for fowls and eggs that might
as well be filled by breeders in this
state. Those that must have the inn
proved breeds can get as good stock
in Georgia of the principal kinds as
they are likely to get anywhere, and
the only difficulty is our breeders do
not let the fact be generally known.
For practical purpose on the farms,
however, it is not necessary that pure
bred varieties of fowls be kept, but it
is necessary that we cross some of the
best laying breeds on selected native
stock-our common dunghill. BY Sc
lecting good-sized symmetrical pullets
and hens of our common stock and
buying a few cocks of best laying
breeds, we can soon grade up our
common stock to be as good layers
as there is any need to have. The
Leghorns would be as good perhaps
as any for this purpose, though there
is the Game. the Black Spanish, the
Hamburgs, the Plymouth Rocks, the
Dominiques and several others to
choose from. All of these are good
laying breeds The size of our COM
mon stock may be increased by cross
ing with the large Asiatics, the Brah-
mas or Cochins. The most popular
breed of poultry to-day is the Plym-
outh Rocks, and it certainly deserves
all the good that has been said of IL,
as a combination fowl. But when it
comes to eggs there is no breed that
surpasses the Leghorns. There are two
important facts in regard to poultry
that are not generally known and
which must be known to insure the
highest success in the business. One
of these is that one bushel of wheat
is worth more than half dozen bushels
Of corn as an egg producer. Wheat
is worth its price any time to feed to
laying hens, and especially should it
be used from November to March.
Corn is much more fattening than
wheat. and fowls fed too much corn
will soon get too fat to be good layers.
AS soon as the weather begins to get
cold. late in autumn, the poultry
houses should be made as warm as pos
sible, closing all the openings that adj
NIT any cold winds to the roosts.
During the moulting season begin TO
feed wheat and continue during the
winter and the fowls viii lay eggs
right along without regard to the
weather.