Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-09-01
A MISSOURI QUAIL FARM
Novel and Profitable Pursuit the Re-
s1lt of q Banter.


suit Of Banter.
A new industry with interesting pos
sibilities has been inaugurated by Guy
Gordon of Colombia, Mo. He calls It
quail farming. and is working on the
theory that the birds can be raised on
the same principle as barnyard poul-
try. His experiments have already
demonstrated the fact that quails can
be raised as quickly, and with as III
tie expense, as chickens, but the ques-
ton Of profit still remains to be de-
termined .s..
The quail farmer. who is son of L.
S. Gordon, proprietor Of the Gordon
hotel is at present conducting the
work ON limited scale. He has sew
eral acres of ground, just west of the
hotel, the farm being fenced with
closely woven wire, which prevents the
escape of the birds, whose wings are
clipped at an early age. 1t is the in
tention Of the owner, however to soon
remove to Arkansas, where he will Sc
cure a tract of land large enough to
operate the farm on an extensive
scale.
His first experiments have already
indicated that the venture may have
large possibilities, and he hopes to soon
have the birds on the market at prices
that may mean fortune. His present
design is to raise only brood quails,
which now sell at Sd per pair, the de-
mand being well up with the supply.
1t was purely by accident that young
|. Gordon went into the quail business.
While he was engaged in cleaning out
chicken incubator one day, Speed
Mitchell Of Boone county leaned over
the fence and smiled with the cool dis
dain of an oldtime farmer for new
tangled contrivances.
why don't you raise quails in that
| thing? said Mitchell. "An old bird
| Matched dozen back of my barn this
week and didn't have half the trouble
about it as you are going to with that
business
Bring me some eggs and will"
said Gordon, and thought no more
about it,
But the next week Mitchell came in
with dozen eggs, fresh from a quail
nest on his farm. Gordon put them
in the incubator and within twenty
one days nine of the eggs were hatch
eel. Three of the young quails died.
but six thrived and are now full grown.
The result was so satisfactory that
Gordon abandoned the chicken bust
ness and now possesses a big covey of
quails of all sizes. The youngest birds
are kept in a small, wire-covered quail
yard. but the larger ones are permitted
to play at will about the premises,
their wings having been clipped when
one month old. The youngest birds
must be handled with great caution
and careful regard for temperature.
They are Matched in the incubator at
temperature of 104 degrees, and while
in the care of the mother get along
well enough in the daytime without
artificial heat. All during the night,
| however, it is necessary to keep a
lamp burning in the broodhouse to in
sure a temperature of at least 90 de-
grees. Like all incubator products.
the birds are surprisingly tame, and
even the full grown quail can be pick
ed up and fed out of the hand at will
The quail breeder has one peculiar
obstacle to contend with in the matter
of reproduction. A pair of quails once
mated are, strangely enough. united
for life. Neither the male nor the fe
male will desert its mate for another,
and the loss Of one out of pair is
equivalent to the loss of both. Even
after the death of one the other is not
fit for reproduction purposes. If the
hen quail is paired with any other bird
than her original mate her eggs are
barren and are never known to prove
fertile under any conditions. This Pc
culiar law of nature is serious draw
back, as it is necessary to keep the
males and females in equal number
but otherwise quail breeding has many
| advantages over poultry.
Gordon does not expect to market
any of his quails for food purposes for
several years, and his present design
is only to secure a good supply for
breeding purposes. Even if he so de-
sired he could not market them in
Missouri at present without violating
the recently enacted game law, which
will for several years prohibit the kill
ing, selling, or buying of quafls, owing
to the scarcity of the supply in this
state
. The business he is now conducting
may in time prove solution of this
very problem as to the future supply
Of birds for sporting purposes. If
they can be raised as easily as chick
! ems, SpOEll%% ueH Heeu nav ~ Aoal
for the future of their sport, as II
would do away with all possibility OF
the birds becoming extinct.
The average quail hen lays about
sixteen eggs per year, the setting sea.
son lasting three months, usually from
the LIST of April to the last week in
June.
AS there is a good demand. for live
birds at 81 per pair, the possible prof
it's of the business are quite. obvious
There seems no reason why the breed,
ing of quails should not become as i'm,
portant as the raisisg of poultry
St. Louis Globe Democrat.