Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1904-05-04
POULTRY AND FRUIT
An Advantageous Combination
in Many Respects

business that yield high net profi.
and which may be conducted TO
gether in harmony for the mos
part and under most conditions
these are fruit growing and poultry
keeping, writes H. +. Van Deman
in Green's Fruit Grower. It re
quires a man or woman OF more
than ordinary intelligence anc
business ability to grow fruit t.
the best advantage, and the same
is true of the requirements for d
good poultry keeper. One must
be wideawake, patient, pains-tak
ing, resourceful, energetic and
generally alert to take advantage
of business opportunities if he oil
she is to make real success in
either calling, and when one has q
proper amount of these qualifica.
tions to conduct one the same will
be true of the other.
BY working these two industries
together it may be that one will
succeed better at one time than
the other and in this way afford q
more steady revenue than would
come from either one alone.
There are several branches OF
poultry keeping, such as the keep
ing of chickens, turkeys, ducks,
geese and even guineas; and these
may be again divided into egg
production and meat production.
There is ample opportunity fol
diversity in fruit growing as we'll,
for one may follow apple orchard
ing alone, O.: grow several other
orchard fruits, or add berry
culture to one or more of those
just named. In most cases it will
pay to diversity to some degree, SC
as not to have "the eggs all in one
basket" But there should be nc
guessing or indefinite accidental
ways of deciding what to do, or
how to do it. In my own ex-
perience the production of eggs has
been far the most profitable end of
the chicken business, and the
Leghorn breeds the best of all In
every way, even for raising young
broilers for the home table.
There are very few fruit growers
who do not have sufficient land to
allow a wide range for poultry, and
this is just what is needed for the
cheapest and most satisfactory
methods of keeping it. The
peculiar conditions of the farm
and the family mus. govern at
least very largely, what is done.
1t does not pay to overtax the
abilities to carry to a success what
is undertaken. 1t is better to
attempt too little and do that well
than too much and do it poorly.
A few hens with plenty of room
over which they can ramble almost
at will are far more profitable
than big flock with scanty room.
it be chickens or other
kinds of poultry they need ample
range over which they may pick
the tender grass and other heritage
and forage for the bugs and worms
that they need to balance their
rations. 1t is the hen with plenty
to eat and of varied food and
much freedom that usually lays
the eggs. The little chicks that
have TIE same degree Of generous
treatment grow rapidly and make
healthy fowls. And as
10 turkeys, they need range almost
without limit.
Nearly all kinds of poultry work
INTO the economy of the fruit farm,
,r that portion of any place that
S devoted to fruit culture, as
insect catchers. They look into
every nook and corner and some
lines scratch where we do not
want it done, to get the least bug
hat crawls or flies. That they do
some harm we will all agree, but
hey do lot of good in this way.
1uineas are the most industrious
insect catcrers on earth. THY
'lso pick up a great deal of their
living from the fallen fruit that
night otherwise be largely lost by
lecay. OF course they are trouble
ONE in the berry patches at GER
ain times, but they can bc shut
Up in case of necessity, until the
berries are out of season. | have
ound by experience that hens well
ed at the trough bother very lit
lie in the berry fields or elsewhere
N the fruit farm. In the veg
table garden they are an almost
onstant nuisance, and / believe
n either wiring in the gardens or
he hens and the latter one can
arely afford to do on a farm.
If poultry is kept on the farm
n considerable numbers, say 200
r more, and fed liberally,as should
ways be done, the manure that
an be saved and ha lied out on
he place will make great diff
erence in its fertility. ! have
ought and fed several hundred
ollars worth Of poultry food in II
ear, and the manure resulting
rom it had marked effect every
here that it was put.
The shade of fruit trees is very |
and agreeable to the keep
ng of poultry, especially when
l.