Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1905-04-10
gricultural Lore
The bullets for Next Winter.

April. To have these, the eggs from
which they are to be Matched should
be laid within the next few weeks
Easter will come tagging along toward
te end of April. 1t is not safe to
count on good weather for chicks
prior to then, but to succeed aim to
have all the chicks you can on hand
or nearly so, by that time To have
them out, the eggs must be under the
hens or in the incubators by April g.
To gain the best results, the eggs
must come from the most prolific, most
healthy, most vigorous, and best-sized
hens. Think of all this as you make
ready for spring Matching, says the
Country Gentleman. Asiatics of all
kinds seldom, if ever, lay under six
months of age. To do as we'll as this,
they must be thoroughly handled and
fed for growth, vitality and finish.
Usually, on an average, they are over
eight months old before they begin to
lay. In ether words, Asiatics that
are Matched in April should, if prop
erly reared, begin to lay in November.
Usually, however, they do not begin to
lay until January, and oftentimes lat
er than this. They cannot begin to
| lay until fully developed. The. body
entire must be fully finished and equip
ped for the work or they will not be-
gin to lay. They cannot lay until the
reproducing organs are supplied
with material to produce the eggs.
and Nature demands that the body
be fully supplitd with it's full require
ments before the egg supply begins.
Plymouth Rocks and Wyandottes
naturally mature more quickly than the
Asiatics, but even these seldom, if
ever, begin to lay under six months
old. We know that some of all these
have laid when less than six months,
but is this unusual. Seldom is this
true of fowls that have been raised on
farms. If Matched in March, they
often begin to lay in October, providing
they have been we'll looked after and
fed during the entire season; but as
usually grown, one must not expect
March and April-hatched Asiatic or
American varieties to begin to lay be-
fore November.
While the writer was staying at
hotel in the poultry-growing districts
of New York, the second week in
February, man came in to sell some
dressed poultry. The fowls averaged
in weight between Is and 10 ounces
each-less than one pound and
quarter each They had SO little
meat on their bones that the proprie-
tor said he would not cook and serve
them if given to his as a present The
man said the chicks had been Matched
late in September. If so, they were
at least 20 weeks old when killed, and
weighed less than two pounds live
weight. If only fairly we'll fed they
should have done better than this at
IL weeks. If properly fed, as they
should have been, they would have
weighed about three pounds each and
have sold for Is cents a pound, or IS
cents each, as first-class broilers.
Those who neglect their stock In
this way seldom have pullets that be-
gin to lay before spring, no matter
when they are Matched. SO very
much depends on the care given the
stock while growing that one must
consider this when keeping them for
winter eggs. The Mediterranean
fowls, the Leghorns, that are called
producers, often begin to lay Urn
der five months old; then again some
of them are almost a year old before
they begin to lay-all the outcome or
the good or bad care given them. 1t
it quite to your interest that the best
sized, most vigorous hens should pro-
duce the eggs for Matching the chicks.
Hens in theft second year, all things
being equal, should produce better
chicks than the pullets. Ii these hens
were good egg producers when pullets,
and continue to lay as well, as hens,
the pullets grown from such hens
must make fine producers, provld-
ing the are well and properly grown
No matter how good the hens are
that lay the eggs, the stock Matched
from the eggs will grade in quality
according to the care bestowed, the
same as with the seed we put in the
ground.
Therefore take time by the forelock,
and begin with the understanding that
good results in poultry-growing come
largely from proper care bestowed.
Good. well-grown poultry is the only
kind that gives a full and profitable
return in fresh laid eggs in winter,
the only kind that pays when sold as
market poultry. Money is made from
growing the best for these purposes:
but little, if any, can be made from
the poor reproduced or inferior mar
ket poultry There is every induce
ment to have good quality; there is
every reason for having the poor
quality. Both are the outcome largely
of your own handiwork. Those who
have the inferior quality must blame
themselves; those who grow the
boc+ have their reward