The Florida agriculturist., 1907-10-23
A Plea for the Guinea.

/
quail and other game. The subject will
bear repetition. The only objection to
keeping them, on farm, is their noise.
They do not scratch like hens, and are
not SO injurious to growing crops, put
they are such rovers, and fly SO readily
that they cannot be fenced in any more
than a mocking bird, hence are not
suitable for small places. The fol-
lowing from the American Farmer,
gives some reasons for raising gulneas:
While riding over India this sum-
mer, the editor could not but regret
the almost total disappearance OF the
guinea Farms where their lncessant
| "potrack" was familiar a few years
ago, and neighborhoods made audible
for miles by their 1ncessant cackl1ngs
in chorus, are now strangers to this
! beautiful and interesting fowl. Guin-
cas-, on account of their noise, were
never popular, but when their good
points are brought forward they cas-
| lily cOunteract the one cardinal fault
| This very noise is valuable, as it is
the best hawk-frightener on the farm
and many young chicken has been
saved from the prow1ers of the air by
| the deafening din sure to rise on the
approach Of a stranger. AS insect de-
stroyers, too, guineas are unexcelled.
| A flock of them will speedily clear
field of grasshoppers and their appr'
tite for bugs and worms is the saliva
ton of vegetables and grasses None
of the farm fowls excel guineas as for
ayers They really need no feeding,
being on the move all the time, and
amply able to provide for themselves.
AS table fowls they are very superior,
young guineas being preferred to
spring chicken any time by exper-
fenced epicures Their eggs, also,
possess a de1icacy Of flavor, digesti
bi1ity and who1esomeness that surpass
the best product Of the hen. South-
ern cooks consider the eggs superior
for cake-making and fine cooking, as
the whites whip up lighter than those
of hens eggs.
The guinea is a semi-wi1d bird,
many centuries Of civilization having
failed to entirely tame it. To this fact
is due the excellence Of it's flesh, as
it is really game bird with all the
qualities which make game birds SO
highly priced Young guinea is equal
to and greatly resembles prairie
chicken when broi1ed for breakfast.
The plover's egg, so much sought for
| in Europe and beloved Of the late
Count Bismark, is really no better than
that produced by the guinea. They
are great layers in season, but poor
sitters, and for this reason the eggs
should be Matched under hens or in
lincubatOrs Their wild habits and wide
range keep them strong and healthy,
impart so1idity to their flesh and make
| their eggs fertile as we'll as fine for
culinary purposes. For some reason
or other, the guinea in this country
has become almost negligible guam
| tity and in some states has become al.
most extinct The American Poultry
| Association turns up its nose at the
guinea, refuses tC recognize it or list
| it at it's exhibitions and other influences
| have combined to make them rare and
unappreciated But, in Our opinion,
this is mistake
Viewed from the standpoint of
profit alone, it will pay to raise guin-
,as. The Europeans understand this
and over there both the birds and the
eggs are considered a great deIicacy.
| In Paris the birds bring an average
Of 70 cents, while the eggs sell for
twice as much as those Of hens. A
poultry raiser near Leipzig, Germany,
has for years made a speciality of
guineas and sells them for an average
price of Is cents each. That beats
chickens and there is no doubt tha,
| he who embarks largely in raising