New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-03-10
r0Wful Victim.

sOcCidltS d Jul II
Victim. H
saved Tor me by the neighbors and a
few scattering dozens homemade l
had estimated so per cent matches and
that IS per cent would reach maturity
after Matching. Strange to say, my
average for the first seasons matches
was 60 per cent. and for a time it
looked as though the death rate would
be less than 10 per cent. It was net
long before had 1000 little downy
balls, lively as crickets, chasing each
other back and forth from under the
hover to the sunlight At that time
less than 8 per cent had crossed over,
and | was beginning to think there
was something in the chicken business
In spite Of the numerous II told you
SOS" among the neighbors.
Popularity Of Chickenville.
That broiier factory became regu-
lar show place. and whenever any of
the townspeople wanted to show Uncle
James or Aunt JENNY something new
they were sure to waddle down to
Chtckenville. 1t really was surprising
the number Of people who came to see
those yards and yards Of living pan
sizes. People came from all parts of
the county, and there were a few spe-
cial visitors from Cleveland and Buff
falo.
About the time the chickens were
feathering out and would weigh half
to three quarters Of a pound they be-
gan to die. They were free Of vermin
and could not understand the cause
Of their death. They seemed to be at
flicted with general cussedness rather
than any other eatalogued chicken dis
ease. To make the funeral grafton Of
some 5000 chickens short. it Is enough
to say that less than third Of the to-
tai matches ever got to market. and in
stead Of making $1,000 the drst season
In profit (based on previous experience
and double discounted) l found that
the actual investment and expenses for
the first year were $l,874.34 and the
total receipts only $702.75.
One reason for the low receipts was
sudden stop in the Matching opera.
tons on account of the destruction Of
my regular business by fire on June l..
Had not the fire occurred the chicken
receipts would have been larger. but
guess the fire was good thing amy
way, as the larger the chicken re-
ceipts the larger the expense without
any reduction of the ratio
1t would not be fair to the chicken
business, however, not to say that
many of my best laid plans were over
turned because Of the fire. In order
to get as much ready money as
could l sold most of my choice young
stock which l was rearing to fill the
laying pens for the next year, with the
result that the later stock did not ma
ture in time to lay during the next
winter, and after carrying them over
until early spring l took advantage
Of the high price and sold them.
Later in the summer, finding l was
not quite bankrupt, l reorganiZed the
chicken business and enlarged the
| plant in accord with the needs that
experience seemed to demand.
l tried fall matches, but found that
not only did the eggs fail to incubate
! as we'll as in the spring, but the chicks
that did break through the she'll lack
| ed vitality Of course l knew fall
chickens were more difficult to raise
but who would have thought the aver
age hatch would be less than 20 pei
cent and the death rate of those
; which pecked through their limestone
castles would be 95 per cent!
The same condition Of poor matches
during the fall continued during the
spring and was not confined to my ex
perience alone, but was general con
dition throughout the country, showing
that fertility of eggs and vitality o.
embryo depend on conditions fol
| which the chicken raiser is not Away:
/ to blame. Instead Of Matching 1,0Ot
per month, as I had expected, | wa:
getting 400 to 500 chickens. Whei
| winter came there were about 1,2Ot
sickly looking incubator babies in thu
big brooder house.
Ravages Of a Neighbor's Dog.
The troubles doubled when N.
handy colored hired man became sick
There is an old adage about coloret
man loving chickens, and my coloret
man certainly loved to care for thos.
\ chickens. But might as we'll end thi
part Of the story right now. A new
green black boy came to care for thu
/ poultry and to help end the business
4 What chickens didn't die under his un
skilled care disappeared in other ways
Rats, which had not troubled me be
1, FORE took a full hundred in singh
,;rl, go Aho% Mt f ha{ !,