The Republican journal., 1909-12-09

Total net profit ,213 80
Notice that the expense was much
higher during the summer months, when
the chicks were growing up, as this ac-
count includes the cost of growing the
chicks and also the receipts from sales
of cockeres. Mr.. W. Matched $50 chicks
and bought as many more from the in
cubator, which he put with hens as they
mature pullets March and April hatch
ed), which are laying well for the season.
This is an increase of $50 in the flock,
which at fair value adds the equivalent
of S1O0 to the profit side of the account.
Notice also that no mention is made of
the eggs and poultry used in family of
four persons. 1t is not far from just
estimate to allow this and the manure to
offset the interest and taxes on land and
equipment.
Here, then, we have flock Of 900 hens,
paying an actual profit above all cost of
feeding of more than So hen for ten
months and with an increase of $50 in
the flock paid for out of the proceeds of
the flock This exceeds 81, 300 as profit
and pay for labor What other business
can make better showing? Under Mr..
w. s methods it doesn't take all his time
to care for the hens and chicks. think
about five or six hours day will fully
cover time This gives good pay for
labor and leaves large profit on the
investment.
With the f1ocks now laying and so
large percentage of early pullets, the
remainder of the year will at least keep
even, and ought to add something more
to the profit.
There are men who say that there is
no money in the hen business, but an
occasional example like this proves that
there is something in it when the right
man takes hold with courage and deter
mination. / have done we'll with hens as
a feature of my farm business, and know
from experience that the industry pays
we'll when we'll managed, but Mr.. Wos-
ter has me beaten considerably.
What are some of his methods of
doing business? First, this is not a
fancy breeding plant, but business egg
farm pure and simple. His market is
neither better nor worse than hundreds
of other men may have who can hardly
make the account balance. His houses
are cheap and unattractive and are
crowded with hens to an extent that
makes it seem almost impossible health
dIlu DIOuuCIlVcllSoo Gail NC llldlllCcAliSsts
His methods of feeding are no better
than some others practise. Wherein lies
the secret of his success? 1t is simply
this-a thorough attention to the details
of the business, and that includes nearly
everything essential to success. 1t isn't
always the best equipped man who ac-
complishes the most; it is the man who
attends most strictly to business that
comes off ahead in the race
l have several times called attention
to the value of cabbage as winter food
for laying hens. To my mind, there is
nothing equal to it as green food.
Other vegetables are good, but they are
only substitutes for cabbage. Mr.. Wos
ter in his letter above referred to says:
II agree with you exactly in regard to
feeding cabbage. feed from three to
five tons year.
Farmers who try to get their hens
through the winter on dry corn can find
something worth thinking about in that
statement.
Lazy men, who want a few hens to
support large family, can also find food
for thought in the added statement that
this costs him practically nothing. as he
sells enough from his patch to pay for
raising the whole.
Mr. Woster writes that he wants to
get up to Belfast to see the business
done as it should be. Fine houses don t
bring success, and know one man who
ruined good flock by buying high priced
fancy breeding stock, as they were bred
to show and not to lay. Yet we are
likely to imagine the other fellow has
better facilities than we have. It seems
to me that the lesson to be learned here
is to go ahead and win success with what
we have and not envy the other fellow,
who appears to have more, but who, in
reality, may be making much less. AS a
rule, the best success in any business
comes to the man who goes slowly and
learns his own method by experience.