The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1909-03-11

Pineland Poultry Farm.

pany with the proprietor, Mr.. w. M
Randall, one day last week. Mr.. Rand.,1
is busy business man, representing .
large wholesale mouse in Portland ard
the poultry business is his recreat;or
ne mas long had desire to have a few,
Diros, ana few good ones, and that de-.
sire is being fast gratifed. for he has al.
ready more than few birds and thav
are record breakers. '''ey
Some three years ago he purchased j.
tract of land on the old Searsnort 800 q
across the bay from the city Of Relfast
and about fifteen minutes ride from ~,
Maine Central depot. The locat;o, IS
ideal, for when he has cleared awav som 20
OF the thick foliage on the back Of bic
lot the beautiful harbor of Belfast w; viii
be in plain view. At the present tine ~.
Mr.. Randall is looking after the utility
part OF the game, and has started right
Dy securing the services of Mr.. s p
Bowen Tor superintendent. Mr.. Bowen
is 1althfu! and most intelligent care
taker, who is on easy terms with every
hen in the establishment, and encouraoros
them in the belief that thew shonld aIf he
2OO-egg birds. Mr.. Randall erectad bic
own buildings and they are all from his
own designs. He hasn't paid much at.
tention to architectural beauty. hut has
mad the idea OF a comfortable home where
mems would be encouraged to Law lot of
eggs all the while. With this end in view
ne erected building 400 feet long and 20
feet WIDE. 1t is low posted and hence
easily kept, snug andi comfortable. On
the front side it is 6 feet and s inches at
the plate, and on the back side S feet
There is an office and grain room at one
end, and from this point the overhead
car starts and runs through the center of
each and every pen. Each pen contains
from ~ to lOo birds, which are fed four
quarts OF cracked corn every morning at
oaylght. Two quarts of wheat and oats
mixed at noon, with dry mash of the fol-
lowing mixture before them at all times:
one part corn meal, one part linseed oil
meal, one part gluten meal, one part beef
scraps % one part middlings, two parts
pfan. 1hey also have an abundance of
grit, charcoal and oyster shells ALWAYS
before them. They are also fed ouanti-
ties of fresh cabbage, 1000 heads having
been raised for this purpose last wear,
and more than double that number will
De provided for the next year. As
change from fresh cabbage they are
gwen small potatoes raw, which they en-
Joy and eat with great relish. They also
have an abundance of fresh water within
reach at all times. Not little fountain
partly hlled but ten quart pail filed to
the brlm, and it is renewed as soon as it
gets stale. The muslin curtain front is
employed, but unless the weather is down
10 zero, and the sun obscured the front,
Which by the way has a southern ex-
posure is kept open. Mr. Bowen saws that
he IS satisfied that the colder the pens
are kept without chilling the birds the
healthier they are and the more they will
lay.
Long runs $50 feet in length are provided
tor the hens in summer time, and when
they get the ground stale and sour the
WIRE making the run is changed to the
other side of the house, so the birds will
have fresh green range at all times. A
feed room for the storage of food. 24x36
feet, with an incubator cellar below and
incubator capacity for 1000 eggs at one
setting, is one of the new buildings that
have just been added. A stable will be
added to this little later.
One OF the interesting things about the
establishment is modern brooder house
200Xl6 feet, filed with Prairie State
breeders and capable of handling 5000
chicks. And here we see something novel
~ eiiN way VI eillS 1OI CIle CIllCkS. lH6v
are 100 feet long, but are divided in the
center, and the birds from each pen are
turned into narrow run and kept there
until they have eaten all the green stuff
IN sight, when a gate is opened and they
pass into the other half of the run, which
has been growing up and freshening while
they We're treading down the other and
thus they are alternated every few days
until they are II weeks of age when thev
are turned loose and have the free range
of the farm.
We should have said that Mr.. Randall
has set out 500 apple trees, all over the
place, especially through the runs, and at
the rate they are growing they will soon
furnish the birds the most perfect shade
in the hottest weather
To-day Mr.. Randall has about 1000 birds,
about equally divided between Plymouth
Rocks and Rhode Island Reds. They are
making quite speciality Of broilers, and
While the Rocks get up to two pounds in
from ten to twelve weeks it takes week
or two longer for the Rhode Island Reds,
to get there, but they are good seconds
and are highly priced. Already Mr.. Ran
dali has got up big trade both in broil-
ers and IN eggs and is so encouraged with
the three years business that he is al
Ieduy ldyiilS Ills plans TO double his ca
pacity and will extend his laying house
400 feet more, having the feed room in
the center, with cars running each way
He supplies the best trade in Boston with
the choicest eggs that go to that market
and is taking on new customers constant
ly, without any effort whatsoever beyond
sending No. goods and naturally re-
celvlng the top dollar for them.
But we have mot said pnIoh of apy
thing about Mr.. Randall's stock He
has studied breeds and families, until he
is convinced that there is as much differ
ence in different families of the same
breed as there is in breeds themselves,
hence the selection of a certain breed
means nothing unless he gets the right
strain of that breed. Judging from the
egg record of these birds that is just
what he has, and he is now head over
heels full of business, starting his incu-
bators, and filling orders for eggs for
Matching far and near. He showed us
pens of yearlings that laid 200 eggs and
over last year. They came from the
Hawkins Royal Blue family, mated to
cockerels from Prof, Gowell's FOG egg
stock, and why shouldn't he get great
results? And that is just what he is
getting. Then he has the pure bred
single comb Rhode Island Red hens that
laid more than 200 eggs their first laying
year, that he has mated with cockerels