The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1910-04-21

laying hens, said a young Wom-
an who, though born and
- brought up in the city, has
made a success Of poultry rails
Ing. | belong to a family of teachers.
My mother taught for a number Of
years and my two elder sisters are
both teachers in the public schools. |
suppose | might have drifted into the
family groove If the doctor hadn't told
my mother that | must live out Of
doors. She had saved up a few thou
sand dollars and as my sisters both
had good places they persuaded her
to retire and with my assistance make
a home for them to come to in the sum-
mer after their schools had closed.
Having always lived in New York,
naturally u first idea was to get as
near the city as possible. We looked
for months for a few acres where we
would be able to reduce our living ex-
penses by having a garden and keep
ing a few hens. The land was always
so high that it was quite impossible.
Gradually the circle of our investi-
cation widened until we found a small
farm Of Is acres in Connecticut on
the edge of a fashionable city. The
house was small, but with a little out
lay could be made comfortable. Being
within the limits of the town, we had
both water and eve connections, and
as the real estate man pointed out We
had an express company to call for
our eggs or any vegetables that we
might care to ship to the city.
The farm was purchased in August
with the understanding that we were
to take possession the following Feb
ruary. In forming our plans | de-
cided that as we were all city bred
1t might be well for me to go to an
eastern college and take one of the
three months courses. The question
was whether it should be dairying,
farming or poultry raising. Though !
decided on the poultry course, ! was
able to pick up much valuable infor-
nation about farming and the care
of a COW during the three months
spent at college.
My first step in the actual work of
poultry raising was to build some gas
oline heated brooder houses such as
are used in college. When this was
done | bought a lot of day-old white
Leghorn chicks. The care of these
chicks kept my mother and myself
pretty busy all the spring and sum.
mer. In August had a five-pen law
ing house built.
We had planted two acres of corn
and the balance of the land was in
hay, which We hired out and sold. The
planting of the garden was also done
by hired labor, but when my sisters
came home for their vacation they
took charge of it and no more money
was paid out for 1t until the fall.
when the dead vegetation was cleared
off and II was put in condition for the
following spring.
When this second spring came we
hired a man by the month. Besides
the garden he put in four acres of
corn and two of alfalfa. This latter
! planted because ] had learned at
college that 1t made fine food for poul.
try and because / believed the land
would suit 1t. 1t proved to be all that
/ had expected and the corn turned
out almost as well.
All this farm and garden work was
done by our hired man, who also
found time to help us with the poul-
try. One Of the points that had been
impressed on me at college was that
in poultry raising, especially at the
start. you must keep down the labor
expense.
The cornfield ! divided and used as
foraging grounds for the growing Dull.
let's. alternating the fields so that the
land would not become contaminated
The corn gives the necessary amount
Of shade besides furnishing animal
and green food during the spring and
summer and hard feed for the winter
Other pa IS OF the farm have
planted with apple and cherry trees.
because the soil appears to suit these
fruits and because both can stand he
enrichment. When these trees bear I
am sure the fruit VIII be readily dis
posed of In the local market at a fair
price.
Our chickens and eggs WI ship to
the New York market and though the