The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-02-19


the Battle Is Lost or Won.
On account of the universal inter-
est In poultry raising, Col. M. l.
Donaldson has written bulletin for
the Clemson Popular Bulletin series
on Poultry Raising as 1t Relates to
the Average Farm" treating the
subject "in a practical way for prac-
tical people,"
The United States census for 1900
shows the value Of the poultry pro-
duct for South Carolina to be ST.
sss.7bb: eggs ss25.ss6. making a
total Of $2.4s5.721 and showing poul-
try to be q factor in farm economies
OF no mean Importance. With the ap-
plication Of little more intelligence
and improved methods the above
figures may be greatly enlarged.
AS first principle. the best results
can not be obtained from mongrel,
scrub stock. Thoroughbreds, no mat
ter what breed. will In = the long run
prove the best. For meat and eggs
they get the quick-growing large
breasted varieties-Rocks. Rhode Is
land Reds. Indian games. wyandottes;
for eggs, the Ieghorns and French
varieties. 1t 10 a method question.
however. II year in and year out, the
larger breeds will not produce a.
many eggs az the smaller so-called
laying breeds. General management.
food. quarters. etc. have much to do
with that.
Fowls Fowl Houses.
Having decided on the breed. select
the individual birds. Cocks should be
sturdy and vigorous, standard color,
weight and shape. Females should
be long-bodied. with bright eyes, an
air Of business when in motion
quick. alert and active. Twelve fe.
males of the large meat varieties
should be mated with one cock; four
teen Of the smaller breeds.
The old custom of allowing poultry
to roost in open sheds or trees will
not do II eggs in paying quantities are
expected. inexpensive quarters pro-
tecting from cold north and east
winds should be provided, and will
pay In every case. Quarters should
be cleaned at least once a week, and
lime used freely on the floor and
white-wash on the walls occasionally,
to prevent lice and mites. Zone little
louise Is enough to kill one little chick
en-"
The plan of letting the hen in
cubate and brood her own offspring
Is. of course. the least troublesome,
and perhaps the most successful; but
1t has proved inadequate to meet the
increasing demand for poultry and
eggs. The problem is how to feed
and manage the flock to get the larg-
est returns outside the natural breed
80 ~~'""' "A'"h eho oCAhdiiu IS StToHS
and the prices are high. during the
winter and the late spring.
RatiOns.
For fiocks that have range, the
character Of housing and ration in
dicated above is sufficient. Corn
oats, wheat, barley, sorghum seed,
with beef scrap or ground green bone
once or twice a week. Is a safe and
satisfactory bill Of fare. The usual
manner Of feeding twice a day often
in excessive quantities, may thwart the
object In view and prove positive
injury. The crop Of a fowl is not a
stomach, but a store house A hungry
chicken will invariably pack the crop
as full as possible. Then, when water
Is added, the dry food swells to such
an extent that the functions of the
crop are retarded or stopped, the
whole digestive process impaired re-
sulting I'm indigestion, or so-called
cholera. What Is called cholera is
In most cases only indigestion pro-
duced by sour food I'm an overcrowd-
ed crop; but is as fatal as genuine
cholera The Gippn1n nraranti,.o 20,