Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-01-07
MORE ECONOMICAL.
Advantage Which the Man Who
Grows His Own Stuff Has Over
Others.

Slo"s F1iS SWn stuff Has Over
Others.
None will dispute the fact that to
make poultry raising pay, good Jug
menJ and economy must be exercised
In every phase Of the business. To the
man with the big income from the
city, who has bought farm for pas
time, it matters little whether the
mock or poultry pay u profit or not.
he may indulge in the luxury OF build,
ing an elaborate poultry house with
all the modern oOnveniences, and he
may feed all the high-toned and high.
priced feed mixtures which the pour
try journals are full Of, says a writer
In the New York Tribune Farmer.
His poultry may do well or not, and
1t matters little whether he is pro.
ducing eggs and market meat at d
profit or losing all the time.
The remainder of us, however. go
into the business TO make money, and
II the balance account is the wrong
way we soon quit. That competition is
strong as in everything else, and that
profits are not easy are proved by the
fact that many go in the business, on
ly to give it up in year or So Ii. is
apparent that every branch of the
work must be managed with economy,
and especially is this true in the mat
ter Of supplying feed. The feed bill
is the bugbear to those who have to
buy their feed, and some are tempted
TO put their fowls on half rations One
might just as well quit at once as to
DO this, for poultry are profitable on
ly when they do their best, and they
VIII not do their best unless they
have the best of treatment. It makes
a great deal of difference whether you
can get feed for / 1a cents a pound or
If you are paying 21a cents.
Many small poultrymen, especially
On village lots, who rely largely ON the
poultry journals for information, are
tempted to buy some of the many
specially prepared or mixed Forms of
feed which are so highly recommended
in advertisements. Many Of these
feeds are excellent, but the price is
usually about double what the staple
feeds can be bought for from the farm.
The bulk of these prepared feeds CON
sist of cracked corn, with 4 small
proportion Of wheat, kaffir corn, mil
let etc, and few sunnower seeds.
There is nothing better for poultry
than the staple products Of the farm.
corn, wheat, oats, buckwhcat, clover
hay and cabbage-and while it is ad-
yisable to use these in variety, one
can oftcntimes save considerable by
feeding more largely TO some one par
ticular kind, which may, for the time
being, be low in price.
There is no doubt that farmers who
make a specially OF poultry nave de-
cided advantage i'm the fact that they
can produce more cheaply tban il can
be bought If ono has small piece
Of land it can be prohtably used for
growing feed for the chickens, at the
same time that it can be made fertile
and kept so by utilizing the poultry
manure. Most ali feeds are high at
the present time, excepting clover hay.
This is n feed not to be despiscd by
the pOultryman, not only because it
is low priced-less than one-half a
cent q poUnd-but is a valuable source
of protein feed and may he used TO
balance up corn, which is fattening
and which is about the next cheapest
feed. 1t can be bought from farmers
for a little over one cent a pound
Cornmeal and a little wheat bran
mixed with steamed cut clover hay
make a very cheap feed and for re-
suits in eggs has 70 superior Wheat
is an ideal food for poultry. adapting
itself so well as a scratch food.
1t can be bought for IL cents a
pound, and oftentimes one can get
screenings or defective wheat at the
mills for much less oats are good for
poultry and can be kept before the
hens, and are better tsed in that way
than given on the litter, as the fowls
do not like them so we'll and there
will be waste when used that way
Grit and charcoal are sometimes
mixed with the prepared feeds re-
ferred to, but the most rational way
to use these is to have them in self
feeding hoppers, from which the hens
can help themselves. ] make an eX-
ception in the case os chick food for
young chicks. In its form and compo-
sitiOn il cannot be surpassed for young
chess. and while 10 costs more than
the staple feeds, it does nc. require
much for the chicks while they are
young. and SO is far superior TO any
kind OF mashes.