The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1911-01-27
HENS MADE TO PAY PROFIT YIN
LoGGED-OFF HILLS OF
WEST SIDE
Plant Is On Clay Soil, Rainsoakeo az
This Time Of Year, but Proves 10 &c
a Financial Success-Hens Are Kept
Dry, but Given Lots OF AIr-lo lry
Dairying Next.

population 12O per cent. In Twelve
years the shipment of poultry and poul-
try products into the state has IN
creased 1900 per cent. That is, the
population has increased since 1900
from 51S,1O3 to 1,141,990. For period
of twelve years shipments OF poultry
and poultry products into the state
have grown from 100000 to $4,OOO,OOO.
In the same period the shipments of
poultry and it's products and dairy pro-
ducts combined have increased to SILL
100000.
This statement is vouched for by H.
L. Blanchard, assistant superintendent
of the state experiment station, estab-
lished here more than a year ago. Mr..
Blanchard is in charge of the dairy and
poultry Investigations.
To Take Up Dairying.
James J. Hill, in his speeches during
his last trip to the Puget Sound coun-
try, directed attention to what he be-
lieved could be done on the logged-of
lands on the Sound in dairy farming,
and the experiment station here will
give attention to dairy herds, though
it's plant in that line is not yet de-
velOped.
During last year a poultry plant was
established and Mr.. Blanchard says
that one year has demonstrated what
can be done in this branch of farming.
Built on clay soil, where during the
rainy season it is some wet, as ride
from Tacoma over either the short or
long electric line to Puyallup will con-
vince any one, the eastern poultry
raiser would grow enthusiastic over the
berry ranches, but say: Nothing do
rain-soaked valley"
But up on the hill, where he would
get his feet soaked when it rains, he
would find successful poultry plant.
Keep Chickens Dry.
Keep the chickens dry? Of course
they do. The plant is especially con-
structed with that end in view, and in
slay or sandy soils, that is what must
be done.
Everybody used to put lots of glass
in the poultry houses. This is no longer
the thing to do. Plenty of air is the
rule, and instead of glass, cotton
shades are used. And they are used in
cold climates, for at the experiment
station at Cornell university in zero
weather this sort of window is found
to be preferable to glass.
/ The poultry at this station, Mr..
Blanchard says, paid for the plant the
first year 1t started August 1, 1909,
with ESQ pullets taken from a hatch of
LOTT chicks, and last November it had
230 hens, 22O pullets, 1875 males and
1853 pounds of poultry had been sold
for $40944.
Percentage of Matching.
During the year fifty-eight matches
averaged S8k per cent. The highest
percentage for any hatch was 971a
Eighty Leghorns, Matched in Febru-
airy, began laying when they were
months and 10 days old, and before
molting averaged AZ eggs each. When
my WOiO lAOAIuS Ju0lT 0kkS udO
paid for their feed for period of a
year and half, and they had yet nine
months to lay.
This is a sample of what other fiocks
at the plant have done. All efforts are
directed to producing breed of high
percentage layers. No attention is
paid to fancy poultry.
Not Rival to PouItrymen.
There has been some opposition to
this plant from the poultry associa-
tions,' said Mr.. Blanchard, .but we
are not rival to the poultry raisers
The station is directing it's efforts to
the raising of the standard of layers.
1t is aiming to increase the number
OF poultry farms in Western Washing
ton and is demonstrating, what have
demonstrated on my Jefferson county
farm. that better returns for the in
vestment are to be had from poultry
than from the dairy or from hogs
Campaign for Good Roads.