Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-01-23


Poultry blood lines are better. You
can buy stock now at low prices which
could not be bought at any price
then. Just as the standard OF milk
and butter production per COW is high
er now than it was ten years ago. so
is the standard of egg laying and OF
early maturity in poultry"
Does it need blood to produce quail
ity ir: chickens?"
Sure. Take that cockerel you lave
just sold me, for instance. There must
be highclass blooded stock behind
him"
How do you account for the fact
that he WA sold with a crate of dung
hillsc?"
Easily. The egg may have become
displaced. The Young chicken may be
maverick. There are a dozen ways
to account for 1t. But If the farmer
who sold the crate had known his
business. lie would have recognized
the birds value
Halfway doings are no good II YOU
mean to succeed in the poultry bust
ness, YOU must learn that business.
There are hundreds of pouiterers-
high-class stock dealers-who exhibit
ar the winter poultry shows and at
State and county fairs and do not
know enough to pick out their own
best stock for exhibition.
Why, last winter / showed at
state fair, and took first prize with
white Leghoru hen and a buff Leg
horn cock over a dealer who I had
always believed had in his pens bet
ter bros in these two strains than
possessed at that time. After the
show ! made tour of his farm, and
to my establishment saw no less than
three birds of each strain among his
focks which were superior to the birds
he exhibited.
He simply did not know enough
about his own business to select the
best. Tile only excuse there was for
him vas tie fact that he is rich and
Is not compelled to give his business
TIE attention that poverty forces upon
| 4 man. Unless he is willing Ia work
and To study and to keep on working
and studying, man had better crack
| rock than take to raising chickens for
| profit"
"Bu. What Is the secret? What are
| the points difforentiating the $40 fowl
| from the 50-cent one? They all look
alike to me-"
Color shape, hearing. perfection Of
! plnmaee, comb, and feet, are some, OF
| the points The American Poultry
| Association issues books illustrating
and describing the details that go to
| make perfect bird The beginner
cannot do better than to study these
books. at the same time visiting high
grade poultry yards and talking points
whenever he gets q chance with the
man who knows.
Pedigree does not receive that at
tention in poultry shows which il
! meets with among cattle and dog eN-
| hibitors. If your bird has the physi-
| ca points of a prize winner it gets
! the prize, even though YOU may know
| nothing of its origin.
But you may be sure of one thing.
and that is no bird will show perfect
| form unless il comes from ! q strain
! which has been carefully bred for sew
eral generations along the lines of the
| Survival OF the fittest Some breeder
| has selected the two best specimens
OF his hatch in that family and mated
taem many years back; then he has
mated the best Of their progeny. each
year producing a better birG. until
finally re has one worth Il whole barn
yard tull of common stock.
There may be some lines of work
in the world where Intelligent effort
is net rewarded. but the poultry husi-
| ness is not one of them. l an sorry
| for the bookEeeper who sells his life
| for SIS week when he might get vast.
| Il more for vastly less, as l have done.
"Brnadlv speaking. the fall of che
year is tie best time to begin the
| business. 4 few dozen chickens are
| enough to start with. and single
house divided by screens into several
renS.
1T Is all right to seek advice, but
the Only dock-ribbed rule to follow is.
Watch your chickens, see what food
and what system seem best 70 agree
With them, and then follow tina. sys-
tenn. New York sun.