Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-10-19
CHICKENS CAN Be
MADE HELPFUL
To FARMER
Planters at Present Do Not Get
as Much From Poultry as
Is Possible.
BY VIM. j. STITH.

BY WIN. ]. STITH.
W. desire in this article to advance
some IDEAS, which if put into practice.
vii, be a blessing to the great army of
wen who are engaged In farming. While
We are speaking to the farmers as a
whole. the lessons herein contained
NAV be absorbed by all who read, if so
desired.
In the first place, the writer is well
satisfied. after careful consideration,
that farmers in general do not get as
much clear profit out of their poultry
osit is possible for them to get. espe-
ciariv those who do not make poultry a
soecialty. Speaking of farmers as a
whole, very small per cent make
much out of their poultry. not because
they are inferior to others i'll the man
per oS breeding poultry, but largely be-
cause they are careless as to this part
of the work connected with their farms.
The majority think the business of
vaising chickens is too small a thing to
claim their attention, and the work is
largely left to the busy housewife who
with all her work, manages quite often
In supply the family with the most of
the groceries needed, and the profit or
loss on the poultry kept is seldom
counted so far as the farmer himself is
concerned.
Now. IL the farmers as whole do
not derive much revenue from the
poultry kept on their farms, it is clearly
manifest from more than one stand
poiut that as a class they are to blame;
for II has been proven, time and again,
that there is profit in poultry keeping,
and Of all classes the farmer has the
best opportunity for getting profit out
Of this line of business. Unlike those
who breed poultry in towns and cities,
he has ample room for carrying on the
business, either on a large or small
scale, He can devote as much space to
It ss he desires, and without disad-
vantage to other lines of farm work.
For the most part, the poultry kept
proves blessing to the others; for In
number Of ways the flock helps to in
crease theiy profits.
One Of these items Is the profit arts
ing from the fertilizer gathered from
The poultry houses and placed on the
Boil for the production of different
t@Nps There are few better fertilizers
hud 70 carefully preserved and added to
S1s soil, will count greatly in bringing
the crops TO maturity in the most per
feet manner, and figure largely In the
profits when marketed.
If all farmers could be made to real
lse how far the fertilizer procured from
the keeping of two or three hundred
hens would go toward producing crops
they would be investing more in poul-
Try and less in commercial fertilizer,
remembering that the chickens bring
good profit on the amount invested, not
counting the fertilizer at all.
Again, poultry proves a wonderful
help to the farmer in destroying in
sects which destroy fruit and different
crops and the ever busy hens not only
rid the farmer of these pests, but help
furnish their feed at a very low cost
In this day of insect destruction, the
flock Of fowls is almost Indispensable,
and the farmer is beginning to realize
how much he owes to the poultry kept
on his farm A neighbor of ours in
discussing the question of plum grow
ing, said he would not think of trying
to grow them if he had to dispense with
his chickens.
But the poultry of itself assists in no
uncertain degree in charging the
farmers bank account The fact is
being demonstrated by not a few these
Gays that with few hundred hens one
man can make a good living for himself
and family. when he is compelled to-
purchase all the feed which the hens
consume, and If this is possible, how
much more easily can d farmer VINO
raises all his grain, vegetables, etc,
make splendid profit. say, on four or
nve hundred hens? 1t should also be
remembered that the keeping Of poultry
at a profit will mean but very little
more work and will scarcely interfere
with the other farm work. To be sure.
IL VIII neCessitate looking after this
part of the business of the farm as
carefully as any other department, and
hecessitates taking as much interest In
u as in other things.
e urge upon all farmers who read
Ims article the great importance OF
heeplnS pure bred stock, for the best
interests of all concerned discard the
Hongrel and get flock of pure bred
Io"IS. 1t has been demonstrated time
'Hu again that a flock of pure bred
poultry will bring in more profit than
mOhgrel one, and then there is some
peasure in having beautiful flock on
me premises. The focks on many
ARMS are a disgrace to those who keep
mem, for, like Jacobs cattle Of old
"eA are ring -streaked. speckled and
S''Iled, and of i'm shape combs and
S@e ANY old thing so far as poultry
~ Concerned seems to be the rule with
some farmers, where If the herd of cat
.e showed such negligence, those keep
'rs them would hide their faces with
shame