The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-09-25
The Hen on the Intensive Farm


Labor organizations and large en-
ployers of labor are very largely
reaching e common agreement that
eight hours day constitutes asdey's
work In many employments where
men are worked longer, employers
concede that they do not get as good
results as from the shorter day. The
basis of agreement the world 10 COM
ing to on the labor question II re-
duced to scientific formula would
read; Eight hours for labor. eight
hours for sleep and eight hours for
play. rounds out and makes a per-
feet day. There is no question but
what the days work upon the farm
ought to be shortened, but the prob
lem of how to do it is one Of tho
most difficult. The five months in
which the grain must be sown and
harvested, the corn planted and cult.
waited, the hay mown and stored are
of such busy round and strenuous
work that it seems as if the whole
twenty-four hours of the day are not
sufficient to accomplish all that ought
to be done. With our vigorous soil
and tropical conditions Of summer. the
weeds grow so fast that 1t seems az il
they spring up and ripen seed white
the pillow mark is still fresh in the
soil. Corn planting crowds upon
seeding time, hay harvest upon corn
cutivating, grain, harvest upon hay
harvest, and the thresher starts be-
fore the grain is all cut or in the
shock. (
One solution would of course, be
farming fewer acres and that solu.
ton is probably coming with the con-
tnually increasing prices Of land
which If its yield is to pay interest
upon the investment must = Aten-
sively farmed.
Chickens are a natural accompani-
ment to farming, and are os aSS>ial
value to the small farmer who must
make every acre count. Poultry ma
nure is considered equal in value to
tht highest priced commercial f0eeAl-
izers designed for commercial use. It
Is excellent for all crops If not used
too strong and is a much more con-
centrated fertilizer than the best de-
scription of ordinary farmyard ma
nure. Neither chickens nor turkeys
can be kept year after year on the
the Intensive farmer by giving his
chickens range on his grass land
each year and the run of the stubbls
fields can keep his land in good con-
dition, and his chickens in health. "A
hundred hens can be kept on each
acre Of a small farm at the minimum
of cost. A trouble on many farms 10
that the equipment for caring for the
chickens is utterly inadequate. IL
feed and water must be brought from
long distance. the labor cost is too
high. If chickens are housed, every,
thing should be conveniently arranged
to save steps. An English breeder
keeps 210 hens that have the run OF
100 acres in six movable houses. The
houses are moved to the stubble fields
after harvest; he gets from 10000 t.
$4,000 eggs per annum, rears $50 TO
200 pullets, sells the cockerels as soon
a spossible, and sells the old hens In
September. He claims a good in
crease in yield of grain from running
the chickens on the stubble, and
claims by using the manure on his
mangolds he grew forty tons to the
acre. He states that the fowls nevsr
do any damage but Improve every
foot of land they run on
1t Is easier to market a regular
quantity of eggs than few eggs at
infrequent intervals.
poultry keeping never means an
eight-hour day, but 1t Is easier to
plan to leave chickens than COVE, and
in the long run We believe chickens
are more profitable. An Interesting
contest Is being planned by New York
enthusiasts, namely, backing a capi-
tai OF 500 invested in chickens
against the same amount invested In
cows. That the chickens will hold
their own We do not dosrbt-Wallacs
IEs<maE..