Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1913-09-30
No OF Years With Poultry.

No Of Years With Poultry.
One of the many advantages to be de
rived from specializing in the poultry
business by the farmer, lies in the fact
that there are no off years. The profits
are steady from year to year, and gain.
ing little each year, 1t appears. VI
course they iuctuate with the seasons,
but they should average up just little
better this year than last, and SO
on, for the whole year. There should
be no extremely good years and no
extremely bad years, but moderately
good years every year, whether the buds
on the apple trees all blighted or not,
and even if the best OF the Jersey herd
have gone dry.
The hen is naturally strong, healthy
bird, and unless hampered by environ
meut, is q steady worker. OF course
this refers only to tho well-bred focks,
which have bad all their bad qualities
eradicated by years of constant breeding
for improved reproducing qualities.
Keep good strain of good breed of
poultry, and all breeds are good under
the right conditions, care for them prop
erly, and they will be constant source
Of enjoyment as we'll as of profit, year
after year, never once running behind in
their accounts, but always forging stead
lily ahead, and fattening the pocketbook
If their owner at the same time they are
consuming his grain.
Rut keep the poultry in hap-hazsrd,
happy-go-lucky sort of way and it will
be just the reverse. OF course it takes
lime to knock the good points of from
well-bred flock of hens, but lack OF care
will do it eventually, no matter how
good the breeding. This has been the
weak point with good many farmers
for years, but the experiment stations
have been doing wonders in the way Of
education and encouragement, and the
poultry business on the farms is rapidly
becoming something we'll worth while.
II the farmers only knew it, and would
learn and apply the real principles OF
successful poultry raising, they might
make more money at that branch OF
farming, right here in Maine, as we'll as
in any other state, for the same amount
# physical effort, than is possible in
larry farming, fruit raising, wool, truck
gardening, stock raising, or any other of
the many specialized branches Of the
agricultural industry.
1t is work to keep poultry properly;
yes, but it is work to take care OF any
thing properly, and there is no more
work in caring for good-sized flock OF
poultry than there is in caring for a
siugle cow of the heavy cream producing
breed; isn't it work to raise cream for
the dairyman to make profit out of as
we'll as yourself, Mr.. Farmer Yes,
and it is the farmer that does the work
very little the middlemau dairyman
does. If the farmers would combine
aud carry on dsirying on common sense
principles, securing for themselves the
entire profits, they would be much better
uff than they are to-day. But they will
MT often. or at least do not often do it.
But with the poultry business there
has been some advancement in this line,
and good many farmers are sending
their products direct TO the consumers,
and securing a correspondingly large
profit for themselves. They might do
still better by further combinations
among themselves, but they are already
cooperating much more freely in the
disposition Of their poultry than is the
case with any of their other products.
This il encouraging to the poultrymen.
Still more encouraging is the fact that
farmers are learning how to bring their
birds into the proper condition for best
results, and keep them there, and are
doing it. This is one of the reasons
there is no off year with poultry.
OF course there are seasons when
chickens die in great numbers, or the
eggs fail to hatch, but this is due more
than anything else to the weather con-
ditious, and when these discouraging
things happen in the early spring, the
only satisfactory thing to do is, when
you fail to raise the early chickens, raise
late ones. They are not quite as good
as the early ones, but they may be made
to produce very satisfactory results, and
turn many an honest dollar for their per-
severing owners.
Two things essential to poultry sue
cess: Remember that there are no oil
years, and keep everlastingly at It'll.
l.. Goodwin in Maine Farmer.