Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-19

| In making profit i'm poultry one of the
necessities is a minimum. The keeping
| of strict account of the income and the
expenditures is the only method to deter
| mine whether or not we are getting
good return for cur investment.
| 1t has been estimated that the feeding
of a chicken costs about a half cent a
| day a wear \ hen that lays 1.a eggs per
year will be worth, in the sale OF those
| eggs saw at 80 cents a Dozen which Is a
| low average a little over So. Which
means that the profit per hen will be
something Ike 81. The idea is not TO al
| low that profit to decrease. and it will de-
crease If we do not watch for and sop
up the leaks,
One of the ways to decrease that profit
is to have your feed in a bin that is not
ratproot Another is the altering OF
grain all over the poultry yard, where. II
not eaten. it becomes moldy. or Is carried
| away by the sparrows Still another way
/ is filthiness in and about the coop. bring
1 ing on disease. sometimes the loss of a
| bird and naturally a decrease in the lay
!, ing. Then. too there is improper feed
| ing-the buying of feed il too small "A
quantity. Unclean nests should not be
come.
To overcome these profit eating results
! takes a little more time but IL pays. liz
we work systematically we get good re-
| turns. Rats will swell up and make your
/ feed bill swell. too \ bin should he We'll
! lined with tin or other material to insure
the keeping out of the rats, which are
| DC SITS around the place. and are scattered
| i'm increasing numbers II grain Is lett
where they can get it.
Demand at lease a dollar year from
hen. With good management. this amount
from your egg sales alone should be had
1 "a ffr,lac
At the present time there is spreading
over the country the craze to raise chick
ems. How many beginners will be en-
thusiastic in the fall canno. be estimated.
1t can be said however. that those to
fall back first will be those who have
taken mp more birds than they can ham
die They will get tired of the work. and
be discouraged by disease II seldom
seems to occur 20 man or woman
who purchases 100 chicks, when he or
she can really care for only fifty. that the
part CT wisdom would be to sell half the
stock. or sell a dozen at a time until the
proper number remains.
Even after they have been cared for
six months ii would be better to sell them
at % cents apiece. or give them away.
than to get wary of the entire work and
neglect the whole flock.
In many cases people expect to jump
into the midst of big business" when
they can only handle small business.
start don't forget there is work to do.
Making money in the chicken business is
not all milk and honey. 1t is not the
same as pushing old paper into a mill
and grinding out dollar bills.
Letters often come to hand asking il
a man can leave a twenty-fve-dollar-a
week Job move to the country. buy chick
ems enough to give him a similar return.
Men with families depe nding on them ask
such questions. too. The best answer to
that is ii can't he done 4 man like
that. as a general rule. should hold his
lob and start on a small scale. In time
he may be able to leave his business.
One OF the common causes of trouble
i'm raising poltry is soil contamination.
allowing chickens to roam over the same
ground year after year. If you have only
a small place. get out your spade and dig
up the ground. IL possible, wire of
small section and plant some clover In
it. Pant anything as long as you can
get something to grow. If you have Q
range. either dig 1t up or plough II. II
the range is large enough to plant q good
crop, % much the better. Get some tife
into your yard. Such methods not oniy