Evening star., 1915-07-25

ing money They think they know.
but they have only the haxiest general
idea. Not long ago. on a wager, !
trapnested the flock of a friend OF
mine for two weeks The fiock only
contained hfty-four hens, but in the
two weeks I was able to show him, in
manner that was absolutely convinc-
ing. that just about half of the hens
were loafers. not even beginning to
pay for their keep. Included in the
number of star boarders were many OF
the hens that my friend had believed
were laying right along. and when I
proved to him that they had not laid an
egg in the whole two weeks. while eat
ing as much as the others and pre-
senttng every external indication of
paying for their board. he was one of
the most astonished men I ever saw
He disposed of just twenty-one of his
hens and continued to get the usual
average number of eggs. Ny belief.
backed by considerable experience, is
that about four-fifths OF the focks
In this part of the country. anyhow,
are in the same condition-probably
one-half of the hens laying and the
other half cackling.
1T isn't necessary to trapnest a flock
all the time to learn just what individ-
uais are on the job and which ones are
loafers." he went on. "A couple OF
weeks in the spring. two weeks more
in the middle of the summer, another
two weeks in the fall and a two-week
test in the middle of the winter will do
just as well. il not better, than. unin-
terrupted trap-nesting. BY following
this plan the poultryman will learn
what hens are laying at the time OF the
test. If he has reason to suspect that
some that do not lay during the first
two-week test are merely loafing for
awhile. 1t is easy to mark such heus
and reserve them for a second test.
lhen II he finds they are still non-pro-
ducers, he can either dispose of them or
Keep them for a third or a fourth test
ny Keeping careful check on his hens
TINS way through two two-week per-
iods. however. it will be possible to
know with postiveness what hens are
layers and what are not. Then the
thlng to do is to dispose of the nom
producers Just as soon as possible: send
them to market that very day, IL prices
are anything like right. The longer
tney are kept and fed. the more money
their owner is going TO lose.
If space is availa Bile in the poultry
yard plan for the ideal combination Of
| fowls and fruit by setting out as many
trees as the size of the yard will per
young fruit trees. provided the work
| is properly done. Peach trees may be
set ten to fifteen feet apart each way,
though apples and pears require more
room Plums and cherries may be
| spaced the same as peaches The holes
ior the young trees must be made deep
enough and large enough to allow
plenty OF room for the roots. as the
II the roots are cramped. 1t is a good
idea to set a stout stake alongside
each tree. sinking the stake deep
enough to make 1t absolutely firm and
| then tying the tree solidly to the
stake. As the trees grow they will
furnish shade for the fowls and at the
same time will be sources of future
profit; while the fowls will keep the
trees themselves
insects, and at the time of cultivation
of the trees will capture many worms.
beetles. etc. that without them would
be likely to injure the trees. A big
poultry yard full of bearing fruit
trees of desirable varieties makes an
ideal range for poultry, combining the
two sources of profit on the single area
| of ground.
The average -poultryman can do
nothing better for his flock than to
clover on any available ground close
to the yards or houses. The soil
should be deeply spaded or plowed
and then should hNe thorough
fine. friable condition before seeding
pound of crimson clover seed, COST
| ing about 30 cents. will seed a space
forty feet square heavily enough to
| insure a dense, thick stand, and the
| clover. if sown during the first part
| OF August. or at any time up to Aug
ust 70, Will make a growth of green
feed that will last through the winter.
well almost anywhere in this locality,
and the fowls could have no better
green feed In freezing cold weather the
| tops of the plants will shriyel, natur-
ally. but underneath. where the growth
is protected by its own denseness, the
leaves Will keep green and tender. and
the chickens soon learn this. burrow-
ing into the growing mass and finding
| their own green forage-something all
poultry likes to do much better than
| to eat the sprouted oats or other green
stuff provided by the poultryman
ready for their consumption. In the
spring the remaining clover. if turned
under, makes the very finest kind Of
green manure.
Many big poultry farms at this sea-
| son of the year follow the practice of
| reducing their f1ocks and selling off
/ thousands OF desirable fowls at cut
| prices Often it is possible, by taking
advantage of these midsummer sales
| to acquire breeding stock that at the
| regular season would have cost many
times the prices asked now. Many of
the big pants put number of their
winners at last winters shows in these
| sales; for example, a recent list issued
| by one of the largest farms in the east
included a cockerel that was one of the
| winners at the Boston show last win
ter. At the time of the show the bird
was priced for sale at just five times
the price at which he is quoted in the
| summer list. Hens that during the reg
ular season sold at SIS to IS each are
listed at s1.75 each. BY getting in
| touch with some of these big estab-
lishments and obtaining their midsum-
mer price lists poultrymen who are de-
sirous of introducing new blood into
their f1ocks may do at very little
cost, and by corresponding only with
those establishments which by reason
of having been long in the business
have built up reputation for relia-
bility, such poultrymen may be assur
ed of getting exactly what they pay for.
Many a fine, paying flock has been
built up by the flock owners having
watched these midsummer sales and
taken advantage of the real bargains
offered.
Replying to an inquiry from River
dale reader of this column, the formu-
la for preserving eggs by means of
water glass may be had by addressing
the division of publications. Depart
ment of Agriculture. which will send a
bulletin containing the desired informa
tion free of charge.
pOIYITpv NOES PET STACK