The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-11-07
By w. G. KRUM

ipACSSOA iNt uli slNCa uiicStAOis tOi idk~ tening poultry for market.
 By w. G. kRUM
 Department of Poultry Husbandry, New York State College of Agricul- ture. Cornell University.
 Only small proportion of poultry is marketed in first-class condition, prop erly fattened. Yet the process of condi- tioning poultry is so simple, and the increase in the quality and market value makes the net profits so much larger that there is no excuse for the great quantity of poor table poultry to be found, even in the best markets.
 By fattening we do not mean filling a fowls body with large deposit of oily fat such as is often found in old hens. This, when cooked, separates from the meat, leaving it almost as tough as that of an old thin fowl. A good fowl should have large. soft muscles with sufficient fat interlacing them to make them ten der. juicy and fine favored. This not only makes them desirable for home use, but they will sell in good markets for a much higher price per pound
 How to Select Good Bird
 A good buyer of choice stock looks Tor a round, plump bird that was dry-picked and not scalded as the latter process tends to harden the skin and meat. Scala ing also lessens the market value. as it forces dirty water into the carcass, giving 1t a very undesirable appearance and takes out much of the sweet flavor.
 If the meat is soft and tender it will be possible easily to pinch with the thumb and forefinger entirely through the large in the wing. This is a surer in- dication that the fowl is tender than is a soft breastbone. It ofen is found that old fowls properly fattened, are more desirable than younger ones killed, di- rectly from the farm range where ex- ercise toughens the muscles.
 Three Ways of Fattening
 The best way to fatten poultry is to restrict exercise and feed in one of three ways: Machine. crate or pen. While the machine method gives larger profits it is difficult to obtain the skilled labor necessity to handle this class of work, and 1t is not practical with small fiocks. In machine feeding the operator inserts a rubber tube in the fowls throat and presses lever which fills the crop with a mixture of meals and milk.
 Pen fattening is best for turkeys and is satisfactory with young broilers. but the most popular flethod is crate feed ing. The crate is about two feet square and has bottom of slats or one-half inch mesh wire cloth. A coop of this size will hold six or eight mature birds or 10 to 2 young ones. The coop should be located in cool, shady place in hot weather and in warm. comfor- table room in cold weather.
 The fowls should be dusted thorough ly with good lice powder, as birds in fected with lice will not fatten well. Neither do chickens or fowls of low fatten readily. Lice powder should not be used the last week be- fore killing as it is liable to give bad flavor to the flesh.
 Feed Sparingly at the Start
 Poultry should be starved "A to S0 hours before being given the fatten- ing ration and should be fed spar ingly the first few days. The ration is increased gradually until they have all they will clean up in about 1b to 20 twice day. The first feed is given as early in the morning as they can see to eat, and the last as late at night as they can see to clean up the feed in good shape Feedings should be at the same hours each day. as ir- regular feeding lessens the appetite If the birds have more for meal or two than they can digest, they lose ap- petite and lose weight. Care should be taken to keep up a good appetite.
 good ration consists of three pounds of corn meal, three pounds of buck wheat middlings or ground buckwheat wheat middlings, and small quantity Of low grade wheat flour or Seod white weat middlings, and q smalt quantity of charcoal These are mixed with sour skim milk or buttermilk tthe latter pre- ferred) to the consistency of batter, all lowed to stand in a warm place and sour 12 hours before feeding. one quart of milk usually in sufficient for one and a half pounds of feed. Where milk cannot be obtained one-fourth to one third of the ration could consist of good meat scraps. authough this will not give as profitable results as the skim milk or buttermilk.
 Young broilers should have, in addi- tion to the above, a small feeding at noon of cracked corn and wheat as they are otherwise more liable to go "on their feed"
 Cost of Gain Under Cents Pound
 Many farmers think that as corn con tains a larger percentage of fat than any other grain, it can be fed profitably as an exclsive fattening feed. At the Penn sylvania state experiment station foWis fed on shelled corn exclusively gained in three weeks less than one-fifth of a pound each at cost for feed of from 30 to 60 cents per pound of gain. while sim liar birds, fed corn meal. mixed with but terIQllk SalneQ OHt-udll pouho No~h, showing that in the case of the whole grain too much energy is wasted in grind- ing it. A ration of several finely ground grains mixed with buttermilk, gave the best results and produced a gain at cost of cents for each pound gained
 Cost of Grain Under Cents Pound
 Tn 1911 fattening experiments were car ried on at four of the government exper- iment stations with nearly 395,0O0 fowls and the results were published by the United States department of agriculture at Washington, D. C., in Bulletin No. Fl, which can be obtained through your con gressman or by writing directly to the department of agriculture. In these ex- periments various rations were fed and the fowls averaged 3.S9 pounds of feed for each pound of gain in weight, the feed costing m cents. The greatest gain was made early in the season. while in No- venlber and December the average cost per pound gain was from 9.s to 11.6 cents.
 The rations giving the best results were No. 1, consisting of three parts corn meal, two parts of low grade wheat flour and one part of shorts. and No. ?. consisting of three parts of corn meal and parts of low grade wheat four.
 When poultry fattened with sour milk or buttermilk is shipped to market it should be thoroughly chilled to remove all the animal heat, and be packed in neat packages marked "Nfilk fed'' in or