Evening star., 1915-06-06
THE SUNDAY STAR WASHINGTON D. G., JUNE g. 1915-PART

coop, made of light material that may
be placed several feet up off the floor
| of this coop of Stats an inch apart: or,
| better still, make it of fine mesh poul
| try netting tackled firmly to the frame
of the coop. Feed and water vessels
should of course be provided. Hens
placed in such a coop are kept cool
| by the circulation of air beneath them,
and in from one to three days they
are entirely cured of their desire to
| set, after which they soon return to
| laying. II the coop is made large
enough several hens may be placed in
| it at the same time, with results as
| good as when only one is thus in
! termed
| II red or crimson clover is availa BILE
| in abundance wise poultrymen will
cut a liberal supply and cure it to feed
I clover should be cut before the seed
| heads ripen, as these are full of small
hairs hat, eaten by poultry or any
kind of stock, are likely to produce
bad results. Cure the clover as You
/ would cure hay, and when it is thor
oughly dry-after the willing and
sweating process-store it in dry and
well ventilated loft or other stora ge
| place. Next winter run the clover ha Y
| through cutter. pour scalding water
| over it in tub or bucket, allow it to
stand for a fen minutes. and make it
a liberal portion of the ration for the
| layers. Provided and prepared in this
| way. clover is almost equal to alfalfa
as green ration and is much cheaper.
| A plentiful supply of root crops and
| cabbages for green feed next winter
will go a long way toward cutting
down feed bills. improving the condi-
tion OF the fowls and increasing egg
productions. Ruta bagas, mangei
wurzels, sugar beets-when they can
be grown-ordinary garden beets. tur-
nips. etc, are the usual root crops,
with carrots as an addition once in a
while. The mangels should be sown
at once in order that they may mature
before frost. Turnips may be sown up
TO July rs, as may ruta bagas. Sugar
beets, to attain full size. should be
sown at once. Gather the roots before
they have been injured by frost and
store them in cool. dry, dark root
cellar 1t is often just as well to bury
the roots in a pit in the field where
they es. are e, grown .r cabbages may be
plants for late cabbage up to the mid
die of July. A daily feed of cut roots
changing the kind every day-with
cabbage on the side. will keep the di-
condition. will increase the egg pro-
duction and will help materially to
cut down the much more expensive
hard grain and dry mash rations.
Poultry raisers in France, Belgium.
Germany and other European coun-
tries use potatoes much more largely
as a ration for poultry than is the
custom in thu. United States. The po-
tatoes are, of course. the small ones
and culls, and are boiled and fed as
a wet mash, with the addition of bran
or meal.
Strange as it may appear, young In
dian Runner ducks are as easily
drowned as are babv chicks. Not
W1thstanding the fact that the duck
a vIyra
of the shell. if they happen to be
caught in rainstorm away from shell
ter the chances are that the entire
brood will drown. The ducklings,
when they are caught in a downpour
of rain, appear to lose all idea of seek
ing shelter. and stand with their bills
sticking straight up in the air. In this
position the falling rain seems to run
into their nostrils, speedily drowning
them One raiser of Indian Runners
last spring lost thirty ducklings out
of flock Of forty in this manner.
Ducklings of other breeds do not ap-
pear to act in this manner if
caught in the rain, but Indian Runner
ducklings must be driven under shelter
at the approach of a storm if they are
not to be drowned
Give the young pullets all the range
possible. while keeping the cockerels
conf1ned-that is, all but the young
males that are to be reserved for breed
ing purposes. II the pul1ets are per-
mitted to range all over the garden
they will do little damage compared to
the service they do in hunting and
consuming bugs of all kinds, worms,
slugs and the like. Free range, plenty
of exercise, body building rations and
freedom from the companionship OF the
young males are the requisites for
proper growth and development of the
pullets which are to be the egg pro-
ducers next fall and winter,
At the risk of apparently tedious
repetition, the warning is given again
to keep up the warfare on vermin in
the poultry houses, the brooders, the
nest boxes and on the young and adult
once a week on all parts of the houses,
including the roosts, roost supports,
nest boxes and floors, will aid mate
rally in keeping the fowls comfort
able and in preventing the weakening
and death of chicks from the attacks of
mites and lice. Frequent dusting of
the nest material with good insect
powder and the use of an insecticide
of known efficacy on the chicks will
keep the hens healthy and comfortable
and insure the same conditions for the
chicks.
Pullets for summer laying are de-
veloped from chicks Matched in July,
August and September. Such chicks
should be kept growing right along,
although. Of course. not so much at
tention need be given to breeding, ex-
cept to see that the brooders are kept,
scrupulously clean; Or in case the
chicks are brooded by hens, to see that
the mothers are kept free from YER
min and that the coops are clean, we'll
ventilated and supplied with plenty of
clean, dry litter. Ample shade must
be provided for the summer matched
chicks, as they are extremely sus-
hot sunshine Such chicks should have
such sstart by the time cold weather
arrives that they will continue to grow
and develop without interruption dur
ing the winter, and be ready to begin
LAYING by next April or May. OF recent
years eggs have been almost as scarce
during the summer months as in the
as high Eggs at 35 to As cents a
dozen during June. July and August.
when the hens and pullets have ample
Quantities of green feed growing out
Of doors to cut down the cost OF
feeding, are about equal, all things
considered, to so 90 cent eggs in
January.
In many sections close to Washington
crows are proving serious pests where
chicks are permitted to range at will
The black marauders pick up and carry
Off the chicks sometimes, by repeated
visits. capturing an entire brood and
often making heavy inroads among the
chicks. The only way to frighten the
crows away with the assurance that
they will remain at distance is to
shoot few of them and suspend the
carcasses where their companions canl