The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-07-18

plant and upon the care given the stock. In this article Mir. Hicks tells what the pitfalls of poultry keeping are and how they may be avoided. His advice is based upon many years of successful exper- fence as a poultryman.
 In any line of business there are fail- ures. These failures occur often through the want of experience or natural adap- tability of the man at the head of the business In no line is failure more often attributed to the man himself than in poultry keeping Not everyone Is fitted to be successful raiser of poultry. This requires real liking for poultry and its care. critical eye to every detail, and painstal>ing disposition to attend to these details.
 Provided the poultry raiser is equipped by nature with these necessities for sue cess. the most common cause of failure Is want of actual experience in raising poultry. This lack of experience is the foundation of many of the other causes that contribute to losses. Through exper- fence anyone not naturally adapted to poultry raising can become successful and thus overcome handieaps. Lack of exper- fence causes the greatest stumbling blocks in the business, namely:
 Selection of improper location.
 Keeping poor stock.
 Starting with the wrong breeds.
 Eauipping With poor and improper equipment
 Too extensive buildings
 Too large a plant.
 Want of proper marketing methods.
 Neglect of the details
 The person with experience even if limited. avoids these stumbling blocks. They never trouble him to any apprecia- ble extent because he knows in advance how to reduce these troubles to mini mum. The right beginning is more than half of success in poultry raising. But the man without experience gets such hard bumps that he Is unable to survive financially or else becomes discouraged and gives up poultry raising before he has given 1t thorough trial.
 Study to Overcome Inexperience
 The beginner in any kind of work is usually optimistic because 1t is human nature to see the sunny side in the future rather than to see the discouragements offered. The inexperienced does not know of the pitfalls that are to be avoided, but he can readily see the opportunities for profit and pleasure because these appear on the surface. Inexperience can be over come largely by reading books and pa pers on the subject of poultry. by study ing the poultry business as taught by schools and colleges. and, finally, by ac- tual experience or practice on a limited scale at first.
 1t may be that the inexperienced can read and thoroughly post himself so he can get fair results in the actual prac- tice. especially If he will start on small scale. yet his mistakes will be serious handicap to his highest success and to real profits until he acquires practical knowledge It is not necessary that the practice or experience be on a large scale at first. In fact, 1t Is best that the be- ginner start on a small scale and grad ually enlarge his poultry raising establish ment as he learns the business. He may get experience on a large scale at a prac- tical poultry farm where he can learn the methods employed for doing the work he wants to engage In. Many farms take such pupils.
 Improper Location Often Fatal
 Improper location of the poultry plant is a common cause of failure. This, of course, grows out of want of experience, Locations that are damp. exposed to cold, chilly northern winds, and those that are inaccessible to n good market are among those that are not suitable for raising poultry and should be avoided.
 Often beginner wants to start on too large a scale, scale too large in propor- tion to his experience; or he puts too much of his investrnent In buildings. The beginner .s too nflch inclined to have his buildings look showy and nice. Too often he has some peculiar ideas about the style ard design of the new establishment Practical experience would show these are not best. All these peculiarities and extras cost money, and the interest on lx..x AA running expenses 1t is well established among poultrymen that the housing of hens should run from 75 cents to $l. 25 per hen. with $1 as fair average. Anything over this is a waste of money. unless the object of the investor is simply to make a showy display, not to be charged against the business.
 Improper equipment and too expensive equipment result in some failures All equipment such as hovers. brooders and incubators should be simple but at the same time substantial. While 1t does not pay to buy the cheapest, yet the other extreme is equally detrimental. Com plicated equipment requires more atten- ton, and generally does not give as good results as simpler appliances.
 Taking up new methods and untried fads causes some to fail in raising poui- try. It is far better to follow in the beaten paths than to strike off on a new road that is likely to have failure at the end
 Select the Right Breed
 The selection of poor foundation stock. or a breed that is not practical to raise. will seriously injure the chances for suc- cess. If eggs are the object. the poultry man should select a breed that has a known reputation for high production at an economical cost. and this means breed that is popular among those suc- cessful in the business of producing eggs for market If the poultryman desires to raise . few fowls for his own use. he could not do better than to taKe one of the breeds known as the ''ail purpose" breeds.
 No matter what his object in making his selection, the breeder should be sure that his foundation stock is adapted to the purpose for which he wishes it. He should buy of . reliable. established breeder. one who knows how to breed his flock mp to the highest efficiency for the purpose desired By selecting such . breeder. the beginner has the mans reputation to insure hirn strong. rugged stock. It ds most important that the foundation stock be in vigorous health and not impaired. either through close in-breeding. poor management, or any other cause. Ar the bnyer must rely largely on the representations of the sei:er ne should buy only from those who have a regulations to sustain.