Omaha daily bee., 1916-08-21
Nebraska
ERIE SMILEY WINS
ON CHICKEN RANCH
Young Seward County Man
Makes Success of Effort to
Raise Good Ones.
MADE START WITH PIGEON
(From a Staff Correspondent


Lincoln, Aug. 20 (Special.) -
Not all who engage in the chicken
industry make good. Numbers come
out of it on the red ink side of the
ledger, but to the man or boy who
goes at it in the right way success
is almost sure to follow. Nebraska
has many of these, and none have
had more success in the short time
they have been engaged in it than
Erie Smiley.
Who among you have heard Of
Erie Smiley? Well, not many The
upon him unawares. You have not
heard of Erie Smiley for two reasons
in particular: first, because he is very
=. much Of a youngster, and second,
because the business in which he is
engaged is limited to a comparatively
few people.
Started Early.
Mr.. Smiley lives in garden spot
of Seward county, few miles above
Beaver Crossing, where conditions
are ideal for his business. Erie is
a chicken fancier only twenty-five
years old, but he has been interested
in birds almost all his life. When in
his teens he became interested in
pigeons, and from this he began his
study. He made little money, with
the emphasis on the little" and then
branched out into large game, spend
ing all he could get mostly for ex-
perience and learning how. In his
own words, II was for several years
just plugging along and getting my
experience. Two years ago ! was moi
worth 500. I am now up to the
game and believe l can get along
Many Of my neighbors laughed al
me and said would go broke. Well
I have not gone broke yet"
Strange it is, and worthy Of note
that visions and unusual purpose are
sure failures in the eyes OF fhe on
lockers.
Erie Finally Won.
Well, Erie Smiley won out; his
flock contains one hundred and 81,
y varieties, and the plant is worth
from $1,000 to $1,000, and he's jus
getting his hand in. Erie and hi
show season of 1915, including thir
teen silver trophies. At the Panam;
Exposition, San Francisco, his show
took ten frsts, two seconds, on'
third, one fourth, and two champion
ships. Only sixteen birds were en-
tered. Erle's pens on this Nebrask;
farm CONAN many famous birds
among them are several Madison
Square winners. Although just
boy, Mr.. Smiley has studied ever.
phase of his business; he is an exper
on hereditary laws and knows hov
to mate inorder to produce desire'
results. Mating for effects, marks
color schemes, laying, ETC., he ha
down to a science.
To the writer's mind, unskilled il
the business, his simple, but dehnit
little lecture on chickens and CHECKER
raising as he went about the pen
was instructive and impressive
When one of his little game ban
tams was tapped gently under tn
beak, he stretched up tall and slim
with all the intelligence of child
and stood there to be admired
Stih is Ambitious.
He is ambitious to extend his focl
to include the full one hundred an
forty-eight varieties of birds. He ha
sought the best, not only in our ow
country, but in Canada and England
He knows everyone of lis twelv
hundred birds, and is OIL familia
= terms with them. He handles ther
with care and freedom, and they hav
confidence in him. vi
Erleis the youngest licensed pou
try judge in America. He has STUD
led under the best experts in tn
country and absorbed vast amour
of bird by intimate association. H
speaks the language of all of the on
hundred and six varieties in h
pens. 1t is rare sight to see TIL
young birdman among his pets. H
has demonstrated that purposeful, ii
telligent effort has sure reward.