Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-30
HOW TO MAKE FARM HEN
PROVE MORE PROFITABLE
Get Rid Of Scrubs. Says Expert, or
Grade Them Upward With
New Blood.
NET RETURNS NOW TOO SMALL.
Golden Opportunity Presents Itscl;
to Farmers, if They Sec to Size
and Vitality OF Poultry - What
Virginia 3Iincowncr Found.


TO Farmers, IL They Sec to Size
and Vitality OF Poultry What
Virginia aIincowncr Found.
-Rf PROFESSOR JAMES H. NORMAN,
Former Expert for the United Stntcs
Department OF Agriculture.
The poultry side OF farming has been
sadly neglected. Most farmers have
not made money from their fowls. rs
= rule they have not tried. They have
kept few scrubs. Which prove poor
iaycra and table fowls With meat
growing scarcer and war prices pre-.
'ailing for all kinds or food. the day
has como to grade UP tho farm hen and
make her paying proposition.
The last census figures show that the
average annual value Of eggs produced
on each "a RIM way little less than SIS
and of poultry raised at Sean aver
age total value OF poultry products Of.
800 When the expense OF feeding
and marketing Is deducted the net
profits are therefore small
This showing is poor in the face OK
The natural advantages offered b.. the
farm for poultry Keeping The farm
ben usually Ia. free range. This is an
advantage which can be made TO WELD
dollars and cents. The feed bill tor
the grain eaten is the cost az rrodvc-
ton only. This IS AN additional adj
vantage which makes the cost OF pro-
ducinE eggs less. therefore II should
increase the farmers profits. Lastly.
the farm hen can procure :, greater
abundance o! natural FOOD. This Is not
only cheaper. but more satisfying than
the comm ercial feeds sold - take the
place OF Erubs aad insects
With these natural adv.ut1scs 10
her credit the farm hen ought 10 exec.
her competitors Du, shc has 40; done
so. The average cs: production IL
:!3ty-tovr eggs year for each farm
hen. The average "eiGht OF eggs laid
hy the poorcs; Grade OF farm fowls
is about twenty ounces 20 The dozen:
by the better grade OF mixed barnySrd
hens. largely Of Plymouth Rock origin.
about t~erty-three ounces. and By HENS
from pure-b,cd tioci:s % specially bred
LcGhorns or American varieties. TWEEN
ty-four TO twenty-five and ihree-ntth
ounces per ooyca. Evidently the kind
OF fowl KEEP. has much TO do with tA!s
roo. showing.
From these facts and figures we
should learn t"p Lessons; l'.rz;. the
farmer has golden opportunity a.
hand II he Will keep better hens aud
more OF them. Second. The average
farm hen can ne graded up 20 lay moro
ecGs and larger cEsa as wei. as bein.
made more profitable for tab!. use.
Farmers Lncls system.
The day OF the I've stock scrub on
the farm is rapidly passing. The farm
hen should he improved by c7oss-b breed
ing or be displa ced by 4 standard breed.
The progressive farmer everywhere
oSnizes tho importance Of improved or
, pure-bred stock. There IL 40 reason
Why this progress should not include
s poultry. il has been shown by the
Illinois Experimental Station that many
farmers are keeping COWS with little
or no proat; others st a downright
loss. X Is the same Win farmers
who keep scrub hens. y wise farmer
Will discard scrubs OF all kinds
The great trouble !s-.;Oo many
. farmers lack system in the mana cement
OF their hens. This is particularly
true in the Middle Atlantic and many
Southern states. The experiment STA
tons have called attention TO this fact
time and again, The most important:
OF farm poultry stock.
There is too much indifference about
maintaining the vt.or OF poultry. tn.
farmer who lets the vitality OF his
noek run down Will not succeed. Farm
ers should DC more careful! in cu!lins
their young birds and selling them for
table use. Bulletin 22i OF the North
Carolina Experiment station has point
a. 81 be Of
ers in that state, as follows
1.-The farmer very often makes
serious mistake in taking the largest
end best developed chickens FOR marke.
and keeping the smaller and poorer
chickens Tor h3 own use. This may
bring better money returns for the time
teinE. but a few generations of this
practice will brin: the whole flock to
the level of the cu!ls.'
:. Not long ago prominent mine
oHne! OF Virginia called at the writer's
poultry plant TO purchase some fowls.
He said that the farmers in his vicin- !
ity paid so little attention TO the
effeoss OF inbreedi1G on the vitality.
development and csG-laying powers OF
their fowls that many nocks had de-
generated into puny monErels, which
werc not tit for profitable marketing
and of no value as css producers. Too
many farm tiocks ia all parts OF tho
country have had the size and vitality
OF the hens reduced to "A low level by
this lack OF system in poultry man
asement.
!. BY kcepin. better grade OF poultry
the farmer will profit in three ways: |
.ND The broilers can be sold at high |!
or price; CD the hens will lay greater |!
number OF larger esEs. and t3) they
will make better table fowls. These {
pdints all make for increase income.
HI Growing Better Broilers.
Tile maintenance Of vigorous line
ohifowls is the first consideration for |,
bfoiler trade. The pick of the flock. |
both, male and female. should he kept !
on the farm for breeding purposes. For |
grading up the farm hen the intro |
duetion of new blood every two or
thHee years is necessary. In a genera