The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-04-12
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATION BUREAU
FREDERIC J. HASKIN, Direcfor.
Washington, D. C.
EVERY MAN a FARMER.

NaSnlnSIOn, u. -, April III
everyone in the United States who
owns a bit of ground would make that
bit produce something, our food prob
lem would be solved.
And practically every bit of ground
is capable of producing something.
The home vegetable garden, altho the
easiest and most practicable way for
the majority of householders to pro-
duce food at home, is by no means the
only one. The purpose of this article
is to point out that there are several
practica BILE forms of backyard farm
ing about which full information Is
available to anyone.
When the home vegetable garden
campaign was launched, there were
scoffers who said that home produc-
ton of food was not worth while me
success of the home vegetable garden
is now an established fact, ana the
department of agriculture is trying 10
popularize, in the production on
small scale of poultry rabbits ana
honey.
Here, then are four distinct oppor-
tunities II gardening does not appeal
to YOU, or you have not the soil, per
haps you can go into the livestock
business or establish a small apiary.
The need for more poultry is espe-
ciaiIy pressing. Owing to the hlgh
price Of feed, and the high prices Of
fered for poultry in the markets, too
much poultry has been killed during
the past winter. The nation as a
whole has 10 per cent fewer chickens
than 1t should have, which means alse
that the egg supply is 10 per cent
short. In a time when all food is
scarce and when poultry is especially
needed to take the place of the red
meats which we are exporting, this
is a serious situation The depart
ment of agriculture hopes to remedy
it by inducing farmers to increase the
size OF their poultry flocks, and by
popularizing poultry-keepinS among
suburban, small town and even city
jewellers. 1t is conducting a vigorous
campaign to have repealed the nu-
merous city ordinances which pro-
hibit the keeping of chickens within
city limits The urban chicken keep
er is to keep only hens. the rooster
with his loud noise being debarred.
AS a corollary of this prohibition, the
civ man is not to raise chickens, but
merely to buy pullets and give them
q home. He should keep about as
manx as he can feed on his table
scraps, supplemented with just lit
tie grain This is for the city dwell
ers only. The farther OUT you live,
the larger the scale upon which you
car operate.
-
would also respectfully call your at
tention to the fact that there are
other kinds of poultry than chickens
Consider. for example, the guinea
fowl If you have a fairly large place
this may be the very bird for you.
/ The guinea fowl is also the ideal bird
for =. lazy man to raise. 1t likes TIC
live in patches of weeds and unkemp'
shruboery; it seldom requires feeding
! being an expert at taking care OF
| itself: it lays excellent eggs. and il
very good to eat. Finding the eggs
! however, is not lazy mans job:
If you have a pond or creek OF
your. place, ducks and geese shoule
be considered. Geese are especially
valuable IL you have a bit of grass
| land such as a back lawn. where the!
may feed. For the goose is a grass
eater, and if he has good pasturagt
! will not require a great deal of feed
| ing. The duck, on the other hand, il
I a largely carnivorous bird, and un
| less he has a good creek or pond il
which to hunt. is the greediest CUES
| of them all. The pigeon, according Il
| the experts, has the smallest claim o
all upon your consideration. Pigeons
| feed almost exclusively upon SraiT
and we cannot spare grain. The value
of poultry lies in its ability to con
vert into food material which woult
| otherwise serve no useful purpose.
Having taken up all varieties o
poultry, bees and rabbits remain to b.
1 considered. The keeping of bees ant
rabbits are perhaps the most econom
| ical methods of producing sugar an,
meat. Bees extract sugar from al
most every growing thing without in
jury thereto. and feed themselve
! from their own product. Rabbits mos
! cheaply and quickly convert grass
heritage and a little grain into meat
| The European nations have long rec
| ognized the value of bees and rabbits
One part of Germany's long prepare
ton for Der Tag was teaching tn
people to produce these things by of
| fering prizes. In France, too, rabbit
and bees have done much to supple
ment the meager war rations.
In this country, wild rabbits hav
been SO abundant that the keeping o
tame rabbits has never become wide
spread. But now that the sale o
game is prohibited in most markets
and rabbits. like other game, are be
coming scarce. the case is different
The breeding of Belgian hares an,
other domestic varieties of rabbi
should gain in popularity. There i
no way in which you can supplement
your meat supply with less care an
expense; and young hutch rabbit.
when rightly prepared, are a true del
icacy. Rabbits have long been
standard article of diet not only il
continental Europe but in England a
we'll In addition to what home war
rens produced, 10000 to $4,000 ton
were imported into England befor
the war. This included not only do
mestic stock from the continent, bu
wild rabbits from New Zealand an
Australia.
The Belgian hare was once for
brief time the subject of a fad in thi
country. His qualities were somewha
overpraiSed, and a reaction followed
Nevertheless, it is still easy to obtai
stock in this country. The commo
English rabbit is even easier to rails
than the Belgian hare. and can be sue
cessfully kept half wild in a large en-
closure.
The Importance of honey lies in tn