Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-08-18
Have You Culled Your Flock?

should now soon be ready to produce
something for the owner. AS some
one has said, however, chickens have
no mind and they do no thinking for
themselves. They just live from day
TO day. Like the old lady, they just
set" and do not worry about the flu
tire. What was the use o. making
that investment in day-old chicks if
YOU are not going to handle the
flock in manner that will make you
some money! The world contains
lots of drones. We do not need to
bs told that. We see it on every
hand every day of our lives. A flock
of chickens always contains many
drones. If they are left TO work
their will all winter, they will eat up
the food that the high producer
should have had and hence the
maintenance of the flock will not
} prove profitable. If you were called
on the choose high egg layers out OF
your flock. no wwould you proceed?
We will all admit that it is desirable
to get rid of the low-producer as
quickly as possible, Strange as it may
seem, it is not so difficult TO select
the high-producer from the low-pro-
ducers. The plan of action is COM
- parativelv simple, 1t will take lit
tie time, but the results will prove
highly gratifying
Everyone who ha. sa Nock OF
chickens, therefore, is interested in
what follows because it explains how
this job should be undertaken and
accomplished. II suggestions are
not based on theory. but represent
4 the experience and observations OF
y poultry raisers throughout the Unit
ed States. They haV ebeen formu-
lated into a concise statement by
Professor II. s. Wooster, who has
specialized in the field of poultry
raising for many years past. Try
them out on your flock this year and
see if you do not find the plan of
procedure suggested below worth
a good deal to you individually.
One of the principal reasons for
culling is that it insures that the
feed will be consumed by the better
producing hens, thereby increasing
the profit Again, such practice
makes it possible to save the hens
that are best suited for breeders
both on accol It of their egg-produc-
ing ability and their superior
strength and vitality. These quail
tiles are very essential to layers. if
they are TO stand UP under the strain
of heavy production.
Every poultryman. by applying
up-to-date methods of culling.
should be able to pick out his good
hens, medium hens, and poor hens.
! This takes practice and cannot be
done the first time you handle your
birds. There is very old and very
true saying that should always be
remembered in connection with Gull
ing. and that is, practice makes
perfect
In order TO lay we'll, bird must
have a sound body. AS a first con
sideration. the bird must be vigorous
and healthy, if it is to stand up
under the strain of production. Vigor
and health are shown by a bright,
clear eye; a sound, well built body
and an active disposition. The bird
must also be free from all physical
. defects, such as crooked heaks
crooked back and any other condi-
tons or diseases that affect the
health
SELECTION SUMMARY
High Producer
Con1b-Red( large, silky, full.
Eyes-Prominent, set well apart.
Eyering, edrlobe and beak-white
Face-Rather lean and free from
yellow color.
Shanks-White, thin and flat.
Vent-White. or blush white
broad, moist.
Pelvic bone-Wide apart, soft and
pliable.
Lateral processes of the breast
bone-Soft, prominent and pliable.
Iii ohc Of ha ri
fat.
Back-Broad, carrying we'll Sht to
tail.
, Body-Deep. both front and rear,
slab-sided.
Plumage = Ragged. worn, late
moult.
Low Producer
Comb-Pale, small, shriveled.
Eyes-Shrunken turning in to-
ward beak. \
Eyering. ASrlobe and beak--yel-
low.
F'aceLHeavily fleshed and yellow.
Shanks-YeIlow. round and full.
Vent-Yeliow, shrunken, dry.
Pelvic bone-Close together, hard,
rigid.
Lateral processes Of the breast
flesh,
Skin-Thick, underlaid with fat.
Back-Narrow and sloping.
Body-Shallow and round.
Enthusiastically moulting or a
completed moult.
Growing Cabbage Plants CONNER
cially
G, r. X, Dutton, Ala, writes:
7 am thinking of growing cab
bage plants for sale next spring.
Do you think it would pay? We
}. have a light sandy soil and
vegetables do well here.
There should no doubt be rea-
sonably good market for cabbage
plants grown in your section of
: Alabama. The chances are that the
best market is in the vicinity of
your home, or probably you could
ship them further north to good
advantage. The earliest cabbage in
the south are produced from plants
carried through the winter. The
seeds are sown in September. and
the plants are set in the field in
shallow. open burrows in the late
fail. Such plants will withstand the
winter without injury, and will head
from ten to two weeks earlier than
those set out in the spring. You
should so plant them as to have
them ready for sale when the mar
ket is more or less bare of plants
1t is for this reason that I suggest
the exploitation of the local mar
ket and also . market further
north.
There are two \season of the
wear in which cabbage plants may
be sown so as to have them ready
for field transplanting. One is in
late August or September. The
other is in the spring. In the
southern part of your state, the
field sowings should be made IN
Nnuenher or December so thai