Vol. VII. No. 161. 



THE AGEICULTURAL NEWS. 



203 



POULTRY NOTES. 



The Feeding of Chickens. 



At the Dominica Agricultural School, by the help 

 •of a Cyphers 120-egi,' incubator, and a brooder, the 

 keeping of poultry and the raising of chickens, though 

 at present carried on in an experimental way, liave yet 

 become a source of profit. The breeds kept are Barreil 

 Plymouth Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, White Leghorns, and 

 Indian Games, together with crosses. For five weeks 

 after hatching, the chickens are kept in the brooder, 

 which is heaieil for the first three weeks. The follow- 

 ing particulars as to the method of feeding found most 

 suitable in rearing the chickens, are given in the report 

 (190G-7) on the Agricultural School : — 



All food supplied to the chicks during the live weeks 

 while in the brooder was scattered anioni; the litter, so as to 

 cause the birds to scratch for their food. This is beyond doubt 

 one of the most cs.scntial points to he observed in successful 

 rearing, as it causes the chick to take a fair amount of 

 ■exercise in obtaining its food, which tends to keep the young 

 bird in a healthy condition. During the time the chicks occu- 

 pied the brooder, fresh green fo:)d was supplied twice a day. 

 This consisted of s[iinach, alfafa, and cabbage leaves, the whole 

 of which w-as passed through a closely .set clover cutter, and 

 thoroughly mixed up previous to being fed. 



After the first three weeks, it is better to sujiply the 

 green food whole by suspending it within easy reach of the 

 ehicks. Dry food should be given four or five times each day. 

 ' A little and often ' sliould be the rule; if the chicks are fed 

 but twice a day it causes them to stuff their crojis and 

 become lazy. Such liirds .seldom survive the twelfth week. On 

 the other hand, if a little food is supiilled aboiit every three 

 hours, the chicks are kept in constant exerckso-. 



Incorrect feeding is usually the cause of mortality 

 among chicks, this geuei'ally resulting from diarrloea, or fiMni 

 the birds becoming cropd)ound. 



The following dietary can be fully recominendcd: The 

 first two week.s, egg aiiil bread should be given. The egg 

 should be hoiled until it is ipiite hard, and thewhole of it-- 

 yolk, white and shell --niiiiccd and thoroughly mixed with 

 stale bread. This may be given the first thing in the morn- 

 ing, and the last thing at night. During the day, e. arse 

 oatmeal should be given (raw) every three hours. 



From the time the chicks are two days old, a limited 

 amount of animal food should alv.ays he given. This may lie 

 -supplied in the form of wood-ants, maggots, wornrs, etc. In 

 the event of these being unobtainahle, minced raw meat, .scra[is 

 and grouiid bone should be given. DuriiiL.' the third, fourth, 

 and fifth week.s, brown rice may be sulistituted for the egg 

 and bread, this beingied alternately with the oatmeal. ,\fter 

 this time, any of the following ■ foods may be given : finely 

 ground corn, ground oats,liarley, buckwheat, etc., or cornmeal 

 mi.xed with hot water and made into.a crumbly mass, so tliat' 

 when thrown to the birds it falls apart easily. A good 

 SU[)ply of grit must always be obtainable : Ijroken ovster shell 

 is an excellent material. 



FERMENTATION OF TOBACCO. 



The particulars given below on the fermentation 

 of tobacco leaves, are taken from Bulletin l-'i of the 

 Hawaiian Agricultural Experiment Station, a pamphlet 

 issued to show the jjossibilities of tobacco growing on 

 ■A commercial scale in Hawaii, and also to give informa- 

 tion as to the best methods of carrying out the various 

 operations connected with the preparation of the crop. 

 They form a continuation of the notes on harvesting 

 and curing the leaves that appeared in the last issue of 

 the Agrirtdtural Ni'ics. After cuiing has taken place, 

 the tobacco should be sorted into lots of thick, thin, 

 and medium leaves respecti v-elj'. The different grades 

 are then tied up into bunches containing from fifty to 

 a iuindred leaves, and in order to undergo the process 

 of fermentation, these bnnche^i are piled up into heaps 

 on tiie floor of the room sjiecially provided for the 

 purpose. 



The fermentation should follow immediately after the 

 grading and sorting [irocess, as the tobacco is then in the 

 best condition. A much better fermentation can be secured 

 immediately than after a delay of weeks or months. 'J'he 

 tobacco is tak-en' -from the sorting room to the fermenting 

 room. If the, tobacco is in pr.iper condition when it is 

 placed in the pile —that is, if the leaf contains "20 to 2.5 i>er 

 cent, of moisture — a ri.'ie in temperature will begin at once. 

 The heap of fermenting tobacco leaves .should be covered 

 over with a tar[)aidin or rubber blanket, excluding all air 

 and retaining all moisture. No weight should bo applied. 

 When the building of the fermenting heap lias been finished, 

 the temperature of the room should be heated to from 8.5° to 

 95°, and should be kept at that figure until the pile of 

 fermenting tobacco reaches the same degree of heat. 

 As the temperature in the jiile of tobacco increase.s 

 above 90°, the air tcm[ierature .should be permitted 

 to remain about 10° lower than the increasing tem- 

 perature of the jiile. Tlie higher the temperatures in 

 the fermenting pile the darker the colour of the finish- 

 ed leaf. Under no circumstances must the temperature of 

 the fermenting tobacco be permitted to rise above l.'36"F. 

 As soon as the temperature in the middle of the pile, wiiieli is 

 the hottest, reaches 100' F., the pile should be torn down 

 and re-arranged on the floor near b}'. The leaves that 

 ])reviously formed the bottom, sides, and tojis are placed in 

 the centre of the new pile, while the leaves that were in the 

 centre of the first heap, become the outside, bottom, and top 

 of the .second pile. This process should be continued 

 throughout the various re-arrangements of the pile. An 

 important point is to maintain a constant degree of liumidity 

 iu the fermenting room. The air in the fermenting room 

 should never be i>crmitted to become dry, but should always 

 show from 65^ to 90" of liumidity, irrespective of the 

 temperature. 



In the first stages of fermentation, large quantities of 

 ammonia are set free, and there is a cnn.siderable evolution of 

 ammonia throughout the whole fermentation [u-ocess. As 

 soon as the fermentation is complete, the tobaccj i.s ready for 

 the final sorting. 



A .second fermentatiou takes place in the bale. It is 

 a slower one and the temperatures do not rise vcit high, but it 

 seems to be quite important in fixing character in the leaf. 

 This second ferjuemation nc-llows tlie tobacco and tends to 

 improve the afoiiia. The liales should be placed in the ware- 

 liou.se fiU' at least six months liefore .selling. The warehoiiso 

 should be clean, dry, and cool, and no other goods stored with 

 the tobacco. 



