FAKMEES' INSTITUTES. 669 



from ducks when from ten to twelve weeks old. In tlie East they bring 

 from 70 cents to $1.50 per pair, usually being sold by the pair after being 

 dressed. 



In the last few years there has been a good market for young ducks 

 in Chicago. Also for young chicks ranging from 1 to iy» pounds each. 



There is no reason why a farmer should not ship to Chicago and gee 

 almost double the money for his stock that he does here. By writing to 

 the Sprague commission house, they will send printed directions how to 

 ship all kinds of fowls and eggs. Farmers who can take advantage of 

 this can almost double their profits on poultry. 



In selecting a breed of ducks most profitable there is but one choice, 

 the Imperiijl Pekin. When fully matured they will weigh from 6 to 10 

 pounds each. Very few farms are without the lorldly turkey, chasing 

 the festive grasshopper. The turkey's value lies in the fact that they 

 forage for most of their living and destroy so many insects that are 

 injurious to growing crops. Only the one breed is considered as well 

 adapted to the farm, the Mammoth Bronze. 



CARE OF POULTRY. 



There is no use buying good poultry and turning it out to shift for 

 itself and then condemn it as a failure. Better buy no thoroughbred 

 stock at all. To begin with, we will suppose we have secured some good 

 stock of the breeds above mentioned. About the first essential is the 

 house, or rather have the house ready first. There are innumerable ways 

 of building poultry houses. But for practical piu-poses that are within 

 the reach of the general farmer, we will consider three essential fea- 

 tures—warmth, light and dryness. Houses should face south or south- 

 east, to secure all the sunlight possible. In building your houses always 

 place yoiu- windows near the ground, as on the floor is where the sun 

 is needed. No modern poultry house is built without its scratching 

 shed. The floor of the houses should be of mother earth and raised one 

 foot higher than the surrounding ground. This keeps them dry. These 

 should be covered with six or eight inches of straw, chaff' or broken 

 hay from the barn. Into this throw all grain, and compel exercise to 

 secure it. Never place one roost higher than the other, but make all 

 on a level from 20 to 30 inches from the floor. If one roost is higher 

 than another all the fowls will want to use that roost. This causes 

 crowding, and the result of this is sure to bring on some disease. Under 

 the roosts should be a tight floor eight to ten inches below them to 

 catch all the droppings. From this floor they can easily be raked off 

 into a basket or box for that purpose. The roosts should be hinged to 

 the wall so as to raise up for cleaning under them. High roosts also cause 

 bumble foot, from hens flying down and lighting on some hard substance 

 and bruising the bottom of the foot. To make a house warm, building pa- 

 per should be used for lining, otherwise use common newspaper. The ob- 



