200 . EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 



7. The soft food aud cut bones should be fed in a clean narrow trough, 



8. When necessary take the chill off the drink water and supply regularly. 



9. Keep only young, active, prolific layers, and select from them to breed from. 



10. Kill the non-layers for they are only eating away the profit margin. 



11. Keep no male bird with the laying fowls. They do better without him. 



12. Keep a sharp watch on the layers and anticipate every want. 



THERE MUST BE NO COMPLAINT ABOUT TROUBLE. 



" Oh ! all this entails a great deal of trouble " may be remarked. Of course it 

 does, but is it as much, or any more, than that experienced by the successful dairy 

 farmer; the market gardener; the cattle breeder, or that peculiar to any other 

 department of the farm ? 



" And it requires a lot of study to learn the proper management of poultry," is 

 the next objection heard. And so it does, but when that knowledge is acquired 

 there is no department of the farm that will pay a larger percentage of return for 

 the time invested. The great drawback to the poultry department heretofore has 

 been that no systematic or intelligent efforts have been made to develop its true 

 value. Eggs have been put on the market when the warm spring weather made 

 everybody's hens to lay and prices were, in consequence, at the very lowest. During 

 the winter the fowls were non-productive and their keep was likely a loss to the 

 farmer. And they were so kept because the farmer did not care to make them 

 remunerative. Taken even at the lowest, the egg and poultry trade of Canada and 

 the United States represent enormous figures. But the object is not to discuss the 

 jjoultry interests at this time, but to glance at the inducements held out in differ- 

 ent parts of the country to the farmer to produce eggs in winter. 



INDUCEMENTS TO PRODUCE EGGS IN WINTER. 



In rapidly scanning the Dominion the following are the phases presented by 

 the different provinces. In the sections where the winters are comparatively mild, 

 and the procuring of eggs a matter of little difficulty — prices are cheap. On the 

 other hand in those portions where the winter season is more severe and the pro- 

 duction of eggs attended with greater difficulty — prices are high. In Montreal new 

 laid eggs command a high figure during December, January, February aud the 

 earlier portion of March. Mr. Thomas Hall, poultry breeder, and market gardener 

 of Outremont, a suburb of Montreal, says he has no trouble in obtaining 45 cents 

 per dozen from choice customers for new laid eggs during the months mentioned 

 and in periods of scarcity as high as 60 cents is sometimes got, at retail. It is to be 

 remembered that there is great difference in the fresh egg of the grocer which may 

 be several months old, but good enough for cooking purposes, and the new laid Qgg 

 only two or three days, or even a week old. The flavour of the first named is 

 seriously affected, while it is perfect in the new laid article. 



In Toronto, new laid eggs are quoted at 30 cents per dozen by retailers and the 

 Poultry Review of the same city, says there is plenty of money in eggs at that 

 price. 



From Fort William a corresj)Ondent writes " that eggs are at a good price there 

 at any time." 



A correspondent at Ashcroft, B.C., says, " The average price of eggs in this 

 locality, all the year round, is 25 cents per dozen." 



Another correspondent from the neighbourhood of Calgary, N.W.T., wishes '* he 

 had a number of good laying fowls, for eggs here are 50 cents per dozen in winter 

 and command a good price at any time." 



From what can be learned there is a good market for new laid eggs at Halifax 

 and St. John, during the winter months. 



In our own locality the price obtainable at the grocers for new laid eggs during 

 the cold season is from 30 to 35 cents per dozen according to the severity of the sea- 



