NINTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XII 709 
We have a lot of confidence in alfalfa here in Louisa county and in the 
near future we expect to see a field of i!: on every farm. 
POULTRY ON THE FARM FOR PROFIT. 
W. L. WIXK, IDA GROVE, IOWA. 
(Before Ida County Farmers' Institute.) 
This is something that should be of interest to every farmer. Spur- 
geon says that two things are needed to get on in life; elbow grease and 
stick-to-it. There is no way to learn to preach like preaching; you cannot 
make sailors unless you send them out to sea; you cannot be a good 
farmer unless you make a study of it and learn how. Just so with the 
poultry on the farm. There is no way to learn poultry raising like raising 
poultry, read up on the subject, study poultry books and papers and you 
will gain a great deal of valuable information. 
The fact that poultry is one of the most profitable adjuncts of the 
farm and that the raising of the same is growing in interest cannot be 
denied and only a short time will elapse before it will receive the attention 
that it deserves. It may be the smallest income on the farm in some 
localities, yet it should not be overlooked. When we consider that for 
years it was looked upon as the work of womenfolks, we wonder how 
the change came about to work its way into being considered a part of 
the regular work of the men folks. The only way we can account for 
this is that when the women take up any branch of industry they carry 
it to success, then the men are ready to take hold of and continue same, 
then say see what they did after I began to take care of them. 
I want to. say a word or tw^o right here in regard to poultry houses. 
Of course, if we keep chickens we must have some place for them to 
stay, and for them exclusively. It is not necessary that it should be a 
very expensive building nor an extensive one, but make it just large 
enough for what fowls you have, and it is easy to add on as your flock in- 
creases. Do not forget the scratching shed, or your profits will be less- 
ened. Your hens won't get out when the thermometer is hovering around 
zero and scratch in a snowbank, and just remember this, a hen that won't 
scratch when she has an opportunity and one that is willing, but no place 
but a snowbank to exercise in will not make you any money. 
Put in just what is needed and no more and place it in 
such a way that it will be handy. Do not put in those elevated or slant- 
ing perches for it has a bad effect on the hens, creates casts, sets the 
claws. The old roosters and a few boss hens will occupy the top perches 
and the others will have to go down lower. They have been weighed in 
the balance and found wanting. The low perches are much better. Place 
them around the walls with the dropping board underneath, both being 
hinged to the wall so they can be swung up out of the way when neces- 
sary. Your nest boxes place under the platform out of the way, and it 
suits the hens better to have them partly hidden. Be sure and have all 
the cracks closed. If you do not, don't be surprised when you go to feed 
some morning and find a half-dozen of your nicest hens with eyes and 
