1909 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



215 



HNLISTKD FOR LIFE UNDEK TUB BANNER OF THE CROSS. 



IQ closios let me say a few words of appreciation of the grand 

 work Mr. A. 1. Root has done and is doing in his department of 

 Gleanings. His writings influenced me to be a Christian. I 

 think it was that sermonette on that picture entitled " Despised 

 and Rejected of Men," Jan. 1, 1907, that led me to the Savior. 

 I am trying to earn enough money by working for a magazine 

 subscription agency (mail-order work) during my spare time to 

 buy my books (I am preparing to enter the ministry). All my 

 work and study is done in my own little bedroom, as my father 

 opposes all that speaks of God or his work. I should like you to 

 send this to A. I. Roof, but please do not publish my name if you 

 use any of this in Gleanings. I am a boy 17 years old. Thank- 

 ing you for past favors, 1 remain C. M. 



Poultry 

 Department 



Conducted by A. I. Root. 



" nothing to do but gather the eggs," 



AND AN automobile TO DO IT WITH 

 AND CARRY THEM TO MARKET. 



" Nice things," friends, as I have outlined it 

 in the above, is it not.' Well, it is just what I 

 have been doing the past winter, and I agree that 

 it u lots of fun, especially taking the eggs to 

 market with the auto. You may say, "Oh, yes ! 

 when one has plenty of money," etc. But just 

 hold on a little. The auto I use has been in 

 use five years. When thinking of getting anew 

 one I could get an offer of only $100.00 for it. 

 I decided it was worth more than that to me, 

 and had it shipped down here at an expense of 

 about $50, so you see I have not much capital 

 invested. A colored man we keep about the 

 place takes care of it nicely, and, under my di- 

 rections, has so far been very successful in mak- 

 ing about all repairs needed. Gasoline here, by 

 the drum, costs only 11>2 cts. per gallon; so our 

 rig, that affords Mrs. Root and myself a great 

 amount of enjoyment, costs us much less than a 

 decent horse and buggy. A neat little house for 

 it cost only about $75.00, and this makes a very 

 handy and much needed workshop besides. 

 What about running an auto in the Florida sand.' 

 Well, I had some trouble before I had learned 

 by experience how to manage; but now we have 

 but very little trouble, even if our Oldsmobile 

 runabout isonly 4/^ horsepower. Onegreatdraw- 

 back is that it tracks 56 inches, and all the vehicles 

 about here are 60 inches. In spite of this, when 

 I can manage so as to have the wheels on one 

 side or the other run over out of the road on grass 

 or other hard ground I get along very well. 

 When all four ef the rubber tires are in soft 

 dry sand you may get in a fix. It is not a seri- 

 ous job even then, for you have only to scoop 

 the soft sand out of the way until you can get 

 out on firm ground. After a rain you are O. K. 

 anywhere, and nice roads are now being pushed 

 forward more or less all over Florida. 



Now about the eggs in an automobile. Un- 

 less they are well packed you will have to go 

 slow; and my auto path through the woods over 

 a rustic bridge of my own make (materials cost 

 30 cts.) is not the very best road in the world for 

 carrying eggs to market. I managed by purchas- 

 ing in Chicago some very pretty pasteboard 

 boxes holding a dozen eggs each, for only $5.00 



per 1000.* — These boxes I carry around to the 

 nests (always washing my fingers first), and place 

 each newly laid egg in its little receptacle. 

 Each box of one dozen then has a gummed label 

 pasted on that reads as follows: 



FRESH EGGS 



FROM A. I. ROOT'S SINGLE-COMB WHITE-LEGHORN 



POULTRY-RANCH, ONE MILK SOUTH OF BRADEN- 



TOWN, MANATEE COUNTY, FLORIDA. 



If these labels are unbroken the purchaser can rest 

 assured that the eggs in this package were laid on the 

 day that the rubber stamp below indicates. We 

 gather our eggs not only every day but usually several 

 times a day. A. I. ROOT. 



MAR. 4 , 1969 



We usually gather our eggs every day about 

 4 p. M., and before 5 they are on the counters of 

 one of our best grocery stores. 



For some time past we have had from 45 to 50 

 eggs per day from our 70 hens, and I consider 

 this a very fair yield for 70 all in one yard. A 

 dozen eggs pays for the cost of the grain for the 

 70, and at 25 cts. per dozen there is a margin of 

 about 75 cts. a day for your labor. Yes, there is 

 a trifling amount of labor to be done with 70 

 " chickens," besides gathering the eggs — at least 

 we have found it so on our "ranch." 



I have had such "good luck," almost invari- 

 ably, in setting hens that I think I must have 

 been getting over-confident. Do you want to 

 know how the Buff Orpington made out with her 

 25 eggs .' Well, she was so clumsy and awkward 

 that she broke one or more eggs every day until 

 she had only 15 left. I washed the whole setting 

 repeatedly until 1 was not only "tired" of Or- 

 pingtons, but I came pretty near being tired of 

 setting hens altogether After 24 days and not 

 even one chick from the remaining 15 eggs, I 

 broke her up and only two eggs contained chicks 

 in any stage. Because other hens wanted to lay 

 in her nest I had her shut in with wire screen, 

 lifting her out toward night, and letting her go 

 back herself. I should be inclined to think this 

 not exactly " nature's way " were it not that the 

 Leghorn hen that hatched 16 chickens from 15 

 eggs was managed in this way exactly. Shall I 

 tell you more about those same 16 .? Well, when 

 old enough to wean the mother hen went up in- 

 to the pine-tree with the other 70, and the 16 

 huddled up behind the barrel in the laying-house. 

 Mrs Root repeatedly urged me to protect them 

 with wire screen, but I "didn't get round to it" 

 until one morning when I iounA fi've missing, 

 and their remains scattered about near where they 

 roosted. I housed the remaining 11 and tried 

 to trap the "varmint" with the dead chicks. 

 Twice he got in my trap and pulled out; then I 

 went for a good steel trap; but both hardware 

 stores were " sold out. " I finally got a second- 

 hand one, but haven't caught him yet, although 

 I am "on the war-path." Yes, I know I can 

 fence out all such animals with poultry-netting; 

 but the fowls of my largest yard seem to enjoy 

 so much roaming over the common (we have no 

 near neighbors), I leave a hole in the fence for 

 them to go out and in; and it is at this entrance, 

 out and in, where I am planning to trap the 

 enemy, 'possum or polecat. 



*I find a label on these boxes reading, " Mfd. by Central Egg 

 Carriers Co., McGraw.N. Y." 



