THE ROASTER AND THE BROILER. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



THE ROASTER. 

 JAMES RANKIN. 



^^. VERY one who has attempted to grow beef, pork or 



poultry for market knows that during the latter half 



| of the work flesh is put on much more easily and at 



less cost than at first when the creatures are young ; 



especially is this the case with poultry. When chicks arrive 



at the broiler age, when all risks from early mortality is over, 



the chicks naturally take less exercise and are more quiet in 



their habits and their food should be of a more carbonaceous 



nature. The flesh can be put on at a much less cost to the 



grower than in the earlier stage of growth. 



Discrimination must be used in this as in other things, and 

 advantage must be taken of the market. For instance, during 

 September, October and November larger quantities of heavy 

 poultry are rushed into the market from all parts of the 

 country and Canada enough to meet the demand and produce 

 a large surplus besides. This surplus, which can be rated at 

 hundreds'of tons, is placed in cold-storage for future demand 

 during the winter and early spring months. As there are very 

 few small chicks in this vast accumulation, the demand for 

 broilers is naturally great and that for roasters correspond- 

 ingly small, until about the first of May, when the iced-poultry 

 is about exhausted and the demand for roasters begins. 

 Growers anxious to take advantage of the market before it falls 

 force everything in that will weigh a pound and a half ; conse- 

 quently by the first of June there are no roasters to be had 



