A Few Business Matters. *33 



When to Sell Old Hens. I aim to dispose of one-half of my 

 hens every year and replace them with pullets in order to have 

 a supply of eggs for my customers in the late fall and early 

 winter months when hens are moulting. The hens are not 

 sold until they cease laying and begin to moult ; and as they 

 are only about two-and-a-half years old then, I have no trouble 

 in finding purchasers for them who are willing to pay double 

 or more what they would bring in market for laying purposes. 

 When rearing chicks that are hatched in April, May or June, 

 the cockerels are sold as soon as they can be picked out 

 usually when from three to four weeks old mostly to parties 

 who grow them up for home use, or for market. I consider 

 Leghorns too small a breed to grow for market when hatched 

 as late as the months named, which I find to be the best period 

 for me to hatch and rear pullets for winter layers. I would 

 advise farmers to dispose of their surplus stock early in the sea- 

 son the cockerels as soon as they can be grown and fattened 

 to marketable size, and the old hens as soon as they cease to 

 be profitable as egg-producers. Then if a little care and at- 

 tention are given to make them fat and in good marketable 

 condition, most of them could be sold to advantage near home, 

 as but few country towns and villages have even a decent sup- 

 ply of poultry for market during the summer months. If not 

 able to dispose of all at home, crate and ship them alive to the 

 city markets. A great many farmers seem to think that their 

 surplus poultry can be sold only in the fall when buyers are 

 picking them up for the Thanksgiving or Christmas markets, 

 and when every one is ready to sell and prices are pretty sure 

 to be low. C. H. WYCKOFF. 



Marketing Dressed Poultry. Very many of the most success- 

 ful poultrymen now sell their surplus fowls to special custo- 

 mers. The birds are well fattened, killed and nicely dressed, 

 and delivered in clean, neat packages. In this way the birds 

 are sold a few at a time, and the work of preparing them is not 

 heavy. There is money in this system when a man is careful 

 and has special customers for eggs or other produce. When 



