Poultry Keeping 237 



kept growing from the first jump out of the shell. To get eggs in 

 winter the pullets must come from the same conditions. Very few 

 hens will lay in the early winter under any conditions. The pullets 

 must be depended upon for that season and the hens kept properly 

 will drop in some time in January. 



Poultry Tonic. 



What is a good poultry tollies' 



The following is a very good tonic for gt-neral purposes: Tinc- 

 ture of red cinchona, 1 fluid ounce; tincture of chloride of iron, 1 

 fluid drachm; tincture of nux vomica, 4 fluid drachms; glycerine 2 

 ounces; water, 2 ounces. Mix and give one teaspoonful to a quart of 

 water, allowing no other drink. 



Poultry in the Orchard. 



Kindly adzisc nic about keeping hens in an orchard. I would like 

 to know if they ivill injure the trees in any way if kept in large numbers. 

 In zvhat luay would they benefit the trees? 



From the point of view of the trees there is no doubt that they 

 would be advantaged by the presence of the poultry, providing the 

 coops are not allowed to interfere with the proper irrigation and 

 cultivation. If it is practicable to handle the fowls in coops without 

 causing the soil around the coops to become compacted by continual 

 tramping, and if they are not kept upon the ground long enough to 

 cause an excessive application of hen manure, which is very con- 

 centrated and stimulating, the result would unquestionably be 

 beneficial, l-'rom the point of view of the tree, this benefit of injury 

 would depend upon how long the fowls were kept around the tree 

 and the maintenance of them in such a way that the soil should not 

 become out of condition physicalh^ or too rich chemically for the 

 satisfactory performance of the tree. If they can be moved fre- 

 quentlj', and if they are only put in place when the soil is in such 

 condition that tramping around the coops will not seriously compact 

 it, the presence of fowls would be an advantage. On the other 

 hand, if the coops are to be kept in place for a long time and all 

 the ground outside of them crusted and hardened by tramping and 

 the soil under the coops overloaded with droppings, the thrift and 

 value of the trees will be seriously interfered with. 



Caponizing. 



Can three to four month old cockerels be caponized successfully in 

 summer, and if so, what care, feed, etc., do they require afterwards? 



The birds should be between two to three months, not over four, 

 unless some very large variety that matures slowly. Size is equally 

 important as age, and a bird to be caponized should not weigh more 

 than one and a half pounds. The work can be successfully done In 

 the summer season, but the fowl must be kept without food or drink 

 for at least 24 hours, longer is better and keep in shady place. After 



