276 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Di 



Inquirica anb 3lnsu)crs. 



FOWLS, PIGEON-WEED, Sec. 



Messrs. Editors : — Since I became a subscriber to 

 your valuable periodical, I have been very much in- 

 terested, and riclily repaid by the perusal of its pa- 

 ges. And though unaccustomed te writing for a 

 public journal, I have been induced, since reading the 

 article and editorial remarks on pnge 210, in the 

 September number of the current volume, to give a 

 brief statement of my e.xperience in keeping. fowls. 



I live in the village, and cannot have my fowls run 

 at large during the season for gardening, without 

 much inconvenience to myself and annoyance to 

 my neighbors ; and consequently have to adopt the 

 plan, respecting the expediency of which your cor- 

 respondent asks for information, and am fully con- 

 vinced that the advanlages lo be derived from keeping 

 fowls in this way, are not overrated in your remarks. 



About the middle of February, I procured seven 

 hens and a rooster, and added three to the number of 

 hens, about the last of April. .\t different periods I 

 set five hens, which unfortunately brought off but 

 three broods of chickens, as some of tlie eggs which 

 I procured for Poland Top Knots, failed to produce. 

 Through losses in various ways, the chickens were 

 reduced to about twenty-six ; and what I have killed 

 at different times this fall, leaves the whole number 

 of old and young, at this date, twenty-four. None 

 of the young ones have yet begun to lay. 



I have fed them principally with screenings from 

 wheat, bought at the mill, at from Is. 6d. to 2s. per 

 bushel, together with some barley, corn, and oats ; 

 but they prefer the screenings, and will not eat oats 

 when they can get the former. I have given them 

 occasionally some fresh meat, of which I have made 

 no account, as lights and refuse pieces can at any 

 time be had when purchasing meat for family ure. — 

 They have had a constant supply of pounded oyster 

 shells, to form shoUs for their eggs, and also wood 

 ashes in tubs for them to wallow in. I have kept 

 an accurate account of all expenses for feed, and find 

 that I have paid out $4.14, including about two 

 bushels of screenings now on hand. My account at 

 this date, Oct. 18th, shows the number of eggs pro- 

 duced, 795, and I believe I have in a few instances 

 omitted to set them down. The number of chickens, 

 about twelve, furnished for the table, may be estima- 

 ted at one shilling each ; besides I have now four- 

 teen youHg fowls in addition to the old ones. And 

 here I would say, that after considerable effort to 

 procure the Poland Top Knot variety, I obtained a 

 batch of eggs from some fowls purchased in Roches- 

 ter several years since; they are about the size of 

 the common fowl, rather short legged, with large 

 top knot ; some of them black body, and others pure 

 white. Are they the pure Polands, or (as I have 

 been informed) a French variety 1 I wished to pro- 

 cure the top knots, not only for their beauty, but to 

 avoid the inconvenience arising from the frequent 

 inclination of the common kind to sit. 



1 havo used the Poultry Feeding Hopper, described 

 iu the February number of volume 10, Genesee Par- 

 mer, the plan of which I consider worth one year's 

 subscription. 



In reference to the value of the manure, I would 

 solicit a word of information. In feeding refuse 

 grain on a farm, or screenings iu a village, there will 

 be considerable chess, and other foul seeds which the 



fowls will not consume. If you will name the best 

 method of destroying the vitality of those seeds in 

 the manure, before using it on the garden, you will 

 oblige not only the writer, but others of your subscri- 

 bers. 



There is another subject on which I would request 

 to be informed, by yourself or some of your experi- 

 enced correspondents. A little more than a year ago 

 I purchased a farm, and was greatly disappointed 

 last spring to find some fields much infested with 

 pigeon ivced ; and being desirous to subdue it, at any 

 necessary sacrifice, I looked with interest to the 

 Genesee Farmer, and other sources, for information, 

 but could learn nothing satisfactory, and was about 

 to address you, when the valuable article on that sub- 

 ject, appeared in the August number of the present 

 volume. But as those fields on which this pest was 

 most prolific, had already been run down by constant 

 improper tillage, without any regard to a judicious 

 rotation of crops, I had previously arranged with the 

 present occupant to have them seeded willi grass or 

 clover, and let them rest awhile. I wish to know 

 whether it would be best to carry out my original 

 plan, or will the pigeon weed still increase in spite 

 of the clover, aild thereby render it more difficult to 

 be got rid of when the ground is broken up again. — 

 Any information on this subject will be thankfully 

 received. R. W. B.—Lockport, Oct., 18a0. 



We give the facts of our correspondent as to the 

 profits of his fowls, so that they can be seen at a 

 glance : 



CG dozen eggs, say at 8 els., $5 Sfi 



21) chickens at one shilling, 3 25 



$S 5:i 



Cost of II fowls, say at Is. Cd., $2 06 



Paid for feed, 4 M— .^G 20 



It will bo seen that notwithstanding the bad luck 

 complained of, R. W. B.'s fowls have paid their first 

 cost and $2.33 besides. This, in addition to the 

 manure, which will be found very valuable, and also 

 very convenient, in the garden. 



The Polands can be obtained iu Rochester now, as 

 pure and as pretty as we ever saw any where, and at 

 reasonable prices. There is some talk of the Poland 

 producing white occasionally, but we have never liad 

 such a case among our own. Wo have kept about 

 fifteen Poland hens this summer, and but two has 

 shown any disposition to sit. These two were very 

 old. Wliile young, we think the Polands arc more 

 tender and more liable to disease than some other 

 kinds, though not more so than our common fowls. 



To get rid of chess and other seeds in the ma- 

 nure, we always throw it into a barrel of water kept 

 standing near the hen house for the purpose. The 

 chess, Sic, will rise to the top, and can bo removed. 

 We have been trying some experiments on the efiect 

 of salt in destroying vitality of seeds in manure, and 

 may say something hereafter. 



The I'igeon Weed will not stand much of a chance 

 to thrive if the ground is well occupied with grass 

 and clover, and a little care used. Three years since 

 we had a small piece sown with red-top and white 

 clover for a lawn. The red-top, instead of being pure 

 seed, proved to be the cleanings from a lot of Timothy, 

 and consequently contained any quantity of foul 

 weeds. We should judge that the greater part was 

 pigeon weed, as the ground was literally covered with 

 it, and scarcely anything else to be seen. As soon 

 as it was high enough we mowed it as close as pos- 



