103 



to get (lie impiession that he was not afarmei'. for he was ; 

 he had been in piactice professionally, but owing to fail- 

 ins^ health had returned to his first love — the farm. He 

 said he wanted to speak to the every da}^ farmer who 

 made his living from his farm, and not to the iancy farm- 

 er, oi' breeder. We are to talk about an industry that 

 seems small, but yet is one of our leading and most profit- 

 able ones. What is necessary for success? In the first 

 place if you want to produce an egg, you must find out 

 the cost of production, and for this one must have a 

 knowledge of the business. There must be an enthusi- 

 asm in the work. A man who is a farmer simply because 

 he must be, will not succeed. If you desire eggs you 

 must cultivate your hen accordingly, and a long narrow 

 bird is the desired one. If you want meat then she must 

 be short and blocky. Theie must be a distinct separation 

 of the two classes, you cannot combine them. I do not 

 think a man as a farmer can breed pure stock at a piofit. 

 By the use of grade hens you avail yourselves of the labors 

 of the specialist, without the trouble of attaining that end; 

 In mapping out the business for a year, first have an inex- 

 pensive building, say 12x20 costing from $25 to $35, 

 this is room enough for 40 or 50 hens. The rations 

 should be balanced to the needs of the creature. Two 

 things are essential, (juantity and quality. It must be 

 easily digested and not too rich in food elements ; 40 parts 

 of oats, 40 of shorts, 10 of corn, 5 of scraps, 5 of linseed is 

 a good mixture, which should be steamed over night. If 

 you want to get good results get up and feed them as 

 soon as they come from the roost, feed a little at a time, 

 and regulate it according to the size of your flock. If 

 they are given a large amount, the hens will eat ravenous- 

 ly, gorging themselves with too much food, and you want 

 to regulate this so they will leave nothing, and still have 

 food enough. At noon give them vegetables and at 3 or 4 

 o'clock a quart of grain to twenty hens will be found suffi- 



