1861. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



519 



cles are constantly presented to him for purchase 

 and urged as a necessity, but as soon as the ob- 

 ject of the seller is accomplished, his great inter- 

 est in the farmer and his calling stops, and his 

 love is transferred to some other field. It will 

 not do to be constantly running after new things. 

 The Scriptures hath it, try — but "hold fast that 

 which is good." To farm it with ease and profit 

 all really good and necessary tools should be had 

 which the circumstances of the farmer will admit 

 of. He can get along very well without a barom- 

 eter — as farmers have done for ages — but when 

 he can afford to spend a few dollars in some new 

 thing, I advise him to buy this instrument — and 

 after a few months' experience in its use, he will 

 find it a true and faithful friend. N. Q. T. 



King Oak Bill, 1861. 



For tiie jSew England Farmer, 

 MANAGEMENT OF POULTET. 

 Bead before the Concord Farmers' Club in the winter of 1861. 

 BY HIRAM JONES. 



To give a description of the dififerent kinds of 

 poultry that have come under my knowledge 

 ■would require more time than is usually allowed 

 to this portion of our discussions ; I shall, there- 

 fore, confine myself to two or three kinds, and 

 shall endeavor to show why some persons do not 

 make the raising of poultry profitable. It is an 

 erroneous idea — entertained by many persons — 

 that some particular breeds of poultry, only, can 

 be made profitable. The fault is in the manage- 

 ment — not in the stock. The complaint of some 

 of our best farmers is, that hens cost more than 

 they are worth, that they are a plague, and that 

 when kept they can get no eggs from them in the 

 winter ! A few leading questions put to such 

 persons will generally reveal the secret of their 

 want of success. 



Do you give your hens a variety of such food 

 * as they would be likely to eat if it were before 

 them ? 



Answer — I don't know. I want to keep them 

 as cheap as I can, as they lay no eggs in winter. 



Do you purchase scraps or meat for them ? 



Answer — No. I should suppose it would not 



Say for me to lay out my money for meat to give 

 ens. 



Do you pound up oyster shells, old lime or 

 bones for them ? 



Answer — No. It is too much trouble ; besides, 

 I have to take care of my large stock of cattle, 

 and cannot bother myself about the hens. 



But is it no trouble to go to some neighbor or 

 to the store and pay 25 cents a dozen for eggs ? 



No reply. 



Do you give them plenty of warm water in the 

 winter ? 



Answer — No ; they can get plenty of snow. 



I presume you never allow hens in your barn ? 



Answer — Never. They would soon get pitched 

 out, if they came there. 



Yes — so I thought. Perhaps they roost on the 

 snow, as well as eat it, and probably pass the 

 long winter in some damp cellar, or other dark 

 hole, where the blessed sun never shines ! When 

 spring comes, they are let out of prison, with 

 combs frozen down to their heads, their gills 

 shrivelled, and they are minus of some toes ! And 



in this condition they are left to take care of 

 themselves, and furnish their oumer with a plen- 

 tiful supply of eggs, and numerous broods of 

 piping chicks ! With such treatment, there can 

 be no profit in keeping poultry. 



In order to secure profit and pleasure in the 

 management of fowls, they must be made to lay 

 in the winter as well as summer, and this can be 

 done by providing them with a warm place where 

 the sun shines a portion of the day ; with a vari- 

 ety of food, such as corn, oats, meal and potatoes, 

 occasionally meat, and in the coldest of the weath- 

 er, a supply of warm water to drink. They must 

 also have gravel, and lime in some form, say oys- 

 ter or clam shells pounded, or old mortar. 



The breeds that I would recommend for laying 

 only are the Bolton Greys and Dorkings. For 

 raising for the early market I have tried several 

 breeds, and find the Chittagongs the best. They 

 are good layers, grow to a good size, dress very 

 yellow, and are good mothers while raising chick- 

 ens. 



Some poultry-raisers think the mixing of breeds 

 a good plan. I do not. Like will not produce 

 like, after the purity of the blood is once broken. 



A few hens may be kept without much outlay, 

 and in a small space. The mechanic, with a few 

 feet of ground in the back yard, can have a sup- 

 ply of poultry and eggs as well as the farmer. 

 They are kept by all nations to a greater or less 

 extent — by the half-civilized, as well as the more 

 enlightened. While on the Isthmus, I noticed 

 that the natives all kept a stock of poultry, and 

 they occupied the same room for laying, hatching 

 and roosting, that the people themselves occu- 

 pied ! They did not seem disturbed by the ring- 

 ing of pots and kettles by the seignorettes, and 

 would submit to rather rough handling by the 

 young piccaninnies that quarrelled with them for 

 the food. Not unfrequently I have seen them 

 perched upon the table, while, underneath, whole 

 litters of pigs were scrabbling for the few crumbs 

 that fell to the ground ! I do not wish it to be 

 understood that I recommend this mode of poul- 

 try-raising in a civilized community. 



One of the greatest enemies I have had to en- 

 counter is a blue louse which collects in great 

 numbers in warm weather. I once tried the fol- 

 lowingremedies : — Sprinkled the nests and roosts 

 with ashes, which had no effect whatever. Next, 

 air-slacked lime ; this reduced their number, but 

 did not prove an effectual cure. Next, yellow 

 snuff; this produced only a universal sneezing. 

 My thorough remedy was, to clean the house of 

 every moveable thing before warm weather, say the 

 first of May, and whitewash every portion of the 

 room, above, below, around ; and I had no more 

 trouble with vermin that year. 



Of the management of chickens I have but lit- 

 tle to say. I like to have them come out early, a 

 part of them by the first of March, as early chick- 

 ens bring in the market twice as much as late 

 ones. They should have a little meat, finely 

 pounded oyster shells, once in a while sulphur, 

 and onions cut very fine and mixed with corn 

 meal dough, and a dry place. It is more import- 

 ant that the place should be dry, than that it 

 should be very warm. 



Turkeys require a somewhat different treat- 

 ment. They should never be allowed to come out 

 until the first of May. During the first 48 hours 



