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FANCIERS' JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by Joseph : 

 Wade, in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



I 



rvi 



ANCIERS' ^JOURNAL AND flrjOULTRY (jf^XCHANGE, 

 JOSEPH M. WADE, Editor and Proprietor. 



Published Weekly at 39 North Ninth Street, Philadelphia. 



SUBSCRIPTION. 



Per Annum $2 50 



Six Copies, one year, 12 00 



Specimen Copies, by mail, 10 



ADVERTISEMENTS 



From reliable parties, on any subjects interesting to Fanciers, will be 

 inserted at 10 cents per line, set solid ; if displayed, 15 cents per line of 

 space will be charged ; about 12 words make a line, and 12 lines make a 

 inch of space. 



1 inch of space, set solid tl 20, displayed $1 80 



1 column, about 108 lines, set solid 10 80, " 16 20 



1 page, 216 lines, solid 21 60, " 32 40 



Advertisements from unknown parties must be paid for in advance. 

 Sherman & Co., Printers, Philadelphia. 



We have received from the publisher, Wm. P. Atkinson, 

 Erie, Pa., an elegantly printed descriptive catalogue, hand- 

 somely illustrated with eighteen cuts, representing the best 

 breeds. Great care and pains have evidently been taken in 

 presenting to the public this really elegant and useful work 

 on poultry. The descriptions are taken from the new Amer- 

 ican standard, as revised at the late Buffalo convention, and 

 may be relied upon as being correct in every particular. 

 The size of the page is a large octavo, and is printed on 

 toned paper. The mechanical execution is excellent, the 

 illustrations and letter-press being very clear, and an illumi- 

 nated cover adds considerably to its appearance ; but the 

 subject matter is really of the most importance, containing 

 — besides the descriptions and illustrations alluded to — valu- 

 able hints relative to the care of poultry, together with a 

 list of many of the diseases of fowl and their remedies. 

 It is a work which we can cordially recommend to all 

 breeders of poultry. Sent postpaid on receipt of fifteen 

 cents. See advertisement. 



FOWLS FOR FARMERS. 



Fakmers have their fancies like the rest of us, but they 

 have an eye at the same time to the profits which an enter- 

 prise will yield them. There are, probably, few ardent fan- 

 ciers, who breed fowls for pleasure alone, that would care to 

 show up the profit and loss account. Fanciers in general 

 make pleasure and a love for the beautiful the first elements 

 in the breeding of pets, but with farmers this is not the case. 

 The first question is, Will it pay? and the second, In what 

 raped is your fancy stock any better than our common dung- 

 hill fowls? 



To answer intelligently the question, What stock of fowls 



is best for the farmer ? we have first to take note of the fact 

 that the farmer's treatment of stock and the fancier's treat- 

 ment are two vastly different things. Your fancier looks 

 out for beauty, and takes but little account of expense of 

 feed ; but the farmer has the same problem to solve here 

 that he has in the feeding of sheep or cattle: How much 

 marketable meat, or butter, or eggs, will every bushel of 

 corn produce? If less than the value of the corn, then he 

 argues it is useless and unwise to keep stock. But if, on the 

 other hand, the beef, and butter, and eggs will yield more 

 revenue than the corn, besides paying for the extra labor 

 and attention to stock, then keeping and feeding stock for 

 market purposes is the best. 



That fowls do pay, we believe no man that ever tried the 

 experiment doubts. On an average every hen on the farm, 

 with ordinary attention, will yield an annual profit of one 

 dollar at least. This is true of almost any good ordinary 

 breed of fowls ; with better breeds, and better attention, the 

 profit will be greater, of course. 



Farrners's fowls in general receive but little care and at- 

 tention except during the winter, and even then only in the 

 matter of feed. It would be safe to say that not more than 

 one farmer in ten ever seems to think of feeding his fowls 

 in summer ; they are expected to find their own 1 living. 

 This, of course, is not true of those living near our large 

 cities, where the matter of poultry breeding forms one of 

 the industries of the farmer, but it is true of the rural dis- 

 tricts. Not only is this true, but it is true, too, that the 

 fowls have no permanent roosting-place — sometimes in the 

 wagon-shed, sometimes over the pig-sty, but oftener on the 

 trees and fences. 



Our Asiatics are valuable, but with care like this where 

 are the Asiatics that would thrive? I am a warm admirer 

 of Brahmas and Cochins, but with the kind of care here in- 

 dicated — and it is the care which most farmers give — I 

 would not advise any farmer to try these. Light Brahmas 

 — among the most valuable — might get through, but it 

 would be a battle for life and existence. The average 

 farmer wants a fowl that will in a great degree support 

 itself. There are many, of course, that will do this, and 

 among the best are the Hamburgs and Leghorns. Of the 

 former I cannot speak from experience, but I know, from 

 the experience of others, that they are excellent. I find the 

 Leghorns extra good ; and among the best of them' for the 

 farmer is the Brown Leghorn, particularly where foxes are 

 numerous. White Leghorns, in foxy districts, are too con- 

 spicuous. Only one objection can be urged on behalf of the 

 farmer against the Leghorns, and that is want of size; but, 

 as egg producers, they are hard to beat. Think of taking to 

 market from twelve to eighteen dozen of eggs every year 

 from each hen on your farm — say an average of fifteen 

 dozen, at thirty cents a dozen — and tell us poultry does not 

 pay. Tour wife knows better than that. 



One more variety, which we cannot now refrain from 



naming as being an excellent farmer's fowl, is the Plymouth 

 Bock. The chicks are easily reared. The fowls are good 

 self-supporters and good in size, ranging from fourteen to 

 eighteen pounds to the pair ; sometimes going beyond this. 

 They are active, have a nice yellow skin, lay good-sized 

 eggs and plenty of them, and, in fact, have more good 

 points and fewer objections, from the farmer's point of view, 

 than any other breed we know of. But, more on this subject 

 at another time. A. N. Ratje. 



Lock Haven, Pa. 



