42 PROFITABLE POULTRY PRODUCTION 



are successes in this line of poultry production, yet 

 the demand is practically met by the present sup- 

 ply and the price is about fixed, so that it is not 

 advisable for the farmer to go into this branch of 

 poultry raising. The business, like the raising of 

 green ducks, is a specialist's line, and not adapted 

 for ordinary farm conditions. There is no reason, 

 however, why a home supply of squabs should not 

 be raised. The pigeons are easily kept and will 

 afford a table delicacy at small cost. 



SYSTEMS OF POULTRY RAISING 



At frequent intervals, so-called systems of poul- 

 try raising are advertised in magazines and weekly 

 periodicals, circulated widely not only among poul- 

 trymen, but especialh^ among people not posted in 

 poultry production. The usual design of such ad- 

 vertisements is to sell some so-called secret or a 

 book said to give directions for making more money 

 out of poultry than by the ordinary methods. As 

 a rule, those who answer such advertisements are 

 disappointed with the information they receive. 

 There is nothing specially new about the feeding 

 of sprouted grain, and there is no reason why the 

 practice of feeding such material should be called 

 a secret and sold as such ; yet this has been done. 

 There are probably no better ways of preserving 

 eggs than by the water-glass method and the lime- 

 salt mixture, yet almost annually some one adver- 

 tises to sell a secret recipe which usually turns out 

 to be one or other of these two. 



Where a really meritorious system has been 

 worked out, it usually reaches the public in a legit- 

 imate way and tbrongli natural channels. The 



