94 



SUCCESS WITH POULTRY 



adult feathers come in the fall they will be all right, and 

 I have known feathers to come in a little- splotched the sec- 

 ond or third sfeason after a molt of perfectly 'Jiarred wings. 

 By Bplptched, I mean the: white bar is wider in some places 

 than it ought to be, showing a lack of coloring matter. When 

 this jpt'curs it is likely to be followed by a perfect barring 

 af t|r the next molt. Some writers affirm that if an off-col- 

 ored feather be plucked it is liable to be followed by a per- 

 ^fec^t one, 1 do not linow how it is as I have never tried 

 J it, but I think it may be true as there is something curious 

 about thQ. division of, coloring matter, but I should be ex- 

 tremely suspicious of a feather nearly all black or nearly all 

 light. It would shqw conclusively that somewhere in the 

 past history of that bird, blood other than Bronze, had been 

 introduced and it would be very difficult to cross it out. It 

 might disappear in one generation to reappear in the next. 

 It would hardly be possible that every bird in a large 

 flock should bo excellently marked, but by severely and con- 

 scientiously culling for a few years a large per cent of them 



may be. The great risk in introducing new birds into a 'flock 

 arises from the fact that so few who raise turkeys know 

 what the markings o fthe birds ought to be or are. They 

 probably know their weight but are unable to give a detailed 

 description of them, being satisfied that they are "good" 

 when they may be very inferior. A thorough knowledge of 

 what they ought to be in every respect, as to size, shape and 

 markings is the only basis on which a breeder can sell with 

 satisfaction to himself and his customers. It is not suffi- 

 cient to say he has good birds,, but he must be, able to tell 

 in what respect they excell or where they are faulty. If he 

 does this honestly .and truthfully it matters little whether 

 he has a score card to go with the bird of not, providing 

 always that he buyer knows, too. If he does not it. is safer 

 to have the score card to sell by, since it follows almost in- 

 variably that he least experienced are the most difficult to 

 please, and the score card is a protection to the seller. 



MRS. S. N. KING, Illinois. 



CAPONS AND CAPONIZING 



What Hon F. L. Washburn, of the Oregon Experiment Station, Says About Capons — Actual 



Expei'iments in Caponizing, With Results — Full and Explicit Directions 



in Caponizing (With Illustrations.) 



THE commercial side of the business of poultry raiS' 

 ing is coming rapidly into prominence.' It has 

 been surprisingly neglected in times past. But 

 Jihe time of change is here, and now the general 

 •government and several states are taking a practical interest 

 ^n the subject. Experiment stations are at work investigating 

 the mooted questions of poultrydom and the results can not 

 be other than beneficial. Th^ Dominion government to the 

 north rf£ us has also established experiment stations, and the ' 

 poultry industry is'now receiving intelligent and widespread 

 attention. We trust that the day is not far distant when 

 every country and state fair will have its large poultry ex- 

 hibit, consisting oi both pure-bred and commercial Speei 

 mens, the former to comprise thoroughbred land and water 

 • fowls, bred to standard requirements, and the latter, crosses, 



■ capons, etc., produced with a, view to the greatest oommer- 

 .cial value. 



In an official bulletin, IT. L. Washburn, ci the , Oregon 

 Experiment Station, gives results of a number of experi 

 ■ 'inenits ' in 'this"' branch oi" poultry cultui^e, . f rom which wa 

 ,_^uote as follows: 



"A capon bears the same relation to a cockerel that a 



■slfeer does to a, bull; it is an altered rooster. As in the case 



of steers' a capon is more quiet, lays on much flesh and fat 



_and remains tender for many months after the operation. 



■ Qaponized birds seventeen' and nineteen months old have 

 been kiDed here whose meat was extremely delicate and ten- 

 der. They will, furthermore, weigh from 20 to 30 per cent 

 more than a rooster of the same age, if kept the proper 

 length of time, and in many eastern markets will bring from 

 eighteen to^ thirty cents per pound. The comb and wattles 

 do not grow after the operation. The feathers of the neck 

 abd "saddle grow enormously long and become very glossy. 

 They do not chase the hens; they neither crow nor figM. 



For a few months after caponizing they are very hearty eat- 

 ers; but later do not consume appreciably more food than 

 ordinary fowls." 



CAPONIZING ON A FARM. 



How Not to Succeed vs. How to Succeed— $1.00 to $1.25 

 Apiece for Barnyard Mongrels. 



By J. C. HOOVER. 



. During the summer of 1894 I caponized 270 birds of all 

 colors,, sizes, ages, weights, etc., 100 for myself and 170 for 

 my neighbors, charging them five cents each for the work, 

 and contracted for the capons to be delivered any time after 

 January 15, at 12% cents per pound. Of the 270 caponized 

 twelve died from the effects of the operation. Almost every 

 one of these died within fifteen minutes after the operation. 

 My 100 were B. P. Kocks and averaged when caponized 

 three pounds each— to large for safety, but I had good suc- 

 cess. I did not want to take the room in my best poultry 

 houses, which were arranged and yarded for fifteen laying 

 hens each, so these 100 capons, to say nothing of almost as 

 many hens and other fowls, were given free range with a 

 single alKpurpose farmer's chicken house to roost in. The 

 house would possibly have accommodated fifty with some 

 degree of comfort. Need I give the result? Every poultry- 

 man knows the evil results arising from that fertile cause- 

 overcrowding. But this is for the benefit of the farmer who 

 has but one poultry house, and for the inexperienced pouL- 

 tryman who should be willing to profit by the mistakes of 

 others. The capons did as well as could be expected under 

 the circumstances, which was but a very little gain in weight 

 until about November 1. When the cold winds began to 

 whistle and the free range did not furnish much forage they 



