10 CAPONS FOR PROFIT. 
the profits, and at best they will bring only eight or 
ten cents a pound, that has cost youmore than that 
amount to produce. My way now is to turn them 
into capons, and thus double the value of their flesh. 
There are a great many persons in America who 
have never heard of capons, and have not the least 
idea what they are. 
‘What a magnificent lot of fowls! ”’ 
‘‘Say, Mister, what breed are your fowls?”’ 
‘Will you sell me a trio of your fowls, or a set- 
ting of eggs in the spring?”’ 
These are questions that I and some of my friends 
who keep a goodly number of capons, have been 
asked time and time again; and we had to explain 
the matter as best as we could. If we simply said 
‘“‘They are capons,’’ people would answer, *‘ Why, 
yes; they are just the breed we want.’ I think my- 
self that they will want them after they once find 
out how tender and sweet and juicy their flesh is. 
But what are capons, anyhow? Farmers make 
oxen of their surplus male calves, and wethers of 
their surplus male lambs, and ordinary horses of 
their male colts. In short, they castrate or emasculate 
all male animals not wanted for breeding purposes. 
Occasionally male cats and dogs are treated in the 
same way; and the process of castration gives us 
better cats and dogs than they are in their unaltered 
state. We used to castrate male rabbits when we 
were breeding them for table use, and it improved 
them greatly in size and quality of flesh, and as in 
other animals, made them more peaceable and quiet. 
But while thus improving by castration the sur- 
plus males of all farm stock, farmers have neglected 
