666 



THE GARDEN AND FIELD. 



July, 1913 



Lucerne. 



The value of lucerne as a green 

 food for poultry is pretty generall3; 

 recognised by breeders, though its 

 great superiority to most other 

 forms of green food is not so well 

 understood as yet. This, superiori- 

 ty is made very evident in a report 

 of the chemist at the Dominion of 

 Canada Lvxperimental Farm, Otta- 

 wa, in which he states that " al- 

 falfa furnishes a large amount of 

 forage especially rich in Hesh-fonn- 

 ing constituents," and that it be- 

 longs to "a class of plants, in- 

 cluding the clovers, peas, beans, 

 vetches, etc., that is characterized 

 by possessing a large proportion of 

 nitrogenous matter (crude protein) 

 in their tissues." This expert fur- 

 ther states that cured alfalfa pos- 

 sesses fourteen per cent, of crude 

 protein, that red clover possesses 

 twelve per cent., while mangels, 

 which are used veey commonly by 

 poultrymen as winter green food, 

 contain only one and one-half per 

 cent, of crude protein. He then 

 adds, "It is evident that alfalfa 

 furnishes a more nutritious fodder, 

 weight for weight, (than the grasses, 

 Indian corn or roots." 



The chemical division of the agri- 

 cultural experiment station at the 

 University of Minnesota, referring 

 to an analysis of foods it has 

 made, states that " the most 

 striking feature shown is the large 

 amount of protein in the alfalfa," 

 in comparison with clover, " the 

 former possessing, in this analysis, 

 seventeen and one-half per cent, of 

 protein and the latter thirteen per 

 cent." " This substance " (pro- 

 tein), adds the chemist, " is al- 

 ways the most valuable constitu- 

 ent of a feeding stufl. It is the 

 substance that enters so largely 

 into the composition of the llesh 

 and the vital fluids of the body, 

 and, in a dairv animal, of the milk. 

 Here, then, we have a source of 

 protein which seems to be far 

 superior to red clover, which here- 

 tofore has held >in(lis])uted the title 

 of being the best nitrogenous for- 

 age for Minnesota." 



Lucerne is very easil}- grown in 

 this climate, and preparations for 

 sowing a patch should be at once 

 made by all poultry keepers who 

 have not already an established 

 plot. It is not worth while sow- 

 ing just yet but the stand will be 

 all the better if the ground to be 

 sown is dug over and well man- 

 ured. A fine crop of weeds will 

 soon make their appearance which 

 can be dug in before they get too 

 big. If this digging is done 

 once or twice before the seed is 

 sown, it will be nice and mellow 

 bv the time the first of the warm 

 weather comes. Lucerne is a bit 

 tender at first, and requires a 

 clean, level, and well pulverized 

 surface for best results. 



Running Incubators. 



The incubator should be set up 

 carefully according to directions, 

 and the hatching chamber gradual- 

 ly brought to the proper tempera- 

 ture. The temperature which the 

 thermometer should show depends 

 somewhat upon its position in the 

 draw. If the thermometer merely 

 records the air temperature on a 

 level with the top of the eggs, as 

 they lie upon the trays, and is sus- 

 pended near the centre of the cham- 

 ber, then a temperature of io2/^ 

 will bring the chickens out prompt- 

 ly on the twenty-first day. 



The eggs should not be placed in 

 the incul)ator until after the oper- 

 ator is able to maintain a fairly 

 uniform temperature. Unless the 

 regulator is properly adjusted to 

 the right temperature and all the 

 parts in good working order, it is 

 an easy matter for the temjiera- 

 ture to run too high, and thus in- 

 jure, or totally destroy, the hatch. 

 The temperature should be main- 

 tained as uniform as possible. All 

 \iolent lluctuations are unnatural 

 and injurious. This is especially 

 true of temperatures above the pro- 

 per incubating temperature. Cool- 

 ing the eggs a few degrees below 

 the proper inculcating temperatures 



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Xv! I N G <& CJO . , 



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J3L. H. 



Engineer, G«(a«ral Machinist, 4to. 

 Corner of 



FEiAJ^KLIN AND MORPHETT ST., 

 ADELAIDE 



Manufacturer of CentrifugBl and 

 geared forced Pumps— Eepairi io all 

 classes Steam, Oil and Gasoline 

 Engines % SpeoiAllty. 



A TRIAL SOLICir^D 



does no harm, and in ca.se the 

 ventilation of the machine is not 

 sufficient to supply the germs with 

 enough oxygen, this cooling may be 

 necessary for a good hatch. 

 — Ventilation and Moisture. — 

 The ventilation of the machine is 

 next in importance to the tem- 

 perature. During 'their develop- 

 ments the germs absorb oxygen, 

 and throw off carbon dioxide or 

 carbonic acid gas, as it is some- 

 times called. If the carbon diox- 

 ide is allowed to accumulate, or in 

 other words, if the vitiated air is 

 not replaced by pure air, with suf- 

 ficient rapidity the germs will be 

 weakened, and those which are 

 somewhat naturally weak, will be 

 killed. Bowel trouble and non- 

 absorption of the contents of the 

 yolk sack, two very common ail- 

 ments of incubator chickens, are 

 frequently caused by lack of fresh 

 air in the incubating chamber, dur- 

 ing the hatch. 



The eggs mu.st be given plenty of 

 fresh air, but if this is overdone 

 another trouble is encountered. The 

 eggs loose too much moisture, and 

 the chicks dry fast to the shells, 

 thus destroying mt^ny chicks, and 

 producing many cripjiles. On the 

 other hand if the eggs do not lose 

 enough moisture, the chicks are 

 weak aud llsibbv and ,'do not have 

 sullicieut room so that they are 

 unable to break their shells and 

 thus make their escape. Between 

 the two extremes of too much 

 moisture and too little there is a 

 nx-diinn where the moisture condi- 

 ti'ons arc just right, and when, 

 clo.sely adhered to in practice, 

 gives best results. 



