THE GARDEN AND FIELD. July,' 1913 



6fi4 



(Continued from page 66l). 



six months the birds have sub- 

 sisted largely on lucerne, peaches, 

 tomatoes, sugar corn, box thorn 

 becries, sweet potatoes, trom- 

 bones, marrows, etc., and are now 

 having a happv time on soursop 

 bulbs and olives, it probably would 

 not help our correspondent much 

 and would certainly be an absurdi- 

 ty as a guide to commercial poul- 

 try keeping. Jietiirning to more 

 practical matters it will be seen 

 irom the figures suggested, that at 

 the worst table poultry pays its 

 way and that if one combinesi least 

 possible cost with highest returns 

 it looks very like a most profit- 

 able proposition, but under similar 

 conditions so is egg production 

 only more so, so why should our 

 correspondent or anyone similarly 

 situated make any change. 



SIZK AND WiMLxHT. 



As to size aud weight, we can- 

 not in this matter speak from ex- 

 perience, but the subject was 

 pretty thoroughly tested at one of 

 the American Kxperimental Sta- 

 tions, if we recollect aright, with 

 the result that it was found that 

 there was " no noticeable differ- 

 ence in the size and weight of 

 treated and untreated birds grown 

 imder exactly similar conditions. 

 In some few instances there was 

 an apparent gain of up to i H:)., 

 but this was believed to be due 

 rather to the individual character 

 of the birds than to • the v;.aponisiug. 

 The operation resulted in a tempor- 

 are check to growth which was 

 afterwards fulh- regained. 



A :\f 1 K I C A X V\i.\ CT I C IC . 



In discussing American methods 

 one must rememl>er one essential 

 difference of conditions, that is the 

 tremendous demand for poultry 



Eqas! Eqqs! 



Sittings from Heavy Laying 



White Leghorns 

 Black Leqhorns 

 Black Orpingtons 

 SilverWyandottes 



15 EggB to each setting. Guaranteed 

 fertile or replaced. 10;6 per setting 



T. E. YELLAND, 

 8.A.. Farmera' Co-Op. Union, Lid. 



flesh, from the looz. baby broiler 

 to the lolb. soft roaster. Where 

 the Australian housewife says chop 

 her American sister murmurs 

 chicken and won't be happy till 

 .she gets it. There is undoubtedly 

 a big trade in capons in the big 

 American markets, to supply the 

 demand for soft meated birds in 

 the seas-on when the voung cocker- 

 el of 4 to 5 lbs. is not procurable 

 in any sufficient numbers. They arei 

 not usually sold as capons, simply 

 as " roasters." Breeders caponise 

 their later hatches so that in the 

 winter the place of the, spring and 

 summer chicken ma}' be taken by 

 its emasculated brother. What are 

 called " extra fancy capons " fetch 

 high prices in Boston and New 

 York. It is a rather interesting 

 fact that they are almost invari- 

 ably bred "by mating a light 

 Brahma cock with Cochin hens. 

 Chcickens are hatched in July and 

 August and make 8 to lo His. by 

 .January or February, when they 

 •are worth lo/- to 12/- to the grow- 

 ers. As the price to the con- 

 sumer is said to be from 15/- to 

 20/-, one can understand the state- 

 ment that the demand is strictly 

 limited." 



NKARKR HOME. 



Prices and practices from the 

 other side of the world are, how- 

 evec, not of much usq to us. I^et's 

 get nearer home. Some years ago 

 at the Hawkesbury conference a 

 breeder read an interesting paper 

 on " Surplus Cockerels," in which 

 he strongly advocated the use of 

 the knife or rather of the canula, 

 which is the special instrument 

 used for this purpose. His princi- 

 pal argument, as we remember it, 

 was, that by doing so he was able 

 to carry over his stock for a suit- 

 able market, that he could buy 

 store condition .stock in the market 

 or on the farms, operate on the 

 1)irds, feed them uj) and sell at a 

 liberal profit. He ajipeared to sell 

 the birds at 4 to 6 lb. and looked 

 to the bare winter and early 

 s])ring market for hisi harvest 

 time. No special quality was 

 claimed for his goods. made 

 no losses through deaths and 

 maintained that all breed.s were 

 suitable, even the feather weight 

 division, making satisfactory sub- 

 jects, but he expressed a preference 

 for the middle weight classes. 

 There was some difference of 

 opinion expres.sed iirincipally with 

 regard to value of the process as 

 a Implied to light breeds. Several 

 members of the committee who 

 had personal knowledge of the pro- 

 cess and its results confirmed the 

 o])inion of the writer of the paper. 



Care After the Show. 



The process of preparing fowls 

 for exhibition receives a good deal 

 of attention, and methods effective 

 and otherwise are largely practised 

 but that any treatment other than 

 to throw the birds into the pens 

 when they return from the show 

 may be necessary, or advisable, 

 seems to be generally overlooked. 

 It is to be regretted that .this me- 

 thod of handling returned birds is 

 in general practice ; the fact that 

 more trouble' does not result speaks 

 well for the care given the birds 

 at shows an4 for the vigor of ex- 

 hibition fowls, but even so, it is 

 not to be expected that they will 

 arrive in the best of condition. If 

 they are put directly into the pens 

 with other fowls and made sub- 

 ject to the same conditions, they 

 have a fair chance to, take cold or 

 to develop any cold, or other 

 trouble, that they may have 

 acquired at the show. It happens 

 occasionally that a bird aftlicted 

 with some disease or one that car- 

 ries the germs of disease, finds its 

 way into the show room and men- 

 aces the health of all birds ."ooped 

 near it. On that account, if for 

 no other reason, fowls returning 

 from shows should be cooped, or 

 penned, separate from the others 

 until they can be cured of slight 

 ailments and have a chance to re- 

 cover their strength and natural 

 condition. Four or five days, or at 

 most a week, is sufficient to get 

 the home coming fowls in condition 

 to return to their regular quarters 

 or to be mated for the season's 

 breeding without danger to them- 

 selves or to other birds. This may 

 seem like too much work to avoid 

 a mere possibility of serious trou- 

 ble ; but when difficulties arise from 

 such sources they are usually far- 

 reaching in their efforts and decid- 

 edly cxi^ensive for the poultryman 

 in who.se flock they occur. A little 

 time and a little money spent to 

 prevent such troubles are well in- 

 vested. 



♦ 



Tick. 



Rcplv to T. H.— If you only have 

 a few fowls and a few tick, 'you 

 might try going over the birds 

 carefull\- and dab a little olive or 

 an}' v^egetable oil on any .single 

 tick or colony of them. Provide a 

 good dust ' bath, the birds will 

 probably make a bee line for it, 

 and the dust and oil will probably 

 fini.sh the tick. If there are a 

 number of badly affected birds you 



