'Blipplmmi k iM "Tropiml AgricuUurisV^ pEC. 2, 1901. 
shell— ground— 5 oz. ; magnesia 1 oz. ; caicium 
carbouate, 3 oz. ; bone — gi'ound ~H oz. ; must, ird 
bran, li oz. ; c.ipsicutn, 1 oz. ; sodium chloride, 
1 oz. ; iron sulphate, ^-■">z. ; sodiun cai'binate, 
|-oz. ; sulphate, ^^-oz. ; beef — lean, dried ;!".d 
powdered — 10 oz.; fine sand, 10 oz. ; c.>vn meil, 
20 oz. ; linseed meal, 20 >z. Re luce til to rooler- 
a^ely coarse p.)vvder and mix well. Tha above are 
formuliii that are recommanded by poultry :aen, 
and are based upon practical experience in jjoiiltry- 
feeding, not upon the theoretical knowledge i-f 
pharmacists. 
Indian corn will fatten geese quickeHr,, but it 
makes the fat very yellow; and wlien the bird is 
put before the fire to roast, an undue amount of 
it becomes goose-greese. Oats are much better. 
They may be given crushed or whole. The former 
is the better; and a barley-meal and oat-fat tened 
goose is always a heavy-weighing, firm, well- 
fiavoiired bird. 
There are many readers of a poultry column, 
as well as fanciers and others, wlio considtr that 
too much is made of Cleanliness. \Vriters 
of the poultry columns are constantly harping 
on the subject, but it is in duty bound and in 
the best interests of those who keep poultry 
that this subject receives so much attention. 1 
should not be far wrong in saying that 60 per 
cent, of the fowlhouses in the colony are so dirty 
that it is impossible for fowls to live in them in a 
healthy condition. Filth is the sure cause of 
disease, and ofttimes death ; indeed, it is the one 
great curse in keeping poultry. If your fowls 
droop, or are ailing, see if the house is infected 
with lice or tick. If it i,--, so are tlie hens, and 
also are *he nests. Do yon thlv-k yen \i'nu)d enjoy 
hf^- yourself if a myri:id uf insi-cts \iere forevei- 
boring into your '^kin, preve:i fi:ipr all comlort 
during the day and all rest at niglit!-' Yet this is 
the usual experience of the vast-majnrity of fowls. 
'They are overrun with lice or tick. Many of 
them h.ave broken-down, draughty houses, fcBtid 
runs, impure water, and then their owners won- 
der why they don't lay a plentiful supply of eggs. 
Cleanliness is second only to godliness in the 
human creature ; in poultry-keeinng there is 
nothing comes before it. It is the first and most 
imjjortant condition of success, it is advisable, 
therefore, to occasionally examine your birds for 
the purpose of detecting any parasites that may 
from time to time molest them. This remark also 
applies with regard to the houses. As the raoult- 
ing season draws to an end, it is advisable to 
thoroughly lime-wash all poultiy-houses, coops, 
&c., find if you have any su.-piciou that tick 
or other parasites are p7es<'Ut me Little's Phenyle 
profusely in all the c.-evices, corners, and other 
pbiC('S wIkmo tl Hse ]'es s lire likely to congregate. 
If iliis is nepi-c tol, 'I t' fowls i\ldch m onld in a 
Te:y liti le time es i) I qnile a giiy and glossy 
ni)pearai!ce will le found with ilieii' feailiera 
«aten away to such iin extent as to entirely ^-poil 
their appeariince, and miiy eventually be found 
pead juBt for the want of proper attention. 
The secret of raising chickens is to keep the 
growing all the time. To do this they i»I.ould 
have nourishing food, a fair range, and not be 
overcrowded. Poor feed is expensive at any price 
where chickens are concerned. It is best to let 
chicketis run at large, providing they do not go so 
far as to keep them tired all the time. A young 
chicke/i can bo run down the same as the young 
of my kind, and when th's is the case they will 
not prosper. They thrive unusually well in 
orchards, the reason being they are sliaded, and 
insects are more plentiful. A piece of land wnere 
a fair amount of grass, old trees, and loose soil 
abound is the very best place imaginable to 
raise chickens, and especially after they have 
reached the age of four to six weeks old. Under 
the old leaves, and along the logs and fallen tim- 
ber there is an abundance of insects, &c., which 
make splendid food, the shade is plentiful, and 
the green food contains the elements for building 
up the body. It is essential to give them all 
they can eat in the morning and evening, and if 
the range or run does not afford ''good picking'' 
it is best to scatter cracked grain where they can 
find it by scratching. A chicken that receives 
every atttention and is pushed right along for the 
first few weeks must not be neglected, for if 
permitted to stop growing it will never fully 
recover. 
The question is often asked, "How many 
females should be mated with a male bird?" 
To answer this correctly is not easy, for much 
depends cn the male himself ; besides each variety 
or breed will differ more or less. For instance, 
the Asiatics, or large breeds, will not take as 
many females as the Mediterranean, or lighter 
breeds. I liave become a lieliever in mating a 
larger number of females titan the orthodox rule, 
and I fi-ul 1 get better results, especially wirh the 
li.h'!'; breeds, Enly in the season fewer hens 
ai f If ■ !'■.!, but as the seasofi advances the num- 
bers may be increased. For the lighter breeds I 
generally mate up five or six hen--, and add as the 
seasons advances, up to nine or ten, and even 
twelve hens. Wvh the medium breeds — Wyan- 
doties, Orpingtons, etc., four or five at first, and 
increase up to eight or ten. With the larger or 
heavier bieeds, three or four hens early in the 
season and increase up to eight. Of course, a 
good, lively, vigorous male bird must be at the 
head of affairs to get best results. The hen should 
be considered as well as the iuale bird, and must 
be sound and healthy if we wish to get good fer- 
tile eggs. On her depends the greater part of the 
production of the future chick. She should pro- 
duce a perfect egg, stored with the proper 
nutriment for the development of. the emoryo, 
and the foundation of healtli, growth, etc., for the 
future bird. 
During the hot summer months the fowls' 
drinking pots should be k;'pi out of the sun, and 
siiould be filled with .v^iier ns we would use 
ourselves. Shade of some kind should be procided 
for all birds ; if no u-ees, or sheds are handy, i 
shade can be made of bought, b-xgs, oranythinuT, i , 
will shade a part of the run from the hot 4 I 
