i89i 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Poultry Yard. 
THOROUGHBRED POULTRY FOR 
FARMERS. 
J. H. DREVEN8TEDT. 
( Continued .) 
The great success of one noted firm of 
poultrymen is due largely to the fact 
that they keep only one breed, and that the 
White Leghorn. While they do a large 
business in selling fowls and eggs for fancy 
purposes, yet the flock they keep turns out 
a large revenue in the sale of fresh eggs. 
Another point in favor of the Leghorns 
is that the surplus cockerels when killed 
as broilers and spring chickens make 
handsome carcasses that sell well in 
our markets. White eggs that are abso¬ 
lutely fresh will average over 35 cents 
per dozen during the year. They retail in 
New York city at from 40 to 75 cents per 
dozen, according to the season and the loca¬ 
tion of the market. There is little differ¬ 
ence in the laying capacities of the different 
varieties of Leghorns, but for practical 
farm use I would prefer the White. An- 
oi her advantage is the wonderful fertility 
of Leghorn eggs. They always hatch well, 
and are especially adapted for hatching 
in incubators. 
Where eggs and meat are desired, 1 pin 
my faith on the Wyandottes and Plymouth 
Rocks. Both breeds are fine winter layers, 
and if eggs are carefully selected for hatch¬ 
ing purposes, a strain of fowls will result 
that produce a fine lot of uniformly brown 
eggs. I could always obtain as much for 
brown eggs as for white, but my markets 
were the special customers in the city who 
simply desired clean, fresh eggs. The best 
way to handle these breeds is to sell the 
eggs from September to March, when eggs 
are high in price. Beginning in January, 
begin to sell eggs for early pullets. The 
latter will commence laying in September 
in time to supply an active market. I gen 
erally continue to sell eggs up to May 1st, 
when I sell off the surplus old hens, keep¬ 
ing only the finest ones for breeding pur¬ 
poses the next winter. By using eggs from 
two-year-old hens for hatching, better stock 
will result, as a rule. The first lot of chicks 
will contain many cockerels that can be 
profitably sold as broilers, but in all later 
hatched chickens, the cockerels had best 
be allowed to reach four to six pounds be¬ 
fore they are sold, as the demand for such 
roasters is always good, especially after 
August, but not later than November. 
From November to January 1, the general 
market is apt to be flooded with poultry. 
In regard to handling thoroughbred 
fowls for laying, I always pen them up, 
usually 20 to 25 in a pen, in a yard of 50x20 
feet. More eggs can be obt lined in this 
manner than if the fowls are allowed their 
liberty. The pens for breeding usually 
contain 10 to 12 hens, mated to one cockerel, 
and if possible they are allowed free range. 
The laying pens need no male. The hens 
in the laying pens that are to be kept over for 
another season are turned out to pasture 
after May or June, or fed oats or buck¬ 
wheat once per day. The forcing for eggs 
throughout the summer from hens that 
laid during the winter will retard the 
moulting, and too much “ dead timber” in 
the fall and winter will be the result. Hens 
allowed to pasture and not forced with 
grain will moult out nicely. I remember 
thatallmy Wyandottes moulted by Novem¬ 
ber one season. 
In raising thoroughbred chickens, wheth¬ 
er by natural or artificial means, the great 
point is to closely follow nature’s methods. 
Ahen with her brood on a nice shady grass 
run will bring up strong chickens. Brooders 
or artificial mothers, except in the early 
spring months, must be out-of-doors, where 
the chickens can have a good range. D aring 
January, February and March, chicks do 
well enough when raised indoors, but as 
soon as the temperature gets over 60 degrees, 
the sooner they get out-of-doors the better. 
This (specially applies to Leghorns and 
other quick-feathering breeds. Deprive the 
latter of a good range, and poor and sickly 
chickens will be the result. 
There are numerous other excellent 
breeds, notably the Light Brahmas. The 
latter in the hands of such skillful breeders 
as James Rankin and I. K. Felch, bring 
large returns. The Langshan is a fine fowl, 
a good layer and has fine meat, but the 
black legs and white skin do not take in 
the general market. In a fancy market, 
however, the LaDgshan has many admirers. 
One dealer in Fulton Market, New York, 
has informed me that he has obtained extra 
prices for their carcasses. The Indian Game 
has ur questionably the finest breast devel¬ 
opment of any fowls I am acquainted with, 
and looks meaty and appetizing in every 
way, but it has not been sufficiently tried 
in America to enable one to estimate its 
practical value. Properly selected and bred, 
it should reach the top notch. 
AN ENGLISH POULTRY FARM. 
A 1 600-Leghorn Power Hennery. 
The R. N.-Y. has given its readers pen 
pictures of several large American hen 
farms; it has several others in view. We 
have now to speak of a similar establish¬ 
ment in England, which is described in the 
London Live Stock Journal. The farm com¬ 
prises 2,000 acres in Northumberland fac¬ 
ing to the sea. The stock consists of 400 
head of cattle, 200 hogs, 800 sheep and 1,600 
laying hens, besides horses. 
A Hardy Hen Wanted. 
It is a cold situation with keen winds 
blowing over the farm from the northeast. 
It was therefore necessary to have a hardy 
breed, especially as the hens are given free 
range. After much experimenting with 
breeds and cross breeds the White Leghorn 
was selected as the hen best adapted to the 
situation. This little white hen has proved 
her value in many a test. She was not long 
in proving the superiority of the breed, but 
it was argued that perhaps a cross with 
some other breeds might do better. A care¬ 
ful test was therefore made, the result of 
which is given below. The Leghorns were 
pure ; the other birds were crossed as given 
in the table. 
MONTHS. 
12 White Leghorns. 
50 Minorcas and 
Black Hamburgs. 
5 1 Houdans and 
Brown Leghorns. 
'C tn 
-2 to £ 
cq u 
‘s® 
03 - 
=* 
si . 
32 S 
* 
- L.-C 
JO o 
gw 
vA 
50 White Leghorns 
and Plymouth 
Rocks. 
146 I 
220 
164 
286 
31) 
877 
February. 
21)1 
4-3 
4-1 
695 
60 
667 
222 
6.77 
857 
761 
667 
907 
2-<9 
871 
878 
199 
678 
957 
too 
827 
778 
671 
901 
939 
June ftol9tn. 
111) 
821 
449 
401 
491 
524 
Totals. 
1,301 
8,381 
8,602 
3,8i3 
3,704 
4,371 
Averages $ hen ? 
for2l weeks.... { 
108 
67 
72 
77 
74 
87 
It will be seen that the Leghorns and 
their crosses excel the others, the best cross 
being made with the Plymouth Rocks. 
An experiment was also made to test 
the relative merits of old hens and pullets. 
The result Is here given : 
January. 
February. 
March.... . 
April. 
May. 
June. 
July . 
August.. 
September 
October. 
November.... 
December. 
1890. 
1890. 
10 White Leg¬ 
10 White Leg¬ 
horn hens 
horn pullets. 
from Jan. 1. 
from Jan. 15. 
174 
17 
178 
154 
221 
201 
233 
223 
249 
238 
208 
216 
131 
189 
131 
151 
64 
63 
7 
44 
5 
112 
45 
45 
16f9 
1661 
165 9-10 
166 MO 
may mix during the day, they all return to 
their own abodes at night, and so far as any 
harm being done to herbage, it has vastly 
improved, and wherever the poultry have 
been running is easily distinguishable by 
greater luxuriance of growth.” 
These house are placed right out in the 
open fields where the sheep and cattle feed. 
To keep the stock away from the houses a 
single strand of barbed wire is strung 
around them on posts about 15 feet away. 
The average cost per head for food, labor and 
interest on the investment, is $1.56 per year, 
while the average income, including eggs 
and meat, is $2.40, leaving a profit of 84 
cents for each hen. Preparations are now 
being made to increase the laying stock to 
2 500 hens Hens have been used for hatch¬ 
ing, but it is now proposed to use incuba¬ 
tors. The best layers In the flock gave a 
yearly profit of $1 50. As we stated, the 
average profit was but 84 cents. This 
shows the value of selecting the best layers 
for breeders—something that is apparently 
not attempted on this farm. 
Those Bone Cutters. 
The bone cutter that I use will do what 
no other machine of its class has ever done, 
viz, cut all bones, green or dry, hard or 
soft, with cords, gristle and meat adher¬ 
ing, into a perfect food for poultry. This 
I feed singly without grain for a midday 
ration, but I presume it can be used in a 
mash or with dry grain with equally good 
results. One pound of this cut bone is 
equal to three poundsof any grain, and one 
can readily see that when it can be bought 
at 50 cents per 100 pounds at any butcher’s 
shop or market and ground at home, there 
is quite a saving. I have sold the cut bone 
at three cents per pound, and even then it 
is cheaper than any grain ration that can 
be fed. Poultry eat it greedily. It is hearty, 
it is egg-producing; in short, It is a perfect 
food. L. w. w. 
Webster, Mass. 
Cut bones for poultry are among the best 
foods I know of. I get the green or fresh 
bones from our meat market. They cost 
nothing, as the butchers are glad to get 
them out of their way. There are always 
some meat, gristle, etc., which are all cut 
up with the bone. The mill cuts the bone 
in pieces about the size of wheat or smaller. 
I fed last winter from 12 to 14 quarts of 
cut bone to 100 fowls; I fed it twice a week. 
I throw it among the litter the same as so 
much grain. The fowls eat It greedily, 
and I could see a difference in the egg bas¬ 
ket soon after feeding it. I shall never try 
to keep poultry after this without a bone 
cutter. H. O. T. 
Storm Lake, Iowa. 
795 
Ensilage Eloquence.— Most of our 
American farmers, when they talk of silos 
and ensilage bring the “ deadly earnest¬ 
ness” of their facts and figures to bear 
upon their audience. To show that other 
audiences appreciate other arguments we 
give an extract from the speech of a French 
Canadian priest at an agricultural meet¬ 
ing in the ‘‘cold North.” “My opinion is 
that the system of ensilage is the gift of 
Heaven to Canada. We, who used to feed 
our cows on straw alone, are going to give 
them wine through the medium of the silo. 
For ensilage, gentlemen, Is like the juice of 
the grape, which, after fermentation, be¬ 
comes wine, which is preserved in bottles 
for an indefinite period, and is drunk with 
so much pleasure. In ensilage, in conse¬ 
quence of the fermentation that takes 
place, It is as if maize became wine; be¬ 
cause the sugar found in the maize is con. 
verted Into alcohol, just as is the case with 
the sugar of the grape. Ensilage is almost 
as valuable as the best pasture grass. I 
feel that It is a present made to us by 
Heaven out of consideration for the length 
of our winters. In France, I observed that 
the climate was not so propitious for mak¬ 
ing good ensilage as ours is; the first experi¬ 
ments made there were not successful.” 
If Your Throat Fkki.s Sore or Uncomfortable 
u«e promptly Dr. Jayne’s Expectorant. It will relieve 
the air-passages of all phlegm or mucous, allay In . 
ft animation, and so give the affected parts a chance 
to heal. No safer remedy can bo had for all Coughs 
and Colds, or any complaint of the Throat or Lungs 
and a brief trial will prove its efficacy.— Adv. 
6 
5 
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covering the widest variety of 
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____ m prepared by the best practical 
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best weekly commercial correspondence 
to be found in any farm publication; 
weekly markets which are a model for 
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every vearin The National Stockman 
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dition more than 
crisp paragraphs without head¬ 
ings, each complete in itself, 
and comprising a fund of con- 
J ww densed information obtainable 
uT"no" other way. It is perhaps true 
that more practical farmers are writing 
practical matter for this journal than 
have ever written for anything of the 
kind anywhere or at any time. We offer 
dollars In prizes to club agents 
for Introducing this 24-page 
\m \a \m weekly into the families of in- 
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scription to January 1, 1893, costs only 
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see 
The National Stockman and Farmer, 
Pittsburgh, Pa. 
Total . 
Average ptr head. 
These figures are interesting because they 
show that the older birds laid more eggs 
during the early part of the year and that 
the pullets helped out later while the older 
ones were moulting. This is desirable 
when eggs are desired all the year round. 
The Business, the Houses. 
Two women and one man take entire 
charge of the fowls. The hens consume 
about one ton of food every week. The eggs 
are sold to one merchant who pays one 
shilling or 24 cents for 13 the year around. 
The quantities sold during 13 months are 
given below: 
Four weeks ending June 7, 
“ 1 Juiy 5, 
“ “ Aug. ?, 
Sep. 2 , 
“ “ sen. 30. 
“ “ Oct. 29. 
Right weeksending Dec. 20. 
Four weeks ending Jan. 17, 
“ “ Feb. 1 4, 
“ Mar. 14, 
‘ “ Ap'l H, 
“ May 9, 
“ June 6, 
8,903 
9, IBS 
10,387 
8.'77 
4,277 
1,014 
1,664 
6,617 
9,165 
15,431 
17,116 
20 865 
18,018 
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Fifty fowls are kept in each house. These 
dwellings are described as follows: 
“ They have a raised floor, which Is kept 
covered with peat moss litter, a thatched 
roof for the sake of warmtn, but to prevent 
the fowls flying thereon and tearing it to 
pieces, the thatch is covered wlj;h wire net¬ 
ting. Inside the fittings are very simple 
indeed. The perches are all at the same 
height from the floor, and c*n be removed 
in a moment. Each house Is fitted with 
nest boxes, to which access is obtained 
from the outside by means of a flap door, 
and by a very simple arrangement when 
once the trap of the fowls’ entrance is closed 
it cannot be opened from without—a capital 
arrangement for preventing night maraud¬ 
ers. This trap is a slide, and above it is a 
wooden half button which holds down the 
trap when once closed. It is found that 
although the inmates of various houses 
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