I I (if) 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
September 30, litiiL 
stall their year of egg production in poor flesh, or 
undeveloped in size. If they do the egg production 
will Ik* limited, and the fowls will never fully attain 
the size that, is essential to economical production. 
This conditioning is easily done. As the pullets 
approach maturity, as their combs show signs of 
reddening', and as they begin to show the unmis¬ 
takable signs of coming into laying condition, watch 
them carefully and examine them. If the flock as a 
whole is showing signs of beginning the lay before 
most of them are up to size and in good flesh, cut 
down on tiie dry mash and urge the greater con¬ 
sumption of hard grains. As a rule in October the 
average flock of pullets should he receiving about 12 
t i 1-4 IIis. of hard grain per 100 pullets per day. 
Three parts of cracked corn, two parts of wheat, and 
one part of oats (preferably hulled) makes a splen¬ 
did grain ration for pullets at this time of year. 
Slmt down tin* lids to tin* dry mash hoppers, at least, 
for the morning hours, until the flock as a whole has 
attained the desired weight, and surplus of flesh and 
fat. The better part of three or four weeks will he 
required to condition tin* average pullet flock. 
Measure the length of time required solely by tlie 
condition of the pullets. As soon as they are in 
condition, let them go into the lay, as soon as they 
will, for Fall eggs arc high priced and their sale 
helps a lot. 
STARTING Til 10 LAYING Y FAIL — Poultry 
raisers need not feel that there is tiny particular 
secret concerned with getting late Fall and Winter 
eggs from a pullet flock that has been conditioned 
properly, of course, it is assumed that: everyone 
realizes tin* importance of well-bred stock as funda¬ 
mental to securing Winter eggs. If the pullets are to 
make a high average for the coming year they must 
get started early. They cannot loaf during November 
and December and end the year with very creditable 
egg records. Pullets, to earn real protits, must he 
precocious; that is, they must get. at the Job of egg- 
laying early. Winter eggs arc worth twice as much 
or more than eggs produced during the Spring and 
Summer. Double Winter egg production and you 
will quadruple profits. There are a few standard 
rules that, the writer has found of value in getting 
•Winter eggs; 
WINTER KGG RULES.—1. As approximately 
the !ii>t days of November come, get the pullet flocks 
established in permanent quarters for the Winter. 
Before placing the pullets in the pens l’or the Winter 
period, he sure that the poultry-house has been well 
cleaned and disinfected with a 5 -per cent solution of 
some good commercial disinfectant. It never pays 
t-i take a chance, and it always pays to keep the 
poultry-house in sanitary condition. Health is abso¬ 
lutely necessary to Winter egg production. It: is 
still better to whitewash the interior of pullet pens, 
because layers respond to bright, light surroundings, 
especially when Winter days an* here. Keep the 
pullets routined in the poultry-houses from Novem¬ 
ber on through the Winter. Allow from 3% to 4 sq. 
ft. of floor space per fowl. Cover the floor with <► to 
8 in. of dean, dry litter, such as straw, in which 
the grain ration can In* f<*d, and in which the pullets 
will And abundant exercise while scratching about, 
looking for their grain feeding. 
2. I'nt tin* pullets on a good laying dry mash, and 
keep this before* them at all times during the Winter. 
The writer likes a dry mash made of PM) lbs. each of 
wheat bran, wheal middlings, corn men I; HO IDs. each 
of rolled oals, meat scrap, glulen feed, and 70 lbs. of 
dried buttermilk. If a good grade of ground oats 
can he secured, and the price of rolled oats is very 
high, substitute 100 11is. of the ground oats for the 
60 lbs. of rolled oats. The formula for the dry mash 
is important, hut the forcing of a high consumption 
of it is of still greater importance. Feed the dry 
mash in open hoppers, placed in accessible parts of 
the poultry-house. Go through the houses each 
morning, stirring up the dry mash and adding fresh. 
Allow at least one feeding space along the side of 
tin* hopper for every four hens. At the beginning, 
feeding some mash in moist form al noon each day 
will stimulate mash consumption. Get the dry mash 
into the pullets abundantly if you expect to get eggs. 
Feed the grain ration, same as mentioned in 
conditioning, three times daily, morning, noon and 
night, mil' part at breakfast, one at noon, and two 
towards evening. Grain should always he fed in 
deep litter, to force exercise, an all-important fac¬ 
tor to I lie continued health of the pullets. 
4. lb-gin the use of artificial lights on the pullet 
flocks when they gel well developed and are really 
ready to start egg production. 
Till! LIGHTS.-—Bear in mind that the use of 
artificial lights is simply to induce greater food 
consumption. This. ->f course, results in increased egg 
production. Therefore, it matter little when the 
lights are turned on. that is in morning hours or dur¬ 
ing evening. The lights should he so used as to 
induce an extra meal, and should he commenced 
along in November, depending upon the condition of 
the pullets. 
If lights are turned on in morning, arrange the 
alarm clock so as to light the houses about two 
hours before sunrise. In this ease, scatter tile grain 
ration in the* litter after dark the previous evening, 
and arrange the water supply so that the pullets 
will have water when they first get up. Unless this 
is done the lights arc wasted effort and expense. 
Feed another part of grain at usual breakfast time, 
a hit at noon, if possible, and two parts at late 
afternoon, so that the fowls will go on the roost with 
full crops. Have the mash hoppers so placed as to 
he easily seen and attractive when the lights are on. 
If the lights are snapped on for an hour in the 
evening, from 8:30 to 0:30. let us say, the grain 
feeding should be slightly changed. Feed one part 
A number of readers have asked f->r a picture of the 
kudzu vine. Here is one taken in Salisbury. Maryland, 
<0 the home of I)r. W. F. Massey. This is a well- 
established vine, several years old. ll makes a heavy 
growth each year, and the picture shows iis character¬ 
istic habit and leaf. Our old friend. Dr. Massey, stands 
in front of the vine. 
as the lights go on, another at breakfast, next morn¬ 
ing, a hit. at noon, hut two parts at near 2 o’clock In 
the afternoon, and none in late afternoon. The 
writer personally like flu* morning lights best, be¬ 
cause in liis experience the fowls were hungrier and 
therefore consumed more food when allowed all 
night, in which to digest the heavy late afternoon 
feeding. But I Ik* evening lunch, so-calied, is very 
satisfactory in its results. After lights arc once 
started, continue their use regularly throughout the 
Winter, until the early days of April come, when 
days lengthen, and the lights can be gradually 
eliminated, and the fowls got hack to regular rations 
again. 
REGULARITY' in use of lights, and constant sup- 
lily of water and feed, will double* Winter egg pro¬ 
duction. on the average, and this means four times 
as many profits. Think if over! 'Flu* use of arti¬ 
ficial illumination ol’ poultry-houses is a practical 
plan that has conn* to stay. It may nol greatly 
increase the total number of eggs laid per year per 
hen, Iml il will force the high egg production ahead 
to Winter days, when prices are high, and therefore 
greatly increase the business value of Hie products. 
Watch tin* pullets carefully every day. Remove any 
sick individuals from tIn* flock. Guard tin* health of 
the flock very zealously. Keep them under uniform 
conditions. Gather tin* eggs carefully, market them 
often, and count the profits with pleasure. 
WHXARD C. THOMPSON. 
The New York State Wool Pool 
T IIE picture on next page shows how wool -s 
handled by the New York Wool Growers’ Asso¬ 
ciation in their wool pool. Each lot. of wool is 
graded and weighed separately and the record kept 
on the association's hooks. Each grade is lumped 
together, and when tin* wools are sold each producer 
receives the same price for his graded product. 
Thus all who send wool of a certain grade receive 
(he same price. The net. returns depend strictly on 
quality. This year there are over otMI.OOO His. in the 
wool pool; shipments closed a bout September 1. 
I Tactically every county in the State is represented, 
and there are shipments from individuals in Ver¬ 
mont and Pennsylvania. The quality of wool in 
this pool is higher than that of Iasi year. Markets 
are now firm, and the wool will bring a good price. 
Outdoor Flowers and Mushrooms 
BRING tin* past few years many farmers and 
gardeners have started growing cut flowers 
and mushrooms. For a time these lines seemed to 
promise well, and the future was rosy. We had 
many questions about tile business, and we did our 
best to answer without leading readers astray. It 
is hard to In* understood when you try to toll the 
truth about such matters and realize that many in¬ 
experienced readers are eager for some "big story” 
of remarkable success, while others can see abso¬ 
lutely nothing in the business. Nmv what can lie 
said about the business of growing outdoor flowers 
in this season, when prices of all fruit and garden 
crops have just about struck bottom? Elmer J. 
Weaver of Lancaster County, Pa., has had a good 
chance to study the situation, and lie says: 
If anyone has been influenced by published articles i<> 
plant flowers for sale ibis season, I am afraid he is 
having a very uncomfortable time of it. In our locality 
a number of farmers have gone into it rather exten¬ 
sively, with the result that the markets have been 
swamped the entire Summer, end the Philadelphia <or: 
mission men, to whom some of these exclusive Summer 
shippers consigned then* stock, simpl.v requested them 
to stop shipments. The only thing they could do was 
to let tin* flowers die on the plants. They were jus* 
about as far ahead, as u lot of assorted stock that mil 
rhildren shipped to Philadelphia did not pay euMing 
and shipping charges. Really, it looks ns though tin- 
greatest kindness one can do a prospective growe" 
this line would be to discourage him entirely. Tho 
coinmission men tell me they will not handle sloe, 
grown outdoors, except ns they are obliged to from 
regular nll-tlje-yenr shippers. 
Wo would gladly give a more encouraging report 
if it were possible, hut if seems better to tell the 
truth and face the situation. The business will conic 
hack once more in the future, and those who can 
Stick to it in a conservative way will he repaid, hut 
at tills lime the outlook for flowers grown outdoors 
is not good. 
'Pin* business of raising mushrooms is but little 
better. High prices during and just after the war 
gave mushroom growing a "boom," and for a time 
it was very prolitalde. The real center of tile in¬ 
dustry lies in Eastern Pennsylvania. Growers in 
that locality are quite upset over the latest develop¬ 
ments. They are greatly concerned over the fuel 
that many of the Italians who have been working 
for the growers have picked up enough information 
on the subject to erect houses and go Into the pro¬ 
duction end. There are PM) large mushroom houses 
being erected at present in that district, this in 
addition to the large acreage producing for several 
years past. They are predicting mushrooms at 23 
cents per basket, of 3 lbs. tin* coming Winter, They 
assert that the standard of living Is so low with lln* 
Italians, the whole family working on lln* job, and 
in sonic instances living In a shack at the end of lln* 
mushroom house, that they will have wlmt they will 
consider sufficient profit, where most of us would 
not care to go to tlu* effort for the returns. 
These growers have many secret processes which 
they have tried to keep to themselves. A system of 
cooling the houses has been devised. In spite of all 
the precautions as to secrecy, tin* Italians are grow¬ 
ing mushrooms well, in cooled houses, too. If is 
simply a fan system blowing air over a charcoal 
surface through which large quantities of cold 
water are pumped. The desired temperature i.i 
about (in degrees, or less if possible. 
In spite of all these unfavorable indications and 
conditions we still receive letters from people win. 
think they can make a fortune over night at grow¬ 
ing mushrooms. 11 would he no kindness for us t<> 
lead them into thliikiii' that llu* immediate outlook 
is good. 
