1911. 
'THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
381 
Henyard — Continued. 
Those $12 Hens. 
On page 220 Gori & Son told us 
about the R. I. Red hens which aver¬ 
aged $12 each in net earning power for 
one year. As usual, our people want the 
details, and Gori & Sons give them as 
below. It seems that one pullet was 
lost in May, 1910, thus the actual aver¬ 
age of birds in the pen was \iy 2 for the 
year. The figures show that these birds 
cost $140.75, and are credited with 
$282.42. You will notice that this large 
income is due to the fact that many of 
the eggs were used for hatching, and 
that the chickens are credited with what 
they are actually worth. On this basis 
of figuring these hens certainly earned 
$12.31 net during the year, which ended 
February 1, 1911. Now we want any¬ 
one—be he hen man, cow man or hog 
man, to come forward and criticize the 
statement and show wherein the figuring 
is not fair. 
DR. 
Expense account for 1 yr.—2-l-’10—2-l-’ll. 
Feed, etc., 11.5 breeders, 1 cock¬ 
erel .12.5 at $1.50 $17.75 
Feed, etc., 210 raised at 55c. cost. 115.50 
Value of eggs incubated. 5.00 
Interest 6% value of breeders, $15 .90 
Interest 6% share of plant, $10 .60 
Total Dr. $140.75 
CR. 
Income, Sales and Inventories. 
Eggs from breeders. $35.74 
Eggs from pullets . 30.34 
Males, poultry sold. 54.94 
Home account, dressed, etc. 5.00 
Feb. 1, ’ll, inventory, pullets, 115 
at $1 . 115.00 
Feb. 1, ’ll, inventory, breeders, 
cockerels, etc. 35.00 
Drop boards manure, since in 
Winter quarters Oct. 1, ’10, 64 
bushels at 10 cents. 6.40 
Per hen unit $24.55.Total $282.42 
Per hen unit $12.24, expense ac¬ 
count .Dr. 140.75 
Per hen unit, $12.31.Net Cr. 
Result for labor . 
141.67 
$12.31 
It pays to test the eggs of setting liens 
by transmitted light, about the end of the 
first week, and later on, also, if necessary. 
An egg-tester that can be used over an 
ordinary lamp chimney costs but little, 
while the knowledge that may be obtained 
from its use is often worth a great deal. 
It is worth while to know how many eggs 
are fertile. When several hens have been 
set at the same time, we can often test 
out enough infertile eggs from their nests 
to enable us to keep the full number of 
fertile eggs under some of the hens, while 
others will be free to take fresh settings. 
This saves time. The testin' is useful, also, 
in showing the eggs in which development 
has taken place, but has become arrested. 
Such eggs readily undergo decomposition, 
and are very easily broken by the hen. 
When a rotten egg is broken, and its putrid 
contents are spread over the other eggs in 
the nest, it is apt to put an end to life in 
a good many of them. We save chicks when 
we can recognize arrested development early, 
and take the egg away. w. r. f. 
I enclose statement of my chickens for 
the last two years. 
1909—Number of chickens, 97. 
Number of eggs sold, 874 dozen.... $187.69 
Chickens sold, 60. 16.00 
Paid out for feed. 136.67 
Net 
$203.69 
$67.02 
1910—Number of chickens, 110. 
Number of eggs sold, 1,124 dozen.. $229.14 
Chickens sold, 98 . 25.35 
Paid out for feed. 154.66 
$254.49 
Net . $99.83 
Our feed is too high in price here to 
make any profit on chickens. Price to-day 
for feed, whole corn, 80 pound sack, 
$1.40; wheat screenings, 90 pound sack, 
$2; cracked corn, 80 pound sack, $1.20; 
whole wheat, 120 pounds sack, $2.75; 
scratching feed, mixed feed, 100 pound 
sack, $2.25. This is a timber country, and 
there are only a few settlers here. No grain 
is being raised as yet, only grass, and it 
is good, averaging two to 3% tons per 
acre. Price for hay to-day is $20 per ton, 
usual price from $12 to $15 per ton. Land 
sells for $8 to $15 per acre, not cleared. 
Improved farms from $25 to $60 per acre. 
Ingraham, Wls. d. h. h. 
Introducing Mrs. Houdan Hen. 
On page 186 I notice your statement that 
the Connecticut Agricultural College is 
working to develop a heavy-coated hen that 
will lay a white egg. It seems that the 
learned “perfessers” of Connecticut have 
overlooked the Houdan hen, that has all 
the qualities they are after, which qualities 
they probably will not be able to improve 
upon by making a mongrel breed. The 
Houdan has been bred in France for more 
than two hundred years and has always 
been known as an egg producer, especially 
as a producer of nice-sized white Winter 
eggs. Today it is the great egg and meat 
fowl of France. Introduced some 40 or 
o0 years ago into America it has been 
forging ahead slowly but surely as its merits 
are becoming appreciated. I think its 
J ias been retarded somewhat by 
hn™ n for a to ° lar se crest, but this can 
eaai ‘y. c °rrected, as I have corrected it, 
c oL Selcc ! n , g and mating from a mediurn- 
it bIrds - There is a theory (and 
♦ho i/ 'j 0 ^ a theory! that these crests on 
fli l Udan destroy their utility as a farm 
i acc «t of their not being able to 
wot „^r s ’ and also because the crests get 
after CaUSe . coIds - I have found this 
having a J ;i arS t0 be a11 bumbug, my birds 
t*to +L free orchard run in the country 
sa “ a chance as other chickens and 
hlvp To , ° f tbomselves just as well. They 
ave had a three Winters’ test in open 
front houses without any curtains what¬ 
ever, and I would not go back to the old 
type of closed house. It seems to me we 
have enough varieties now for every pur¬ 
pose, and I can assure your readers they 
do not need to look to other than the 
Houdan for a good, hardy, heavy-feathered 
breed that will lay a large white egg Sum¬ 
mer and Winter in well paying quantities. 
Pittsburg, Pa. w. c. d. 
That Open-front House. 
John Beet, page 250, will be a sorry 
man if he makes house to face southwest. 
Handling one facing south I find quite a 
number of days on which I have to leave 
curtains down, and can imagine what a 
southwest exposure would be. If his land 
is such that southwest is necessary I 
would advise two muslin partitions for the 
Winter months. I use one such in a south 
exposure, and find it a great benefit. I am 
afraid Mr. Beet has miscalculated the bene¬ 
fit of so much sunshine, as the winds 
would offset part of the benefit. He will 
find that the longer he keeps hens in an 
open front house the more they will shun 
the wind. w. j. dougan. 
Replying to Mr. John Beet's inquiry re¬ 
garding an open front henhouse, page 250, 
southwesterly exposure, I am glad to inform 
him my house has faced that way for 10 
years. It has a hotbed sash in the east end 
to catch the early sun, and I have had the 
best of results. My house is three feet up 
from the ground, and it is an ideal way to 
build. All Winter long the hens have a 
sheltered run underneath, always dusty, 
where they wallow to their hearts’ content. 
I never see them picking at themselves. 
The house is 16 feet deep, rear four feet 
and front five feet high, pitch roof six feet 
in center, no glass, all open in front. I 
never had roup, a sick hen or frosted comb, 
though I have S. C. Leghorns. The interior 
is always dry and odorless. They began 
laying in October and have laid heavily all 
Winter. Fresh air, a dry floor and two* feet 
of leaves to scratch in have produced eggs 
when my neighbors with damp houses had 
none, in January I got 13 eggs per hen. 
Englewood, N. J. g. g. h. 
Sprouted Oats Sou. — The simplest 
method of sprouting oats for 50 hens is to 
take three boxes measuring two feet by four 
feet inside and three inches in depth. If 
there are one-half inch spaces between the 
boards in the bottom so much the better. 
Put these boxes across carpenter’s horses 
or other support, lay a sheet of wrapping 
paper over the bottom to prevent the oats 
from going through. Soak oats from 12 to 
24 hours; a pailful to each box. One-lialf 
the quantity does not start as well or make 
as good a sod ; double the quantity is apt 
to heat. Water night and morning with 
hot water, using a sprinkling pot. When 
the first box is ready cut with a sharp 
kitchen knife a sod the size desired, and 
lift out with a spading fork. Use heavy 
oats. When the first box is empty put new 
paper on the bottom and fill again; rake 
level but do not use rake thereafter as is 
often recommended. I nave never found 
it necessary to spray boxes; the cleaning 
out and repapering bottoms may in a meas¬ 
ure prevent mold. I would not advise news¬ 
paper or any other paper that might when 
eaten be injurious, for it often adheres to 
the sod. f. h. p. 
The Milk Pail that 
Keeps 
Milk 
Clean 
Will you try 
one 10 Days 
Free ? 
We take all chances, for we know you 
will like it. Sent on trial prepaid. If not 
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dairymen approve it. The 
Sterilac Milk Pail 
is the only oue Unit is a real success at keeping milk clean. 
There is no chance for contamination. Milk, pure and 
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The pail is right shaped, strong, made to last. Easy to 
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will send trial pail prepaid. Return if you don’t like it. 
STERILAC COMPANY, S Merchmts Row. Boston, Mus. 
imund Dairymen, Takea Look at the 
STRITE GOVERNOR PULLEY 
Its the original and •* ou\y 
thing for driving cream sep¬ 
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used. TRY ONE. Ask your 
dealer for a 44 STRITE M or 
write us direct. Don’t take 
an imitation. 
Strite Governor Pulley Co. 
357 South Third Street 
Minneapolis, Minn. 
FOR MENDING HARNESS 
Ittakes 
a wax 
thread, 
feeds 
from spool 
does the work of 
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Agonts wanted. Sent prepaid 
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catalog. STEWART-SKINNER CO. 
35 Hermon Street, Worcester, Mass. 
shoes, tents, awnings, pulley belts, car¬ 
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dash boards, or any heavy material. 
Stewart’s Automatic 
Awl istheonly per- 
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Awl. 
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Add 50 to 100% 
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MTPIE- 
TENNESSEE 
ASANT 
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IV1 
Pulverizing Harrow Gives You 
Greatest Value lor Your Money 
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Free Book 
WALTE 
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