THE RURAIs NEW-YORKER 
785 
Finishing Poultry for the Market. 
A Statement of New York Conditions. 
Part I. 
MILK FEEDING.—During the past 15 years many 
very large establishments for the milk feeding of poul¬ 
try for market have been established in various sec¬ 
tions of the United States. These feeding stations, as 
they are termed, are .equipped with cages or batteries, 
in which about 10 small broilers are kept separate, and 
as the birds grow larger until they are roasting chick¬ 
ens, all being fed, three or four roasting chickens are 
placed in a compartment. In the latest equipped sta¬ 
tions these batteries are largely made of metal in tiers 
five units high. The chickens placed in them are al¬ 
lowed a roost, and when off the roost they stand on a 
wire mat, so that the droppings will go through, and 
a galvanized iron pan, sprinkled with sawdust or lime, 
catches the droppings. These pans, working like an 
ordinary drawer, are cleaned twice each day. The 
chickens are fed from the front of the battery, in wood¬ 
en troughs. 
FEEDING RATION.—The mixture which has been 
found the most satisfactory is 60% buttermilk, 20% fine 
eornmeal, 10% oatmeal, 5% No. 1 tallow, melted and 
thoroughly mixed in the food and 5% meat and vegeta¬ 
bles. This meat may be beef-hearts or any cheap scrap 
meat that can be purchased at a low price. The vegeta¬ 
bles may be chopped cabbage, lettuce or Alfalfa. The 
chickens are given no water while in these feeding 
pens. Where it is desired to go to as little expense as 
possible in mixing food, an ordinary pan such as is 
used for mixing mortar can be used and a hoe used for 
the mixing. In the latest, up-to-date stations, large re¬ 
volving churns are used for doing the mixing and are 
found very satisfactory. The young birds, weighing 
three-quarters of a pound each, when placed on feed 
are carefully taken care of for 10 days, and the gain 
will be from 50% to 60% in weight. As the birds 
grow larger, and the growth is smaller while they are 
confined and fed, the percentage of gain is less, and 
on heavy roasting chickens, birds which will weigh 
four pounds each when placed in the feeders, a gain 
of about 25% is all that can be expected. These milk- 
fed birds become very white, the dark meat becomes a 
very light color, and the flesh becomes very tender and 
juicy. The milk-fed poultry sells at from two cents 
to five cents per pound above the price quoted for corn- 
fed poultry. Where the birds are milk-fed, the per¬ 
centage of the medium and poor quality birds is very 
much lighter than it is when the birds have been 
killed without first having been specially fed. 
FARM FEEDING—While the large feeding sta¬ 
tions have shown great profit to the investors, equally 
as good results in feeding can be obtained on any farm 
as have ever been realized in an expensive feeding sta¬ 
tion. In sections where buttermilk cannot be had, 
skim-milk can be used with satisfactory results. Any 
farmer or his son can build, with very small expense, 
wooden batteries, using ordinary lath or galvanized 
wire. In some instances cut straw used in the bottom 
of ordinary coops, with a roost in them, have been used 
very successfully. These coops can be stacked up in 
a corncrib or in the buggy-shed; in fact anywhere 
where the poultry will get plenty of air and not be dis¬ 
turbed while on feed. The less notice and excitement 
there is about the poultry on feed, the better the re¬ 
sults. In experiments carried on in ordinary coops, 
with straw in the bottom, stacked up in an empty corn- 
crib, the writer had gains of 5S% on broilers, and dur¬ 
ing four months feeding, beginning August 15th, the 
smallest gain on any lot of poultry taken off feed was 
33%. 
KILLING AND DRESSING.—If this feeding is 
done upon the farm, when the poultry is to be taken 
off the feed and slaughtered, it should be bled in the 
mouth, while hung up by the feet. Usually a small 
weight is hung in the mouth, and while dying the poul¬ 
try should be carefully dry-picked. If, before cutting 
the arteries in the roof of the mouth, the small blade 
of a knife is run in at the bottom of the eye, directly 
into the brain, the bird will be paralyzed, and the 
feathers will come off much better and easier than by 
any other method. After being carefully picked, being 
very careful not to break the skin, especially the thin 
skin over the hips, if the weather is warm the birds 
should first be put into a boiler or tank of cold well 
water, and left there for about one hour, after which 
they should be taken out and placed in a tank of ice 
water, with plenty of ice in it; if tanks are not con¬ 
venient, ordinary boilers will do. The poultry should 
be allowed to remain in the ice water at least 12 
hours, after which it should be packed in the follow¬ 
ing manner. 
PACKING.—Crack the ice to about the size of an 
ordinary hen’s egg; place a shovelful of ice in the bot¬ 
tom of an empty sugar barrel, in which you have first 
bored two or three holes with a half-inch auger, then 
pack carefully, breast down, a layer of chickens, letting 
the feet come to the center of the barrel. Then shovel 
in one or two shovels of cracked ice to cover the birds 
in the bottom of the barrel, and pack your second layer 
of birds, breast down, as was the first layer packed. 
Continue with layers of ice and poultry until the barrel 
is filled to the top, after which a block of ice, eight 
or ten inches, should be placed on top of the last layer 
of poultry, and good clean white cloth or a good clean 
gunny bag should be tightly drawn over the cake of 
ice and fastened with the top hoop of the barrel, so as 
to make it tight all around. Your poultry is then 
ready for the market, and for a distance of 500 miles 
can be shipped by express safely in any kind of weath¬ 
er, and will be on the market the next morning after 
having been shipped. In the large establishments in 
the West, machinery has been put in for cooling the 
poultry and large quantities of the poultry is frozen. 
But on the farm this poultry can be handled success¬ 
fully with very little expense and with very satisfactory 
profit to the farmers. All of the large hotels, the steam¬ 
ship lines 'as well, give the milk-fed poultry preference 
over any class of poultry. 
Some Fighters in the Grange. 
I note some of the farm papers which should be for 
the rural people are claiming the farmer gets S0% of 
the butter money. We sent 124 pounds cream in April, 
which would make 52 pounds butter. We had been 
churning some and knew. Butter was worth 32 cents 
locally at the time, or $16.64 for the above cream. Our 
check was $8.90. What the consumer paid is beyond 
me. Probably 40 cents anyway at retail or $20.80. 
We got better than 40% of that dollar. To make this 
cream we had 540 quarts milk, worth 3% cents at the 
station, but we are eight miles out, and it is not prac¬ 
tical to deliver milk. The stores will use a little, but 
the local butter market is poor and most farm women 
of this generation are not able to endure the labor of 
butter-making. So the creamery robs us just as they 
see fit, and some people who depend on the farmer for 
their living try to back them up. We ruralites are 
watching your campaign for better markets. Granges 
everywhere are taking the matter up. Mr. Godfrey, 
our State Agent, advises that the commission is the 
best bet of the farmer today. Here we are saving con¬ 
siderable money by buying through the agency, and any 
time you can show us a practical, workable selling 
plan we are ready to sell cooperatively. Mr. Dillon 
certainly took the wind out of the opposition when he 
turned back his salary. lie certainly deserves the good 
will and backing of all farmers. We expect to have 
our member of the Legislature address the Grange here 
at an early date and we hope to find out where he 
stands in regard to the Foods and Markets problem. 
There are several Grangers who will not be backward 
about telling him how they feel in regard to same. 
Mecklenburg, N. Y. b. e. tiathaway. 
R. N.-Y.—You see there are some fighters in the 
Grange—and good ones too. It is true that some of the 
farm papers are dodging this big question. Some try to 
prove that farmers receive all they deserve; others 
sneer at any practical efforts to improve conditions. 
We will let the farmers take care of these papers. No 
one can expect that conditions which have been grow¬ 
ing for 50 years can be blown away in a few weeks. 
It will take time and hard work to bring about any 
improvement, but if we can all work together the im¬ 
provement is sure. That’s right! Make your member 
of the Legislature say yes or no on the Market De¬ 
partment. 
Patrons of Condenseries to Organize. 
The milk producers of Jackson County, Michigan, 
most of whom send their milk to a condensery, be¬ 
lieving that they could get more satisfactory returns 
by dealing collectively rather than individually, have 
formed themselves into an association. It is our desire 
to get into touch as soon as possible with the patrons 
of as many condenseries throughout the county as pos¬ 
sible. The purpose of this is mutual advancement in 
those interests which are common. I would like to 
secure the names and addresses of such patrons. We 
appeal to Tiie R. N.-Y. to aid us in this movement, 
believing that it stands ready to lend its assistance to 
the farmers of the country in any worthy undertaking. 
As most of the condenseries are allied, to a greater or 
less extent, why should not the patrons of those con- 
denseries take steps toward some form of an alliance? 
If you, fellow subscriber, are a patron of one of these 
condenseries, will yon not drop us a line at once? 
There is absolutely nothing to lose in such a move¬ 
ment, and much may be gained, bennett clancy, 
Pres., Jackson Co. Milk Producers Ass’n. 
Munith, Mich. 
R. N.-Y.—We are glad to give publicity to Mr. 
Clancy’s letter. Such organizations and “get-together” 
campaigns should be encouraged in all practical ways. 
See what these grain growers in Western Canada ac¬ 
complished by loyal organization. 
Field Meeting on an Irrigated Farm. 
I am desirous of attending the Summer meeting 
of the New Jersey State Horticultural Society, to bo 
held at the Seabrook Farms near Bridgeton, N. J., 
.Tune 9. Not being a member of the Society, would you 
advise me whether I would be welcome or not. 
Massachusets. g. g. w. 
Come by all means if you are interested in fruit 
growing and irrigation. You will be more than wel¬ 
come. The New Jersey Horticultural Society is an 
open, democratic society, and you will find the Jersey- 
men hospitable and glad to see outsiders. That is what 
these field meetings are for. This one will be particu¬ 
larly interesting for it will show how a remarkable sys¬ 
tem of irrigation is worked out. Come by all means. 
The Fraud Advertising Bill. 
The New York Legislature passed the Mills bill 
aimed at fraudulent advertisements. Gov. Whitman 
finally signed it and it will take effect September 1. 
The heart of this bill is given below: 
421. Untrue and misleading advertisements. If any 
person, firm, corporation or association, or agent or 
employe thereof, with intent to sell or in any wise dis¬ 
pose of merchandise, real estate, service, or anything 
offered by such person, firm, corporation, or association, 
or agent or employe thereof, directly or indirectly, to 
the public for sale or distribution, or with intent to 
increase the consumption thereof, or to induce the pub¬ 
lic in any manner to enter into any obligation relating 
thereto, or to acquire title thereto, or an interest there¬ 
in, knowingly, makes, publishes, disseminates, circu¬ 
lates, or places before the public, or causes, directly or 
indirectly, to be made, published, disseminated, circu¬ 
lated, or placed before the public, in this State, in a 
newspaper, magazine or other publication, or in the 
form of a book, notice, circular, pamphlet, letter, hand¬ 
bill, poster 1 , bill, sign, placard, card, label, or tag, or in 
any other way, an advertisement, announcement or 
statement of any sort regarding merchandise, service or 
anything so offered to the public which contains any 
assertion, representation or statement of fact that is 
untrue, deceptive or misleading, or that amounts to an 
offer to sell, barter or exchange real estate, by means 
of prizes, rewards, distinctions, or puzzle methods, such 
persons, corporation or association, or the members of 
such firm, or the agent of such person, corporation, as¬ 
sociation or firm, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, pun¬ 
ishable by a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars nor 
more than one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment for 
not more than one year, or by both such fine and im¬ 
prisonment. 
2. This act shall take effect September 1, 1915. 
Important Conference of Agricultural 
Leaders. 
What should the constitutional convention now in 
session in Albany do for the agricultural interests of 
New York State, is the question that representative 
agriculturists sought to answer at a conference held in 
the rooms of the Commissioner of Agriculture May 26. 
Among those present on invitation of the Commissioner 
were President Schurman of Cornell University and 
Hon. Seth Low of New York, as representatives of the 
constitutional convention, and Dean Galloway of the 
State Agricultural College, Dr. W. H. Jordan of the 
Agricultural Experiment Station, Dean Cook of Can¬ 
ton, W. H. Vary and W. N. Giles of the State Grange. 
Dr. Booth C. Davis, former commissioner Chas. Wiet- 
ing, Edw. Van Alstyne, Superintendent of Farmers’ 
Institutes, Dr. Thos. E. Finegan of the Education De¬ 
partment, Prof. Hallyer of Morrisville, Mr. Flanders of 
the Agricultural Department, Chas. E. Burkett of New 
York, and several others. 
The conference was called by the Advisory Board 
for Promotion of Agriculture but in order that it might 
have a larger significance the conference thus called was 
adjourned and a general conference representing all the 
agricultural interests of the State so far as these in¬ 
terests had representatives there, was held, Dr. B. C. 
Davis presiding. President Schurman was called upon 
to outline a method whereby the needs of agriculture 
might be made known to the constitutional convention 
in the most practical way to secure the ends sought. 
He weut into the question of the possible reorganiza¬ 
tion of the State government but disclaimed any knowl¬ 
edge of what the convention would do along that line 
as nothing had come from the committees for action on 
the part of the convention on any question whatever. 
But he had heard that there were somewhere about 159 
Boards, Commissions, Bureaus, Departments, etc., and 
he believed that, reorganization would eliminate many 
of these because their work is found to overlap and 
there was not economy of administration. He stated 
it as his opinion that there should be a Department of 
Agriculture provided for in the revised constitution by 
which everything pertaining to agriculture and allied 
interests should be administered. 
Mr. Low held a like opinion to that expressed by 
Dr. Schurman and believed that our State government 
should be recognized and simplified, giving the chief ex¬ 
ecutive large powers and also responsibilities. Any 
changes or amendments in the interests of agriculture 
would, lie said, of necessity be only along basic lines, 
all details to be worked out by legislative action later. 
The conference then took up the discussion in an in¬ 
formal way, and it was participated in by several of 
the conferees. Dean Cook counseled a prompt pre¬ 
sentation of the claims of agriculture on the Consti¬ 
tutional Convention and the seeking of such ends as 
would secure permanency in the conduct of agricultural 
affairs. Dr. Jordan commented favorably on the Minne¬ 
sota plan. Dean Galloway suggested a committee to 
present the demands of agriculture to the convention 
and to watch the action of the convention on matters 
pertaining to agriculture. Mr. Burkett believed that a 
demand should be made for a Department of Agricul¬ 
ture as the first step. State Master Vary favored a 
Board of Agriculture. The most practical suggestion 
of the conference was that made by Dr. Thos. E. Fin¬ 
egan of the Education Department who believed that 
the conference should take the necessary steps to have 
a provision written in the constitutional law of the 
State for a Department of Agriculture, the officers in 
which should be a Secretary of Agriculture and nine 
commissioners of agriculture, one being taken from each 
judicial district. These commissioners might be elec¬ 
tive or might be appointed by the Legislature as should 
be later determined. The secretary should be chosen by 
the nine commissionei’s. After further discussion a 
committee was appointed to formulate a declaration for 
the conference and they reported as follows: 
“RESOLVED, that this body declares in favor of 
establishing in the Constitution of the State a provision 
for a Department of Agriculture, and that if the con¬ 
ference approves of the constitutional establishment of 
the Department of Agriculture, a committee of ten be 
appointed representing the Educational Department, 
the State Department of Agriculture, the Secondary 
Schools, the Grange, the State Experiment Station, and 
the State College of Agriculture, together with four 
members who shall represent the agricultural public, 
to investigate and formulate the proper scope and func¬ 
tion of said Department, and the method of procedure 
to be followed in presenting the matter to the Con¬ 
stitutional Convention, said committee to report the 
results of its deliberations to this body at an adjourned 
meeting, to be called by the Chairman of the Com¬ 
mittee.” 
The committee called for by the resolution is as fol¬ 
lows : Dean Beverly T. Galloway, Dr. Thos. E. Fine¬ 
gan. Commissioner Chas. L. Wilson, State Master IV. 
H. Vary, Dr. W. H. Jordan, Dr. B. C. Davis, and the 
four representing the agricultural public, Chas. W. Bur¬ 
kett, Geo. W. Sisson, F. W. Sessions and Chas. M. 
Dow. Dean Galloway was made the chairman of the 
committee. j. w. darrow. 
More than one thousand farmers of the State of New 
York will be interested to learn that the Legislature 
has passed, and Governor Whitman approved, items in 
the Supply Bill Aggregating $757,000 for indemnities 
to owners of glandered horses and tuberculous cattle 
and cattle affected with foot-and-mouth disease, slaugh¬ 
tered under the provisions of the Agricultural Law. Of 
this sum $280,306.25 was for glandered horses, $152,- 
416.50 for tuberculous cattle and $300,000 for cattle 
slaughtered on account of foot-and-mouth disease, and 
$25,000 for interest on claims. The Commissioner of 
Agriculture says that the great majority of the claims 
in his department are in such shape as to be sent to 
the State Comptroller within a few days’ time and that 
first payment should be made in about 30 days’ time. 
