PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. 
then thrown in the mash-box and hot water, in 
which has been dissolved a little salt, poured on. 
The whole mass is then thoroughly mixed until 
all this is moistened but not sloppy. Along in 
the afternoon we feed more mixed whole grain, 
scattered in the litter, all we think they can eat, 
and if any is left over they look for it in the 
morning. We ventilate the houses more or 
less every day by the windows, except on coldest 
days. 
The best mangel wurzels are the Golden Giant 
Intermediate, sold by W. Atlee Burpee and Co., 
Philadelphia, Pa., and we grow them as follows: 
Select a clean piece of ground and plow under 
a heavy dressing of stable or hen manure, 
harrow very thoroughly and remove all rubbish, 
broadcast on a good dressing of commercial 
fertilizer and harrow in. Mark out rows three 
feet apart, sow seed in drills, about twelve 
pounds to the acre, and cover about one inch. 
Soon as the plants are large enough (about one 
inch high) thin out to a foot apart in the row, 
then cultivate, hoe and keep clean. The roots 
should be gathered before any hard freezing and 
stored in bins or piles in a cool cellar. 
W e never store the hen manure as it is a costly 
job to “fix” the nitrogen and pulverize the 
manure. It is drawn directly from the poultry 
houses to the fields and spread, winter and 
summer, and gives grand results with all crops 
except potatoes, which it is liable to scab. 
When snow comes our chickens are taken 
from the colony houses in the fields and put in 
warmer winter quarters. During fall and early 
winter we dispose of a large share of our hens 
for breeding, laying or exhibition, thus making- 
room for the pullets. 
The cockerels are separated from the pullets, 
about August, and given free range on another 
part of the farm. They are kept in warm 
houses in winter that no combs may be frozen. 
Our best cockerels go in our own breeding pens 
or are sold for breeding or exhibition, and a 
great many of our pullets are sold and shipped 
all over the country. Sales of eggs for hatch¬ 
ing also help swell the income. Market eggs 
was our first object, and our plant was built up 
largely from the profits of their sale. When 
producing in large quantities we went to New 
York City and after some difficulty succeeded 
in placing our output at a good margin above 
regular market prices. Every egg must be 
new-laid, clean, good size, neatly and securely 
packed, to hold such trade, and you must have 
eggs in fall and winter. 
Nothing desirable comes without earnest 
endeavor, and the poultryman must expect to 
work hard and have for his motto, “ Eternal 
vigilance is the price of success.” 
—H. J. Blanchard. 
TWO COLONY-PLAN EGG FARMS. 
Some of the Advantages and Disadvantages of 
the Colony Plan. 
It was a lovely spring-like day early in No¬ 
vember, that we stepped off the train at Matta- 
poisett, far down the west side of Buzzard’s 
Bay, on a journey in search of poultry farms 
run upon the colony plan. A drive of a mile or 
thereabouts brought us to the farm of Mr. 
James B. Hamblin, which we found being turned 
into a poultry plant of about two thousand head 
of laying stock. The buildings are scattered 
over two large, sandy fields, and are from one 
hundred and fifty to two hundred feet apart; 
in one field, being set in rows, so as to drive up 
and down the roads to the houses to feed, etc., 
and in the other arranged conveniently for 
reaching with the horse and wagon. It is the 
intention to house forty birds in each house, 
8 x 12 feet in size, and give them free range. 
The food is loaded upon a wagon, which is 
driven about from one house to another, the 
driver jumping down at each house with a scoop 
(or measure) of food, which is fed in a few 
seconds, and the driver jumps up behind and 
drives on to the next. There is a broad step 
hung on behind the platform of the wagon, 
similar to that on baker’s and milkwagons, for 
the driver to ride on, and the wagon being on 
two wheels, (a “gig” practically) it operates 
easily. The horse soon becomes trained to its 
route, with the regular stops and starts, and once 
the horse is well trained the operation of feeding 
and watering is comparatively simple. Forty- 
three houses (of the fifty planned for) are com¬ 
pleted, the roofs being shingled, walls of rough 
boards, with the cracks battened, and a small 
ventilator hole being cut in each gable; but the 
houses are not all stocked as yet, some of them 
being still occupied by surplus cockerels which 
are being fattened for market. 
The stock which Mr. Hamblin now has is 
Light Brahmas and Rhode Island Reds, and 
crosses of Indian Game males on females of 
those two varieties; and it is the intention to 
87 
