PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. 
Oolony-Farm Houses Brought Together 
type of bird Mr. Wilbur is selecting for his 
breeding stock. The R. I. Reds lay a beautiful 
brown egg, good proof of their Asiatic ancestry; 
and their skin is a rich yellow, making them ex¬ 
tremely attractive as dressed poultry. They 
are smaller than both P. Rocks and Wyandottes, 
hence exactly hit the popular taste in size, the 
great demand being for chickens and fowls 
dressing eight to ten pounds the pair. 
The typical males are of a deep, rich buff 
color, with greenish-black tail and greenish- 
black stripe in hackle. The females are a lighter 
buff, many of them (especially after the adult 
molt) quite light and showing some stripe in 
hackle and color in tail. Being wonderfully 
hardy, both as chickens and fowls, and quiet and 
docile, no wonder the farmers of that region like 
them as “business fowls.” 
We greatly enjoyed talking “hens” with Mr. 
Wilbur, as we walked over the farm, notwith¬ 
standing the various matters we have described; 
but we would fail of our object if we gave our 
readers the idea that all of his business is poultry 
and eggs. In addition to his own four thousand 
hens he buys up the poultry and eggs from a 
considerable region about there, and ships some 
one hundred and thirty thousand to one hun¬ 
dred and fifty thousand dozen eggs to market 
yearly. How many tons of dressed poultry he 
ships we do not know; but four men were busy 
dressing fowls, chickens and ducks the day we 
were there, and one was dressing lambs as Air. 
Wilbur keeps about one hundred sheep, and 
sends considerable mutton and lambs to market. 
He also raises veal, keeping about forty cows 
for that purpose, buying the calves for fattening 
from farmers about; on the whole his farming 
is considerably varied—and he makes it pay. 
for Winter, de Wolf Farm, Bristol, R. I. 
He told us it was his intention to make a profit 
out of each line of farm work, so that no part of 
the farm should be a tax upon another part. 
Such an example of profitable farming is the 
best answer to those that croak—“ Farming 
don’t pay nohow!” and what a record such a 
man as Mr. Wilbur makes in a community. 
What stability, for instance, is suggested in the 
fact that one of his men has been in his employ 
continuously for forty-two years. Indeed, the 
cook in the kitchen claims to have been in his 
employ still longer, but Mr. W. smilingly says 
her record was broken by a not altogether suc¬ 
cessful matrimonial venture, so that she cannot 
claim continuous service. Such facts point a 
moral in these days of rapid transformation in 
farm help. Isn’t it splendid that the stability 
of character which unites master and servants 
in a long life-work together is one of the aids to 
making farming pay? —Form Poultry. 
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