£70 
Iht  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
June  23,  1023 
Jersey  Hens  Smas  h  M  ore  Records 
WINTER  RECORDS— A  flock  of  319  White 
Leghorn  pullets  owned  by  William  Craft  of 
Ocean  County  laid  an  average  of  100.1  eggs  per  bird 
during  the  lirst  six  months  of  the  New  Jersey  Farm 
Egg  Laying  Contest.  This  record  was  made  between 
November  1.  1922  and  April  30,  1923.  Inasmuch  as 
less  than  50  per  cent  of  the  total  year’s  production 
is  made  during  this  period,  it  can  he  safely  said  that 
this  flock  ought  to  make  a  total  production  of  at 
least  2<*<i  eggs  per  bird.  Not  only  Mr.  Craft,  but 
four  other  contestants  made  records  of  over  100 
eggs  per  bird  during  these  Winter  months.  A.  lloef- 
fer  of  Atlantic  County  was  right  behind  the  leaders 
with  a  record  of  105.7  eggs  per  bird  for  his  flock. 
Mrs.  I.  S.  Ilible  of  Sussex,  New  Jersey’s  most 
northern  county,  ranks  third  among  the  leaders  with 
a  record  of  103  eggs.  Martin  Vogel,  another  Ocean 
County  contestant  with  010  birds,  made  a  record  of 
102  eggs,  and  close  behind  him  is  the  White  Lgg 
Farm  of  Essex  County  with  a  production  of  101.0 
eggs  per  bird  with  a  flock  of  1,287. 
LAYING  PERIODS. — All  previous  records  have 
shown  that  a  flock  which  will  average  to  lay  100 
eggs  per  bird  for  the  year,  will  lay  SO  of  them  dur¬ 
ing  the  lirst  six  months.  Sixty-two  poultry-keepers 
that  are  keeping  records  in  the  Farm  Egg  Laying 
Contest  have  made  this  average  or  better.  Twenty- 
four  of  them  have  flocks  that  averaged  better  than 
•mi  eggs.  The  following  table  shows  the  counties 
and  number  of  contestants  that  have  averaged  bet¬ 
ter  than  SO  eggs  per  bird  for  the  W  inter  period. 
Number  of  Conte>  1<m1s  .4  reraging 
Counties  S0-S9  eggs  90-99  eggs 
Cumberland  .  J  2 
Atlantic  .  *  ‘ 
Bergen  .  “  ' 
Warren  .  2  " 
Passaic  .  9  ” 
Gloucester  . ~  g 
Burlington  .  3  J 
Hunterdon  .  3 
Salem  .  '  1 
Morris  .  V  A 
Middlesex  .  1 
Essex  . .  I  \ 
Monmouth  .  ~  'A 
Sussex  .  3 
From  the  above  table  it  can  he  seen  that  all  sec¬ 
tions  of  New  Jersey  are  favorable  to  good  produc¬ 
tion  if  the  flock  lias  the  right  breeding  behind  it 
and  if  it  is  properly  managed. 
STIMULATING  RESULTS.— In  the  Farm  Egg 
Laying  Contest  in  which  these  records  were  made 
there  are  over  500  poultry-keepers.  rI  he  contest 
was  instituted  by  the  Extension  Department  of  the 
New  Jersey  Experiment  Station,  the  object  of  start- 
ting  the  project  being  to  stimulate  New  Jersey 
poulfrymen  in  keeping  accurate  records  on  the  egg 
production  of  their  flocks.  The  results  have  been 
that'  better  management  is  being  practiced  on  these 
farms  and  a  greater  interest  is  being  taken  by  the 
farmer  in  his  flock. 
KEEPING  SCORES. — The  contestants  keep  the 
daily  records  of  their  egg  production  on  a  calendar 
which  is  furnished  them  by  the  agricultural  agent 
of  their  county.  At  the  end  of  each  month  the  con¬ 
testant  mails  his  record  to  this  office  on  a  postal 
card  which  is  attached  to  the  calendar.  On  re¬ 
ceiving  the  cards  the  Poultry  Department  averages 
the  results  and  sends  a  report  to  the  contestants 
which  shows  the  averages  that  were  made  for  the 
month  by  the  poultry  keepers,  also  the  best  records 
made.  The  entire  flock  and  not  one  selected  pen 
must  he  reported.  It  is  not  the  eggs  from  one  pen, 
but  from’  the  whole  flock,  that  tell  the  story  of 
success  or  failure  in  the  business  of  poultry-keep¬ 
ing.  The  keeping  of  the  record  does  not  interfere 
with  the  practice  of  any  type  of  care  and  manage¬ 
ment. 
MONTHLY  CARDS. — The  calendar  is  made  up  of 
12  monthly  cards.  Besides  a  place  to  keep  the  daily 
record  on  each  monthly  card,  attention  is  called 
through  a  picture  and  short  sentences,  to  practices 
that  are  necessary  for  good  egg  production  during  the 
month.  Each  monthly  card  also  shows  a  standard 
which  is  based  upon  records  made  at  the  New  Jer¬ 
sey  egg  laying  contests.  This  is  a  standard  of 
work  or  a  guide  and  although  it  may  not  seem  to 
apply  under  all  conditions,  many  commercial  flocks 
are  bettering  these  figures.  Anyone  can  equal  them 
who  will  practice  good  care  and  management. 
Nearly  200,000  birds  are  entered  in  this  contest. 
The  records  show  that  one-third  of  the  flock  are 
hens  and  the  rest  are  pullets.  White  Leghorns 
seem  to  be  the  predominating  breed.  The  produc¬ 
tion  for  the  first  six  months  has  been  as  follows: 
Month 
Pullets 
Hens 
Flock 
Average 
Stand¬ 
ard 
November  . 
.  .  .  0.8 
1.9 
4.3 
8 
December  . 
.  ..  9.1 
2.0 
5.8 
10 
January  . 
.  .  .10.7 
5.5 
7.8 
10 
1  ebruary . 
.  .  .  10.9 
8.1 
9.2 
12 
March  . . . . 
. .  .10.5 
14.0 
14.9 
19 
April  . . 
10.5 
10.1 
21 
Total  . 
. .  .70.8. 
49.2 
5.8.1 
80 
Using  the  first 
six  months 
as  a 
basis  and  fi 
guring 
that  the  flocks  have  averaged  to  lay  43  per  cent  of 
their  total  production,  it  can  be  predicted  that  the 
This  shows  a  drinking  fountain  in  an  orchard  where 
poultry  run  out  from  colony  houses.  The  orchard  is 
naturally  dry  and  quite  far  from  a  water  supply.  Bar¬ 
rels  are  put  here  and  there,  with  the  faucets  turned  so 
that  there  is  a  constant  drip  of  water  into  the  pan  be¬ 
low.  When  properly  regulated,  this  will  insure  a  water- 
supply  for  several  days  without  refilling  the  barrels. 
birds  in  the  contest  will  make  the  following  aver 
ages  for  the  year: 
Pullets,  157.3 ;  hens,  109.3 ;  flock  average,  133.3. 
What  will  your  flock  average  for  the  year? 
W.  H.  ALLEN. 
How  Long  to  Fruit  Strawberries 
Can  a  field  of  Premier  strawberries  be  fruited  suc¬ 
cessfully  the  third  year,  that  is,  to  pick  three  crops, 
provided,  of  course,  they  are  kept  free  from  weeds? 
Some  say  the  berries  will  be  smaller  every  year  after 
the  first  fruiting.  Is  this  so?  These  plants  in  question 
are  properly  thinned  and  fertilized,  and  grown  on  light 
soil  in  the  matted  row  system.  We  have  six  acres,  and 
FARM  EGG  LAYING  CONTEST 
. . NOV.  1.  1922  TO  OCT.  3t,  1923  . . . . 
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are  undecided  whether  to  try  to  keep  them  OTer  to 
fruit  next  year  or  not.  w.  s. 
Niantic,  Conn. 
OUR  experience  has  been  that  the  strawberry 
plant  will  give  its  full  crop  the  first  year  of 
fruiting,  a  smaller  crop  the  second  year  and  a  still 
smaller  one  the  third  year.  We  have  kept  hill 
plants  fruiting  five  or  six  years,  but  never  could 
get  a  full  yield  after  the  first  season.  *  The  crown 
of  the  plant  seems  to  grow  a  little  more  out  of  the 
soil  with  each  year,  and  this  seems  to  diminish  its 
power  to  form  strong  fruit  buds. 
Most  fruit  growers  have  observed  these  things, 
and  that  is  why  many  of  them  prefer  to  fruit  these 
beds  or  fields  one  year  and  then  plow  up  and  re¬ 
plant  or  grow  some  late  crop  so  as  to  replant  the 
next  Spring.  In  case  the  land  is  weedy  or  full  of 
grass  this  plan  usually  pays,  for  the  work  of  clean¬ 
ing  an  old  bed  in  weedy  land  is  excessive.  It  will 
often  pay  better  to  plow  up  the  old  bed  after  fruit¬ 
ing,  and  plant  cabbage  or  late  sweet  corn,  seeding 
rye  at  the  last  cultivation.  Then  plow  this  cover 
crop  under  the  following  Spring  and  plant  to  straw¬ 
berries  once  more.  If  the  late  crop  can  be  sold  to 
advantage  we  save  the  cost  of  cleaning  the  berry 
plants.  Many  growers,  however,  hesitate  about  plow¬ 
ing  under  a  healthy  bed  of  strawberries.  It  has 
cost  much  time  and  money  to  bring  it  to  fruiting, 
and  it  seems  a  shame  to  plow  it  up.  It  requires 
accurate  figuring  to  decide  such  things.  On  weedy 
land  we  find  it  better  to  grow  one  good  crop  and 
then  plow.  There  are  eases  where  good  strawberry 
land  is  limited,  and  it  may  pay  better  to  let  the 
bed  go.  You  cannot  hope  to  obtain  what  we  call  a 
full  crop  after  the  first  year,  though  some  expert 
growers  claim  they  can  do  that  very  thing.  We 
think  the  variety  has  something  to  do  with  it. 
Some  varieties,  like  Marshall  and  Chesapeake,  seem 
naturally  adapted  to  hill  culture,  and  they  will  do 
better  than  others  after  the  first  season. 
Some  growers  plan  to  grow  new  plants  each  year 
for  the  next  season’s  fruiting.  To  do  this  they  take 
a  small  sharp  plow  and  cut  through  the  center  of 
the  bearing  row  after  fruiting.  The  furrows  are 
thrown  together,  leaving  a  little  ridge  over  the 
center  of  the  row.  This  leaves  a  row  of  younger 
plants  which  have  run  out  into  the  alleys,  and 
which  are  to  serve  as  fruiting  rows  for  next  sea¬ 
son.  The  centrals  are  run  on  the  plowed  x-idge  and 
this  kills  out  the  old  plants.  The  younger  plants 
come  on,  and  if  kept  clean  will  grow  a  good  crop 
the  following  season.  We  have  seen  this  plan 
worked  for  several  years  with  some  success,  each 
year  cutting  out  the  bearing  plants  and  making  a 
new  row  of  the  younger  ones.  Thus  the  bearing  row 
is  transferred  back  to  the  original  row  and  then  to 
the  original  alley.  In  a  small  field  this  killing  of 
the  old  plants  can  he  done  with  a  sharp  hoe  so  as 
to  make  a  straight  and  clean  bed. 
The  August  Card  of  the  Farm  Egg  Laying  Contest 
Something  About  the  Buckwheat  Crop 
MOST  of  our  readers  know  something  about 
buckwheat.  Probably  all  of  them  have  eaten 
buckwheat  cakes,  and  a  fair  proportion  of  them 
have  grown  the  crop.  Tt  is  a  good  crop  for  many 
purposes.  It  will  grow  on  rough  land  and  give  a 
nice  crop  of  grain  under  conditions  where  . oats  or 
barley  would  hardly  give  back  the  seed  used  in 
the  seeding.  Buckwheat  can  be  seeded  rather  late 
in  the  season,  following  some  early  garden  crop.  We 
have  found  it  very  good  as  a  cover  crop,  especially 
when  seeded  with  clover.  It  makes  a  heavy  growth, 
and  ripens  before  frost,  after  which  the  clover 
comes  on. 
As  a  crop  for  smothering  out  quack -grass  or 
similar  weeds  buckwheat  is  one  of  the  best.  When 
seeded  thickly  it  grows  fast.  •  gives  a  rank  heavy 
shade  and  will  usually  smother  out  most  weeds. 
Very  few  people  seem  to  have  used  buckwheat  for 
hay  or  green  fodder,  yet  we  hear  from  a  number 
of  farmers  who  say  that  they  had  good  success  in 
handling  buckwheat  in  that  way. 
Several  of  our  people  have  tried  it  in  the  silo, 
where  they  claim  it  gave  a  fair  quantity  of  silage. 
A  number  of  them  report  cutting  buckwheat  for 
feeding  green  when  pastures  are  short.  Buckwheat 
hay  is  also  reported  as  making  a  palatable  forage 
for  cattle.  In  making  hay  the  buckwheat  seems  to 
be  cut  while  in  bloom.  The  thick  heavy  stems  are 
handled  very  much  like  clover  hay.  It  is  said  that 
cattle  will  eat  it  readily,  and  that  on  good  ground  a 
heavy  crop  can  be  obtained.  When  grass  seed  is 
