Ihe  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
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The  Henyard 
Loss  of  Ducklings  and  Goslings 
My  duck?  act  as  though  they  are  hav¬ 
ing  tits;  they  act  like  that  for  a  few 
days  then  they  die.  They  have  fresh 
water  every  day.  The  feed  is  equal  parts 
of  oats  and  cornmeal,  mix  sand  with  then- 
feed  and  keep  some  in  a  dish  where  they 
can  get  it  when  ever  they  want  it.  I 
have  also  lost  quite  a  few  goslings ;  they 
eat  and  are  around  all  right,  but  in  a 
little  while  I  find  them  dead.  M.  E.  G. 
Canajoharie,  N.  Y. 
I  would  judge  from  the  symptoms  that 
your  ducks  had  been  getting  -wet  or 
chilled.  Give  them  plenty  of  clean  drink¬ 
ing  water  deep  enough  so  they  can  wasli 
out  their  eyes  but  arranged  so  they  can¬ 
not  get  wet.  Do  not  give  them  water  in 
which  to  swim  until  they  are  nearly  or 
quite  feathered.  Try  changing  the  feed 
to  equal  parts  of  bran,  middlings  and 
cornmeal  with  some  green  feed  added.  If 
they  are  confined  they  should  have  about 
5  per  cent  of  fresh  meat  scraps  or  you 
can  mix  their  mash  with  milk  or  butter¬ 
milk. 
I  cannot  tell  what  is  the  trouble  with 
your  goslings  as  you  do  not  describe  the 
symptoms  or  care,  but  they  require  prac¬ 
tically  the  same  feed  and  care  as  duck¬ 
lings,  except  that  they  must  have  plenty 
of  good  pasture.  M.  betts. 
Diarrhoea 
I  have  lost  several  hens  and  chickens 
and  all  seem  to  die  of  the  same  disease, 
white  diarrhoea.  I  give  them  wet  mash 
mornings,  scratch  feed  and  oats  noon  and 
night,  and  have  dry  mash  before  the 
chickens  all  the  time.  I  give  them  char¬ 
coal  and  shells  also.  I  have  tried  poul¬ 
try  food  or  tonic  but  it  does  not  seem  to 
help  much.  Do  you  know  of  any  remedy 
for  this  dreadful  disease?  I  have  kept 
hens  for  25  years  and  have  never  had 
this  trouble  before.  My  hens  and  chic¬ 
kens  are  all  on  the  range.  a.  M. 
Rhode  Island. 
Unfortunately,  the  term  “white  diar¬ 
rhoea”  does  not  tell  what  ails  your  hens 
and  young  chicks.  Any  whitish  discharge 
is  called  white  diarrhoea  by  those  who  ob¬ 
serve  only  this  symptom  of  bowel  trouble 
and  who  do  not  know  that  it  may  ac¬ 
company  several  distinct  diseases.  True 
bacillary  white  diarrhoea,  to  which  the 
term  should  be  restricted,  is  a  disease  of 
young  chicks,  appearing  within  the  first 
few  days  of  life.  It  is  but  seldom  that 
it  attacks  mature  fowls,  though  mature 
fowls  that  have  survived  an  attack  dur¬ 
ing  life  become  carriers  of  the  germs 
that  cause  it.  Coccidiosis  is  another  very 
prevalent  disease  of  both  old  and  young 
stock  that  may  be  accompanied  by  a 
white  diarrhoea,  as  may  other  totally  dif¬ 
ferent  diseases.  Knowing  only  that  fowls 
die  after  having  a  white  diarrhoea  makes 
it  impossible  to  prescribe  any  specific 
treatment,  but,  in  general,  it  may  be  said 
that  all  evidently  sick  birds  should  be 
promptly  removed  from  the  flock  and  that 
strict  cleanliness  of  quarters  and  uten¬ 
sils  should  be  observed.  Eating  and 
drinking  utensils  can  be  freed  from  in¬ 
fective  material  by  thorough  scrubbing 
and  scalding  with  boiling  water,  while 
old  litter  can  be  removed  and  burned,  and 
poultry  house  walls,  perches,  droppings 
boards,  etc.,  can  be  disinfected  by  the 
use  of  freshly  made,  hot  lime  whitewash. 
Continued  attention  to  cleanliness  and 
disinfection  must  be  given,  as  spasmodic 
and  short  lived  efforts  to  rid  a  flock  and 
premises  of  infection  accomplish  little. 
M.  B.  D. 
Cost  of  Raising  Birds 
I  am  thinking  of  entering  the  poultry 
business  on  a  small  scale  and  would  like 
some  advice  on  the  following  plan :  Next 
Spring  I  expect  to  purchase  500  White 
Wyandottes  chicks  from  a  reliable  dealer, 
and  will  sell  all  my  pullets  that  I  succeed 
in  raising  at  12  weeks  of  age.  I  will 
select  the  best  cockerels  and  caponize 
them.  What  is  the  cost  per  head  of  rais¬ 
ing  pullets  to  12  weeks  of  age?  Cost  per 
head  of  raising  capons  till  marketable? 
Under  normal  conditions  about  what 
would  my  mortality  run?  Have  had  some 
practical  experience  with  poultry. 
Denville,  N.  J.  H.  D. 
The  cost  of  raising  chicks  to  broiler 
size,  or  larger,  will  vary  each  season  with 
the  price  of  grain  and  cannot  be  foretold 
accurately.  In  a  series  of  experiments 
at  the  Indiana  Station  to  determine  costs 
of  rearing  chicks,  it  was  found  that 
White  Plymounth  Rocks,  birds  similar 
in  size  and  type  to  Wyandottes,  con¬ 
sumed  about  5  lbs.  of  grain  and  7  lbs. 
of  skimmed  milk  to  reach  2-lb.  broiler 
size  at  from  9  to  10  weeks  of  age.  leg¬ 
horn  pullets  at  12  weeks  of  age  had 
consumed  about  5.5  lbs.  of  grain  and  5 
lbs.  of  milk.  Plymouth  Rock  capons  at¬ 
tained  a  weight  of  9.5  lbs.  in  41  weeks 
upon  64  to  67  lbs.  of  grain  and  62  to  79 
lbs.  of  skimmed  milk. 
In  the  years  1916  and  1917,  it  cost  24 
and  2|9  cents  irespectively  to  rear  a 
Plymouth  Rock  to  2-lb.  broiler  size,  and 
$1.66  and  $2.32  to  raise  a  9.5-lb.  capon. 
This  variation  in  costs  within  two  years 
will  show  you  the  impossibility  of  figur¬ 
ing  costs  ahead  unless  the  price  of 
grain  can  be  known  in  advance. 
Your  mortality  should  not  greatly  ex¬ 
ceed  10%.  M.  B.  D. 
Countrywide  Produce  Situation 
PLENTY  OF  ONIONS  EXPECTED— WEST 
RAISING  MORE  VEGETABLES — POTATO 
SUPPLIES  MODERATE — APPLES  BRING 
ABOUT  USUAL  PRICES. 
Just  as  soon  as  a  way  has  been  figured 
out  to  tell  when  a  crop  is  going  to  be¬ 
have  a  certain  way,  the  crop  is  likely  to 
change  its  habits.  For  six  years  the  light 
onion  crops  have  come  on  the  odd  years, 
but  although  1923  is  the  odd  year  it  looks 
now  as  if  the  late  onion  crop  would  prac¬ 
tically  equal  the  fairly  large  production 
of  last  season. 
ONION  REGION  CHANGING 
Some  of  the  old  producing  States  de¬ 
creased  their  acreages,  but  they  are  hav¬ 
ing  a  good  yield  per  acre  despite  the  dry 
weather.  New  York,  the  leading  late 
onion  State,  also  leads  in  yield  per  acre. 
At  prices  anything  like  the  present  city 
market  level  of  $1.50  to  $3.50  per  100 
lbs.,  an  average  crop  of  about  400  bu.  per 
acre,  say  3,000,000  bu.,  at  $1  per  bu., 
would  bring  in  quite  a  heap  of  money  for 
the  dozen  or  so  onion  counties  of  the 
State.  Last  year’s  sizable  onion  crop  was 
successfully  marketed  and  growers  may 
hope  to  do  as  well  again  if  business  con¬ 
tinues  active. 
Much  of  the  increase  in  production  is 
in  the  State  of  Indiana,  which  is  crowd¬ 
ing  New  York,  California  and  Texas  for 
onion  leadership.  All  four  States  aver¬ 
age  fairly  equal  in  production  over  a  term 
of  years.  Colorado  also  shows  a  big  in¬ 
crease.  Two  or  three  Northwestern  States 
have  been  coming  to  the  front  lately  in 
both  onions  and  potatoes.  Growers  out 
there  have  less  to  pay  for  fertilizer,  but 
more  for  freight  and  sometimes  for  irri¬ 
gation.  They  are  being  tempted  to  try 
such  crops  because  of  the  low  prices  of 
wheat.  Unfortunately,  consumers  will 
not  use  more  than  a  pound  of  onions  to 
10  lbs.  of  potatoes,  and  any  great  general 
increase  of  onion  production  usually 
smashes  the  market. 
Some  crops,  like  lettuce,  celery,  straw¬ 
berries  and  grapes,  seem  to  be  able  t) 
stand  heavy  increases  and  still  be  worth 
marketing.  Even  with  these  crops  the 
West  is  trying  its  hand,  especially  with 
lettuce.  The  Eastern  lettuce  crop,  under 
glass  or  outside,  has  terrific  competition 
with  Colorado  at  one  end  of  the  lettuce 
season  and  Florida  and  California  at  the 
other  end  of  the  market  season.  Colorado 
is  likely  to  raise  more  out-door  lettuce 
than  New  York  this  year.  Yet  New  York 
has  Adirondack  farms  that  it  seems  ought 
to  grow  some  of  this  mountain  lettuce 
where  it  can  be  marketed  in  fresh  condi¬ 
tion. 
POTATO  SUPPLIES  ARE  INCREASING 
but  still  below  the  average  rate  of  year 
around  demand.  Prices  double  those  of 
a  year  ago.  Eastern  markets  are  higher 
and  stronger  than  Western  and  seem 
likely  to  be  that  way  often  this  season 
because  there  are  plenty  of  potatoes  near 
the  Western  markets,  and  the  greatest 
shortage  is  in  the  East  this  year.  This 
shortage  may  be  reduced  as  a  result  of 
the  rains  in  August,  but  it  is  not  likely 
to  be  a  season  of  late  growth  for  any¬ 
thing  if  the  recent  appearance  of  light 
frosts  in  parts  of  Southern  New  England 
is  any  guide.  Potatoes  went  up  to  the 
end  of  August  at  Eastern  shipping  points, 
but  prices  were  standing  still  in  the  West, 
so  that  there  is  a  considerable  difference 
in  prices  paid  to  growers  in  New  Jersey, 
as  compared  with  Idaho,  for  instance. 
Virginia  sweet  potatoes  are  beginning 
to  fill  the  markets.  They  bring  high 
prices,  around  $6  per  bbl.  Western  pears 
are  the  most  impressive  feature  of  the 
fruit  market ;  Washington  and  Oregon 
were  followed  by  California,  with  Col¬ 
orado  close  on  their  heels.  The  abun¬ 
dance  of  Western  pears  rather  hurt  the 
apple  market.  Fortunately,  most  of  the 
Eastern  apple  crop  is  of  late  varieties 
this  season.  Early  apples  have  bee*i  sell¬ 
ing  in  the  great  cities  at  $1  to  $1.25  per 
bu.,  which  may  be  called  the  usual  yearly 
price.  Lowest  prices  are  reported  in  Chi¬ 
cago.  Competition  may  be  fierce  in  the 
markets  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  where 
a  good  local  crop  will  meet  the  first  at¬ 
tack  of  the  heavy  shipments  expected 
from  the  Northwest.  G.  B.  F. 
1161 
Three  Year  Old 
Birds  LaV 
Like  Pullets 
M 
AKE  your  older  hens  show  a  profitable  egg  yield  this 
year  by  feeding  Semi-Solid.  It  always  lengthens  the 
productive  life  of  every  bird. 
Arthur  Brodeur,  Berkely,  Cal.,  says  for  seven  weeks  I  have 
been  feeding  my  pen  of  fifteen  three  year  old  birds  Semi-Solid. 
When  I  started  they  were  laying  an  egg  every  other  day  for 
the  whole  pen.  Now  they  average  seven  to  nine  eggs  a  day, 
although  they  have  just  finished  moulting.  They  are  healthier, 
heavier,  smoother  finished  and  better  looking  than  ever  before. 
Semi-Solid  Ruttermilk 
(trade  mark) 
is  a  buttermilk  condensed  to  the  point  of  maximum  feeding 
and  health  value.  Because  it  is  thoroughly  pasteurized  for 
several  hours  and  is  put  up  in  air-tight  containers,  it  is  free 
from  tuberculosis  and  other  disease-breeding  germs. 
Best  results  are  obtained  by  feeding  Semi-Solid  Buttermilk  just  as 
It  comes  In  the  package.  No  other  animal  protein  Is  required  when 
laying  hens  are  fed  Semi-Solid  at  rate  of  5  lbs.  for  every  100  head. 
Containers  vary  from  one  gallon  cans  to  500  lb.  barrels. 
Look  for  the  Semi-Solid  label.  It  assures  not  only  the  fullest  feeding 
values,  but  also  the  full  tonic  and  medicinal  effect  which  have  made 
Semi-Solid  famous. 
If  your  dealer  does  not  carry  Semi-Solid  write  us  direct.  30  factories 
assure  low  freight  cost  and  prompt  shipment. 
CONSOLIDATED  PRODUCTS  CO. 
4750  SHERIDAN  ROAD  CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 
HENRY  RIEGER, 
Callicoon,  N.  Y* 
Wo  now  have  700  March 
hatched  layers,  1922  hatch. 
When  we  got  the  first  bar¬ 
rel  of  Sami  -  Solid,  the 
birds  looked  tough,  but  two 
weeks  after  they  jumped 
from  240  to  440  eggs  per 
day  and  looked  like  a  flock 
of  young  pullets  again. 
Hundreds  of  other  sat¬ 
isfied  users  have  found 
Semi  -  Solid  Buttermilk 
profitable  to  use  every 
month  of  the  year.  It  pro¬ 
tects  health,  makes  rapid 
gains,  gives  early  maturity 
and  heavy  sustained  egg 
production.  The  full  story 
of  Semi-Solid  is  contained 
in  a  valuable  book  which 
every  poultryman  should 
have  and  it  will  be  sent 
free  on  request.  Write  for 
it  today. 
None  Genuine  Without  \ 
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FEEDING 
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It  takes  9  pounds  of  corn  alone  to  make 
1  pound  of  pork. 
STRUVEN’S  FISH  MEAL  is  the  ideal 
feed  supplement,— proved  by  test  to  surpass 
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animal  protein  concentrates. 
Valuable  feeding  information  and 
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