14 
Fattening Poultry. 
‘A considerable part of ‘the poultry that 
is marketed is poorly fattened, and ‘conse- 
quently is tough and stringy, and so not 
agreeable to the palate; and after getting 
such poultry once or twice the buyer finds 
it is poor stuff, and possibly buys no more 
of it. ‘he county of Sussex, England, is 
noted for its. fattening industry. There 
the middle man plays an important,part i in 
the business; he travels about the country 
buying up all the lean or young chickens 
he can get, and sells them to the fatteners, 
Mr Piper, of Malden (Sursex), is oné of thé 
larvest fatteners in England, and shifts 
durirg the season some 30 to 40 pairs fat- 
tened “poultry a day. France is also an- 
other great poultry fattenne ‘country. 
There nearly every cottage has a few 
fowls to market. In Belgium there, are a 
few persons who combine rearing with fat- 
tening. Ona market day they are met by 
the fatters, and sometimes as many as ten 
thousand chiekens change hands in a day. 
Here in Australia there is no such industry,’ 
The raiser does his own tattening (such as 
it is) and marketing. 
Many will ask the reason of such low 
prices for poultry. Poultry that is properly 
fattened will always bring a geod price, 
but the majority of the poultry marketed 
are poor, skinny, scraggy specimens, and 
bring about 1s 6d to 2s a pair; when nicely 
fattened birds will bring 5s and 6siper pair. 
The birds that are wanted to be fattened 
should he eovfined in a small yard. Do 
not kéep them separate, as in most cases 
they fret and lose weight. The first essen- 
tial in fattening i is to give more food; this 
should be given regularly three times a 
day. The best tattening foods are ground 
oats, barley, maize, with the addition of a 
little fat or tallow. mixed into a crumbly 
dough, with skimmed milk, All feed should 
be given in the form of a mash, as it is 
easiiy digested. Grit should be given, also 
a little green food such as chopped lucerne, 
cabbage, rape, ete. Vary the diet as much 
as possible, After each meal remove the 
troughs, as the constant sight of food when 
they are not hungry turns them against 
eating. Tn England, the fatteners do not 
feed much maize meal as it makes the flesh 
very yellow One English writer, in speak- 
ing of the food to be used, says :—'*I would 
caution my readers against the free use of 
maize meai or Indian corn; this contains 
w large percentage of yellow oil, and when 
suppii d to th: fewis in exeess it accumu- 
lates under the skin, giving the birds the 
appearance of being yellow-fleshe d—a thing 
tiat detracts from Mats value.” 
in bngland and on the Continent ciam- 
luiny machines are largely used, 1t takes 
+ bout three to four weeks to fatten pro- 
jerly.. Another good mash to feed is as 
foiiows :—Pollard, ground harley, equal 
pa ts, and potatoes (boiied), mixed with 
+» uined milk and @ little mutton fat, also 
peh ot salt. If the birds are fed on the 
nbove foods the farmer or poultry man 
_ 1m tld have no difficulty in disposing of his 
j Gtuce at a satisfactory figure, 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
Do Incubators Pay ? 
BY F. C ELFORD. 
There is considerable being said about 
incubators these days. Peoovle are wonder- 
ing if it will pay them to buy one, and, if 
so what shouid be the capacity, make, ete, 
If they do invest will they be able to run 
it? And will the incubator chicks be as 
healthy and is thrifty as the hen-hatched? 
Sonie ot these questions can be answered 
satisfactorily ; others are not so easy to 
Bettle, but they all show that interest is 
being awakened or increased in this promis- 
ing industry. a good deal depends upon 
our intentions and conditions, as to whether 
it will,pay to buy an incubator ‘Nome people 
have had very good success,in utilising the 
old hen as an incubajor, and probably after 
she has gone through the operation for 
Several years she becomes an expert, though 
I think the incubator does more efficient 
work than the average hen, and for, my 
own part if I were “going "to raise fifty 
chicks I wonld have a small machine. I 
would rather look aftér'a fifty-e¢2 machine 
than oversee two or thiee setting hens. I 
have tried both, and I invariably lose more 
eggs and patience with the latter than I 
do with the: former. If, however, chicks 
into the paps are wanted, ‘I would: not 
still any Mae person can manage: it, 
One of the first things is to learn to follow 
the directions. ,Some people imagine, they 
can improve on the directions sent with the 
machine, but in all probability the firm 
that makes the machine knows more about 
it than the purchaser 
Do not expect an incubator. to ‘briug live 
healthy chicks out of infe:tile éggs or eggs 
that have been chilled ; but if you put 
fresh, fertile eggs in and follow closely ‘the 
directions, you may” expect probably trom 
70 to 90 per cent. of the tertile eggs to 
hatch. ‘These ‘chicks, to say the ‘least, will 
not inherit any disease or vermin from the 
mother, but with proper care and breeding 
will do as well as uny hen-hatched chickens 
_ could do. 
Be sure.you have eggs from good stock 
for your purpose; feed and finger the fowl 
if possible; neyer put an inf-rior article 
on the market; and you will not haye any 
difficulty i in ‘selling’ at remuuerative prices. 
AccorbInc to the “Druggists’ Circular” 
strips of woollen cloth have been dyed 4 
variety of fast colors by boiling in solu- 
tions of the commercial janis and jellies 
which are chemically colored for ths 
stomachs of the unsuspecting ‘public 
Food adulteration is apparently being 
carried on to an alarming extent. 
_ to 27 bushels, quantity cleared, 
smay ‘be added to the hot mixture to maké 
Juny 14, 1908. 
S.A. Farm and Estate Agency- 
Near Burra, 6,700 acres, S P. Fences, 
House, Wells, ete. : 20s. Good sheep 
country. 
Myponga, 1,316 acres. C. Lease : cheap, 
£320 ; 
Rhine Villa, 605, acres, I.P, Lease. 
Stone Hone, Well, Garden, Fallow, 
Fenced ; 35s 
Several fine River Properties near 
Manpun. 
Finniss, 1,003 acres, weil watered and 
improved, three miles from Murray ; 21s 
acre | 
Milang, RP ease, 476 acres, 150’ 
cleared, water, sure district ; 203 as free 
hold, terms F 
Smithfield, 300 acres, | 
£7 12s 6d 
Narracoorte, 830 acres House, Creek, 
Nettes, Fence, splendid ‘Land, £3 acre, 
fine property, | 
with 990 acres C. Lease. £1200, may” 
remain 9 years : 
434 acres, Clinton, Y.P., 23 bushel 
average. House, Fenced, Water, ete. ¢ 
only 80s,,terms. 
Kdithburgh, Y.P., 317a (90 acres Salt 
Lake, return: over £10, ) yearly, £1200 
Cherry Gardens, 1600 freehold, 87a Pp 
lease, 3 rooms, 30v fruit trees, good gare 
dening: Jand; plenty surface water, a 
acre for freeho d ' 
Narracoorte, 75: acres, splendid Pare 
86s 
Magill, 11 acres, Pig, Poultry Farm, 
£1,000 
Port Lincoln district. Koppio, 1990a 
well ‘fenced} stone house 5dr, outbuildings 
surface springs, ‘20 in rainfall, reaped up | 
‘balance 
m and sheouk, fine grazing. £60 due 
to'Crown. 278 6a acre, goodwill 
‘Bowhiil, 4450a, 220 crop, all stock and 
implements, ‘£800 the lot, exception 
bargain, £600 the lot. 
Glen. aay 297ba, RP lease, with; about) 
400 wethers,given in,, Ds acre, goodwill 
Narracoorte, 316a, house, orchard, very 
choice proyerty, £5 10s acre, £1000 stands 
43 
o PASPALUM. SEED—We are booking 
orders for best Twoéd River’ Seed, 25 1b5" 
or more, at 1s 3d, Adelaide. 
Hahndorf, 50. R., Sell or Let ; nice place 
Islington ’ ‘Choice Dairy Farm ; (£2,300: 
‘New list of N.S.W. Farms j just. received: 
Money to Lend from 4 per cent. 
a a eon y 
, Easy terms arranged. 
Pirie Chambers, Pirie--ireet. i 
“God! Axie Grease—A good as well as 
‘cheap. axlé grease’can be made as follows? 
ix one pound of black lead with foul 
pounds of lard., Have.the lead, very fi0® 
and free from lumps of grit. Mix. with 
the lard, then heat until melted and stit 
until cold. A little melted tallow or wa* 
at Aah when cold. 
