DUCK RAISING UNDOUBTEDLY
MOST PROFITABLE INDUSTRY
SHORTHORNS POSSESS MANY
EXCELLENT DAIRY QUALITIES
ERQM
Charcoal ,1s good stuff for tho hen's
dlgcslivo tract.
It's mighty poor 'policy to let tho
Closo Study ox tho Business and Careful Attention to Even
. - tho Smallest Details Are Necessary If Ono
ngllsh Breeder Dovolopetl Milk Producing Strain and
His Cowa Wore Vti JfwVra AH Over -t
England for Tlieli' superiority. '
stock shrink In wlntor
Would bo
Successful.
Don't feed your fowls bo that they
will eat too much at onpo.
Plan for hatching season.
Keep tho hons busy thoso cold days.
f I IUI.... II I ILUUII ..L
Dutterniaklng is an art
Fresh fruit Is always delicious.
Gapes In caused by a small worm In
tho windpipe.
Most farm buildings aro built too
closo to the dwelling.
In preparing a socd bed for swoot
clover do a thorough job.
Very llttlo Is known about the actual
value of ryo as a poultry food.
Tho barn- that Is banked up will
nave rower urauguts ovor mo noor.
Don't lcavo your valuablo farm ma
chinery standing unprotected In tho
Hold.
Oat straw Is an cxcollcnt rough food
for flhoon. Wheat straw Is next In
value.
-
Overcrowding the owo flock during
tho winter months Is a frequent causo
of sovero losses..
Very early spraying with Bordeaux
Is tho thing for all kinds of fungus rot
and for pencil loaf curl.
Tt-,-i nli trr-ttn rnr (a nt I f n nl f nlrflflflt I
Farmers should not buy moro land
until that which they already, have
is producing to Its maximum capacity.
Exorclso is of prlmo Importance In
several ways. It keeps tho pigs nim-
bio and In a healthy condition .gener
ally.
Boforo putting tho chicks Into tho
brooder It is a good plan to sprlnklo
thom carefully with a good insect
powder.
Ono of tho first needs of tho pigs Is
n pnmfnrtnblo nlaco in which .to pass
moro than half of tho tlmo, sleoplug
and rostlng. ,
Breeding stock should bo selected
for health. stronKth. vigor and matu
rity first, utility second nnd fancy
points third. '
It is a woll known fact that properly
managed a 20, 40 or 80 aero rarm will
.return In addition to a living, a find
income for tho family.
ml.M .1 t n n 1mv1nn n nrnflnntlvn I
X lie udiimtiu n i . o
-I DA In OAA n nfna nan Afiallv I
raiBO SIX u eiglll. Ul uib uuoi. mui ncu
female calves each season,
Tho annual Incomo from milk and
butter In tho United States is said to
bo moro than tho output of tho gold
and tho silver mmes.
Carrots ara fed to horses not so
.Jmuch for their feeding value, but for
Ithelr influence in keplng tho uigestivo
'organs in good condition.
i It requires lco to handlo milk,
cream or buttor, so boo to it tnat you
will bo fully supplied with this choap
inrtlclo for next summor s use
! Tn winter dairy fa'rmors often for-
jget that nothing Is cheaper and moro
(beneficial than puro air, suullght and
a reasonable amount of exerclso.
I TiYiwiR should always bo starved for
jnt least 24 hours beforo being killed,
so as to havo their crops nna intes
tines thoroughly reo from food of,any
kind.
' TViava fa n at nnilv ilnmand for nuts.
jTho English walnut, pecan, Spanish,
jjapaneso and Amorlcan chestnuts,
tbuttor nuts and shollbarks aro tho
jmost profitable.
I rnhn limoii1Hna Tnirlnn And In
. IIU V.....WI...-"-' " - - -
I spreading poultry manure, on account
I of Its sticky consistency, may bo ob
'viated by mixing with loam, poat or
common Btauio muuuiu.
Condlmoats that stlmulato egg pro
duction aro very much like anything
Ithnt stimulates a human being. Aftor
itho Immodlato results wear oft tho
bird Is In worso shapo than beforo ho
ling fed.
Peoplo think that if hens don't lay
,ln tho winter they will In tho sum
Imer, but this is a mistake, as it has
(iionn found that tho winter layers will
Iproduco ns many eggs In tho summer
ins tho non-winter layers.
As regards rotation of crops,
iihn western farmer is willing U
'hlB land bocorae, ovon in tho pr
generation, as valueless for aj
tural uso as Is so much of No1
Hand, he must adopt and adhero to
some systematic uso of restoratlvo
uHoss
Beeo
lent
IKiui-
crops.
Just becauso fat hens aro not good
layers, do not storvo your fowls.
Tho best cows are tho cows that
will fill tho pockotbook most quickly.
Moro cattle dlo from tho effects of
being drenched than from tuborcu
losls. Potato peelings fed raw In not too
largo quantities aro good for tho lay
ing hens.
Warmth should bo supplied to nil
farm animals but not at tho expenso
of fresh air.
When figuring up tho profits from
tho cows for ldat year don't ovorlook
tho fertilizer.
Mon love tiiolr families, but aro In
clined to neglect tho crops that can b
producod for tho stable
Exorclso is good for tho animals
and they should get their share ovory
day whon It Is possible.
'A good dairy siro is ono that pro
duces daughtors which glvo moro but
ter-fat than their mothers.
Eggs should bo gathered often, cs
poclally If tho weather Is cold and
they aro to bo used for hatching.
MUch of tho success In poultry
keeping deponds on tho vigor and
vitality of tho birds thomsolves.
rnolo bird that Is gallant, always
ready to sharo with tho hens, Is pro-
ferrcd to ono that is too genorous
ml, t. f r.l. nnti I.a
mado almost as profitable as tho
v A enenp separator is worso uiau
nonn. Act oun that does not waste
oach year moro than tho original cost,
Yearlings and heifers should b
oarly taught to drink warm mtllfcod
slop in winter, and cold slop in sum
mer. Get all tho wood ashes you can and
apply thom to tho garden and truck
patch soon as you can, nnd then plow
It In
Tho number of hens a farmor sllould
keop dop.onds on his Interest In tho
business and tho time ho Is willing to
devoto to it.
Unless n bird is mnturod and pos
sesses size, vigor nnd a Bound consti
tution, it should bo barred out of the
breeding pen.
For Idle horsos. straw and well-
cured corn fodder may tako the placa
of hay. giving a half ration or. corn
morning and night.
A ttinn mhn Vina n irnnrl nunlltv nf
iuuu iiuu o 1
.1 I n.nilnntn nnrl 1l I CrVl..! fl Rfl Clt
aniry BlUGK lur buu onuum "
what competition Is.
If vou aro to got eggs, you mUBt
havo healthy, vigorous hens, and If
you wlBh to keep up tho supply you
must retain tho vigor.
An nvorv noultryman knows, 01
should know, protein is an important
and lnvaluablo ingredient in tno ra
tion for egg production.
Tn nlnnnlnc adornment for tho door-
vnrrt nvnld stralttht lines ns much as
possible Sot tho troos and shrubs
In groups or irroguinr lines.
if tn vorv Imnortnnt that tho wa
ter drunk by tho cows giving throa
or moro gallons of miiK aauy on
warmed to about CO degreos tr.
Thn mU that koob into winter qunr
torB lousy will not do woll. Rubbing
Tin cnif with a cloth moistened with
coal oil and lard will put a quiotus on
tho Uco.
it Is essontial in raising beot te
know tho characteristics of a prima
boast, for In order to command th
top prlco tho animal must no in in
pink of condition.
Provide shelter for all of tho anl
mnlB on cold and rainy nights o
Bnrlne Weather. Shelter means sav
ing of feed, nnd mnkl,ng tho animals
grow and produce bettor.
it (a iin o.ustom of Bomo formors tc
n litter of dIks from n sow In tho
spring that sho la a year ojd, tnon rat
ten her for tho fall maruet anu ueop
sows from her litter for breeding tin
noxt spring.
ni,n niiioVnnn hnvlnir boon acoustom
A MM w
.1 1.. nlnnfv nf frnnh nir nil an mm or.
Ctl LU w " '
nro in good condition to withstand tho
first cool nights, ana mo reni uungur
of their catching cold is In keeping
thom too warm.
a fnnt which ia often lost sight ot
ia timt tho hoe is essontially a graz
ing nnlmal, nnd thla is why spring
litters nro usunliy tho most prontaDio,
r. hi mnktncr nrovlslon for ample
pnsturago tho greatest gains in growth
nro mado at tno minimum cost oi pro-
I ductlon.
(Dy auortafc k., nowAno.) 1
Duck raising has been developed
within the last twenty-five yours Into
a flourishing industry. Prior to that
tlmo tho duck wns not considered a
profltnhlo fowl to ralsoj Its flesh was
never prized very highly by tho
masBos. Ducks woro raised without
constraint In waterways, feeding moBt
ly on fish and water InBoctB; This
gave tho flesh n strong fishy flavor,
honco it was not particularly sought
after, savo by tho few who wero par
tial to that class of diet.
Tho duck centers of Long Island
and New England woro then produc
ing n United nt tnber each season, nnd
It was with dimculty that thcBO woro
sold with profit. In fact, ono of tho
most prominent duck raisers may bo
quoted as saying that ho was obliged
to visit tho city markets personally
and teaso tho dealers to purchaBo his
birds, In order to socuro anything Uko
satisfactory prices.
Artlflclnl incubation and brooding,
combined with Judicious feeding, have
boon instrumental In tho development
of tho Industry. Machinery has en
abled the duck raiser to accomplish
his ambition of having his stock In
tho markets when prices aro tho best,
and also of raising n largo numbor of
birds In n limited spneo of tlmo.
Tho season for raising ducks Is
about six months from Fobruniy to
July, Inclusive. Duck raising Is to be
recommended to farmers as a profit
able sourco of revenue; and by care
ful attention to tho work, ns knowl
edge increases, the scopo of tho In
dustry may bo extended.
There aro a number of farms In this
country today that aro dovotod exclu
sively to raising ducks, avcrnglng
from C.'OOO to 30,000 ducks as an an
nual output. An Idea of tho propor
tions of tho business may bo had from
tho fact that as high aB thrco tons of
feed aro UBod dally by a slnglo raiser
during tho busy season. Tho profits
aro tho very best, and good incomes
may bo mado when onco tho business
Is thoroughly rhnsterod.
But tho reader Bhould not Jump to
tho conclusion that thoso results can
bo easily obtained. Duck raising Is
un arduous taBk ono that requires nn
apprenticeship nnd absolute knowl
edge of tho business beforo success Is
reached. Thoso who have been suc
cessful In raising ducks havo lcarnod
tho business much aB ono docs iny
other vocation. Tho beglnnon Bhould
start modestly, and Incrcaso IiIb plant
ns his knowlcdgo of tho work In
creases.
The nverago fnrmor hns nil tho fa
cIlltlcB for raising a goodly number of
ducks, and may, with a llttlo outlay,
add considerably to his Incomo,
i It Is not at all noccssary that ducks
havo access to water to bo raised suc
cessfully, for they grow and thrivo
ns readily without. Thero aro sue
cessful plants whoro thousands of
Two-Pen House for Growing Ducks.
ducks aro ralsod that havo no wntor,
savo that which is given thom as
drink.
It has boon a matter of much dls-'
puto which is tho better way. Somo
duck raisers uso water and nllow their
brccdors tho frocdom of It; somo al
low iholr growing stock Intended for
market free access to Water until they
aro eight weeks old, whon thoy aro
pennod and fattened for mnrkot. On
tho other hand, thero are ralsors who
havo no water on their farms, oxcept
ing wells, who aro Juqt ns successful
and ralso as many birds as thoso who
havo tho water, Tho only noticcnblo
CLOTH WINDOW
mi!
H
Aj good houso for pullots Is ahown In tho Illustration. It Is 8 feet long,
7 foot 7 Inches high in front and 3 foot 0 inches in tho rear. Tho walls aro
built of ono thickness of matched boards and tho floor ot wood. Porches
aro placed In tho rear of tho houso 18 Inches above tho floor and a muslin
cloth Instead of glass covering tho window space.
difference between upland nnd water
ducks Is that tho latter aro of prot-
tier and clcanor plumage than tho
former.
A duck plant should bo located on
n lino of railroad In direct communi
cation with tho city markets and not
too far from tho station. Almost any
location will do for tho plant, and
worn-out land that can bo had Cheap
will do ns woll as tho richer and moro
fertile land coating soveral times ns
much. Sandy soil is to bo preferred.
Tho buildings -should bo arranged to
secure good drnlnago and bo conveni
ent to onch other, that labor may bo
reduced to n minimum. Tho labor
attached to raising poultry Is nn item
that 1b overlooked by many, nnd tho
cost of it often reduces very notably
tho earnings of the plant.
Houses for ducks aro slmplo af
fairs. They aro built-plain and com
fortable, nnd hnvo no furnishings
whatever. A duck, is differently con
stituted from n hen, nnd must bo
cared for undor different conditions.
Tho hen needs warmer houses nnd
drier surroundings than does tho
duck. A duck will not mind tho cold
If Bho can keop her feet warm. Cold
foot will affect a duck as a frozon
comb docs a hen, rotnrdlng laying nnd
Inducing nllmonts. Tho feathers pf a
duck aro almoBt Impenetrable and will
withstand almost any degreo of cold.
A duck cannot stnnd tho amount of
confinement In a house that a hen
can; sho Is moro rofltlcss In disposi
tion and is given to oxorclso In n
greater degree than is a hen. Indi-
gCBtlon is not so provnlent with ducks
as with chickens; tho duck's cease
less motion nlds tho dlgestlvo organs
Nesto for Ducks.
and keop her gonornlly In good health.
Tho duck raisers on Long Island
uso largo quantities of llsh for their
breeding stock.
This 1b known ns tho "fish dlot,"
and la considered ns bolng very valu
able to lhduco egg production. Whoro
llsh aro choap thoy form an excellent
substitute for boct scraps in tho ra
tions for breeding duclts or ducks not
intended for mnrkot, but undor no
circumstances Bhould fish bo fed to
stock thnt will bo marketed. Fish
makes tho flavor of tho flesh strong,
nnd ducks fed on UbIi will not hnvo
ready said in tho mnrkot. When fish
is used tho beef scraps aro omitted
from tho ration.
Gathor Eggs Often,
Gather tho eggs ofton, this assures
fresh eggs, has n tendency to keep
hons from broodlness. If thoy' nro
allowed to remuln in tho neats until
six to ton havo accumulated tho hons
soli thom moro. It Is bettor to gnther
eggs two or throe times a day tho
yoar around.
Good Poultry Mash.
For tho general poultry keeper, a
n'aah, fed wet or dry, composed of
equal parts of V ground oats, wheat
bran, corn meal nnd boof scraps, for
tho morning meal, with corn, cracked
'or wholo, for the ovenlng moal, will
glvo excollont results.
Silage for Sheep.
A series ot exhaustive tests at tho
Indiana experiment station has dem
onstrated beyond doubt that good
sllago used Judiciously Is an extreme
ly deslrablo feed for Bhoop In wlntor.
Feeding Is Important.
Probably tho moBt lmportnnt ltom
in tho cara of a horse is in tlio feed
ing. FOR CHICKENS
i
From tho very origin of tho brood
Bhorthorns hnvo had two qualities to
commend thom to favorable considera
tion, nnd it is thla dunl capacity ot
beet and milk production thnt has
mado thom so populnr with farmers
nnd stockmen. As beot producers
Shorthorns aro "known ot nil man;"
but their dairy qualities, though ex
cellent whon properly dovelopod, nro
not so gonornlly understood. Tho ear
ly history of tho breed furnishes
mnny Instances of cowb thnt were
great milk producers, says thos'orth
western Agriculturist. '
Ono of tho earliest breeders to do
volop inllk production In htn hord
was J oil as Whlttakor, nnd, ns a re
sult, his cows woro known nil over
England for their cxcollont dairy
A Prize Winning Youngster.
qualities. Even in tho herds of tho
Booths, whero beet form nnd floshlng
quality was tho first cunBldorntlon,
cowb of heavy milk production woro
dovolopod. Sir Charles Knlghtloy
had a trlbo known as tho Fnwuloy
Flllpalls that did much to establish
tho famo ot Shrothorn cows as excel
lent at tho pall. Tho hord ot Thomas
Bates was established about tho year
1800 and soon "bocnino tlio most
notod In England.
This herd was carefully bred for
WATER FOR
DAIRY COWS
Important Tim t tho Thrco or Mora
Gullunu Given to Anlmiilti Daily
1)0 "Warmed to About OO
DoirrooH
It Is very important that tho water
drunk by tho cowb giving throo or
moro gallons of milk dally bo warmod
to about 00 degreos F. Othorwlso tho
cows will not drink on much as thoy
noed to keep up a good milk flaw. It
doos not tako much lco wator to chill
a thtn-fleshod cow through and through
on a cold wlntor day, especially whon
Bho Is compelled to walk soma dis
tance through the enow or a cutting
wind to got to tho tank or pond. Ex
periments mado at tho Missouri stato
experimental station show that drink
ing wator Is noodod In proportion to
tho milk yiold. That is, a cow giv
ing six gallons of milk a day noods
about twlco as much wator ns n cow
giving thrco gallons a dr.y, If tho Wa
CARE FOR FARROWING SOWS
To produce strong, healthy pigs,
thoy must bo lookod after boforo thoy
nro born, Tho sow must bo cared for
and fed properly If sho 1b to glvo birth
to n good llttor of pigs, As n rulo, tho
sow Is nogloctod during this porlod,
tho owner seeming to think that tho
application of caro and feed after sho
has farrowed Is all that is required.
Wo should know that a poorly nour
ished mother moans a weak, Blck'ly
llttor of pigs,
Tho question of abettor is an impor
tant ono, whotbor In tho northern or
southern states, although in tho south
boof form and noon beenhio tho foun
tain bond front which other brcodors
drow their herd bulla; yet Mr. Bates
was careful to cultivate the milking
qualities of his hord, and in conso
(juenco, had cows that glvo from
24 to 34 quarts ot milk per day. So
persistently did ho impress this tn
tliis herd ot cows thnt many ot their
descendants proved excellent mllkors
ninny generations after Mr. Bates'
herd wns dlsporaod. Hotico tho pre
vailing opinion that Shorthorn cowa.
of exceptional dairy qualities' should
bo sought among thoso carrying an In
fusion ot Bates blood has a founda
tion in fact; yet thero aro oxcoptiom
nnd somo notnblo ones.
Amos Crulckshnuk, who drow tho
attention of tho boot producing world
to tho excollonco of tho Scotch Short
horns, by tho wonderful fleshing quali
ties hu had bred Into his herd, was
not unmindful ot tho dairy qualities of
his cows, nnd In that mavolous hord
ot boof cattlo wero many matrons
qulto good nt tho pnll.
Tho largo dairies that supply milk
for London aro composed qulto large
ly, nnd In somo cases exclusively, ot
Shorthorn cows. This is also truo In
part of dairies in Now York and New
England.
tor la too cold to bo comfortable II
drunk In largo quantities, tho cow wltl
not drink enough, nnd ns a result,
will drop considerably in hor milk
yield. When Missouri Chief Josophlna
wns giving about 100 pounds of milk
each day last winter sho drank dally
about 31 gallons of wator, Imagine,
how sho would hnvo suffered it that
had boon lco water, It was warmed,
howover, nnd Josophtno did not chllj
aftor drinking.
Green Feeding Worth While,
It tho best rosulta nro to bo obtain
ed with poultry thoy must bo furnish
ed plenty ot green food, Is a statement
so ofton heard that Us repetition
aooms silly; yet thoro aro flpcks on
fairly prosperous farms whore ona
would think (ho practico of regular
groon feeding had novor been heard
of.
Conditions for Llva Stock.
It you aro In doubt as to tho condi
tions you should glvo your llvo stock
In tho bnrn-ynrd, Iniagluo yourself In
I tho onlmnla' plac.e.
tho far south especially vory llttl
sholter, excopt at farrowing tlmo la
noodod. At farrowing tlmo tho mother
should nlwayB bo supplied with a build
ing that will afford sholter from tho
rnln nud tho wind for both tho mothor
and tho pigs until tho pigs become
dry. If tho wind strikes tho youns;
pigs whon thoy nro first born thoy
will often chill to death. Each farm
er can make his own sholtor, to bo In
keeping with his surroundings, but
probably tho best and most econom
ical building that can bo mado It a
portablo hoghouso.