J THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT APRIL 25. 1C07. rt, f 4 , I f 11 '1 5 M if 4 ii f i If J desirable, features and indicates what in hi -opinion me the best methods of effecting improvement. The policy of the government- is to encourngo the importation of animals of the highest Class, the object being th-i adaptation of foreign breeds to our special conditions and by fusing the imported with the native blood to ul timately become independent of for eign breaders. That there is a necess ity fci' the establishment of the breeds of horses in thL country, especially the draft breeds, no one who is ac quainted with the conditions can doubt. Mr. Rommel expresses the belief that a splendid opportunity exists here for the. constructive breeder, the man who will apply ability, perseverance and courage to tho problem. Baby beef, which represents the ear liest possible maturity of the bovine animal, has been brought to a high state of excellence by the American breeder and has now become firmly established In our live-stock markets. Uaby beef is defined in the article on this subject by E. G. Ititzman as "a prime butcher's beast, thoroughly fat tened and ripe for the block at from twelve to twenty-four months of age. Growth has been artificially promoted by coatinuous heavy feeding from birth, with the object of obtaining in the shortest time possible the maxi mum amount of well-matured beef." Five years ago, and even more recent ly, a prime steer up to twenty-four months of age was classed as baby beef, while today it is questionable whether an animal over eighteen months of age should be considered as such. The flesh of young cattlo has not developed that coarseness of grain and fiber characteristic of the flesh of old animals, and is therefore more tender and delicate. The proportion of fat to lean is smaller, and the fat does not accumulate in such large deposits or lumps between th? layers of muscl?, but is more evenly distributed in flakes between the muscle fibers. The paper discusses the characteris tics of baby beef, the economy and greater profit in Its production aa compared with older cattle, the breeds and types best suited for producing it, and methods of feeding. .Some of the principal advantages derived from the production of baby lcef as compared with older lKt-f are stated as the quick return on the investment, the greater demand for the product, and the great er amount of meat produced per pound of feed consumed. The .article on poultry management, which deals entirely with chickens, is practical in character. "It is so easy to figure one's self getting rich rais ing poultry," writes the author, G. . Arthur Eell. assistant animal husband man of the bureau, "that a great many people with but little knowledge and experience have embarked in the busi ness on a large scale, only to meet with disastrous failure. They have neglected to recognize the fact that ibis industry, like any other, requires a thorough ' training and an aptitude for the occupation. That there is good money in poultry, however, when prop erly managed, is shown by the many successful poultry itu n who are mak ing a good living from the industry." The reader is given some sound ad vice aa to how to make a start in the poultry business Then cornea a classification of the breeds, showing which are best purely for egg pro duction, which for meat, and which for a combination of eggs and meat. Full details are given concerning th arrangement and management of poul try, yards and the location and con struction of houses, nests, coops,' etc. There is a-chapter on "how to feed for the mosr profitable egg production," and the raising of chickens both with and without incubators is dealt with in a thorough mam e r. 'Other subjects treated are how to -produce broilers, roasters, and capons, how to fattei rw.-iirv how in nreoare. and shin the -products to market, and how to test and preserve eggs, mnany mere is a chapter enumerJlmg the principal diseases of poultry and giving direc tions for treating hem. In all respects the effort has been made to bring the discussion of meth ods and appliance down to date, in cluding such subjects as dry feeting, curtain -front houses, colony houses, etc. The building. and methods of some of the most successful and best equipped poultry farms in the coun try are described, and the article has 17 illustrations showing houses and appliances. LITTLE PROSPECT FOR FRUIT J. M. Russell, the nursery man, said"j that the damage done to me fruit crop Tuesday evening was greater than at any time this season. Some of the blossoms are not open as far as others and in consequence suffer less from the cold weather. The prospects for a fruit crop of any size are considered poor. The apple crop, according to E. T. Hartley, is the only one which is not affected by the cold. The apple blossoms are not well out as yet. The grapes will be as numerous as ever and the berries and some of the other small fruits have not been injured to any noticeable extent. Every day of the cold weather weakens the fryit trees, as the blossoms are in a susceptibh stage when the afternoon sun makes them come out and the cold weather kills them in the evening. E. F. Stephens of Crete estimates the peach crop at only about 20 per cent of a full yield since the recent severe frosts. He estimates the cherry crop at 30 per cent, grapes 85 per cent and all other small fruits a full crop. This is an off year in apples regard less of the freeze, as the trees bore heavily last season. The only fann'tfipiA;-nuito from wheat that is all nutri ment is the soda cracker, and yet the only soda cracker of which this is really truo io needa Biscuit soda cracker scientifically baked. soda cracker effectually protected, soda cracker ever fresh, crisp and clean, soda cracker good at all times. 'In a dust tight. moisture proof package. NATIONAL MSCUIT COMPANY only only only only Mr TIMELY POULTRY HINTS BY A. D. BURHANS. Providing Turkey rt. Every farmer's wife has noticed how tho turkey hen loves to hide er,"eBt in the hedge row or orchard. Olten they will go into the hay field when they commence to lay their first clutch of eggs In May and seclude themselves so quicely that one cannot possibly find tfcem. If you will use barrels and boxes with good roomy nests and some nest eggs in them, covering over the whole a sufficient amount of brush .o make it appear secluded, the turkey hen will use there if they are not too close to the house and any oi of the barn-yard buildings. In a far corner of the orchard h u good place to put the nest for the turkeys, or If thete la a row of bushes somewhere abou the place and no; too f.ir fnmr-lhe ' house try to make a nest there. Tui kes v ili s.KMi find any nest that you make foi them and use them if not reared away or given a flight when approaehed. Remove .ill turkey egss except the li.-.sL ves-i dally. I"t Thick en Iu-iih do the hatching and remem ber that dampness of the young poults is the greatest trouble that confronts all turkt-v mowers A domestic li-n will oiu'r four o.' five turkey egg very nie-lv ;uu if she Is kind and mothcrlv fite will raise all of tin po-.dtf. Do not faP to give her u dry brood coop Where plenty of MUllllKllt can net in on 'ln brood every morning. J'rovlde plenty of fresh water, a var iety of f. v d and ke p the yoitOKI' i p. i'lird is! f' wwk or two until thy nei.iuu ibout iiiti protect tlulo ('Ivt'N a bit. f't f Mlntnifr. The Idea hu.t b'-.n juwrfU.it for a long time that hem coul.l l k'pt " cewfully from one year' end t lru other tor Ue hir.aM t'J"H f f P r ,ne per hen. In tl '' "r l'1' pHcd feed it l lim"o,i.!,. for a iull.y grower who has to buy any consider able amount of grain feeds to keep fowls At U per year each. A farmer who is keeping a iloik'of Leghorns or fome otter breed, or grades of th3 general purpose fowls, may be able If his range Is l?.rg3 enough to keep his fowls at a cost of $1 each per year, but the range would have to be extra good in order to do this and the flock would have to be on It all the time. He could not yard th-j flock and feed it heavily of grains a, present prices for Jl per hen yer year. It will run up now closer to $l.no or $1.50 than to H and it w!l! exceed these figures on Uw large poultry farms where hens are kept for egg.' exclusively and whero all feed has to be purchased except the forage grown in the runs connected wltn tie laving houses. It is a bad plan to neglect any colds which the variou fowls of the flock will contract in being exposed to tho damp spring weather or from being forced to roost in draughty or poorly votitllr'ted houses. 'Jvnerallv tile con ditions which surrounds the cause o' a ok! will be bitd ioufh t Ming on ft severe case of roim unless remedied. If tho real, old-fahioited roup once gets ii to the flock It in a hard thing to eradicate and cannot lie ciUxnu'd wnn any degree of surety at any time. A few drop of kerosene in the drinking water will often prevent a cprendtng of eontaRioir, eold in the Hock and will do mueh to cure the uffceted fowls. (iu' of the mtiwt menu of bunging abut roup n the Mrds that hu,e cold In to iilow the uropping bounU to become foul with damo dropping ittid then let them toost over tin rtith, l.tX VlMkufH in t'ltirka. Fion. thh Urw on tin-re will l utor or less call for cures for leg weakness among young chicks. - "We have found that leg weakness la more prevalent in the chicks that aro early hatched and what might be called over-grown than among the smaller birds and those hatched , later in the season, ''Very often the whole flock will be affected, generally the cockerels having most of the trouble. After they get about four months of age they begin to sit around all clay refusing to get out and hustle on Ihe range. Th?y walk as much as they can but the worst thing about the disease is that it keeps them from foraging until the trouble disappears. The larger birds such as the Jiranmas, Langshans or Cochins are more af- feeted than the Plymouth Rocks, or Wyandottes although the lighter fowls have their share of leg weakness, loo great an amount' of fattening food whieh 1s erenerallv fed with the idea of increasing weight of body beyond the ability of the legs to carry same has often much to do witn cases or leg weakness. The best scheme is to feed so as to prevent it. Remove the cause of the trouble if you think it is over-feeding that does it and givj the chicks but little grain of a fatten ing nature. We have never had any trouble with leg weakness where ground oats were liberally fed in the mash feed and where nulled oa'.s were triven dailv when the youngsters were feathering or until 'they were about three months of age. There is nothing like good oats as a bone and muscle forming food. Leg weakness among the chicks does not bring with it tho total loss of appetite, very often on the contrary it affecting them in the op posite direction, th?y being more vora cious than ever. Do Kot CroiD ilreeda. The only cross breeding of poultry that pays is crossing a pure-bred male or. the ordinary barn-yard females. To cross pure-bred chickens is follow. Tl for instance, you to-e breeding Ply mouth Rocks and you seek to improve their laying qualities in crossing them with the Minorcas, it will be an Im portant job poorly begun. You hid best go to a breeder of Plymouth Rocks who is making a specialty in his flock for the egg production and secure enough birds to infuse new blood into your flock. Crossing pure bred fowls detracts in the produce from the good qualifications of each of the parent varieties. This luvs been proven times without numlr. The idea that something especially good may be obtained hy crowing is a de lusion. The common Impression u that crossing of breeds will show a marked inereM.H in health and gein ral vigor of the flock that results from It. There Is some truth In lhi:i but there U no more trtith in It than lh truth that may Ik dMiiouirut d by the addition of new blood in a pure bred Itock of fowl, ah id new lilood coming from a healthy (lock of puio bred fowls of ihe suiue variety. Much attention imiwt Ih given to keeping ur lh vitality In the average flock. Ttn ie are any nunln r of poultry men who Are drvoilng their time to tli Ireed ing up of heavy hi) lug flock and If If wan not u inieees they would nut be In tho l.usineHM. They find a good rail for the majority of hearty jbHk ih.i it.-y cor. rs'sr' srot im hi irnod firr . Many poultry Km per imd r- stand that new blood must be added annually from heavy laying flocks of' great stamina and they make a prac tice of buying every fall or spring something they need in the way of breeding males. The poultry keeper Vho uses judgment in - the - selection of his or her breeding bird every spring will not have trouble in keep ing up the heartiness and health of their flock. This will increase the value of the seascn's chicks many times. Jotting. There are any number of different ways to break up broody hens. One of them is to shut the hen in a tight brod in a shady spot giving her noth ing to live on for a week or so but fresh water. This reduces her consid erably in flesh arid takes away the setting fever and after a week or ten days' treatment she is over the idea. We know of one woman poultry raiser who has a brood coop about eighteen inches square and in the bottom of this she has a pan about one inch deep. She fills the pan with water and stands the hen in It for three or four days and says that this does not fail to break them. Her coop is large enough to put three or four hens in at on? time. Generally broody hens that want to set are quite fleshy and carry more fat than they need for ordinary purposes. - Setting in a fever. Every setting hen's temperature is a few de gress higher than that of the normal laying hen. A Nebraska chicken woman says that she has used acconlte in the drinking water to cure roup In tho flock for a number of winters and has never lost very many fowls with colds but it should be remembered that tho poultry houses and poultry quarters should be sn regulated and coostructel that colds and roup will not result from them. The vice cf egg eating is one that is prevalent at this time of the year in a good many flocks. It all cornea because the hens are deprived of soma certain feeds that they should have anil because of being shut up during the bad weather of winter and early spring. One of the simplest ways to prevent eating in the flock Is to lay a few china nest eggs around in the scratching litter where the hen will them continually. Then if a fowl happens to lay on the floor or in thu litter there will be no danger of tho hens eating the eggs. One lien in tho flock that has learned to eat eggs will ie.ich it to the othrs, ll.ive the mLs up of the floor and more or less dark. Feed plenty of gr.'eii bone and pro vide some green food In I lie mash or ftunih alf.iifu ellppi'i'-'t or loft sweep ings and tnis will help to keep thw hens busy ard provide a variety of foeu. A hen that "n shut up in A Hiuall vat 1 and bonne Hie whole winter through and f.l loihing but corn thiee tinua a day N the one th.it learn to eat irk. whieh often result In the cnreily of ejfgs during tht vhter wh"ii the cure taker kuosvj Ml!i(ris- alMitit It. It Is Mea.Hoiwihle and fashionable i'w n-P;j to uv I'lrmii-Iriic. It enal.hu yor: to do your own rctinishlug, varn ishing nnd staining Inexpensively urtj ucct?!fiilly. Mold hy Western Iiitnt nnd Clii fo, 3lf tomtit Twelfth idrewL f t ! i f?r i i :