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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1921-12-08, Page 2Itddress communications to AUr n'omist, 73 Aaetaleto St, West. 'Toror+te, How 1 Manage My Flock. Record. -keeping and culling are two essentials of the poultry business which farmers are beginning to ap- preciate. We have found in our ex- perienee with a small utility flock on our farm that, if it is to be profitable, the flock must be handled en business principles.. To make egg production pay there must be winter eggs, and to get win- ter eggs one must have warm quar- ters and a healthy, active flock. A roomy scratch shed is a necessity. Our shed faces south, with floor space 10x25 feet. It adjoins the lay- ing and roosting apartments. It has a dirt floor and the front has no win- dows but is covered with poultry net- ting, on which a canvas is hung that may be closed in cold or stormy weather. We use two incubators for hatching, While we cannot say that our percen- tage of hatch is higher than by set- ting hens, we find the incubator much Iess trouble. The two incubators run in a dry cellar, one a hot-air and the other a hot-water machine. The per centage of hatch is the same wine each. We will say that aside from following the incubator maker's di- rections, there is nothing of such im- port;nce in securing a good hatch as having eggs from a healthy, active flock. Strong, fertile germs hatch well under conditions that kill the weaker germs. After hatching, we keep the chick dry and warm. This seems to help prevent white diarr- hoea, so fatal to young chickens. We •aleo use a small brooder house, about 8x16 feet, facing south. It will house a surprisng number of small chicks. Our first .culling was done two years ago this fall ,Out of 105 hens, thirty were thrown out as non -layers. We kept these two flocks separated and in a period of ten days we did not get a single egg from the flock of thirty which were culled out of the flock. The other 75 hens laid an average of 35 eggs per day during those ten days. That was our first lesson in curling and we cull regularly now as we see that we cannot afford to keep any loafers in our flack. We have kept several accurate re- cords of our, flock for several years, including feed cost. However, last year we did not keep an account of the cost of feed since most of it was grown on the farm and since we ea,=abeam en our own table mare than offset the value of the feed. Our laying flock for the year aver- aged 95 hens and pullets and the aver- age egg_ production per hen was 144 eggs. Total egg production was 1,144 dozen, of. which we sold 941 dozen at an average price of 41.3 eents or for $388.83. Poultry sold brought $116.78. We figured the eggs consumed 'at $47.46 and poultry consumed at $50. With a gain in inventory of $85.25 for the year, this gave us an income last year of $688.32 from our flock. Against this should be charged the cost of the feed, or we should deduct the credit for eggs and poultry con- sumed which we figure offsets the feed value. Deducting these credits to offset feed value our flock last year netted us $590.86. In 1918 we kept an accurate record, including cost of feed. That year we had an average of 105 hens through- out the year and they laid an average of 124 eggs each. This production was not up to the 1919 average of 144 eggs but it must be remembered that it was not until late in 1918 that we began cubing our flock. We sold eggs worth $315.62 that year, poultry worth 228.04, set 796 eggs in the in- cubators and hatched 462; consumed poultry worth $33, eggs worth $41.83 and showed a gain of $30.25 hi inven- tory, a total intone of $648.74. To be charged against that was $193.97 for feed, leaving a net return that year of $454.77. Included in the feed cost, however, is the feed of •27 guineas. We found guineas. a questionable side is- sue and 'have sold them. We must add to all feed costs the item of labor and damage of a free range flock to grain crops. The returns are certain- ly worth the expenditure of labor and money. Overhead expenses in build- ing need not and must not be large. Our buildings are not elaborate but this they are eomtortaOme. WN winter to provide new quarters, a semi -open front, square house, 20x20 feet, This will house 100 fowls and .additions may be added as we need them. Hints on Turkey Rearing. It is a regrettable fact that the turkeys raised during the last few years have rather deteriorated both - in quality and numbers. The greater part of all failures that occur in the business is due to inbreeding and careless selection of turkeys for breeding purposes, which includes the practice of killing the largest and best specimens for market, and, keep- ing the culls for breeders. The result is a lack of vitality in the young turkeys which means the failure of a large proportion to grow to maturity. There are two general methods of maintaining and increasing vitality in a flock of turkeys, One is by the con- tinual introduction of new blood into the flock and the other is by the se- lection of the best specimens in the flock for breeding purposes. The best results are obtained by a combination of these two methods. Too much new blood cannot be inttoduced into the flock, provided it is of good quality and from the same variety. Above all things, immature turkey hens should never be selected for the production of eggs for hatching. Hens two years old or older, of good average size for. the variety to which they belong, will lay eggs that will batch out much stronger, better poults than can be obtained from hens one year old or younger. The eggs can be hatched in incubators or by hens, but as a gen- eral rule the poults do better if brood- ed, by the turkey hens. Poults will thrive well if given the same carend ro .;:t.. .. Kms -y �• : olt..•r. ate lbrie rU l development of young chicks; wh old enough they should have almos unlimited range of pasture or wood land. They should be fed in th morning before they are allowed t wander away, and a liberal supply the evening given to teach them t return regularly to their roostin quarters. Turkeys require a plentifu supply of fresh water at all times. The feeding of turkeys for market should commence, as soon as the cold weather begins in the fall, which will usually be in October. They ivill take on flesh then more rapidly if the range can be limited somewhat more than during the growing period. A ration consisting of equal parts of finely ground oats, cornmeal and middlings; nixed into a crumbly mass en t e 0 mn 0 g with boiling, hot water or milk and fed while a little warm, is excellent for fattening for market. All turkeys intended for breeding purposes should have been selected and separated from the fattening birds before commencing the fattening rations for the latter, The advantage of keeping but one variety of turkeys on a farm is that a more uniform grade can always be produced for market. The philosophy of the model cow stall is to furnish the cow with a clean bed to lie on and compel her to lie on it. The grain and ensilage man- ger is on a level with the floor of the stall, twenty itches above that the may or roughage manger begins, that is only six inches wide at the bottom, the side next to the alley being board- ed up tight while the side next to the stable slants back at an angle of forty-five degrees and is made of four - inch cleats put on four inches apart. The bottom of this hay manger is a 2x4 or a 2x6 and the slats are nailed to this. The real important feature of the stall is a 2x4 placed edgewise across the st.rl1 just in front of the cow's hind feet, which forms the hack part of, the bed for the Cow to lie on, the cement hanger furnishing the front part, This is to be filled with sawdust or dry earth or straw. To determine where this 2x4 should be placed, watch the ow place her hind feet when she is eating grain out of the lower manger. The 2x4 should be placed just in front of her hind feet, therefore the cow Cannot get +her feet onto her bed, When sheds !eating hay, the slanting rack catnpels leer 'to :step back and the dropping are deposited far enough beyond so that +141.e does not sell her feet. When she ,'wants to lie clown, she has to step .sup and lie on this bed : or else she must lie right across this 2x4, Now ' doimt'tlten there is e eow that you really Ito,* to educate to go to bed, but only a fill wrtall percentage of "them, as it is nothing for a cow to step slightly ahead when she goes to lie down. The cow can be tied with a chain around her neck stapled to one side of the stall, or she can be tied with a halter fastened to the manger, This makes little difference. You can give her liberty to back up and take as much exercise as the stall will permit, but when she lies down she must lie on this clean bed . Cows have been kept continually in:'the same stall the year around without having their ud- der or side or flanks soiled a particle by the filth of the stable, Sheep Keep -Orchard Bearing. For : more than half a' century Otis Fuller lived,on a hill farm in Southern Central New York. : The soil of his farwag clay loam, and naturally not very dry. He laid underdrains through a piece of about two acres in extent and planted it to apple trees. The trees bore fruit regularly for fifty years. In all that time he used no other fertilizer than that which came from his flock of sheep which Was pastured there year after year. In the fall of the year, after the apples had been gathered, and again in the spring until the fruit began to be. well devel- oped, he kept the sheep in that field, Sometimes • he had as many as twenty. five or thirty sheep there at a time, The orchard was left in grass, being only rarely It would seem from this that"sheep manure is a good fertilizer for• arch - Sheep ean rch- Sheepean not safelyhe pastured p tired in young orchard without tree pro». hectors. Manure and Fertilizer. For eleven years -at the chief ex- perimental faxen of the country, ex- periments have been com'dueted to ascertain the value of farmyard ma- nure and commercial fertilizers. Ap- plications of these materials were given to a four-year rotation of man - gels, oats, clover hay and timothy hay, and comparison made with simi- lar land that received neither manure nor fertilizer. The manure was ap- plied to the mange' crop at the ;tato of 15 tons per acre. As regards com- mercial fertilizers, to the mongol erop were applied per acre 100 lbs. nitrate of sada, 300 lbs. superphosphate' and •75 lbs. muriate of potash. Each of the ether craps in the rotation re- ceived 100 Ths. of nitrate of '.potash. The experiment was continued with mixed manure and fertilizers, one-half. the quantity :of each being used. The average yearly yield per acre of man - gels on uninanured land for the .five years, extending from 1916 to 1920, was within.a fraction of 13 tons, of 22 tons on the immured land, of rather more than 22 tons on, the land that received both manure and fertilizer. Of oats the average yield per year` per acre for the five years was, unenanur- ed 47.3 bushels, manured 59 bushels, fertilized 54.3 bushels, and of manure and fertilizer 57:5 bushels. Of clover hay the yearly average yield per acre was, unmanured 2.5 tons, manured 4.5 tons, fertilized 4.4: tons, and of 'ma- nure and fertilizer also 4.4 tons. Tim- othy hay was not eomnpieted in the same manner. The all important point is that the yields of mangels and oats were greatly increased by the use of either farm manure or fertilizer sep- arately or in part together. These increases, although not exactly pro- portionate each year, 1918 being the best, ran from 100 per cent. upwards. Clover hay varied, and although the fifth year yield exceeded that of the fourth year by nearly 70` Per cent., the first year's yield was the, best of all. Field Husbandry Methods. It is worthy of note that the soil of the Dominion Experimental Farm at Ottawa originally was of poor qual- ity. Now it is rich and yields plenti- fully, and the Farm has become an object lesson of what can be accom- plished by correct cultural- methods. The land is tile -drained and well ma nured. The report of the Dominion Field' Husbandinan covering the twelve months ending March 31, 1921, gives an, insight into what is being donein rotation experiments A. three-year rotation of ants, had* and ensilage corn has been followed on an Area of about 120 'acres, Manure was -applied for the corn at the rate of 18 tens per acre, but the average rate of manure to all the rotations did not exceed six toes per acre. In order that a Asir estimate maybe arrived at in the cost of production and theresultant pro- fit, the rent of tho land in the various tables given Is placed at a high rate, to. wit $125 per acre at 7 per cent. The average yield of oats per year for five years under the system employed,that is from 1916 to 1920 inclusive, was 60 bushels per acre, the price 72c perbushel, and the ,profit $22.57 per acre. The profit in 1920 was much reduced owing to the cost of labra, which had risen, from 21c per hour in 1916 to 40c per hour in 1920. Haywas the most profitable crop for tole five years, the average yield per acre being 3.3 tons, the cost per acre being $21.70, the price per ton $16,70 and the profit per acre $35.60. Hay pos- sesses the virtue of requiring the least expenditure per acre to produce of any of the farm crops. The average yield per acre for the five years of ensilage corn was 15.3 tons, the cost $52.95 and the profit $29,77. Prices of both hay and corn were up in 1920. There was a loss on mangels of $25.98 per acre, the average yield being 22 tons and the average cost $70.47. In 1920 the loss was only $16.67 per acre, ascom- pared with $39.62 in 1917. In summing up, the Dominion Hus- bandman says that the most impor- tant deduction to be made from the rotations is that, with the necessary application of manure, heavy yields of crops can easily be maintained. The report also contains treatises on farm manure and commercial fertilizers. Testing the Age of Eggs. Fill a tumbler two-thirds full of water and then place in it a newly - laid egg and it will sink to the bot- tom of the glass. The egg is compos- ed largely •af water, and therefore is heaviest while. it is fresh. The older the egg, the lighter it beconiee on ac- count of the water evaporating from the white of the egg, which causes the empty space at the thick end of the egg to become enlarged. Hence, at three weeks of age the egg will lean in the water. When three months Old it will stand perfectly straight, with pointed end of the egg barely touching the bottom of the glass. The larger the empty space becomes the more the egg will rise in the water, until finally: itreaches the surface. The Choosing of a Farm Horne There Are Certain E Many of the most discouraging'rnis,� takes in the farming business are the result of buying farms with'nut due investigation of their merits. A man can always see certain things about his own farni which he wilt miss' in another farm. Association with his business brings out its weak points. If a farmer becomes discouraged he will magnify all the bad poins of his •own farm and at the sante .one see only the good things in a farm several miles away. This condition of mind frequently leads to quick changes that neither benefit the mental condition of the business farmer or his pocket- book. From experience we have learned several of the things that it pays to consider when buying a farm. Trace the fences clear around the farm and note the condition of the wire and the posts. If repairs are needed, jot down their approximate cost. It is very exasperating trying to manage a stock farm without ade- quate fencing.• Farmers who try it are constantly on their mettle trying to keep cows and hogs out of crops and beside the nerve-racking exper- ience. there is usually a lot of de- struction unless good fences are built soon after moving to the farm. The water supply is very important to the health of the family and a steady supply is needed for the stock. If the farm has a shallow dug well that goes •dry every summer it pays to know that fact before buying the land. It costs a lot of money to drive a deep well at present prices and dur- ing the hot summer months the cattle need a lot of water and a good well is an important asset in the business, Roofs Are Important.. Note the roofs on the buildings. Many old 'farms have buildings. shingled fifty years ago with a grade of shingles which Were very fine. But i they are often in worse condition than they look and you _cannot tell how many leaks are.. present unless you visit the buildings on a very rainy b day. And real estate men for the convenienee of themselves and pas- t sengers are apt to snake most of their trips on sunny days. The first week after buying' our farm we had to buy ff seventeen thousand shingles for the a house, as a long hard rain followed a o Look for When Selecting a . ~ \i or four visits from travelers who wis to call up the garage - or borrow pumpetire patch, quart of gas, gailo of engine oil, etc. I know some farm- ers on main roads who sometimes wish their farrns were a little more seclud ed, possibly on a good side road abou a quarter of a mile from the mai line of traffic. I write this to empha size that a very nice farm home ca be built up on the side road. 11 doe not have to be on the plain line a there are some disadvantages to sec a location as well as the advantages Church and School. A farm near good churches anc schools has an added value. The fam sly with small children may buy farm far frons the school and the find that their location is quite handicap when the children arrive a school age. In some sections the con solidated schools with their auto busses have helped solve the problem for farmers who do not live within easy walking distance of a school. The distance to a good market city is of great importance. If you 'sell truck, small fruit and poultry pro- ducts you will usually have better luck near a good city. If you are to be a live stock and grain farmer you can locate on land.at a greater distance and still make money if you have good luck. The farms near a city usually cost much more money than more dis- tant farms. The amount of money tied up in your land is of greater importance in determining whether it is a business success or not. The basis of a farm is good. soil, You cannot have .a few bits analyzed and know much about the trop -pro- ducing ability of the farm. It pays to see the crops on the land you ex- pect x pect to buy. Thee visit with the neigh- bors ors and find out whether they are doing well and if the land in question s considered good. In a few Short visits. with the neighbors you will 1 whether you like the section or not. It means a lot to like the neigh - ors, Your best and dearest friends, may live one hundred miles away but he neighbors down the road will be closest to you nearly all the time' and handiest to depend upon if you tumble o the hay wagon or the barn buns or the baby is sick or yon need help t threshing time. And their friendly visits every few days will' mean more than a couple of hours every other oar spent with the good friend that ou loved many year's ago. When looking at a farm give the uildings a thorough study. Picture ourself lining thein day after day for throe hundred' and sixty-five days per year. IP the arrangement of the tables seems awkward you might as well know it first as last. If you bav c of the capital for extensive improve- mnents on buildiegs you must realize hat you are buying the farm that you ill •have to use, The Welfare of the Home Giving Ti i ks - 'By Mice VVingaite Frary. All thoughtful parents; I gen .sure, He was 'to keep -his ' powers at their wish their children to have "wide in- terests and simple pleasures." Indeed, the two go together, for the farther into the activities of others the child's sympathies carry him, the more whole- some pleasures he is bound to discover for himself. To broaden the outlook, Froebel has given mothers the Grass- mowing Play, Itis gay, old-fashioned little song, beginning, "Peter, Peter, quickly go To the fields the grass to mow," shows the 'baby how many workers contribute to his well-being. It can not fail to interest a child when he knows the cow must be fed to furnish the milk he 'so much likes, the butter churned and his rolls baked from the soft white flour the miller has ground. This train of thought naturally leads hint on to a• contemplation of the great 'Source of all supply, the Giver of all good. And as the child sings these quaint little verses happily, with their appreciative climax, he is learning to express loving gratitude: "Thanks to all are gladly said, Baker, thank you for the bread. Thanks dear mother shall not miss, Given with a loving kiss." Furthermore, if a child grows up realizing how his life 1s interwoven with those about him he will be, safe- guarded against selfishness, and if he is taught to think about work and play in their relationship to each other, over -emphasizing either will be prevented. Roosevelt in writing to one of his sons, commended him for having excelled in college athletics, but reminded him that it was not praiseworthy to exert himself to the limit of his strength for a trivial end. 'highest, then give himself utterly when a worth -while occasion arose. Even young children can be taught to keep an idea of balance, and will be richer and happier for the krt,owledge, The broader the education of the parents, the more they will have to pass on to theme children, Once open your child's eyes to the ways by which he is provided with food, clothing, transportation, heat, light, and other comforts, and if he ..has "a normal, eager mind, he will, as he grows older, find means of supplementing .what you have taught him. When you have given him the inestimable advantage of a fair -beginning, he will see and understand the evidences of cause and effect in his life. Far instance late bedtime is pleasant in the evening, but detrimental to school work; eating vegetables may be a trial, but I have seen four -year-olds devour them with increasing willingness, in order to have "rosy cheeks and straight, strong legs." But perhaps the greatest advantage. we ,give our children in showing them the relationship's of incidents and cir- cumstances in their lives, is -the habit of appreciation. Then naturally fol- lows gratitude to the Heavenly Father. Why should every good thing be taken for granted? Saying "Thank you" is more than an. amenity. They will be better members of society for having learned to express gratitude, with the knowledge of a reason for "Giving Thanks," in the understanding gained of "The Life of all life, The Light of all light, The Love of .all love, The Good of all good—God." —Froebel. How I Cure Meat. Almost every farmer knows just about how he likes his smoked meat cured so as to give it the special flavor that suits the family palate. But the keeping of this meat into the summer and the next autumn, without having a great deal of it spoil by becoming rancid, is a different problem. I have tried several different meth- ods, and have :decided that the most satisfactory one consists in taking the meat out "of the smokehouse as soon as it is cool. I then wrap it in heavy paper and bury it hi salt. It is nec- essary to have a stone jar or a chest in which to store the meat, so as to keep out the rats and mice. About two inches of salt should be spread on the bottom .of the container, and the meat packed with plenty of salt eeneteeotreeen walla at ittst two .inches over the top. I have taken meat out h in November that was packed in Feb - a ruary, and have found the flavor un - n impaired and with absolutely no trace of mold. The essentials in this process con- sist in wrapping the meat so the paper will prevent the salt coining in direct contact with :the meat, and in getting enough salt about the meat to keep the moisture eontent and temperature as nearly normal as possible. When meat is packed in this manner it comes out with just about the seine firmness that it had when put into the salt. • I also have tried hanging meat in smoke -houses, and wrapping it and storing it in the wheat and oats bin. a These methods are fairly satisfactory, n but the meat generally must be rather a freely trimmed of •mold when taken t out amid it is qui t n n, s s h 1 quentty very - hard, and sometimes rather strong. 'Any grade of cheap salt will do.—R. mm L. Why It Pays to Shelter by a careful inspection of the roof proved that those shingles were need- ed right away instead of in a year or two as we had figured on a sunny day. A good road is a business asset, especially louring' the winter and on b rainy days when a farmer can .leave y his work occasionally, 01 course, it is useful in marketing .at alI seasons. If you are on a main road it brings s chances` to sell produce at the door. The only disadvantage of a main road u is the amount of traffic at night, This is sometimes a ntiisarice when you are t tired and wish to sleep and have three w Anneals. I have observed that the best pro- tected animals thrive the best in win- ter, consume less feted and fatten in a shorter period. A fleshy animal will withstand the cold much better than a thin one, in fact, the fleshy animal seeks the outdoors a great deal in winter, but there are times when it seeks the shelter of a barn or wind- break. An animal in poor flesh requires adequate eover during the coed months, such that it does not have to draw heavily on its food supply 'to keep warm. Given a warm place or a place fully protected it will recuper- ate quickly and fleshen more rapidly than if exposed to the weather. Flogs t having a choice between a straw stack and a comfortable hoghouse with a little fresh bedding hi it lose little time in choosing the latter before dark of a cold night, even though they s are well fattened. A fat steer likes to sun himself after he has filled up his stomach but he chooses the side of a barn or windbreak that protects him from the cold wind. Drafts are objectionable, that is where cold winds maywhistle through the building. They induce colds in the live stock as well as in humans. Doors can easily be arranged so that the barns are riot Closed up tight at night and still no drafts will be had. It is better to have a building partly open on one side than to have heavy drafts through it, Adequate protec- tion has always paid dividends on our farm and should do the Mite on others. A Living From Four Acres. Will you help me form a plan to get several hundred dollars a year from a four -acre farm, asks a cor- respondent. It takes more than ordinary ability to get even a moderate living from a tract of land so small as this. If farm is so situated as to have g markets near by, we sagged, sone - thing like the following: One -fou acre of strawberries, one acre of vege- tables of the kinds for which there the best local market, which can o be 'determined by a study of th markets. This leaves two ,acres which to raise feed for a cow. It would be wise to keep one eow, not to attempt to raise the calves, Sell the cow when she goes dry a buy afresh one:: ;One pig and •same twenty:ive hens could ,be fed largely from waste :materials from the fiel and garden and scraps from the table. I would divide the two acres for fi crops into three equal fields and r a rotation of •corn, oats, and clover thein. Fertilize these •crops well, ing :on corn and oats about 200 poun of acid phosphate and seventy-fi pounds of muriate of potash to t acre. Cut the corn and use the fo der, along with the oat straw a clover hay, for the cow. The grain corn and oats-oats—may Inc used either f the cow, the pig, or the chickens. B what other concentrated feed is nee ed. This plan would keep one m busy, and ought at Ieast to make fair living for a family. Canning Factory Products. m the ood m rth is my ss on but nd ' ds e1d un on us ds ve the d� nd or uy rl- an a Because of the wide and increasing demand for canning factory products, a standardization of the output has beeonme a necessity not only for the protection of the consuming public but in the interest of the factories them- selves. Thus the wisdom of the ge eminent regulation requiring that t..e grade or quality of the product be stated on the label :.becomes mnanifeel. Climatic •conditions in this country acs such that an all -year supply of fresh fruits and vegetables is unavailable unless they are inmpc.rted from other countr.es at prices generally beyond the reach of the average consumer In other days the housewife depended entirely upon her own efforts at pre- serving and canning, but the shortage of domestic help, the increased cost" of ingredients, and the developmentof consumption, have caused a general demand for factory -canned products. Considering the tine, trouble, and ex- pense involved in home canning, it is often econonmoal to purchase the , face ory product. Most modern factories contract for their supplies the pre- ious winter at prices a good deal less than the fruit or vegetables would command if sold to the public. In eine instances they supply the seed and exercise supervision over the methods employed in •cultivation. Gov- ernment inspectors see to " it that proper sanitary emeasures are em- ployed and hereafter, instead of each factory- being a law unto itself, all will be required to adopt uniform ; grades - for their products, and a can of peas for example marked No. 1 will be of the same size and quality no natter where produced. To be a goad dairyman you must meet and know other dairymen who know how to handle cows. head the agricultural papers, and the paper dew voted to your breed. Be familiar with the weals and strong points of each animal in the herd and strive to pre- vent a recurrence of the weals points in the offspring by skillful mating, We arc strong, for bird sanctuaries and are particularly happy to learn that thetown of Varmouth, Nova Bootie, has purchased an island in its lake as a bird sanctuary for great black -:backed. gulls, Paint adds greatly to the appear. once and :service of all farnt• bciildinga,;.: