SF %% in one ^H-CtaiL Shbppard Class _^FjrL§Ll Book Copyright}]" '. ^=\ a- Q CQEmiGHT OEPOSm $4,223.00 Profit In One Year On A Town Lot By H. Cecil Sheppard llllinilllllllllllllllllllllinillllllllllMUMtllMMMIIIM FOURTH EDITION iiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiMiiiiMiiMiriMiiiiiiMjiirjiiiiiiiiiiJiiniurniii Published by H. CECIL SHEPPARD Berea, Ohio 1920 Copyriirht i;»2o By H. Cecil Sheppard FEB ^bvm ve>n!.A6o4654 r PREFACE I have set down for publicaton in this book, the disas' trous and profitable experiences covering the six years from the time I first interested myself in chickens, until in the sixth year I took a net profit of $4,223.00 from my small poultry plant on a town lot. That year my books showed sales of $9,515.00, with expenses for advertising, feed bills, wages, and so on, amounting lo $5,292.00. The benefit of my experience up to the time of revising the third edition, has also been incorporated. I would have gladly paid $100.00 during the first years of my experience, could such information have come to me. It has been no small task to write and revise this book, but I feel that it will lie worth while. Fraternally yours. ^V^, JL'ST can as no two eggs are quite alike so no two people succeed in 111 ite the same manner — )Ut the "other fellow's experience c )StS less and saves time ( w len we are wise enough in admit it!) so why- not save d ollars 1)\ using it? Jn your se lling ook for idea s as fresh as ■■jus t laid" eggs. CONTENTS CIIAPTKR I— A LITTLE PERSONAL HISTORY H Back to the country — The Town Lot — Giving up my road business — di)% perspiration. CIIAPTKR II— THREE --P'S- IX THE POULTRY FOD~Plcasiin\ Pep, Profit.. 15 The pleasure in poultry — Getting birds with pep — Making a profit — The backyard laboratory — Deciding on the best breed — Starting on a small scale — Hens or horses? — Ending the second year — $1 !)](), on at end of fourth year^Making the $4,223.00. CHAPTER III— INCUB.XTOKS AND PROODERS o^ Preliminary testing of incubator — Looking after the eggs — The brcioder and its care — Preparing it for baby chicks — Getting ready to receive day- old chicks. CHAPTER I\'— PAP.Y CHICKS- SOME DO'S AND DONT'S 27 How Mother Nature planned them — Don't over-feed — What to feed — Brooders and colony houses — Making baby chicks work — Chick physiology — How often to feed — Green food — Sprouted oats — Winter quarters — Automatic feeders — Piano box colony house. CHAPTER \'— GETTING Till' EGG.S f!.5 Importance of male biril — When superb vitality counts — Diagrannnatic com- parison — Specifications of an ideal male — Feeding for egg production — Housing for egg production — Some egg facts. CILXPTKR YI— POULTRY HOUSE 42 Building for egg production — For warmth — Speciticatioiis for tconumical houses — Water tight, well ventilated, well lighted. CHAPTER VII— MAKING SHI PM ICNTS 46 January inquiries — Boxing and shijiping eggs — Shipping baby chicks — Shipping stock. CHAPTER \III— FOUR SALES ESSENTIALS 40 Make them look — Make them like — Make them learn — Landing them — How to do it — A dozen and one sales p<:iinters. CHAPTER IX— ADYERTISING TO SLTCCESS o.S Visiting the shows — Building good records — Jacob's follow up — Advertis- ing pays — An unpleasant experience — The first orders — Increasing my advertising — Getting business by letter — What about stationery? — A mat- ing list or catalog — Service principle in advertising — Appeal to the beginner. CHAPTER X— WHAT TO DO I':A(TI MOXTH OF THE YEAR 02 CHAPTER XI— OPIMTR'I'UNITY IN POL'LTRV CO The chicken industry — The auspicious time — Possibilities in poultry — Pepful poultry for pale people. CHAPTER XIT— CL'TTING •['HE COST OF LIN'IXG WITH CHICKEXS 69 Every backyard a poultry park — Profit in table scraps — The economical cold pack method — There are chickens — and chickens — Chickens as chil- dren's pets — The time is "Now"! CHAPTER I A Little Personal History SCPIH ).SI'". it would he a good i)lan lo cominencc at llie licginning ! So I am going to tell you ni\' actual experience in the poultry business, step 1)\' ste]), from tlie lu'st \'ear when my tntal sales were $1()0.00 to the gross income of $9,515.00 llic sixth year — all on ;i town lot. Back to the Country Cle\elan(l was my home iDi" a numljer of \ears. While there m\ health was not the very hest. It looked to me pretty much a^ though it were a choice between getting farther away fmm the ner\e-racking push and bustle of the city, and spending more time in the great out of doors, or of prematurely joining the ranks of the countless slumbering army. Naturally, I resolved to go "back to the country" and soon selected a location. Mrs. Shepparrl .-md myself looked o\er a number of [daces on the southern shore of Lake Lrie. We decided to settle in Berea where conditions were ideal, good schools and colleges to educate the children, and all modern conveniences. It is located on three trunk lines of railroads and a corking good electric line, so that shipping facilities are excellent. The Town Lot Well, I leased property lor ;i couple of years, but at the end of six months we were so deeply in love with the location that the property became a Sheppard possession. We moved to Berea the latter part of March, 1906. It was a revelation to me. There we were, living on a nice town lot. the air inn-e and sweet, and as Spring pressed on and as Nature budded forth in all her 1)eauty, the grass grew green and the air became redolent with perfume from a wilderness of fragrant blos- soms. The songbirds returned and added greatly to the surroundings with their cheerful and sweet songs. As the weather became warm we (my wife and children) commenced fixing up our lawn and preparing the soil for a garden. After the ground was nicely cultixated, we com- menced to set out trees, ];erry bushes, grapevines, sow the garden seed, and set out the plants. By the lirst of June everything seemed to fairly 12 $4Ji3.()() I'ROl'ir IX OXE YEAR jump out of the ground to meet tlie warm rays of the Summer sun. Alidsunime-r fouinl us enjoying luxuries of our bountiful harvest of fresh vegetables from our own garden. It was quite a cou'trast to what a city man had been accustomed. It was not oidy a crop of good vegetables, but a crop of gladness and joy as well. Our city friends envied our good fortune. IMy wife could prepare an excellent meal from the garden, with a few nice springers added to the bill of fare. A little later our llowers blossomed forth in all the colors of the rainbow. The next season we enjoyed a generous crop of red raspberries and straw- berries. Two years later our plum trees began to bear. The next year the peach trees bloomed out in their superb style and joined the plum trees in giving us a nice lot of delicious fruit. The next year the cherry trees began to bear. Giving Up My Road Business The five years' experience directly preceding the year in which I made a net income of $4,223.00 from chickens on a lown lot, caused me to sever my connections with the concern fur whom I was traveling, and go into the chicken business in earnest and not as a "side line," which it had been up to that time. It took me a great many months to make up my mind regarding this change, because I have many warm friends among the people I visit and it almost seemed as though — so iirm had become our friendship — ^that everywhere I set my foot was "home, sweet home." And of course after so long a term — traveling the same territory for twenty years for the one house — I had a mighty good business and enjoyed a fairly satisfactory salary, as salaries were in those days, and I had the friendship and confidence of several of the largest merchants in my line. When I resigned my position on the road, I was not only "passing up" the rewards of twenty years' hard work but was also losing the social visits to all my old acquaintances on the road, and what was worse still, was the severing of my pleasant business relations with my company. In the long years I was with them there wasn't anything that ever came up to disturb our pleasant relations. They were very good to me and I appreciated it. In fact, all the employees were treated with consideration, and it seemed like one big, happy family. It surely did seem like leaving home to sever my ties with this firm. My chickens were demanding more of my time, and I was really forced to give up my road position or my chickens. I chose the former and sent my ON A TOWN LOT U .Members of American Poultry AssoeiiitL'ii ii.sitniL; .■^lu-pi^iiia s i-anii. .-Irn Sewell of R. J. P. fame took the party tntaicares itntli Ins ia})icra zvliilc they wei hazing refreshments under the shade of the big oak. resignation to my house, to take effect four months later. When I laid aside my grip I wasn't sure that I could resist the temptation of mak- ing a trip. At first it seemed very unnatural, but as time pressed on, I became so taken up with my chickens that I gradually became weaned from my former work. Of course, I missed my old friends on the road who were so generous to me. If perchance any of them read this book, I want to say that I haven't forgotten them and shall always have pleasant memories of them. Across the broad miles I extend the glad hand for a hearty shake. On the cover of this book I use a figure which, to some of you, may seem impossibly large — $4223.00 is a sum of money not to be sneezed at. Fourteen years ago this would have seemed like a tremen- dous sum to me. But in 1912 it became a reality. What I did, thou- sands of others have since done — many of them much better than this. AVhat I did, you can do. These figures are not too big for you to reach. There is no logical reason why — if you make up your mind you will reach them — you can't do so. You are a man or woman of ordinary intelligence, else you wouldn't be reading this book, and I here firmly state that any one person with average intellect, can succeed in the chicken business if the ideas set down in the following chapters of this book are followed. 14 $4223.00 PROrrr IN ONE YEAR 90 Per Cent Perspiration 1 ctTtaiiily am not a wizard. 1 bclit-vc that genius is 90% perspir; tioii and \0'/o in.spiratiun. 'Idierc is nothing magical ahout my siu cess or method. I started willi a very limited knowledge of the poultr business and a still more limited capital. Common sense was jirohahl my greatest stock in trade. I am going \.o tell you as simply and i)Iainly a^ the nose on man's face, how 1 have managed my chickens and of course you ca do what appears practical to you. I don't expect you to agree with m on every detail, hut on tlie principal questions, my methods are thoroughl practical. There is no theory in this book. It is all the result of pract cal experience. I am not attempting to give advice — but simply statin what I have done and how I have done it. ON A TOIVN LOT 15 CHAPTER II THREE "P'S" IN THE POULTRY POD Pleasure, Pep, Profit The Pleasure in Poultry 'HERE is nothing new about this thought, but jnless people have a natural liking for poultry so that they can get real pleasure out of the work — because there is a lot of hard work about it! — they had better not start the business even on a small scale. There in- variably is. of course, a certain pleasure following the accomplishment of profitable work — but this kind of pleasure follows after the profit and does not go right along with the work required to earn the profit. Although I now sometimes have as many as five thousand birds at one time on my farm, I never grow tired of these beautiful, active creatures — they have a fascination for me. They should for you, — and I believe they will — if you are to secure a genuine pleasure, taking your loss along with the profit, getting your bumps — not such stiflf jolts as I received, I trust — and then profiting by the experience which I set down in this book, as well as your own experience. ^^^ T M X m The Backyard Laboratory The very best laboratory is one's own poultry yard. You can take the same methods I have used and am using and put them into practical experience in your own "laboratory" every day in the year, and by avoiding many of the pitfalls and eliminating many of the stumbling block3, your pleasure with poultry will be that much more increased. Making a Profit — Getting Birds With Pep In order to make profit from poultry it is very necessary that you secure birds with abundant vitality — plenty of pep! A writer on poultry once said that the surest way to secure vitality, vigor and constitution is by the "survival of the fittest"— in other words a process of elimina- tion by means of the ax! Well, to a certain extent I found that true. As I went more into the commercial end of the poultry business, I saw the imperative necessity of having two attributes in my birds. First, 16 $4223.00 PROl'IT IN ONE YEAR vitality — or pep — wliatcver ynu want to call it. Second, the lialiil of systematic layiiiLi. Deciding on the Best Breed You can secure tlu'se two athniralile (|ualities either hy a \ery care- ful selection of tiie right brectl, or hy a process of elimination lui your own plant. Although it costs more to begin with, to purcliase the right breed, T am convinced tliat considi'rable time is savcv.. ^ on secure a flying start at once. You may di'cide lo start with si'\eral breeils, as I did. I kept four the llrst year, and at the end of the lirst year I found I had three breeds too many, and decided t^ kee]) just one. It did not take mc long to decide on the lireed in keep. The lirst year 1 found it very prolitalile to be getting a good yield of eggs during the cold winter months, when eggs were liigh and when my neighbors were not getting any. In cutting down tile number of breeds 1 kept the breed that produced eggs abundantly during the winter months. This is one of the secrets of the Inisiness — to get a lireed that will produce eggs practicall\- all the year rom.id, and cspeciall}' when the price of eggs is high. \o\\ will tuid there is a tre- mendous demand for chickens of this kind, and if you ha\ e them your neighbor wants them and is willing to piay you a good price for a setting of eggs or tor a pen of birds. ON A. TOWN LOT 17 Starting on a Small Scale I have told you the importance of selecting the proper breed. Now you ask whether one ought to start on a small or on a large scale. The commercial agencies will tell you that 90 per cent of the business houses fail some time during their lifetime. Probably the principal reason for this is because they start on too large a scale. It is like a boy learning to swim. If he jumps in deep water lie drowns, but if lie stays in shallow water until he learns, he then can go into deep water with safety. On the other hand, I started my chickens on a small scale, and from the very beginning they were paying for their keep and a little more. I found it better to have the chickens working for me than for me to be working for them. I would suggest that you start in a small way and buy a good stock to start with. You will find that it pays. There is always a good demand for good stock, while the demand for poor stock is limited. It is a common error to invest in expensive chicken houses and buy cheap stock. Whatever breed you liuy, go to some reputable breeder and secure good stock. Remember that it is quality of stock that pays the large dividends, and not the expensive poultry houses. You can raise good birds from good stock in a cheap building, but you cannot raise good birds from poor stock, no matter how good your buildings. If you have twenty-five, fifty or one hundred dollars to invest, buy a pen of five birds in place of a dozen. I made the usual mistake beginners make by buying ordinary stock to start with. I went to a certain breeder and bought from his utility flock, and from other breeders the same quality. At the end of tlie first year I found I had made a serious mistake, as I had lost a year's time and had nothing but utilit\- birds — something that intelligent chicken people don't want if they desire to build up a flock of high grade exhibition birds. It taught me a lesson, however, and I resolved to get the very best birds money could buy. At the end of the first year I had discarded my other breeds and had secured the best stock that money could buy of my favorite breed. At the end of the second year I had a flock of strictly high-grade birds, and found I was on the right road to success. While this book is written mainly for the information and inspiration of the family with but limited space for their poultry plant, it has a direct application to the flock kept by the farmer's wife, and the far- mer's children as well. 18 $4223.00 I' KOI- IT IN ONE YEAR Hens or Horses? Mrs. George L. Russi'll, of Chillidwrc, Missouri, said something of intense interest in the "I'Vuit-drnwer" a cmiple years ago. She com- pared hens with horses and started L>ut hy asking a few (juestions. "What if the wliole dock should he stolen? What if a storm comes and kills every hen on the place? What if they all get sick and die? \'()U v\-ill admit none of these things are likely to take off the whole thick. But granted the}- do, wh_\', then we have not lost any more capital invested than we have when one mare lies dnwn and dies. And should these calamities hefall a flock of chickens, with a comparatively few dol- lars one can start over and in one spring raise enough pullets to fill the laying house. "It is much easier to raise a few dollars to buy a flock of hens to start over than it is to raise enough money to buy one good brood mare. "If we were in the conmiercial egg farming business, this would be a story of larger profits, Imt as we are only farmers, the chickens are considered just one of the many farm crops, the same as hogs, cattle, oats, wheat and corn. "As is the case on the majority of the farms, the farm woman cares for the chickens. It is a real pleasure to me to do this. In fact, I caimot tind the time to spend with them that I would like to, as there are many other duties, besides being a mother, to attend to on the farm. "The work with my chickens commenced with a worn-out hen house, surrounded hy a tlense plum thicket, where there was small chance of the sunlight ever appearing. You have all seen such houses with a row of nests and a path in front, the roosts occupying almost the whole interior, leaving no place for tlie hens to scratch and exercise. "Even with this poor equipment, the hens paid $112.00 the first year. This astonishing fact was hardly believed by my husband, but the figures were there to prove it, and he at once became interested in the chickens, building them a new house that fall." • My chickens gave me jileasurc as well as increased my bank account. I mated up my first pens about beliruary 1. My chickens had been lay- ing all fall and winter, so the eggs were in splendid condition to in- cubate early. I set my incubator about February 15 and had my first chicks hatched from eggs from my own breeding pens, early in March. I commenced shipping hatching eggs the latter part of February. At the end of my first fiscal year, which ended August 1, ISO/, I found I had sold ON A TOWN LOT 19 hatching eggs to the amount of $71.00. I sold a few cockerals to the meat market and two for breeders. Adding these amounts to what I got for eggs which I sold to the market, I found that my first year's revenue was about $160.00, besides having a fine lot of little chicks and a breeding pen from the previous season. I had thirty-one hens and was surprised to learn they had earned a little over $5.00 each. Ending the Second Year At the end of the second year, I had more breeding pens than ever, and many more chicks. I found that my sales had reached a grand total of $S42.?6. I naturally began to think the chicken business was all right. Before leaving Cleveland I had heard of several men who had failed. I could see that their failure was due to mismanagement or by wanting to get rich too quickly and starting in too heavily. I could see that it was no fault of the chickens. They were proving that if they were given a chance they would pay handsome dividends on the investment and for the time spent with them. I started my third year with more encouragement, and, as I found the poultry journals were doing me a splendid service, I ag.ain increased my advertising. I had raised a larger flock and had no trouble in dis- posing of it again. I mated more breeding pens and still found that my supply of hatching eggs was not equal to the increasing demand. At the end of the third year my sales figured $890.51 for the year. In addi- tion to this I had on hand a still larger tlock of chicks antl breeding pens. $1,910.10 at End of Fourth Year At the beginning oi the fourth year I could see a grand future dawn- ing for this remarkable breed, so again resolved to increase my capacity. At the end of the fourth year I found my sales for the year to be $1,910.10. The demand Iiad steadily increased the fourth year, so 1 made still greater preparations for increased Imsiness for the fiftli year. 1 wasn't disappointed in my expectations, as you will readilv see when I tell you that the sales for my fifth year amounted to $4,094.(X). My business kept right on growing and at 'the end of the si.\th year, I found that I had more than doubled the fifth year — my book showed that the sales amouuted to $9,515.00. 20 ' $4223.00 PROFIT IN ONE YEAR Making the $4,223.00 1 kepi alidut niiK-ty iL-male? fur m\- lircetliiig ])ens. and about ten males, sellin.n ott' my eulls fur ta'iile use. i farmed out a lot of utility stock to farmers. Wy doino- this I was enaliled to sujjplv a heavy demand for ulility e.ngs that came fnmi the l)ird^ tluit had plenty i_>f range and eggs strong in feriility thai produced \igorous stock. 1 sold many eggs from $2.50 to $30.00 per setting, and raised alicut live lumdred youngsters. I followed the ideas descrilied in tiiis hook. .\t the end of the year I found 1 had -idd $'^^.515.00 worth of stock and eggs. ?\iy expenses, in- cluding adxerlising. feed hills, hoy's wages, etc., amounled to $5.2^2.00, leaving a balance of $4,223.00. These figures do not incUule the eggs and >pringers used on my table. The eggs and stock sold to the market would run aliout live hundred dol- lars. The balance of $9,015.00 was from sales of hatching eggs, baby chicks and standard bred stock. «-^^ ^- -:*' O.Y .-/ V()//'.Y LOT 21 CHAPTER III Incubators and Brooders • ».\ll'; line oiice askod mv this question: "J^ ;i hen's hirthday when t'lie egt^- is hiid or when it is hatclied?"" I cannot answer! Nor have I heen ahle lo find a sdlutinn 10 the followint;- qnestions: Whether first the e.yg, or tiie hen?" I eh me, I pray, ye learned men. I he hen was first, or whence the eg.n ? t-iive ns no more of your dmihts, I he.i;. The egg was first, or whence the lien?" Tell me Iiow it came or when. L!iit I dii know t'liat "In (lie heginning is the egi So. uilli yonr permission, 1 will here discnss m\ cnhators and hrcjoders. ■\l>erieiice u Uli ni- As soon as we got nicely settled in our Berea home, we decided that ihe next tiling was some chickens. So, off went my order for an incnhator. Jnst a short time hefore this. 1 liad visited a small poultry farm and was delighted hy the lieanty of fhe liirds, and pleased with their utility as sliown hy the fact that they were working their heads off laying eggs in January. .Some of them were l>usy in their nests. Others were trying to crowd them off. Others were cackling after laying. There seemed to be- a .general atmosphere of hustle and hustle in the hen houses. It certainly seemed unusual to ol)ser\e so much industry in hen houses during mid- winter — and this condition made a great impression on me. I placed my onler for eggs from these fowls, because the first thing I was after was a breed that would produce winter as well as summer eggs — not occasionally, Imt frerpienlly and systematically. The eggs ar- rived in the spring, a few da\s later than the incubator. Preliminary Testing of Incubator The incubator was placed in the basement, and after regulating the machine so that the thermometer registered 102?^ degrees, I tested out the machine for two or three days to be sure that I had it well regulated before the eggs were put in. I didn't want to take the chance of a short hatch. A great deal had been said to me about the expense of 22 $4223.00 PROFIT IN ONE YEAR s"« ^ T\fc of hi-ooder used -,hcn I commenced. I'licsc brooders prove very salisfai torv. ' Hci-re been replaeed by a Modern Brooder System, zdiieh is illustrated a fez fages on. "experimentation," and I wanted to avoid tliis so far as possible. The sug- gestions and instructions made liy tiie manufacturer of the incubator were followed as carefully as possible, coupled with a few common sense ideas I had myself. And then I was all ready to put in the ei;,us ! The lamp was tilled with tlie best oil [irocurable — not too — full, in order to allow for the expansion of the oil, rnid then I "lit up" the in- cubator, b'irst with a moderate llame until after the heater was warmed through, because a new wick will cause tlie llame to cree]) up, and if the wick is turned too high at first, the lamp is likely to smoke and accumulate soot on the burner. It will then burn with a large flame until the burner is overheated and a puff of gas lilows it out. In case the burner becomes overheated so nuich as to ])lacken the metal, it should be scoured bright or replaced with a new one — and the heater drum sliould be cleaned out thoroughly. The chinuiey of heater wants to tit closely to the burner. Looking After the Eggs Before i)lacing them in the machine, I allowed the eggs to settle for twenty-four hours and then put these precious eggs in with eggs from ON A TOWN LOT 23 other different varieties. I liad decided to try out several different breeds before deciding upon any one. None of the eggs were left standing on end — all were lying flat in the inculiator. Since that time I was away on the road a considerable part of the time, I drafted the services of my faithful servant to run the incubator during my absence. Like all beginners, we were very much interested in the development from day to day, and 1 received frequent "bulletins," reaching me at various stops on my route. Well, at the end of the third day of this tirst hatch, the eggs received their first turning and the next morning were turned again and cooled for about ten minutes. The tendency was for the temperature to rise the third week, when the chick had conmienced to throw off animal heat. By slight adjustment of the regulator, we had no trouble in keeping the de- sired temperature. It is very important to maintain as nearly uniform temperature as possible. Every day the lamp was filled and the wick trimmed. Eggs must never lie piled on top of one another, but alwavs laid flat in the incubator. Much better results will be secured by operating the machine in the basement, because it is easier to maintain the necessary uniform temper- ature. If the basement or cellar is too dry, then place a pan of water under your machine to furnisb sufficient moisture. I have said something about cooling eggs. This is done by allowing the eggs to remain out of the machine until they are cooled. If the weather is severe and the room is cool, it will not take them long to reach the desired coolness. A good way to tell when they are sufficiently cooled off, is to place the eggs to the lid of your eye, and if they feel neither warm nor cold, they are at the proper temperature to return to the machine. This "eye lid" test is a good one! This scheme was followed until the nineteenth tlay when the eggs began to pip. Wben we saw the first egg pip we closed the door and did not open it again until we saw the hatch was well over. The first week we ran the machine at a temperature of 102''2 degrees, and the second week 103 degrees. At the end of the third week tlie temiierature went up to 104 degrees or a little more, but under no condition did we allow it to go above 105 degrees. What causes the hatch to go over the twenty-first day? The machine has been run a little too cold or the eggs have been cooled a little too long. If the hatch comes oft' before the twenty-first day, it is because the lamp has been run with a blaze a little too high. At the end of the 24 $4223.00 PROFIT IN ONE YEAR hitcnor oj a aci;i.'» I'f liing them plenty of shade, fresh water, and keeping them in small flocks. Wc know this can be done even in the hot Southland because we have had experience in raising lots of mid-summer chicks on my Southern Branch Farm. Little chicks are very delicate birds. Too much chill or too much heat soon finishes them. but after they get real muscK- in their little bodies and begin to harden up, they are much more thrifty and not so likely to l)e pounced upon by disease. The Brooder and Its Care We commenced to prepare tl:e ])rooder for the chickens as soon as the eggs began to pip. Alost all of the standard make brooders come in "knock-down" form or in sections, with directions for putting them to- gether. It only took an hour or two to assemble our brooder ;ind get it ready for business. We were then ready to light the lamp and heat up the brooder, ready to receive its rioting, fluffy mob of livclv infants. Let me again em|)hasize the importance of using good oil in the brooder as well as the incubator. We trimmed the wick daily, as recom- mended by the manufacturer of the brooder, and started with a small flame. As the brooder got warm, the wick was turned up a little hig;her. By following this plan when the brooder is first started, there will be no chance to have any of the trouI)le I mentioned in connection with the incubator. Being human, I had a little trouble. This made me more care- ful because the job of cleaning the soot from the drum and pipe is not an agreeable one and it can be avoided with a little care, ''"lie drum and pipe must be kept clean. Preparing It for Baby Chicks W'hile being heated, the brooder was placed level on le\el ground, and then lianked up around tlie edge with earth to keep the wind from lilowing under the bottom. I placed it facing the east so that the chicks could get the warm rays of the early morning sun. T next hung on the wall of the brooder, a liopper containing fine grit, charcoal and beef scrap. Then put about one-half inch of coarse lake sand on the brooder floor. The next day I had the temperature registering 95 degrees, which is about the right temperature for the brooder to receive the chicks. I ran it for a couple of days before the chicks were ready to occupy it, so I would be sure we had the "hang" of the proposition all right and would be able 26 $4223.00 PROblT IN ONE YEAR tn keep up a uniform temporaturf, which, of course, must he reiiulated to a certain extent, with the warmth and hrii,ditness of tiie sun. When the sun is shining' lirigiitly, the wick can he turned down. P>e sure to run a new hrDoder for a few days hefore i)Utting chicks into it, in order to .tjet it well re.uulated. , 'i'his will sa\e you the ilisapiiointment and expense of losini;' many hahy chicks. The first hatch came off largely on the twenty-t'irst day, and as the weather was cold, I left them in the incubator another day to get thor- oughly dried out. Later in the season, when the weatlier was warmer, they were remo\'ed to the brooder as mkiu as the hatch was well tiver, as the conlinement seemed too close for little chicks when the weather was hot. Tliey need fresh, dry and warm air — not too much moisture, no chill, no excessively hot weather. Getting Ready to Receive Day-old Chicks Millions of day-idd cliicks are now purchased from poultry specialists who reside at a distance from the purchasers. 1 would like to suggest certain i)reparatiiins that ought to be made for the reception of these day- old chicks. On arrival the box in which they have been packed should be carefully opened in a room before ;i lire, if the weatlier is at all cold. It is absolutely necessary that the birds be keiit warm and dry. If these babies are to be raised under a broody ben, the chickens should be kept warmly indoors until evening and then, after she has settled down, (|uietlv introduce them to their new "mother." We suggest that a second liroody hen should be kept in reserve in case the first one objects to raising an alien lirood. I am taking it for granted thai the hens have been carefully dusted with insect powder and are free from insects. If it is decided to bring up the cliicks in an artificial brooder, this can be cleaned and warmed to receive the liaby chicks, just as I have dis- cussed the matter in preceding paragraphs, .\bout ''() degrees is a suitalile heat for the sleeping chamber. See that there is plenty of good oil in the lamp and that the wick is burning clean and bright. Test the brooder thor(_)Ughly before the arri\al of the baby chicks. There is absolutely no difficulty about working a brooder. It is very sim]ile but the maker's in- structions should be followed. On a warm spring day, when the sun is brightly shining, very little artificial heat will be re(piired, but of course you have got to make sure that all is cozy and comfortalile for the night, wliich may be cliilly and damii. ON .-1 TOWN LOT 27 •^ifr^ -.->-*.t>< CHAPTER IV BABY CHICKS— SOME DO'S AND DON'T'S How Mother Nature Planned Them (J! llliR XA rU 1\1'- lias made very wonderful provi- siun for tlie nurture of newly hatched baby chicks. 1 bey re(|uire ni> food for tlie first two days except tbe water with the chill taken off, when they are put into tbe brooder. Mdtlier Nature lias taken care of their wants by permitting the absorption of the yolk of the egg in their bodies. This is just wh\' it is not only possible but easy to send day-old chicks by rail, or road, or steam, for long distances. I have shipped day-old chicks safely, more than two thousand miles but, usually a forty- eight hour journey is ample for the young explorers. In order to break these long distance shipments of baby chicks and give the greatest satis- faction, I have established a branch farm in the far South, and at this writing am negotiating for one in the extreme West. Don't Over-feed I was amused to have a young man write to me that he had a good hatch but had lost a little chick. On examination he had found that it had swallowed the yolk of an egg, which had killed it. If the chicks are fed too soon, the yolk of an egg does not become absorbed in time, and the natural result is just what it would lie if a small child stuffed and gormandized with more food than he could take care of in his digestive tract — they droop and die. 28 $422.l()() r KOI' IT IN ONIi YEAR What to Feed It is perfectly natural to feel that the l)aby chicks ought to be fed. l-Uit (lon'i he in a hurry ahout il. Il is l>etter to let them go without food a few hours too long than to feed them too soon. After the chicks had picked at the sand fur a few hours, I placed clover cliaf? or chopped clover hay under the hoxer f(ir bedding. T use this because if they cat any of it, it will not injure them. If you use sawdust or something similar, the chicks are apt to eat more or less of it before ihey distinguish be- tween that and what they should eat, and they are liable to liecome "stuffefl" with the wrong sov[ of material. The gizzard of the chicken is its feed mill and ordinary coarse sub- stances are reciuired to grind the food, hence it encourages early vitality to furnish tlu-ni with clean, coarse sand at once. If the weather permits, I allow the chicks on the ground for an hour or two for the first lime about the tifth day, or when they are six days old. If the weather is mild, they can remain out longer. In cold weather care should be taken to see that they can hud their way back into the brooder, and not allow them to stand on the cold ground and get chilled through, which is likely to prove fatal or stunt their growth later. After they learn the wa\- into the warm hover of the brooder they will run in whenever they get cold. If the weather is cold they should be tempered to the cold ground l>y degrees by allowing them to stay out longer each succeeding day for three or four days. Brooders and Colony Houses It is a good plan to keep the chicks in the brooder in the morning until the grass becomes dry. They should be given green food of some kind from the start, in case thai green clover cannot be secured for them from the lawn, some sprouted oats will make a good substitute. On a subsequent page you will t'md directions for sprouting the oats. As the chickens grow older the tlame can be turned down and the heat reduced by degrees. The second week 90 degrees is aliout right for them, the third week 85 to 90 degrees, and the fourth week 80 to 85 degrees. If the weather is warm they will commence lo desert the hover when they are five or six weeks old and remain in the exercising room of the brooder. During the early spring months give them 80 degrees until they are six or eight weeks old, and after they are ten or twelve weeks old the weather has moderated sufficiently to take them from the brooder and place them in a piano-bo.x colony house that is described on page 36. I keep them in these houses until tliey are taken to their quarters. The ON A TOWN LOT 29 cockerels are seiiarated from llie pullets when they are taken from the Ijroocler. I ha\e the parks containing these hrooders plowed and culli- vated every spring and sowed with rape seed. This produces a splendid green feed up until tlie snow tlies, and ii also makes a splendid shade. It furnishes them with lots of l>ngs and wnrms, whicli are generally found on such plants. At one end of the park I planted two or three dozen hills of sunflowers, which make excellent sliade and gi\e a croi) of seeds. It is in here that they ha\e their hest times and flourish. When the cockerels are two or three iiounds in weight I sell off the culls to ihe market and the halance are ke])t in lliese colon}- houses until the late fall, when they are taken to their winter (juarters. After the pullets are four months old they are put in their winter (piarters, in order that tlie\ will not be disturbed when they are getting ready to lay. Making Baby Chicks Work Take as one of yo'ur mottoes in feeding chickens that, "if tlie\ will not work, neither shall they eat." Teach them tn work by feeding them in litter, so that they will have to scratch and dig around for what they eat, and keep this up as long as they live. On the third day I feed them hard-boiled eggs (boiled twenty minutes) mixed with bread crumbs thor- oughly dried, or corn bread will make a good substitute. The coarsest ground oatmeal obtainable is a very safe food for the lirst meal. Jt has been called a perfect chick food. At the beginning it is a good plan to mix chick feed in lake or any other coarse santl. This will teach them industry and as they develop the muscles in their legs and bodies, naturally makes them stronger clucks. Chick Physiology Strange as it may seem, the little fellows thrive on sand and tiny bits of flint. The chicken has no teeth and never will have, and needs something hard, brittle and rough with which to grind its food to pulp wdien it reaches the gizzard — the "feed miH" of ihe chicken. The crop is simply a large pouch low down in the neck, into which the food is shovelled, awaiting the process of digestion. Shown herewith is a rough diagram of various parts of a chicken's anatomy. This will show pretty well how food travels on its way down the digestive tract. (1) The mouth; (2) the throat, through v\hicli the food passes to (3) the crop, which is a storage tank where the food rests until the gizzard (5) is ready for it. Between the crop and gizzard, wdiere the food is ground, there is an enlargement (4) called the stomach. At (6) is shown the small intestine, to which is fastened the unassimilated $4223.00 PKOFIT IN OXE YEAR yolk (7). Tlirough the little openinii' at (8) this yolk keeps passing into the intestine, where it is aljsorbcd into the chick's system. Thus you will see that when food is given before the yolk is entirely assimilated you have food coming from two directions, each kind battling against the other. At (^M, the caecum, or lower intestine, you will note two tube-like extensions. These are the places wliere worms may lodge, and are the seat of many liowel troubles with the older fowds. Over-feeding crams the caecum full, and this condition is generally indicated by a pasted-up vent (10). T venture to say that fully 80 per cent of the mortality in raising baby chicks is caused liy improper feeding, and one of the most serious sources of danger is in the moistening of food. Dry food and then good, clean water, which lets the chick do tlie moistening for itself in the proper proportions, is the safest way. Nature has taught them what they require. We don't know. Of course baby chicks can lie raised successfully with wet maslies — but it certainly takes more care and to mrn when fed alone has not enough protein and too much fat. Buckwheat and barley are also rich in fat. During the winter months corn ought to be fed in larger proportions and should constitute at least 50 percent of the feed during the cold weather. Green Food Green food should not be overlooked when chicks are small. In the very early spring sprouted oats make a splendid green feed for them. As soon as possible sow a bed of oats, cover the top of it with one-inch poultry netting, which should be placed about six inches from the ground. The chicks will eat the tops ofif and they will grow up again. Take six- inch boards and stand them around the edge of the bed, driving sticks in the middle to keep the wire from sagging. The wire can be nailed on the top end of the board, which will make a good arrangement for this purpose. The little fellows prefer this green feed to anything that you can furnish them, and it is always there for them to work on. By the time the oats are through growing the chicks will be large enough to eat any green feed that is supplied them. As the chicks grow larger, it is important that they are furnished with plenty of charcoal and grit of a larger size than they required when they were smaller. The charcoal and grit can be secured in three sizes — one size for the baby chick, a medium size for the growing chick, and a large size for the matured fowl. Their winter ciuarters should be provided with a hopper containing bran, beef scrap, oyster shell, grit and charcoal a section for each. During the winter months, when the hens are con- fined, they should be fed green bone, about three pounds to a lunidred hens per day. Skimmed milk, curdled thick, makes a good substitute for green bone. I get splendid results without feeding mashes. But mashes are good if not too wet. A mash moistened with milk makes fine feed for hens. To insure the proper amount of exercise during the winter months, it is best to put the grains in litter and compel the hens to scratch for them. Green food must not be overlooked. When it is not con- venient to feed sprouted oats, alfalfa meal, cabbage or mangels are splendid. Sprouted Oats Sprouted oats is the best green feed obtainable, and makes a good cheap feed and is a great cgii producer. The fowls are fond of it. Feed at noon as much as they will eat up clean. To prepare, take a pail half full of oats, S(iak in water for about one day, drain water, and empty into a l)ox with half inch holes bored in the bottom. Sprinkle night and morning with warm water. When oats commence to sprout, spread them out into other boxes two inches thick, and sjirinkle twice dally with warm water. Keep oats well stirred each time they are sprinkled, and in about ON A TOWN LOT 33 a week or so they will have sprouted. The length of sprout will depend on the temperature of the room. When sprouts are two inches long, commence to feed to the hens, and by the time the sprouts arc four to five inches long you will have them all fed, and in the meantime have another lot ready to feed. Winter Quarters You will bear in mind that the most perfect winter quarters are those that have conditions nearest to summer. I do not mean that the tempera- ture shall be as warm as summer, but to have other conditions as near like what your fowls are accustomed to in the summer as practical. 1 he sprouted oats, a generous box of gravel, plenty of dust in their box, clean quarters, fresh air, and no drafts can be had with little expense and trouble, and will make conditions summerlike to them to a large extent. If it is convenient, throw a basketful of old plaster in one corner, and it will be surprising the amount of this they will consume, and it is good for them, as the lime is needed for them in the formation of the egg shell. This will make a good substitute for oyster shell. Automatic Feeders The automatic feeders are a fine thing for growing stock or breeders in the summer time. When the flocks are confined to their winter quar- ters I would much prefer to feed in litter. The chickens must be kep: active to get the best results, and I find the best way to keep them active is to keep them working in a good supply of litter on the floor. Hopper feeding is all right to a certain extent. The mineral matter, such as oyster shell, grit, animal matter such as beef scrap, and a dry mash may be fed them in this manner. Keeping the fowls supplied with a dried mash in the hopper insures them always having enough to eat. In case they are not fed sufficiently in the litter they will finish their meal at the hopper. If the chickens are always ready for you when you enter the pen with the feed pail you will know that they are not being overfed. If they are hungry they will flock around you as soon as you enter. If they are indifferent when you go in you will know that they are being overfed. So it is time to cut down on their rations. Piano Box Colony House In another chapter I discussed incubators and brooders, but perhaps while I am talking over with you your baby chicks, you'd be interested in my experience with a home-made colony house — many of wiiich I still use. After the hatches came off, the fluft'y babies were transferred to the brooder — and it is remarkable to see how they thrive and grow. They are always anxious to get out and wdien the robins return bringing spring with them, I let the growing youngsters into their suntlower parks. 34 $4223.(10 I'h'Orrr in ONJl YEAR 1 lie luMutiful ilays (if Ma}' conu' all tuo .srion — and chicks grow splendidly. I hey are now large enough so that sexes nia_\' he separated. .\ C(dony house made from a piano hox such as will he found illustrated (.>n page 33 uill make comfortahle and economical (|uarters for growing stock-. I removed the holtom of the hox, then |>laced two i»ieces of 2x6 undiT the hox, sawed otT the corners next to the groiuid, which will make it eas\- to mo\ e. I hese pieces are placed aliout twehe inches horn the outer edge of the hox and the Ihxjr nailed to them. 1 placed a feu hricks under them so that the liox can lie raised hi.gh enough to at^'ord the chickens S|ilendid .shelter on rainy day^. I placed the hox on a high spot >o that the grovuid wa^ dry under it, as the chicks prefer to go under the hox r.ather than go inside during the daytime in case of any rough weather. .After I had the nuuiers secured I next divided the front, which was the l)ottoiu of the hox and is now open, hy nailing a 2x4 lietween the hottom .and the top at the front edge. Next 1 nailed a 2x4 of the same length against each side, on the inside lUr^h with the front. This ser\ed to h.ing the d(.)ors tjn. 1 madt- the doers out of 1x2 and coN'cred with oncMUch mesh. If you are likely to he trouhled with weasels it would he a good ide.i to tack wire cloth on tlie frames instead of one- inch poultry netting. This wire cloth can he secured any width and as I'mu' as you wish. The h.alf-inch hardware cloth is sufticiently liui'. '1 hese doors ans,\ere(l the |)urpo^e very nicelv until tlu- weather hecame a little cool in the fall, wlu-n 1 tacked nuislin o\er the wire, .\fter the doors were on I covered tht' lop of the hox with rooling paper, stopped all till' cracks so that there was no draft, and next pint in the roosts. These I placed ahout ten inclu's aiiart, and there was room for three or four (d' them. Ihesi- hoxes make sjilendid cpiariers fcu' the growing stock and will he a good place fsilile instead of purchasing an entire flock of pedigree hens and then mating them with a second-rate male hird. Von get j)racti- cally all the inherited ahilitv to lav. transmitted hv the cockerel. 36 $4223.00 PROl'ir IN ONE YEAR When Superb Vitality Counts In my last catalog and in oilier ailvcTtisini; which I liave recently pnhlished, 1 have emphasized — somewhat lo the snrprise of many of my husiness friends — the idea of snperl) and --niireine \ italiiy. I even went so far as to show a photoyraph nf om- of my hirds niakiny a "20 yard dash" across one of the yartls. I will nut tolerate a droopy slacker hen or C(.>ckerel — and at the present time we \ery srldnm have to contend with such hirds. When they appear, and iniperfectiims are discovered, the cockerels arc fattened for l)roiler^ and soon killed. If spri.nh weak. tly, \ii; supine :)rou^ aspe Diagrammat'c Comparison iinpare the two dia,i;rani^, you will ohserve the alert, ; carriage of the parallelogram shaped body and the ct of the triangular shaped hody. Keep away from ON A TOWN LOT 2>7 birds with triangular shaped bodies. Select cockerels with plenty of pep and fight, with glossy feathers and well developed, large heads, with well formed combs of brilliant color, strong, prominent eyes, proud appearance, full, deep breast, well rounded abdomen, powerful legs, set quite far apart, a broad, strong back — and a fellow who has a loud, clear crow to welcome the rising sun. Specifications of an Ideal Male In my selection of the ideal Ancona male, I would look for the following points : I'd pick out a fellow with a long back, slightly sloping downward to tlie tail, with no apparent angle at the tail. His tail should be carried at an angle of 40 degrees, but don't be afraid of the tail being too low. The head, and especially the comb, should be as near perfect as possible. The comb is the first thing that is noticed in a bird and is naturally very prominent. It should have five serrations ; three or four is no serious objection, because the tendency is for the points to increase in numl)cr. The comb should stand erect, the blade continuing a llowing curve upward from the line of head, free from all side spriggs. Do not use a male too light in color. He should be dark, with as little white in his wings and tail as possible. The shanks should be yellow, or yellow- mottled with black. Females of good shape, with a long body, with the tail carried at an angle of about 35 degrees, good head points, comb of good size with five serrations or less, free from side spriggs and folds, well mottled, with as few white feathers in the tail and wings as possible. The shanks should be yellow, or yellow mottled with black. If the male bird has a solid yellow shank, the female may have a little more black on the shank. A combination such as this will give you spk-ndid results. If the male bird is very dark the female birds may have more white. By mating them for a season or two you can determine what results you will get from light or dark colored birds. The tendency is to breed lighter, so it is a good fault to breed the l)irds dark. The Rose Comb .-\ncona may be mated the same as the Single Comb excepting the comb. The principal point to note is to see that the male bird is strong in the points where the females are weak. If the male bird has not a good spike on his comb, care should be taken to secure females that are strong on this point. Breeding pens to get best results, should not have over fifteen females. I have seen twenty females mated to a good vigorous male with splendid results, but this is unusual. Put the right kind of a cockerel with second grade birds, and you ^s $4_'J,v()() rh'ohir I.\' OXH YEAR AW ninch iiiorr likely to M'l'urc ;i i;enerMus Mipjily of eggs, than if you ]iiit a second ^railr cockerel with an entire llock of pedigree hens. Housing for Egg Production When Non have secnred yonr pullets willi tlie inherited tendency to la\ lari;e lunnliers of e.ugs, yon have only hegun. These pullets have to he carefulh tended until they reach the creative sta.i^e and thm they must receive the ireatnieni that will hriug tlie egg-laying tendency to its luiest fruition and this means proper housing and proper leeply of fresh w.iter shotdd lie kept liefore la> in.!.; liens, are as lojlows; 1 W.ati-r is Used to soften food for di.^estion. i -Water, in the form of lilooil, acts as ,i common carrier and keeps the liody \i.L;crou-. ,^ W'.ater con--titutes ahoitt 7}^ percent of the e.^.i;. 4 -Water is \iiy important in e(pializin,u the ti-nipi'r.itnre of the hen's hody. O.V ./ TOJl'.Y LOT 39 Some Egg Facts The (Icinand for e,L;gs has always Ijccn. and pnihalily always will he. ahead of the supply. -\n eg.si is somethin.i;" that can l)e marketed on either a modest or lar.!:^"e scale, but alicays marketed. It is never a drug" on the market. The word "eg.t;" comes from the Anglo-Saxon <'(■//. Chancer and other earl_\- writers use the forms cy, Ci^. c.i^,L:r. It was really surprising to me to lind how many expression^ and ]irodncts got llieir name directly from the egg. I'Hr instance, the rn">t watches c\er made were egg-shapefl and were sometimes called "animated eggs." I he linest artists h.ave used delicately tinted Ijird's eggs as col(_)r models — the t'\(piisite shades l)ainted hy .Vature on these sliells ht-ing matchless in harmony. 40 $4223.00 PROFIT IN ONE YEAR A great many people think tliat eggs are good for the voice. Egg and lemon juice beaten together are rccDnimended for lioarscness. Ciiarlcs II of England presented a favorite singer with a silver egg filled with guineas, wittily remarking, "Take this; 1 am told that eggs are good for the voice." I could sit here and talk for an hour on the rcmiance of what we call "a common hen's egg" — I could call ynur attention to the Jewish people who tal)oi) i)()rk lint are a remarkalily healthy race. As a people they make great use of eggs — even the poorest giving them preference over other foods. A man once said that //, /Or riwry /^i.i; krf^t by private faiiiilics, a flail: nj hciis 'dU'rc sithstitiitrd , ilicrc z^'DiiId he less paicil )iicdii':iic rc to 22% Sulphur 1 % to 2% Phosphorus 5% Eggs are splendid food for trained workers. Ericsson, the inventor, labored at least twelve hours oiu of twenty-four to a ri[>e old age; his breakfast for every day of the year was two poached eggs. Weston, the pedestrian, while walking one hundred miles in twenty-two hours, con- sumed from sixteen to twetity raw eggs. Contrary to the thought which prevailed years ago. eggs are easily digested — more so than meat and m(;st vegetables. Not only ;ire eggs good mental food. Imt tlicy sustain tlie body as well. Tliere are aliout eighty-two calories in each Ancona egg. So much about eggs. 42 $4_'_'3.U0 I'ROl-rr IN OXIi )'IiAI< CHAPTER VI POULTRY HOUSES Building for Egg Production — for Warmth WHAT coiistiliitt-^ a sucrrssful pnultry house? 1 slioul'l sa\ o:u- that kt't-ps thr hird in i)crfect comfort and hcahh, and cnahlrs thcni to prixlucf the largest yiehl lit eggs. ()f C'lnrse yon dnn't get eggs from poultry houses — hut if \iiu take ihe same identical hirds and put tliem in one house and tlu-n change them to ■^ anotluT there ma\ he a deciiled dilTerence in the egg yield iust hecausr of the conditions provided hy the ••fowl" dwelling. 1 am c-ertain that a light and airy hou>f will encourage egg la_\ing and that a dark, stuffy hous,. ahsohuel\ will not. The three hig factors in egg jiroductiou are ; l--food 2-lighl 3^air Specifications for Economical Houses \,i ,,|HMi air i)oultry house is recogni/ed li\ praclicallx all jirominent poultr\ men to lie the most satisfactory for la\ ing doeks. (Jn page ti) will he found an illustration of the t\ pi' of laying houses used on my farm. i his huilding is 322 feet long and can he Imilt any length desired. Il is 20 fet-t deep. if the house is more llian S feet deep, it would he a Liood jdan to locale windows at the hack of the hoirsf as well as at the front. ( )ne-ipiarter of the front of tins long house for laying flocks, is op,., I and the opening is co\ered with ack wall and run the full length of the building. They are about 3 feet from the ground, t'otton curt.aius are placed in front of the roosts to jirolect the fowls in extreme weather. '1 lie studding is pul in twenty-two inches apart. ,\ door is i)laced in the middle of each pen, the width of the studding and the lieigln of the opening. This door is made of one-hy-lwo strips and covered with one- inch mesh. It is fastened from the inside to prevent anyone from entering the building, and is used for the chickens to go in and out, and also ])y the attendant for taking the litter in and out. 44 $4223.00 PROFIT IX OXB YEAR It will be fniind that in such Imildiii.ijs as these, liealthy, vigorous and happy stock will he raised. 1 ha\e stood across the fields fifteen hundred feet distant from tlie Imuses in the dead of Winter, in zero weather, and could hear my l)irds sinking their merry song as in the good iild Summer time. 1 lie imiiortant ft'atnres or the most valuable assets the modern poultry house can have are plenty of light and fresh air; and the open front is the one that tills the lull. The chicken parks should be as generous as the ground will permit. The ideal park would have a southern exposure. It is a good plan to plant fruit trees in the parks, and these will furnish the chickens with shade as well as tlie tal)le with lots of fruit. The i)arks should he culti- vated often in th.e early Spring. If the parks are long eiinugh it is well to fence off the part farthest frmn the laying house and sow it with rape. This not only furnishes the chickens with an excellent green food, but also keeps the ground sweet and fresh. It is important to have the parks built on high ground as well as the hduses. In case the high ground cannot be secured, be sure that the parks are well drained, because the chickens will not do well where they have to stay in parks that are wet for several days after every rainstorm. Do not overlook the necessity of keeping the poultry houses clean, and especially the brooder. '1 he hmoder sh(nild lie cleaned nearly every two or three (.lays, and sprayed well with some strong disinfectant. This will keep them free from insects and keep the air pure. 'I he litter should be changed often. After the chicks are a month old it will be found easier to clean the brotider or cart of January, of ilic first year I diil aiK cTti.>in,L; wairili whilr, my liiax'din.n pens were made u]) and tlie malin.n list and latalo.t; all ready ti' lie disirilmti-d. In eompilinL; tlie eircular or cata- Ihl;, it i.-^ a .u;Oi>d plan tci ,i;i\e a Instury and deseripti(.in >)\ till' lireed so as to create contulence in their Ldod points. IW-fdre Jannary \\a^ o\er. in(|nirie> ware coming in for e.L'.qs and lialiy cliicks. 1 had aliont the same e\]ierience with thesr inlphrie■^ that 1 had wilh the inipiiries for stock- in the early f.ill. I found that the mail had lieeonie <|uite heavy, and much of the time was occn]iied answernig t'orrespoudeuce. llefore I'^ehru- ary was far ad\aneed, some orders for liah\- chick'> and hatching eg.gs h.iil keen recei\ed. .M \- inculiaior^ were set and the hrooiU'rs readv. Boxing and Shipping Eggs The time was due for the lirsl shi]imeut of eggs, and it was important to know how to pack them. Tln-rr arr mans ditYereut wa_\'s, and different hrecMJers are indorsing; different ]ilan~-. llie e.isie^t way lo ship, and one of the cheapest, is hy the u>e of the eg.g hoxes manufactured li_\ ho.K Companies. ( )n pa.ne 51 is oiu; of these hoxes illu>trated. .\ll that is necessary is to wrap the e.ggs ni pa])er and place in the section for t'acli eg.g. Scatter a little hran or chaff o\er them. Seal the hox ;uid it is re.idy to go. This will do for a ^hort haul. Ihit if il is g(ung far 1 wiiuld put the hox in a ha.^ket and tie lo the h.indle so it will not he tossed out. \ lillh' excelsior or sli.iw placrd in tlic hotloni of the hasket will he a great jirotectiou against careles.s handling at the hands of the express companx. i hese hoxes are niore desirahle tor single settings. I found round hushel haski-fs s.atis f .irlory for shipiiing fifty or more eggs. W hen (U-ders ran nji to a thousand or more these haskels are just the thing. I'.ich hasket will hold one hundred eggs. In extreme weatiier 1 line these haskels willi paper. 1 wrap each i-y^ in p.iper hefore pl.icing it in the h.iske*. d hr liuslud liaskct should he w adl lined with straw hy distrihuting it around the side and hottoin of the hasket ahout two inches thick to make a good cushion in the hotioni of il so ili.n the eggs will not lireak. After the straw is nicely arr.anged in the hasket, I start the first layer ON A. TOWN LOT A7 by placing the eggs witli small end down. This is the best way for the eggs to lie, because it will stand shipment better than if placed on the side. After the first layer is placed I scatter a little fine chaff or a little fine cut straw over the eggs, then put paper on the top before placing the next layer of eggs. This paper prevents the chaff from working from the top layer down to the bottom. On top of the second layer I again place the chaff or fine cut straw, and always place the paper between each layer. I do not put the eggs too close to the top of the cover. Room should be allowed for straw between the eggs and the cover. In former years I have used excelsior for lining the baskets, l)ut find straw more satisfactory, as it will keep out more cold and be a better protection for the eggs. On page 46 will be found the picture of a shipment of these baskets already packed. The covers are fastened on with basket hooks. Shipping Baby Chicks The first shipment of baby chicks was due to go early in March, The first hatch was off just in time for the first order. It was the first experience in shipping baby chicks, and I was naturally puzzled as to how to do it. Have received many letters from different ones asking me for instructions in shipping stock, eggs and baby chicks, so I am safe in saying that these are matters that bother everyone. On page 46 you will find illustrated a box for shipping liaby chicks. This is a remarkable and splendid device for this purpose. It is not only warm and protects the chicks against the cold, but also is very strong and has a wonderful resistance against hard usage. These boxes are made in three different sizes. The smallest size will accommodate twelve ti) twenty-five chicks, the next size will hold fifty, and the largest size will hold one hundred. The fact that nature has made provision for the baby chicks to live without food for the first three days of their existence makes it practical to send these little beauties hundreds of miles with splendid results. I have shipped them as far as three thousand miles, but do not recommend shipping quite so far. I ship the chicks just as soon as they have become dry and their down has become fluffy. Shipping Stock On page 67 is illustrated a shipping box such as I use for the liirds. This kind of a box is very desirable because it is light and makes a splen- did advertisement for your business. These shipping boxes I make in three sizes — No. 1 for a single bird. No. 2 for a trio, and No. 3 for a pen of five to eight The No. 1 size is ten inches wide, nineteen inches long and eighteen inches Iiigli: No. 2 is fifteen inches wide, twenty-four inches long and eighteen inches higli ; No. 48 $4223.00 PROFIT IN ONE YEAR This illustrates the boxes I use for shipping hatching eggs. The one on top is ready to receive the eggs. The one on the right is packed with eggs and the cover partly on. The bo.r on the left is ready for ship)nent. and contains 15 eggs. 3 is twenty inches wide, twenty-four inches long and eighteen inches hi.^h. 'I lie ends and hutlom sliould lie made out of white i>ine or popular, and the sides out vi extra lieavy and extra sironj; strawhoard. The slats across tlie toi) are two inches wide and sliduld l)e put on aliout two inches apart. These !)oxes can he lionglit with hoUom and ends cleated ready to nail together, inchuhng slats and heavy cartlhoard sides, at forty cents for size No. 1, fifty cents for si/e No. 2, antl sixtx' cents for size No. 3. During the warm sunuuer and fall months the fowls should he pro- \ideil with water in transit. This is done \)y fastening a tin can to the inside of the hox. In the cooler days of the fall and winter the water will not l)e necessary if the hirds will he delivered within two or three day-. A good suhstitute for water is to place a few apples in the liox with them and thus eliminate tlu' danger of hirds having wet straw in their hox hy the water splashing from their drinking can. Where the birds are on the way for over the third day. they should he jirovided with water. In the fall of the year, as the weather becomes colder, it is a good plan to tack muslin on the top of the l)OX to prevent them from getting their combs frosted or getting in a draft at some transfer point. .\ space aliout two inches wide should lie left for the express company to water them. ON A TOWN LOT 49 A shipuicut of Shcppard' s stock- ready to start on the long trip of 12.000 miles to far aicay .!iistralia. CHAPTER VIII THE FOUR SALES ESSENTIALS I" four times as many people as are now selling poultry and eggs, even on a small scale, were lo start adver- tising and selling their eggs and poultry, the demand still would not he supplied. I am going to give you the result of my experi- ence right straight through, even on the sales end, so that with the facts I put into this l.jook, you will have the required information not only to success- fully produce poultry and the eggs. l)Ut also to mar- ket these economically. Let me discuss briefly "Salesmanship of Poultry." This consists primarily of advertising because poultry and eggs must be sold chiefly by mail. There are four sales essentials : 1 — ^Causc the reader to Look at your advertisement. 2 — Put him in a favorable attitude toward your message. 3 — Persuade him to Learn about your poultry or service. 4 — "Land" his business. 50 $4223.00 PRO FIT IN ONE YEAR These four sales essentials ean Ije briefly expressed in the four words, "Look, Like, Learn and Land." Every letter, every cireular, every mailing list, every catalog, every poultry paper or newspaper advertisement, every envelope "stuffer" or lirinted matter sent out on your jioultry and eggs, in order to he most successful, should he planned with these four essentials in mind. Make Them "Look" On tlie opposite page you will find a groui) of my advertisements. Sup])ose we take a couple of these and analyze them. Take the pair of ads, "Boy Scouts" and "You will." Fir^t, our jnli is to make the reader of the poultry papers in which these appear, luok at the advertisement — stop, look and listen. Wc have got to do sometliing to flag his or her attention. Not necessarily to startle them, hecause sometimes when peo- ple are startled, a reaction takes place in their mind, which causes them to dislike what you have to say. Be careful aliout not creating antago- nism. L)o not have your headings nr pictures negative or disagreeable in effect. Like poultry, they should be live, energetic and forceful. Make Them Like 1 lie ]iicture of tile T^.oy Scmit with the word "Boy" and the picture of the hand with the word "\'i)U," catch the eye, cause the reader to look. Who doesn't like a husky Boy Scout? This [ileasure is reflected on the message found down in the advertising cupy. We believe that the average ])erson will at once agree that "^'ou dnn't enjoy a losing game." Thus, you see we have causeil the readers both to look and like. They may not respond to our advertisement this time, 'but the next time tliey see a Sheppard message, they are going to lie favorably disposed toward it and not antagonistic. People don't understand their own frames of mind. It doesn't re(|uire any definite, disagreeable thing to set edgewise against your proposition. Just make a few "bad lireaks" with your adver- tising copy or your form letters, and peojile will .avoid you like the plague. They quit cold. You won't understand why and they won't understand why. So in writing your ad\ertising cop\', it wants to be just as happy and harmonious with the frame of mind of the reader as possible. Make Them Learn Now Iktw will we cause them to "Learn?" Li each piece of copy I plan to tell them just enough so that a strong desire will be aroused .to ,.^H (S^* © Lgyiii(J r\(M ih lA ^^^ ^i '.^v-^ ' .rtl's Famous SU*-' -ij 52 $42_'.l()r) I'Kni'lT IN ON II YEAK kani more. 1 hold back all the information and try to yet tlu-m inlrrestcd to write tor my catalog or one of my books, if you will yet a reading glass yon will be able to sludy out some of this cop_\- and \(iu will see tiiat i touch upon, briefly, in each advertiseiuent : 1 — Egg-la\ing ability. 2 — Prize-winning. 3 — .Appeal to bt-auly. so that these three important points are co\'cred in some way in each ad\er- tisement. The liig thiii.i.^, after all, of Course, is to get the name i.if the |)rosi)ect on the "line- with dots." L'ntil you gt't tlu' onler, and the check cir money order as well, nothing has 1)een closee, is another business entirely, which 1 will not here discuss. 1 am endeavoring to make it somewhat ea>ier and less e.\pensi\e for you to sell your stock', xour day-old chicks and your eggs for hatchini;. Landing Them — How to Do It — A Dozen and One Sales Pointers Now-, how shall we 'land" the prospect who h,is already sufficiently interested himself in our proposition lo write for informati((n and learn more about our stock? We ha\e got to bring this message to him so in- terestingly, so emphatically and so truthfully, th.at his confidence will lie insjiired to the point w liere he will I eel that we are just the ones who should recei\e his ordtr. I'se plenty of photographs, good pictures taken of your own birds lo illustrate >our printed matter. It helps to show the picture of the person who is otYerin,^ the stock — unless he looks like a second-story worker. I believe it pays, (.nice in a while to call in an adver- tising man to help yon get ide-as regai'din,u your headings and to assist you ill making >()ur ad\ertisiiig as interesting; and reailable as possible — but a still better plan is to ha\e some characteristic style, either your own writ- ing or the writing of someone who is a good frii'iid of yours, used in all of these advertising pieces so that tlie\ will ha\ e iiersoiiality. Don't forget th.at when the prospects write for in forinaiiou they want infonnatioii. (mvc them the plain facts and plenty ol them. Tell them the whole st(U\v just so far as yuu can. ON A TOJJ'N LOT 53 CHAPTER IX ADVERTISING TO SUCCESS Visiting the Shows ARLV in my experience I found one of my besl ad\er- tisements was showing my birds at lioth large and small shows. But this would have been a poor adver- tisement had I not won a major portion of the pri/es in tlie particular class or classes I entered. .Vt one of the first shows I visited 1 remember my experience. I was showing King William I. a hand- some cockerel who had won lirst at the geat Dairy Show, London, England, and was naturally proud of him. A man admired him very much and asked my price. I told him one thousand dollars. It was fortunate for me that he did not l)uy him, ])c- cause he has been the foundation of m_\'^t1ock and he has lieen worth not less than ten thousand dollars to me. It does not pay to sell your best stock. I never price my best liirds. They are always to be found in my breeding pen. By doing this 1 liave been able to keep improving my tlock, and when my custumers want eggs from prize winners they get them. Building Good Records I first built up a good record before I commenced to get out anv printed advertising other tiian mere announcements of the stock I !iad for sale. It is one thing to simply list what you have to sell and another thing to write tliis up so interestingly and appealingly iliat people will be per- suaded to purcliase it, even if they Iiad not intended to lief ore reading the copy. I had reached the time wiien I wished to Imrn into the mind of the Iniying public the merits of my chickens. In preparing my advertising I eliminated every unnecessary detail and made the essential facts interest- ing as possible. I found that concentrated, consistent endeavor brings results. Continuitv in advertising is the greatest essentia! of success. Jacob's Follow-Up Jacob once cranked up iiis dromedaries and set out from Padanaram with his wives, kiddies and live stock. An authentic report reached him that Brother Esau, the owner of a large Grouch, because of a certain 54 $4223.00 PROFIT IN ONE YEAR "Busy Days" .iiuoug the Colony Houses on Sh. j^j^ard's F(ii)}oits Farm swiped l)irtli-right, was roaring to meet him witli a bunch of fighters. Jacoli then started to "sell" himself to his wild-eyed kin. lie set apart live stock for a gift. But he didn't hand it to l',sau all at once. No, no. He divided it into six or nine groups and "put a space betwixt drove and drove." lie was after a series of fa\(irable impressions. He even went so far as to halve his own family and possessions — put a space between the hahes — and join himself to the rear caravan. Saving his heaviest shot for the last, if all this isn't safe and sane advertising psycliology, then what is it? You have to keep after people time after time, sometimes it's the last letter that gets the big order. The same follow-up idea applies to using papers. If you haxn't \ery much capital, pick out c>ne good paper and stay in it every month. Don't drop out unless it denKinstrates that it is not pull- ing business for you. If it is, stay in and gradually add to your list. It's the tap, tap, tap of the advertising hammer that counts. ON A TOWN LOT 55 Advertising Pays 1 found advertising paid well, although I did not get big returns the first year. The second year I advertised more and was pleased to note that the returns increased in proportion to the extent I advertised. Each year I spent more money for advertising, and have always found the re- turns justified it. I want to impress upon you the importance of advertis- ing. "It pays to advertise." This is a hackneyed expression, but never- theless it is true. It pays to advertise generously. Don't be afraid to spend a few dollars advertising in the poultry journals. The money will come back and a great deal more with it. Do you know a successful poul- try man or a successful business man who has not been a generous adver- tiser? I was not advertising long before I was shipping stock to Europe, .\frica. and the remotest parts of the earth. My advice is, first, get good stock; second, advertise it; third, give your customers a square deal, and you will succeed. Don't become discouraged in case you run across a cus- tomer occasionally that you cannot please, no matter how hard you try. You will have such experience, no matter what your business is. I dis- covered that long before I went into the chicken business. An Unpleasant Experience There were some things in my advertising experience that were not always pleasant. For instance, I started my advertising by using classified space in a couple poultry journals. I want to say that I was very much dis- gusted and disgruntled with the first results, because I was getting more letters from people who wanted to sell me more advertising or something else, than inquiries from prospective buyers. . But I kept at it and it wasn't long before inquiries for stock and eggs were numerous. Then I got up my first circular, which was a little 6x9 pamphlet, illustrating it with some cuts of my birds, hatching eggs aad stock. I started with two pens — No. 1 at five dollars per setting and No. 2 at two dollars per setting of fifteen eggs. I mailed my circular in answer to every inquiry, and did not fail to write a short letter in answer to each inquiry, which read as follows ; "Here's the circular illustrating and describing the birds regarding which you made inquiry a few days ago. They're great layers, and I very much hope that you will carefully study this circular and then permit me to demonstrate their worth." To send a short personal letter with these cir- culars in a sealed envelope with a two cent stamp, will be found to pay. ox A TOIVN LOT b7 The First Orders I soon received my tirst order for hatching eggs. The next tiling I was up against was to tcnow tlie hest way to paclc them. After investigat- ing the matter I was informed that the basket was considered good. I se- cured a supply of Ijaskets and after wrapping the eggs carefully in paper I packed them in a basket with excelsior and sewed a cloth over the top. I gave you my hiter experience in packing and shipping of eggs on a preced- ing page. Increasing My Advertising After the tirst year's advertising, the poultry business looked very good to me — it seemed to have possibilities for the future, so I decided to do still more advertising the following year. By this time I had stock to sell in the fall and hatching eggs in the spring, besides lots of eggs for the market after supplying an al)undance for our domestic use. W'itli the increased advertising came the increased amount of business. I com- menced my advertising in September. Inciuiries commenced to come shortly after, and it was not long before I was getting orders for stock and as the season advanced tlie orders became more numerous. It wasn't long liefore I had sold all the surplus stock. I continued my ad- vertising through the Winter and Spring for the liatching season. After my stock was sold I commenced returning money, and have l)een doing this very thing every year since, because the demand was greater than the supply. I predict that tliis will be the case for years to come — in fact, it looks to me as though the demand will grow every year as the pcoide become familiar with the \ irtues of these great egg macnmcs. Soon after my stock was gone incpiiries for liatching eggs began to arrive. They increased as the season advanced. Before the season was half over I had all the orders for hatching eggs I could till. I had reserved enough of my best liirds to mate up four pens, and could have sold all the eggs from three times as many pens, had I had them. 1 hatched more chicks the following Spring, as 1 wanted to get ready for a greater demand the following year. This cliapter is more or less of an "experience meeting" taken from Ijunips 1 have received while traveling on the road and in the poultry business since then. The science of salesmanship is of just as much interest to a successful poultry man as it is to a successful salesman in any line. 58 $4223.00 PRO I' IT IN ONE YEAR One day'.', shipiiu-iit of Getting Business by Letter lluTe arc two ways to make sales: First, by persDiial interview, and second hy letter. I told you a sliort time a,t;o that by far the best way to sell poultry is ])y letter or "'ilircct l>y mail." Ihe man on the ground finds it somewhat easier to make sales than the man who has to sell by letter, because he can talk with and size up his pn.ispeclive customers, while the absent salesman has to read jjctwcen the lines the kind of buyer he is dealing with. The average experienced drunnner knows how to approacli a buyer almost the moment he sees him. With llic mail system this must lie ac(|uircd by reading between the lines of the letter. It Ije- hooves him to conduct his correspondence to get the best results. It is liere where many a beginner fails. In i)receding pages I have told of the importance of advertising. .\d- vertising is the forerunner of success. The journals have done their part. They have brought iiKpiiries to you. ddiey have brought prospective cus- tomers to your desk, and now it is up to you to make the sale, d he paper has done its part wlien it gets y. a the iiKpiiry. Now, go after and land the business. ON A TOWN LOT 59 When you receive an answer to your advertisement you have a reasonable assurance that the writer is interested, whether he sends his inquiry on a post card or a piece of rough paper, or fine stationery, or whether it is written with pencil, pen or typewriter. Answer all inquiries carefully and promptly. What About Stationery? Use a neat grade of stationery with an attractive but not amateurish letter head, and then a complete descriptive circular or catalog, just whichever your business will justify. You wouldn't go out to solicit orders wearing a pair of torn trousers, ragged shirt and barefooted, nor should you send out cheap stationery with poor printing, expecting to get good orders. Keep in mind that the advertising you mail out is your personal representative and your honesty and the merit of your merchandise you offer will be judged quite largely by the advertising material. Don't handi- cap your proposition with cheap printed matter — I say this from my own bitter experience and not because I am boosting the game of any printer. Yes, it's very important to have good quality paper in your stationery and catalog, but it is very much more important to have a good grade of stock and a breed with merit. You have got to have tlie birds to back up your sales talk or you won't get repeat business and we couldn't stay in business very long if it wasn't for our repeat customers who come back and buy from us year after year. When you have quality, you can talk quality and your good stationery will be in harmony with the high standard of your stock. By building your reputation on high-grade quality you will build your business on a solid foundation and you will have a trade that will stay with you. It will not be a difficult matter to take your customers up the four steps of the ladder of salesmanship when you have something to sell that is in demand. If you will bear in mind the points I have men- tioned you will find that you will not require twenty years' experience on the road to sell chickens and hatching eggs, and sell all you can raise. Service Principle in Advertising There is a service as well as a commercial principle involved in advertising. Think of the fact that you are rendering a service to a man -when you sell him your eggs or stock. Talk of the advantages he will gain and be convinced in your own mind that he actually will se- cure these advantages of pleasure and profit. Pleasure and profit are the two things most interesting to the average buyer. 60 $4223.00 I'h'orrr i.\ o.\'e ye.ir Contents of Advertisements In writing your aclvcrtisemeiits, talk iimrc dt riiK' lireeding, pure strain, good carriage, beauty. Ilavor, size and sd on — ^ive specific instances of egg-laying records and prizes won, try anil find little incidents and stories from your daily contact with tlic liirds, tliai you can put into advertise- ments in chatty style. It is the human, counnon, ordinary every day inst.inces of lifr that are most inleresling to olhu'r people. Try and carry on your ad\ertising in puldications whose readers are appreciative of line poultry and who have the means as well as the in- clination to huy it. Change your copy fn-ipu'utlN' so tliai _\ou will always !ia\'e ;i ditlerent idea running t(j make |)eoplc "look." \d\crtising is like eggs, it must be fresh. Appeal to the Beginner Kee]) the beginner constantI\' in mind and word your ;id\ertising for bis eom])rehension. If be understands, the rest of the folks will. Re- member that the beginners are eager for the best stock, and are larger buyers th.in the older breeders. They are cert.iinly worth catering to. Although I have been in the poultry business for ;i good many years, aljout 50'^/f' of my business each year comes from new beginners. This is due i)artly to the fact that each ye.ar my business increases acc(U'dingly. But J am continually warding m_\- ad\erlising to appeal t(.) the beginner. When I recei\i' ;in inquiry from m_\' iourn.il advertising, I send (UU my catalog, together with a friendl\' lelter and I fidlow this up three times to keei) my [iroposition before the [irospt-ct '.tnil remind him tliat I am ready to serw him pronii)tl\'. Price is secondary to the tpialitx of your stock and price should be the last thing about which you talk, ^'ou should b,i\e the reader iborougb- ly sold on your proposition before you s.iy a word to him about how much the birds are going to cost him. 1 hen he will lia\ e the altitude where be feels that any reasonable sum isuh too much. As a conclusion for these two cbaplt-rs on ;i(Kcrtising and salesman- ship, I want to leave those 4 L's. b'irst, in your .advertising yon sliould put in Something in the way of an illustration or heading that will cause a great man>' readers to LO()K. Then, \our .•i])]ieal must be of such ;i nature that it will either make the re.aib'r actually snnle or feel gootl all OiV A TOWN LOT 61 over. It will make him LIKE your message in other words. Then it should have enough of a "kick"' in it and tell him just enough about your proposition so that he will be anxious to LEARN more about the stock you have to offer. This will result in his inquiry and then your printed matter should be of such a nature and your letters should be so frank and friendly, that you will LAND him with the least possible delay. s^'^^;^, .-^^^^ 62 $4223,1 PROFIT IN ONE YEAR CHAPTER X WHAT TO DO EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR HERE is sumething to do in the chicken business every month in the year. I have told you of my experi- ence during the first five years, up to the time when I moved from the home in Berea with its "Town Lot" poultry plant — out to the spacious acres of our pres- ent poultry farm directly adjoining Berea. Now I am going to talk over in detail how I conducted the poultry business throughout the twelve months of the year. Very little will be said regarding some of these months, because they run along very much like the others, but when any changes in the program are to be made, or when any special detail is to be taken care of in a certain month, I have jotted it down for your information. My year begins with August — this is simply because I started my venture during that month. This time of the year is generally quiet on the farm. At present I take advantage of the dull season to prepare my advertisements. During this month I place my contracts for the year's advertising. The chicks are well advanced liy this time so I can see what I have to sell, and what the prospects are for the coming year. As grains are cheaper at this time of the year, I Iniy up all the wheat and grain required for the season. By doing this I find it very economical, and generally save quite an item by buying in August rather than in December. By buying direct from the farmer I also save the feed man's profit, which is also quite an item. I have found it a good time to place my order for shipping boxes, baskets and other supplies. If I waited until late in the season to buy these things, I might be delayed and might not be able to get them when I really needed them. August I find little to do with the stock during August, except to keep them free from lice. It is very important that this is watched closely, and especially the old male birds. September September finds the pullets ready for the laying house. They should be placed in their laying houses early enough to get accustomed to their new quarters by the time they are ready to lay. The cockerels have ON A TOWN LOT 63 developed sufficiently to admit of judging their quality intelligently so the poor grades can be sold. It is always good policy to keep the best for sale and butcher the rest. By doing this early I have more room for my grow- ing stock. The colony houses that housed fifty birds comfortably when younger, have now become crowded since the birds have developed. By disposing of tlie culls at the market, the good birds have a better show. The houses are thorpuglily cleaned, and buildings tliat are not sprayed every month should be whitewashed at this time. 1 he dust boxes are looked after and plenty of dust is put in them. The nests are cleaned out well and fresh straw put in them. This is done every montli or so, and should be watched closely in the fall of the year. October October brings the fall rains. The litter is now brought in and a liberal supply of straw placed on the floors. The fowls are glad to seek shelter from the cold rains, and by having a good supply of litter on the floor at this season of the year, it is an easy matter to keep them active and busy by feeding them grain in it. In some sections the weatlier commences to become ciiilly early, and October has placed her leaves on Summer's grave. This will remind us that the good old summer has passed and the cold blasts of winter are near. It is time tliat we are making preparations for winter. All the buildings should be put in good repair for the rough weather to come. November In most sections November brings the cold rains and rough weather, and in fact in some sections the winter is well on the way. Many breeders are careless about their stock at this season, and apparently do not take better care of their liirds than the farmer who allows them to seek shelter on the soutli side of a !)arbe(l wire fence. 'The cockerels should be placed in their winter quarters before the weather gets too rough, hut of course they can be allowed to run during the fine days. The changes are sudden at this season of the year, so it is a good plan to add a little tonic to their drinking water. 1 here are several good kinds on the market. Winter The snow generally arrives before December is very old, and it is time that the birds are now confined to their winter quarters permanently. Fall sales have materially reduced the surplus stock, so the winter quar- ters are not so badly crowded as was anticipated. The early shows are now 64 $4223.00 rRUl/J- JX UM: lli.lR Till- iibd-ci- llhistnilt-s shipt^iiiL; bo.vcs. Tltcsc arc ii:^iil an,i liavt- .y buying a tive-dollar trio and putting them intu an expensive pen. Better buy good stock — if you have to keep them in a piano liox for the first year. Poultry Business Offers Grand Opportunity After you get started it is an easy matter to improve \'our buildings and add to them as your business grows. I believe there is no business under the sun that offers sucli grand opportunities as the poultry busi- ness. Many a man packs iiis lielongings and travels far away looking for opportunity wlien there are golden opportunities rapping at his door. I know of no business that pays as large dividends on the capital invested as tlie chicken business. It affords the busy cit\' man much recreation after his hard day's work is over in the shop or office. It gives profit- able employment to the man whose health is impaired and who is not fit for strenuous life that he was accustomed to in his younger days. Many a good housewife has found the chicken business a great help in assisting her invalid husliand in making a living. Many ;i mortgage has been paid off a home by the husliand raising chickens liefore and after working hours and at the same time enjoying pleasant recreation. Pepful Poultry for Pale People It has been astonishing to me to note the luunber ot men and women who have been burning the candle of health at both ends. The demands of the modern world are so insistent — the speed at which we must travel to keep up with the procession so rapid — that many are the tired bodies 'and the worn-out minds consigned to the rack daily. Scores of my friends and acquaintances are bordering on the brink of physical and nervous breakdown. I believe that there is in this country, a definite turning of thousands of men and women who have been negligent of the Great Outdoors to- ward the humble, but productive hen. This interest in poultry has proven of inestimable benefit in tlie matter of restoring the glow of health to their bodies and the relief of an absorbing hobby to their minds. The care of a few chickens— of sufficient pep, energy and vitality to challenge one's attention— is, I believe, a very practical solution to the problem of flagging health and spirits. ON A TOlfN LOT 69 CHAPTER XII Cutting the Cost of Living with Chickens HAVE had, durint; the years of my experience as a practical pouhr>' dealer, thousands of letters that testify to the ability of the hen to put a big dent in, the cost of maintaining a home and family. People have written me that with the assistance of a few laying hens they have been able to afford little luxu- ries of life otherwise impossible. The following let- ters are chosen as representative of the tributes that thousands of families have paid to the American hen. "The birds I bought of you certainly have the system of helping to beat the High Cost of Living. They can do more, on less feed than any other bird I know." — and this — "Here is the statement of the money I have made from the sale of stock in a single year from the pen purchased from you. 8 pullets $ 20.00 49 pullets and 1 rooster 150.00 1 rooster 8.00 Young roosters to market 72.00 Total $250.00 I still have 69 pullets, all very fine layers. In addition I have $100 cash profit on hand from the sale of eggs." Such letters are eloquent examples of the body-blows that tlie hen is dealing the excessive cost of foodstuflfs. Every Backyard a Poultry Park It would be interesting to know the actual number of backyard poul- try enthusiasts who have sought refuge from the storm of rising prices within the protection of an ordinary hen-house. A.nd they are finding it too! No census of these back-lotters has ever been attempted, but it is certain that the number has increased by leaps and bounds ever since the cost of living took to performing astonishing aerial feats. Getting away from the congested centers of population to the districts where there is actually room to turn around, one will find almost as many backyard flocks as there are backyards. Why have all these people taken to the raising of poultry? The answer is apparent. They have found in chickens an effective 70 $4223.00 PROFIT IN ONE YEAR weapon atiainst mounting custs. As a matter of fact, wlien one takes into consideration the stnall space and tlie limited ca.pital required to create a poultry park and equi]) it with a groui) of laying hens, ^'Uch a condition is readily understandahle. it is no wonder that thousands have accepted the challenge of the cackle and liave turned it into the softer nuisic of pleasure and prohts. A small [n)ullry yard means the production nf an article of desirable food at a cost consideralily helnw that of the market — and as a rule of infmiteh- superior cpiality. I'-ggs can take the ]}lace nt expensive meats, 'i'hev are iust as nourishing and much mure healthful. I have never been >urprised that more and m.ire jieiple are turinng tnward the laying hen, as a iiartial sulutinn at least, uf their i.irticuiar inonie and ex[)ense problem. Profit in Table Scraps Many iidultry raisers, in their efYorts to i)rodnce eggs economically, go too far. They seem to expect their f( wis tn thrive and to lay on scraps from the table alone. I am reminded of the >tor_\' of tlie old Scotclunan who complained that just as his cow was getting used tn its diet of saw- dust — "it up and died'"! Seriousl\- though, it is remarkaljle how far table scraps v\ill l^o, if the grain ration ^ arc not curtailed too radicalK . I'otato parings, trinnnings from \egetables, crumbs, bits of meat — almost anything from the table that is clean and unspoiled — will be relished liy the hens. One of the chief deliglits of the b.ackyard park is /r.-.y/; eggs. Think of the joy of having on your table every day — ni 'c fresh eggs gathered from your own poultry plant. Think of lia\ing eggs that you can depend upon as strictly fresh — laid one day and eaten the next! And then, just for a moment, try to conjecture the age of the eggs you ate recently in a restaurant, or purchased at the corner store. No wonder that people who have once tasted the fresh products of their own poultry park never will- ingly return to the eating of eggs of imcertain age! Another of the [ileastires — and the profits — of even a small adventure m poultry is the occasional chicken dinner. I'ed on clean, wholesome food, these sweet-meated broilers and fryers are so superior to the pale, anemic-looking specimens hanging in the markets that they should not be sold inider the same name. And a chicken dinner affords a welcome and economical relief from expensive masts and steaks. The Economical Cold Pack Method Many poultry raisers have taken tip enthusiastically with the idea of camiing the fowls for consumption at some future date — thus saving the cost of feeding the birds until the occasion demands a "real meal." This , . ON A. TOirX . LOT 71 method of culd pack canning, as recommeindt'cl by go\'ernnient experts, I here give for what it is worth: Cut up the birds and take off the skin. Remove as many of the large bones as possible, especially breast and leg bones, as they take u]) too much room in the jars. Pack the meat tightly in quart cans. Fill jar with cold water and add one teaspoonful of salt. Put the jars in the washboiler, fdl with cold water to the neck of the cans, and sterilize for three hours after beginning to boil. The tops of the jars should 'l)e put on loosely when placed in the l)oiler and tightened when removed. Giblets and bones are boiled for soup stock, in just enough water to cover. Remove all the l)ones. allowing only the meat to remain in the soup. To each cjuart jar of stock, add a teaspoonful of salt, one-quartei cup of rice and a couple of stalks of celery cut line. Sterilize in tin same way as chicken. There are Chickens — and Chickens In addition to the profit in\olved, there is a genuine pleasure anc^ satisfaction in keeping good poultry. Note that I say good poultry. 1 doubt very seriously whether anyone can experience a tremendous amount of gratification in a fiock of nondescript scrubs. Nothing in such a flock can call for admiration. It is impossilde to work up much enthusiasm over a collection of birds that are as variegated in color, shape and size as the aggregation of animals that inhabit a circus menagerie — nor can anything like pleasing results in the way of profits lie gained from them. On the other hand, there is a definite pleasure in working with a little flock — or a big one — in which every single bird is of a distinct type, with color, shape, size and markings true to the standards of a recognized lireed. That is why I have always appealed to beginners to accept only a first- class strain of an established breed. In the long run — and it won't take very long either — standard stock will prove the more profitable. A floek of handsome, alert hens will command more attention and receive better care than an assortment of mismatched fowls that iu-\er make an appeal to the pride of the owner. Even at tlie risk of seeining too insistent, I cannot emphasize the im- portance of the careful selection of good stock enough. It is here that most beginners fail, 'i'hey seem to think that almost anything that can cackle will produce eggs in abundance. Let ine say right here that the only money in chickens, and the only real economy in the selection of a breed, is in first-class stock. Read this extract from a letter — typical, in the experience it de- scribes, of hundreds of other licginners. It is evident that the writer of 72 $4223.00 PROFIT IN OWE YEAR the letter had a sense of the riclicultuis l)ut tlie seriousness that underlies it all is apparent. "Yes, I made the usual mistake. I had a notion tliat all this stuff handed out by professional poultry raisers about selecting oidy the very best of stock was more or less Innik. So I thought that I would show them up witli results 1 intended to get from m\ just ordinary, i-\eryda\' chickens. I was nothing if not persistent. 1 tried to tease and then to force prohts out of them. I fed them on feeds guaranteed to make them lay or kill them. I used to do everything for tlieir physical comfort and con- venience except actually tuck them in bed. Somewhere I had read — 'If you would have eggs, keep your Hock happy' — and so I made it a rule never to go near the hen-house unless I were whistling some cheerful, contagious tune. Yes, I got eggs, but not enough. They were few and far between. I found myself boarding a perfectly healthy gang of slackers. Whenever one of them turned out an egg, the whole flock felt entitled to a vacation for a week. And they took it! I worried about those hens until I began to cackle when I woke up in the morning, before I gave them up as a bad job. Finally I decided that I couldn't do much worse, so I got rid of my star boarders and took the advice of you professional poultry men. Per- haps your advertising had given me the impression of reliability. At any rate, I bought a setting of "Famous" eggs, and Mr. Sheppard, you fellows were right ! I want to say that — " I won't finish the letter because this book is not advertising any par- ticular strain of poultry. I will simply add that if you are after eggs — and most poultry men are — be sure to buy a strain with a record as con- sistent layers the year around. Chickens as Children's Pets Mrs. Sheppard and myself have hundreds of friends in American cities and towns who keep poultry, not for their own particular profit, but for the pleasure they and their children derive from the feathered beauties as pets. Fvery normal boy and girl delights in the care of pets, and the average child will readily take to chickens. They like to feed them, to watch them, to gather the eggs. I venture the opinion that where the percentage of home pets in a community is high, the proportion of bad boys is low. Give a boy some ON A TOWN LOT 73 pleasant, constructive occupation, such as the keeping of poultry — encourage him with good stock — and the chances are that he will grow up along normal, desirable lines. He will have neither the time nor the inclination to loiter around cigar stores. The Time is "Now"! Occasionally people come to me and say, "Mr. Sheppard, when is the best time to begin keeping poultry?" and I usually tell them that any time but "too late" is a good time to start in. Whenever one is smitten with the fever, and the cluck of your neighbor's broody hen or the vigor- ous crow of a husky rooster sounds like the sweetest music ever made — then is the time! For a feeling of genuine enthusiasm is the "without which nothing" of poultry success. A downright liking for chickens will go a long ways toward making the possible difficulties and disappointments seem insig- nificant. Couple with this enthusiasm a liberal sprinkling of just ordinary common sense and you have the simplest and the most effective recipe for profitable and pleasureable poultry success of which I know. As I have said before, don't expect the latest word in fashionable coops and equipment to lay eggs. You will learn that fine hen-houses will not feed the birds, neither should you be too penurious in the housing of your flock. A good fowl deserves the protection of a substantial, well- ventilated house, warm and free from drafts in the winter, anything less than that will prove expensive. My advice would be this : Buy the best stock you can afford, and then, in the matter of adequate protection, let your conscience be your guide ! One thing more. I hope sincerely that you have not only enjoyed the recital of my experiences but that you may profit thereby. You will find, as I have, that there are infinite possibilities for pleasure in the keeping Oi good, standard laying stock— and rather startling returns in profits. And never was there a better time to begin than right now\ 74 $4223.00 I'ROI'/r IN 0.\7i ]TiAR l^sitA o^, •'A LITTLE JOURNEY AMONG ANCONAS" TluTe has hi-eii a considerable and .urdwinjj,- demand for a complete l)ook on Ancona.^. A liDok that .i^oes hack to the < )ri.i;in (so far as can be determined) of these birds, traces their histor>', characteristics, habits and lays bare the expert observations of peopli' wlio have studied pnultry for }'ears and made profit from them. Such a book has been written — snme of ni\' friends who ha\'e looked o\er the manuscript tell me "as intere-tin.uly as a good no\el" — it has been pid)lished with many illustratii ms (both iihotoKrajdiic and with accurate sketches) and is now read\' for distribution. It is ciMHidete and technical in it^ fact A'alue but written so as to be readily comprehended by the student. $1.00 postpaid. Special prices on class room (piantities. H. CECIL SHEPPARD Berea. Ohio