Ellis County Republican. (Gage, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 8, Ed. 1 Friday, February 21, 1908 Page: 3 of 9
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POULTRY HOUSE FOR SO FOWLS.
Singl* Room Structure Which Provea
Satisfactory.
A conveniently arranged and prop-
erly constructed hen house ia one of
the Indispensable requisites in' profita-
ble poultry raising. The main object
to be observed In designing such a
structure Is to secure as. much floor
space as possible and hold roof space
to moderation. The object is to save
expense In construction, as the real
value of a housfi for this purpose de-
pends upon the number of square feet
surface area on the floor in proportion
to the actual cost of the building.
The sketch included with this article
illustrates a very unique design of
farm poultry house. The building is
particularly well adapted to the aver-
age farmer's needs who keeps but a
small flock and desires to give them
every opportunity. It was the aim of
the designer of this poultry house to
have as much floor space as possible
Single Room Poultry House.
with a small roof surface as would
serve the purpose. I have observed a
great many different designs of poul-
try houses and have several in use, but
believe this one approaches nearest the
Ideal for the average farmer’s condi-
tions. It overcomes to a large meas-
ure the difficulty so common with the
majority of hen houses, that is, side
surface exposure to severe winds
which have a tendency to keep the
temperature of the building low when
It should be warm and comfortable.
The dimensions of the building are
. 16x20 feet inside measurement. The
house is located upon well drained
ground insuring dryness and healthful
surroundings. Before the construction
of the building was begun a sound
foundation was laid. One object was
to preserve the building and another
to qiake an air-tight bottom so as to
retard the penetration of cold air dur-
ing severe weather. The foundation
should either be of Btone or cement, as
the life of the structure is largely de-
pendent upon this part. The frame
work is made entirely of sound 2x6
stuff to insure a strong and durable
frame. The sills were laid in cement
to assist in making the base as tight
as possible. The siding is pine ship-
lapping of excellent quality. This Is
very essential to Insure a warm com-
fortable building. The inside of the/|
buijding Is sealed .with the same ma-
terial.
In putting together the ship-lapping
on the inside, coal-tar was used to
paint the grooves before the matched
stuff was put together. This not only
insures a tight sealing, but also pre-
vents lice and other germs working
and multiplying where Inconvenient to
disinfect. Tar paper was also put be-
tween the siding and sheathing.
For roofing, explains Prairie Parmer
shingles were used, laid live inches to
the weather. As will be observed, the
Cheaper Grades ef Sugar Are Just as
Good for the Bees.
It is not necessary to go to the ex-
pense of buying the finest grades of
white granulated sugar, for a straw
colored sugar will answer just ms well
provided it Is crystallized. Molasses
sugar should, however, be avoided, be-
cause it contains burnt or caramel
BUgar which is injurious to bees. In
feeding, the writer prefers to use the
feed lukewarm If possible and late In
the day so that the bees will gather
the feed mainly by night. This helps
against robbing. The entrance to
each hive should be small during
feeding operations as a further pre-
caution against robbing practices. In
wintering out of doors there Is noth-
ing better than a double-walled hive
packed with chaff, .straw or paper.
Roofing paper fabrics afford excel-
lent protection to exposed hives, says
the Farmers’ Voice. Some protect
hives by placing them in a row and
covering them as they would cab-
bages. Others put them in clamps.
The main idea of course is to protect
against long continued cold weather.
Bees cannot stand cold, at least not
lower than 70 degrees. But the best
plan of wintering bees In most of our
northern states is by means of a dry
cellar in which a temperature of 60
degrees Fahrenheit can be steadily
maintained. In addition it should be
dark, noiseless and well ventilated.
Where there is a door to the cellar in-
side a building it is best because this
door to the stairway can be left open
and yet no light can get In. If In ad-
dition to this there is no disturbance
of the bees during their long sleep
it is likely they will come through
their imprisonment with little loss,
besides requiring very little food—not
more than ten pounds perhaps.
A good many bees die during the
winter, so magy as to be quite alarm- j
lng to a beginner. They are,the old
veterans, and in any case would die
of old age and hard work, so do not
be alarmed. Some beekeepers pro-
vide a space beneath the frames for
the dead bees to fall into and the
same space affords an excellent op-
portunity for the bees to (Cluster to- ]
gether something like half a sphere.
They are warmer .than If kept sep-
rated by the combs. They leave 'the
cluster occasionally to go after feed,
but soon return to their comrades in
the chister. They murmur content-
edly as if all they had to contend |
with was one long, silent night.
THE OBJECT OF THE DRAINAGE IZ/VJF
By Jobss Campbell.
Not only do the drains retpove the
surplus water from the land, but,
paradoxical as it may appear, the
well-drained soil contains more moist-
ure in times of drought than It would
undrained. Hence the growing crop
does not suffer from apparently, ad-
verse conditions. The explanation is
that water is not the only thing con-
veyed by the drains. Air is also car-
ried along making its way out through
the tile Joints and into the soil above.
The cooler soil below causes conden-
sation of the moisture contained in
the warmer air and fine drops of
water are retained in the soil. An-
other reason why drained land con-
tains more moisture In time of
drought is that it does not give off
fts moisture to the same extent. Soils
(especially clays) when underlaid
with tiles are brought into much bet-
ter tilth when cultivated, and sown
or planted. That fine pulverized sur-
face prevents evaporation to a large
extent, and does not with long contin-
ued dry weather crack open, allowing
still more rapid evaporation, as do
the boIIb sown or planted in a water-
soaked state.
Where draining on an extensive
scale Is planned a knowledge of the
work in all itB details Is most neces-
sight and faults are far more easily
prevented than rectified. If it is not
advisable from any cause to com-
plete the draining of a farm, or a
single field, the part done should from
the first spadeful be such as will be-
come later on a fraction of a com-
plete whole. With such foresight
exercised satisfactory returns may be
fully relied on.
Securing a good outlet to allow a
free discharge of the water under all
conditions makes or mars the drain
to a large extent. Having secured It.
and the laying of tile started, let us
notice that some protection from frost
Is necessary, otherwise the tiles near
the outlfet will break up and tend to
check the flow of water. Some go
to the expense of building an outlet
of hard burned bricks or stone, laid
in cement. We have found the mak-
ing of a cedar plank box some six to
ten Teet long, with the inside meas-
urement corresponding to the size of
tile entering It, and placing it on solid
ground, a lasting and useful as well
as a cheap contrivance. Sawing off
the outside end on a level and fast-
ening on its upper side a metal grate,
which covers the opening to prevent
small animals to enter, is a safe ar-
rangement. The force
QUARTERS FOR SHEEP.
M intake to
Have the
Warm.
Barn Too
A good sheep barn is a poor one.
This may seem to be absurd, but the
facts support such a statement. There
'is no question but that many flocks
are rendered unhealthy and therefore
less productive by reason of too close
housing. In few sections do sheep
need more than a windbreak and rain
shed. Some of our best shepherds
kept their flocks for decades with
HIVE FRAME 8PACER8.
Common flails Bent Properly Provide
an Excellent Medium.
The arrangement here shown, if
properly applied, is excellent; but,
says the Gleanings In Bee Culture, in
the first place it is difficult to bend the
Bent Nalls in Frame.
nails, and, in the second place, it
would be more difficult stil) to bend
them all with exactly the
roof is very steeu- this a“ wlln exactly the Bame curve,
of space within for air, and also makes ** W°Uld ut ,mportant to have the
---- - ’ 180 mal£e81 bee-spaces alike. In the third place,
one would have to bore a hole in order
a more durable roof. The windows are
in both ends. Were the house being
rebuilt I should have more windows
low down along the side, so the fowls
could have more direct sunlight. This
poultry house is sufficiently large to
accommodate about 60 fowls.
CLEAN DRINKING VE88EL8.
to drive them into the frame, for the
reason that the hammer-head would
strike one side of the line of penetra-
tion of the wood, bending the nail
over. Taking it all In all, the ordinary
staple is much easier to Insert, and
far cheaper.
s*ry. When well done It is a per-
manent and very profitable line of
work. Where mismanaged and done
in a slipshod manner, the whole
thing is vexation of spirit, and money
is wasted. First of all the extent of
the work required should be carefully
studied out. The place, or places, for
outlets, one or more,’'is the next
consideration. Having decided these
two matters, the next is laying out
the main drains, and estimating the
proper size of tile that should be
used.
To drain a certain number of acres
in one place might require a larger
tile than would be required in an-
other field where conditions were dif-
ferent. To illustrate, a six-inch will
suffice to carry off the surplus water
where there is a rapid fall and the
grade regular, while an eight-inch tile
with its much larger capacity would
not carry off the surplus as rapidly
where the land was flat and fall but
slight. Getting a good outlet and
placing the main drain properly, with
tiles large enough to discharge the
water quickly requires solid thinking
and somebody's practical experience.
It is too costly an undertaking to
guess at. It, or to take things for
granted. It is work which is out of
drain will open out* and up the
grate. When flow lessens, or stops,
the grate falls down to its place by
its own weight. To show the need
for a good reliable outlet we will
mention a case in point which hap-
pened at “Faii-vlew” last spring. A
nine-acre lot in which root crops were
grown last year, is well drained and
outlet boxed, as stated above. "In-
stead of the movable grate we had
fastened strong wires across the box,
making squares of two Inches. The
bed of an original stream—now di-
verted by a municipal ditch—was
drained in the part of field grown to
mangels a year ago. Because of the
deep loose soil and comparative shal-
lowness of drains in said place the
mangel roots grew downwards so as
to enter the drains and were carried
to the outlet in winter and spring.
The wires stopped the flotage, the
box filled up with the thread-like
roots, and the whole system of drains
was knocked out of business. No-
ticing the land lyas not drying out as
it should, the trouble was discovered,
the wires were pulled off and a rush
of rubbish at first and a flood of wa-
ter followed. That stoppage caused
a delay of over a week in getting the
seeding done.
Soiling Sheep Fold.
only such sheds as would prevent the
flock being exposed to direct winds,
rain and snowstorms.
The cut shows the type of sheep
barn found on the farm of a success-
ful shepherd, which might be copied
with success. In this Instance the
sheep are kept upon forage crops
grown in four adjacent lots. The flock
may" be turned into any lot at pleas-
ure.
It is well to have this building
equipped with a large ventilating
window in the end near the gable or
two small windows such as shown in
the sketch. These, however, should
be equipped with a sash that may be
closed in severe weather.
Many farms where sheep are kept
are equipped with a barn cellar in
which the flock has been kept with
varying success. The barn cellar is
an excellent place for sheep if rightly
arranged. There should be plenty of
openings to the south, allowing sun
to reach all parts of the stable, so
as to keep it thoroughly dry. Thorough
drainage is essential*
There must be ventilation at the
rear of the stable. A bad practice is
to keep the sheep in stables on stable
manure, says Farm and Home. The
fermenting manure destroys the color
and texture of wool. A hint which
has been worth many dollars to me Is
to use only long straw, hay or weeds
for bedding sheep. If short straw or
sawdust is used It gets into the fleece
and is an everlasting nuisance.
NEED MORE PROTEIN:
Corn Alone Not Satisfactory as a Ho
Food Says the Farmers'
WHY DO YOU CROS8-BREED?
A Question Which It Would Be Well
for Some Farmers to Answer.
Will
Help to
Keep Disease
Flock.' 1
Out of
CHICKEN TALK.
Unclean drinking vessels are doubt-
less the immediate means of spread-
ing some of our contagious diseases,
such as roup. Roup Is a disease in
which slime accumulates in the
mouths of the fowls and strings out
of their mouths when they open them
to drink. Nothing Is easier than for
such a fowl to leave slime in the
drinking water, which is then par-
taken of by the other fowls. This
leads to the fowls all becoming quick-
ly affected. As roup comes
fall very often when
changes in
on in the
we get the
temperature at night, it is
necessary that the drinking vessels
be kept clean and every fowl that
shows signs of a cold should be taken
at omce from the house so that it will
not be possible for her to
disease.
Hpread the
Beef Scrap for Fowls.
Most poultry men keep beef scraps
constantly before their fowlB. The
blrdB pick at it when they like. In
one flock of 30 pullets the consump-
tion has been about five pounds a
week. From this you can figure about
how much to feed in mash and other-
wise. Toulouse geese lay usually from
20 to 40 eggs in a season.
Don’t Let Eggs Get Chilled.
It Is again becoming unsafe to leave
eggs out over night, and a close watch
must be kept of the “stolen" nests, or
a whole hatful may be frozen and
cat^be used for8^^!!^ purposes ^The I bre* ,l?e 8IiBe characteristic of their
hay mows of barns are favorite nlJ-« , „ *! ® 1COmn,PnclnK' and the"
______________ . . . ‘avorite places lay continuous v durlmr the .w r.r
Kggs are better than birds to start
duck farming because they can be
shipped with no danger of Injury.
Removable perches may be kero-
sened and burned over at a safe dis-
tance from the house and all vermin
destroyed by fire.
The price of a bone grinder is not
great, but it is sometitqes unhandy or
Impossible to get a' good supply of
bones. It is a good scheme to make
arrangements with a butcher for bones
before buying the grinder.
More and better green food supply
and more meat of some kind are what
the hen needs for winter egg produc-
tion. As to what Is enough green food
we would say all they will eat. As to
the quality of cut bone or meat, all
you can afford to give them and hold
a profit, as a possible egg yield of Bay
three eggs per week per hen. Give
them of animal food less than one-
tenth of their whole ration of meat,
and from this up to one-flfth of their
whole ration of meat as cost will per-
mit.
Early Layers.
Frequently a pullet starts laying bo-
fore the others and continues to lay
well all the year; such a one should
be carefully watched and her eggs
saved, providing sufficient size was at-
tained before she began laying. Other
pullets will lay a few eggs * in the
autumn and then cease until spring;
these Bhould, of course, be discarded
Those that begin laying prematurely
are not desirable, as they Bhould at-
tain the size characteristic
PAYS TO RAISE
WHITE BEANS
Common white beans are a good
crop for the farmer to grow, if they
are grown under the best methods
Good sized seed should be planted
rather than small seed, and the plant
ing should be after the danger of
frost is past, as the leaves of beans
will not stand frost. The farmer
should at least raise enough for his
family, which can easily be done on
a very small strip of land that has
been only moderately manured. This
small demand for manure is due to
the fact that bean plant roots have
on them nodules containing bacteria
which gather nitrogeti from the air.
White beans need food cultivation, so
that the soil around the roots can be
well aerated which favors the devel-
opment of the nodules.
Must Be Fed.—If you are planning
for early pigs next spring see to it
that you are planning for feed as well.
An early farrowed pig will take a
considerable amount of grain feed be-
fore another harvest rolls around.
Better have the pigs come six weeks
later than to starve early litters.
TO MOVE A
FARM BUILDING
Prepare two poles two feet longer
than the width of the building to be
moved. Block up the house and run
the poles under It at each end. Then
jack up on the wheels of two wagons,
the hind wheels of the back and the
front wheels at the front.
Bore holes in the poles at the front
end and put Irons down through for
bolts. Chain across the front of the
building to prevent the poles from
spreading, hitch on your teams and
.your building will move all right —
Prairie Farmer.
I know a number of farmers who
have a hobby for cross-breeding
among their stock, especially hogs. I
have never been able to understand
the reason for this. If the breeders
have spent years trying to perfect a
breed, how can we hope by one cross
to improve upon it? Some claim that
It is necessary to Infuse new blood
Into the breeding stock, and this Is
well enough; but why should that new
blood be other than of the same
breed ? We can get a male of the same
breed that Is not akin to our stock
and still keep the breed pure. It is
a pretty sight to see all the hogs or
poultry on a farm the same breed and
color. Then It Is good policy to keep
the breed pure, for It has been proved
beyond a doubt that pure bred stock
are the most profitable. It is simply
an old fogylsm that causes farmers to
persist In this old practice of trying
to Improve the best breeds that have
taken scientific breeders many years
to breed up to the present state of per-
fection. There may be reasons, and
good ones, why cross-breeding is
practiced, but I have never heard
them given.
A station bulletin says: It is now
clearly recognized that dry feed alona,
especially where corn la the exclusive
ration, does not provide the most sat-
isfactory combination of nutrienta for
the hog. The fact that corn la so
generally cultivated has led to lta al-
most exclusive use as a fattening re-
tion for hogs in many' localities,
which is unfortunate in the light of
Investigations made In the last few
years, as the results distinctly show
that much better gains would be ob-
tained were the com combined with
some other food which would supply
the needs of the growing animals to
better advantage. ,
For fattening purposes corn stands
supreme, but it is not a complete and
perfect food for either growing or fat-
tening animals, and this statement ap-
plies to all classes of livestock. From
the standpoint of the hog feder, com
is deficient in both protein and min,
eral matter, especially the latter. Since
the uniform and rapid development of
the animal depends on the main-
tenance of the skeleton or bony frame-
work, the nutrition of the muscles,
and the formation of fat, It Is essen-
tial that such foods be fed as will
provide for the needs of the body in
the cheapest form. As other grains
are rich in some of the constituents
in which com Is deficient, it appears
that a combination of tlfem will prove
effective, and such is shown to be the
case by the results presented.
The common practice of feeding
corn alone to hogs would be corrected,
were some well-known truths more
generally recognized. For instance, it
is stated on competent authority that
the ash of corn is entirely indigestible
by swine. Moreover, the withholding
of mineral matter from the hog not
only impairs the skeleton, but the
whole nutritive process Is disturbed
as well, and the growth of the animal
is seriously retarded if our results
are to be relied upon. The fact that
gains two or three times larger than
those normally obtained on com alone
follow the proper adjustment of the
ration Is a matter of such far-reach-
ing and economic concern to hog
raisers as to command their most re-
spectful and earnest consideration.
THE BODY HITCH.
A Cure for Halter Pullers, Even w the
Worst Type.
---- if
A good way to tie Is the body hitch
as shown in the accompanying illus-
tration. The animal will not pull long
on this hitch; it Is a cure for halter
pullers, even confirmed ones. Any
A ROASTING PIG.
Test Your Seeds.—Test all of the
seeds In the winter, as time will be
lacking for this work in the spring.
Rear Yard Garden Patcti
lor nests these cold day*.
• • S
• • •
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•••••••••••
• SSIOSSSS6
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» • .!aB • B .
•••••SSSSO
a
"n
WALK.
-» * • • • •
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TUT
6 O o
ve&e TABLE 0 Art DEN
HOUSE
BOJ r
lay continuously during the rest of the
fall and winter.—Michigan Station. j Grape vines are
SCAlt -
Plan of a yard space 25 by 80 feet.
represented by x’a,
■ S ftIT,
•strawberries by the black dots,
currant bushes bv small circles.
and
Age for Killing and How to Dress for
Cooking.
To prepare a pig for roasting
choose one four or six weeks old
which is plump and fat and has had
an abundance of milk. The best way
to kill such a pig, says Farm and
Home, is to stick him with a sharp
two-edged knife, cutting the artery
on the left side of the throat.
Scald -by Immersing him several
times in boiling water and scrape with
a dull knife. Heat the water to about
200 degrees, which is just hot enough
to scald. Don’t leave the pig in the
water long, or it will be cooked un-
der the skin. Scald thoroughly sev-
eral times and then wash with cold
water. I.ay the pig on its back, cut
open lengthwise and remove the en-
trails. Wash thoroughly with cold
water. Then deliver to the housewife
to stuff with dressing, sew up. and
bake whole.
Horse Body
ty't, n ■
Hitch.
one coaid go to bed and rest his weary
legs In contentment If he had tied his
bronks" this way, for they cannot
break their necks or otherwise Injure
themselves. At least I never knew
one to, and I have used the "body
hitch” on a good many of them,
writes a correspondent in the Rural
New Yorker. This loop must be made
so that It will loosen up again when
the colt stops pulling. However, when
broken well to lead with the bridle,
there are very few that will make a
very bad fight when tied in the usual
way with a good strong halter.
STUDY MATTER OF FEEDS.
High
Prices of Grain Makes
Necessary.,
This
When grain is high in price, the
raiser of stock needs to study the
matter of feed more than at any other
time. It does not pay to give foods
that merely fill up. and that is what
the temptation is In times when prices
are Inflated for the most valuable
feeds. The man that undgrstauds the
constituents of feeds will generally
find he can beat the high prices by
raising some kind of a crop that will
give him a big supply of cheap feed.
Thus, the man that has a good blue
grass pasture can conserve it, fertilize
it, and make it produce a very large
amount of nutritious feed that will,
for some of his stock, make it pos-
sible to greatly cut down on the grain
ration, though this cannot be cut out
entirely. The men that have been
feeding corn extensively to steers will
have to balance that corn with clover,
alfalfa, soy beans or something else to
decrease the amount of corn used, for
protein in corn comes very high, on
account of the largo amount of starch
that has to be paid for to get a little
protein.
Getting a Uniform Flock.
In handling ewes during winter I
And It good practice to separate those
who are reduced In flesh and give them
a little extra feed. This will soon pro
dues a uniform flock, which Is what
we want.
sta-
Goats are becoming popular where
aheep are kept largely, but where the
farmers cannot be Interested In aheep
they cannot be Interested Id goats.
STOCK REFLECTIONS.
Darkness U never desirable in
bleB. It should be driven out.
Give those fall calves lots of room
In which to run around. They need
nl! the exercise they will take.
Many a poor horse suffers because it
cuunot chew Its food well. Look at
theli teeth before you dose them with
medicine.
Farm stock help keep up the fertil-
ity of the farm. They do this by
making it possible to sell off a high-
priced product containing only a small
amount of fertility.
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Hawkins, H. B. Ellis County Republican. (Gage, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 8, Ed. 1 Friday, February 21, 1908, newspaper, February 21, 1908; Gage, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1078522/m1/3/: accessed April 26, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.