The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, January 14, 1915, HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION, Image 13

The gazette-times., January 14, 1915, HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION, Page 7, Image 13

Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR

About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 1915)

Prev Page of 22 Next Prev Issue Next Text PDF JP2 (1.9 MB) Clip/Print Image

Return to Top

Prev Page of 22 Next Prev Issue Next

Newspaper Page TextHOME AXD MRAI MAGAZINE SECTION Duck Eggs Are Gaining in Favor (By L. A. Hart In Pacific Poultryman.) MUCH has been said regarding duck egga and their relative value compared with hens eSBs, so I trust what I have to say will at least gain the attention ot those engaged in raising ducks of any Tarlety. I have never engaged In raising ducks but have had the pleas ure of placing the eggs on market for several poultrymea around Portland. There seems to have arisen the ques tion whether thera really is a market tor duck eggs at the eame price ot hens' eggs. The squab breeders of the North west used to depend on newspaper quotations as a basis for their selling price consequently they seldom real iied over 13 per dozen. Now it is dif ferent, squabs bring as high as $S per dozen, seldom less than f 4.5 0. The Oregon Co-operative Squab Association- is the result ot squab rais ers, both in Oregon and Washing ton. The duck raisers can accomplish much In the Bame way. The main point Is to get the disinterested pub lic to try a pure white duck egg, then the rest is easy. The Beginning. I am engaged in the butter and egg business (retail), and have a steady demand for fresh eggs. A year ago a Mend of mine secured a pen of Pen ciled Indian Runner ducks and by September they began to lay In earn est. He offered to furnish me with duck eggs if I could sell them. He was already supplying me with pure white Leghorn eggs, so all that was necessary to bogln was to get the duck eggs and place them before my cus tomers. On the wholesale market they were cheaper by two cents per dozen, but I agreed to pay the same as for other eggs. I Insisted on giving one duck egg with every eleven hen eggs. I then put an advance of five cents over other eggs and awaited, results. Demand Increases. To my surprise I found an increased demand for eggs. Everybody's atten tion was attracted by their clean white appearuuee and uniform size. In the rush Borne of them were sold aa Just eggs. Then came repeated or ders and more eggs had to be se cured. I found other fanners who kept ducks. I engaged their duck eggs at two cents above the market quotations. More customers came, for one satis fied customer would tell another. Now I have a steady demand tor duck eggs and never have enough. It all came about for this reason. I am a fancy poultry man and believe In top prices for the farmer. So being engaged in business does not prevent me from co-operating with the pro ducer, enabling him to seenre a prem ium for his strictlr fresh eggs. More Nourl.Hlilng. A duck egg is not only larger than ordinary hen eggs but contains more nourishment For baking they have no, equal I believe the best tried egg I ever tasted was a duck egg. Need less to say the common green egg will not satisfy. A white egg will attract attention every time. Indian Runners are very desirable as a white egg strain. The egg farmer of today must be awake to a few important facts: First, he or she must gain the confidence ot customers by demonstrating continu ally that the buyer can depend on what they say regarding their eggs being fresh. Second, never take a chance of mixing old eggs with new laid ones. To be certain, never mar ket an egg over five days' old. Don't blame the customer for faults that you can remedy. Because you can't come to town over twice a month, or .every time it rains hard, don't blame the trade. Vse Diplomacy. To be successful in business of any kind do not try to convince by argu ment. Use diplomacy always. There are times when a customer Is crooked, or more often misinformed; in such cases be sure yotl are right, then go ahead. Try to reason rather than ie arbitrary. Having been behind the counter since twelve years ot age, and having made many mistakes along the lines just mentioned, I know that cus tomers are not customers any longer than they are treated squarely and politely. Third, If in doubt never take ad vantage of the doubt. Better con struct a candler from a cigar box by cutting a hole large enough to see through an egg, then place a tallow candle Inside. Learn the difference in eggs 24 hours old and three days old. There la a difference and it shows in candling although they look the same when broken. Duck egga are gaining favor every day. I can use more myself. Will some reliable duck raiser take notice? and new. Some breeders prefer a mixture of two-thirds corn and one third oats, and occasionally give a cornmeal mush feed. It is said that turkeys will fatten more readily on Northern white flint corn, and the flesh will be of a finer quality. While fattening turkeys must not be cooped up. They must have their -liberty, and if regularly given two meals a day they will not be inclined to roam. To pen them in a building or other tnclosure will re sult In loss ot appetite if not sickness. Daring this confinement they soon tire of the food given them, will start to quarrel with other birds In the pen, become restless, and at killing time will not weigh as much as when they were first penned np. The tur key pines tor associates; with them It is "liberty or death," New York Sua. Scratchings in the Poultry Yard GREEN FEED. IT has always been troublesome as well as expensive to secure a suf ficient quantity of green feed for fowls. Green feed is necessary to pro mote the health of the birds and keep them in the best condition. To try to get eggs during the Winter months without some form of. green food or vegetable would be like maintaining your work horses without feeding them hay. Both would soon lose their vitality through digestive disturbances and be unable to do their work propertly, which In a hen is to produce eggs. To purchase cabbage or some other vegetable and store it over Winter requires space and also qnlte an out lay. So the next best thing is to sprout oats for the Winter layers, and wheat or rye for the chicks in Spring or Summer. The oats can be sprouted in your cellar. Coloring Plumage. In the showroom the demand is for pure white plumage, free from brasslness or creaminess. This ex plains why some fanciers are so par ticular about protecting their birds from sunburn and also why certain of them are seemingly foolish In the matter of the ration used. A friend of the writer noted throughout America for his ability to produce winning White Rocks and Wuite Wyandottes is most decided in the belief that yellow corn Imparts a creamy tint to the plumage, and his flock receives only white corn. New Tork Press. Utility vs. Fancy. The utility va. fancy bug seems to be getting some of the Bo-called utility advocates. Utility Is surely the first thing to consider in any fowl that a profit Is to be derived from. But those claiming it Is Im possible for a fowl to have fine shape and plumage and at the same time be a good utility fowl have no founda tion in the face of the Missouri State laying contest, and hundreds of trap nest users who are high-grade breed ers. New York Herald. KEEPING UP VIGOR. BREEDERS that have tie strongest stock will never use for any breeding a fowl that has at any time been sick. It Is the one safe way to keep the vigor of the flock up. In the care of fowls during the Fall nothing is more Important than this question of placing the fowls in healthy condition in Oie Winter quar ters, that are properly ventilated and kept clean, and the proper floor space given to each flock. In the majority of cases too many fowls are housed together. From three to three and a half square feet floor space is not too much for the lighter- breeds, while the heavier breeds should have from four to five. Many poultry-keepers have good re sults with-less floor space to each fowl, but to the beginner plenty of room will be safest. Feeding Methods. Simple feeding methodB pay best, and simple feed rations fit best Into work of the farm. None of us would care to go back to the wet, mashes of some yeacs ago, which involve the labor of daily mixing and feeding, I depend on the hopper plan of feeding, supplying all the ground grains and part of the scratch feed In this way. On the farm, with its many cares and duties, to adopt hop per feeding is to bring the labor cost down to the lowest limit of safety. One of the simplest and best dry mash hoppers which I have ever used is made of an ordinary box, say 16 Inches square and five inches deep. A lath frame, covered with two-inch mesh wire netting, fits loosely in this, resting directly on the mash. As the feed is eaten this frame drops down, permitting the birds to help themselves, but preventing them from wasting the material by scratching It out Baltimore American. Winter Precautions. Before placing the fowls in the "Winter quarters the poultry building should be thoroughly cleaned and well dried, for at this time of year, with the many sudden weather changes, a dry house is essential. Fall colds, ehickenpox, etc., are checks to egg broduction, and the effect is" more lasting than most poultry-keepers credit. Colds can be avoided by well ventilated poultry quarters and plenty of houseroom. Overcrowded quarters, especially In the Fall and early Winter, are the cause of many colds, often leading into roup, if not promptly checked. Chickenpox or sorehead, if appearing in the flock, should be promptly stamped out. It can only be success fully coped with by removing at once all fowls that show symptoms of the pox and treating separately. To try to effect a cure by placing medicine in the drinking water, al lowing the sick fowls to mingle with those that are well, la folly. Every sick fowl should be removed from the rest of the flock at once. It is sel dom that any illness will attack a flock well raised and managed, and It is wise to keep any fowls that have been ill in a house by themselves un til disposed of. Philadelphia Record. Fattening Turkeys. Different methods are used in fattening turkeys, but the ma jority of grewers prefer 2-yrar-old corn. Where there is not a very large supply of old corn it is safe to make an equal mixture of both old CD C IT" TO ISTHODrCR r IX. Hi OI K Gl'AHAiVTEHD COFFEES we will give you your choice of a glass measuring creamer, a household necessity that ought to be in every kitch en, or a pair of aluminum salt and pepper shakers In a holly box, or one Wm. Rogers ft Son silver- plated tea spoon, FREE, with Five Pound Arcadia 35c Coffee, tlAi, Ot FfTe Ponntla PitHflco 33e Coffee, S1.34, Parcel Post Charges Prepaid. ffattafnetfon Guaran teed or Year Money BefBDded. PacificCoast Coffee Co. A. P. Farinl, Mar. S3 Fifth Street, Portland, Or. Blooded Poultry Stock Distributed to Farmers THE experiment station of West Virginia announces for. the sec ond time the distribution of White Leghorn cockerels from experiment station farm flocks. These birds are selected from heavy laying strains and are worth several times the pur chase price, yet they may be had for virtually the cost of crating and ship ping. The applicants for birds must be farmers living on farms In the state. AH those who secure these cockerels must agree to keep no other male birds with their heps for two yearF unless the hens are penned separatel' during the breeding season. Fifty cent is the price asked for these cockerels and it must accompany the order. This just covers the cost of crating and delivering to the express agent The express on the birds must be paid by the farmers to whom they 8re sent Not more than three cock erels will be given to any one farmer and the purchasers of cockerels from the experiment station last year are not eligible to receive them this year. These few suggestions and regula tions with regard to the distribution of blooded cockerels are worthy of comment, because it shows that the people of West Virginia are alive to the possibilities of improving the flocks that are now on the farms of the state. It is doubtful if one-tenth of the farmers of this country, and this is true of the Southern states as well as any others, realize the possibilities of their poultry. It is doubtful If these people manage their flocks in a way that would make It possible for them to realize anything like the degree of profit which should naturally be theirs. This does not mean that they should have more expensive or better equipment or more fancy houses, but it does mean they must give the poul try tetter and more common sense care. The dairy cow and the hen go splendidly togeOier. The former is a constant source of income, while the latter uses the by-product for the greatest profit If handled with fair Intelligence and given half a show, the hen will make a splendid little side line week in and week out throughout the entire year. Fruit growers of Keesllng, Wash ington, in thoir local association, have declared themselves in favor of pooling the entire fruit crop of the Spokane district as a marketing measure that will lead to greater uni formity in price aud Insure agaiusl loss to individuals. Don't buy your Seeds before getting our Catalogue of TESTED SEEDS It is frill of information of bow, when and what to plant. Everything for your garden, Seeds, Trees, Plants, Roots, Bee Supplies, Model Ine u b a t o r s, Spray and Spray Pumps, Tools, etc., etc. Send Today for Catalogue A Aabliiig & Ebright Seed Co. 89 Pike St., Seattle Bp FACTORY PRICES on Building Materials. tve-cross I'anei l'oors i illustrated), SI. 00 5end for our Free Cata logue; lowest net prices an everything in build-, ngr. VV make prompt shipments everywhere. BOOK OP BI II.IM.NO PLAN'S ontaJning 108 rn o d e r-itely-priced homes with estimated cost. ent postpaid tor 15c. P. A. ROVIG CO., 1130 Wesitern Avenue Seattle, Waah. Our Baby Chick Hatchery will start January 1. Place yoor order now for chicks from high-bred WHIT 12 LEGHORN egg-producer. Some of our bird:; have & record of 280 6g?s. Catalogue and prices on application. iFWlCHTllftMO Vi jttt. Copper Tank. Sell RtvuUtirv. i hick Nuntr faran lam, tnttd ihanrnnwicr. beat fRtt -Ti.l tDMtractitM mi ikrtt wilfa iMmi with uhntrat GUARANTEED U- So Mmpb thai anvboJi caft pake atf hauhaa. Get ear ntjtocv axi k Mcrna par St HtUnt Incubator Co Toledo, Washington Short's Peerless Anconas Season We breed for Winter SKBi nnd prize-winners. Order hatch ing ggs and baby chicks now and get them when wanted. 100 Breeding Cockerels, $S to 19. Write for de scriptive catalogue. It's l-'ltHK. SHOUT'S ASCONA YARDS, 3017 U Smith Ave., Everett, Vaah Df iCV LOSSES SURELY PREVENTED til A I K w BlHkltg Pill. Low LflVnVll pleed. tresh. relreMe: imtorred bj Weslert stctanen because they are m teet where ether vaccines tain I i, Write (ur booklet will tiwlmnnlnla, I IB 10-oote pkse. Blacklea. Pi 111 l.0O jLataWVa -lM Okie. Blaeklee PIIU 4.00 Vse any Injector, but Cutter's best Tito superiority of Cutter products 1s due to over ll pear of srwleltriTtg n vaeeinat aad leruaii only, Insist aa Cutter's. It i.nolitaliialde. order direct. THE CUTTER LABORATORY, Berkeley, California ASK your friends to buy their Railroad Tickets to Cali fornia, via the Pacifc Northwest.