Farm and Garden.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 440, 1 September 1904, Page 2

Farm and Garden.

ORIGINAL ARTICLES. JO TELL THE AGE OF POULTRY. THERE aro certain characteristics in connection with poultry hy means of which, it is said, that the ago of poultry may be known. In the case of young birds, the skin of the claw is supple and the scales thin and brilliant. In older birds, the skin is coarse and strong, and the nail of the last toe is very much worn. Further, in the case of young poultry, the down underneath the wings is long, soft and distributed over the surface of the skin, with a great deal of regularity; also upon the skin, which is delicate and rose coloured, little bluo veins are discernible. A bird more than one year old has no down, nor are the small veins perceptible under the skin, which becomes dry, devoid of lustre and recalls the appearance of flour. For pullets that have not yet commenced to lay, the bones of the pelvic, or basin, almost touch; in the case of fowls that have commenced to lay, tho bones in question aro very far apart. Besides, old poultry, whether cocks or hens, have the eyelids wrinkled and tho look on the face a little shrivelled. These indications arc very plain with respect to old birds. A certain professor was ablo to fix very accurately tho age of cocks by the dimension of their spurs. Thus in tho matter of common breeds, the place of the spur is simply indicated by a scale larger than the others. -Between four and a half and five months the scale seems to bend a little, while forming a light point in tho centre. At seven months the spur is three millimeters long ; at twelve months it is fifteen millimeters and very straight; at two years it is twenty-five to twenty-seven millimeters, the spur displaying at the same time a slight curve ; at three years the length is thirty-six to thirty-eight millimeters, and tho bend is clearly upward ; at four years the spur is fifty to fifty-four millimeters ; while at five years old sixtytwo to sixty-five millimeters long. With such races as the Dorkings and Houdans that have five toes the spur is situated higher up. With the Cochin-Ohmas and Brahmas, which have feathered feet, the spurs are shorter, more bulky and not pointed, and at three years of age arc not more than twenty to twenty-seven millimeters long.

PREPARING HOGS FOR MARKET

It is said that the proper time to feed hogs is about seven o'clock a.m. and halfpast two o'clock p.m., with a little corn at noon, and give them all the swill that they will eat up clean. The best way to accomlish that -is to stand by them until they begin to leave the trough. An experienced feeder can easily tell whether the pigs arc going to dispose of any extra feed. If the demand is fqr a pig of from.one hundred and fifty to two hundred pounds, then commence to feed the fattening ration at five months old ; and it is very desirable to have an acre or more of clover to turn them into. A level trough on a platform about sixty feet long is.necessary for pigs about that age. Use the best quality of corn and oats in equal parts ground, and if quite a little lean is wanted with the fat, mix in a bushel of best Avheat bran and pollard for every two bushels of the corn and oats mixture ; also a half bushel of barley meal; add to that for making the mess more tasty and palatable about half a pound of fresh ground beef scraps to each animal. Cook all of that well, and add some milk to help the taste and fermentation, Any little thing that can be added that cannot affect the quality of the meat, but which may tempt the appetite to consume moresuch as a few apples, ears of sweet corn and the like—will help very much. Use any method of feeding that will be the means of encouraging the pigs to consume the most—keep constantly in mind that all the profit there is, anyway, k in getting them to consume all they will. If they will readily eat a half pint of corn to each pig at noon, let them have it, and as they grow older increase the amount. At six months old such pigs will realise the highest prices. The value of such a lot of pigs , must depend upon cost of feed, in different localities, and the qualifications of the man to obtain the greatest gain from what he has to use; but one may reckon on getting seventy-five per cent, on the outlay, provided the conditions are favorable from beginning to end. If the pigs cannot be pastured they can be kept in pens, ten pigs in a pen, and each should be twelve by fourteen feet -in size. These penned animals should have a supply of green food, waste from the garden and the like,