Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 101, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 April 1914 — Page 3

WOMEN AS MANAGERS or POULTRY FACTS

by MRS. B.F. WILCOXON

JHA HE successful management of a poultry farm depends / primarily upprf the natuI • ral taste for the business sufficient to embrace a love for as well as an interest in fowls. The wornan who BUCCeeds most ]/ Yr have a capacity to manage • details —ability to direct hired help if such is necessary. She must have power to understand the market and good judgment In regard to of the dis- . ferent breeds. There are many notable examples of women who have sue•ceeded with poultry raising. I know many who are good fanciers, many good commercial poultry raisers and

they are all energetic. They know how to push aside the difficulties that arise in the poultry business. During a trip I •once took I visited a real poultry, farm where a woman was hired on a monthly salary for taking charge and performing all the lab o r connected with the farm. I

WILJJL Iftl JLU* A know many who have large turkey farms, many own large duck farms. Ducks have come to stay and the breeder who gives them special atten- ’ tion will realize a good profit from them. There are great possibilities in etore for duck raisers. Poultry farming is a hobby of mine. I know it to be one of' the healthiest outdoor occupations that woman can enter. Women perhaps need hobbies even more than men do; their lives are more circumscribed. Womtm is often held at home by a thousand ties which she would not loosen if she' could and could not if she would. her have a hobby, then, which will direct her thoughts from her small cares. Some time ago a man said to me, ■"Chicken raising is nothing but a fad.” Even so; it does one* good to have a hobby to ride if they only get there. It will pay to ride a safe hobby and there is nothing more profitable than the “fancy fowl fad?’ Did you ever attend a poultry show and notice how many exhibitors there are? There is just as good a chance for a woman to win a prize on her poultry as men. It’s simply a matter of knowing how. A great many women when they want to increase their income juet add to the number of their flock, and If you want to sell out your stock you can do so any time of the year. The hungry public buys our poultry products greedily and at any time. A great many have a taste for country life and natural capacity for the management of a farm; with poultry raising the raising of fruit can be combined profitably. Who is adapted? The woman who may become a good manager of a household has the Qualities which insure success ae poultry raisers and women would not be poultry raisers if they did not have a strong taste in that direction. If she is endowed with that taste all else follow's naturally. If we care for poultry we liket to see it. and this trains the eye to recognize types and to estimate a correct value from it;, it enables one to detect the conditions which in the beginning may make the difference between success and failure. A prime requisite with poultry is that it be kept The sympathetic nature in woman leads her to provide for comfort. Her care for. appearance has real value in the market, which is the final test of her ability tb produce. It is in this place where we differ from women in all other callings. We are not handicapped by our sex. ■We have never had a discount proposed because poultry was owned by women, while on the other hand, no’ matter how well we teach, clerk,’ etc., we find v an inevitable discrimination against us in the pay offered our ability in those lines. Poultry farming affords a profitable outlet for intelligence and energy with Independence. If we are fitted for this work we will find a perpetual charm in poultry farming. It also gives us an opportunity to maintain a home where others may find refuge. There, is no mdnotony in such a life. We have the poultry papers, the fairs and shows —these keep the and the interests engaged. The woman engaged in it finds the business of poultry raising projected on such a generous scale that she has htrfpar of others in the same businessi Then, too, the poultry farmer is her own boss. Poultry farming has many features which would appeal to wotnan. She is mistress of the situation. The business is hers. Don’t be an amateur in the work. Spend all your ability in becoming a professional. If the women who half starve trying to teach, clerk, etc., .would only employ their time raising poultry for the market they would make fortunes. If nine-tenths of the actresses would put as much time and on the characteristics of a hen as they do studying Lady Macbeth

they would be walking on velvet instead of beating the hard pavements looking for a job. If nature intended you to do this work, do it. A successful foundation with poultry is .first made by going into details in regard to the little things that in the beginning seem to be so insignificant. Women have greater aptitude than men. The present-day farmer is the man of the hour (man or woman), who has already made a success in cattle and hog raising. You will not find a practical farmer who has already made' a success, fail if he or she undertakes poultry. Why? ■ Because they go about it on businesslike principles with no thought of failure. There is nothing about poultry farming but what can be learned by any bright woman and there is no part of the work woman cannot do if she is so minded. I see women in poor health reaping a good harvest both physically and financially in the poultry business, and I wonder why more women do not indulge in this health-giving business. Often women are left companionless on the farm. Why not try poultry raising instead of moving to the city to find something 'to do to eke out a. mere existence? They writ® me, "What branch of the poultry business shall I take up?” You will have to decide for yourself; as so much depends upon the location, ,the demand, the market, etc. Business methods will pay. Profit or loss can be known only by good bookkeeping. We cannot overestimate the-Importance of keeping records of our hens. Upon these records depends the success or failure of our business. Under present conditions with tfie Increased cost of everything which enters into the production of a dozen eggs comes the necessity for’ the application of stricter methods of economy and a closer attention to every detail. We must get out of the old ruts and open an account with the hens, giving them credit for what they produce and charging them with what they consume. But some one says, ’That is too much work! We cannot afford to spend the time keeping these accounts!” I dare say some of you yill find some surprises awaiting you when you begin keeping an account

A Fine Flock of PlymouthRocks—Some Young Ducklings—Trap Nests—Simple Feeding and DrinkingDevices—White Wyandottes.

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

to pay for feed, care, interest on the necessary investments and some profit besides. The cost of keeping a hen will vary according to locality and cost of feed and labor. In a great many localities the laying hen is receiving her share of attention. For a great many years in the past she has been a side issue. Very few have realized’the Importance of the laying hen and the prominent position she te filling in the agricultural affairs of the United States. With the land increasing in value rapidly the farmer is now beginning to wonder how he can make the greatest amount of profit and interest on the amount Invested. By this I do not advocate the farmer turning his entire attention to poultry, but just a hint to the farmers’ wives and

A Fine Healthy Flock of White Wyandottes.

Vacation of English Judge.

The judges who are to have their holidays curtailed may look back with a sigh to the good old times of a century ago. The four law terms into which the year was divided lasted only a few weeks each, while the long vacation was of three months’ duration. Then there were a liberal number of royal' birthdays and saints' days which furnished an excuse for a holiday. But against this the courts opened punctually at 16 every morn-

Mrs. Wilcoxon and Her Flock of Chickens.

daughters who have to go away from home to find something profitable tb do for spending money. You can more than earn spending money at home by raising poultry with 300 hens, the profits from which would assure you a larger income than the factory hand and not so many hours’ work per day and this mostly in the open air. You would be in no danger of "losing your job,” for the hens are capable of producing from 200 to 250 eggs per each year. Good, pure-bred stock is one of the. features for the most rapid improvement. Too many do not give enough thought to the breeding side, and even the matter of production receives but little attention. On undertaking any enterprise in whatever line it is extremely necessary to consider if what we are doing is to result in success.

of your flock. The hen owner has, by the use of the trap nest, determined the egg - production ability of the hens and has taken the first step in discovering the difference between a profitable hen and an unprofitable one. The question often arises “What is a profitable hen?” The only direct answer must of necessity be a general one. A profitable hen may be defined as one that will produce enough

First, determine the breed desired. I would strongly urge the necessity of choosing at the outset one of the best breeds and sticking to it If rightly managed a flock of 300 hens will bring in not less than |SOO a year. I have read of some making |SOO with only six hens and a cockerel. These persons receive fancy prices for their products. lam just talking about the ordinary prices that the majority of farmers obtain. Let me tell you that this cannot be done -with scrub stock. This is where the mongrel fails and the pure-bred wins. A farm full of laying hens is a great help because they are a dally cash income. About the first step to make is to go right out to the hen house. Don’t figure on paper. Sit right down among them and see if you can find wherein you can make improvements for this season’s work. You can make money with poultry if you love the chickens and start out with the intention that you are going to make a living at the business and if you are not afraid to work and will apply yourselves to the task of looking after and caring for the fowls.

Ing, and never took a half holiday on Saturday, and sat after dinner, sometimes well into the night—-a remarkar ble feat when we remember that lawyers of M>e period were nearly all “throe or six bottle men.’’—London Chronicle.

Firmness of purpose is one of the most necessary sinews of character and one of the best instruments Of success.—Chesterfield.

Firmness of Purpose.

FABLES FOR THE FAIR

THE WOMAN WHO PLAYED “CYRANO” i There was once a Woman who was very Plain. She was also CleverJ ' She had a Friend who was Far from being Either.- Her Triend was much Interested in a Brilliant Man who was an Author. The Author begged to Correspond with her, but she Knew that he would Not Care to Keep it Up long, because she could Not write Clever Letters, nor Understands ' them, for that matter. “I will Write them For You,” said the Plain Woman. “I think it! would Be Amusing, and I should Like to be Amused.” “Oh, How Kind you Are!” said her Friend, Gratefully. The Woman had read “Cyrano,” and so she Knew how These Thing* rfj Worked. She Wrote many Letters, and also Taught her Friend to Play Up to| S|| them Subsequently in Conversation. Finally the Author Got to the Point! where he, as it were, Offered to Share his Desk with her. “It is now Time for a Coup dTtat,” said the Woman. “You must* Tell him the Truth, and Let him See Who it is that he Really Loves.”' Her Friend was Frightened, and when the Author came Again she' Confessed. “You have been Laboring Under a Delusion,” she said. “I Cannot!

"DO YOU IMAGINE A MAN MARRIES A PORTFOLIO?”

tell a Lie, because you would Certainly Find me Oht later. She wrote them?’ “Who ? That Thin One ?” said the Author, in Surprise. “You don’t Say so!” “Shall I Call her Down?” said the Friend, sadly. * “Not by a Great Deal!” said the Author, Decidedly. “Why do wo .-8 Want her?” “Why!” exclaimed the Friend, “Don’t you want to Marry her?” “You Precious little Idiot!” said the Author. “Do you Imagine that A Man Marries a Portfolio? Now don’t Cry, or you’ll make your Lovely Eyes ah Bed.” ' . This teaches us that All the World’s Not the Stage.

THE WOMAN WHO TALKED WELL

There was once a Woman who had Remarkable Conversational Power*. Her Friends admired her Very Much. Once they Planned a Dinner Party in her Honor. To this Party they Invited a Man who was what is known as The Life of the Occasion. He was One of Those People who Set tha Table in a Boar. The Hostess had Planned for him to Take Out tha Woman of the Conversational Powers. To her Surprise, he Refused. Politely but Forcibly, to do this. “Why, I Thought you would Enjoy each other So Much!” said tha ? Hostess. “She is such a Fascinating Talker—so Brilliant! You, of All People, would Appreciate Her.” “On the Contrary,” said the Man who could Set the Table in a Roar. “Far From IL That Woman Irritates me Beyond Endurance, Every

ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO SET THE TABLE IN A ROAR.

Time I Open my Mouth, she knows What I am Going to Say beforehand, and More than That, she Talks All the Time herself. I am Sorry to Disoblige you, but you must Give me Somebody Else.” , y “Here is a List of the Ladies,” said the Hostess. “Take your Choice.” “I will take This One,” said he, “for she Stutters.” , # 1 Thia teanhes us that Birds of, a Feather occasionally Prefer to Flock! Apart.

Strathcona’s Tie to Scotland.

Among the vast possessions of the late Lord Strathcona must be counted the little Idland of Colonsay, one of the fragments of the shattered west coast of Scotland. The snug island is the first haven which the storm-tossed voyager reaches after he leaves the shadow of the Mull of Kintyre and crosses the open sea past the terrible Torrans rocks. S. , . _' . ' r , _ 1 _

Queer Hats of Soldiers.

Korean soldiers wear black or brown Mt hats decorated with red horsehair of peacock feathers, and hanging from the sides, over the ears and around their necks, are oval balls of porcelain, amber and a queer kind of gum.

JOSEPHINE DODGE DASKAM

The normal man is the one who succeeds in lite. He must have imagination and courage, endurance and industry; the power to concentrate as well as intelligence. But first of all he must be normal, moderate in hia habits, careful of his health, careful of his digestion and of his nerves.

The total area of the Dominion nd Canada is only 237,000 square miles lees than the whole continent Borope. In other words, If the state of Texas were added to the Dominion it would be 30,000 square miles large* than aU Europe, Qmt Britain and Ireland. a* - >*■'

Normality the Essential.

Canada and Europe.