ute will order all that the establishment has to dispose of. The high-pressure mode of feeding and turning off while yet young, is then the 264 POULTRY. true policy. The point is, there is a certain consumption of food to enable an animal to keep alive. The ordinary vital operation, aside from laying or increase of size, demand force, obtained through food — which is money — and we should aim to support only such fowls as are all the while giving returns in either growth or eggs. The long period of moulting and recovering from its consequent exhaustion, costs, as does the maintenance of the vital fires during the cold of winter. It is a matter of quick balancing of profits and expenses with animals, which, like fowls, consume the value of their bodies in about six months. If it is urged that the stimulating diet and unnatural prolificness will subject the stock to disease, the reply is that the regimen is not continued more than six or eight months, and in that time evil effects will not ordinarily follow, for the birds are allowed freedom, sun, and air, and special provision is made for daily exercise. As none of the fowls to which this forcing system is applied leave descendants, no evil effects are accumulated and entailed upon the stock. The layers are from the eggs of fowls that have not been sub- jected to any such pressure, and during the period of their principal growth they have been given a nutritious but not especially stimulating food — like a colt at pasture. When they arrive at the laying age, they are kept like the horse — broken to work, and put to constant and severe labor, and fed as high as he will bear. Fowls and Sitters. — The sitters are of a breed chosen for persistence and regularity in incubation, fidelity to their chick- ens, and gentleness of disposition. The Light Brahmas can not be excelled for hatching and rearing. Pure bloods, how- ever, are not used; but to give less awkwardness and greater spread of wings, they are crossed with snow-white barn-yard fowls. The half-bloods resemble the Brahmas the most in form and other characteristics, and are almost uniformly docile. The half-blood Brahmas are extremely valuable for hatching and taking care of chickens. The results of the labors of poultry fanciers in producing two such breeds as the White Leghorns and Light Brahmas are enough to compensate for all the humbug practiced by many members of the guild. The sitters are not kept at detached stations like the layers, for POULTRY. 265 several reasons. One is, they should all be near together, be- cause of the great amount of attendance necessary in connec- tion with hatching. Then the buildings should be large enough for the keeper to enter, in order to take care of the nests and chickens, but the size of the structure and the risk of jaring eggs will prevent moving. Nor can the system of indirect feed- ing and no yards be pursued, for the sitters should be fed at the attendant's feet, and tamed so as to submit quietly to the handling they receive while hatching and rearing. Their yards are sufficiently large to admit of exercise, and for the same reason their dry grain is buried in the ground or under straw.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

ute will order all that the establishment has to dispose of. The high-pressure mode of feeding and turning off while yet young, is then the true policy. The point is, there is a certain consumption of food to enable an animal to keep alive. The ordinary vital operation, aside from laying or increase of size, demand force, obtained through food — which is money — and we should aim to support only such fowls as are all the while giving returns in either growth or eggs. The long period of moulting and recovering from its consequent exhaustion, costs, as does the maintenance of the vital fires during the cold of winter. It is a matter of quick balancing of profits and expenses with animals, which, like fowls, consume the value of their bodies in about six months. If it is urged that the stimulating diet and unnatural prolificness will subject the stock to disease, the reply is that the regimen is not continued more than six or eight months, and in that time evil effects will not ordinarily follow, for the birds are allowed freedom, sun, and air, and special provision is made for daily exercise. As none of the fowls to which this forcing system is applied leave descendants, no evil effects are accumulated and entailed upon the stock. The layers are from the eggs of fowls that have not been subjected to any such pressure, and during the period of their principal growth they have been given a nutritious but not especially stimulating food — like a colt at pasture. When they arrive at the laying age, they are kept like the horse — broken to work, and put to constant and severe labor, and fed as high as he will bear. Fowls and Sitters. — The sitters are of a breed chosen for persistence and regularity in incubation, fidelity to their chickens, and gentleness of disposition. The Light Brahmas can not be excelled for hatching and rearing. Pure bloods, however, are not used; but to give less awkwardness and greater spread of wings, they are crossed with snow-white barn-yard fowls. The half-bloods resemble the Brahmas the most in form and other characteristics, and are almost uniformly docile. The half-blood Brahmas are extremely valuable for hatching and taking care of chickens. The results of the labors of poultry fanciers in producing two such breeds as the White Leghorns and Light Brahmas are enough to compensate for all the humbug practiced by many members of the guild. The sitters are not kept at detached stations like the layers, for several reasons. One is, they should all be near together, because of the great amount of attendance necessary in connection with hatching. Then the buildings should be large enough for the keeper to enter, in order to take care of the nests and chickens, but the size of the structure and the risk of jaring eggs will prevent moving. Nor can the system of indirect feeding and no yards be pursued, for the sitters should be fed at the attendant's feet, and tamed so as to submit quietly to the handling they receive while hatching and rearing. Their yards are sufficiently large to admit of exercise, and for the same reason their dry grain is buried in the ground or under straw.

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