1 EDWARD VII., A. 1901 4. The same quantity of rations which will make pullets lay well if fed to the hens of the heavy breeds will make the latter so fat as to mitigate against a profitable egg yield. 5. May hatched pullets (of Rocks and Wyandottes particularly) make the most satisfactory layers, for the reason that after commencing to lay, five or six months after hatching, they are likely to continue so doing during the winter season. Earlier hatched pullets are apt to moult and if they do so are not likely to begin laying again until their moult is over, which is likely to cause a cessation of egg-laying at a time when eggs are most wanted. 6. That variety in the composition, manner and time of feeding the daily rations, combined with exercise, will not only result in a more satisfactory egg yield, but will prevent egg-eating and feather-pulling, two very pernicious vices. 7. That the greatest egg yield can be obtained in a building with a comfortable temperature rather than in a cold one. In the latter a greater quantity of food is required to produce the same results. 8. That fowls do best in small colonies of twenty-five birds in each, with not less than six square feet floor space to each fowl. A WARNING NOTE IN CONNECTION WITH SHIPMENTS. I beg to call your attention to the following note which was handed to me at a meeting held at Cobourg in January last. It may be of use to farmers who bring turkeys to sell for export and to shippers as to the care necessary in the selection of birds of first-class quality and then packing them, in such a manner as to secure their arrival in the English market in the very best condition. COBOURG, ONT., Jan. 28, 1901. DEAR SIR,-Having just received report on poultry shipment to Europe during the season recently closed, I think it desirable that all those interested in that branch of trade should know results and whether they have been successful or otherwise. I regret to say that quite a large number of consignments did not show a profit, and what I would like to call attention to, are some of the causes which brought about unsatisfactory_results. ers. In the early part of the season large orders were placed with the exporters on this side and sales were made showing a fair profit on the basis of buying from the producers at certain figures and all went well until goods arrived at the other end, when on examination the quality was not up to expectation, and those who made drafts against shipments had them returned with the statement that a large proportion of the birds was of inferior quality and consequently the contract was off. In all such cases poultry was sold on commission, and in every case showed a considerable loss to export, Now, the main cause is that producers do not feed properly and it is an exception where good plump well-fattened birds are brought in. In my judgment, and from what information I can secure, I believe that from 25 to 50 per cent of poultry sent forward are of inferior quality and will bring disaster to shippers. A No. 1 article will bring almost fabulous prices, while an inferior one will go begging for takers. The contrast in this respect seems to be greater in poultry than in other trades. While the packing and transportation facilities have undoubtedly a great deal to do with success or failure, yet we shippers must have a good article to begin with in order to bring about desired results. If poultry raisers would begin feeding and fitting for market earlier in the season and deliver nothing but good plump birds we would be sure of satisfactory results all round. Yours very truly, P. J. CAREY. In connection with poultry management I would like to ask your permission for the republication of the formula for the extermination of disease germs and lice given to me by Prof. Shutt and also of his recipe for lime water liquid, as an egg preservative. Both formulas have been given in my evidence of previous years. There has been a great demand for both, hence my request. I may say that there is a very great demand for copies of my reports and of evidence before your Committee. I may say, as showing the great demand for information on poultry keeping there are no reports of the poultry department in small pamphlet form or of my evidence remaining, and there are APPENDIX No. 1 very few of the larger blue books containing reports of certain years. Requests from secretaries of Farmers' Institutes are also frequently made. On this occasion I have gone over many points in connection with successful poultry keeping, so that through your Committee they may be given to the farmers of the country. From South Ontario, where I was attending a series of meetings recently, and where I met bright and interested audiences there are many requests for poultry literature. By Mr. Erb: Q. Just a moment, the answers you have given to inquiries are based on your own experience? A. Yes sir. Q. Well, I noticed that in replying to a question as to the proper way of constructing a poultry house that you said there should be a square window at the south side? A. Yes, not too far from the ground, so as to admit of as much sunshine as possible. Q. Do you get better results from a square window than from any other shape? A. No sir, but it is more easily made. By Mr. Robinson (West Elgin): Q. How many copies of your report do you think ought to be printed? A. I could not say. I think the Committee of three years ago ordered 25,000 copies of the evidence of that year. Q. And you say they are all gone? A. Yes. Q. The evidence you have just given is very satisfactory. I think we ought to have as many copies of it as we can possibly get. By Mr. Ross (Ontario): Q. Have you had any experience in the raising of capons? A. No, but we have done experimental work in connection with the fattening of chickens that goes to show that there is no great necessity for them. Q. It is said that the flesh of the capon is very much superior? A. So it is, but capons take a long time and costs a great deal more to perfect than the ordinary Rock or Wyandotte and the market is comparatively limited. Q. The French deal very extensively in them? A. Yes, and they produce a superior article which is in demand on the large London market. Q. It would not pay here very well? A. No, sir, that is a department of poultry raising that is not yet developed in this country. We have not practised caponizing for that reason. LIME WATER PRESERVATIVE. The following is the recipe by Prof. Shutt for the lime water solution which was found so successful in our experiments of 1899-1900, as an egg preservative, and which I have stated was published in my evidence of last year. The recipe is :-Three or four pounds of good fresh lime in five gallons of water, stirring well at intervals for a few hours, and then allowed to settle. The clear water may then be poured over the eggs, which have been previously placed in a crock, or water tight barrel. Mr. Shutt says that the addition of salt, which is sometimes recommended, is not necessary, indeed it might lead to the imparting of a limy flavour to the egg. The following two conditions are all important, in the successful keeping of eggs, by any means. 1 EDWARD VII., A. 1901 1. That none but strictly fresh eggs are put in the preservative. 2. That the eggs shall be covered with the fluid, so as to prevent evaporation and consequent shrinkage. DISEASE GERM AND LICE EXTERMINATOR. Complaints of lice infested fowls and poultry houses are frequent, and are doubtless the sources of annoyance and loss to many farmers and poultry keepers throughout the country. The following is a case in point. In the fall of 1898, a farmer of King's, Nova Scotia, wrote that for two years past his hen house has been infested with a white louse or spider which it seems impossible to exterminate. The insect is very minute and is found in great numbers in every part of the house. They seem to hurt the hens, which do not lay, look pale in their combs, and are light in weight. Death has occurred in some cases. A reply was made that the trouble was doubtless red mites, which when they make lodgment, swarm in cracks and crevices of the woodwork of roost, platform and walls of the house. They do their work at night when they get, in great numbers, on to the flesh of the fowls and suck their life blood. Hens are weakened, become emaciated and do not lay. In some instances death follows. The remedy advised was to place the fowls in temporary quarters and then to remove all portable woodwork, old nests and contents, roost, &c., and to burn them. Then use the following solution, given me by Prof. Shutt : : Take corrosive sublimate, 4 oz., and common salt, 4 oz. ; dissolve in two to four quarts of water. When completely dissolved dilute to 25 gallons. With this solution every crevice, nook and corner of the house was to be carefully sprayed. Care was advised in the handling of the solution as it is highly poisonous. It would not only be found a sure way of getting rid of the mites but of all disease germs. A thorough whitewashing was then advised, as was also the removal of any lice that might be on the hens, before returning the hens again to their quarters. The same remedy recommended, in a similar case but in different part of the country was said to have been as successful as could be desired. EXPERIMENTS IN THE PRESERVATION OF EGGS. The following interesting results of experiments in the preservation of eggs by Mr. F. T. Shutt, Chemist to the Experimental Farms, is a continuation of the work begun by him three years ago. Full details of investigation, up to that period, are given in the report of the poultry department of last year, beginning at page 223. The results as given in last year's report, have been widely copied and are yet the subject of much inquiry: THE PRESERVATION OF EGGS. OTTAWA, December 29, 1900. In the report for 1899 (page 223 et seq.) will be found a record of the results obtained, in two series of the experiments with certain solutions as egg preservatives. The preservatives employed were saturated lime water, lime water plus 10 per cent of common salt, 10 per cent solution of water glass (sodium silicate), 5 per cent glycerine, and distilled water. The coating of the eggs with paraffin was also tried. After a careful examination of the eggs, including poaching, we concluded that saturated lime water gave by far the best results. During the past year we have repeated several of the above mentioned trials and also tested the efficacy of certain other methods for egg preservation that have received attention from time to time in the press. The experiment was begun on June 5 and the eggs examined on December 10. Three eggs from each experiment were poached. APPENDIX No. 1 Briefly stated, our results are as follows: A. Eggs immersed continually in saturated lime water. Outward appearance, excellent; yolks, non-adherent, of good colour and fairly globular; albumin, somewhat more limpid than in fresh eggs and slightly discoloured; a very slight stale' odour; air space, normal; poached eggs free from all objectionable taste and of good appearance. B. Eggs first sineared with vaseline and immersed continuously in lime water. Externally, somewhat darker than the foregoing and rather greasy; yolk, globular and of good colour; albumin a very faint yellowish tint and somewhat limpid; a very slight stale' odour; air space, normal; poached egg very similar to that in 'A.' C. Eggs continuously immersed in 2 per cent silicate of soda. External appearance good and very similar to that of eggs in lime water; yolk, globular and of good colour; albumin, but very slightly discoloured, almost normal; marked odour of a soapy' character which is further developed in poaching; air space normal; poached egg, of very good appearance, but with faint 'stale flavour. D. Eggs continuously immersed in solution of 5 per cent of gum arabic and 1 per cent formalin. Outward appearance, inferior to those in foregoing tests; yolks, attached to shell; albumin, decidedly discoloured; odour, not marked; air space, normal; appearance of broken egg much inferior to those in preceding test; developing marked flavour on poaching. E. Eggs continuously immersed in 5 per cent gum arabic plus 5 per cent salicylic acid. Preservative solution quite mouldy and with a very bad smell. Egg shells quite soft. The broken egg, though not unsightly, had a most nauseating odour and was quite unfit for food. F. Eggs continuously immersed in 5 per cent dextrin plus 5 per cent salicylic acid. Preservative solution very mouldy and smelling badly. Egg shells soft, and contents unfit for food. G. Eggs dipped momentarily in dilute sulphuric acid, then washed and stored in a large bottle. All exceedingly bad; contents very offensive. H. Eggs dipped momentarily in sulphuric acid, washed and dipped in alkaline ammonium oxalate, then stored in large bottle. All the eggs very bad and contents offensive. These experiments corroborate many of the results obtained last year, and give further proof of the excellence of the eggs preserved in saturated lime water. We think that on the whole 2 per cent sodium silicate gives better results than the 10 per cent solution experimented with last year, but we are also of the opinion that lime water is superior to both as an egg preservative. Moreover, it is cheaper and more pleasant to handle. OTTAWA, April 25, 1901. Recipe furnished by Mr. F. T. Shutt, M.A., chemist at the Central Experimental Farm, regarding the preparation of lime water for the preservation of eggs : The solubility of lime in water at ordinary temperatures, is 1 part in 700 parts of water. Such a solution would be termed saturated limewater. Translated into pounds and gallons, this means 1 pound of lime is sufficient to saturate 70 gallons of water. However, owing to impurities in commercial lime, it is well to use more than is called for in this statement. It may not, however, be necessary, if good, freshly burnt quicklime can be obtained, to employ as much as was first recommended, namely, 2 to 3 pounds per 5 gallons of water. With such lime as is here referred to, one could rest assured that I pound to 5 gallons (50 pounds) would be ample, and that the resulting lime water would be thoroughly saturated. The method of preparation is simply to slake the lime with a small quantity of water and then stir the milk of the lime so formed into the 5 gallons of water. After the mixture has been kept well stirred for a few hours it is allowed to settle. The supernatant liquid is drawn off and poured over the eggs. As exposure to the air tends to precipitate the lime (as carbonate) and thus weaken the solution, the vessel containing the eggs should be kept covered. The air may be excluded by a covering of sweet oil, or by sacking upon which a paste of lime is spread. If there is any noticeable precipitation of the lime, the limewater should be drawn or siphoned off and replaced with a further quantity newly prepared. Having read over the preceding transcript of my evidence, I find it correct. A. G. GILBERT. Manager Poultry Branch, Central Experimental Farm. |