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Show j FARF.1 NEWS NOTES j I BY LEW MAR PRICE j j County Agent Give Turkeys Laying Mash for Egg Production Until the past two years, turkey production in Beaver County has been almost entirely from breeding-stock breeding-stock selected in the fall before Thanksgiving birds were marketed, and kept primarily for egg production. produc-tion. Last year more poults were shipped in than were produced on the farms. This year .because of the lack of funds for purchase of the poults, we will go back to the former plan and hatch the poults from home produced pro-duced eggs; the chief value of these birds kept for breeding stock is therefore eggs, and not incubation of the eggs. Incubation of 'the first clutch of eggs by turkey hens is rather expensive expen-sive and probably should be turned over to the chicken hen or artificial methods, thus allowing the turkey hen to produce a second clutch of eggs which she can well be allowed to hatch. This, of course, will vary according to conditions. Egg production by turkey hens, like chicken hens, is largely controlled controll-ed by the method of feeding and the nature of the feeds given. They can be started in late winter or early spring, or they can be held off until too late for the resulting poults to be of much value. To early egg produc-1 tion usually is not desirable because ' the eggs become chilled, lowering their hatchability as well as the vital- I ity of the poults that may be hatch- j ed therefrom. j A good laying mash such as is us- j ed for laying chicken hens should be J given to turkeys two weeks or a month before the first eggs are desir- ed. Milk too, is always valuable, and j grit and mater are indispensable. Feed all they will consume. Since the hens are kept primarily for egg production, they should be given these feeds so the greatest number of eggs will be produced. The early hatched poults will grow and mature more satisfactorily, having hav-ing greater vitality and resistance to disease. They fatten more readily, and hence are more easily dressed for the Thanksgiving and Christmas ' markets. Those who had April hatch ed poults last year say they always I want them in the future. Breeding Flock of Farm Poultry It has been predicted by many who are thoroughly acquainted with production pro-duction methods that the farm flock of poultry will gradually disappear, and all eggs be produced by commercial com-mercial flocks. This opinion is rather rath-er general because of the unbusinesslike unbusiness-like manner in which farm flocks are generally managed. The hens are fed on grain alone, many of them underfed, under-fed, and probably more being overfed, over-fed, as far as grain is concerned, but lacking the necessary supply of animal ani-mal protein for profitable egg production. pro-duction. Hens improperly housed this kind i of weather cannot go on producing in profitable percentages, because it takes all the feed consumed to keep the life-blood flowing. One other very important phase of the farm flock management is the way in which young stock is bred. Ordinarily the biggest, fattest birds are killed for table 'use, and the ones of lesser quality are retained in the locks. Usually a very likely cocker-nl, cocker-nl, or probably one that is hardest to catch (closely related to the females of the flocks) is kept for breeding, and in the spring when the hens get enough bugs and worms to start laying, lay-ing, eggs from the general flock are used for hatching. The flock is thus gradually going down in quality. Why should not the farm flock disappear? disap-pear? Eggs can be bought more cheaply than they can be produced under such management. It is clearly recognized that one of the most important means of reducing reduc-ing the cost of production is to improve im-prove the productive quality of the stock, and the care which it receives. If breeders are carefully selected for vitality and production, the egg yield of the entire flock will gradually gradual-ly increase; whereas, if the breeders are not selected on this basis the average production is likely to decrease. de-crease. Because of the law that "like tends to beget like," selecting breeders breed-ers becomes 'an important step in raising the standard of production. Why not start this spring to improve im-prove the stock? If chicks are to be hatched at home, secure a good male bird of different strain same breed and select In or 20 of the best hens and keep them separate for a breeding breed-ing pen. Attempt to raise as many pullets as can lie properly cared for during the next winter; then dispose of the hens as they stop laying during dur-ing the summer. . If necessary, secure se-cure assistance in selection of the breeding flock. One should start immediately if such a program is to be followed. Good males are not always easy to secure at this season, and even harder, hard-er, later on. There is a place for a flock of poultry on practically every farm, i They consume and turn into a marketable mark-etable product, sometimes, large quantities of scraps, spilled grafe, etc., that otherwise would go to waste. But there is room for improved im-proved management in most cases. Individual Boxes Safest for Tender Hotbed Plants There are some plants whose root systems are so delicate that if grown in hotbeds or cold frames for the purpose of transplanting, individual pots or boxes are necessary. Even then some care needs to be exercised in removing them from the containers contain-ers when transplanted. Cantaloupes and cucumbers may be forced in this manner to gain several weeks' start over field planting. A I collapsible box for this purpose may be made from roofing paper. It op-; op-; ens into a square without bottom These fit close together in boxes in I the hotbed and cold frame. When j transplanted to the garden the box is removed by spreading the flaps on one side and the undisturbed earth and roots may be placed in the gar-: gar-: den soil without injury. I Other boxes made of lighter paper or thin wood are placed and left right , in the garden soil so that the plants I contained therein are not disturbed. These paper or thin wood boxes soon decay or lose their solidity and become be-come part of the garden soil. J For early germination of such flowering plants as aster, sweet pea, or nasturtium, such individual pots or boxes are very desirable. When so germinated in a hotbed or window box in March and transplanted (after hardening off) to the garden in the latter part of April or early part of May, not only earlier blooming can be secured but the blossoms will be larger and more profuse than when the seed is planted directly in the garden. The individual boxes can be made very economically on the farm and specifications will he furnished to anyone requesting them. (Continued on page four) f FARM NEWS NOTES s t t I liy LKW MAIS PRICE County Agent I (Continued from pau'e one) ! By Kathleen Earnsworth . As Prepared by Extension Service ' How to Avoid Spoiling Good Food Willi Poor Cooking Space will not permit an exhaustive exhaus-tive discussion of how to cook each individual food so that it looks appetizing, ap-petizing, tastes good and retains its ( food value; but since so much good food is ruined by poor cooking the' following suggestions are given fori the foods which suffer the most abuse. j Vegetables, ctreals, eggs and! meats undoubtedly head the list of foods which are most often ruined by poor cooking. Vegetables Most people who refuse to eat the necessary vegetables do so because these vegetables are prepared in such an unappetizing manner that there is no inducement to eat them. They frequently are so over-cooked and so over-seasoned that they lose all their original color and flavor as well as food value. Regardless of the kind of vegetables they should he cooked only until they are tender and should depend mostly on their own natural flavor for seasoning. The sooner vegetables are cooked after coming from the garden and the sooner they are served after they are tender, the better will be their appearance, flavor and quality. Wilted Wilt-ed vegetables should be freshened in cold water before cooking. 'Vegetables which can he cooked in their skin lose much less of their minerals than if they are peeled first. The water in which other vegetables are cooked should be used either in cream soups or gravies or served with the vegetables in order to get all the possible minerals and vitamins. vita-mins. Vitamins B and C are very soluble in water and vitamin A is slightly so. This means that much of the vitamin content cooks out into the water. Ordinary cooking does not affect the A and B vitamins to any great extent, but as much as 9 5 per cent of vitamin C may be destroyed. The presence of oxygen seems to be more destructive than does the heat. If the water is boiled to expel the air before the vegetables are added, there is less vitamin C destroyed. Vitamin C is destroyed less in acid vegetables such as tomatoes than in noil acid ones such as peas. The use of soda in cooking vegetables is very-destructive very-destructive to this vitamin. So is hard water in which vegetables are cooked, especially if the period is at all prolonged. One-eighth to one-half of the food value may be lost in boiling, as much of the starch cooks out into the water. wat-er. Cutting vegetables lengthwise rath, r ti.uu cns.- ; m - prv-ms niiu h 1 of il.is ln-s. BAKING teg- tables is the most nutritious ivethod of cooking" these which can be baked, since in this me-trod me-trod there is no loss of food value Potatoes, squash, onions, pumpkin, iliieil btans and peas are best cooked this way. STEAMING retains practically all of the food value. This process is rood for all fresh vegetables. One must remember, however, that more time is required for steaming than for boiling vegetables. STEWING with very little water is the next best method of Cooking: veg- 1 etables provided all the liquid which is left is eaten with them. Practically Practical-ly all of this liquid can be boiled down at the end of the process. BOILING vegetables in a large amount of water is necessary at times tim-es for old vegetables, but when this must be done the loss in food value is greatest. The time for cooking vegetables is an important element. Young vegetables, veget-ables, and particularly leafy ones, are so apt to be over cooked. The age and size of the vegetables has much to do with the length of time required The most important time table to use is one which says cook vegetables only on-ly until tender. Five Minute Cabbage IV2 quarts shredded cabbage, 3 cups milk, 2V2 tablespoons butter, 1 cup of rich milk, IV2 tablespoons flour, 'a teaspoon salt. Cook the cabbage for 2 minutes in the 3 cups of boiling milk. Add the butter and flour blended together, the cream and salt and cook rapidly for 3 to 4 minutes. Green spinach is far more appetizing appetiz-ing than spinach which is cooked until un-til it is dark brown. Spinach may be steamed so that it loses only about 3 per cent of its iron. When it is boiled with water being added and is over cooked it loses about 67 per cent of its iron. Spinach is our best vegetable source of iron. The following recipes J give methodsof cooking to preserve I this iron as well as the vitamins: j Special Spinach I 2 pounds spinach, 4 tablespoons butter, Vs teaspoon salt, 1 cup cream or rich milk. ; Remove stems and clean spinach thoroughly. Place leaves in saucepan sauce-pan and cook 4 or 5 minutes in water which clings to leaves. When leaves are well wilted chop fine. Melt butter but-ter in saucepan, add cream and salt. When hot, add the chopped spinach and any liquid which cooked out from the leaves. Simmer slowly for 5 minutes. min-utes. o |