OCR Text |
Show COMBINE POULTRY AND FRUIT Both Are Benefited by Being Grown Together Fowls Consume Many Worms and Insects. (By A. F. HUNTER. Copyright, 19H.5 Poultry keeping as a sole interest is cractically never met with. Some other oth-er interest is always associated with It. Of the many different lines of agricultural ag-ricultural interest fruit growing is the best to work in with poultry keeping. This combination is advantageous for two reasons first, two crops are being be-ing grown on the ground at one time; second, both fruit and poultry are directly di-rectly benefited by being grown together. to-gether. Poultry is benefited by the shade of fruit trees and bushes and by the worms and insects which are chiefly found about trees and bushes, while fruit trees and bushes are benefited bene-fited and their growth promoted by the rich nourishment of the droppings of poultry; also by the destruction of worm and insect enemies and by the stirring of the ground by the scratching scratch-ing and dusting of the birds. Because of these advantages poultry runs should be liberal in space and set with with fruit trees, such as apple, pear, peach, etc., and baby chicks should be given range of the bush fruit plantings plant-ings the patches set to blackberries, raspberries, currants, etc. In the latter lat-ter case it is better to set brooders or colony coops forty to fifty feet apart along the border of small fruit patches, the chicks being permitted to range at will. In setting out fruit trees consider their future growth, and here again a combination can be advantageously made. Standard apple trees should be set 35 to 40 feet apart each way; but. as apple trees do not reach bearing size - under about ten years and will not attain full size under about twenty it is best to set quicker maturing and earlier decaying fruit trees between them. Two peach or plum trees can be set in spaces between two apple trees, and rows of pear and cherry trees can be set between the rows. The earlier decaying trees are removed re-moved in season to give the apple trees full room to grow. The cultivation of ground about . ... . ,1-9 1 II-. T1,!.t, fruit trees is amen oy fvuiuj, t,u,v.-keep t,u,v.-keep up a constant scratching and searching for worms and insects, and it is found that worm and insect pests are kept in subjection where fowls or chicks are permitted to range. When the range is among newly set trees or bushes it is found desirable to place a mulch of small stones or bricks, one or two inches apart, about the trees to protect the roots from too much scratching. Young trees are always benefited by being utilized as shade for poultry. |