742 



Rural School Leaflet. 



Section. 

 Neck 



Back 

 Saddle 



Cushion 



Breast 

 Tail 



Name of Feather Section 

 Neck hackle : 



Back feathers: 

 Saddle hackle: 



Breast feathers : 



(a) Sickle feathers : 



(b) Lesser sickle : 



(c) Main tail feathers : 



(d) Tail coverts : 



(i) Primaries: 



(2) Secondaries; 



(3) Wing coverts: 



Definition. 



The long, narrow pointed feathers found on the 

 neck of the male or female. 



Short, broad feathers on the back. 



The narrow, pomted feathers to be found over- 

 lapping the base of the tail on the male. 



The round-tipped feathers overlapping the base 

 of the tail on the female. 



Short, broad feathers covering the breast. 



The larger flowing feathers of the tail of the male. 



The smaller flowing tail feathers which cover 

 the sickles. 



The broad, flat, upright feathers of the tail. 



The smaller flowing tail feathers which cover the 

 main tail feathers. 



The large, stift" feathers on the first joints of the 

 wings. 



The broad feathers on the second joint of the 

 wing under which are tucked the primaries 

 when the wings are folded. 



The short, wing feathers overlapping the 

 secondaries. 



The short feathers overlapping the wing coverts. 



The small feathers at the very point of the wing. 



The portion of the wing formed by the shoulder 

 feathers. 



The portion of the wing formed by the secon- 

 daries. 



The portion of the wing formed by the wing 

 coverts. 



The portion of the wing formed by the primaries. 



Medium sized feathers covering the body where 

 not otherwise protected. 



The soft feathers covering the abdomen back of 

 the legs and below the tail. 



Short, fluffy feathers covering the thighs. 



The stiff feathers found on the shanks of feath- 

 ered legged varieties. 



Lesson XXV 



ALFALFA 



By G. F. Warren 



Object. — To study the best methods of growing alfalfa. 



Materials. — Three pecks of hme, one pound of alfalfa seed, one 

 quart of barley, and a plat of ground 2x3 rods. 



No erop is at present arousing more interest among New York far- 

 mers than is alfalfa. It is, therefore, the best crop to study. The 

 students may be of use to the community if they learn whether alfalfa 

 will grow in the neighborhood, and how best to grow it. 



A ton of alfalfa is often spoken of as being equal in feeding value to a 

 ton of wheat bran, because they have about the same composition. 

 But it is always unsafe to compare a grain feed with a coarse feed on the 

 basis of composition alone. The rough feed is harder to digest. Feed- 

 ing trials at the New Jersey Experiment Station seem to show that alfalfa 

 hay is worth two-thirds as much as wheat bran for the production of milk. 



