1S38] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



741 



fit only for fine land, or land in a high state of culti- 

 valion; but upon inierior land, tliey are the best 

 when a bud season has thrown the seediinie too 

 far biu-k lor common ones. IJIaiusley oats are 

 our native early, and hvive a Rner meal as well as 

 finer straw : but they seem mostly out of favor at 

 present. These several varieties of oats and bar- 

 ley ad'urd the farmer <rreat advantages in securinir 

 his grass-seeds, as well as his corn crop, in certain 

 seasons and situations. 



From ttie Farmers' Cabinet. 

 COOKllVtJ GRAIN FOR STOCK. 



In compliance with the suggestions made in 

 the Cabinet, several farmers liave procured and 

 put up large boilers for the purpose of cooking 

 torn and other grain (or their stock, and so far as 

 trial has been made, it answers exjiectalion fully. 

 In one case two bushels of the hard Dutton corn 

 was subjected to the operation of cooking for se- 

 veral hours, until it was fully expanded ; it was 

 then measured accurately, and it was found to 

 have increased in bulk to five bushels and half a 

 peck. This was a greater increase than was an- 

 ticipated, and it is thought that the softer, lighter 

 liindsofcorn would not increase so much, perhaps 

 not more than double, but trial has not yet been 

 made of it. 



A cask perforated with holes in the bottom, it is 

 found, may be placed on the top of the boiler, and 

 filled with pumpkins or potatoes, and the steam- 

 ing of them may go on at the same time that corn, 

 buckwheat, or oats is cooking in the boiler below. 

 One farmer has adopted the plan of breaking the 

 ears of corn into pieces three or four inches long, 

 and then boiling orcookmgthem vvithout shelling, 

 and in that way feeding corn and cob together : 

 his success so far in feeding some fattening cattle 

 has been very satisfactory and encouraging. 



In order to economize fuel and to procure the 

 full effect of the heat, it is very important to have 

 a grate under the fire, with a door to shut close 

 where the fire is put in, so that air to supply the 

 'fire may pass in under the giate only, for where a 

 ■fire is supplied with air, which passes between it 

 and the boiler, it is constantly carrying the heat 

 up the flue, and lends to keep the boiler cooler 

 than it ought to be from the quantity of fuel con- 

 sumed ; but when the air has to pass through the 

 fire from below, it is thoroughly lieated before it 

 comes in contact with the boiler. After the fire 

 has burnt down so as not to need ventilation Icr 

 the smoke, the flue or pipe shoulil be closed 

 above, and the access of air under the grate pre- 

 vented by a suitable stopper or door ; this prevents 

 the circulation of cold air from conveying off the 

 heat from the brick work and boiler, and "the pro- 

 cess of cooking will be carried on lor hours after 

 the fire has burnt down, provided the access of 

 cold air is prevented. The fire-place should not be 

 made largerthanthatofasmallstove,and the bri-k 

 ■work should be brought pretty well up to the boil- 

 er, leaving but a small space around it for the 

 smoke to pass up. A boiler of the kind referred 

 to, ds of good value to a farmer for other purposes 

 than cooking grain, and one of them ought to be 

 put up on every farm in the country, and to be 

 considered as much a fixture as a corn crib or pig 

 pen. B. ° 



From the Connecticut Courant. 

 EGGS AND POUI/rRY. 



Amoncr all nations, and ihronchout all grades 

 of society, eirgs have been a liivurile food. But 

 in all our cities, and particularly in winter, they are 

 held at such priced! that few fannies can afford to 

 use them at all ; and even thot^e who are in easy 

 circumstances, consider them too expensive for 

 common food. 



There is no need of this. Every family or 

 nearly every family, can, with very little trouble, 

 have eirgs in plenty during the whole year; and 

 of all the animals domesticated for the use of man, 

 the common dunghill fowl is capable of yielding 

 the greatest possible profit to the owner. 



In the month of November, I put apart eleven 

 hens and cock, gave them a small chamber in a 

 wood house, defended from storms, and with an. 

 opening to the south. Their food, water, and; 

 lime, vvcre placed on shelves convenient lor them,, 

 with warm nests and chalk nest-eggs in plenty.. 

 These hens continued to lay eggs through the 

 winter. From these eleven hens I received an 

 average of six eg^s daily during the winter ; and 

 whenever any of them was disposed to set, viz. 

 as soon as she began to cluck, she was separated 

 from the others by a grated partition, and her 

 apartment darkened , these cluckers were well 

 attended and well fed ; they could see and partial- 

 ly associate through their grates witii. the other 

 fowls, and as soon as any of" these prisoners began 

 to sinfir, she was liberated, and would very soon 

 lay eggs. It is a pleasant recreation to Itied and 

 tend a bevy of laying hens ; they may be tamed 

 so as to follow the children, and will lay in any 

 box. 



Egg shells contain lime, and in winter, when 

 the earth is bound with frost or covered with snow, 

 if lime is not provided for them, they will not lay, 

 or if they do, the egirs must of neeessity.be with- 

 out shells. Old rubbish lime, from old chimneys 

 and old buildings, is proper, and only needs to be 

 broken for them. They will often attempt to 

 swallow pieces of lime plaster as large as walnuts. 

 I have often heard it said that wheat is the best 

 grain lor them, but I doubt it ; they will sing over 

 Indian corn with more animation than over any 

 other grain. The singing hen will certainly lay 

 eggs, if she finds all things agreeable to her ; but 

 the hen is much of a prude, as watchful as a 

 weasel, and as fastidious as a hypocrite ; she must, 

 she will have secrecy and mystery about her nest ; 

 all eyes but her own must be averted ; follow her 

 or watch her, and she will forsake her nest, and 

 stop laying; she is best pleased v.-jth a box coverT 

 ed at top with a backside aperture for light, and a 

 side door by which she can escape unseen. 



A farmer may keep a hundred fowls in his 

 barn, may suffer them to trample upon and destroy 

 his mows of wheat and other grain, and still have 

 fewer eggs than the cottager who keeps a single 

 dozen, who provides secret nests, chalk eggs, 

 pounded brick, plenty of Indian corn, lime, water 

 and gravel, for them ; and who takes care that his 

 hens are not disturbed about their nests. Three 

 chalk eggs in a nest is better than a single nest 

 egar, and large eggs please them ; I have often 

 smiled to see them fondle round and lay into a 

 nest of geese eggs. Pullets will conmience laying 

 earlier in lile where nests and eggs are plenty, and 

 where other hens are cackling around them. 



