196 



NEW ENGLAND FARiMER. 



April 



taken instinct, or is the sawdust a substitute for 

 pollen. Because cattle will eat bones and hoards, 

 does it follow that bones and boards possess a 

 value as food ? The question is not whether a 

 given article contains nutrition, l)ut whether its 

 use can be made to pay as food for our domestic 

 animals. t. 



Mast Yard, N. H., Feb. 6, 1868. 



MANAGEMENT OF GEESE. 



I have nine peese and seven ganders ; and it 

 seems to me tiiat the ganders disturb one another 

 so much that I shall not get a single gosling this 

 year. What I wish to know is, how large a pen is 

 necessari"^ for each pair, and also if water enouah 

 to drink is all they need. I have two books before 

 me, "Diseases of Animals," by Mr. Cole, which 

 says they do well with water enough to drink ; and 

 *'Countrj' Life," by Mr. Copeland, which says 

 they must have deep water. Information from 

 one who knows by experience will greatly oblige a 

 reader. 



I have now 164 chickens, from the size of a quail 

 down to those ten days old. Who beats this ? I 

 intend them for the Boston "big bugs" to eat with 

 asparagus next May. Anser. 



Taunton, Mass., Feb. 5, 1868. 



Remakes.— Will some one who understands 

 "Goosey Gander" by experience give our corres- 

 pondent the needed information. In keeping 

 geese we have always supposed that a "goose 

 pond" was about as essential as a "cow pasture'" 

 in keeping cows. Indeed, Mr. Bement says the 

 chief requisites for goose keeping are a pool of 

 water and a pasture for grazing. The latter is es- 

 sential, as the bird is graminivorous, as well as 

 granivorous. An occasional cabbage leaf with 

 any spare vegetable fragments will be very ac- 

 ceptable during the winter season. Water of such 

 size and depth as will permit at least a daily "pad- 

 dle" is essential, while a large flowing stream is 

 apt to tempt them too far from home. Th§ same 

 writer says he thinks two geese sufficient for one 

 gander, though one or two more are often allowed. 

 For a gander and his three or four partners there 

 should be house-room of not less th'an eight feet 

 in length by six in width, with a height sufficient 

 to allow the person who cleans it out to stand up- 

 right, with an open space beneath the eaves for 

 ventilation. As soon as released in the morning, 

 the geese resort to the water and then ensues the 

 intercourse from which an increase to their num- 

 bers may be expected — "the presence of water ap- 

 pearing essential to the fertility of eggs." 



VALCE OF COnN COBS. 



I see the inquiry is made, will it pay to grind 

 com cobs ? About fourteen years ago there was a 

 dry summer, hay was short and the farmers had 

 to economize everything in the shape of fodder for 

 their stock the ensuing winter. Having a good 

 pile of corn cobs, we added less than a l)ushel of 

 grain to two of cobs, and had them ground. We 

 had one horse then. When I built a tire in the 

 morning, 1 took water boiling hot and made a 

 mash, using aljout six quarts of the meal a day, 

 being careful to have it thoroughly mixed, and 

 fed it warm, which I think is much the best in 

 cold weather. Fed very light with hay. That 

 horse came out in fine condition, smooth and 



smart. In all cases where we have used ground 

 feed wann, the cost has been decidedly less than 

 when dry oats were used. We always use good 

 English "hay. 



About the first of January last, I took eleven 

 bushels of oats, about one and a half bushels of 

 corn, and fourteen bushels of cobs, and had them 

 ground together. I find that four quarts of oats 

 weigh the same as five quarts of this meal. We 

 calculate to feed the same weight of meal that we 

 would of oats, and we expect our horses to work 

 as well as if fed on diy oats. 1 wish to hear from 

 others. That is the way I learn. E. 



Troy, VL, Feb., 1868. 



BRAHMA FOWLS AND MUSCOVY DL'CKS. 



I send you my fowl account for the year past. 

 Owing as I think to the wet season, of .316 chick- 

 ens hatched, 189 died; of the 63 turkeys hatched, 

 all died before they were 10 days old. The weather 

 for ducks was good, and out of 69, I loj-t but 3. 

 The eggs I sold averaged 38c per dozen, as you will 

 see by the account. 



ACCOUNT CURBENT FOR 1S67. 



January 1, 1867, Stock and Cost of Food. 

 12 old fowls at ;5c., $9.00 ; 2 roosters 1.60 . . . $10 50 



26 pullets, 26 00; 16 ducks, 16.00 42 00 



3 turkeys,4.5'l 4 50 



Bought in May 

 44 hens and chickens, 26 50; 6 turkeys 3 00 . . 29 50 

 .58 bushels corn, 76.90; 31 bushel oats 29 45 . . 106 35 

 20 bushels meal 25.85; 20 bushels c. corn 25.85 51 70 



50 bushels fine feed 26.90 ; 4 bushel oatmeal 4.40 31 30 

 314 pounds scraps 6.88 ; laths and niils 1.58 ... 8 46 



49 dozen & 10 hens eggs set, at Z'^c per doz. . . 18 93 



6 dozen 8c 6 duck eggs f el,, at 40c per doz . . 2 60 



Dressing poultry 4 00 



$309 84 

 Profit 72 93 



$382 77 

 January 1, 1868, StocJc and Sales, ^c. 



28 old fowls, at 75c, $21.00; 2 roosters 1.5) . . $22 50 

 24 pullets at 1.00, 24 00; 3 roosters, 3.00 .... 27 00 

 12 ducks 12 00; 39 late chickens 19.50 31 50 



Sold 



249 dozen & 9 hens eggs, average 38c per dozen 94 90 



29 dozen & 1 duck eggs, 40c per doz 11 64 



80 chickens 46.78; 6U ducks 60 56 107 34 



9 turkeys 14.25; 36 barrels manure 37.45 . . . 5170 



6 hens 375 ; 6 ducks 6.00 ; consumed in house . 9 75 



51 dozen & 2 hens eggs, at 38i;, used in house . 19 44 

 17 dozen & 6 duck eggs at 40c per doz .... 7 00 



$382 77 

 Number of eggs laid during the year, 350 dozen and 9 

 hens egi(s ; 53 dDzen and 1 duck eggs. 

 I liave 18 chirkens hatched Feb.' 2d, and 15th, 9 each. 

 Salem, Feb. 16, 186S. James Buffington. 



A GOOD cow. 



I have a cow that was five vears old the fifteenth 

 of last October. She calved May tenth, 1867 

 June fourth, sold the calf for 9'9..50. From that 

 time un to the tenth of the present month, she hai 

 made 208 pounds of butter, which sold at an aver- 

 age of 33i cents per pound, or $6" Z^^. About 36C 

 quarts of new milk were used uuring the time, in 

 the family, worth seven cents pt quart, or ^2-5.20 ; 

 also, milk sold, $8.. 50; sour milk given to swine at 

 three cents per quart, $\8. The tot U receipts from 

 her in nine months are $130..59. She is coming in 

 the first of April, and now gives five quarts of milk 

 a day. Her keeping is common stock hay and one 

 pint of shorts, and one pint of meal a day. She is 

 one of the natives. h. w. m. 



Concord, X. H., Feb., 1868. 



Remarks. — Did j'our swine "foot the bill" for 

 sour milk at three cents per quart? Didn't they 

 measure by "the gallon i" 



