1857. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



197 



anything but take to despair. When Monsieur 

 Jollie presented his picture of " Moses crossing the 

 Red Sea," the curate of the Louvre threatened to 

 kick it out doors. Did that dishearten him ? Not 

 at all. He went home, added a little chrome yel- 

 low to it, gave it a new name, " Cajsar crossing the 

 Rubicon," and sold it in less than a month to the 

 same curate for ten thousand francs. Here we see 

 the advantage of " never giving up." Had Mon- 

 sieur Jollie been like most men, the insult he first 

 met with on the first going round to " the National 

 Gallery," would have resulted in a shilling's worth 

 of prussic acid. But he wasn't like most m.en, and 

 the consequence is he has become a lion of the first 

 magnitude. When similarly situated, "go thou 

 and do likewise." 



For the New England Farmer. 



WILL IT HOT PAY TO KEEP HENS 

 WARM IN WINTER? 



Mk. Editor : — Since the hen fever has subsided, 

 we hear much less from the poultry-yard. The ex- 

 perience of many during that time brought them 

 to the conclusion that no profit was derived from 

 keeping hens. My experience for a number of 

 years proved to me the contrary. I do not think 

 it is absolutely necessary to have fancy hen-houses, 

 fancy nests, &c., or fancy breeds to occupy them. 

 These are very gratifying to the eye, and if a per- 

 son has plenty of time and money, are all very 

 well ; but I am not sure that "Miss Biddie" fully 

 appreciates them, or that her egg-laying propensi- 

 ties are more profitably developed therein, than in 

 more homely places, provided always that her 

 comfort and convenience are as duly cared for. 

 Hens cannot be expected to lay in winter very lib- 

 erally, if at all, unless in v/arm quarters, and sup- 

 plied with a variety of food. Neither do I find that 

 profit increases with numbers. A flock of twelve 

 pay me better than one of twice that number. 



I keep nine in my barn cellar, where it is sufii- 

 ciently light, and -nothing freezes. They have a 

 variety of food, but I cannot give an account of that, 

 as I have never kept one ; it is small, however, 

 compared with their, profit. The kind 1 have, is 

 the Black Game, although not full blood; many of 

 them have double, or five toes ; their legs are black, 

 the bottoms of the feet only being yellov/. With 

 your permission, I will give you a short statement 

 of them. In the spring I dispose of all except a 

 few hens for raising chickens. Last spring, I seta 

 hen upon thirteen eggs ; they were all hatched in 

 May ; eleven were pullets. In September some of 

 these commenced laying. From this time to the 

 last of December, I sold from these pullets and two 

 old hens, (besides using what were needed in the 

 family,) 46 dozens, for $11,G1 cents, which gives 

 the average price per dozen a fraction over 25 cents, 

 During the month of January, 1857, one dozen was 

 used, and I sold 18 dozens for $5,04 cents, being 

 28 cents per dozen. I think, Mr. Editor, these 

 are good returns for five months, and I am sure my 

 success resulted from keeping them in so warm a 

 place, for I am certain no hen of mine would have 

 ventured to lay an egg in January, if she had seen 

 the thermometer, which hung on the other corner 

 of my barn. 



NoviT will it not pay to keep hens warm in winter, 

 when eggs are scarce, and demand the highest 

 prices ? East Chelmsford. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



WHAT IS THE BEST CHURN? 



I have the past season made fifty-eight hundred 

 and fifty pounds of butter, and churned most of it 

 myself, and all, in one of Crowell's thermometer 

 churns. 1 have tried other kinds, and find this 

 preferable to any thing else I have examined. But 

 still, the labor is tedious. 



I purpose to continue in the butter-making bus- 

 iness , and to strive to get up an article to suit those 

 of your city who prefer butter to "something that 

 has a strong resemblance to it." 



As you are a friend to improvement, especially 

 agricultural, I thought when I told you my intent 

 you would write and inform me of some churn so 

 constructed, and the most convenient power to at- 

 tach to the same, that would save that of my own 

 right arm. If you will do so, when I have suffi- 

 ciently tested the same, I will inform you of my 

 experience of its utility. 



One year ago, I sent to Nourse & Co. for No. 

 2 Improved English Seed Sower and Wheel Hoe, 

 and found them both to work admirably. I wish 

 also to obtain a large Michigan, or double swivel 

 plow. Will you inform me of the price ? also at 

 what point and price a small number of full blood 

 Cotswold sheep may be obtained. 



Some time since an inquiry was made in the 

 Farmer if a worn out-meadow could be made pro- 

 ductive by pasturing it a few years with sheep. I 

 have ninety or one hundred acres of pasture, and 

 have, at different times, turned four and eight acres 

 of old mowing into pasture, for six or seven years, 

 and then back to mowing, together with old pas- 

 ture that never had been mowed ; and in each and 

 every instance found the fleece like that of my 

 Saxony sheep, all of which I have sold, too short 

 to be remunerative. 



Soil Hke mine, which is neither sandy or clayey, 

 but that of common loom, must in either case be 

 broken and re-seeded in order to answer any pur- 

 pose for mowing. s. P. I. 



Waitsfield, Feb., 1857. 



Remarks. — We cannot inform you what churn 

 is the best ; we have often heard Fyler's spoken of 

 in high terms. We have seen a little dog or sheep 

 power, made of the best materials, which is said 

 to answer for churning admirably. One of the 

 Western New York dairymen once informed us 

 that he had used it for many years, and used it by 

 cosset power, and that nothing could be better 

 adapted for the purpose. 



A large double swivel plow will cost $19,00. 



We cannot tell you where the Cotswold sheep 

 are to be found. 



garget. 



Mr. Editor: — While reading your paper, I 

 have noticed several communications on the sub- 

 ject of garget in the udders of cows. Perhaps 

 my mite may be worthy at least, of perusal. — 

 Through the first of my farming operations, I was 

 very much troubled with that disease about my 

 cows, and treated it as a disease that must be helped 

 or cured, but not prevented. Now I endeavor to 

 prevent. For a number of years I have prac- 

 ticed giving my cows meal composed of beans one- 



