THE GENESEE FARMER. 



181 



Now, fowls improperly fed, are in the same pre- 

 dicament. They become over-fat, indifferent to 

 exercise, and useless. Tiieir food should be simple 

 and regular, and, keeping our guide in view, it 

 should be so given as to approach as near as possi- 

 ble to a state of nature. Let it be scattered about, 

 so that they shall be unable to fill their crops iu a 

 few minutes. A meal, to be hearty, should be 

 moderate in quantity, and eaten slowly. Follow 

 this out with your fowls, and do not, by unnatural 

 temptations and indi Igences, make them, like the 

 dog, " dear, fat things." Let them leave off with 

 an appetite. 



HATcniNG. — When the determination of the hen 

 to sit becomes fixed — there is no need to indulge 

 the first taint indications immediately — let her 

 have the nest she has selected, well cleaned and 

 filled with fresh straw. The number of eggs to be 

 given to her will depend upon the season, and upon 

 their and her own sire. The best plan is not to be 

 too greedy. The number of chickens hatched is 

 often in inverse ratio to the number of eggs set; 

 we have known only five chickens to be obtained 

 out of fifteen eggs. Hens will, in general, cover 

 fi'om eleven to thirteen eggs laid by themselves. 



Three weeks is the period of incubation of the 

 common hen. Sometimes, when she does not sit 

 close for the first day cr two, or in early spring, it 

 will be some hours longer. More rarely in this 

 climate, when the hen is assiduous and the weather 

 is hot, the time will be a trifle shorter. But what 

 are we to do with the newly hatched chicks? is a 

 natural question. Let them remain quiet with their 

 mother twelve or twenty-four hours, to gain strength 

 from the warmth of their mother. Then, with 

 their mother, place them in a roomy, boarded coop, 

 in a dry, sunny spot, in a sheltered position, is the 

 best for them during the first month. As to food, 

 let them have some dry crumbs of bread, and hard 

 boiled egg, chopped fine for the first few days ; 

 then coarse ground corn, we have found to agree 

 well with them. Fine meal made into paste, and 

 ed raw, is not good for them. Many chicks and 

 (TQung turkeys have suffered from the effects of 

 ;hat kind of food ; but when boiled, it will not in- 

 jure them. O. N. BEMENT. 

 m I m 



MARKING SHEEP. 



Eds, Genesee Farmer : — In your issue for Feb- 

 •nary, I notice an inquiry of "J. S., Laurel, Frank- 

 in Co., Ind.," in regard to marking sheep, " so as 

 X) know the cross and age of each one at sight." To 

 neet these requirements, the mark must be perma- 

 lanent, and of course can not be put on the fleece, 

 mless he re-marks his sheep every year. The ear 

 s the only eligible place for a permanent mark, and 

 here are various ways that sheep can be marked 

 >n the ear so that the age can be told at sight. I 

 rvill give * single method, which can be varied to 

 mit the taste or convenience of the owner of the 

 ;heep. 



Double the right ear lengthwise, and cut diago- 

 lally across the end ; this will make what is called 

 I " swallow fork " in the end of the ear. Let this 

 itand for 50. With a tool, such as shoemakers use 

 .0 cut the holes in shoes for the strings, cut a single 

 lole in the right ear; this is to stand for 10. A 

 ;wallow-fork in the left ear will count 5 ; and each 



hole in the left ear counts 1. Mark all lambs 

 dropped in 18G0 with a swallow-fork and one hole 

 in the right ear. Those dropped in 1861 would 

 have, in addition to this mark, one hole in tlie left 

 ear. Lambs dropped in 1867 would have the swal- 

 low-fork and hole in the right ear, and a swallow- 

 fork and two holes in the left ear. A diagram will 

 make this more plain than any description : 



Eight Fork, = 50 



2 times 10 =20 



Left Fork, = 5 



3 times 1 = 8 



78 



This is for krabs dropped in 1878. 



For more extensive and complicated methods of 

 marking in this style, see the Patent Ofiice Report 

 for 1847, page 279. 



By keeping a sheep register, J. S. can tell the 

 "cross" of each year's crop of lambs. This is the 

 easiest method, and the surest. 



If he prefers to mark the fleece instead of the 

 ear, the following compound will give as good sat- 

 isfaction as any : 



Heat in an iron vessel one pint of linseed oil, one- 

 fourth of a pound of rosin, and one gill of tar; 

 melt and mix them thoroughly. Add a sufficient 

 quantity of lampblack to make a paint of the right 

 consistency. Put it on after shearing, with a brush 

 or stamp. This makes an indelible mark, that will 

 not wash, melt, or wear off. Linseed oil, white 

 lead, and lampblack, make a good mark, but it is 

 not so durable as the first; neither is it so costly, 

 as a pint of the mixture will mark double the num- 

 ber of sheep that the former will. 



Wesf^ld, JV. Y. T>. A. A. NICHOLS. 



RECIPE FOR MAKING GOOD HARD SOAP, 



Eds. Genesee Farmer : — In the May number of 

 the Fanner, among the '' Inquiries and Answers," 

 I find that C. A. Cuase, of Ohio, is desirous of ob- 

 taining a recipe for making good hard soap. If he 

 will be very particular and attend fully to the fol- 

 lowing recipe, he will possess as good and as pure 

 a chemical soap as he ought to desire. But let me 

 warn him, just here, that if he deviates from the 

 principles laid down here — which are simple and 

 comprehensive — the chemical process will thereby 

 be destroyed. I know this to be so from experi- 

 ence. 



Pure Chemical Soap. — Pour 12 quarts soft boil- 

 ing water upon 5 lbs. of unslaked lime. Then dis- 

 solve 5 lbs. of washing soda in 12 quarts of soft 

 boiling water. Then niix the above together, and 

 let the mixture remain together from 12 to 24 hours 

 for the purpose of chemicalizing. Now pour off 

 ah the clear liquid— being careful not to disturb the 

 sedim'ent. Add to the above 3J- lbs. of clarified 

 grease, and from 3 to 4 oz. of rosin. Boil this 

 compound tog(flier one hour; pour off to cool; 

 cut up into bars for use, and you are in possession 

 of a superior chemical soap. 



The cost of this superior article is about 3^ cents 



per lb. J. S. CHRISTIAN. 



St. Charles, Kane Co. IU. 



