1876.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



73 



can lie -jot fixini scedsnicii and nurserymen. Tlie 

 whole i;i-(inii(l sliimld be fully I'lopped, a.s tlie 

 co.st nl' .s(•(•d^s and plants is small (Minipared to 

 tlie valnc of tlieir products. — JC. -&'. 



For TiiK LANt-Asrr.u I-'mimkii, 

 TO PREVENT THE BIRDS FROM PULL- 

 ING CORN. 



Two or three days before your corn eonies 

 up take a liusiiel of corn and throw it in a 

 vessel of water. When the younjj; corn (irst 

 makes its apjiearance above tlie si'ound sow a 

 few quarts of yom- soaked corn c^very niorniuLC 

 or evening, alone; wood sides and near shade 

 trees, or wherever birds are most likely to be 

 tronl)lesonie. Hlackbirds pull corn for their 

 yovnii; and want it soft, hence it is but little 

 use to sow dry corn. No matter if it is soaked 

 until siiroiited. The firrnnnation of the .seed 

 chauires the starch into sni;ar and makes it 

 very |ialatable. I would nuicli rather use a 

 bushel or two of corn in this way than shoot 

 a single bird. Of coinse the corn nnist be 

 sown every day until the croj) is out of the 

 reach of the birds. If any is left it can be fe<l 

 to the chickens or pitrs. Birds seldom pull 

 early planted corn, for the reason that their 

 youiig are not yet hatched. — J. C. L., Gap, 

 Lancaster co., Pa., Mai/ iSth, 1870. 



FARM ACCOUNTS. 



The present may be as j^ood a time as any to 

 recm' to a duty wliieh can hardly be urged too 

 often upon the farnnng connuunity — the duty 

 of kee))iui; careful and .systematio accounts of 

 all exi)enilitures and receii)ts. Although the 

 calendar year begins with the first of .January, 

 and the time for connneucing linancial trans- 

 actions, a.s well as for forming good resolutions 

 in general, corresponds with that date, the 

 farmer's year commences practically with the 

 opening of spring, and with the lirst prepara- 

 tions for regular farm work. There is an old 

 proverb which maintains that " it isnevertoo 

 late to mend." So with this matter of farm 

 accounts. It would be better to begin in niid- 

 smnmer than not to begin at all, because what- 

 ever mistakes and inaccuracies might result 

 would speedily correct themselves, and a good 

 habit would be formed which wouhl gradually 

 systemizB all transaction of the farm, and of 

 business. But a farmer who commences now, 

 and systematically notes down all outgoes and 

 all incomes, will be in time to secure a very 

 fair statement of the work of the year, and by 

 the 31st of December next can tell whether his 

 lalior has bei'u prolitable, and what per cent. 

 it has yielded upon the capital invested. More 

 than this, he will be able to determine whi(^h 

 crops have yielded the best returns, and will 

 be able to regulate intelligently his operations 

 for the ensuing year. Instead of estimating 

 the profits of a crop l)y the total yield, or the 

 gross receipts for it, he can tell wilhin a few 

 cents and sometimes within a fraction of a 

 cent what every bushel has cost him, and from 

 these figures as a basis can determine the exact 

 net profit. After a method for keeping such 

 accounts has been once clearly fixed upon, the 

 jotting down items of labor and results from 

 day to day will reipiiie an insignificant expen- 

 diture of labor ami time. In households where 

 tliere are chililren some of tlu' necessary figur- 

 ing may be safely and wisely entrusted to them. 

 They will feel greater interest in such work 

 than in the problems which their arithmetic 

 contains, and it will be of more practical ben- 

 efit to them because it will serve as an intro- 

 duction to the actual duties of life. 



As to the best method of keeping accounts, 

 l)rohalily most farmers will be able to deter- 

 mine for themselves by ai-ting on the sugges- 

 tions (-ontained in their (•irciimstances and sur- 

 roundings. There are regular account books, 

 we believe, drawn up, ruled, and divided in 

 such a way as to assist the farmer in register- 

 ing in their i)roi)er place all the transactions of 

 the farm. Just how much belli, if aii}-, is to 

 lie got from such books can be determined only 

 by experiment. But, other thintrs being e(iual, 

 the simplest method will l)e the best ; and the 

 less the matter is mixed up with the technical- 



ities of regular book-keeping the Iwtter. A 

 farmer who has tried the experiment of keep- 

 ing regular accounts and finds it satisfactory 

 and prolitable in every way, recommends the 

 Ibllowiug general system. Kach field should 

 be nnmbered, and the nnndxr of acres it con- 

 tains marked down in an account liook. Kvery- 

 tliiiig that is <lone for each field slionld lie 

 charged against it -labor, see(l,maiime. inter- 

 est, taxes, etc. Kverythinggol from each field 

 should be set down to its favor, whether sold 

 or used ou the farm or in the family, at the 

 regular marki't value. When iierinanent iin- 

 lirovenientsaremade the cost should be divided 

 in I he accounts so as to distribute the hnrdeu 

 in right proportion over the several years in 

 which the field or farm will reap the benelit of 

 them. At the end of each year an inventory 

 should be taken of slock, faiiniie_' implements, 

 etc., so that the account may be properly opened 

 for the year ensuing ; and whatever gains or 

 losses there hav(^ been in slock, and whatever 

 wear an<l fear is iierceptible in tlu- farming 

 tools, should be reckoned hi balancing ac- 

 counts. 



A system like the above, with stu-h modifi- 

 cations and changes as may be suggested by 

 indiviilual exiierience, will be found togreatly 

 lessen the worry and anxiety of farm life and 

 to ]iay for itself many times over in the delinite 

 knowledgi' it will yield as to the exact [iropor- 

 tions of profit and lo.s.s.' A business man who 

 fails to follow out some regular method of 

 book-keeping, and to ascertain from time to 

 time exactly where he stands, is sure of en- 

 countering bankruptcy and ruin ; and the 

 farruer, though he may be enabled to aveit 

 such disaster by the relative cauf ion and safety 

 of his transactions, can never attain flie pros- 

 perity which belong-i to him by trusting blindly 

 to luck, and neglecting to keep adeciuate and 

 systematic records of his dealings. 



COMMERCIAL VALUE OF HEN MA- 

 NURE. 



I find the value of hen manure variously es- 

 timated, from the statement of Harris ]>ewis, 

 before the Massachusetts State Board of .\gri- 

 culture at Barre, that he " never used Uen ma- 

 nure on the corn (a-op without having benefited 

 it more than all the (torn the hens ate," to so 

 low an estimate as not to make any account 

 of it. In a large part of the pnblisiied state- 

 ments of the profit on poultry, there is no men- 

 tion made of tlu; manure, hut it is a very val- 

 uable fertilizer. The Amcrk.un Aijricidturisl. 

 187:5, page ;U7, says : " Hen manure is almost 

 exactly identii-al in quality and effect with 

 guano, and may be used in the same manner. 

 Its value, if free from foreign matter and drv. 

 is.«.')Oa ton." Tho J'oultri/ B'or?(/ estimates 

 it to be '' almost cipial to guano in ricliness," 

 and a corresjiondent of the same pajier says: 

 "I would rather have it than Peruvian guano." 

 The Lhr Stnck Jiiuriidl estimates •■ that a hen 

 will produce one busliel of manure in a year, 

 which compared with the price of eomniercial 

 fertilizers, is worth $l.W. Lewis Dunbar, 

 West Bridgewater, Ma.s8., according to state- 

 ments in Flint's rejiort, 1871, values it at -SI. (10 

 a bushel, and again in 1S72, at ^7 cents a 

 bushel. 



But let us see how much a fowl will eat in a 

 year, and then find how much the manure from 

 that amount of food would be wiU'th. By 

 statement of S. 15. ]5ird, Framinghaiu, for six 

 months ending Sept. 'JOth, ISfiS, an average of 

 fourteen fowls ate fourteen bushels of grain or 

 1. 1 gills each per day. By statemenl of L<\vis 

 .Tones. Wavland. for ten months ending Sept. 

 1st, 1SC)7, fifteen fowls ate twenty bii.shels of 

 grain, or 1. 2 gills each per day. By another 

 statement of S. B. Bird, for eight months end- 

 ing Sept. l."), 1S07, sixteen fowls ate fifteen 

 bushels of grain, or 1 gill each, per day. The 

 writer found by experiment, that seventy fowls 

 ate nine bushels of grain in twenty-three days, 

 or 1.4.'5 gills each per day. I find an average of 

 the fourteen statements to be X.i-S gills per day, 

 or 1.78 fiu.shels per year for each fowl. 



Prof S. W. Johnson estimates the nitrogen 

 in commercial manures to be worth tliirty cents 

 per pound, potash seven cents, and soluble 



phosphoric acid sixteen cents per pound. I find 

 by table in I-'lint's report, 1S7-2, page 1(17, tlmt, 

 1. 7k buslii'ls corn con tain l.Hp<iundsof idlrogen, 

 which at thirty cents jx-r pound is worth fifty- 

 four cents ; (l.;5.") pounds potash at sevi'n cents 

 per pounil, is worth twit cents; l.l.'i ponndH 

 pho-phorie acid at sixteen cents per pound, is 

 worth eighteen cent.s. Hence we find the fer- 

 tili/.iuL' eli'inents in 1.7H bushels corn to he 

 Worth seventy-fr)ur cents. Allowing li'ii jter 

 cent, for loss, we liave sixty-seven cents, the 

 value of the manure of one fowl for one year. 

 I found that my seventy fowls in twenty-ihree 

 days, made five bushels of manure, which 

 amounts to I. .Hi bushels a year foi- each, con- 

 .sequently one bushel woidd (m- worth fiftycenli*. 

 This is considerably less than some of Iheesti- 

 mates I have collec'-ted, but I think it is very 

 nearly correct. By feeding oats, bran and 

 mi'al, tlu- manure \\oiild be a trifle richer, but 

 I think corn is the chief food given, and is a 

 fair representative of the average (|ualily of 

 the food of poultry. Certainly tlie manure is 

 too valuable to waste, and I think those farm- 

 ers who have no pla<-e where tlii'y can confine 

 their fowls, would liiid it to their ••idvantage 

 to build a good house and yard, and keep Ihem 

 in it most of the time, thereby saving tlie nia- 

 unre and their gardens too. — Cor. JVfir Emj- 

 land Jouriwil. 



A WRINKLE FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE. 



In view of the cares and responsibilities of 

 hon.sekeeping, a young woman cannot liegin 

 too early to cultivate an acciuaintance with 

 culinary art ; and there is no better way of ac- 

 ijuiring and retaining this knowledge than by 

 .Setting up a private recipe book, in which to 

 jot down all tried and proved recii)es, worthy 

 of such distinction, that may be met with, 

 either at the family board, or at the table of a 

 friend. I began the practice when about 12 

 years of age, at the instigation of an experi- 

 enced matron, herself a model of order in 

 everything relating to housekeeping, and suh- 

 seipieiif observation has oflen made me look 

 back on her friendly counsel with respect and 

 gratitude, and say to myself that even in 

 worldly things, " .V word sjioken in .sea.son, 

 how good it is y" That these remarks may lie 

 ecpially useful to some young aspirant to pro- 

 spective duties, I proceed to give a few hints 

 to those who may feel uicliued to adopt the 

 plan. 



P'irst, then, let extreme.simplicity of arrange- 

 ment characterize the start. In the first llu.sli 

 of the new idea, it may be very amusing to 

 divide and cla.ssify, but as the novelty wears 

 off these elaborate devices Income irksome, 

 and may tend to disgust altogetlier. All that 

 is wanted is a blank ruled Ixiok of a suitable 

 size, and after niunbering the ])ages, and writ- 

 ing the name of the owner, and the dale, it is 

 ready for work, which may he proceed witli as 

 follows : 



Never take a recipe on trust, or even on the 

 recommendation of a friend ; try it yourself 

 before entering it in your hook — you will thus 

 be saved the pain of finding out, too late, prol>- 

 ably from an error in diction, that it does not 

 turn out well, when by adht-ring strictly to the 

 rule, toenternothingtillyouhave tested it, you 

 know at once thai all your recipes can Im' de- 

 jiended on. and that there is no mistake about 

 them. How ofti'U in reading a recipe in a cook- 

 ery Iniok. you think — That looks ]iromising I I 

 wish I knew if it would answer. With your 

 own book you need not lie at such a loss: you 

 have there coulideuce that is not m'splaced. 

 and conliilenec in what you are about, is gen- 

 erally half the battle. Therefore, we wonhl 

 .sav— write down everything you can make 

 younself from a water-gruel to n ptitr dr fnie 

 ijnis : and with your iHiok. and your knowledge, 

 you may take the world, broadside on, and 

 when other trades fail, you can set upaivstau- 

 rant ; or go out as a rhcf dr niisine ; or, if you 

 are of literary turn, you can lecture at some 

 scliool of cookery; or even get the length of 

 writing in the ' A<jrirultvr<d ^<iz^tt<— though, 

 for this last, yon would probably re(|uire a 

 training of at least :iO years, lH'f<ireyouiittained 

 to the re(iuired jiroficiency. 



