112 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[July, 1878. 



POULTRY. 



Late Hatched Chickens. 



Too little attention is paid each season to the chick- 

 ens hatched late in the season, nearly every breeder 

 supposing that they will not amount to much, and 

 that the care and attention bestowed on them is at 

 best but poor pay. Such is not the case, if only a 

 little extra care is taken of them, so as to get them 

 well alont; before the cold weather sets in. 



Nearly all the Asiatic breeds will do well if hatched 

 as late as September, as their heavy featherins: serves 

 in a great measure to protect them from the cold. 

 One precaution is necessary, and that is to keep 

 them out of the cold Autumn rains. Half fledged 

 chickens are very easily damaged by allowing them 

 to get soaking wet in a cold rain, and are put back 

 very much in their growth, even if they are not 

 killed by roup or catarrh by the exposure. 



A noticeable feature in late-hatched|Asiaticsi6 that 

 they are generally tincr in color and shorter in the 

 legs, and that they are largely piilktx. 



In nine cases out of ten the early hatched chicks 

 will be largely cockeiels, and many of these will be 

 coarse and leggy, while later in the season the re- 

 verse will be the case. 



Sometimes the cold weather will check their 

 growth completely, unless a very warm house is 

 provided ; even then they will make large chicks if 

 generously fed through the winter, for as soon as 

 the warm days of spring come they will, if in good 

 condition — and they ought to be fat — commence 

 growing i-apidly and soon rival the earlier hatched 

 birds. These late hatched pullets are often very 

 serviceable, as they usually commence laying in 

 April, when the early ones are all in a clucking mood, 

 and will soon pay for the care that h.as been taken 

 of them. Of course, it will not pay farmers to take 

 this extra care with common fowls, or those de- 

 signed for market ; but the fancier who can (ind 

 ready sale tor eggs in April and May is sorely 

 tempted to let them go, and if he can make use of 

 eggs laid late in June and July and even August, he 

 can well afford a generous supply of food and a 

 little extra care. 



These late hatched chicks should have all the corn 

 they can eat as late at night as they can see to eat, 

 and they may even be fed by lamplight ; we have 

 done it more than once — and a meal of soft food at 

 daylight in the morning. 



During the daytime, if food is left where they can 

 have free access to it, all the better. Every grain of 

 food taken which is not actually needed for the 

 growth of the fowl produces fat, and this accumula- 

 tion of fat renders them all the more fit for a success- 

 ful wintering. A chicken that is well fed and well 

 housed is far less liable to disease than that which is 

 half starved and th.at is left out in the cold and storm. 



During the severe cold weather they will not grow 

 any, and many are thereby deceived, thinking that 

 such chickens are stunted and will never grow any 

 larger ; but such is not the case, for soon as the grass 

 starts in the spring they will commence to grow, and 

 that very rapidly, and will soon "show their keep- 

 ing" anil make valuable fowls. 



Moscow Pigeons. 



The pigeons have it all their own way in Moscow, 

 for no one dares kill them. They are looked on as 

 the incarnate symbol of the Holy Ghost, and a Rus- 

 sian would almost as soon think of becoming a canni- 

 bal as of eating a pigeon. Up near the grain and 

 flour markets there are thousands of them, and 

 toward evening the roofs are black with them. The 

 gilded domes and roof of the Kremlin seem to be 

 also particularly dear to these birds, and if you go 

 down to the river about an hour before sunset, and 

 lean over the parapet of the bridge, you will see 

 countless numbers darting and wheeling about the 

 palace spire. It is jnst what is needed to finish the 

 beautiful panorama before you. In the early spring 

 I meet numbers of men selling cages of little birds. 

 These the people buy and liberate at Easter-tide. It 

 is a relic of the old habit of freeing slaves at that 

 time. When no more slaves were to be had, birds 

 were substituted as a symbol by the church, and the 

 custom still existed in Hussia with all her serfs, 

 without a thought as to what it meant, and how 

 much better it would be to do the thing of which it 

 was a type. — Eugene Schuyhr in Scribner's Monthly. 



Condiments in Poultry Diet. 



Cayenne pepper, mustard or ginger can, with 

 great benefit, be added to the food of fowls, to in- 

 crease tlieir vigor and to stimulate egg production. 



This apparently artificial diet will be seen to be 

 natural if we remember that wild birds of the galli- 

 naceous species get access to very many highly-spiced 

 berries and buds; articles that give the "game 

 flavor" to their flesh. The ordinary food of the 

 domestic fowl is not, indeed, entirely without some 

 such addition, since there is more or less of an aro- 

 matic principle in wheat, Indian corn, and all other 

 grains. Nevertheless, it is not sulficient in quantity 

 to supply the place of the stronger sjiices, a taste for 

 ■which is part of the fowl's iuherited constitution. A 



moderate quantity of cayenne, etc., added to the 

 ground grain is always productive of health and 

 thrift in poultry. — The Poidtry World. 



^ 



Ordinary Hens' Eggs 



Weigh from 785 to 1,000 grains, and when boiled 

 hard weigh from 1,0011 to 1,070 grains, the albumen 

 representing nearly two-thirds, while the yolk ex- 

 ceeds one-third. "The specific gravity of new laid 

 eggs varies from 1.08 to 1.09. The white of an egg 

 contains 80 per cent, water, 1.5..5 per cent, albumeii 

 and 4.5 mucus. The yolk contains .53.78 per cent, 

 water, 17.47 per cent, albumen, 28.70 per cent, yellow 

 oil or fat. Eggs contain 140 parts nutritive mattei- 

 in 1,000 parts. Preserved eggs lose weight rapidly 

 by keeping, through the substitution of air for the 

 water that escapes. 



Oyster Shells for Laying Hens. 



Now is the time to secure and begin to feed oyster 

 shells to our hens. Get the shells wherever you can 

 most conveniently, enough to fill a box or barrel. 

 Break up in small pieces near the feeding place, 

 about a pound a day for every twenty or twenty-five 

 hens. Make the pieces small enough for the hens to 

 swallow. They will eat this amount clean every day, 

 and it will furnish lime for the shells of their eggs. 

 It is a small chore, but it will pay. 



LITERARY AND PERSONAL. 



Harpek's Mai;azine fok AroujiT, 1878. — Har- 

 per's Magazine for August is a Number which has 

 never been surpassed in the interest of its reading 

 matter, and the beauty and artistic excellence of its 

 illustrations. 



The opening article, by F. Keppel, one of the 

 most judicious art collectors in this country, is devo- 

 ted to "TheGolden Age of Engraving," a fit subject 

 for a number which may fairly be said to be the best 

 representation ever given of the achievements of this 

 art- This paper is embellished with thirteen illustra- 

 tions, representing the great masters of engravings 

 Gandolfl, Durer, Rembrandt (two of whose etchings 

 are reproduced), Schongauer, Edelinck, Visscher, 

 Wille, Drevet, Desnoyers, Bervic, and Sharp. 



Life at the White Sulphur Springs is the subject 

 of an interesting paper by JohnEsten Cooke, 

 with twenty fine illustrations of character and 

 scenery. 



Clara F. Morse, the author of "Blush Roses," 

 just published in Harper's Library of American Fic- 

 tion, contributes a beautifully illustrated and enter- 

 taining article on Tumbridge Wells, an "Old-fashion- 

 ed Spa" in Kent, "the Garden of England." The 

 literary and historical associations of the place are 

 very interesting. Among the illustrations are fine 

 pictures of Dornden — the residence of Princess Louise 

 and the Marquis of Lome; Hever Castle, the resi- 

 dence of Anne Boleyn; and Penhurst, the home of 

 the Sidneys. 



Nothing could be more beautiful, or better suited 

 to the midsummer season, than Mrs. Conant's 

 paper on "Birds and Plumage," with sixteen superb 

 illustrations by Gibson The paper treats of birds 

 whose feathers are used I'or ornamentation. It de- 

 scribes the haunts and peculiar habits of the pea- 

 cock, lyre-bird, various species of pheasants and 

 birds of paradise, humming-bird, ibis, stork, toucan, 

 parrot, ostrich, whidah-bird, trogan, grebe, cider- 

 duck, and egret — all of which are illustrated. 



General Egbert L. Viele, in "A Glimpse of Na- 

 ture from my Veranda," an instructive and fascina- 

 ting article, presents midsummer in its scientific as- 

 pects, with illustrations. 



Three excellent short stories are given, each of 

 which has a special interest. "Jenny Gridley's Con- 

 cession" is by the annonymous author of "Justine's 

 Lovers;" "Aunt Eunice's Idea" is a humorous story 

 by miss H.H. Hor.oicn, with two illustrations by 

 Abbey. "Manuel Menendez" is a very strong story, 

 from the Italian of De Amicis, by Professor Charles 

 Carrol, illustrated by Pyle. 



Thomas Knox contributes a remarkable paper en- 

 titled "John Comprador," giving an inside view of 

 Chinese mercantile life, not only in China but also in 

 other countries, and exposing the methods by which 

 the Clduese have gained in the competition with 

 foreign merchants. 



The number contains five poems: "Shipwreck," by 

 Z. D.; "Who Knows," by Anna C. Brakett; "In 

 a Cloud-rift," by Lucy Laroom; "A Summer Day," 

 by C. E. Brooks; and "The Cliffs at Newport,"" by 

 Ruth Dana. 



The serial stories — William Black's "Macleod 

 of Dare" and Thomas Hardy's "The Return of the 

 Native are continued with unabated interest. 



The Editor's "Easy. Chair" treats of our Decora- 

 tion or "All-heroes'" Day, the Women's Hotel, Mr. 

 Murray's now Church enterprise. Lord Beaconsficid 

 at Berlin, and Bryant. The other Editorial Depart- 

 ments are well sustained. 



Ayer it Son's Manuel for Advertiseb.s, con- 

 taining carefully prepared lists of leading daily, 

 weekly and monthly newspapers in the United States 

 and Dominion of Canada, with valuable information 

 regarding circulation and advertising rates, so ar- 



ranged and classified as to enable an advertiser to 

 select without difficulty the mediums best suited to 

 any particular purpose, together with a list of all the 

 cities and towns having a population of five thousand 

 or more, giving exact population of each, the county 

 in which it is located, its population and the principal 

 papers of each place, with full particulars as to 

 character, circulation and rates ; also, very complete 

 lists of Sunday-school, scientific and raeclKinical, 

 educational, college, musical, medical and sporting 

 publications, together with a catalogue of leading 

 <;erman papers, the various Sunday issues of the 

 United States ; a magazine list, and numerous 

 special and very advantageous offers. Fifth edition. 

 A tinted royal octavo of 164 pages, in paper covers. 

 N. W. Ayer ifc Son, newspaper advertising agents. 

 Times building, corner of Chestnut and Eighth 

 streets, Philadelphia, Pa., 1878. The newspaper 

 business of America is truly astonishing, and the 

 material it consumes is a big item in the mass of 

 human production. 



Employment for Ladies and Gentlemen at 

 Home. — Our attention has been called to some new 

 and labor-saving cooking utensils — recently invented; 

 one of which, the Universal Weight and Measuring 

 Utensil, for weighing flour, sugar, butter, and meas- 

 uring molasses, milk and all kinds of liquids used 

 in cooking, entirely superseding expensive scales. 

 The Patent Centennial Cake Pan, the Best and most 

 convenient cake pan ever made, and which every 

 housekeeper will have when they see its advantages 

 over all others. Also, the Kitchen Gem, a plated 

 wire boiler to hanir inside of an ordinary pot, for 

 boiling all kinds of vegetables, eggs, etc., which, 

 when done, can be removed at once pefectly dry 

 without lifting the heavy sooty pot off of the stove. 

 These goods are sold exclusively through agents to 

 families, and offer a splendid opportunity to some re- 

 liable lady or gentleman canvasser of this county to 

 secure the agency for a very profitable business. 

 For terms, territory, etc., write to L. E. Brown & 

 Co., No. 242 Elm street Cincinnati, O. 



HF.ARIKii RES roREH.— Great invention by 

 one who was deaf for 20 years. Send stamp for par- 

 ticulars. Vekry & Harper, Lock Box 80, Madi- 

 son, Indiana. 



Experimental Farming, with special relation to 

 fertilizing and fertilizers. It is very seldom that we 

 see a more able or interesting article on this subject, 

 than that from the pen of Prof. B. Silliman, giving 

 the great work to which Mr. Lawes has devoted his 

 life and his fortune, on his experimental farm at 

 Rothamsted, England, and published entire in the 

 weekly editon oi' the New York World for June 20, 

 1878. The pith of it, or the entire article in instal- 

 ments — or as a whole— would furnish good agricultu- 

 ral reading at any season of the year, and we have 

 carefully cut the paper out for our present number, 

 see page 105. 



National Agricultural Congress. — The next 

 semi-annual meeting of this association will be held 

 at New Haven, Conn., commencing on the 27th of 

 August, 1878, for the reading and discussion of 

 papers. By paying an annual fee of three dollars 

 those who desire can become members and receive a 

 copy of the printed transactions. Address Ezra 

 Whitman, treasurer, editor Maryland Farmer, Balti- 

 more, Md.; or Jonathan Periam, secretary, Chicago, 

 Illinois. 



The twenty-fifth annual meeting of the State 

 Teachers' Association of Pennsylvania will be held 

 in the City of Reading, Berks county, on the 23rd, 

 24th and 25th of July, 1878. The Association con- 

 venes in the First Presbyterian Church ; and hotel 

 accommodations can be obtained from $2,25 per day 

 down to $1.25 per day. All the railroads in the State 

 grant excursion tickets under the usual limits, and it 

 is expected that the assemblage will be large, in- 

 structive and interesting. 



The Great West. — Devoted to the interests of 

 Western emigration, Harrisburg, Pa., 1878; a double 

 medium folio, very handsomely printed and on good 

 paper, monthly, at ?l,00 a year. No. 1, Vol. 1, of 

 this Journal reached our table too late to receive a 

 recognition in our June number. We commend it es- 

 pecially to the emigrant world, as containing infor- 

 mation that they greatly need and will be to their ad- 

 vantage, morally and financially. 



We call the attention of our readers in search of 

 good homes in the West to the advertisement of S. 

 J. Gilmore, Land Commissioner Kanscs Pacific Rail- 

 way, in another column, and advise all to send to 

 him for a free copy of the Homestead, a paper pub 

 lished in the interests of all desiring cheap homes in 

 a good country. 



New Music— The latest and best Song and Cho- 

 rus is entitled "i/iiwrft.u and Alone To-Xighl." It 

 is by Will L. Thomiison author of the famous .songs, 

 ^^Getthering Shells from the Sea Shore,'* and '■^Drij't- 

 iiig with the Tide.'' Kept at all music stores, and 

 sent to any address for 40 cents. Published by \V. 

 L. Thompson & Co., East Liverpool, Ohio. 



Cape May as a Health Resort. — Relative hu- 

 midity and range of temperature. From the official 

 data of the United States Signal Service, Washing- 

 ton, D. C, from 1874 to 1877, explodes the falacy 

 that Cape May is an unhealthy place. 



