THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



15 



LIVE STOCK. 



Saving bv Handsful. 



One handful of :i;iv i^^'i"'' iinicli, nor, for the mat- 

 ter of that, arelwiiiiv haiidhlul ; the eavin.ffor wast- 

 Inpofso much would n.illuriiuiko nor break a man. 

 But with twenty head of eatllu to feed, twice or 

 tliricc a day, the eavinx of a handful apiece every 

 time would amount to somethine before our pastures 

 arc preen again upon our frost-bitten hills. Do you 

 ever think of It ? We arc not hintiuB at sllnttug the 

 cattle. But how many of us allow aninuils to waste 

 a handful each at every feed for want of a little at- 

 tention to feeding arranfrcments ? How many head 

 of stock on our Northern farms require ii handful 

 more of hay at every feed to keep up the aniniiil heat 

 than they would rciiuire if their si iiblcs had all the 

 cracks stopped that let in the cold winds of winter? 



A handful of manure is but a tritlc, yet the addi- 

 tion of a sinp-lc handful in a hill of corn may 

 make the dilfcrence between Ions, <""" e»i'6 and 

 stinted nubbins when the harvest comes. How many 

 handsful of manure arc going to waste every day 

 about our yards and buildings ! Could you not save 

 half a bushel a day by being careful ? And the 

 liquid manure— is there not enough lost every day to 

 make a good many long cars where we shall probably 

 liud only nubbins uexl fall '. 



Handsful of hay ; handsful of manure ! — these arc 

 small matters say you? Yet upon just such small 

 matters depends many a man's success or failure in 

 life. Here is one man that attends to them carefully, 

 and at the end of twenty or thirty years he has a 

 competency for old age ; another neglects them as 

 beneath his notice and is always behindhand ; he 

 lives and dies short in pocket and short in comfort. 

 We do not preach niggardliness ; it is by saving when 

 we may that we prepare ourselves to be liberal when 

 wc will. Save the handsful. — Rural New York. 



History of Horned Cattle. 

 The original native home of horned cattle is lost, 

 but up to about four hundred years ago, there were 

 many herds of wild cattle in England. Some of 

 these were captured and have been preserved in 

 some of large parks of the English aristocracj-, of 

 one of these tlie /Mohf/isl, a London magazine, says: 

 Herds of this breed are recorded to have existed in a 

 semi-wild state in various portions of England. 

 Those at Burton Constable were all destroyed by a 

 distemper. When Bewick published his History of 

 Quadrupedx, at the close of the last century, he was 

 enabled to show that only five herds then existed. 

 Since that date the herds at Wallaton and Gisburne 

 have died out, and the breed having been introduced 

 (subsequently, it is presumed to Bewick's notice) or 

 re-introduced at Cadzow (Hamilton), in Lanark- 

 shire, the ancient seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, 

 there now survive at the present four herds only, of 

 which the following account is given from recent 

 inspection by Mr. A. H. Cocks. Of these the Chilling- 

 ham breed, belonging to the Earl of Tankerville, 

 are said to be the purest. They are characterized 

 especially by the form of their horns, which may be 

 described as curving, first backward and upward, 

 and then sweeping forward and downward, while 

 the pomts turn upward. In the skull the forehead 

 is flat or slightly concave, and the occipital ridge be- 

 tween the horns is straight and level. In form these- 

 cattle are beautifully shaped, with small heads, 

 straight backs and short legs. Their color is white, 

 except the ears and muzzle which are either red or 

 black, according to the breed. The horns are white, 

 with black tips. 



Corn and Cob Meal. 



Corn and cob meal, which was formerly largely 

 fed by many farmers, has of late been so severely 

 condemned in the agricultural journals as to deter 

 thousands from continuing its use. Some years ago, 

 however, Professor Mott, of Columbia, Ohio, wrote 



prize essayonthc subject, iu which betakes ground 

 in favor of its use, saying, "Advantages and econo- 

 my are attained by fattening and feeding stock with 

 corncob and meal together, and also by grinding all 

 kinds of grain." 



As we shall want the ensuing winter everything 

 that can be converted into food for our animals, it is 

 to be hoped that the question will be satisfactorily 

 disposed of before the cobs are used lor fuel or 

 thrownin the hog-pen to rot, or rather to waste. We 

 have read some strong arguments against the use of 

 the cob at all ; and some equally strong, indeed, in 

 our judgment, stronger in favor of grinding the corn 

 and cob togcther,as food for horscs,cattlc and swine. 

 We are ready to open our columns for information 



n the subject, and trust that our farmers will give 



s their experience and opinions. — Gerinanlon<n Tel. 



IIow TO Choose a Good Cow.— A crumple horn 

 is a good indication, a full eye another. Her head 

 should be small and short. Avoid a Koman nose, 

 which indicates thin milk and little of it. See that she 

 is dished in the face— sunk between the eyes. Notice 

 that she is what stock men call a handler— skin soff. 

 and loose, like the skin of a dog, deep Irom loin to the 

 udder and a very slim tail. A cow with these marks 

 never falls to be a good milker. 



Profit Combined with Amusement. 



In a poultry establishment the ornamental can be 

 adopted with the useful, and profit can accompany 

 the pleasure and recieatlon of altciidiiii; tn I'mvls; 

 but silly people imagine, because ymr l, n I. |. ii|.lc 



have fine poultry houses witli • [.niii ',: im- 



various kinds all under one n" i - mis 



attached to prevent the fowls rnamm m liirn iil- 

 fcnccd gardens or in their exposcii plc:i.siMc sirouiuls, 

 ifec, that they can shut up fowls and continue to 

 keep them in confinement, so as to make them pay 

 for feeding ami attendance. By having unlimited 

 range, fowls can easily be made profitable; for they 

 will pick up at least half a living, and they do not 

 then require one-tenth as much attention as those 

 kept in a yard, which always has a bad odor, how- 

 ever often it is cleaned. 



It is extraordinary to find there are men so weak 

 as to attempt to keep great numbers of fowls to- 

 gether with limited range, when, time after time, 

 the folly of all attempts of the kind has been de- 

 monstrated. But although no sensible business man 

 will again confine hundreds of fowls in any inade- 

 quate space, yet great numbers can be kept on one 

 farm and profit combined with amusement by making 

 tasty ornamental little roosts, and placing them at 

 such distances apart as to prevent any intermixing. 

 These roosts might be made and painted so as to 

 have the appearance of miniature cottages, and so 

 placed about an estate as to be exceedingly pic- 

 turesque. 



I have in my mind at the present moment an 

 island, the property of one proprietor, whose resi- 

 dence stands on an elevated position commanding a 

 view of the whole, with the exception of portions 

 hidden by trees. What a very pretty efl'ect some of 

 these poultry houses would have if interspersed 

 among laborers, cottages and other buildings used 

 as shelter for farm stock, and these also' could be 

 made to have such an appearance as would be iu 

 unison with the erections all over the island. Imagine 

 a farm neither round nor square but toleiably com- 

 pact, with a hundred or more roosts, sheds for cat- 

 tle and for sheep to resort to in stormy weather, and 

 here and there intermingled with these, a cottage 

 prettily adorned with vines, and a handsomely laid- 

 out garden. Then suppose the whole painted alike 

 and, as near as usefulness combined with the orna- 

 mental and uniformity will permit, all showing doors 

 and windows and all having ivy or vines of some 

 kind running about or trained around them, so as to 

 give the best effect. If an island, all the outside 

 poultry houses might be for water-fowls, and sweep- 

 ing down from the mansion might be a well kept, 

 beautiful carriage road which could take a circuit of 

 the farm, so arranged that it would be a delightful 

 pleasure drive, and at the same time it could be used 

 to go around to the different buildings, which would 

 be ou the right and left all the way along. 



Profit could be all the while combined with the 

 ornamental and the useful, and good, fine square 

 fields could be arranged so that they would not inter- 

 fere with the buildings or any of those structures or 

 impede cultivation. If wealthy people, when they 

 retire from cities to the country, would first of all 

 lay out their farms so as to have them one beautiful 

 scene of variety with perfect utility, how ornamental 

 would not the arrangement be to the country '. 



Vermin on Poultry. 



A correspondent of the Southern Poultry Journal 

 says : 



'' Many fanciers use the carbolic (or carbolated) 

 powder in ord.r to rid their fowls of lice and mites. 

 It is considered the very best of remedies. My plan 

 is one which, I think, is used by no other breeder ; 

 has never failed me in completely ridding my fowls 

 of every insect, and has demonstrated to me its in- 

 fallibility. It is simply to use the oil of sassafras 

 nii.xed with sweet oil. To one ounce of oil of sassa- 

 fras put five or six of sweet oil, and apply a small 

 quantity to difl'erent parts of the body of the fowls, 

 stlectiug those points where tlie vermin would be 

 most apt to hide. 



"In applying the preparation I fill with it a small 

 oil can, so that I can I'orcc out as much or little of 

 the oil as I wish. A very small bit can be made to 

 go a great ways, for ouedropcan be rubbed overtwo 

 or three inches of spate, and is no more trouble to 

 apply than the various insect powders. I use sweet 

 oil, because of its curative powers, but any kind of 

 greese, no matter what, will do to mix w ith the oil 

 of sassafras. The oil of sassafras is the ersdicatoi , 

 the oil merely the vehicle. I believe common sassa- 

 fras tea would be wonderfully cfllcacious. 



"Make iu a large pot, then, after allowing it to 

 cool, dip the fowl in bodily. In one second the lice 

 will be dead, and In ten seconds the fowl will be per- 

 fectly dry, if placed in the sunshine. It is hard to 

 form an idea of the magical cU'ect produced by the 

 oil of sassafras. 1 have tried the remedy in greater 

 attenuation than that mentioned (one part to five Oi 

 six), but believe that it would be equally good if 

 composed of one ounce of oil of sassalraa to ten or 

 twelve of any other oil or greese." 



Muscovy Ducks. 



Th. 



■Musk 



under I he above imne, is also known as 

 duck. 'I'his bill er, ami perhaps more pr(>|jcr name, 

 is derived lioin ilie cidur of musk prevading the skin, 

 which seeciistohe | .arliciilarly strong about tlic liead. 

 This scent is not in tlie least perceptible, however, 

 when the bird is properly cooked. 



Tlie llesh of this bird is very palatable, if eaten 

 when young, but after it gets beyond Its youth It Is 

 not so highly esteemed. Musk ducks arc odd look- 

 ing birds— generally black and white, not evenly 

 marked, but spotted irregularly, here and there with 

 a patch of black. The drake has a large head and 

 bare checks of a scarlet color, the base of tlic bill 

 being carunculated with the same bright scarlet. 

 With these distinct peculiarities and the fact that 

 the feathers on the back of the head are rulUed and 

 appear to be growing the wrong way, the musk 

 drake Is very curious, and certainly is the least 

 comely water fowl it has been our lot to behold, while 

 he is as ugly as he looks in most cases. 



Mu.scovy ducks are capable of sustaining them- 

 selves for a quite a time, on their long and powerful 

 wings, and are fond of taking flights about tlm 

 neighliorhood, but in most eases they return punc- 

 tually to their home, aficr the manner of pigeons. 



As they lav letter e^'L:> HjMII hl.i,l . il liiT cluckS, thls 



drake 



The di\iki'^ :n-'' e"iii iniially iiu ill iiil; , or " raising a 

 row," in somc^ iiistanees catelijng an unfortunate 

 duck of another species by the neck and holdin:: its 

 head under the water until drowned. 



The Musk duck Is domesticated to a considerable 

 extent in this country and Europe, but not nearly so 

 large as in some parts of South America, hIicic llii'y 

 are also plentiful in their natural wild stale. 



How to Tell That Eggs are Eggs. 



A good egg will sink in water. 



A boiled egg which is done will ilry quickly on the 

 shell when taken from the kettle. 



The boiled eggs which adhere to the shell are 

 fresh laid. 



After an egg has laid a day or more the shell 

 comes off easily when boiled. 



A fresh egg has a lime-like surface to its shell. 



Stale eggs are glassy and smooth of shell. 



Eggs which have been packed in lime look siained 

 and'show the action of the lime on the surface. 



Eggs packed in bran for a long time smell and 

 taste musty. 



With the aid of the hands or a piece of paper 

 rolled in funnel shape and held toward the light, the 

 human eye can look through an egg, shell and all. 



If the egg is clear and golden in appearance when 

 held to the light, it is good ; if dark or spotted, it is 

 bad. 



Tlie badness of an egg can sometimes be told by 

 shaking it near the holder's ear, but the test is a 

 dangerous one. 



Thin shells are caused by a lack of gravel, etc., 

 among the hens laying the eggs. 



Many devices have been tested to keep eggs fresh, 

 but the less time an egg Is kept the better for the egg 

 and the one who eats it. 



Witer Treatment of Poultry. 

 A correspondent, in addressing us on this subject, 

 says in brief, that each fowl ought to produce 1110 

 eggs a year ; that In winter warmth is indispensa- 

 ble ; that the fowls must have some of the food they 

 find at other seasons when at large; ihcy 

 must have plcn.y of room In their house, 

 and it and the laying boxes kept dean ; 

 that they must be fed with corn, barley, o.its; have 

 a box of sand, oyster or clam shells pounded up, or 

 old mortar ; or bones dried and pounded fine ; that 

 mached boiled potatoes and eornmcal arc excellent; 

 that fatty matter ol any kind, fresh beef, cr pork 

 scraps, &c., must form a portion of their diet ; iliai 

 hens are fond of vegetable matter during winter an 1 

 will eat cabbage, &c.; and they must be kept free 

 from vcrmim, which nearly always follows entire 

 cleanliness. In case, howe'ver, vermin should still 

 make their appearance there Is nothing so ell'eclive 

 inremoving them as rubbing the top of the head, 

 under the wings and upon the back with lard. Thesi- 

 suggestions we have made time and again ; and have 

 oiny to add now, that all who desire complete suc- 

 cess, and, of course, satisfactory profit from poultry 

 rasing must adopt Ihem.— acrmanlotcn) Telrgrupk. 



The production of eggs during the winter season, 

 savs the Line Stock Joiirtiat , is largely under the 

 control of the owner of fowls. If hens have warm, 

 comfortable quarters, and an abundance of suitable 

 food, the owner will be rewarded by a supply ol 

 eggs all through the cold weather. But it is esscii- 

 tiai I hat they should be provided with a well venti- 

 lated house wherein they will not suffer from cold. 

 The food shouhl not consist wholly of grain ; all the 

 bits of vegetables from the kitchen table and the 

 scraps of meat should be saved, chopped up fine and 

 given to the hens. 



