160 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[October, 1879. 



keep for laying after she is two years old 1 cannot 

 indorse it, as I have hens that are four years old and 

 Btill continue to deposit one dozen a month. Still, I 

 prefer young liens. In selecting hens to set select 

 eggs from those hens in TOur flock that you know are 

 constantly laying. Black Spanish, white and hrown 

 Leghorns, are not of much account for the table. 

 Tekill them for the market is folly." 



Red Canary Birds. 



At the London Exhibition in 1872 Mr. Bembrose, 

 of Derby, exhibited some red canary birds. The 

 birds received no prizes, however, as the jury had 

 doubts as to the origin of their color, and believed 

 them to be dyed. The following year, at the exhi- 

 bition held at Whitby, the red canaries were recog- 

 nized as a new variety, and they became all the rage. 

 In numerous controversies Mr. Bembrose had given 

 his word of honer that the color of his bird was not 

 due to any fraudulent processes, but had been really 

 obtained through a special mode of feeding. But as 

 a friend to whom he had communicated his secret 

 had abused his confidence and sold it, the author has 

 believed it his duty to make known to the public the 

 process which he used to obtain his results. It 

 appears, according to him, that the birds are fed 

 upon hard-boiled eggs crushed up with the crumbs 

 of common white bread and dusted over with cay- 

 enne pepper. Dr. Dusch, a Belgian amateur, adds 

 the following : Purchase at the druggist's some of 

 the very best qualitv of cayenne pepper, ground very 

 finely; for each meal mix some of it with stale bread 

 macerated in well water, and press it together so 

 that it will crumble, but not form a paste. Instead 

 of bread the white of an egg may be used if preferred. 

 This kind of food should be given to the bird only 

 before and after moulting. It is well to add that it 

 would be a waste of time to experiment on any other 

 canaries than those of the Norwich breed or on birds 

 that are not of a very dark strain. This statement 

 is made on the authority of Les Mondes. 



Chicken Cholera. 



The New York Times gives the following remedy 

 for chicken cholera: Give one-fourth of a blue pill 

 to the fowl as soon as it seems to be sick, and repeat 

 this the second day after. Then give half a tea- 

 spoonful of castor-oil. After the fowl improves, give 

 scalded corn-meal, in which a teaspoonful of black 

 pepper for each fowl has been mixed. Poultry need 

 a little salt, and if they were supplied regularly and 

 moderately tliey would be more healthful than they 

 usually are. 



Young Fowls 



Are the best for laying eggs. It is not good to keep 

 hens beyond the second year. A good authority on 

 such matters says : "Feeding will do a great deal — 

 a surprising work indeed — in the production of eggs, 

 but not when old hens are concerned; they may put 

 on fat, but they cannot put down eggs. Their tala 

 is told, their work is over." 



Literary and Personal. 



French and Belgians.— By Phebe Earle Gib- 

 bons, author of "Penusylvania Dutch," and other 

 essays. Published by J. B. Lippincott & Co., Phila- 

 delphia, Pa., 1879. Price, $L'.00. Pp. 441. This 

 may be called a royal 12 mo., and is executed in the 

 publishers best style, on fine, faintly-tinted, calen- 

 dered paper, a clean print, and substantially bound 

 in embossed muslin. People may difl'er in opinion as 

 to its literary merits— and they have a perfect right 

 to differ— but the reader cannot but accord due 

 credit to the author for the energy, the industry and 

 perseverance with which she executed her mission, 

 and the fund of information which she has de- 

 veloped (sometimes, too, under difHculties which 

 would have discouraged one of a less tenacious con- 

 stitution,) and the interesting and inslruf-tive manner 

 in which she has presented it to the public. The first 

 chapters may, perhaps, be regarded as somewhat 

 desultory, anil may contain a few things not specially 

 French and Belgian, but alike common to humanity, 

 or the natural world at large, but taking the work 

 all through it will be found an epitome of the social, 

 domestic, political, educational and religious life of 

 France and Belgium, reflected from a plane of ob- 

 servation to which the fewest numbers of travelers 

 and writers ever attain. It may be true that the 

 peculiar style of the writer may not be the most 

 agreeable to all readers, being mainly in the first 

 person, present tense, as for instance, "I say," "I 

 ask," "I see," "I go," &c., but this only evinces the 

 greater practical authenticity, and that the autlior 

 narrates what she has actually experienced— what 

 she herself has seen, heard and done. Many facts, 

 opinions and principles, as they exist among the com- 

 mon, the agricultural and the middle classes, are 

 brought out in this book that we find in no other. Buy 

 it and read it. 



How TO Select Cows.- The Guenon system 

 simplified, explained and practically applied. By 



Willis P. Hazard, secretary of the Guenon Cnmmis- 

 sion, &c., Ac, &c., with nearly one hundred illus- 

 trations, photographed from Guenon's engravings. 

 I. M. Stoddard & Co., 787 Chestnut street, Philadel- 

 phia, Pa. This is a royal octavo pamphlet of 84 

 pages, printed in clear type, with a portrait of 

 Francis Guenon, and a resume of his entire method 

 in selecting stock, and seems to be a reprint of the 

 same article, with some additions, as published in 

 the Report of the State Board of Agriculture for 

 1878. Of course, we cannot speak of the system ex- 

 perimentally, but in as much as some of the best 

 stock men in the country are takins: hold of it ap- 

 provingly, we commend it to the examination of 

 our stock dealing and dairy readers. Price 50 cents. 

 Cloth 75 cents. 



Department of Agriculture.— Report special. 

 No. 12. Investigation of diseases of swine, and in- 

 fectious and contagious diseases incident to other 

 classes of domestic animals. Containing an intro- 

 ductory and reports of Drs. Detmers, Law, Vogles, 

 Salmon, Dunlap, Dyer, Payne. McNutt and Hives, 

 together with correspondence relating to the preva- 

 lance of diseases among domesticated animals, in- 

 cluding pleuro-pneumonia, rinderpest, glanders, and 

 a strange disease among cattli in North Carolina. 

 29.; pp. royal octavo, with 17 full-page plates and 

 one chart, embracing 81 figures and groups of 

 figures, and 28 tabulated series of experiments. This 

 work is handsomely gotten up, and the full-page 

 plates, illustrating the diseased condition of the vari- 

 ous animal organs, are colored to life. The quality 

 of the material and the letter-press are rather 

 in advance of the usual documents issued by that 

 department. The work contains an alphabetically 

 arranged index, and on the whole must prove a valu 

 able contribution to our veterinary literature and 

 practice, although our personal opportunities and 

 experiences are too limited to pronounce an unquali- 

 fied endorsement. The commissioner desires the 

 work to be as perfect as possible, and therefore he 

 solicits the co-operation and assistance of the practi- 

 cal portion of the farming and stock growing public. 

 But, in order to bring the chief of the department 

 and the public concerned, in rapport, we append his 

 appeal as an appropriate conclusion of our remarks : 

 Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, 

 Sept. 25, 1879. Sir : In forwarding you this copy of 

 the"Investigationof Diseases of Swine, and Infec- 

 tious and Contagious Diseases incident to other 

 classes of Domesticated Animals," it is with the 

 hope that you will give the work a careful perusal, 

 and favor the department at your earliest conveni- 

 ence with such criticism as you may think it deserves. 

 In this connection permit me to say that I will be 

 pleased to have the results of any experiments you 

 may have had in the prevention, treatment or cure of 

 infectious and contagious diseases of swine and other 

 classes of farm animals, and the extent to which 

 such diseases prevail in your locality. Stock breed- 

 ing and rearing has become one of the largest in- 

 terests of the country, and any facts or observations 

 that are likely to bring about a more intelligent 

 system of breeding and treatment of farm animals 

 will prove of interest and value to the whole coun- 

 try. If you have been successful in the prevention 

 of diseases among your domeeticated animals, pleas* 

 give your system of breeding, rearing, and preparing 

 for market, and the preventives employed, if any 

 were used. If remedies have been employed with 

 any degree of success, please state the ingredients 

 and the proportions in which they are compounded 

 and the quantity given. Any observations relating 

 to this subject which you may think will prove of 

 interest to the public will receive the careful atten- 

 tion of the department.— rows, respectfully, Wm. 

 O. Le Due, Commissioner. 



The North American Entomologist.— Edited 

 by A. R. Grote, and published by Reinecke & Zesch, 

 No. 500 Main street, Buffalo, N. Y. Eight pages, 

 8vo. illustrated. $2.00 a year in advance. We have 

 received a complimentary number of this work (Oct. 

 1879) aad we are much pleased with it. We wel- 

 come it into the ranks of entomological literature, 

 and sincerely hope it may have a longer life lease 

 than the Practical Entomologist and the American 

 Entomologist, and doubtless it will if enough sub- 

 scribers can be found in the country who can appreci- 

 ate its value. It is about the size and is gotten up 

 in the style of the Canadian Entomologist, and de- 

 serves to be as well supported. This number contains 

 the history and description of a new carniverous 

 species of Lipedoptereo {Dakruma coccidevora). 

 which is something very unusual for insects of that 



One of the sweetest songs we have heard this 

 many a day is entitled, ' ' We Shall Meet all the Little 

 Ones There." Words and music by Will L. Thomp- 

 son, of East Liverpool, Ohio. Although all our little 

 ones are graciously spared in the editorial home we 

 must confess to a breakdown in tears when trying to 

 sing these touching words. The song is an inspira- 

 tion of comfort, surely, to all whose homes have 

 been invaded by death. It is one of the few composi- 

 tions which will live for generations. To all lovers 

 of music we may say, send 40 cents to the author 

 and bless the household by a copy of this gem.— 

 Methodist Record. 



Local Government, at Home and Abroad.— 

 By Robert R. Porter, Esq., Chicago. Being article 

 No. 1 from the Princeton Review. Price 5 cents, at 

 the office of publication, 37 Park Row, New York. 

 This able paper was originally published in the 

 Princeton Review for July, 1879, but is also pub- 

 lished in a separate royal octavo pamphlet of 25 

 pages, and those pages should be read and thought- 

 fully pondered by every man who aspires to or is 

 thrust into a legislative administrative or judicial 

 office, whether it be National, State or municipal. 

 There is doubtless a great deal of reckless legisla- 

 tion, executive administration and judicial decision 

 that is the result of present impulse, entirely ignor- 

 ing the experiences of the past, and having little re- 

 gard to the welfare of the future. This pamphlet 

 discusses with ability the nature and origin of 

 local government in the several States of our 

 own country, as well as in foreign countries, and 

 shows that all forms of government, domestic or 

 foreign, are the outbirths and embodiments of local 

 governments from time almost immemorial, and 

 that the tyranny or liberality of governments are due 

 to their original local form. The vassalage of the 

 Feudal System was nothing more than local govern- 

 ment,althoughnot self-government so far as concerns 

 the masses of the people ; out of vassalage as a local 

 form grew monarchy ; out of local self-government 

 grew republicanism ; and the success of both are 

 largely influenced by the financial systems that have 

 been incorporated with them. Send for the pamphlet 

 and read it. 



The Phrenological.- We have received the 

 Phrenological Journal and Science of Health for Oc- 

 tober, and find it filled with material at once lively, 

 entertaining, criSp, instructive, and seasonable. The 

 features which constitute this a scientific publication 

 with a special department are prominent, hut dis- 

 cussed in so pleasant a manner that we scarcely 

 know that we are learning important principles as 

 we read the attractive pages. First in the order of 

 contents we notice a leading railroad man, Daniel L. 

 Harris, and next there are some very pertinent re- 

 marks on Precocious Children, which we would ad- 

 vise all doting fathers and mothers to examine care- 

 fully. Then there is a pleasant little conversation 

 on the nature of brain development, which knocks 

 the under-pinning out of the common talk we hear 

 about "bumps" and "bumpology." Dr. Wines pro- 

 vides a second letter on Prison Reform. A new in- 

 stallment of Brain and Mind, entitled the Physiolo- 

 gists and the Cerebellum, appears in this number, in 

 the course of which the writer shows, with every ap- 

 pearance of candor, the merits of most of the litera- 

 ture nowadays current with regard to the functions 

 of the cerebellum. We think that Phrenology has 

 decidedly the advantage in the contest. Mr. Temple, 

 in his third installment of The American Novelist, 

 writes down some hard facts. A portrait is given of 

 Chastine Cox, the murderer of Mrs. Hull, and a 

 very frank consideration of his character as indicated 

 by organization. Some hints are thrown out which 

 are suggestive of new and reasonable views of the 

 mentaforganism. Other topics of interest are The 

 Women of Italy ; House-cleaning ; The Difference ; 

 The Tea Americans Drink; Soldier-bound. The de- 

 partment allotted to Correspondents is rich in inte- 

 resting counsel, and indeed the whole number is wor- 

 thy a careful, conscientious reading. The Journal is 

 now published at the low price of $2,00 a year, with 

 a valuable book premium worth |i.50, and the bal- 

 ance of this year (three months) free to new sub- 

 scribers. A single number is 20 cents, but is oflfered 

 to new subscribers "On Trial" three months, in- 

 cluding October number, for only 25 cents. Every 

 reader of this paper should send 25 cents at once and 

 see for themselves the peculiar merits and fascinating 

 nature of this magazine. Letters should be ad- 

 dressed to S. R. Wells & Co., Publishers, 7.'57 

 Broadway, New York. 



The Entomologists' Exchange.—" Vestigia 

 N-ulla Rdrorsum." New Berlin, N. Y. Addison 

 Ellsworth, editor. Monthly, at 25 cents a year. 4 pp., 

 royal octavo. No. 5, vol. 1, for September, 1879, of 

 this spicy little sheet has been placed on our table, 

 and we consider it an interesting and useful contri- 

 bution to the periodical entomological literature of 

 the country. Every entomologist, at least, ought to 

 have a copy of it in his library. 



QnARTERLY Report of the Pennsylvania Board 

 of Trade, for June, July and August, 1879. 22 pp. 

 royal 8vo., containing lists of officers and members : 

 State fairs, district fairs, county agricultural socie- 

 ties, with names and addresses of secretaries, and 

 programme of coming fall meeting at Mercer, Mercer 

 county. Pa., together with sundry enactments re- 

 lating to agriculture, and other valuable and inter- 

 esting matter. 



Bryant's Nurseries, established 1845. Retail 

 price list and catalogue of fruit and ornamental 

 trees grapes, small fruits, forest trees, seeds, &c., 

 for autumn of 1S79 and spring of 18S0. Princeton, 

 Illinois. 22 pp., 12mo. 



Department op AoniouLTURE, Special Report, 

 No. 17, upon the condlUon of crops to September 1, 

 1879 22 pp. royal 8vo. The wheat crop of 1879 is 

 92 against 87 last year. We are "marching along." 



