1880.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



^5 



Pumpkin Pie. — Cut the pumpkin in half, put it in 

 a dripping-pan, skin side down (al'tiT the 6ee<ls arc 

 removed), in a slow oven; hake until all the good 

 can be easily serapcd from ihe rind with a spoon ; if 

 it is as hrown ae nicely baked bread, all the better : 

 mash finely, and to one quart add a quarter of a 

 pound of initter while hot : when cool, sweeten to 

 the taste; one pint of milk or cream (ifereambe 

 used three eggs will be suflicient, if milk four will be 

 better), heat them separately, stir in the yolks, two 

 teaspoonfuls of cinnamon, one of nutmeg, a wine- 

 glass of wine or brandy; lastly, add the white of 

 the eggs, stirring but little after they are added to 

 the mixture ; bake in a quick oven . 



Live Stock. 



Horseshoeing Again. 



We revert to this subject, because it is one of 

 great importance, and daily growing more so in 

 consequence of the eonslanlly-inereasing number of 

 these most valuable of all animals. A shoer should 

 not only know how to make a shoe and to fasten il 

 upon the hoof .so as to look nicely, but he should 

 understand the anatomy of a horse's hoof — and how 

 many do — as well as how much the shoeing must 

 vary to suit the formation of the hoof? This is a 

 knowledge that should be thoroughly possessed. 

 Some hoofs are flat, the shell thin and grows slowly. 

 These should not be pared at all except sinijily to 

 smooth the surface to receive the shoe evenly. The 

 tip ends of the hoof should be cliiiped ofi' slightly .so 

 as to prevent tripping. There should be next to urr 

 rasping of the hoof, in some cases none at all. Ouee 

 injure a hoof by paring it away, and it may produce 

 lameness for months ; indeed we know of eases in 

 which this was not got over for live, six and even 

 twelve months. In such eases, however, we think 

 that the horse should remain carefully shod, but 

 the shoes should not be removed or changed in some 

 cases for two months, and in most cases for from 

 six to seven weeks. 



The hoofs of some horses naturally become very 

 brittle and even powdery. In such eases they should 

 be frequently moistened with wet cloths tied around 

 them until brought to a proper condition. Common 

 moss is excellent, and should be kept constantly on 

 hand and moistened when used. Frequent driving 

 in wet weather on muddy roads will have the same 

 effect. In shoeing such horses the utmost care 

 must be taken, so that while giving the nails a se- 

 cure hold to avoid pricking, as little paring as possi- 

 ble should be done. 



As to the frog, the shoer who cuts this away 

 farther than merely to trim otf the rough edges, 

 should be imprisoned. We have no mercy for the 

 unpardonable ignorance that would destroy this 

 main reliance for the comfortable support of the 

 horse. It acts as a "buft'er" to mitigate the solid 

 jarring of the horse's hoofs and legs, and protects, 

 when it is left in its natural condition, those attri- 

 butes of an animal upon which all its usefulness Ae- 

 pends.-^G'erHiuJi/OJeJt Telegraph. 



Banish Every Dairy Pauper. 



One-third of all the cows kept by dairymen in the 

 United States produce less nnlk than will pay their 

 keep. These are simply a clog upon the business and 

 are better given away than kept. So says a live 

 stock journal, which very sensibly appeals to dairy- 

 men everywhere that they set about weeding out 

 their poor cows, so that they will be able to reap v 

 harvest with a good market and protect themselves 

 against loss with low prices. 



The value of a cow, measured for factory cheese 

 production, is determined by pounds of milk she 

 yields, and may be looked at wholly from this stand 

 point in case nothing less than il,OllL) pounds should 

 be satisfactory. The cheese dairymen has then a 

 sample standard of selection — merely the yield of 

 milk — and the sale milk dairyman has the same 

 standard. This is very easily determined with a pair 

 of spring scales hung in ihe stable, with a book 

 haviug a name or numtter for each cow ; and by 

 weighing and entering the milk of each cow in the 

 book one day in a week the average of these weigh- 

 ings will give the average yield per day near enough 

 for all practical purposes. Can't dairyman all'ord 

 to take this small trouble to learn the individual 

 character of his cows when [>rotit or loss depends 

 upon Itf A cow that yields only S,000 pounds at five 

 or six years old should be got rid of as a pauper that 

 lives on your charity and refuses to work. Only heifers 

 with the first calf can be tolerated with so low a 

 yield, and the prospect is not favorable even with 

 the heifer. She should yield 4,000 pounds the first 

 season to offer much encouragement to keei) her. A 

 heifer whose udder does not reach back and well up 

 had better be discarded at once. If the udder is 

 round and hangs down in front of her legs like a 

 four-quart pall she ii: not worth an experiment. It 

 becomes necessary for dairymen to study all the sub- 

 stantial points of a good eow, that they may avoid 

 throwing away food upon an animal not designed to 

 yield milk in paying quantity. 



Plain Talk About Stock. 



Our calves and yearlings are led on hay and grain 

 alone, what hay they eat, and about one quart of 

 corn and oatmeal to each calf per day. Our year- 

 lings get from two to three quarts of clear cornmeal 

 according to their size, which usually fattens them 

 SHflicicnt for market in about three months. From 

 experiments that \\c have made we know that a 

 ])ortion (■)f turnips aiid tieets would be a great help 

 and pay well in the wintering of stall-fed cattle or 

 cows, especially the latter. Farmers who winter a 

 variely of cattle like the above, usually calculate in 

 this section to make their cows eat more or less 

 coarse feed, and if thi're is any scrimping to be done 

 it usually falls on the poor cows, whose exhausted 

 vitality after a summer's milking, ill-fits them for 

 the course pursued. Cows, in order to winter well, 

 should go into winterqnarters in good condition, and 

 when in this shape we have I'ounii by repeated trials 

 that they will hold their own if milked to within si.v 

 weeks oi" calving, on the following feed and treat- 

 ment : Free access to salt and water at all times, 

 with cornstalks in the morning ; at night one quart 

 of cornmeal and a feed of oats straw, with an occa- 

 sional feed of hay. 



About the first of March discontinue the straw 

 and feed clover or timothy hay In its stead. You 

 may inttrcase the ration of grain now if you wish, 

 but not to too great an extent, lest you induce garget 

 in tlic udder, to which cows are less subject when 

 kept in uniibrm fiesh and not fed too high. Asa 

 remedy use bone-meal or saltpetre, either of which 

 is good, but the former best. We have found it best 

 to commence milking all cows that show much ex- 

 tension of the uddar, especially heifers, for some 

 time before calviug, which as a preventive for the 

 above disease is worth many pounds of cure. 



Cattle on the Plains. 



The season for marketing western cattle is now 

 over, and ranchmen are all busy in preparing winter 

 camjjs. The past year, notwithstanding the severe 

 drought in Southwest Kansas, Southern Colorado 

 and New Mexico, has been a fairly profitable one 

 with these cattle men. If anything- the pereenjage 

 of good or fat cattle has been greater this year than 

 any previous one in the history of the trade. This, 

 perhaps, was largely due to the infusion of new and 

 pure blood into Westei-n herds the past few yea rs ; 

 there being this fall a number of droves of really 

 good, smooth, straight and blocky cattle in from 

 Colorado. Prices, while not high, have ruled fully 

 as good as in 187S, and in some instances better. As 

 a whole ranchmen seem satisfied with their year's 

 work, and the Western cattle interest was never in a 

 more healthy condition than now. 



Had to Give a Pig Medicine. 



At a recent meeting of an English Farmers' Club 

 Professor McBride spoke of the dillieulty of adminis- 

 tering medicine to a pig. He said ; " To "dose a pig, 

 which you are sure to choke if you attempt to make 

 him drink while squealing, halter him as you would 

 for execution and tie the rope end to a stake. He 

 will pull back until the rope is tightly strained. 

 When he has ceased his uproar and begins to rellect 

 approach him, and between the back part of his 

 jaws insert an old shoe from which you have cut the 

 toe leather. This he will at once begin to suck and 

 chew. Through it pour medieiue and he will swal- 

 low any quantity you please." 



Poultry. 



Look After Your Hen Houses. 



Now is the time for farmers to look after their 

 hen-houses and yards and put them in the most 

 perfect order. The nest boxes should not only have 

 tho nests removed, but they should be thoroughly 

 whitewashed, as well as the entire house, after 

 being cleaned out, fumigated, etc. No one can 

 raise fowls and eggs profitably unless the hens have 

 an inviting place to lay when the season arrives, and 

 a yard to run in where there is, in season, plenty of 

 grass to eat ; and when this is scarce, short grass 

 should be cut and fed to them. Scraps of meat of 

 all kinds, potato parings, corn-pudding, whole 

 grains, and once a week or in two weeks they should 

 have some parched or rather burned corn, in place 

 of charcoal; sand, fresh water daily and pounded 

 oyster shells must be regularly supplied. The best 

 success cannot be expected in raising chickens un- 

 less the proper way is adopted. 



The plan of raising chickens by "incubators" is 

 an ohl one. We know of no person in this city or 

 vicinity who uses them, although in some sections 

 they are said to be employed successfully. The 

 Delaware county Jlccord says that Col. F. M. 

 Etting, a resident of Concord township, is erecting a 

 number of poultry-houses and is making every pre- 

 paration that may be necessary to insure success In 

 breeding chickens by incubators, and intends at 

 least to give tho experiment a thorough trial. But 

 they have often been tried during the last fifty years 

 and not found proStable. 



The French perhaps understand the fattening of 

 chickens more thoroughly than any other people. 

 Millions of idump fowls are sent by them to both 

 the English and French markets. When the fowls 

 are fattening they are fed almost entirely on crushed 

 unWfX or barley, and sometimes a mixture of the 

 two kneaded into a tough dough, to which a little 

 butter or lard Is addeil. They give them to drink 

 fresh or sour milk, slightly sweetened with sugar. 

 Thus fed the fowls are said to acquire a delicate, 

 white and well-llavored meat, and often arc ready 

 for market In ten days. 



In shipping fowls to purchasers, or to present to 

 friends, care must be taken to have the boxes hijjh 

 enough ; also water-cups and feeding troughs, so 

 that Ihey can help Ihenrselves as they may need. 

 Cut straw, not too line, or hay, should be placed 111 

 the bottom to reat upon. We have sent fowls hun- 

 dred of miles In this way, which were In perfect 

 order when landed. They were a present to a 

 friend. — fwrrniiaUon'n Telrgraph. 



About Roosters. 



In breeding for shape and style, I always look to 

 the hen ; adumiiy hen may breed fair pullets, but It 

 is a hundred to one against their throwing reachcy 

 cocks; the hen has also most infinence on the color 

 of the stags and the breast and body of the pullets. 

 The cock has most influence on the color of the pul- 

 let's hackle; Ihat is to say, a cock that was well 

 striped of his chicken feathers will have a tendency 

 to throw heavily striped pullets; do not Imagine 

 that I advise breeding from a coekstr^ • '■ in hackle; 

 when he has got his adult pluiifage, the brighter he 

 is then the better, but if you want heavily marked 

 pullets, be sure that your cock was striped as a 

 chicken. I have proven this lots of times in black 

 reds, piles and brown reds, but have never had a 

 chance of trying it on duekwings. I first got the 

 idea from noticing two yards of brown reds ; one 

 yard had hens with copper-colored hackles, and the 

 other the brass hackles. I noticed that in both 

 yards the majority of cockerels were like the hens In 

 their immature jfiumage, though they both turned 

 out much alike in the end. I do not put any faith 

 in the adult plumage; it is the ehicken plumage 1 

 want to see in a cock to breed pullets. 



When you have got your birds, let them run to- 

 gether till the hens show signs of laving, and then 

 take away the cock and feed him well — cayenne, 

 meat, bread, all in turns — ami let him with the hens 

 for half an hour every morning, you will then have 

 very few clear eggs. One of my cocks is certainly 

 an old one— I don't know quite how old, but not 

 under four years — and, treated like this, there was 

 not a clear egg from fair hens, while other people 

 were complaining of their bad luck. I give no corn, 

 but meal mixed with the stimulant. When the 

 season for breeding is over he must be well phy- 

 sicked and kept low for some time, or he will most 

 likely die of apoplexy. If one is attacked, souse him 

 into a pail of cold water for a minute, and then hold 

 his head under a running tap of cold water, give him 

 a dose of castor oil, and put him iu a cool place; 

 this will seldom fail in elfecting a cure, if taken in 

 time. — Fancierx' Journal. 



Egg-Eating by Pullets. 

 A corresimndeut of the American roultry Yaril 

 writes as follows : As a general thing this habit is 

 introduced by the accidental breaking of an egg. It 

 may be induced by throwing egg-shells from the 

 kitchen into the poultry yard ; they should be 

 broken into small pieces before giving them to 

 fowls. Sometimes eggs crack by freezing in cold 

 weather, and thus expose a portion of their con- 

 tents. Eggs are very delicious morsels to hens. If 

 one fowl acquires this habit all the others iu the 

 same flock will soon learn it too, if confined where 

 they see it going on ; and they always make a rush 

 at whatever one of their fellows is eating.) The habit 

 is one very hard to break ; killing the whole flock 

 seems to be a desperate resort, but if the brood is 

 not especially valuable, and the flock a small one, It 

 is really the best possible method saving time and 

 money in the end. The following method may be 

 tried first, however : Let the fowls have free range 

 iu summer, or draw them olf to a locality at some 

 little distance from nests in winter, and let the nests 

 be so covered as to be quite dark, and prevent the 

 laying hens from seeing the eggs. Hens will not 

 stay in a dark nook to .scratch and peck, although 

 they prefer a rather dark place to lay in. Scatter 

 wheal screenings and pounded chandler's scraps, or 

 other attractive food among straw, or some such 

 light stuff, to induce them to spend their time 

 scratching for it. Their visits to the nests will then 

 be oidy on the Icgillrnate business of laying. If 

 fowls have an unrestricted range, the insects and 

 other attractions of fields will answer the purpose of 

 an artificial scratching-place in summer ; but in 

 rough, wet weather, or in winter, the fowls must be 

 employed in-doors to prevent forming bad habits, or 

 to cure them if already formed. .\\\ the grain re- 

 maining at the scratching-place at night very likely 

 will be devoured by rats and mice. However, by ex- 

 ercising a moderate degree of circulation one will 



