48 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[March, 1883. 



the potatoes to be boiled. This being the case, the 



eaving would be 50 per cent, after allowing five cenls 

 per bushel for boiling the potatoes, while the advan- 

 tage of cooked food in a sanitary point are very 

 great. If more cooked food and less hard, dry corn 

 were fed, there would be much less of the so-called 

 cholera amoua; bogs. — Lincoln, Xehraslcii, Farmer. 



Poultry. 



Raising Early Chickens. 



One who has a love for the business and who pos- 

 sesses the right disposition, may soon learn the de- 

 tails, if they start with a full understanding of the 

 general principles, among which may be named, 

 First, location, which should be warm, dry and shel- 

 tered from the cold winds, but at the same time dry 

 and filled with sunshine. Second, the eggs should be 

 from healthy birds that have been kept under the 

 most favorable conditions. Third, the mothers 

 should be not only healthy, but pet birds that arc 

 tame and possessing good dispositions. Fourth, the 

 nests should be so located that the air will not draw 

 under them and also where dampness will not be 

 gathered. A great mistake is often made by setting 

 a hen in a barrel laid dowu ; this gives the air a 

 chance to draw under the nest, to a degree that 

 usually prevents the eggs from hatching, unless dry, 

 earth is drawn upon the outside ofthe barrel. Fifth, 

 the hen while sitting should be kept as quiet as possi- 

 ble, and provided with everything for her comfort. 

 Sixth, when the chicks begin to hatch the tempera- 

 ture of the house should be kept 10 or 1.5 degrees 

 above the freezing point, and while the air should be 

 kept as pure as possible, no cold blasts should be per- 

 mitted to reach the chicks until they become strong 

 and old enough to care for themselves. 



Sunflower Seed for Poultry. 



The esthetic craze may not be so productive of 

 practical results as some other ideas that suddenly 

 take hold ofthe public mind, but the sunflower being 

 the standard, as it were, of this new idea, may re- 

 ceive the attention it deserves, and become, not only 

 a fashionable foible, but also a profitable plant. 

 The mammoth Russian is one of the most profitable 

 varieties, and should be cultivated in rows about six 

 feet apart, with the plants four feet in the rows. The 

 result will be a yield of seed at the rate of from fifty 

 to 100 bushels per acre, arid, for poultry, makes the 

 best feed of anything we have ever tried. They 

 should be fed about three times a week during the 

 laying season, and will give the best results in eggs. 

 During cold weather the oil in the seed serves the 

 same purpose as in the lamp, and furnishes fuel to 

 keep up the animal heat. 



For show birds on exhibition a short diet of sun- 

 flower seed gives the feathers an extra glossy coat, 

 and a clean, bright look to the combs and gills. Tbg 

 advantage off a small plot of sunflowers near the 

 house in warding off malaria is worth all the trou- 

 ble of cultivating them, as well as the ornament and 

 development of the esthetic among the young. — 

 American Dairyinan. 



Warm the Water. 



Don't forget to put warm drink in the poultry-house 

 these cold mornings. We know yon have always given 

 it to them cold, but we hardly think the change will 

 cause intoxication, unless it be of joy. If they have 

 the water warm in the morning, with a little cayenne 

 pepper nut in to keep it so, it will be very grateful 

 to the birds, and is a beneficial corrective as 

 well, while such "peppered drinks" will not congeal 

 so quickly as water will without it, iu the coldest 

 weather. But the clean, fresh water in ample supply, 

 within the chicken-house, is a deaidfratuin, and its val- 

 ue cannot be over estimated in the severe wintry day. 



Don't forget this. It pays. 



Literary and Personal. 



The Florida Dispatch. Devoted to the Agri- 

 cultural, manufacturing and industrial interests of 

 Florida and the South. New series — published by 

 AsHMEAD Bbotheks, Jacksonville, Fla., January 

 29, 1883, at ?2.00 a year', in advance, postage free. 



Vol. 3, No. 1. Agriculture, floriculture, miscellany, 

 commerce, scientific, manufactures, live stock, poul- 

 try, apiary, horticulture, editorials, new publications, 

 and elaborate advertisements; all find ample encour- 

 agement in this spirited journal, conducted with 

 more than ordinary ability. 



A handsome t6-page royal quarto with a charae 

 teristic title-head, illustrating the natural productions 

 of Florida — in part — the orange grove, the stately 

 palm, the fern, the cactus, the swamp, the crane and 

 the alligator, and makes us wish we were domiciled 

 there, at least during this blustering and frigid 

 weather. This journal is printed in very fair type 

 and on good calendered paper. In its scientific de- 

 partment it publishes an excellent illustration of a 

 species of Chrysopa, belonging to the Hemerobians, 

 or "Lace wings," a good insect friend but too delicate 

 even iu its larvie state to contend with the larger 

 mail clad foes of the luscious orange We like the 

 plan of eliciting entomological knowledge through 

 the inquiries of intelligent patrons — it is practical, 

 and furnishes just the information that is needed — 

 knowledge reflected from the plane of inquiry, and 

 saves the editor from the trouble of initiating sub- 

 jects, without knowing whether they will be appro- 

 priate or not. We have frequently urged our sub- 

 scribers to the same course, but it has only been 

 feebly responded to. 



Scientific and Literaky Gossip. Published 

 by S. E. Cassins 6; Co., 32 Hawley street, Boston, 

 Mass. Vol. 1, No. 3, Jan. 15, 1883. A monthly 16- 

 pp.Svo. Magazine of notes, news, and reviews in 

 science and literature, at .50 cts. a year. Edited by 

 J. S. Kingsley, Melrose, Mass. A fairly printed, 

 nicely gotten-up, and intereoting little journal, and 

 the medium of a fund of literary information on 

 many useful topics. Its circulars, advertisements, 

 lists, and notices of new books is worth more than 

 the subscription price. 



Farmer and Manufaotukek, a journal devoted 

 to the farming and manufacturing interests of the 

 country. Published by the company of the same 

 name, at Cleveland, Ohio, at 50 cts. a year. This is 

 l(i pp. royal quarto issued monthly, and undoubtedly 

 the cheapest paper puljlished in the Buckeye State, 

 so far as quantity, quality and variety are concerned, 

 comprising wit, sentiment and general literature, in 

 addition to its leading specialties. 



Ostrich Farming in the United States. Reports 

 from the consuls of the United States at Algiers, 

 Cape Town, and Buenos Ayres, on ostrich raising 

 and ostrich farming in Africa, in the Argentine Re- 

 public, and in the United States. Published by the 

 Department of State according to Act of Congress. 

 47 pp. octavo. We are indebted to our Congress- 

 man, Hon. A.HerrSmith, for a copy of this interest 

 ing pamphlet, on an industry that is now looming 

 up in the southern portions of our country, with 

 apparent indications of ultimate success. 



Report on Insects for the year 1881 by J. Henry 

 Comstock, Professor of entomology iu Cornell Uni- 

 versity, N. Y., with seven full-page plates, contain- 

 ing 80 figures. Author's edition, from the Annual 

 Report of the Department of Agriculture for the 

 year 1881. 22 pages octavo. We gratefully ac- 

 knowledge the receipt of this report from the author, 

 although by reference to the literary columns of our 

 February number, it will be perceived that we had 

 already received the Report of the Department of 

 Agriculture for 1881 and 18S2, which includes Prof. 

 Comslock's report. 



We believe it would be a good plan for the De- 

 partment to publish pamphlets on all the specialties 

 contained in the General Report separately, and 

 send them to such persons as stand nuost in need 

 of them. The binding could be saved, at least. 

 That, however, may be a small matter, but there are 

 many people who care very little about anything 

 in those reports except the specially they are inter- 

 ested in. 



The Acadian Scientist. Published in the 

 interest ofthe "Acadian Science Club." An 8-page 

 demi-quarto monthly. A. J. Pineo, general editor. 



Wolfville, Nova Scotia. No. 1, Vol. 1, January, 

 1883. 26 cts. a year. A new venture in journalism, 

 and doubtless poorly compensated. The matter is 

 good and interesting to scientists, the quality of 

 paper and general typography only ordinary. 



TiiERocicy Mountain Rural.— A 16-page quarto 

 published in the interest of agriculture, horticulture, 

 and kindred subjects. Monthly, at ?1.00 a year. 

 Denver, Colorado, D. S. Grimes, editor and publisher, 

 No. 383 Holiaday street. A creditable make-up and 

 edited with ability by one who knows how. This is 

 also a new enterprise in Agricultural journalism, 

 and ought to succeed. 



The Sugar Beet, devoted to the cultivation and 

 utilization of the sugar beet. Fourth year. No 1, 

 February, 1883, illustrated, royal quarto Lewis S. 

 Ware, M. E., Editor. Henry Carey Baird & Co., 

 publishers, 810 Walnut street, Philadelphia. Quar- 

 terly, .50 cents a year. Should the sugar beet, and 

 its conversion into sugar, ever be abandoned, this 

 journal will be a fitting monument to perpetuate its 

 memory. 



Farm, Herd and Home. — A royal quarto of 31 

 pages, in tinted covers, published by Brown * 

 Abromet, No. 15 Bates Block, Indianapolis, Indiana, 

 at fl.OO per year. Six copies, ?5.00. Liberally 

 illustrrted, and enriched in solid literature, relating 

 to its specialties. Typography and material unexcep- 

 tionable. 



R'-CKT Mountain RTTRAL,a 16.page quarto (size 

 of The Farmer) published monthly, devoted to hor- 

 ticulture and the rural interests of Colorado, Wyo- 

 ming and New Mexico, 286 Holliday street, Denver, 

 Colorado, at $1.00 a year, D. S. GRiMES,'editor and 

 publisher. A valuable auxiliary in the field it occu- 

 pies. The March number contains 52 good practical 

 articles. The impression is remarkably clear, and 

 easy to be read by the aged and weak-sighted. 



Swine Breeders' Journal. — A semi-folio of 10 

 pages, published monthly at $1.00 a year by .Morris 

 Printing Co., W. H.Morris, editor, Indianapolis, lud., 

 467 South Illinois street. It has numerous contribu- 

 tions on its specialty, and is doubtless a plain and 

 practical exponent of all that is worth knowing about 

 swine. 



North and South. — An S-page small folio devot- 

 ed to emigration and the development of the agricul 

 tural, manufacturing and industrial interests of the 

 South. Buffalo, N. Y., 60 cents a year. J. T. 

 McLaughlm, editor and manager. No. 191 Main 

 street. 



Western Farmer, a weekly journal for the farm, 

 orchard and home. A double folio, 8 pages, Madison, 

 Wis. Published by T. D. Plumb & Son, at §1.50 a 

 year. Full of good practical matter on domestic and 

 miscellaneous subjects. 



Silk Culture. — A monthly magazine of 32 large 

 pages at -$1.00 a year in advance. W. B. Smith ife 

 Co., New York, publishers. 1,000 silk-worm eggs 

 free to all who subscribe before the 1st of April, 1883. 

 An entirely new enterprise and ought to be liiierally 

 sustained — especially by those « ho propose to engage 

 in the culture of silk. 



Justice comes to us this week illustrated by a 

 double folio map— "Showing how the people's land' 

 has been squandered upon corporations." Some- 

 body has said — whether wise or otherwise — that 

 the government must own the railroads, or the ' 

 railroads will ultimately own the government, and 

 looking upon this map, such a contingency seems 

 more than probable. The older States seem free 

 from the railroad meshes, but the newer. Western , 

 and Southern States seem bound hand and foot. 5fo , 

 man can form any conception ofthe magnitude of j 

 these grants iu relation to the entire territory of the I 

 country; some States and Territories are literally cov- j 

 ered by them. Michigan, Kansas, Dakota, Wiscon- 

 sin, Washington, etc., are almost hterally covered by j 

 these grants. Unless they pass- entirely outof thel 

 possession of the railroads and become the property-] 

 of independent yeomen, iu fifty years they may carry' 

 a yoke "too grievous to be borne." 



