20 



THE LANCASTER FARMER 



[February, 



THE POULTRY EXHIBITION. 



The exhibition of January 1884 was cer- 

 tainly a credit to our local poultry association; 

 and although it was a spectacular success, we 

 regret to learn that it was not so financially. 

 The association did its duty, but the citizens 

 of Lancaster, and Lancaster county, did not 

 do theirs. It occurred at a season when there 

 was nothing to prevent the people from pa- 

 tronizing it— if they had willed it. Perhaps 

 far less meritorious and less respectable ex- 

 hibitions were liberally patronized durins;' the 

 continuance of the fair, because they presented 

 attractions more in harmony with the peo- 

 ple's taste. True, there may be some people 

 —indeed there may be many people— to 

 whom a "chicken show" may not be con- 

 genial, unless the chickens were served upon 

 dishes, garnished with "buckwheat cakes and 

 sausages." Even these might be interested 

 or benefited, if it were nothing more than to 

 •ee how a chicken looks " in the rough." But 

 the great variety, and the great perfection, in 

 the "poultry world," that has been wrought 

 by patient, persevering, human instrumen- 

 talities, ought to excite the wonder and even 

 the admiration of all who are at all interested 

 in progressive domestic culture. Gallinicid- 

 iure and its literature, occupies some of the 

 brightest and most practical minds of our 

 country, and the good accruing to society 

 from it is of paramount value to auy rational 

 community. The Lancaster Poultry Asso- 

 ciation has already made a reputation that 

 has spread throughout the length and breadth 

 of one entire country. It is quoted from the 

 Atlantic to the Pacific coast, and from 

 Maine to Mexico. What was the poultry 

 stock twenty or even ten years ago, compared 

 with what it is to-day ? It is one of the 

 greatest special industries in the entire 

 Union, and its productions in eggs and birds 

 amount to many millions of dollars, and is 

 destined to an indefinite increase. The 

 various improved incubators are effecting a 

 great revolutioa in poultry production, both 

 in quantity and in quality. Its progress, 

 like any other useful or ornamental industry 

 is upward and onward, and indifference or 

 discouragement from outsiders cannot possi- 

 bly arrest it. People will have their improved 

 "chicken-fixings," whether chicken fairs suc- 

 ceed or not ; and, so long as the stock is there, 

 whether it compensates their projectors or 

 not, there is no such thing as fail. 



A RARE FOWL. 



On Wednesday morning, as Miss Viola 

 Heiss, daughter of Mr. George Heiss, tobacco- 

 nist, residing at No. 45 South Queen street, 

 was feeding the chickens in the yard, she ob- 

 served and was greatly surprised at the sud- 

 den alighting of a very strange bird from a 

 considerable height above her amongst the 

 poultry. She quickly noticed that it was pe- 

 culiar and somewhat pretty, when she at once 

 called for her father, but who had left the 

 house without her knowing the fact. How- 

 ever, Mr. Charles Eflinger, neighbor next ad- 

 joining, hearing the alarm, and being noted 

 as an expert shot, quickly obtained his guo 

 and shot the bird. Being shown to quite a 

 number of persons assembled and no one be- 

 ing able to tell what it was or to what species 

 of fowls it belonged, it was taken to Prof. S. 



S. Rathvon, who thus very fully describes it : 



Mk. George W. Kexdrick : The beauti- 

 ful, coal black, velvety duck, with the large 

 quadrangular spots on each side of the bill, 

 belongs to the "Sea Duck" family (Puli- 

 GULiNtE), and is common (coastwise) to both 

 Europe and America, northward. In Europe 

 it is called the "Velvet Duck," Melanetla 

 Velvetina). In America it has received many 

 synonyms, perhaps the most authentic of 

 which is CEclemia pcrapicillaia, or "Long- 

 billed Scoter." It is a winter visitor of the 

 coast of California, and usually only reaches 

 the Middle States, in fioeks of twenty or 

 thirty, about the month of September, where 

 it feeds along the coast, on fish, Crustacea, 

 shell-fish, spawn, sea-weed, etc. It is said to 

 be a remarkably expert diver, but its flesh is 

 considered too strong and oily to suit the 

 taste of epicures, although under favorable 

 circumstances it may be eaten. 



The sub-family Fuligulino: embraces 

 some of the handsomest subjects that belong 

 to the great family An atidce, which includes 

 swans, geese and ducks. The beautiful 

 "Merganser" or "Shellarake," is nearly 

 allied to it. The "Shuffler," the "Blue-bill," 

 the "Ring-neck," the "Red-head," the "Can- 

 vas-back," the "Whistler," the "Golden- 

 eye," the "Dipper," and the "Harlequin- 

 duck," in its many varieties, all belong to 

 this group. 



Dr. Coues says : "The assigned characters 

 of the American bird are very slight, certainly 

 not warranting specific distinction, and 

 scarcely afibrding grounds for varietal recog- 

 nition." Dr. C. is good authority ; but if the 

 illustration of the typical species in our pos- 

 session is at all reliable, then ihe specimen 

 exhibited to us to-day furnishes ample 

 grounds for " varietal recognition," to ama- 

 teurs at least. 



Wilson describes this duck under the name 

 of (Edemia nigra, or "Scoter duck," and 

 gives it an immense geographical range- 

 Lapland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Siberia, 

 Denmark, Kamschatka, iu the latter of 

 which it is said to breed, far away from the 

 coast. They are said to be so abundant in 

 the river Ochtska that the natives kill them 

 (in large parties) with clubs, to the number 

 of 1,000 or 1,500 at a time. 



Perhaps there is nothing in ornithology 

 more " mixed" than the birds belonging to 

 the sub-family FuUgulinoe. 



In connection with this subject I most re- 

 spectfully beg leave to say that this specimen, 

 as well as many other specimens iu natural 

 history, ought by all means to be in the pos- 

 session of the Linnaian Society. That organ- 

 ization is an incorporated institution, has 

 been in existence for twenty years, and has 

 in its possession many specimens of birds, 

 etc., that were prepared fifty years ago, 

 which, if it had not cared for and preserved 

 them, would probably not now be in exist- 

 ence. Its members have been devoting their 

 time, money, and uncompensated labor dur- 

 ing those 20 years, without any hope or de- 

 sire for pecuniary reward. A few liberal- 

 minded people have so far abnegated self as 

 to contribute to its museum and library, and 

 a trifle to its treasury, but by the masses it 

 has been almost entirely ignored. Many 

 specimens that should have been donated to it 



years ago by those who possessed them have 

 since been destroyed, or are masses of ruins; 

 the parties owning them losing interest in 

 them, and yet unable to make up their mind 

 to donate them. These objects of vertu are 

 accumulated an(^ husbanded for the use of 

 the rising generations, and not for any pe- 

 cuniary profit to the present members.— ^cm) 

 Ih-a. 



*This bird is now in the hands of Mr. George Flitk, 

 the -well-known taxidermist of this city, for the pur- 

 pose of preparation for future preservation. 



EXCERPTS. 



One of the puzzlers to many farmers' boys 

 has always been where the successivfc]crops of 

 stones come from. No matter how often or 

 thoroughly the stones were hand-picked every 

 plowing brings to the surface a new supply. 

 It seemed to us in boyhood that there was no 

 end to stones, and fairly seemed to justify the 

 general belief among boys that "stones grew. " 

 The truth is that plowing opens the soil so 

 that frost penetrates more deeply. The stones 

 being larger particles of soil settle under them 

 as they are lifted by frost, gradually raising 

 them till they come within reach of the plow. 

 On hilly land some of the surface soil is 

 washed away when loosened by the plow, 

 leaving more stones within its reach, and in 

 any cultivated soil there is generally a gradual 

 waste of vegetable matter, which, of course, 

 leaves the stones nearer the surface.— ^meri- 

 can Cultioator. 



If a dairyman wishes to insure a clean 

 stable and comfort for his cattle in winter we 

 know of no better way to do so than to bed 

 down his stock with black muck from the 

 swamps and ditches. It mixes well with the 

 manure, and makes one of the most valuable 

 composts. Besides its intrinsic value, cattle 

 bedded down once a week with it would be all 

 that is required. It would save labor in 

 cleaning the stables, which ordinarily is done 

 daily, and would leave the cattle in a much 

 cleaner and healthier condition where the am- 

 monia is absorbed than when left neglected to 

 wallow in their own excretions. A few loads 

 of dry muck placed under shelter, convenient 

 to the cow stables, would add greatly to the 

 manure heap and general thrift of the farm. 

 This is the experience of those who have 

 tried it, and all should do so wherever practi- 

 cable.— Orant/e County Farmer. 



Professor Brown, of the Ontario Agri- 

 cultural College, says he feels assured that the 

 cause of the somewhat prevalent animal con- 

 sumption, or tuberculosis, among cattle, and 

 lung disease among sheep is due largely to 

 sudden variations of temperature in winter, 

 brought about mainly by the over-anxiety of 

 many men in regard to the comfort, so- 

 called, of their animals, who believe in hav- 

 ing the thermometer at 70° inside when it 

 stands at 10° outside. He thinks it is a clear 

 mistake, under any circumstances, to shut the 

 door on sheep. 



A WRITER in the New England Homestead, 

 finding that the cut worms destroyed his to- 

 bacco plants as fast as he set them, procured 

 a basketful of chestnut leaves which were 

 young and tender, and after steeping them in 

 water which contained one tablespoonful of 

 Paris green to each gallon of water, he placed 

 a leaf over the spot where the plants were to 



