THE ILLIISTOIS FARMER. 



109 



ing out of grain in winter is prevented, 

 bectiuse the M-ater falling on the earth 

 is immediately removed instead of re- 

 maining to throw up the soil by freez- 

 ing, which it always does. 6th. Far- 

 mers are enabled to work the sooner af- 

 ter rains, because the water descends 

 and is immediately removed from the 

 surface, instead of lying to be taken off 

 by the slow process of evaporation and 

 sinking through a heavy soil. 7th. 

 The effects of cold weather arc kept off 

 longer in the fall, because the excess of 

 water is removed, which produces an 

 unfertile condition on the first appear- 

 ance of cold weather. Farmers will 

 find on experiment even on our deep, 

 rich prairies, that they have gold buried 

 in tlie soil if they will go deep enough 

 to obtain it. The law gives a man the 

 ownership of the land for an indefinite 

 depth; but few seem to know or realize 

 that tiiere is a farm below the one they 

 are cultivating, which is as valuable as 

 the one on the surface. And now, Mr. 

 Editor, I have already written more 

 tlian twice as much as I intended when 

 I sat down, and will not impose on your 

 room or the patience of your thousands 

 of readers; but I am anxious to have 

 every means put into the hands of our 

 hard-working farmers that shall tend to 

 make more sure, and to increase, a suit- 

 able return for their care and toil, and 

 hope to have this subject fairly brought 

 up and discussed. Will not some farm- 

 er who has tried the plun give us his 

 experience next season? I can give 

 some more practical experience, having 

 only tried it last fall in some wheat, and 

 will give you the result when it can be 

 obtained. 



<•» . ■ 



P»uUry Rearing. 



Editor Illinois Farmer : Since the 

 successful combination of beauty with 

 utility, in mechanical inventions, and of 

 plcasaro with profit, in employments 

 seems to be the grand desideratum of 

 practical philosophers, permit me a few 

 remarks intended for your lady readers, 

 upon a subject whose result is the latter 

 combination. 



Among the various objects of indus- 

 try, in which country maids and ma- 

 trons are wont to engage, there is none 

 more deserving of their attention, or 

 better suited to their taste and capacity, 

 than that of rearing poultry. And vet 

 how few comparatively seem to consider 

 it within their sphere of action, or 

 think it more than proper, that its 

 petty duties should devolve upon their 

 brothers or husbands, who, amid other 

 multiplied cares, are quite apt to neglect 

 what might become an important de- 

 partment of farm interests. 



It is especially suited to those, to 

 whom spare moments come but seldom, 

 and would be grudgingly given to the 



cultivation of the beautiful for its own 

 sake merely, as for instance caring for 

 a flower garden and klndi-ed occupations, 

 and yet such persons need some change 

 from the dull routine of cooking, wash- 

 ing, sewing, etc., something that while 

 it would afford delight, must also have 

 the accessory of a reasonable remuner- 

 ation; to those and others, upon whom 

 plenty of out- door exercise, and the 

 wholesome stimulant of a little care, 

 would have a beneficial effect, the rear~ 

 ing of turkeys, chickens, geese, ducks, 

 or fancy fowls cannot be to highly com- 

 mended. 



Yiewcd in a reasonable light it is a 

 branch of economy, not to be despised, 

 as having a tendency to develope the 

 attributes of the mind, for we know that 

 it enlarges the sympathies in a remarka- 

 ble degree, and besides it should be con- 

 sidered as a study both pleasant and im- 

 portant, in which every item of exper- 

 ience is valuable. It is to be hoped that 

 ladles of every class, will show it more 

 favor, and a little practice will convince 

 them that it is an employment worth ad- 

 vocating. 



I had no idea when I began this, of 

 detailing methods for best securing suc- 

 cess in the business; but I am tempted 

 to give a few general hints to those un- 

 initiated, garnered from the experience 

 of my raotlier — whom to see among her 

 downy pets of all descriptions would 

 convince any one that she was good 

 authority. In the first place, she makes 

 it a rule, that all eggs for hatching must 

 be handled with extreme care, and not 

 suffered to get wet previous to setting; if 

 it is necessary to keep them some time, 

 they should be put into a box or cask, 

 with layers of cotton betTrecn and over 

 them; they will keep quite well in this 

 way, during the cooler months of Spring, 

 but in warm weather all eggs ghould be 

 fresh as possible. 



At the time of hatching, all eggs 

 which have the appearance of not being 

 good, should be destroyed, and as fast 

 as they leave the shell, the littlcj ones 

 should be removed until the whole brOod 

 comes forth, when they may^be returned 

 to the hen, who should be placed in a 

 coop which can be moved every few days. 

 The most common food at first js a mash 

 of corn meal and water, and this is much 

 healthier for the little chicks, if pre- 

 viously baked. 



Turkeys — though perfectly hardy after 

 attaining a certain age, are among the 

 most tender when quite young, requir- 

 ing at that time, judicious attention. 

 We never confine the hen in a coop, but 

 fasten her by the leg to a stake or tree 

 where it is shady, using a long string, 

 and if possible, selecting a grassy spot. 

 The old birds have such-a rambling pro- 

 pensity, that they should not be suffered, 

 to go at large until the little ones are two ] 



or three weeks old, or until they are 

 strong enough to withstand the effects 

 of a thorough drenching in the morning 

 dews, and able to extricate themselves 

 from all the dangerous places through 

 which their improvident mother is sure 

 to lead them. Their food should for a 

 week be hard boiled Qgg^ chopped fine, 

 and mixed with moistened bread crumbs; 

 they are very fond of this, and gain 

 strength rapidly upon such fare. After 

 a while a well baked cake of corn meal 

 and water may be substituted — ^^it is raw 

 food which swells in their tender crops, 

 that causes them to die so unaccountably 

 to many poultry fanciers. 



Turkeys soon learn to catch insects, 

 and will grow surprisingly at a time 

 when grasshoppers are plenty, after this 

 they require but little care, save to be 

 sheltered in case of storm. 



But this is a prolific theme Mr. Edi- 

 tor, and I must conclude as your space 

 will be tresspassed on. 



Martk Ebtelle. 



Oregon, Ilk, May, 1860. 



It is such letters as the above that we 

 like for the Farmer, practical and uses 

 ful, and we hope our fair young friend 

 will not forget us hereafter. If our 

 boys were a little older, we might be 

 disposed to send them up to look among 

 the prairie slopes that skirt the Rock 

 river for the writer, for we will warrant 

 she will do justice to hoasekeeping in all 



its departments. 



— ■•■ ..■• 



Fairbanks' Scales. 



Among the large number of the highest pre- 

 miums awarded to these Scales during the last 

 tliirty years, by the most eminent scientific as- 

 sociations in the country, and by National, State 

 and County Fairs, are thirteen by the Illinois, 

 Wisconsin and Iowa State Fairs of 1859, and 

 the National Fair held at the same time in Chi- 

 cago, and that, too, after sharp competition and 

 the most rigid tests. But what is of more im- 

 portance to practical men, as showing not only 

 the groat strengtli and accuracy, but durability, 

 of the Scales, ib the award of superiority in these 

 respects by tho vast number who have ^uxd 

 thorn for many years, all over the world, almost, 

 in all branches of business, and under all circuin- 



Btances. 



The skill and enterprise of the Messrs. Fair- 

 banks, arid their large experi> nee and unequalcd 

 facilities, enable them to adapt their Scales to all 

 required uses, and at moderate prices; and so 

 long as they keep thcin up to their present point 

 of excellence, and pursue their present honora- 

 ble mode of dealing, the public will wisely con- 

 tinue to use their Scabs, which have been iried 

 and approved, rather than experiment with oth- 

 ers. — Chicago Prma and Trilmne. 

 _ m 



[From the Arueric^.n Uiipiist, New York, Aug. 2, lSr.3.1 



A Mixr.vTiKK wooden pagoda which we 

 brought from Hurmah, having been broken 

 while on shipboard, wc were very anxious to 

 have it repaired, and tried several sorts of glue, 

 but> without success, till our attention was called 

 to Spalding's Prepared Glue, sold at 30 Pratt- 

 street. This we found to answer the purpose. 

 The pagoda appears now to be strongly^ ce- 

 mented, and can be seen by calling at the office 

 of the Amerkan Buptiit. .-ii^ ■ 



