THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



125 



indebted for the Dorking history, has them for 

 sale. 



Our object in writing this article at this time, 

 is chiefly to suggest to our agricultural societies 

 the propriety of offering liberal premiums for 

 the best specimens of the various kinds of poul- 

 try, at their next annual fairs. We need say 

 nothing in favor of the richness and delicacy of 

 this luxury of the table. Good premiums will 

 soon bring out new species and valuable im- 



provements in this, as in any other branch of 

 agriculture. 



A writer in the Maine Cultivator says his 

 experience tells him, that the best mode of fat- 

 tening poultry is, to shut them up where they 

 can get no gravel — keep corn by them con- 

 stantly — give them dough once a day, and skim- 

 milk for drink. Thus they may be fatted in 

 ten days. If kept up longer, should have some 

 gravel, or they will fall away. — Farmers' Gaz.- 



POST-AND-RAIL FENCE. 



We have been the steady advocates of post- [ 

 and-rail fencing, which we believe to be, under 

 ordinary circumstances, by far the most conve- 

 nient and economical mode of constructing a 

 farm enclosure. Its only rival in this part of 

 the world, is the unsightly worm-fence, which 

 requires double the quantity of timber, now get- 

 ting scarce amongst us, and involves a much 

 greater amount of labor. The greatest objection 

 heretofore has been the labor of mortising the 

 posts. A year or two ago, we pointed out a 

 mode of procedure which very much facilitates 

 this operation", and which we have reason to 

 flatter ourselves has not been without its effect 

 upon the public. We recommended the boring 

 two holes close together with a two inch auger, 

 and the use of a long narrow-bladed axe for 

 cutting out the wood between them, thus afford- 

 ing a mortise of four or five inches long, two 

 inches wide, and round at the ends, in a few 

 minutes. We were, therefore, much pleased to 

 find in the basement story of the Patent Office, 

 a few weeks since, a fixture, of which we 

 made a sketch, (as engraved above) which we 

 think will be found a great convenience in bor- 



ing the holes. The post to be bored is placed 

 between the uprights on the frame, and an ordi- 

 nary auger, having a crank affixed, is made to 

 turn in certain holes cut to fit the shank. By 

 removing a pin and raising the cap, which turns 

 on a hinge, the auger may be shifted from hole 

 to hole, as required. A stop or guage should 

 be affixed to the frame against which the head 

 of the post should be placed, so as to make the 

 mortises in the different posts correspond with 

 one another ; but then care must be taken in 

 setting, always to leave the same length of post 

 out of the ground. 



The advantages of this machine are that it 

 saves the trouble of laying off the posts, and 

 guards against error in the same. It also bores 

 the hole straight, which will not always be ef- 

 fected by a common laborer. It requires little 

 or no more labor to construct it, than is required 

 for the common clamp to hold the post. 



We see that Mr. Ellsworth has recommended 

 this machine in his report. He advises the use 

 of a two and a half inch auger. Having had 

 several applications for them we have given an 

 order for some of the mortising axes alluded to, 



