1867.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
177 
and efficient little affair. It is lifted to its place, 
and detached, by means of a pole with an iron 
sprout's fork. 
head adapted to the purpose, and might be use- 
ful for many other things about the farm. 
Pigs. 7 and S represent Blodgett's Harpoon 
Fork, (made by C. C. Blodgett, "Watertown, 
N. T.,) which received the first prize in the class 
of Harpoons at the Farmers' Club trial. It con- 
sists of a smooth shaft like a gun barrel with a 
pointed end, out of which, by a simple mechan- 
ism, two prongs or "cat's claws" are thrown, 
when the implement has been thrust down into 
the hay. Our figures were made from very 
poor engravings, but illustrate the principle. 
An improvement has been made which does 
away with the lever and pulley outside the shaft, 
and brings the machinery necessary to throw 
out and draw in the "cat's claws" all within the 
ring-handle to which the lifting rope is attached. 
This is apparently simple and strong, not so 
long as many of the harpoons, but is capable of 
lifting very heavy forkfuls. 
Figs. 9 aud l^exhibit Sprout's Harpoon Fork 
and Hay-knife, made by A. B. Sprout, Money, 
Pa,, (price $9 for fork alone, ijSll for fork and 3 
pulleys). This is a remarkable implement. It 
consists of two flat pieces of steel working to- 
gether, being riveted like a pair of shears, (in 
fact Mr. Sprout claimed at Rye that they were 
Fig. 11. — WALKER FORK. — 1'ig. 13. 
good to trim trees and hedges). The rounded 
pornU of these are ground sharp, and arc notch- 
ed an inch or inch and a half above the ends as 
shown in the cuts. "When the blades are closed 
together, the implement enters the hay with 
great ease, it is then opened, as shown, and will 
lift very heavy loads, carrying them securely. 
The report of the Committee at Auburn com- 
mends this fork highly, making an award to it, 
equal in amount to a second premium, and states 
that it picks up scattering hay upon the floor, 
"better than either of the other forms." It re- 
ceived the second prize in its class at the trial at 
Rye. This "Fork," (more knife, or pair of shears,) 
is an excellent hay knife, and might be no bad 
investment if bought for this purpose alone. 
Figs. 11 and 12 represent the "Walker Harpoon 
Fork, made by Wheeler, Mellick & Co., Albany, 
(price $10 and $1 each for pulleys). This is 
also a harpoon, entering the hay like a spear as 
in fig. 11. The head is turned to one side by 
means of a lever, as shown 
in fig. 12, and when the load 
is lifted and brought over 
the right place, a jerk on the 
trip -cord, causes the head to 
resume its former position 
and the load falls. On the 
whole a very neat and effi- 
cient tool, lifting immense 
forkfuls, and easily worked. 
Figs. 13 and 14 show an- 
other very simple harpoon, 
made by the Ames Plow 
Company of Boston, and of 
53 Beekman St., New York 
(price $5). It was not well 
operated at Rye, but lifted 
good loads, and was ap- 
parently not hard to work. 
Its construction is exceed- 
ingly simple, being a straight 
harpoon with a movable 
shield, covering the barbs, 
which is shoved down when 
the fork is loaded, after it has 
entered the hay, and drawn 
up, crowding the hay off 
from the barbs when it is 
unloaded. The workman- 
ship is excellent, and, with 
one or two slight modifica- 
tions, we think bids fair to become a favorite. 
Any of these forks would be, at least, awkward 
things to have fall from the top of the barn 
upon the mow where men where mowing away 
hay, or upon the cart, and there is not the least 
dauger of such a catastrophy if they are well 
secured to the lifting rope. Careless hands 
frequently endanger their own lives and those 
of others by either not knowing how or not 
half doing a job. It is best always to tie a 
regular bowline knot (figured on page 305, Oc- 
tober, 1S55) this is perfectly secure. In dragging 
down over the beams most of these forks pre- 
sent themselves very awkwardly to the man on 
the load. In fact it almost makes one shudder 
to see such a sharp edged affair as Sprout's come 
swaying down, performing girations about a 
man's head. The simply sharp pointed ones 
arc bad enough, but when it comes to two-edged 
swords we can but utter a word of warning. 
. *-* — ^g» — *-• 
Two— or tex Per Cent on Investments ? 
— It is estimated that the property invested in 
agriculture does not pay over two per cent, 
interest annually. This may be near the truth 
for the whole country. The property embraces 
vast tracts of wild land that pay nothing, and 
in the southern parts of the country large dis- 
Figs. 13 and 14. 
tricts that are barely scratched by the plow, 
paying much less than two per cent. For the 
northern States the estimate is much below the 
truth. There are, possibly, farmers here who 
do not get two per cent, a year on the cash value 
of their farms, yet we think them rare. There 
are others who make their farms pay seven 
per cent, and more, but these are also ex- 
ceptions. The farms of the northern States 
probably do not pay much over four per cent., 
but this is owing more to the way their capital 
is invested than to any defect in the business. 
Full one-half of this capital is invested in land 
that is not used, and so does not pay any interest. 
If one-half of a man's farm is in woodland that 
he does not need for timber or fuel, in swamps, 
in pastures that are not grazed, so far as imme- 
diate returns are concerned, he might as well 
be without it. Land pays no interest that has 
not capital and labor expended upon it. If this 
change were made, and the dead capital were 
made active, the farm would pay better than 
bank stock. The smallest, best worked farms 
pay best. Good gardens pay twenty per cent. 
A Poultry Fancier's View. 
BT A. 31. BECKER, GLEX3 PALLS, X. T. 
ITy belief is, that with judicious manage- 
ment, there can be made a clear profit of from 
two to five dollars on each hen. The first ques- 
tion which arises is, " What breed is the best ?" 
As for me, I put the Brahma Pootra, with its 
large size, rich feather, and quietness, ahead. If 
I could keep but one kind it should be the pure 
Brahma. They will not get over a common 
fence, are always at home, and together. The 
chicks are very hardy and sure to live, which 
can not be said of most other pure breeds. 
Brahmas will keep a family in eggs the year 
round better than any other fowl, if provided 
with good quarters. 
Next to the Brahmas, I put the White Leg- 
horns, then come the "White-faced Black Span- 
ish, Sicillians, Golden Penciled Hamburghs, and 
Silver Penciled Hamburghs. These six varieties 
constitute my choice. There are other breeds, 
perhaps, equally as good, but none better. 
I can not put the Spanish ahead, unless it 
might be for a warm climate. I am a fancier 
of the pure "White-faced Black Spanish, but 
more for fancy than profit. They lay the nicest 
eggs of any fowl and a great many of them, but 
PERSPECTIVE ELEVATION OF FOWL 1IOLSE. 
their long and continued spell of moulting in 
the fall takes off a great deal from their good 
qualities, besides they are too tender for a cold 
climate, unless one has pride enough in them to 
keep them in a warm place, which is very essen- 
tial in making fowls of any kind lay in winter. 
I have a plan for building a very cheap poultry 
house, which I submit to your readers. 
It is GO feet long and 10 feet wide, divided into 
six different apartments to keep the different 
kinds separate. -I is the laying room, B, roosts, 
C, scratching room, etc., E, door. The parti- 
