12 
SEED-TIME AND HARVEST. 
•olor up to within one-fourth inch or less of 
the outer skin. The seeds are very small, 
of an orange-brown color. The melons 
ripen early, the vines are strong and healthy, 
very pioductive, and, unlike most foreign 
melons, this variety is very hardy, a sure 
cropper and succeeds admirably. In fact, 
with us it yielded more melons, and was 
more healthy and vigorous in growth the 
past season, than some of our native melons. 
The delicious flavor, handsome appear¬ 
ance, hardiness and convenient size for 
family use, will make the Buda Honey 
Melon a popular favorite in every garden. 
Its superb quality is sure to please the most 
fastidious. 
Getting Hens Ready for Winter. 
BY THOS. D. BAIRD. 
In order to realize a good profit from 
hens you must first get them in laying or¬ 
der and keep them so. The greatest in¬ 
ducement to winter laying is warm, dry 
quarters. This does not imply an ordinary 
shelter, a house open in places, but quarters 
that are free from draughts, leaks or under 
currents of air. A crack, through which 
a cold draught of air plays upon a hen on 
the roost, will do her more harm than if the 
whole side of the house was removed. Most 
farmers’ hen houses have dirt floors, in 
which case, the floor should be filled a foot 
deep with dry mold; this will raise the 
floor above all moisture coming from 
below. This makes more difference 
with laying hens than most farmers are 
aware of. I have observed that when 
hens were laying well, if a rain came and 
water rose up and covered the hen-house 
floor, they would cease laying until the 
floor would get dry again. Fowls are very 
sensitive to climatic changes, and often 
regulate their laying by the temperature 
of the atmosphere. Should the comb of 
the hen become frosted, she will cease lay¬ 
ing and remain idle until the injured mem¬ 
ber is entirely healed. It is the slight ex 
posures which do the mischief, for fowls 
can better afford to remain out of doors 
altogether, than be subject to inside annoy¬ 
ances. These are items that should be re 
garded if the farmer would make his fowls 
a profit to him. The quarters often regu¬ 
late the matter of profit and loss; for, I 
have noticed that the colder the season, 
the higher the price of eggs, and the fail¬ 
ure of a few hens to lay makes a great diff¬ 
erence in the profit. Feeding fowds well 
with a variety of food is quite essential to 
e 8g production, but no amount of good 
feeding will compensate for bad quarters. 
When hens do not lay until Spring, the 
loss is a double one, for not only has winter 
been passed over unprofitably when eggs 
are at the highest prices, but the price of 
eggs is on the decline and will continue 
to decline until fall. 
A hen is a mere egg-machine; but in 
order to make this machine a profitable 
one, it must be supplied with the essentials 
for egg production, heat and food. Heat is 
derived from the food consumed, and the 
first duty of nature is to provide the life- 
sustaining heat. This must be done before 
material can be converted into eggs. Warm, 
dry quarters economize food, and happiness 
and contentment are necessary for the pro¬ 
duction of eggs, for a hen will not lay if 
hungry, cold, or in any way uncomfortable. 
Ducks. 
BY A. W. HYRE. 
Ducks, as a general thing, are considered 
by many persons a very unprofitable fowl 
to raise. It is because they do not get 
right down to business with them. If you 
wish to raise ducks successfully, you must 
provide them with plenty of room to roam 
around over, as they are continually mov¬ 
ing about. It is also necessary for them to 
be fed regularly. The Pekin duck is a very 
good duck to raise. When young they do 
not require any more water than just 
enough to drink, in fact, they do better if 
allowed no water to swim in till they are 
about three months old. They are very 
tender when young, and should be care¬ 
fully housed at the approach of rain; if not, 
you will be apt to lose your little ducklings. 
The Pekin drake, when full grown, weighs 
about ten pounds; the hen from seven to 
eight pounds. The flesh is of a rich cream 
color, and when cooked cannot be excel¬ 
led for its flavor. 
