1878. J 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
99 
cows. Experience proves this to be so in every 
case. A most notable instance of it is found in the 
herd of Mr. Thomas Fitch, of New London, Conn., 
who has been engaged in crossing the Jersey upon 
every other breed, including what are known as 
“native” cows, for moie than 30 years. This 
breeder keeps a herd of choice pure-bred animals, 
descended from the old-fashioned importations, 
made when the butter product was more thought 
of, than black points, solid-color, or other fancies, 
for the purpose of raising grade cows of large pro¬ 
ducing capacity of rich butter. Probably no 
breeder in the country has been more successful iu 
his line, and his success is an example for farmers, 
which proves that it is best to choose one breed 
with which to improve his native stock, to adhere 
to that, gradually grading up his herd, and selecting 
only the best to breed from. One pure bull, which 
may cost $250 to §300, will sire, during his vigorous 
period, at least 50 calves, thus adding a small trifle 
to the cost of each over that of a calf from a com¬ 
mon scrub bull. By adhering to one breed, there 
is a certainty of arriving at a definite result very 
soon; but by the too frequent habit of changing 
every two or three years, no satisfactory result is 
gained, and after a life-time of futile effort, the 
farmer ends where he begun, and berates pure-bred 
stock as the cause of his failures. As with cows, 
so with sheep, swine, and poultry. The pure 
breeds are not found profitable to keep, except for 
their services in raising grades, and in keeping up 
a supply of breeding animals for this purpose. In 
this way a farmer, who can afford it, may be justi¬ 
fied in purchasing two or three pure-bred animals 
for improving a herd of good natives, and if he 
uses these with skill, he may find it very profitable. 
The Use of Horse Powers. 
We do not know of any farm machinery which 
pays a better profit on its cost, or is of greater con¬ 
venience than a horse-power and threshing machine. 
To thresh by hand and the flail may be advisable 
under some unusual circumstances, such as at the 
present time when manual labor is very cheap, and 
it is desirable to find employment for worthy work¬ 
men during the winter; but in general it is impera¬ 
tive that this and other work be done out of hand, 
so that other jobs may be attended to. For this 
purpose nothing is more convenient than to have a 
horse-power and attached machinery in the barn 
which can be put to work at an hour’s notice. Be¬ 
sides when the weather is stormy and unfavorable 
for out-door work, the threshing, wood cutting, or 
fodder cutting, may be done in-doors without the 
employment of any outside labor. Three persons, 
one man and two boys, are sufficient to work 
a thresher with a two-horse tread-power, and 
these can thresh in one hour as much as one 
man can beat out with a flail in a whole day. 
The principle upon which a tread-power is made 
to operate, is that of the inclined plane, which is one 
of the so-called mechanical powers. In one sense 
the effective force is gaiued by means of the weight 
of a falling body. In this case the weight is that of 
the horses, and if the team weighs 2,000 pounds, 
and the inclination of the moving floor of the ma¬ 
chine is li foot in 10, with a speed of 220 feet per 
minute, or about 21 miles per hour, we have two 
horse-power, or the equivalent of 66,000 lbs. raised 
one foot high per minute. This may be shown as 
follows:—At the speed and the inclination men¬ 
tioned, the horses traveling 220 feet per minute, 
would raise themselves exactly 33 feet high in that 
time, if the inclined plane were stationary and long 
■enough, and weighing 2,000 pounds, they actually 
raise what is equal to 2,000 x 33, or 66,000 lbs., one 
foot high; but as they descend on the inclined 
plane as fast as they walk, they in reality create a 
power equal to a body weighing 66,000, falling one 
foot per minute, which is precisely two nominal 
horse-power. It is evident that the total effective 
force utilized in work depends upon the excellence 
of the machine, and it is just here that the princi¬ 
ple of the railroad-tread powers is noteworthy. The 
structure of these machines is such that friction, 
which is destructive of power, is reduced to the 
least possible amount. The traveling bed runs upon 
wheels which move in a smooth metallic track, 
thus preventing any more than the least possible 
friction or waste of power. The whole weight of 
the horses is employed to the best advantage, and 
if the machine is used in a careful manner, and ac¬ 
curately set up, with both ends perfectly level, 
kept clean, and properly oiled, there is a very small 
loss of power. We have used one of these powers 
for several years with great satisfaction, and 
without finding the work to be at all severe upon 
the horses—iu fact, it is much easier than work in a 
mowing machine. When inclined to take the work 
quietly, we have used only one horse in a two-horse 
power, changing horses at noon, for either threshing, 
sawing wood, or cutting fodder. A great variety of 
these useful machines, both for one-horse and two, 
is offered to those who need them. While there are 
differences in their style and make, which may go 
to influence the choice of a purchaser, yet we can 
hardly say that there is any great preponderating 
excellence in any one over all the others; and if 
there is one that is in any respect inferior to 
another, we can justly say that the least effective 
machine made is of sufficient value to satisfy any 
farmer that he has the worth of his money in ex¬ 
change for it. Among the manufacturers of these 
machines worthy of notice in different localities, 
we might mention Wheeler & Melick Co., Albany, 
N. Y. ; Minard Harder, Cobleskill, N. Y.; A. B. 
Farquhar, York, Pa. ; B. Gill & Son, Trenton, N. J.; 
G. Westinghouse & Co., Schenectady, N. Y. ; W. 
L. Boyer & Son, Philadelphia ; New York Plow Co., 
New York, (who make a one-horse-power), and A. 
W. Gray & Sons, Middletown Springs, Vermont. 
Iu another portion of the American Agriculturist the 
special points of both horse powers and threshers 
are set forth and illustrated by engravings, and 
whichever of these machines may be selected for 
purchase, it will be found that the manufacturers 
not only have a high reputation, but by the excel¬ 
lence of their wares are desirous of deserving it. 
Effect of Boxes on Dairy Farms. —As an evi 
deuce of the great value of a dressing of bone-dust 
upon dairy farms, we have the testimony of an Eng¬ 
lish agricultural writer of high repute, and the au¬ 
thor of a Royal Agricultural Society’s Prize Essay. 
This gentleman states that since bone-manures 
have been applied to the Cheshire pastures, the 
product of the soil in herbage and cheese, has been 
greatly increased ; in many cases having been actu¬ 
ally doubled. The increase of stock kept in the 
locality has been from 30 to 50 per cent, and in one 
case, of a farm of 160 acres, the number of feed¬ 
ing stock has been enlarged from 20 cows and 3 
colts, to 35 cows, 8 feeding beeves, 16 yearlings and 
heifers, 5 horses, and 3 colts. But at the same 
time it is true, the quality of the cheese has been, 
to some extent, deteriorated, except where the 
most skillful management has been applied to the 
manufacture; the richer herbage being found to pro¬ 
duce milk which requires the greatest care and 
skill in every step of its manufacture into cheese. 
Portable Poultry-Houses. 
Poultry-houses that may be moved from one 
place to another, could be made useful in gleaning 
grain fields, in clearing newly-plowed ground of in¬ 
sects, and in other desirable ways. A movable 
poultry-house is by no means novel, it having been 
described and used years ago. A French author on 
gallinoeulture, Geyelin, described one many years 
ago, which was used in grain fields to gather the 
scattered grain after harvest. This was constructed 
something like one of those vans used in transport¬ 
ing animals kept in traveling menageries. It was 
20 feet long, about 7 feet wide, and the same in 
hight. A set of steps was fixed at one end for the 
fowls to enter and leave, and nest-boxes and roosts 
were provided within. Several of these houses 
were drawh to the field, and one of them was fur¬ 
nished with a small apartment for the keeper who 
attended to the fowls. A large number of fowls 
could be accommodated in one of these houses, as 
they were intended to be cleaned daily, and the 
droppings scattered upon the ground around them 
as they were moved from place to place each day. 
A description, with drawings, of a useful porta- 
J.33J 9 
ble house, has been sent to us by A. R. Sproule, of 
Picture Rocks, Pa. These were made expressly 
for the American Agriculturist , and the design is 
not patented by Mr. Sproule, but is offered freely to 
our readers. A view of the house is given in figure 
1, on next page. It is of wood, and, as will be seen, 
is mounted upon an axle and a pair of wheels. By 
means of. a pair of levers, raised to the position 
shown by the dotted lines, the house is lifted, and 
made to rest wholly upon the wheels, so that it can 
be moved from place to place as desired. Figure 
2 shows the ground plan, with the boxes for feed, 
water, and gravel. These are secured to the sills, 
and are kept clean by a sloping cover of small rods. 
The house is 10 feet long, by 5 feet wide, and as 
high as may be necessary. The nest-boxes, 16 
inches square, and! inches deep, are secured to the 
upper corners of the enclosure, a small door being 
provided for reaching the eggs. The roosting poles 
are so arranged that the fowls can easil/climbfrom 
one to another. Figure 3 shows a single section of 
the open work of the enclosure, nine of which are 
used in the structure. This is made of oak rods, 
and rails, which are bored to receive the rods. Any 
cheaper method of construction may be used. 
How tl*e House Is Hade. 
The size may be 5x10 feet, or 4x8 feet, and 5 feet 
high to the eaves. The sills are made of 11x3 
inch stuff, laid flat down, halved together at the 
corners, and nails driven through upward into the 
ends of the posts. The corner posts are 3x3 inches, 
the middle ones are 3x4 inches. Each is properly 
mortised to receive the rails of the open sections. 
A light cornice, or a 2i-inch band, is securely 
nailed arouud the top, a little above the eaves, 
Fig. 3.— SECTION OF OPEN-WORK. 
leaving sufficient room for the roof boards to pass 
under between the band and the upper rail. To 
the back side of this band is nailed the balustrade, 
each piece having its ends toe-nailed to the posts. 
A light ridge pole is attached at each end to the 
balustrade near the top, which forms a double-pitch 
flat rcof. This is made of one thickness of f-inch 
boards, the same as the enclosed sides. The upper 
