98 
BREAKING STEERS.-TO CATCH RABBITS -PORK PACKING AT THE WEST 
and this will bring up more or less worms, and the 
chicken will usually sneeze out the remainder; if it 
does not, repeat the operation not more than two or 
three times the same day, till the windpipe is clear of 
them. 
' The gapes are said to be prevented by mixing a 
small quantity of spirits of turpentine with the food 
of chickens ; wetting up the meal for their food with 
soap suds, or molasses, or a little asafoitida pounded 
fine, or vinegar, in which iron has been standing, or 
snuff, or rhubarb and cayenne pepper, or feeding them 
with coarse hommony, and a pepper-corn now and 
then, or a piece of garlic. 
Some think that the worm is the offspring of 
the lice on hens, which we think is impossible; 
others, that it is more generally picked up by the 
chicken out of dung heaps, either in the egg, or just 
after being hatched; others, that they are spawned in 
the windpipe by the parent worm and hatch out 
there ; others, that the eggs are deposited on the nos¬ 
trils of the chicken by a winged insect, and then 
hatch, and find their way into the windpipe. 
Chickens are most affected with gapes in wet 
weather, when worms are most likely to breed; also 
when catarrhal complaints are most frequent. Keep¬ 
ing them up in a dry warm place during wet weather 
is a good protection. In addition to this, the hen 
house should be kept clean, warm, and dry, and be 
thoroughly whitewashed inside and out every spring 
and fall, with a wash made of Jime pretty well 
sprinkled with salt. 
We feel quite culpable in condensing so much 
from Mr. Bement’s excellent little work; yet this 
should tempt our young readers now to purchase it, 
for they will find not only this subject but most 
others regarding poultry fully treated, together with 
handsome wood cut illustrations of the text. With 
this work in his library, and strict attention to its 
precepts, every boy would be able to raise fowls suc¬ 
cessfully and profitably. 
Breaking Steers. —Now is a good time to com¬ 
mence breaking steers. For this purpose, bows and 
yokes of a suitable size must be prepared, which 
should be first put on them standing together in the 
stable after they have eaten their morning’s fodder. 
When they have worn this an hour or so each day, 
for several days, they may be taken into the yard 
and be allowed to walk round a short time, and then 
unyoked. When well accustomed to their yoke, 
they should be placed between two other pair of cat¬ 
tle, and driven off a short distance without any load. 
Then they may be attached with the other team to a 
load, and depend upon it they will learn what is 
wanted of them, from seeing what other cattle do, 
faster and easier than in any other way. Never 
whip them or speak harshly. If they do not per¬ 
form instantly all that is required, it is from ignorance 
generally, and not, as it is too often supposed, from 
obstinacy or viciousness. Then all you have got to 
do is, to teach them from the example of other well 
broke cattle. But when one has not other cattle to 
break them with, more attention will be necessary, 
and they will require guiding in their movements by 
a cord attached to their horns. The teamsters in 
New England excel in breaking and driving cattle, 
and they frequently have them so well taught, that 
the) will perform single or together, in the yoke or 
out of it, by mere word of command, anything rea¬ 
sonable which can be required of them. 
The finest breed of working cattle is the Devon 
and its crosses. These are of a deep, bright red 
color, with orange colored noses, an orange rim 
round the eye, and a beautiful clean upturned horn 
of a clear yellowish white. Our farmers in this vi¬ 
cinity frequently send to Connecticut for such oxen. 
They are active, hardy, fine made animals, and capa¬ 
ble of drawing very large loads. We have seen a 
pair of four year old steers start off at a full gallop 
with a load of 6000 lbs. at the cattle shows in New 
England, and then turn round and back the load on 
level ground with ease. This, however, is a large 
load for such young animals, and great care should 
be used lest they strain themselves in their ambitious 
efforts to move it. These oxen will plow an acre of 
ground as quick as a pair of horses; indeed, they 
oftener beat than get beaten at the plowing matches. 
We greatly admire such animals, and always kept 
them on our farm for work instead of horses. We 
found them more serviceable in the generality of 
farm work, while their gearing and food did not cost 
near as much as those of horses; and then if any 
accident' happened to them they could be killed for 
beef, as we always kept them in good order. If an 
accident happens to a horse he is a dead loss, save 
his hide and shoes. 
We do wish, boys, you could persuade your fath¬ 
ers to be more careful in their selections of bulls and 
and cows to breed from. The beautiful pure Devons 
can be had at quite reasonable prices now. But you 
will use them at least, we hope, when you get to be 
grown men. Let the eye once get accustomed to the 
beauty and good points of this choice breed of cattle, 
and you would never forget them. How we wish 
your schoolmasters were able to instruct you in such 
things. We would engage to teach you more in a 
few hours’ conversation, with some good live animals 
before us to illustrate it, than you could learn from 
books or by yourselves in half a life. Thus taught, 
you could not be imposed upon by those miserable 
cheating pedlars, with their grade animals, which 
they are continually palming off upon an ignorant 
public at low prices, for thorough breeds. 
To Catch Rabbits. —We lately read in the Lon¬ 
don Gardener’s Chronicle, a curious way of catching 
rabbits. Take a large crab or lobster, and stick a 
candle about an inch long on his back, light it, and 
then put him to the hole, over the mouth of which 
spread a net. He will not crawl far before the rab¬ 
bit gets frightened, and runs out and is caught in the 
net. We think a good plan to catch woodchucks 
or ground hogs, would be to put a net over the 
mouth of their hole, then fasten a pitch pine knot, 
or some inflammable matter to the end of a pole and 
thrust it down the hole. We have often assisted, 
when a boy, in smoking woodchucks out of a hole, 
but it is a tedious process and often ineffectual. 
Amount of Pork packed this season at the 
West. —The Cincinnati Chronicle estimates the num¬ 
ber of swine packed this season in Ohio, Indiana, 
Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee, at 592,870, against 
933,600 last year; showing a deficit of 340,730. The 
weight per head is supposed to be at least 12 to 16 
per cent less than last season. 
