14r0 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
[April, 
Lay the dead bird upon the table, dispose it as here¬ 
after described, and then place the screw rings 
where they would be needed to secure a live fowl. 
One or two will be required to hold the wings, 
and one for each leg ; six will be all that will ever 
be necessary. Place the bird upon the table, and 
fasten it down upon its left side, as shown at tig. 5, 
where the rings and tapes are seen. The spot where 
the opening is to be made is shown by the X. Here 
the feathers are plucked, and an opening is made 
through the skin with a pair of sharp-pointed, long- 
bladed scissors. We have found these better than a 
knife. The skin is drawn to one side, and an open¬ 
ing is made with the scissors between the last two 
ribs for an inch and a half in length, great care be¬ 
ing taken not to wound the intestines. The ribs 
are then separated by the spring hooks, fig. 4, so 
as to expose the inside. The intestines are geutly 
moved out of the way with the handle of a tea¬ 
spoon, and the glands or testicles will be seen at¬ 
tached to the back. The tissue which covers them 
is torn open with the hook, fig. 1, aided by the 
tweezers, fig. 2. The gland is then grasped with 
the forceps, fig. 3, and the cord is held by the 
tweezers. The gland is then twisted off by turning 
the forceps, and when this has been done the other 
one is removed in the same way. Care must be 
taken not to injure the blood vessel which is con¬ 
nected with the organs, as this is the only seat of 
danger in the operation, and its rupture will gener¬ 
ally be fatal. The hook is then removed, and if 
the skin has been drawn backwards at the outset 
it will now slip forward and cover the inner skin 
which covers the intestines, and close the opening. 
No stitching is needed. A few feathers are drawn 
together on each side of the opening alid plastered 
down upon the skin with the blood, where they will 
dry and form the best possible covering to the 
wound, which will begin to heal at once. The bird 
should be fed with a very little soft bread and milk 
for a few days after the operation, but should have 
a plenty of water. For two nights and one day be¬ 
fore the operation, no food nor water should be 
given to the birds ; this will greatly facilitate the 
work and reduce the chances of loss. The opera¬ 
tion, after a few successful trials, may be performed 
in less than one minute, and by the use of the rings 
and tapes, no assistance is needed. Capons may be 
made to earn their food by fostering young chicks, 
to which business they take very kindly. To bring 
them to their full and most profitable size, they 
should be kept until the second year. By giving 
them corn-meal steeped in warm milk, and provid¬ 
ing a warm house, they will grow during the whole 
winter, and their flesh will become very white, 
sweet, and juicy. A good capon of Light Brahmas 
will weigh 12 to 15 pounds, at 22 months old, and 
will bring at the holiday season $2.50 to $3.00 each. 
The instruments above described are to be pro¬ 
cured of H. H. Stoddard, Esq., Hartford, Conn. 
Door and Gate Fastenings, 
Door fastenings give much troubla about farm 
buildings. Ordinary latches are too weak, and are 
useless in a short time. The most useful fasten¬ 
ings are those which can be made cheaply by any 
blacksmith, and which can be fixed upon the doors 
by means of bolts, or such bolts of wood as can be 
made at home. In all cases they should be so ar¬ 
ranged that animals can not open them. For gates, 
a heavy wooden bolt made to slide into a catch in 
the post, and held there by a falling pin, will be 
found strong and useful. This is shown at fig. 1. 
The latch slides in two iron bands bolted to the 
bar cf the gate, and passes through a mortice in 
r 
Fig. 2.— BOLT WITH DOOR. 
the gate post. It passes also through a mortice or 
strap upon the fence post, to which a drop pin is 
attached by iron baud loops, as shown in the en¬ 
graving. The pin 
is kept from fall¬ 
ing too far by a 
small knob at 
the upper part. 
When the latch is 
jr shut the drop pin 
![ is lifted by the 
slopingend of the 
- = latch, and drops 
| into the notch, 
~ which holds it se¬ 
curely. The latch 
is moved by 
means of a pin 
near the gate¬ 
post, and this prevents it from going too far 
through the mortice. A bolt for a barn or stable 
door is shown at fig. 2. This is placed inside, and 
is moved by putting the hand through an opening 
in the door. The 
door is provided 
with a spring by 
which it is kept 
shut when not 
used. A very safe 
and simple fast¬ 
ening for barn 
and stable doors 
is the bolt and 
key, shown at fig. 
3. This bolt is 
moved by a key, 
shown in the en¬ 
graving; the shaft 
which should be 
very firm, is hinged, so that the lower half falls 
over when it is passed through a small hole in the 
door just above the bolt, and moves the bolt by 
catching on a projecting pin between the straps. 
If every door about the buildings is provided with 
this bolt, one key will open and fasten all of them. 
e 
r 
u 
Fig 3.—BOLT WITH KEY. 
Editorial Correspondence From the 
Far W est. 
Too Much Legislation. 
The new States are avoiding one of the evils 
which has borne heavily upon the majority of the 
older States ; I allude to too much Legislation. In 
Nebraska and Colorado, the Legislative bodies con¬ 
vene only once in two years, and the Legislatures 
of Minnesota and Wisconsin have now voted, al¬ 
most unanimously, to substitute the biennial for the 
annual sessions. “The least governed the best gov¬ 
erned;” “the fewer and simpler the laws the bet¬ 
ter;” are old maxims, and it is gratifying to observe 
that Maine and Connecticut are following the ex¬ 
ample of the Western States in this matter. All the 
other Eastern, as well as the Middle and Southern 
States, should not delay action in the same direc¬ 
tion, and if the farmers would consider the benefits 
resulting therefrom, they would compel such action 
on the part of their representatives. Take New York 
State, for example, concerning whose Legislature I 
can speak from personal experience. Every year 
this body convenes, it entails upon the State an ex¬ 
penditure of $312,000, of which sum the Senate 
spends $54,000, and the Assembly, $258,000. If any 
advantage accrued to them from this large expendi¬ 
ture of public money,the people might be reconciled 
to it, but the bulk of the time of one session is con¬ 
sumed in repealing or amending enactments passed 
by previous sessions. Especially is this true, where 
the political complexion of successive bodies under¬ 
goes a change, and first one party and then another 
party gets the upper hand. People through the State 
are kept in a condition of disquietude and the final 
adjournment brings them the same sense of relief 
which is experienced by the Nation at large when 
Congress disbands. There is a considerable class in 
New York State who come to be professional hang- 
er’s-on at Albany, andlooktothe winter’s session for 
their bread and butter. The lobbyists or legislative 
corruptors find encouragement and gain in yearly 
sessions. These annual sessions are productive of 
many other evils, all of which might be avoided or 
materially mitigated by substituting bi-ennial or tri¬ 
ennial. What is true of New York is true, to a 
greater or less extent, of all other States. If the 
Legislatures convened but once in three or five 
years the people would then'be able to procure 
about all the legislation their wants required, es¬ 
pecially with a few wholesome general laws con¬ 
ferring upon local bodies and authorities the power 
for enacting local legislation. This is a matter in 
which the hosts of the Amei-ican Agriculturist read¬ 
ers in all the States are personally interested. 
Courteous Railway Officials. 
The urbanity of conductors and other employees 
on the railroads contributes materially to the pleas¬ 
ure of travel in the West and North-west. Every 
one is impressed with their obliging disposition 
and civility as contrasted with the impatience and 
often rudeness of the average railway employee in 
some older States. In journeying ten thousand miles 
over the roads in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minne¬ 
sota, and in the vast country west of the Missouri 
River, I have everywhere found conductors, ticket 
agents, baggage-men, and brakesmen ready and 
willing to answer inquiries, and to contribute every 
way in their power to the comfort and pleasure of 
travellers. It is a common thing for the conduc¬ 
tors on the long stretch of the Union Pacific Rail¬ 
road to voluntarially seat themselves near you and 
point out the various objects of interest as the train 
speeds through Nebraska, Wyoming, and Utah. 
This is a new and pleasant experience to one whose 
railroad travel may perhaps have been confined to 
the Eastern States. Perhaps one explanation of 
this civility and courtesy lies in the fact that the 
railway trains in the newer States are less crowded, 
and the employees have therefore more time to be 
accommodating. But there is always time to be 
civil, and it is apparent that the Western roads 
make a point of securing employees who will be 
polite to the public. The Eastern would do well 
to pattern after the Western railroads in another 
matter—that is, in rewarding and promoting faith¬ 
ful servants without regard to outside influences. 
Some of these roads frequently undergo change in 
the general management and control, but the rank 
and file of the employees are retained in their places 
to be promoted as zeal and fidelity entitle them to 
it. Not long ago three engineers on the Peninsula 
branch of the Chicago and North-western Road, 
who had been faithful as engineers, were surprised 
one morning at simultaneously receiving their com¬ 
missions as conductors of passenger trains. There 
is good management in acts of this kind. 
Prefers to Remain. 
Nebraska contracts with Mr. Stout to maintaiu 
the inmates of the State prison, near Lincoln, for 
60 cents a head, and Mr. S., in turn, employs the 
convicts at a variety of labor. One of these, a mur¬ 
derer. sentenced for life, herds a drove of cattle on 
the prison farm, and can be seen any day on horse¬ 
back, flourishing his long whip, and keeping the 
cattle in line. He leaves his cell early in the 
morning to join his herd, and returns at night to 
his secure quarters. The explanation of the freedom 
allowed this convict, is found in the fact that, not 
long ago, he frustrated efforts made by his friends 
to secure his pardon, declaring that he pre¬ 
ferred to remain in the prison to going elsewhere. 
Rival Fairs. 
There is a somewhat amusing rivalry between 
the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, which are 
only about twelve miles apart. St. Paul is a com¬ 
mercial city or distributing point, while Minneapo¬ 
lis is a manufacturing place, so that there should 
not be any rivalry between them. This last autumn 
they vied with each other in endeavors to have the 
largest fair. There was an immense concourse of 
people at both fairs, and a creditable display of ce¬ 
reals, fruit, etc. One coming to Minnesota naturally 
visits Minnehaha Falls,and is disappointed at finding 
a miniature waterfall. It is not generally known to 
the public that there are two other pretty cascades 
near by, one of which the people living hereabouts 
have facetiously named “ Minnegiggle.” 
