1882. J 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
477 
Better and Better. 
The Watch and Chain described so fully in the 
October Supplement, page 447, has proved to be a 
most popular Premium. In that Supplement we 
offered to send this very useful and ornamental 
Watch and Chain, post-paid, free, for five new sub¬ 
scribers : we have since made still better terms 
with the manufacturers, whereby we are enabled to 
give this most capital Premium for only four 
new subscribers for 1883, at $1.50 each. 
Steps and Angies in Ifiins. 
It often occurs that bins for grain, bran, brew¬ 
er’s grains, etc., are so deep that it is not easy to 
get in and out of them, except by the use of a 
ladder or movable steps. This trouble is obviated 
by fixing round oak or ash sticks, like ladder rungs, 
in one corner. The lower ones, if there are several, 
may be longer than those above, for convenience, as 
seen in the engraving. This also shows how the 
angles between the walls aud floors of such bins as 
are used for meal, bran, or any ground feed, ought to 
be made. The angles are finished by planing off two 
edges of a four-inch board to form a bevel of 45 
degrees, and nailing it over the angle between the 
wall and the floor. This makes the sweeping out 
of a bin or granary an easy matter, and leaves very 
little material for meal worms and their kindred. 
In-door Work:. 
The importance of planning for in-door work dur¬ 
ing stormy days, is not fully appreciated. There 
are many things that can be done as well when it 
rains, as during fair days. With small fanners, 
the threshing of the little amount of grain raised, 
may be done by hand in stormy weather. The 
tools should be thoroughly cleaned, mended, and 
painted if this is needed, and put away to be in readi¬ 
ness for the busy time of spring. A good day’s work 
may be given to the repairing and oiling of the har¬ 
ness. There are enough jobs that may be done un¬ 
der cover, to fill all the rainy days, if there is only 
planning for it. At this season there may be feed 
racks needed, and a day at the tool bench is far 
more profitable in eyery way, than one spent in 
lounging, especially if it be done at the village 
store. Make the most of every day, and not 
count stormy days as blank oues in the record. 
Marketing Poultry. 
Poultry which it is not intended to winter, are to 
be fattened before really severe weather comes on ; 
otherwise money will be lost by them. They will 
barely hold their own in December on feed which 
caused them to increase rapidly in weight a month 
earlier. Those who have watched the market, 
know that autumn prices usually are highest a lit¬ 
tle before, and a little after Thanksgiving, say be¬ 
fore the middle of November, and soon after the 
first of December. The reason is, that those who are 
fattening poultry keep them back for a short time 
before Thanksgiving day, and before Christmas 
time, in order to get them in prime order for 
sale at those times. The result is usually an over¬ 
stocked market, and plenty or cheap poultry. 
Soon after the first of January, prices go up again, 
and well they may, for one or two months’ feed has 
been consumed, and very little weight added. 
Capons grow rapidly, and their growth takes up 
the food, so that ^we have to wait until growth 
stops, before they fatten. It is well, therefore, 
that this delicious class of poultry should not make 
its appearance before the first of February, when 
the game-laws prohibit venison, quail, and other 
choice game from being exposed for sale. At this 
time, consequently, fat capons and pullets meet a 
good market, and even during Lent, when a con¬ 
siderable portion of the Christian . world abstain 
from meats, there is a sharp demand for the high¬ 
est prized meats, to grace the table of the rich 
on Sundays. It is therefore well to have fine 
capons ready to supply this demand. 
Selection of a Farm. 
There are many things to be considered in the 
selection of a farm. To the rich gentleman who 
wishes to retire from the noise aud tumult of city 
life, a farm has a different meaning than to the 
poor man who must toil daily for the maintenance 
of himself and family. The former will look 
through golden eye-glasses and seek for luxuries in 
the country, while the latter must obtain the ne¬ 
cessities of life. The one will let individual taste 
rule in the choice, the other asks himself, “Is this 
the best place for me to do substantial farming ?” 
No general rules can be given for the rich man 
who buys a farm for the purpose of spending 
money, while for the one who seeks to make a liv¬ 
ing from the land, there are some words of advice. 
The size of a farm should be suited to the ca¬ 
pacity of the pocket-book. Many young farmers 
make the mistake of buying a large farm with lit¬ 
tle money to pay for it. There is nothing that so 
binds a man as a heavy mortgage. It eats the very 
heart out of the farmer, and hangs like a leaden 
weight upon every aspiration of his wife and chil¬ 
dren. It is better to buy a small farm and have 
enough capital to work it well. As the surplus in¬ 
creases, it may be invested in more acres, or in a 
better culture of those that have already proved 
profitable. There is a size below which many of 
the economies of the farm can not be practised to 
the best advantage, and on the other hand there is 
danger of going beyond that acreage where the 
most profitable farming may be carried on. It re¬ 
quires considerable executive ability to manage a 
large farm, and therefore many men are excluded 
from such by a lack which they may not fully ap¬ 
preciate until the trial has been made and the 
failure recorded. Farming is not like the taking of 
a citadel, and can not be done successfully with a 
rush and a noise. It is a thoughtful and steady 
working out from well-laid plans—-a conquest for 
crops, and the head must be clear that wins where 
the seat of a campaign for a lifetime covers town¬ 
ships or even square miles. The soil is the founda¬ 
tion of farming, and # it should be fitted to the 
kinds of crops that it is desired to raise. The dif¬ 
ferences in the nature and capacities of sand and 
clay should be understood, and a favorable mixture 
of the two obtained if there is an opportunity for 
choosing. A rich soil, with proper management, 
means good crops at once, but it may be as profit¬ 
able to invest much less in an equal area of over¬ 
cropped land, and bring it up to a high state of 
cultivation by green manuring and other methods 
of restoration. The farm house is to be the home 
of the family, and therefore the locality for the 
farm should be healthful. TJie richest land for the 
price may be on the border of a malaria-breeding 
swamp, but the profits of the investment may be 
more than balauced by the doctor’s bills and loss 
of time, not to mention the discomfort of fevers 
in the household. It is important that there be an 
abundant water supply on all farms, both for the 
family and the live-stock. There are social consid¬ 
erations that no farmer should overlook in making 
a choice of a farm. He lives not to himself alone ; 
the children need the privileges of good schools, 
etc.; in short, the community should be one in 
which sympathy, goodness and intelligence prevail. 
With a good farm of proper size, healthfully lo¬ 
cated, abundantly supplied with water, good neigh¬ 
bors, and a handy market, a man is so well situated 
that he ought to make himself and those around 
him happy. Choose well, and hold on to the choice. 
Tlie Gi’Aivth of ibe Itl:tnurc Heap. 
Most of the products of the farm have been 
gathered for the year, but the manure heap should 
now begin a rapid and healthful growth. The 
manure crop is perhaps the most important one of 
the winter season, if not of the whole year. Upon 
its size and quality the success of the farm opera¬ 
tions very largely depend. It should be the aim 
of every one who has acres to feed, for the pro¬ 
duction of good crops, to see that the most is 
made out of the droppings of his farm animals, 
and the litter that is used to absorb their urine 
and keep them neat and clean. The best manure 
is made under cover, and the greatest loss of fer¬ 
tilizing materials is when the manure is permitted 
to decompose so rapidly as to give off large quan¬ 
tities of ammonia; or when drenched with rains 
which wash away dark golden streams of the rich¬ 
est, best, and most costly of plant foods. The 
manure that every farmer should plan to make is 
well rotted, to be quickly available for the grow¬ 
ing crop, and has not sustained the serious loss 
that comes from water passing through it. There 
is no doubt that it would pay many farmers who 
now feed in large open yards to build sheds, under 
which the manure may be protected. 
There are other points in farm economy gained 
by shed or stable feeding. It takes less food to 
keep the animals warm and in a healthful condi¬ 
tion. A shivering animal is an appeal to both the 
pocket and the heart of the owner. Give the farm 
stock good, comfortable winter quarters, and there 
will be a saving in feed, a better preservation of 
the manure, and a kindlier feeling all round. 
Prepare for the Ice Harvest. 
The uses of ice increase every year, and at this 
season, we have many inquiries as to the construc¬ 
tion of buildings for the storing and keeping of 
this important winter product. A house that will 
hold enough ice to meet the demands of the average 
farmer, may be constructed at small cost. There 
are some general principles to be observed, in 
locating and building an ice house. There needs 
to be good drainage of all water from the bottom 
of the building; no admission of air from be¬ 
neath, and ample ventilation above. A non-con¬ 
ducting packing material is needed all around the 
ice, by which it may be kept as much as possible 
from melting. For this purpose, sawdust, spent 
tan, wheat chaff, or marsh hay may be used. In 
filling the house, the ice should be cut into blocks 
of regular size, that they may pack closely without 
leaving large air spaces between them. It does not 
matter so much about the thickness of the ice, 
if the blocks are properly packed, the thickness of 
SECTION OF FILLED ICE HOUSE, 
six to eight inches is preferable. Ice keeps best 
when put in during freezing weather, with enough 
water thrown over each layer to fill the spaces be¬ 
tween the blocks with ice, to the exclusion of the 
air. The door of the ice house may be left open 
for a few days before filling, that the ground be¬ 
neath may become thoroughly frozen. The en¬ 
graving shows a construction of an ice house that 
is filled properly. A ventilator is provided at the 
top, which permits of a circulation of air over the 
thick covering of sawdust placed upon the ice. 
