1882.] 
AMERICAS AGRICULTURIST. 
491 
down to the level of the udder behind, will 
restrain the switching, but it takes time and 
labor to care for the rope. If the milker, af¬ 
ter he is seated upon the stool, will place the 
switch of the cow upon his left knee, and 
use his left elbow as a weight, he will have 
complete control of the missile that annoys 
him, without interfering with his freedom 
in milking. This device is not patented! 
Breeding for Eggs, 
BY D. Z. EVANS, JB. 
Aside from breeding poultry “ to feather,” 
to be sold as high class thorough-bred fowls 
at high prices, there is more profit in breed¬ 
ing poultry for eggs than for flesh. This 
is especially true for those near large cities, 
where buyers are willing to pay roundly for 
really fresh eggs. The prices for such eggs 
are from ten to thirty per cent higher than 
the regular market rates; and where the pro¬ 
ducer can meet the consumer, deliver the 
eggs, and collect the cash himself, without 
any expense for transportation, commission, 
etc., the profits are correspondingly large, and 
the risks of loss reduced to the minimum. 
There are multitudes who have large plots of 
ground not far from town, who could mate¬ 
rially increase their incomes by keeping fair¬ 
sized flocks of good laying hens, and without 
requiring much time from their regular busi¬ 
ness. It is not good policy, however, either 
to keep too many birds on a single place, or 
to attempt to make a living entirely from 
poultry, without having considerable experi¬ 
ence in breeding profitably for market, and 
even then it is not wise to give up a comfort¬ 
able salary to go into breeding poultry exten¬ 
sively. The best way is to “ make haste 
slowly.” The flocks can be increased with 
experience, until it is proved beyond a doubt 
that enough can be made from the poultry to 
warrant an entire dependence upon them for 
a living. This is the true way, not only with 
poultry, but in any calling, where work must 
take the place of cash, in part at least. 
The profits in poultry depend mainly upon 
the buildings in which the fowls spend much 
of their time. The high prices eggs command 
during the winter months, and in fact all 
through the cold weather of late fall and early 
spring, make it an object to get as many eggs 
as possible during those times by care and 
good feeding. Good hens will lay just as well 
at such times, if the necessary food and 
warmth is insured. Elaborate and expensive 
houses for poultry are not necessary. All de¬ 
sirable and practical purposes are served by 
making them of common, rough inch pine 
boards. These can be jointed on the edges, 
so as to fit up tightly, with strips nailed on 
the joints, outside. Upon the entire inside 
surface put the common roofing felt, which 
will make a wind and rain-proof finish, and 
will go far towards insuring freedom from 
lice, mites, and other insect enemies; the tar 
in the felting is decidedly unpleasant to the 
parasites. If there is some near-by building, 
such as a barn, granary, or shed, the poultry 
house can be built against it as a back, and 
thus serve a material saving in lumber and 
work. The roof can be treated, outside and 
in, with the same felt covering, which 
will make it rain-proof. The floor can be 
made of earth, raised a few inches above the 
outside soil, so as to insure freedom from 
dampness and save the expense of floor lum¬ 
ber. A ground floor has another decided ad¬ 
vantage over boards, in that it is more health¬ 
ful and does not engender ailments of the 
feet, which are often caused by running con¬ 
stantly on hard floors. For ordinary houses, 
6 to 8 feet high in front, 4 to 6 feet at the 
back, and 8 to 10 feet wide, and as long as is 
necessary, will be found the most suitable, and 
this will generally cut the boards to the best 
advantage. When short pieces of boards are 
left oyer, they can be used for making the 
nesting boxes, coops, etc., etc., and nothing 
need be wasted. For very cold localities, or 
extreme weather, arrange for having a small 
coal stove in the house. A half a ton of coal 
will last an entire season, as it is necessary to 
have but little fire at any time, merely enough 
to prevent frost. A wood fire is dangerous, 
irregular, and requires too much attention. 
The Chisel “Jack.” 
“Jack” is a convenient name for sundry 
lifting contrivances, combinations of levers, 
or a screw and lever, etc. Carpenters occa¬ 
sionally exert a gradual lifting power of great 
force, and perfectly controlled, by using a 
common chisel, which for convenience we 
denominate a “ chisel-jack.” It is used in 
some such way as this. Suppose some 
building has a “ cant ” out of the perpendic¬ 
ular. A stout beam is selected, reaching 
at a proper slant from a point high up 
upon a post of the building to the ground, 
where a stake is driven down solidly. If the 
soil is yielding, two or three stakes will prob¬ 
ably make a solid bearing. A piece of sound 
plank is put under its upper end, where the 
beam presses against the building, and upon 
this plank a cleat is nailed, for the end of the 
beam to bear against. This is all, unless, to 
avoid defacing the building, another plank 
or board, longer than the other, is placed be¬ 
tween the building and the pressing plank. 
The edge of a strong chisel is now placed, 
and shoved strongly as far as possible under 
the end of the plank as shown, and the han¬ 
dle is then moved through the arc, as indi¬ 
cated by the dotted line. This will shove 
the plank downward, and exert a strong lat¬ 
eral thrust against the building, which it will 
gradually straighten. By a little contrivance 
this power may be exerted in many different 
ways and directions, with most satisfactory 
results. In this case, the only defacing of 
the building is by the marks of the chisel, 
as indicated by the drawing, and this might 
have been avoided by using a second planx. 
Giving Medicines to Animals. 
BY PROF. D. D. SLADE, HARVARD UNIVERSITY. 
In administering medicines to his animals, 
the knowledge of how to do it is most essen¬ 
tial to every farmer, and he may not be able 
to always acquire it from his books at hand. 
The most ready manner of giving medicinal 
substances is by mixing them with the food 
or drink. This, however, is not always prac¬ 
ticable, as the animal may refuse the mix¬ 
ture, or may be too weak to make the effort 
to take it. It must then be given by ball, or 
by drench from a horn or bottle. One most 
essential anatomical point to be remembered 
by every one in the giving of medicine, espe¬ 
cially in the liquid form, is, that the tongue 
should be free. It is mainly by the muscular 
movements of this organ that the entrance 
to the windpipe is closed during the passage 
of food or liquid into the gullet. The intro¬ 
duction of the sniallest quantity into the air 
passages, at once causes intense irritation, 
made evident by coughing. By preventing 
natural movements of the tongue, we run 
much risk of producing suffocation. To 
illustrate : An ox, after eating heartily, and 
drinking late in the morning, was puffed up, 
the swelling disappearing after work. On 
again drinking at night, the swelling return¬ 
ed. Some medicine was prepared, but the 
swelling had abated, and the animal was 
eating hay. But to prevent a recurrence of 
the disorder, the medicine was given by 
holding his tongue out of his mouth while 
pouring it down his throat. He fell down 
and died immediately. On examination, 
eight inches of the windpipe was completely 
filled with chewed hay, conveyed there by 
the liquid, and strangulation was produced. 
When practicable, the ball is the most con¬ 
venient form of administering medicine to a 
Horse when he will not take it in food. The 
ball should be prepared with oil, rather than 
with syrup, and both in size and shape should 
resemble a small hen’s egg. One person can 
give it by standing at the right shoulder of 
the animal when backed into a stall. With 
the left hand draw the tongue out gently 
upon the right side, not pulling it, but sim¬ 
ply pressing it upon the lower jaw. The 
ball, held between the tips of the fingers of 
the right hand, is conveyed into the posterior 
portion of the mouth, and the hand quickly 
withdrawn, and the tongue liberated. If 
the ball is not seen to pass down the gullet 
on the left side of the throat, a gentle blow 
on the chin will cause the animal to swal¬ 
low, or water may be offered. Where the 
animal is at all refractory or vicious, it may 
be necessary to hold the jaws open by the 
lialter-rope, or in some cases by the balling- 
iron, an instrument made for this use. 
In giving a drench to a Horse, a horn should 
be used in preference to the bottle, for fear 
of breakage. Standing at the right shoulder, 
raise the head with the left hand under the 
jaw, and with the right hand pass the lip of 
