62 
AMERICA]^ AGEIOULTITRIST. 
Gate Hing^es of Wood, 
It is often convenient and economical, especially 
in newly settled regions wdiere blacksmiths and 
hardware stores are not at hand to supply hinges 
for gates, to make them of wood. The simplest 
and most primitive form is shown in fig. 1. A post 
Is selected having a large limb standing out at 
nearly right angles. A perpendicular hole in this 
secures the top of the rear gate standard. The foot 
rests in a stout short post, set against the main 
post. A small gimlet hole should extend outward 
and downward from the lowest side or point in the 
hole in the short post, to act as a drain, or the water 
collecting in it would be likely to soon rot both 
the standard, and the short post itself. Another 
form is to hold the top by a strong wooden withe. 
A third form is illustrated in fig, 2, in which the 
top of the standard passes through a short piece 
of sawed or split plank, spiked or pinned upon 
the top of the post. Figure 3 illustrates still another 
form, in which the top is held by a pin, having one 
end small enough to enter an auger hole near 
the top of the po.st, and keyed in on the opposite 
side. When loose or sagging, the pin-supporting 
piece can be easily driven in and keyed up farther. 
Selecting FoMs for Eggs and for Market. 
To make poultry profitable it is to be remem¬ 
bered that those breeds which lay the greater num¬ 
ber of eggs during a single year do not produce the 
best chicks for market. Such fowls, though not 
deficient in quality, lack in size and hardiness. For 
egg production, the Leghorns, Black Spanish, 
Hamburgs, Houdans and Polish, being non sitters, 
do not lose time in sitting, but require the same 
period for moulting as the other breeds, and they 
are not always to be relied upon for laying in win¬ 
ter unless under very favorable conditions. The 
Leghorns and Hamburgs come to early maturity, 
and begin laying when about five months old. Pul¬ 
lets of these breeds, when hatched as early as 
March, come into service by September, and as a 
rule pullets which commence laying early in au¬ 
tumn usually continue to do so throughout the 
Vt iuter. The Houdans are larger than the Leg¬ 
horns, but are best for early spring laying, though 
when crossed on Cochins and Brahmas they produce 
pullets that equal any breed, not only as layers, 
mothers, and in size, but for market also. The 
Polish are too tender when young for farm fowls, 
but produce eggs abundantly when fully matured. 
When eggs are chiefly desired, a different selec¬ 
tion of certain breeds must be made than when 
raising fowls for sale in the market, whether as 
adults or chicks. It is best always to endeavor to 
combine esg production with quick growth and 
weight of carcass, when this can be done, and the 
cross mentioned between the Houdan and the lar¬ 
ger breeds is a good one; but such fowls are 
crested, and therefore subject to roup in wet sea¬ 
sons, while the color of the legs is not a bright, 
clear yellow. The Plymouth Rock is one of the 
most popular for market, possessing yellow skin 
and legs, but this breed requires time for maturing, 
as do the Brahmas and Cochins, which brings the 
pullets in for laying rather late. They fatten easily 
and remain so on a small allowance of food, but the 
tendency of the Plymouth Rocks to take on fat 
quickly, sometimes causes the hens to be unprofita¬ 
ble as layers. There is much diversity of opinion 
regarding the merits of the Plymouth Rocks as 
egg-prcducers. The facts are that if a flock of 
Plymouth Rocks kept in confinement, are fed very 
judiciously, avoiding an excess of starchy material, 
the results will be satisfactory, but not so when 
they are too highly fed without the privilege of ex¬ 
ercise. Allowed toi'oam at will, however, they do 
excellently, for they are good foragers and search 
over the ground industriously. Crossed on any 
kind of large coarse hens, the Plymouth Rocks pro¬ 
duce chicks that grow rapidly and weigh heavily 
at any age, and their heavy feathering and yellow 
appearance of legs, beak and skin, add materially to 
their marketable value. 
In raising fowls for market, liberal feeding is the 
first requisite, and conflnementdoes no injury, pro¬ 
vided the yards and quarters are kept clean. The 
earlier the chicks come in, the higher are the prices 
obtained, those weighing between one and two 
pounds being the more salable at first, but later 
in the season the weights should be in the neigh¬ 
borhood of twm pounds, and larger still as the sea¬ 
son further advances. As high as eighty cents per 
jjound is sometimes obtained for prime early 
spring broilers, and from forty to fifty cents is not 
an unusual price for them when brought to market 
early, even when not of the best quality. The best 
breeds for producing market chicks are the Plym¬ 
outh Rocks, Wyandottes, and Langshans. The 
last named possess the quality of fineness of grain 
in the flesh, but have dark legs. This fault is 
however compensated for by quickness of growth, 
and the pullets that maybe kept over for laying 
have been known to begin nearly as soon as the 
Leghonis, which is a very desirable characteristic 
in a large breed, for the Langshans are nearly as 
large as the Brahmas. The Wyandottes are very 
plump and compact in body, and the chicks have a 
round, attractive appearance. Where the cocks 
are changed ever 5 ' year, and it is desired to combine 
egg production,, w'eight, and quick growth, a good 
beginning may be made by using Cochin or Brahma 
hens with a Plymouth Rock cock, followed the 
next season with a cock of the Houdan breed. 
The third year a Langshan may be substituted, and 
then a Wyandotte. Entirely new blood from dif¬ 
ferent breeds will thus be introduced annually, in¬ 
vigorating the flock and improving it in all respects, 
but only pure-bred males should be used. A dash 
of Brahma blood, now and then, keeps up the size, 
but too frequent use of Brahma cocks conduces to 
legginess of the growing chicks, though the adults 
may be compact. The crossing with a Plymouth 
Rock cock every alternate season would not do 
harm; for heavy weight of chicks smaller breeds 
■should be avoided, as they transmit their qual¬ 
ities to their offspring very strongly. Those 
who breed chicks for market would do well to 
make use ■only of the special breeds for the pur¬ 
pose, as very often the profit expected may depend 
entirely upon such judicious management of the 
flock. First select well, and tten feed well. 
[February, 
A Fence of “Stakes and Riders.” 
A very common method with the “worm” or 
“ Virginia” rail fence is to drive slanting stakes 
over the corners, in saw-horse style, and lay the 
top rail into the upper angle thus formed. The 
stakes, resting on the under rails and standing at 
an angle, brace the fence firmly. But the feet of the 
stakes extending beyond the jagged corners formed 
by the ends of the rails, are objectionable. We 
have seen this remedied in part by putting the 
stakes over the middle of the panels—at consid¬ 
erable distance apart—and laying in them long 
poles horizontally. In this case the stakes should 
be set at such an angle as to prevent their moving 
sidewise along the top rail, which should be a 
strong one. These stakes and long riders are fre¬ 
quently used to raise the hight of low stone walls. 
—Mr. Chas. II. Davis, of Warrenton, Va., sends a 
description and sketch of a fence nearly all com¬ 
posed of stakes and riders, which is used in that 
section. First, crotched stakes, formed by the 
forks of a branching tree limb, a foot or more long, 
are driven a foot or so into the ground at distances 
apart corresponding to the length of poles 
used. The bottom poles are laid into these, and 
two stakes, split or round poles, are driven over 
these and the next poles laid in. Then two more 
stakes and another pole, and so on as hish as the 
fence is required. This will answer for larger ani¬ 
mals, and be strong and not expensive. For swine, 
and other small live-stoek, the crotch stakes 
would need to be very short, and the lower poles 
be somewhat small and begin close to the ground. 
Barn-Yard Economy. 
A dark stream, often of golden color, always of 
golden value, flows to waste from many an Ameri¬ 
can barn-yard. This liquid fertility often enters 
the side ditch of the farm lane, sometimes of the 
highway, and empties into a brook, which removes 
it beyond the reach of plants that would greatly 
profit by it. Mice may gnaw a hole into the 
granary and daily abstract a small quantity of 
grain, or the skunks may reduce the profits of the 
poultry yards, but these leaks are small in compar¬ 
ison with that from the poorly constructed and ill- 
kept barn-yard. The most valuable part of manure 
is that which is very soluble, and unless it is re¬ 
tained by some absorbent, or kept from the drench¬ 
ing rains, it will be quickly out of reach. Manure 
is a manufactured product, and the success of all 
farm operations in the older States, depends upon 
the quantity and quality of this product. Other 
things being equal, the farmer who comes out in the 
spring with the largest amount of the best quality 
of manure, will be the one who finds farming pays 
the best. A barn-yard, whether on a side-hill or 
on a level, with all the rains free to fall upon the 
manure heap, should be so arranged as to lose none 
of the drainage. Side-hill barn-yards are common, 
because the barns thus located furnish a convenient 
cellar. A barrier of earth on the lower side of the 
yard can be quickly thrown up with a team and 
road-scraper, which will catch and hold the drench- 
ings of the yard above, and the coarse, newdy made 
manure will absorb the liquid and be benefited by 
