322 
AMEEICAIT AGEICULTUEIST. 
[August, 
Guernsey calves are usually large, so that the use 
<yt Guernsey bulls is favored by farmers, who make 
veal of many of their calves. In these particulars 
the Guernsey is a strong contrast to the Jersey. 
We present our readers on the preceding page, 
engravings of two excellent Guernsey animals. 
They are the property of Mr. H. de B. Schenck, of 
Larchmouut, Lenox, Mass. The cow, “ Vestal of 
Larchmount,” (1507), (Guernsey Herd-book, num¬ 
ber 686), is lemon-fawn and white, was dropped 
Nov. 1877, selected on the Island, and imported by 
Mr. Schenck. She is now giving eighteen quarts of 
milk a day._ “ Vestal ” comes of a line of famous 
prize winners, and herself won third prize in a class 
numbering one hundred and four entries, at the 
•Shows of the Royal Guernsey Agricultural Society, 
May, 1883. She was imported in September, calved 
April 16th, and two weeks after that date, one 
day’s milk made two pounds six ounces of butter. 
The bull, “Lancer,” (131), was imported in dam, 
and dropped in August, 1878. He is fawn and white, 
of superior form and size. He won first prize at 
the Central Berkshire Stock Show at Lee, Mass., in 
1882, and the next year first at the Berkshire, Mass., 
Agricultural Society Show at Great Barrington. 
Egg-Eating Hens. 
• 
The very worst habit hens can get into is that of 
eating their eggs. Dropping eggs from the roosts, 
or about the houses and yards, and eating each 
other’s feathers, are of little moment compared to 
it. It is a habit they learn from one another. If 
only one or two, or a few hens in a flock eat eggs, 
make short work with them. They will probably 
be found healthy ar.d fat, and will at least make 
good broth, even if too old to roast. But if, as 
with a subscriber living at Grandin, Dakota Ter., 
who has one hundred and twenty laying hens, and 
^ets only fifteen eggs a day, the case is different. 
It will probably pay to outwit the hens, and thus 
cure them. There have been many nests iu use, 
for allowing the egg to roll out of the hen’s sight as 
soon as laid. The engraving represents a section 
of a range of eight to twelve laying boxes, or 
nests, with each nest about a foot square, and 
separated more or less completely from the adjoin¬ 
ing ones by a board partition. The bottom of all 
the nests is made by two boards, one of which is 
five inches wide, the other about eight. They are 
fastened so as to leave an inch-and-a-half space 
between them. Before they are nailed in place, 
some fine soft hay, ?t, is fastened upon the upper 
sides by tacking on strips of tape, leather, oi’ list. 
Care should be taken to have this hay or grass lie 
smoothly, and that upon the narrow board must 
have only a few of its thin, soft ends hanging over 
the edge. The centre of each nest must be made 
on the broader board, and a painted wooden egg 
fastened on by a screw going through the board. 
When the hen enters such a nest, she will mistrust 
nothing; she will not eat the wooden egg, and 
when she lays her own it will fall through the bot¬ 
tom. The egg is received upon a mass of hay, or, 
much better, a piece of sacking, a, h, tacked to the 
underside of the narrow board, and at a lower 
jjoint to the top of a board behind the box hinged 
at the bottom. The sacking must be slack enough 
to allow the hinged board to open far enough to 
take the eggs out, but not so that they will roll 
out. There is an alighting shelf, s, and a broad 
cover over all, which may be hinged in the centre 
if desired, for the greater convenience of examin¬ 
ing the nest. Such a range of nests, covered as 
described, may have a roosting pole a foot above 
it, and the droppings being caught on the top, 
can be readily carried off from week to week. 
How and When to Shoe Horses. 
PROP. D, D. SLADE, HARVARD COLLEGE. 
Horse-shoeing has given rise to much contro¬ 
versy, yet it is a matter which in itself, so far at 
least as regards the principal object in view, is ex¬ 
tremely simple and easily understood. The object 
of the .shoe is the protection of the ground surface 
of the outer wall of the hoof against excessive 
wear. In the wild horse, the balance between the 
growth and the wear of the horn of the hoof, is 
equally maintained, but when civilization subjects 
the animal to hard and rapid labor upon paved and 
macadamized roads, then this balance is destroyed 
—the wear exceeds the growth. Hence the aim of 
the farrier is to ward against this condition of 
things by attaching a rim of iron or steel to the 
circumference of the foot. The moment this is 
done, however, the balance is again destroyed the 
growth will exceed the wear, necessitating in time 
the removal of this metallic rim, and the reduction 
of the horn by artificial means. Although the 
growth of the horn downward is equal over the 
entire surface of the wall, it will usually be found 
that iu the healthy foot, more must be removed 
from the toe than from the heels or quarters. This 
is because the shoe is firmly fastened at the toe, 
whereas, in the other regions, especially at the 
heels, there is a certain amount of motion allowed 
by the absence of nails, and consequently more or 
less wear takes place. This may be readily seen on 
examination of a shoe that has been worn for three 
or more weeks, the burnished line on the foot sur¬ 
face of the shoe showing distinctly the outline of 
contact. It may be asked whether it is not practi¬ 
cable in many cases to dispense with shoeing. AVe 
answer most unhesitatingly yes, with great benefit 
to the animal as well as to the owner. There are 
many country districts where the roads are'of turf, 
or are sandy, and where shoes are unnecessary. If 
the colt is never subjected to this process, the foot 
acquires that natural firmness and hardness which 
will serve the animal under ordinary circumstances. 
In winter, when the roads are very slippery, and 
the horse is called upon for heavy draft, in many 
cases we must provide means by which he can gain 
a firmer foothold ; and this, in the present state of 
our knowledge, can only be done by shoes fur¬ 
nished with calks. We do but follow a blind and 
foolish custom where we applv shoes without the 
necessity. When shoes have been constantly worn, 
and it is desirable to dispense with them, great care 
must be exercised in gradually acccustoming the 
foot to this new condition, and no long or severe 
labor should be at once demanded of the animal. 
Calks are detrimental under any circumstances, 
and should always be avoided if possible. There 
can be no reason or excuse for their use on road 
horses of light draft in summer, even on pave¬ 
ments. AVhen actually required, it is very essen¬ 
tial that they should have an equal bearing on all 
sides, at the toe as well as at the heels. Any un¬ 
equal distribution of the weight of the animal is 
sure to bring about strains of the ligaments, sinews, 
and muscles. The fashionable heel of the modern 
belle is not more sure to lay the foundation for 
future suilering. No shoe should be allowed to 
remain upon the foot more than four or five weeks. 
Many farmei’s patronize the farrier who nails on 
the shoes so that they will remain more than double 
this time, with the idea that such a proceeding is 
economical, whereas, it is the furthest possible re¬ 
move from economy. As the growth of the horn 
is constantly downward and outward, the shoe, 
which when api)lied weeks before, was fitted to the 
foot, has now become altogether too small, and 
consequently there is constant pressure upon the 
sensitive portions at the quarters, causing corns 
and other affections. On the removal of the shoe, 
if again to be applied, the ground surface of the 
wall of the hoof must be reduced by the rasp to a 
perfect level, which can be attained by the eye ac¬ 
customed to good work. The level of the un¬ 
touched sole forms a ready and practical guide for 
the amount of reduction. Neither the sole nor the 
frog should undergo the least mutilation, since 
nature removes by constant exfoliation all super¬ 
fluous horn, neither should the natural barrier'at 
the heels, provided for the express purpose of 
keeping the foot expanded, ever be cut into, as is 
the almost universal custom, under the insane idea 
that it “ opens out ” the foot. No greater folly or 
barbarity can be committed, and no surer way 
could be devised for producing contraction with its 
attendant evils. The walls of the hoof should 
never be rasped. It is by this process that the ex¬ 
ternal fibres of the horn are destroyed, the beauti¬ 
ful polish removed, and the internal surface ex¬ 
posed, whereby the entire structure is rendered 
more brittle and unfitted to perform its functions. 
Let the intelligent farmer who has hitherto given 
little or no thought to this important subject, fol¬ 
low the above instructions, and satisfy himself of 
their correctness, and tell them to his neighbors. 
An Enemy to Maple Trees. 
Among the many kinds of Bark-lice {Coccidce), 
is one which attacks the Maples. This was first 
described in 1868 as Lecanium acericola, along with 
another new species peculiar to the Osage Orange 
{L. Madurce). Both these insects are shown in the 
engraving, that at the left being the one which at¬ 
tacks the Maple. The insects, on being hatched, 
attach themselves to the tender bark of the young 
shoots, and also to the leaves of the Maple. A 
scale is formed upon the back of the louse, seen in 
the dark portions in the engraving. From beneath 
the scale protrudes a snow-white mass of fine cot¬ 
tony threads, which cover and protect the eggs, 
and perhaps the newly hatched insects. The eggs 
are hatched in July. The description referred to is 
very meagre,-and nothing is said of the means 
MAPLE AXD OSAGE ORANGE SCALE INSECTS. 
for destroying the insect. Specimens were reeently 
sent us b}" Mr. Chas. E. Keller, Shelby Co., Ill. 
The insect was first discovered in Indiana and 
afterwards in Iowa. In the absence of any report 
as to the best means of destroying the insect, we 
should be disposed to try the Emulsion of Kero¬ 
sene, described in March last, page 114. This 
should be freely thrown into the tree, using a gar¬ 
den syringe. This or any other apiilicatiou would 
be most effective, if it could be applied when the 
insects are first hatched, and before they have 
formed a scale, a point which can only be ascer¬ 
tained by close observation. Let us hear from 
any who have successfully treated this pest. Mr. 
K. states that the insect “is devastating the 
shade trees, and is beginning on the fruit trees.” 
