184 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
The Back Volumes of the American Agriculturist, 
neatly bound, can now be supplied from the commence¬ 
ment. These of themselves constitute a beautiful and 
valuable Farmer’s Library, embracing a compendium 
of all the important agricultural articles that have ap- 
peareed during the last thirteen years. First ten volumes, 
new edition, furnished bound for $10. 
Bound volumes XI, XII and XIII (new series), $ 1 50 per 
volume ; unbound, $1 per volume. The whole thirteen 
volumes furnished bound for $14 50. 
interim ^grintlfarisi. 
New-York, Thursday, May 31. 
This paper is never sent where it is 
not considered paid foi—and is in all cases 
stopped ivhen the subscription runs out. 
We occasionally send a number to persons 
who are not subscribers. This is sometimes 
done as a compliment, and in other cases to 
invite examination. Those receiving such 
numbers are requested to look them over, and 
if convenient show them to a neighbor. 
A POST MORTEM ON HENS. 
When a specimen of the genus homo is 
taken off by any unusual ormysteriouscause, 
a jury is summoned and responsible men 
patiently investigate the causes that led to 
his death. But when that gallinaceous biped, 
that keeps him company, is found unaccount¬ 
ably defunct, fallen dead from the roost, 
stark cold upon her brooding nest,or stretch¬ 
ed out a stiffened corse in the yard, nobody 
asks why, and no coroner is called. It is 
taken for granted that the owner is guiltless, 
and that biddy came to her untimely end 
from some strange fatality. It is presump¬ 
tion for mortals to pry into the inscrutable 
mysteries of gallinaceous life. Yet we were 
summoned lately to sit in jury upon a pile 
of these departed bipeds. Whether it was 
upon the supposition that editors know every 
thing, that we were called in upon so grave 
an occasion, or upon the suspicion that we 
had had the hen fever and been initiated into 
the mysteries of fowl management, we are 
unable to say. We took it as sure indication 
that the world moves, and obeyed the sum¬ 
mons. 
The owner of this poultry yard was a pro¬ 
fessional gentleman, somewhat accustomed 
to the investigation of facts, and supposed— 
to have an eye to their moral quality. We 
felt assured that we should have in him an 
intelligent witness of the circumstances at¬ 
tending the death of the subjects, and a clear 
statement of the facts in the case. The 
yard was spacious and airy, shaded with ap¬ 
ple trees and carpeted with a velvet turf that 
would have been called a lawn by a gentle¬ 
man of more pretension. We thought surely 
hens ought to be immortal in such quarters 
for their own sake, if not for their owner’s. 
Death by the block could be the only justi¬ 
fiable cause of departure in such luxurious 
accommodations. But there in one corner 
lay the feathered worthies whose strange 
exit from this bird paradise had called us 
thither. Age and youth lay there in pro¬ 
miscuous ruin. The solemn countenance of 
our friend as he led us out, showed that he 
was no butcher by instinct or profession. 
Whether he inwardly mourned some de¬ 
parted favorite who had picked corn from his 
hand as he counted “ h'er chickens after 
they were hatched,” or sighed for the visions 
of roast chicken and broils so unceremoni¬ 
ously vanished, we are unable to say. He 
broke the thread of his meditations, whatever 
they were, by the exclamation, “ There are 
the hens! Now if you can tell how they 
come to die I should like to learn. They 
have had enough to eat and drink—and plen¬ 
ty of room to range in.” We divined the 
cause in a moment, and immediately led the 
astonished owner to the quarters where his 
hens had been obliged to spend more than 
half of their time for the last six months. 
There under the poles in a small house lay 
the accumulated droppings of a whole win¬ 
ter, without plaster, muck, or mold, to ab¬ 
sorb the deadly gases continually exhaling. 
The warm weather, dissolving the frosts of 
winter, had released the ammonia in unusu¬ 
al quantities, and had taken off his hens. 
The salutation which greeted his olfactories 
as we opened the door was a demonstration 
that he could not resist, and of course we 
brought in as the verdict of the jury, “That 
the said hens came to their death by the in¬ 
halation of ammoniacal gas, administered by 
the carelessness of the owner.” 
The coroner’s fees were light, but the pub¬ 
lic will profit by the examination. Hens 
never die without cause, and we believe foul 
and neglected roosts are more frequently the 
occasion of their death than all other causes 
united. An animal that pays its way upon 
the farm better than any other kind of stock, 
ought not to be suffered to die without an 
inquest. The interest if not the humanity 
of the poultry keeper should induce him to 
look well to the health of his fowls. A dry, 
airy lodging place, and plenty of absorbents 
for the droppings, are essentials in the poul¬ 
try yard. __. 
FIRST ANNUAL EXHIBITION OF THE NEW- 
JERSEY STATE AG. SOCIETY. 
This Society organized on the 10th of Jan¬ 
uary last, have already made complete and 
full arrangements for holding a State show, 
at the city of Camden, on the 19th, 20th and 
21st days of next September. The premi¬ 
um list issued embraces offers of nearly 
$5,000 in cash premiums , besides valuable di¬ 
plomas, &c. It is expected that all the Rail¬ 
roads in the State will transport articles for 
exhibition free , and carry passengers to and 
from the show at reduced fares. With the 
experience of neighboring States as a guide, 
and an excellent and efficient board of offi¬ 
cers and executive committee, we doubt not 
every effort will be made, and all needed ar¬ 
rangements be perfected to make this one of 
the most effective and successful shows of 
the season. Every farmer and every citi¬ 
zen should feel a personal interest in the 
enterprize, and at once inquire what each 
may do to promote its success. 
All information relating to the Fair, Lists 
of Premiums, Members’ Tickets, &c., can 
be promptly obtained,on application, by mail 
or otherwise, to the Corresponding Secreta¬ 
ry, J. Hatfield Frazee, at his office in Som¬ 
erville, Somerset County, N. J., until one 
week previous to the 18th of September ; 
after which time, he will be at the Fair 
grounds in Camden. 
The Agriculture of Massachusetts in 
1854, as shown in returns of the Agricultural 
Societies. Edited by Charles L. Flint, 
Secretary to the State Board of Agriculture 
This valuable Annual has been upon our ta¬ 
ble for some time awaiting a thorough and 
full reading and review, which we have not 
yet found time to give it. We wish our 
Massachusetts friends would publish for the 
benefit of other State Societies, an explana¬ 
tion of the secret of their getting out their 
volume of Reports at so much earlier a 
period than their neighbors. Perhaps the 
principal credit is due to the energetic la¬ 
bors of their Secretary. If so we wish he 
could be, at least, the publishing officer of 
some half a dozen State Societies we have 
in mind, whose reports will be issued not till 
after they have lost their chief value for the 
present season. Such reports contain much 
valuable information in reference to spring 
and summer crops, and they should be in the 
hands of farmers at the earliest possible 
moment. We respectfully suggest that it 
would be well for the various State Socie¬ 
ties to issue about the close of each year, 
that portion of their Reports which contains 
the more important and instructive articles, 
and afterwards put into a supplementary 
pamphlet such financial and documentary 
matter as could not be got ready at so early 
a date. But this by the way. The volume 
before us, like its predecessor, is exceeding¬ 
ly valuable as a practical guide to farmers. 
The selection and arrangement of the arti¬ 
cles exhibits the good taste and skill of the 
Editor. The frequent selections we shall 
give from its pages hereafter will best show 
our apreciation of its contents. 
The Rensselaer County (N. Y.) Agricul¬ 
tural Society hold their next annual show at 
Lansingburg, on the 18th, 19th and 20th of 
September. The officers of this Society for 
the current year are—President, Amos 
Briggs, of Schaghticoke. Vice-Presidents, 
Messrs. Geo. Yail, Jno. J. Viele, Hugh Ran¬ 
kin, and Henry Warren, of Troy, and Mr. H. 
W. Knickerbacker, of Lansingburg. Secre¬ 
tary, Wm. Hagen, of Troy. Treasurer, 
Abram Van Tuyl. Directors, Benj.Starbuck, 
of Troy; Joseph Hastings, of Brunswick ; 
Wm. Newcomb, of Pittstown; J. E. Stearns, 
ofSchodack; Fred'k B. Leonard, of Lan¬ 
singburg ; Isaac Tallmadge, of Schaghticoke; 
Jacob Minick, of Poestenkill; E. M. Van A1 
styne, of North Greenbush ; Jno. Tilley, of 
Grafton ; R. J. Knowlson, ofSandlake ; Jos. 
Haswell, of Hoosick ; Seth Hastings, of Nas¬ 
sau ; JoshuaS. Lewis, of Petersburg; Wm. 
Jones, of Stephentown ; John Whitford, of 
Berlin; Fred’k R. Rockafeller, of Clinton; 
Jonas Whitney, of Greenbush. 
A Trial of Mowers is to take place June 
15th on the farm of Judge Jay, in Bedford, 
Weschester Co., N. Y. This will be under 
the auspices of the Society of Agriculture 
and Horticulture of Westchester County. 
