AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
387 
by employ, at an equivalent compensation. 
Green, heedless, and awkward boobies, who 
apply for an apprenticeship with mechanics, 
are obliged to serve, many times, for years, 
for a mere subsistence—food and ordinary 
clothing; but, how many in ten thousand 
were ever willing, or ever thought of serving 
as an apprentice with a farmer? Scores and 
hundreds of these sons of Adam, who know 
no more how to swing the cradle and scythe, 
how to drive a team and hold a plow, and to 
perform the various manipulations of the 
farm, than a common farmer knows how to 
use the instruments of the draftsman, or the 
sculptor, go through the land seeking em¬ 
ployment ; and demanding equal wages with 
him who is able to perform in the neatest 
manner the most difficult operations of the 
farm. Exorbitant prices—cash in hand— 
and, an abundance of the best eatables and 
drinkables, is the great desideratum of their 
existence. Hard, sunburnt toil to them is a 
bitter enemy. Their employer’s interest 
may go to the winds, before they would exert 
a muscle, providing they can secure their 
stipulated wages. Faithfulness and fidelity 
in the performance of the duties assigned 
them, are perfect antagonisms. To lag, to 
shirk and to slight, wherever they may be, 
and whatever they may be doing, is their liv¬ 
ing motto. But, on the contray, were they 
faithful and willing according to what they 
know and might learn,by a little application— 
were they willing to labor for what they can 
earn, how much better our fields would be 
cultivated ; and their own happiness and 
comfort and usefulness greatly augmented. 
The truth is, good mechanics and good farm¬ 
ers will not pay the wages of a good journey¬ 
man to raw and inexperienced hands. Now, 
if those suffering, starving poor who are beg¬ 
ging for a morsel at the hand of charity, 
would disperse through the country, and 
offer their services for what they can earn, 
the needy and destitute might all find a good, 
comfortable and respectable home. In 
more than two thirds of the families of the 
country, they need help, in doors and out; 
and would be exceedingly glad to get help, at 
a fair compensation. Female labor is scarce, 
except at exorbitant prices ; therefore, farm¬ 
ers wives are obliged to labor far beyond 
their strength; and to exercise all sorts of 
economy ; and to curtail their operations as 
much as possible ; because, laborers will not 
work without the highest prices, whether 
they can earn one half of it or not. So with 
out door work. Iwant a boy or a man— 
scores of neighbors around me could employ 
one, two, and three each, and pay them, 
willingly, all that they will earn, during the 
entire year. But laborers resolve to have 
their own price —which farmers can not af¬ 
ford to pay; therefore, they curtail their 
farming operations as much as possible. 
The “ times ” have been too favorable for 
poor people, during a few years past, for 
their own benefit; and there is evidently a 
change at hand. For ten or fifteen years 
past, those who were accustomed to work by 
the day, week, month and year, did infinitely 
better than those who employed them in the 
great majority of instances. Multitudes of 
farmers will honestly affirm, that it takes a 
large share, and many times nearly all, of 
their profits to pay their hired help. There 
is no need of such poverty and destitution 
as we read and hear of; and if the poor were 
willing to labor one half as hard as those who 
would employ them—if they would be half 
as faithful as they might be—if they would 
exercise half the frugality that lies in their 
power, that their employers are obliged to do 
in order to pay their exorbitant tvages, they 
might in most instances, live as independ¬ 
ently and as respectably as any class of 
citizens. S. Edwards Todd. 
Lake Ridge, Tompkins Co.,N. Y. 
BALANCE GATE WHEN OPEN. 
1 send you above a plan of a balance gate 
of my own contrivance. It works easily, is 
economical, and not liable to get out of order. 
The gate is 18 feet long, turns on the center, 
and when open forms two carriage-ways. 
A gate I have had made on this principle and 
which works well, is formed as follows : 
Two locust posts, of the usual length and 
size for a picket fence, are set in the ground; 
one at the entrance of the lane midway, and 
the other, 18 feet 3 inches from it, in the 
lane, midway also. Tenons are made on 
the top of these posts ; then a hemlock beam 
19 feet long, 3 by 8 inches, is fitted on these 
posts, and an auger-hole 2£ inches in diame¬ 
ter, is bored in the middle on the under side, 
not extending through it. A short locust 
post is set in the ground immediately under 
this hole, and a corresponding hole bored in 
the top of that, the top of that post not being 
more than an inch out of the ground. The 
gate is formed of an oak stick six inches 
square, four feet long, with a round tenon on 
each end to fit the holes above and below, 
and then morticed to receive the boards ; 
these may be 18 feet long, or pliced or 
lapped to that length, and braced with boards 
from the center to the outer ends. Narrow 
boards are nailed perpendicularly on the ends 
of the other boards to form the ends of the 
gate. A simple, good and cheap fastening, 
is made of a slip of oak or hickory, 2 or 3 
feet long, £ by 2 inches, nailed at one end on 
one end of the gate, and working like a spring 
in a square staple, near the top of the gate, 
and catching in blocks of the former, both 
when shut and when open. This gate re¬ 
quires room, but in all other respects it is 
unexceptionable. E. H. Vanuxen. 
Shrewsbury, N. J. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
RED CAPS, GREY SHANGHAIS, &c. 
The Red Caps, a breed imported from Eng¬ 
land, weigh, when full grown, hens 4 % to 6 
lbs., cocks 7 to 9. Their combs are very 
large and invariably of the shape called rose. 
To such a size do these combs or caps grow, 
that they are often obliged to be cut in order 
that the bird may see to eat. I have known 
them to weigh oz. after they are taken off. 
The ground color of the fowls is yellowish, 
marked with black, resembing the Golden 
Laced Sebrights. They seldom desire to sit, 
and other hens should be kept in order to 
hatch their eggs. [For this purpose game 
hens are the best.— Eds.] As layers in the 
summer season they are unsurpassed, and 
in addition, are most beautiful in appearance. 
At present I have none for sale,having readi¬ 
ly disposed of all I had bred, at prices vary¬ 
ing from $12 to $15 per pair. 
As regards Grey Shanghais and Brahma 
Pootras, I think there is a great difference 
between the two ; I have raised them both 
for several years, and greatly prefer the 
Brahmas. They lay a third larger egg than 
the Shanghais, and are the best fowl for any 
one desiring eggs in the winter. Their eggs 
sometimes weigh from 3 to 4£ ounces 
each, whereas those of the Shanghais 
seldom reach over 2 or ounces. The 
Brahmas, I think, will lay a greater weight 
of eggs in a year than any fowls I am ac- 
, quainted with ; I have bred fowls for over 
twenty years, and there are none I like bet¬ 
ter than these. They have improved in size 
since I first obtained them; this j I think is 
owing to my changing the cock every year, 
which I am very particular to do. I have 
disposed of most of my stock this year but 
have a few pairs left, at prices varying from 
$10 to $15 per pair. 
I have also the Golden and Silver Laced 
Sebright Bantams, together with clean¬ 
legged white and black. George Smith. 
Vai.ley Falls, R. I, 
For the American Agriculturist . 
BREEDING RABBITS. 
Morris, Otsego Co., N. Y., Feb. 13, 1855. 
1 have so supreme a contempt for an ad¬ 
vertisement in disguise smuggled, as it often 
is, into an article or communication, profess¬ 
ing to be of general interest, that I will pen 
that part of my communication separate and 
apart from some few things I would say 
on the same subject; and I beg you will give 
it insertion in its proper place—-your adver¬ 
tising columns. There, last year, I informed 
applicants of my total inability to then meet 
any further orders on my rabbitry ; and re¬ 
quested a truce with correspondents on that 
subject till I should have filled engagements 
already booked. This has now been done, 
my rabbitry has been enlarged, and my 
breeding stock completed, leaving a few ex¬ 
tra hares, as per advertisement.—[See page 
398.— Eds.] 
SIZR OF HUTCHES. 
I would now correct some of my earlier 
suggestions as to the keeping and manage¬ 
ment of the rabbit, which have grown out of 
my American experience, and having, main¬ 
ly, relation to climate. I find that my for¬ 
mer dimensions for breeding hutches are too 
confined. I would prefer them to be four 
feet long, two feet deep, and sixteen inches 
high ; the slant of the bottom should not ex¬ 
ceed one inch, and the permanent opening 
for drainage not wider than half an inch; 
more than this subjects the little occupant, 
in its playful races round the apartment, to 
catch a foot and perhaps break a leg. A tin 
door, sliding up and down on a couple of 
stout side wires, allowing the breeding-room 
or nest to be closed at will, is a great conve¬ 
nience. The floor of the hutch should be 
covered by a false bottom of half-inch un¬ 
planed hemlock, to protect it from being 
gnawed, and to prevent slipping. 
VENTILATION. 
A perfectly free ventilation is absolutely 
necessary to the health of the rabbit. Bet¬ 
ter that the thermometer should fall to zero 
in your rabbitry, than subject the little ani¬ 
mals to a close and tainted atmosphere ; the 
one may cause a little temporary discomfit¬ 
ure, while the other will create disease in 
various forms, many of them ending in death. 
We have lately had a very cold period of 
weather, during which the mercury, for days, 
stood below zero, and in my rabbitry ranged 
between zero and 15° above zero, without 
any ill effects to my rabbits, though some 
were quite young. When obliged by the in¬ 
tensity of cold to shut all up, which is very 
seldom, I then set a dish, with a table spoon- 
full of chloride of lime, on the floor, by way 
of neutralizing the ammonia, which would 
otherwise be injurious to the eyes. 
FEEDING. 
In relation to feeding, I would caution 
breeders not to use' lettuce after that plant 
begins to put up its seed stalks, as its nar¬ 
cotic effect is then so strong as to cause 
death. I lost in one summer over twenty 
rabbits from this plant, before discovering 
the cause. Corn, sown broadcast, affords 
an abundant and an excellent substitute. I 
think the rutabaga, as a winter vegetable, is 
