318 
AMERICAN AaRICULTURIST. 
[September, 
classes of settlers is, that the New England 
emigrant leaves a competency, home, land and 
all, and moves to do better, 'while the European 
immigrant comes to this country to rtiake his 
home, and a home for his children after him. 
Chicken Medicine. 
We continue our discussions of the sub¬ 
ject of chicken ailments, because we hope to 
give our readers in¬ 
formation by which 
they may profit, and 
to receive hints from 
them, and so, by and 
by, get facts enough 
to enable breeders to 
successfully study 
and treat the dis¬ 
eases of poultiy. 
Parasites. — Lice, 
are-among the most 
annoying of the 
troubles which the 
poultry raiser meets 
witli, and remedies 
quite successful in 
one yard fail alto¬ 
gether in another. 
The reason doubt¬ 
less is because tliere 
are several kinds of Fig. 1. 
lice which occur in 
our poultry yards, and the remedy entirely 
efficacious for one may not affect the others. 
We published some time ago the statement 
of a coi'respondent Avho drove the lice out of 
his nest boxes by using the leaves of the but¬ 
ton-ball tree raked up in tlie fall. The follow¬ 
ing fi'om G. T. II., of Beverly, Mass., gives 
another similar remedj', and one Avhich may be 
employed at any season of the year. 
“For a number of 3 'ears past I have kept 
from 20 to 50 hens, and they used to be much 
troubled with hen lice; and though I kept my 
hen house (as I thought) pretty Avell AvhiteAvash- 
ed, at times it was overrun. I was told if I made 
roosts of the Sassafras wood, it would surely 
drive the lice off. Not being able to get that 
kind of wood for roosts, I set about devising a 
substitute. One day I came across a large bed 
of common tansy. I gathered a good quantity, 
took it to my hen house, and made several nice 
nests. This was done in the summer of 1804. 
Last season I renewed the tansj’-. Wlien the 
lice left I knoAv not, but this I do know, I have 
not seen a louse, or the sign of a hen louse, about 
the premises for more than a year, and I liave 
examined the hens prettj^ often and thoroughly.” 
In order that our readers Avho are interested 
in this subject may investigate the parasites 
more understandingly, and specify the kind of 
louse which certain remedies drive away or de- 
stroj^, Ave give ifictures of four kinds which are 
the only ones figured, as found ujAon the domes¬ 
tic foAvl, by ]Mr. Henry Denny, in his Avork on 
the lice of Great Britain, called Monographia 
Anoplurorum Pritanim. We knoAV of no Eng¬ 
lish names, and for convenience coin some. 
The Big-bellied Hen-louse (Qoniocotes holo- 
paster), fig. 1, is an eighth of an ineh long; its 
head, thorax and legs, are of a pale yelloAV col¬ 
or, Avith pitchy black marginal bands, and its 
very large abdomen is girtAvith pale ash-colored 
bands (fascue), bordered Avilh black. 
The Big-headed Ilen-louse {Goniodes dissimi- 
lis), fig. 2, has a length of a little over one line 
(’li 2 of an inch.) It is tawny, smooth, shining, 
somewhat downy or hairy; head large, Avith 
prominent temporal angles, abdomen large. 
The Long-bodied Hen-louse tjjipeurus mria- 
bilis), fig. 3, is of a line long, of a dirty Avhite 
color, margined with black. The head is dome¬ 
shaped, pale 3’'ellow, Avith a black spot on each 
side behind the e 3 'es. The abdomen has an in¬ 
terrupted (broad and narrow), dusky band run¬ 
ning lengtliAvise down the centre. 
The Pale Wandering Hcn-louse {Monopon 
pallid^tm), fig. 4, has an elongated body of a 
pale straAV color, shining and smooth. The head 
is slightly hollowing on each side, Avith pitchy 
black spots. It is from ^[2 to ®|4 of a line long, 
and is found in great abundance in neglected 
henneries upon the roosts, etc., and usually first 
noticed by its running over the hands, from 
AA’liich it is difficult to brush off on account of 
the smoothness of its body, and the tenacity 
Avith which it clings AA'ith its sharp claAvs. 
Tlie use of mercurial preparations is ahvays 
dangerous, unless conducted Avith extreme care. 
These are always fatal to lice of all sorts, but 
can only be used upon the polls and necks of 
adult foAvls (where they can not reach Avith their 
beak), for, in draAving the feathers through their 
bills in pluming themselves, they Avould be 
surel3' poisoned. Dixon recommends the use of 
Avhite precipitate dusted upon the heads of 
3'oung chickens, three or four da3"S old. Greas¬ 
ing foAvls is a temporary relief, but it does not 
clear the lice out of the nests or from the roosts, 
and unless the application be followed up, there 
is no security. The grease is applied any AAiiere; 
but under the Avings and AApon the poll and 
breast is best, for here the lice are usually found. 
All other varieties of poultiy, and Avild birds 
besides, have each their distinct kinds of lice. 
- • • I ^ 0 ^ I - - 
Stone Fences. 
The statement made in regard to lion. John 
McLean’s stone Avails on page 130 (April), has 
elicited several 
letters of dissent 
from farmers Avho 
also rejoice in 
having their stone 
Avails stand Avell. 
It will be remem¬ 
bered that Mr. 
McLean’s Avails 
arc built on ridges 
of earth throAvn 
up 12 to 18 inches liigh, the ground used 
for the ridge being taken from each side, and 
so, virtuall3'', making the fence by so much the 
higher. This plan, on soil upon AA’hich it Avill 
stand, has several merits, AA'hich we think are 
AA'orthy the consideration of even those farmers 
Avho are so AA'ell pleased Avith their own plans. 
We have not yet heard particulars from Mr. 
McLean, but taking the simple statement above, 
it is evident that the Avails stand. The reason 
is, that no Avater can stand near the Avail, and so 
the heaAung of the earth by the frost affects 
earth, foundation 
and AA'all, all alike. 
“R. S.,” of Nor¬ 
folk, Conn., Avrites, 
quoting the state¬ 
ment referred to: 
“If 3'ou would see 
the best stone fences 
3mu can build per¬ 
fectly prostrated in 
8 or 10 years, build 
them upon a ridge 
throAvn up 18 inches 
high, and m3" word 
for it 3'ou Avill not 
be disappointed. If, 
on the other hand 
3'ou desire good and 
permanent fences, 
“ take six inches 
from the surface and 
Fig. 4. plant good substan¬ 
tial stones in at the 
bottom; (see fig. 1,) then build the remaining 
part well, and you have a fence that Avill be 
Avith 3''ou and in good shape most likely during 
3'our sojourn here. Thirt3"-five years’ experience 
in Avall-laying confirms me in this belief.” 
“A Subscriber,” of Tingsboro’, Mass., details 
his OAvn experience as folloAvs: 
“ I dig a ditch (see fig. 2,) or trench, AA"liere I 
AA’ish the Avail to stand, as Avide as the founda¬ 
tion of my Avail, and as deep as the soil is suita¬ 
ble for making manure, (I think the soil thus 
obtained pays for the labor of throAving out); 
then I pick up 
and cart to the 
line of the Avail 
all stone large 
enough to be in 
the Avay of the 
scythes or the 
moAving ma¬ 
chines; thus Clear¬ 
y'S- ing my moAving 
land, and furnishing a material for a founda¬ 
tion on Avhich a AA-all, no matter hoAv heav 3 ’', Avill 
stand for 3’'ears. My father has Avails upon his 
farm built twenty 3"ears ago, upon the same 
plan, from which not a stone has been throAvn 
by the action of the frost. The plan is adopted 
by many farmers in this vicinity, and Avell liked.” 
These plans Avill both answer well upon cer¬ 
tain soils and situations, but not upon all. R. 
S’s plaii, for instance, does not secure a dry 
foundation in clayey ground, and Ave know 
many a piece of land on Avhich such Avails 
would surely fail. Nevertheless, they are eco^ 
nomical, lasting on soils Avhere Avater Avill not 
stand. The second plan is better, for the small 
stone foundation affords drainage, Avhich Avould 
leave the Avail dry if there Avere only a slight 
inclination of the groimd. There should be 
provision for taking off the water from the low 
parts on the line of the wall. 
The plan of building a Avail over a good stone 
drain is approached in this case, and where the 
soil is jiot full of Avater, the shallow diainago 
thus provided for would ansAyer a good purpose 
