142 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
and grooved, joints painted with white lead before 
being laid. The under sides of the rafters are lined 
with hemlock boards, the spaces between the 
rafters tilled with tan, rendering it frost-proof. 
The front wall is of brick, and two feet high, on 
which the wood and sash rest. In the base are 
gratings, to admit air; also above the glass, and 
just under the eaves, are open spaces for ventila¬ 
tion. In very cold weather these spaces may he 
closed with shutters. On the right is a door for 
entrance, and on the left is a small one for the 
egress and ingress of the fowls. 
Internal Arrangement. —In the rear, and running 
the whole length of the room, are two tiers of 
boxes for nests, which are eighteen inches square, 
and the same in height. Adjoining the nest, is 
an apartment of the same size, where the hen 
enters to go to her nest, which is latticed in front, 
giving air and apparent secresy, with which 
she seems much pleased. The under tier is 
about two feet above the ground floor. The 
range of tiers is set out from the back wall ten 
inches. These nests are covered with boards, 
sloping down, like the roof of a house, to catch 
and carry down the droppings of the, fowls from 
the perches immediately over, to a trough in the 
rear. By this arrangement the manure is all 
saved, and out of the way of the fowls. We kept 
our Spanish fowls in this house last Winter, with¬ 
out injury by frost, to their waiiles or large 
combs. C. N. Brment.' 
Springsicle, March, J 859 
Skunks worth Catching and Skinning. 
That is so. Every thing has its use, and those 
who have only considered skunks as animals to 
be killed because they prowl around the barn and 
poultry houses, to steal eggs and destroy young 
chickens, may be surprised to learn that a sudden 
demand has arisen for their fur. During the last 
six months, tens of thousands of skunk skins have 
been sold in this city at 75e., $1.00, and $1.25 
each. Last year the Hudson Bay Company sent 
some of the skins to Europe, as an experiment, 
and they came into great demand, particularly 
in Russia, where they are used for coat linings 
and trimmings. Coon skins have been largely- 
exported for this purpose, black ones especially 
being highly prized. These have become quite 
scarce, and the black fur of the skunk so nearly 
resembles the black coon skin, as to meet with a 
very ready sale. Several shippers of fur in this 
city inform us that from 100,000 to 150,000 
skunk skins have been exported from New-York 
during the Winter just past, and that there are 
probably 40,000 now remaining in the city, await¬ 
ing shipment. 
The prices here have ranged from 75c. to $1 
each, and even higher, according to the size and 
quality, the pure black being more prized than 
the mottled. At present they bring from 50 to 
76 cents each. When in Columbia County, N. Y., 
a few weeks since, we found the boys had been 
busy trapping and shooting the animals, and some 
of them had reaped quite a harvest, besides rid¬ 
ding the neighborhood of a real pest. The prob¬ 
ability is that the supply will soon be so abundant 
as to reduce prices, but even then it will not be 
amiss to turn to account the present opportunity 
of “ making an ill wind blow good ” to somebody. 
They should not be killed for their skins at this 
season of the year, however, as the fur is worth¬ 
less. About next November will be the time to 
begin to take them. They are easily managed. 
■Caught in large box-traps, they do not emit their 
disagreeable odor, and with care in carrying to a 
pond, or water-trough, they may he drowned and 
skinned with less effluvia, than is left by the com¬ 
mon musk-rats. Under the triple stimulus, of the 
sale of skins, the destruction of a pest, and the 
excitement of the thing, the country is likely to 
be thoroughly cleared of this most common and 
most abundant of the original wild animals— 
squirrels excepted. In the above, we have not 
taken into account the value of the carcasses, for 
the oil which may be extracted, as well as for 
the meat which is actually eaten to considerable 
extent, and highly prized in some parts of the 
country. When properly killed and dressed, we 
should prefer it to that of the woodchuck—or 
frogs ! We do not affect either. 
-— -- -- «-- 
Raising Tomatoes—Sundry Hints. 
By a Michigan Lady of long and large experience. 
[We received during the Winter, the following minute 
directions for growing Tomatoes from a lady who has 
raised and put up an immense quantity of this vegetable 
during the last ten years. On a first cursory reading, the 
method recommended seemed to embrace too much labor 
for general adoption, and our columns being over crowd¬ 
ed we laid it aside. But reading it carefully again, we 
find so many good hints that we think the article will well 
pay for a perusal by all who cultivate tomatoes—and that 
embraces all who have a garden, we believe. The direc¬ 
tions for hot-bed treatment are late for this season, but not 
so with the suggestions for transplanting, whether from 
a hot-bed or a seed plot, into the open ground. It will be 
noted that the directions here given refer to latitude 42°, 
and allowance must be made for the earlier seasons fur¬ 
ther south.— Ed.] 
Prepare a hot-bed the latter part of February, 
or first of March in the very best manner, with 
six inches of fine vegetable mold upon the sur¬ 
face. The temperature should be well regulated, 
never rising above 100° even in mid-day, nor 
falling below 50° at night, or when shaded. 
The best variety of the tomato, is the Large 
Smooth Red. Steep the seed twenty-four hours 
in warm rain water. Rake the soil well and sow 
thinly, covering lightly and press the soil firmly. 
Water them with a solution of ^ oz. saltpetre to a 
gallon of rain water,of the same temperature as the 
bed. Close the sash for 48 hours, and shade with 
straw scattered lightly over the glass. Raise the 
sash a trifle only, until the plants have made their 
first leaves ; at which time gradually remove the 
straw, and admit more air to the bed, unless the 
weather is severely cold. The seedlings at this 
state need nice management; if they have no 
air, they will damp off; if chilled by the admis¬ 
sion of strong cold drafts, they will never recover 
from the effects. If it becomes necessary to raise 
the sash when strong winds prevail, protect the 
side most exposed, by stretching mats across ; or 
surround the bed with them, to break the force 
of the wind. The surface of the bed must be 
kept constantly moist by frequent sprinklings of 
rain water of the same temperature as the bed. 
Choose the warmest part of the day, to thin the 
plants. Leave four to every foot; or three inches 
to each plant. 
When the plants have made four strong leaves 
besides the cotyledons, pinch off the two lower 
ones, without injuring the buds in their axils 
which will eventually form the fruit branches. 
Sprinkle regularly with tepid rain water ; and give 
a good supply of suds or manure water weekly. 
If the latter is used, avoid wetting the leaves, or 
rinse them with pure water immediately. Pinch 
off the two lower leaves, as fast as new ones put 
forth. When four have been removed ; take up 
the plants, pinch off the end of the tap root and 
plant out in the same bed, if the heat is not too 
much exhausted, sinking the stems a little low¬ 
er than they stood before. If the bed is too cool, 
plant them in another, four inches apart. Wet 
the soil thoroughly; close the sash for a few 
hours and shade until the plants are well rooted 
Give all the air possible with safety to the plants 
Trim as before and transplant in the same man¬ 
ner when the plants have made four more leaves, 
setting them six inches apart. Water and shade 
as previously directed. When four more leaves 
have been removed, transplant again, leaving them 
nine inches distant. Remove one fourth of the 
leaves on the branches, being careful not to touch 
the clusters of flower buds. If the plants have 
been sunk a little each time of transplanting, they 
will now have formed a mass of small fibrous 
roots ready to do their duty. Now prepare them 
for their final removal to the open border, by ad¬ 
mitting all the air and light possible, without 
injuring the plants. Raise the frames as often as 
is necessary, that the plants may not be deformed, 
or crowded. As soon as practicable, remove the 
sash entirely. Trim the plants as before; leav¬ 
ing always on the ends of branches, and near each 
cluster of fruits, sufficient leaves to attract and 
elaborate the sap needed to perfect the fruit. 
Prepare a border in the highest part of the 
garden, if possible sloping to the south. Spade 
deeply and enrich the soil, which should be 
sandy, with equal parts of barnyard and veget¬ 
able manure thoroughly decomposed. The bed 
should be four feet wide and extending east and 
west. The frames should be five feet square, 
driven one foot deep in the border, placed one 
foot from the north side of the bed, one foot from 
frame to frame, sloping very little towards the 
north. Prepare a hole one foot across by each 
frame or lattice, pour in enough hot water to 
make a mud batter, take up the plants carefully 
with the adhering soil; and place them in the 
holes half an inch lower than they previously 
stood. Tie them to the frames with a soft string 
and cover the wet earth with an inch of dry soil. 
If the lower branches can be made to reach the 
ground without breaking, cover a part of them 
with the soil and tie the end of the branches to the 
frame. Sprinkle the leaves immediately and 
shade for a few days. If the air is very dry, 
sprinkle the leaves daily for two weeks. If cold, 
protect the plants with mats or blankets. 
The 20th of May is sufficiently early in this 
climate to remove plants from the hot-bed to 
the garden ; and too early if the season is cold 
and backward. There is much lost, by planting 
out before the soil is sufficiently warm to receive 
the roots without giving so severe a chill as to 
injure them permanently. Continue to trim both 
main and fruit branches. Stir the soil often, draw 
it up slightly to the stem once every month to in¬ 
duce new shoots to form which will materially in¬ 
vigorate the plant. For very early fruit, stop all 
the branches and main stem when the first fruit 
is as large as filberts. When as many tomatoes 
are formed as can reasonably be expected to ripen 
before frost, stop the growth of the whole vine 
by pinching, and remove the blossoms not set for 
fruit. This will not only expedite the ripening of 
the fruit, hut increase its size. If frost is expect¬ 
ed, cover slightly until the danger is past. If the 
plants are touched by frost, water before the sun 
touches them and shade for the dry; this will 
usually save them. The season for tomatoes in 
this latitude is very short, when the old method 
is pursued; by the above plan, they can be had in 
perfection, from July 15th, to Oct. 25th. The the¬ 
ory, that removing the leaves injures the fruit does 
not hold good in the tomato, since by reducing the 
luxuriance of the vines, we get more, and better 
fruit than when they are allowed to make all the 
foliage they would naturally. 
As the tomato throws out from its stem abund¬ 
ance of new roots each time it is transplanted, 
