138 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
flock to a high standard of excellence is a sys¬ 
tem of counterbalancing, that is : breeding out 
the objectionable points of one parent by the 
excellences of the other, and thus stamping 
upon the offspring the type and characteristics 
we seek to obtain and perpetuate. G. 
Moore's Salt Works , O., March 1863. 
Kicking Cows. 
“ Maryland,” in a note to the American Agri¬ 
culturist , says lie has always cured kicking cows, 
by buckling a leather strap on both hind legs, 
below the joint. They soon give up trying. 
We long since learned, by experience, that this 
is not so easy a matter. Unless the feet are 
strapped close together, the cow will slip one 
of them out; while if they are drawn thus to¬ 
gether, the animal will be apt to throw herself 
down. If a strap is used at all, it should be 
a short one, and have a double buckle, so that 
one end can be fastened to each leg, and leave a 
little space between the legs. Even then a cow 
will generally worry and fret, and try to run, 
when she finds her feet entangled or confined. 
Kindness, and moistening the teats with milk 
or grease, if sore, is usually the best course. 
An expert milkman can usually prevent the for¬ 
ward movement of the leg, by grasping the teat 
tightly, and resting the arm against the leg. 
Most cows will give up kicking if the milker 
patiently, but firmly and in good temper, per¬ 
sists in simply warding their legs off with his 
arm. We have cured a good many kicking 
cows, most of them by the above treatment. 
Some confirmed kickers we have broken by 
the following method: A long narrow pen is 
made just wide enough at one end for the head, 
and spreading out at the other end to give 
room to her hips, and for the milker to sit con¬ 
veniently by her side. A short stout leather 
whip (a “ black snake,” as it is generally called) 
is provided, and with this one or more heavy 
blows are inflicted every time a foot is raised. 
When the animal learns that every effort to 
kick is sure to bring punishment, she will 
usually give it up. In nine cases out of ten, 
cows are spoiled by bad temper and irregu¬ 
larity in their treatment. The cow kicks and 
the milker says so-o-o! This is perhaps re¬ 
peated half-a-dozen times. The seventh time she 
chances to hit the pail or the milker, and then 
he scolds furiously, and probably he strikes 
her. The next kicks are passed over until some 
damage is done, when the angry scolding is re¬ 
peated. We advise the use of the whip or other 
punishment only as a last resort; but if re¬ 
sorted to, let there be coolness and uniformity. 
If every kick brings back a blow, the cow will 
generally learn that much, and cease to kick. 
---«•»<■--—•- 
Civilization and Animals. 
Mr. Holley, of Hull Co., Nebraska Territory, 
writes to the Agriculturist that, during the first 
years of his residence in that Territory, he in¬ 
dustriously killed off the wolves and foxes—in 
one year destroying over 170. Latterly he finds 
that the hares and rabbits have increased to 
such an extent as to prove very troublesome to 
his young trees—having, in the absence of their 
natural enemies, multiplied without hindrance. 
The efforts of civilization are constantly tend¬ 
ing to destroy the natural condition of things, 
wherein one tribe of animals holds the other in 
check, so that neither predominates. By des¬ 
troying the natural food of animals, they prey 
upon the crops. We even change the climate by 
clearing away forests to make room for crops. 
One generation bares the earth of forests, and 
the next engages in planting trees.—Wedo not 
mean to recommend the preservation of wolves 
and foxes to keep the rabbits and hares in 
check, but allude to this case for the purpose 
of calling attention to another in which the 
natural balance is destroyed, to the serious in¬ 
jury of the farmer and gardener—viz.: the 
promiscuous destruction of the birds. In the 
older portions of the country especially, the in¬ 
sect-eating birds are disappearing, while the in¬ 
sects, their natural food, are increasing with 
alarming rapidity. Almost every village con¬ 
tains a number of over-grown boys, who, “ old 
enough, big enough (and ought) to know bet¬ 
ter,” go about with guns, and, under the pre¬ 
tence of hunting, shoot at everything that has 
feathers. We have no patience with these pro¬ 
miscuous bird killers, and when we see one of 
the lazy louts banging away at everything from 
a sparrow up to a robin, we think that the bird 
is the nobler animal of the two, for that is ful¬ 
filling the object of its creation, while the 
featherless biped is destroying the farmers’ 
friends. We have laws that certain “game 
birds ” shall be shot only at particular seasons. 
Why not have a law that other birds shall not 
be shot at all ? At all events let there be such a 
law of public opinion, that these wanton de¬ 
stroyers of useful birds shall be considered in 
the same light with fruit thieves and other pests. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
Raising Turkeys—Making Grasshoppers 
Profitable. 
Grasshoppers get their living on the farm, and 
for one I am not willing to board them without 
some return. It is my practice to send in bills 
against them daily (turkeys’ bills), and I usually 
commence making them out this month. For 
this purpose the best two-year-old cock and two 
or three hens of the same age are selected. 
Yearling turkeys will breed, but their chicks are 
usually feeble, as this bird does not attain matu¬ 
rity until between two and three j^ears old. 
Turkeys ^tre very shy about their domestic ar¬ 
rangements. Their nests are usually secreted 
in the most out-of-the-way places, and apart 
from any other fowls. They should be indulged 
in this. I prepare nesting places for them by 
knocking out the heads of old barrels, and plac¬ 
ing them in a quiet fence corner among brush 
or weeds. They will take to the nest quicker, 
if a few imitation eggs are placed there. As the 
eggs are laid day by day, they are removed to 
a cool dry place, and turned every day until the 
hen begins to set. The female can cover from 
fifteen to twenty eggs. Any surplus ones are 
placed under a hen at the same time, and when 
the brood come out they are all given to the old 
turkey. Persons having no old turkeys can 
commence by procuring eggs, and giving them 
entirely to a hen, but the natural mother is best. 
The greatest care must be taken to keep young 
turkeys from the wet. A single run in the grass 
before the dew is off in the morning may kill 
off a number. I make a pen about twelve feet 
square and eighteen inches high, to confine the 
young. The mother will not wander far from 
them. Hard boiled eggs chopped fine, and sour 
milk-curd are the best feed for the first week. 
Afterward, millet and Indian corn cracked fine 
are given until they are able to shift for them¬ 
selves. The pen is also kept supplied with 
fresh cut grass, young leaves, and other green 
food. Loppered milk is excellent at all times, 
[Mat, 
and I think for all kinds of poultry. They love 
it and thrive on it. The turkeys soon learn to 
range for food, and no bird is more active in 
pursuit of grasshoppers and other insects. I 
think it would pay well to raise them for this 
purpose. ; To keep them from running entirely 
wild, and roosting away from the premises, I 
have roosting poles for them near the barn 
where they are fed every night. I have little 
trouble in fattening them in the Fall, as by good 
feeding they are kept plump all Summer, and 
when Thanksgiving comes and accounts are 
balanced, I find a large credit to their account, 
particularly when I reckon the large collec¬ 
tions they have made among the grasshoppers. 
Rensselaer Co., N. Y. WALTER. 
Tim Bunker on the Philosophy of Hen- 
Roosts. 
“ What upon airtli d’ye ’spose is the matter 
with my hens?” asked Jake Frink one cold 
morning in March, with a face longer than 
usual. “Ye see, Squire, I never had such bad 
luck with the critters, afore, in all my life. I 
guess I’ve lost half on’em neow sartain, and lots 
of what’s left is limpin around as ef they’d got 
some kind of disease. Shouldn’t wonder it 
some plaguey boy had pizened the critters ?” 
“I guess you haven’t fed’em enough,” I re¬ 
marked. “Fed em!” exclaimed Jake. “Them 
birds have eat their weight in corn every week. 
I’ll bet a shad, to say nothing of potatoes, beet 
scraps, and swill in general. You never see 
such eaters. They have hung around the pigs’ 
trough all Winter, and they’ve pitched into the 
swill so ravenous, the pigs have had a poor 
chance; you can count every rib in their bodies. 
They’re enough to breed a famine.” 
“ Well, may be they have not had enough va¬ 
riety of food,” I suggested. 
“ No you don’t,” responded Jake with empha¬ 
sis. “Nothin’comes amiss to them critters. Ye 
see I sent and got beef scraps for ’em because 
they said it was cheaper than corn, and the 
tallest kind of fodder to make ’em lay. And I 
mixt up red pepper with the dough, and have 
fed clams, and mummy-changs, and they made 
no bones swallowinof ’em, and stood with their 
mouths gapin’ for more. I du blieve they would 
have eaten raw alligator if I had only had it for 
’em. And then they r had a little of everything 
that was eaten in the family, besides a cow that 
died winterin’. I allers have bad luck on win¬ 
terin’ cows. That ain’t nothin’ new. But my 
hens never died so afore, and they never had so 
much to eat.” 
“ Well isn’t there something wrong in the 
roosts?” I inquired. 
“Not a bit of it. Iliad a grand fuss, and 
clearin out last Fall, on purpose to know that 
every r thing was right. Ye see, Polly took a no¬ 
tion to have the American Agriculturist last year, 
and she read about having the roosts white¬ 
washed, and clean poles for ’em to sit on, and 
clean floors for the manure, and I didn’t hear 
the last on’t till I had a general overhaulin’. 
From the day that paper come into the house, 
that woman was took with the hen fever, 
and she was dingin’ at me from mornin’ till 
night about the critters. It was, Jacob du this, 
and Jacob du that. I undertook to laff her out 
on’t, but I found it was no go. I hinted to her 
that I didn’t see much use in cleaning up the 
floor, when the critters were sure to nasty it 
agin’ as soon as they got on to the roost. She 
said the paper insisted on clean roosts, and you 
would’ve thought she was quotin’ scripture. 
