able  material,  and,  in  a  cold  climate,  the  house  may  be 
covered  entirely  with  tarred  felt,  fastened  with  strips. 
The  same  house  may  be  double  for  two  flocks,  if  pre¬ 
ferred,  with  a  door  in  the  center  or  at  one  end.  If 
it  be  raised  18  inches  from  the  ground,  the  hens  will 
find  much  comfort  underneath  in  winter.  The  cost  of 
the  double  hen  house  need  not  exceed  $45  for  one 
10x20  feet,  but  much  will  depend  on  the  local  prices  for 
materials  and  labor.  The  space  underneath  may  be  pro¬ 
tected  by  boards  to  break  the  wind.  If  the  house  is  low 
on  the  ground,  cement  floors  are  best,  as  they  protect 
against  rats,  but  they  must  be  covered  with  an  inch  of 
dry  earth,  with  cut  straw  over  it,  or  they  will  be  cold. 
If  raised  up,  the  best  floor  is  of  tongue  and  groove 
boards.  The  nests  should  be  movable* 
_ _  hence  soap  boxes  are  excellent.  The 
roost  should  be  a  piece  of  3x4  scantling 
I1P| II ;  slightly  rounded  on  the  edges,  and  it 
lilj'lj  |||  should  reach  acrosstlie  rear  of  the  house, 
about  two  feet  from  the  floor.  For  10 
|[\\|!  hens  four  nests  are  sufficient,  two  at 
The  water  foun- 
cross  in  point  of  quality  is  added.  We  believe  that 
this  cross  cannot  be  improved  upon  for  table  purposes.” 
In  this  country  we  differ  in  opinions.  Some  advocate 
a  Leghorn-Plymouth  Rock,  some  Indian  Game-Golden 
Wyandotte,  some  White  Wyandotte-Brahma,  and  I 
prefer  the  cross  already  mentioned,  Houdan-Cochin. 
The  cry  of  “mongrelism”  has  been  hooted  at  the 
cross-breed  arguments,  but  it  is  all  a  mistake.  “  Mon¬ 
grel,”  “dunghill,”  and  “barnyard,”  are  titles  not  be¬ 
longing  to  a  systematic  cross.  The  idea  of  a  cross,  as 
I  have  said  before,  is  to  combine  the  good  qualities  of 
two  thoroughbreds.  The  first  cross  alone  must  do  it. 
But  no  matter  what  good  results  may  be  obtained,  any 
attempt  at  mating  up  the  cross,  will  be  a  gradual 
It  occurred  to  the  writer  last  year  that  the  tomato 
might  possibly  be  induced  to  become  a  tuber-bearing 
plant.  He  reasoned  that  the  tomato  berry  or  fruit  is 
structurally  the  same  as  the  potato  berry  or  fruit ; 
that  the  wild  potato  bears  very  small  and  few  tubers, 
while  it  bears  lots  of  fruit ;  that  cultivation  alone  has 
reversed  this  causing  a  maximum  of  tuber  and  a  mini¬ 
mum  of  fruit.  Accordingly  several  tomato  plants  set 
out  last  May  have  been  disbudded  as  soon  as  the  buds 
have  appeared.  The  plants  have  grown  to  twice  the 
usual  size  of  those  which  are  allowed  to  bloom,  and  to 
bear  all  the  fruit  they  will.  The  effect  on  the  roots  is 
not  yet  known.  Probably  such  plants  will  have  to  be 
propagated  by  cuttings  through  several  or  many  sea¬ 
sons,  never  allowing  them  to  bloom, 
before  it  can  be  decided  whether  the 
tomato  may  or  may  not  be  forced  into  a 
tuber-bearing  plant.  The  suggestion  is 
offered  to  our  station  experimenters  for 
what  it  may  be  worth. 
Interbreeding  of  Poultry. 
An  infusion  of  new  blood  is  as  neces¬ 
sary  to  improve  and  prevent  a  degeneracy 
in  fowls  as  in  any  other  kind  of  stock.  l|| 
Of  course  for  exhibition  purposes  cross-  ijjjli  |H 
breeding  will  not  do.  There  must  be,  to  r  JHggl 
retain  certain  characteristics,  etc. ,  a  cer- 
tain  amount  of  inbreeding,  and  this  1 
verily  believe  is  the  cause  of  so  much  •  i:7.  - 
sickness  among  the  pure-breeds.  Cross-  F~F~'ZL*. 
breeds  are  always  more  hardy  for  the 
very  reason  that  the  new  blood  infuses 
new  life.  To  my  mind  the  bird  for  exhi¬ 
bition  is  worth  nothing  alongside  of  the 
one  bred  for  commercial  utility.  For  breeding  pur- 
poses,  that  is,  for  use  upon  my  farm,  I  would  rather  speaking,  is  a  mixture  of  any  and  every  breed  that 
pick  out  my  birds  from  those  exhibited  at  the  county  may  come  along.  The  further  we  get  from  the  original 
agricultural  society’s  fair  than  from  an  exhibit  at  the  cross  the  greater  will  be  the  disappointment.  There- 
great  Madison  Square  Garden  show.  I  know  I  would  fore,  if,  by  systematic  crossing  we  can  secure  better 
have  a  hardier  and  more  useful  fowl  by  so  doing.  size,  better  quality  and  hardier  stock,  is  not  the  sub- 
It  is  admitted  that  the  two  great  points  to  be  desired  a  proper  performance  of  the  work  worthy  of 
in  poultry  are  improved  table  qualities  and  increased  careful  study  ?  It  would  certainly  be  the  means  of 
egg  production.  I  know  that  by  crossing  two  fowls  supplying  better  stock  and  more  of  it  for  our  markets. 
adapted  for  a  generous  meat  supply,  I  can  get  even  a  Michael  k.  bo^  er. 
better  result — better  in  the  fact  that  I  am  combining  HINTS  ON  HEN-HOUSE  BUILDING. 
the  peculiarities  of  the  two  distinct  fowls,  and  again  I  _  ,  ,  ,, 
.,  .  t  .  ,  ,  .  ,  The  arrangements  for  a  small  poultry  house  differ 
secure  more  rapid  growers  and  birds  having  better  ,,  °  ^  :  . ,  .  . 
...  ,.  f.  .  ..  ■  i  u  from  those  m  a  large  one.  Owing  to  individual  prefer- 
constitutions.  It  is  a  question  in  my  mind,  however,  b  . 
whether  I  can,  by  crossing  two  of  the  heavy  laying  ences’  and  the  amount  of  caPltal  to  be  mvested  m  a 
breeds,  secure  a  fowl  that  will  lay  more  eggs  in  a  year  building,  no  plan  can  be  suggested  acceptable  to  all, 
than  either  of  the  birds  I  used  in  that  cross.  In  this  hence  there  is  no  “  best  ”  Plan’  Tbe  rule  wbich  aPPUeS 
opinion  I  am  not  alone.  An  English  authority  of  (50  to  the  sPace  is  the  decimab  A  flock  of  ten  hens  should 
years  ago,  says  :  “  In  crossing  it  is  much  easier  to  have  a  floor  sPace  of  100  sc*uare  feet’  (allowinS  eacb  10 
produce  increased  value  for  the  table  than  increased  S(luare  feet)  80  that’  of  course’  a  house  10x10  feet 
egg  production.  Indeed,  we  do  not  think  that  any  would  be  needed.  The  yards  should  be  10  times  larger 
,  ,  .  i  ,  it-  than  the  houses,  hence  for  10  hens  the  house  should 
amount  of  crossing  can  produce  birds  which  would,  in  ’ 
laying,  beat  some  of  our  present  known  favorite 
varieties  ;  therefore  on  this  head  it  is  unnecessary  for  ^ J  ' 
us  to  enlarge.”  The  best  cross  I  ever  made  for  table 
fowls  was  that  of  a  Houdan  cockerel  on  Partridge  ^ 
Cochin  hens.  I  thus  secured  broad,  meaty  breasts  ^ 
and  fine-grained  flesh  of  a  delightful  sweetness.  For  fill  lilP  ,  111 
broilers  the  cross  could  not  be  surpassed.  I  believe  |B1|I  I 
that  were  a  man  to  raise  broilers  only  on  that  scale,  ^ Imf  Bfl iK| Mi  1  IB 
he  could  secure  a  valuable  retail  patronage  for  all  that  | fljF 8 |fi|!  1  I  Bill j ||fl 
he  could  raise,  in  some  of  the  rich  club  houses  of  New  j: ^ g 'L k dp M|j ||!ll|(||  H|||hJ8|H  |i|B 
York.  Over  half  of  the  birds  sent  to  the  markets  now-  1 !![( j||  1 1||  1 1 1|| |||HH  | HWl  |f||B 
adays  are  not  what  a  broiler  properly  should  be.  11 If I| MH  llf |  II j  |i | 
The  most  interesting  cross  I  ever  made,  and  for  jj  !  jijl  |IMB 
which  I  was  liberally  rewarded  with  a  general-pur-  yflg 
pose  bird,  was  that  of  a  Black  Minorca  cockerel  on  ’  '  1  T';*’ \' 
Black  Langshan  hens.  The  offspring  had  Langshan  /  1/  \  i  ■'  |j|||i| 
bodies  with  Minorca  heads.  By  afterwards  mating  a  III fwv/JZ/  U  i  \\  \  H||m‘ 
Minorca  cock  on  the  pullets  of  the  cross,  the  offsprings  S/  // ,■  / /  II  1  V  \ 
were  identical  with  Minorcas  in  appearance  with  — H 
somewhat  larger  bodies  than  is  generally  credited  to  ‘ 
That  judicious  cross-breeding  pays,  and  that  it  ma-  ,  ,  ~ 
terially  improves  the  marketable  value  of  other  stock  ^  F  f 
besides  poultry,  is  a  well-established  fact.  In  sheep,  r^’- 
is  not  the  wool  materially  improved,  the  meat  more  —  •  —  ■ 1  -  •  ■—  - — 
choice,  the  offspring  hardier,  and  maturity  earlier,  by  Interior  Arrangement  of  the  IIen  House.  Fig.  250. 
crossing  South  Down  and  Leicester  than  by  using 
either  breed  in  its  purity?  Do  we  not  by  crossing 
cattle  secure  richer,  or  more  milk,  or  better  and  more 
meat?  Are  not  cross-bred  hogs  better  growers,  more 
readily  fattened,  and  of  a  hardier  nature?  Then  why 
should  not  poultry,  judiciously  crossed,  produce  the 
most  profitable  results?  Past  experience  has  proved 
that  they  do. 
The  great  desideratum  in  table  poultry  is  to  combine 
size  with  quality.  From  an  English  standpoint  the 
best  birds  to  start  with  are  a  cross  between  the  Cochins 
and  Dorkings.  The  pullets  of  the  cross  are  the  next 
season  mated  with  a  Game,  and  their  produce  is  used. 
Speaking  of  this  cross  one  writer  says:  “  In  the  first 
place,  size  is  obtained  from  the  Cochin,  and  one  good 
cross  of  quality  from  the  Dorking.  By  the  Game  cross 
very  little  in  size  is  sacrificed,  while  another  first-rate 
n\\  jiyj  each  end  of  the  house. 
VI  \  \  j  tain  may  be  placed  at  any  convenient 
ILU  !■  |  point.  Feed  troughs  should  not  be  used 
JEZJ  I  if  they  can  be  avoided,  as  it  is  best  to 
compel  the  hens  to  scratch  for  all  they 
receive.  Keep  the  middle  of  the  floor 
*■  J  •  clear,  so  as  to  allow  of  scratching  space, 
' and  place  a  large,  shallow  box  near  the 
f|l|j|y|*p  front  window,  filled  with  dry  dirt,  or 
’  sifted  coal  ashes,  for  dusting.  If  soft 
food  is  given,  place  it  on  a  board  and  re¬ 
move  the  latter  when  the  meal  is  over. 
The  house,  10x1(1  feet  in  size,  can  be 
made  to  accommodate  25  hens  in  winter, 
but  it  is  better  to  allow  plenty  of  room.  The  rule  in 
regard  to  the  cost  of  a  plain  house  is  to  allow  $50  for 
50  hens,  or  $1  per  hen.  The  decimal  system  will  serve 
to  remind  the  reader,  by  allowing  $1  as  the  cost  of 
food  per  year  for  a  hen,  $1  for  her  share  of  the  build¬ 
ing,  about  $1  profit  per  year,  10  square  feet  of 
room  in  the  house,  and  100  square  feet  of  space  in 
the  yard.  p.  h.  Jacobs. 
R.  N.-Y. — A  cheap  and  convenient  house  is  shown  at 
Figs.  249  and  250,  exterior  and  interior  views.  We 
think  the  drawings  are  so  plain  than  no  explanation 
is  needed. 
“  Three  Acres  and  a  Cow.” 
This  is  the  campaign  cry  of  the  English  orators  who 
would  like  to  see  the  vast  English  estates  broken  up 
so  that  laborers  and  workingmen  could  have  a  chance 
to  secure  homes  of  their  own.  A  writer  in  the  Dublin 
Agricultural  Gazette  gives  some  figures  showing  what 
one  Irish  workman  has  done  on  three  acres  that  he  has 
rented. 
This  man  pays  $60  per  year  rent  for  three  acres  and 
a  small  house  and  barn.  He  works  on  his  little  place 
about  half  the  time  and  for  the  balance  works  for  a 
neighboring  farmer  at  75  cents  a  day.  He  keeps  on 
his  three  acres,  one  cow,  three  pigs  and  about  30  hens 
and  ducks.  His  three  acres  are  divided  into  six  equal 
plots  of  half  an  acre  each,  which  give  him  one-half 
acre  grass  for  soiling,  1%  acre  oats,  one-half  acre 
potatoes,  one-quarter  acre  turnips,  one-quarter  acre 
cabbage. 
His  expenses  at  starting  were : 
Cow . *77.50 
Three  pigs .  15.75 
Poultry .  11.75 
Implements . 4H.50 
Seeds  and  manure . 27.25 
Total . *178.75 
The  expenses  for  one  year — not  including  his  own 
labor  were  : 
Rents . *00.00 
Taxes,  etc . 7.00 
Seeds  and  plants  .  14.75 
Fertilizers .  10.00 
Grain .  7.50 
Three  extra  pigs .  12.50 
Interest .  8.75 
Total . *120.50 
For  these  outlays  the  following  returns  were  made  : 
SALES. 
Butter . *02.00 
Calf .  5.00 
Pigs .  42.00 
Poultry  and  eggs .  02.50 - *171.50 
USED  IN  FAMILY. 
Butter . *12.50 
Eggs . 21.75 
Potatoes . 24.75 
Oatmeal . 35.50 
One  hog .  12.50 
Milk .  21.75 - *138.75 
Total . *310.25 
In  addition  to  this,  he  earned  $105.72  by  outside 
work.  His  total  cash  income  therefore  was  $277.25 
from  work  and  produce  sold,  and,  besides  that,  he 
saved  $138.75  that  would  otherwise  have  represented 
so  much  cash  outlay.  It  cost  him  $178.75  to  start,  and 
$126.50  for  expenses  during  the  year.  With  his  income 
from  work  and  produce,  he  ought  to  be  able  to  pay 
back  $50  to  $75  of  the  original  debt.  Another  year, 
by  raising  more  fruit  and  poultry,  he  ought  to  be  able 
to  put  in  almost  all  his  time  on  his  own  place  to  better 
advantage  than  to  work  outside.  This  is  in  Ireland, 
remember.  There  is  a  better  chance  near  our  smaller 
American  towns  and  cities  for  such  men,  because  our 
A  Cheap  and  Convenient  Hen  House.  Fig.  249. 
be  10x10  feet,  and  the  yard  10x100  feet,  though  the  yard 
may  be  of  any  preferred  shape,  and  may  contain  more 
space,  but  should  not  be  less  than  the  area  men¬ 
tioned.  The  nearer  to  the  square  form,  the  cheaper  the 
cost  of  the  house  in  proportion  to  the  space  secured. 
A  very  convenient  poultry  house  for  a  small  flock  may 
be  built  of  yellow  pine  boards,  rabbeted,  (barn  boards) 
nailed  up  and  down  to  3x4  pieces,  the  house  to  be  10 
feet  square,  eight  feet  high  in  front  and  six  at  the 
rear,  with  a  large  window  cn  the  front,  (which  should 
face  the  south  or  southeast),  and  a  small  sash  on  each 
end,  near  the  front,  the  door  to  be  on  the  west  end,  or 
side.  The  small  windows  should  open,  so  as  to  allow 
of  ventilation  according  to  the  direction  of  the  wind,  a 
top  ventilator  often  causing  draughts  down  on  the 
fowls.  The  roof  may  be  of  tarred  felt,  or  other  suit- 
