8io 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
Dec.  10 
any  light  refuse  wood  can  be  burned.  In  this,  wheat, 
buckwheat  and  other  grains  are  put  to  soak  at  night. 
In  the  morning,  bran,  ground  meat  scraps,  etc.,  are 
mixed  with  the  grain  end  the  whole  is  thoroughly 
cooked.  This  is  for  the  fowls.  Little  corn  is  fed, 
except  for  fattening  fowls.  For  the  chicks  a  cake 
made  of  corn  meal,  fine  oat  meal,  bran,  meat,  bone 
and  a  little  baking  powder,  is  baked  in  an  oil  stove 
and  fed  directly  on  the  clean,  sanded  floor.  No  feed 
troughs  are  used.  No  sloppy  feed  is  ever  fed.  There 
is  little  complaint  of  bowel  trouble  ;  if  any  exists,  a 
little  powdered  charcoal  is  generally  sufficient  to  cor¬ 
rect  it.  For  lice,  Mr.  H.  feeds  a  little  sulphur  occa¬ 
sionally. 
Breeding  Yards  and  Incubators. 
The  house,  l,  with  the  yards,  k,  adjoining  is  for 
breeding  fowls.  The  building  is  arranged  internally 
the  same  as  the  others  ;  and  a  single  male  with  the 
proper  quota  of  female  attendants  occupies  each  com¬ 
partment.  The  yards  M  and  n,  and  the  buildings, 
o  and  p,  are  for  laying  stock.  A  large  number  of  hens 
are  kept  here,  sometimes  as  many  as  200  in  one  yard, 
so  Mr.  H.  informed  me.  The  inmates  of  one  yard  at  a 
time  are  allowed  to  run  out  into  the  yards  surround¬ 
ing  the  farm  barns,  which  are  beyond.  The  nests  in 
the  houses  are  made  of  salt  hay,  which  is  an  excellent 
material  for  this  purpose.  B  is  a  small  brick  building 
with  a  small  door  high  up  on  the  side  next  the  poultry 
houses  for  convenience  in  putting  in  the  droppings, 
and  on  the  opposite  side,  next  the  barnyard,  is 
another,  low  down  for  the  purpose  of  taking  them  out. 
The  boundary  and  partition  fences  are  of  wire  netting, 
high  and  solidly  built,  with  board 
bases.  The  houses  are  well  lighted 
with  windows  in  the  sides  only,  Mr. 
H.  having  carried  his  point  that  there 
should  be  no  glass  in  the  roof.  The 
yards  are  planted  with  peach,  plum  and 
mulberry  trees. 
The  incubators  are  in  the  cellar  of  Mr. 
II. ’s  residence  across  the  driveway  from 
the  brooder  house.  He  has  one  old 
Perfect  hatcher  and  four  new  Chal¬ 
lenge  machines,  the  whole  having  a 
capacity  of  upwards  of  2,000  eggs  every 
three  weeks.  The  latter  are  simple 
and  self-regulating,  but  Mr.  H.  doesn’t 
consider  any  machine  of  much  value 
without  intelligent  supervision  and  con¬ 
stant  attention.  The  cellar  containing 
the  incubators  is  built  with  a  layer  of 
asplialtum  between  the  layers  of  cement 
to  keep  out  the  dampness  caused  by  the 
occasional  high  tides.  This  might  be 
a  good  idea  in  other  localities,  for  the  same  purpose. 
Breeds  and  their  Crosses. 
The  duck  houses  and  yards  are  back  of  the  dwelling 
house,  and  are  built  and  arranged  like  the  chicken 
houses.  The  birds  are  raised  without  water  except  for 
drinking  purposes.  Pekins  alone  are  kept. 
Several  different  breeds  of  fowls  are  kept,  the 
Plymouth  Rock  being  the  leading  variety.  Mr.  II. 
has  tried  the  Silver  Wyandottes,  but  discarded  them 
because  they  were  such  inveterate  sitters.  His  exper¬ 
ience  with  these  two  breeds  is  just  the  reverse  of  my 
own.  Some  Houdans  are  kept,  but  are  not  favorites 
because  of  their  black  legs  and  heavy  topknots.  Mr. 
Vanderbilt,  however,  considers  them  of  superior  qual¬ 
ity  for  eating.  Some  Brown  Leghorns  are  kept,  but 
while  they  are  unexcelled  as  layers,  they  are  difficult 
to  keep  within  bounds,  and  their  eggs  are  considered 
too  small.  A  yard  of  very  fine  Buff  Cochins  is  on  trial, 
and  some  Light  Brahmas  are  also  being  tested.  All 
the  breeds  are  bred  for  vigor,  and  with  a  view  of  secur¬ 
ing  practical  results  rather  than  for  fancy  points, 
though  a  lot  of  Plymouth  Rock  cockerels  were  about 
as  nice  as  one  would  wish  to  see,  in  their  markings. 
Mr.  H.  is  trying  different  crosses  with  a  view  to  se¬ 
curing  plump,  rapidly  growing  broilers  and  roasters. 
White  Leghorn  males  are  mated  with  Light  Brahma 
hens,  and  the  reverse.  This  cross  should  give  good  re¬ 
sults,  and  I  recommended  Mr.  H.  to  try  also  a  cross  of 
Indian  Games  upon  the  Brahmas. 
In  one  yard,  I  noticed  a  lot  of  hens  with  bumble  foot 
which  Mr.  H.  attributes  to  the  small  pebbles  scattered 
around  the  yards.  He  says  that  he  was  troubled  in 
the  same  way  in  the  old  yards,  but,  after  a  vast  amount 
of  labor,  managed  to  bury  most  of  the  troublesome 
stones,  after  which  the  swellings  gradually  disap¬ 
peared. 
Object  of  Such  a  Poultry  Yard. 
The  new  poultry  houses  have  just  been  completed 
and  occupied.  As  before  stated,  the  buildings  are  of 
brick.  It  seems  to  me  that  these  will  prove  too  damp, 
and  will  result  in  roup.  Everything  about  the  build¬ 
ings  is  as  neat  and  clean  as  it  is  possible  to  be  made. 
Mr.  H.  is  evidently  the  right  man  in  the  right  place. 
When  he  took  hold  of  the  poultry,  five  or  six  years 
ago,  everything  was  in  about  as  bad  shape  as  could 
be.  Two  previous  managers  had  had  carte  blanche  to 
make  any  desired  outlay,  and  neither  had  secured  any 
favorable  results.  Mr.  Vanderbilt  had  about  decided 
to  throw  up  the  poultry,  but  concluded  to  give  it  one 
more  chance.  The  result  has  certainly  justified  that 
decision.  The  fowls  look  thrifty,  the  broilers,  espe¬ 
cially  giving  evidence  of  the  care  bestowed. 
Besides  supplying  the  owner  with  eggs  and  poultry, 
amounting  to  something  like  GO  or  80  broilers, 
roasters,  fowls  and  ducks  per  week,  together  with  a 
corresponding  number  of  eggs,  considerable  surplus 
is  sold.  The  main  object,  of  course,  is  to  secure  a 
family  supply,  and  also  for  the  pleasure  derived  from 
well-bred  and  carefully  tended  birds.  The  expense 
incurred  would  not  be  admissible  were  one  engaged 
in  the  business  for  revenue  only,  but  the  same  careful 
attention  to  details  will  apply  profitably  anywhere. 
Another  week  a  glimpse  will  be  taken  at  the  herd 
of  65  registered  Jerseys,  with  their  palatial  quarters, 
the  horse  stables  and  wagon  house,  the  hog  houses, 
milk  room,  etc.  F.  H.  V. 
TYPICAL  SHROPSHIRE  SHEEP. 
At  Fig.  308  is  shown  a  picture  of  a  Shropshire  ram 
that  well  represents  the  breed.  This  is  “The  Willows” 
which  for  a  good  while  stood  at  the  head  of  the  Wil¬ 
lows  Stock  Farm,  Paw  Paw,  Mich.  He  is  a  fine  speci¬ 
men  of  this  popular  breed,  which  has  probably  gained 
more  friends  of  late  in  this  country  than  any  of  the 
other  combined  mutton  and  wool  sheep.  Farmers 
now,  more  than  ever  before,  are  studying  the  merits 
of  the  different  mutton  breeds  of  sheep  because  it  is 
pretty  generally  understood  that  the  business  of  grow¬ 
ing  wool  alone  or  even  of  making  it  the  chief  item  of 
income  from  sheep  will  never  pay  well  again  in  this 
country  except  on  the  cheap,  wild  lands  of  the  West, 
which  are  practically  rent-free.  On  smaller  cultivated 
farms  our  farmers  must  make  mutton  selling  a  prom¬ 
inent  part  of  their  sheep  farming  or  quit  the  business. 
It  will  pay  any  farmer  to  investigate  the  merits  of  the 
Shropshires.  They  will  find  a  large,  quick-growing 
and  easily  fattened  sheep,  giving  a  good  fleece  of  wool 
that  sells  for  a  fair  price. 
CHEMICAL  FERTILIZERS  AND  SAND. 
FATTENING  SOIL  FROM  A  BAG.  A  GARDEN  SPOT  IN 
“THE  BARRENS.” 
PART  III. 
[EDITORIAL  correspondence.] 
“  Suppose  you  couldn’t  buy  fertilizers  ?  ” 
“  I  should  have  to  quit  farming.  It  would  cost  me 
$75  an  acre  to  get  my  present  results  with  stable  ma¬ 
nure.  It  would  also  mean  extra  hired  help  and  much 
extra  work,  and  another  loss  in  being  forced  to  buy  a 
product  at  random  without  any  guaranteed  analysis 
or  legal  restrictions.  Our  greatest  trouble  here  is  a 
lack  of  water.  We  shall  have  to  come  to  some  form  of 
irrigation  sooner  or  later.  Give  me  a  perfect  water 
supply  and  plenty  of  fertilizers,  and  I  can  beat  any 
‘  new  and  virgin’  soil  out  West,  acre  for  acre,  on  any 
crop  that  will  grow  in  both  places.” 
“  What  is  your  rotation  ?  ” 
“We  have  no  regular  rotation.  The  cauliflower 
area  is  limited,  so  we  cannot  give  the  same  space  to 
that  we  can  to  corn  or  potatoes.  As  a  rule,  we  follow 
corn  with  potatoes,  and  always  seed  down  after  the 
latter  crop.  Corn  is  always  planted  on  sod  on  which 
stable  manure  is  spread.  We  usually  pick  out  the  best 
sod  ground  for  cauliflower,  as  that  is  our  chief  money 
crop.” 
“  Why  do  you  not  grow  more  cauliflowers  ?  ” 
“  An  average  of  two  acres  is  about  all  that  we  can 
handle  without  extra  help.  Cauliflowers  demand 
work  all  the  time  from  the  moment  they  start  grow¬ 
ing.  The  crop  requires  great  judgment  and  care  and 
constant  attention.  A  little  neglect  at  a  critical  time 
would  ruin  the  whole  crop.  We  do  only  what  we  can 
do  well.  Our  40  acres  give  us  all  the  farming  we 
want.  I  can  make  more  money  on  five  acres  well 
farmed  than  on  50  half  farmed.” 
“  Could  you  get  along  with  less  fertilizer  ?” 
“  I  don’t  propose  to  try  while  profits  are  as  satisfac¬ 
tory  as  they  are  now.  I  would  much  rather  use  more 
than  less.  In  fact  I  would  as  soon  think  of  cutting 
down  the  amount  of  grain  fed  to  my  horses  as  to  cut 
down  the  fertilizer.” 
“  How  are  fertilizers  for  fruit  trees  ?  ” 
“  You  can  see  for  yourself.  People  say  there  is  not 
a  paying  orchard  on  the  island.  Here  is  mine — it’s  an 
‘  off  year,’  and  yet  the  trees  were  loaded.  I  sold  the 
apples  on  the  ground  for  60  cents  and  $1  per  bushel. 
These  trees  bear  every  year.  I  feed  them  just  as  I  do 
every  other  crop.  I  top-dress  the  grass  in  the  orchard, 
using  800  pounds  of  corn  fertilizer  on  three  acres,  with 
a  bag  or  two  of  muriate  of  potash  added.  My  young 
orchard  is  on  the  poorest  land  in  the  neighborhood, 
yet  it  is  thrifty  and  growing.  I  fertilize  the  ground 
between  the  trees,  and  mulch  them  with  the  waste 
leaves  of  cauliflower.  I  raised  an  enormous  crop  of 
plums  on  this  soil.” 
“  How  do  these  fertilized  crops  compare  with  those 
grown  from  stable  manure  ?  ” 
“  Potatoes  are  cleaner  and  drier  and  more  uniform 
in  size  and  shape.  I  get  the  most  perfect  heads  of 
cauliflower  from  fertilizers.  I  am  certain  that  the 
fertilizers  hasten  maturity — crops  are  forced  ahead  by 
their  use,  particularly  in  dry  soils  and  seasons.” 
“  Mr.  Gordon,  we  hear  a  good  deal  from  young  men 
who  want  to  get  a  home  in  the  country.  In  your 
opinion  could  a  young  man  come  down  here,  take 
some  of  this  cheap  land  and  by  using 
fertilizers  and  following  your  example, 
do  as  well  as  you  have  done  and  make 
a  satisfactory  home  of  his  own  ?  If 
he  could,  why  would  not  the  settlement 
of  these  ‘Barrens’  settle  this  over-run 
city  problem  ?  ” 
“  I  cannot  answer.  I  am  certain  that 
I  can  take  any  poor  land  and  by  using 
large  quantities  of  fertilizers  make  a 
good  profit  from  the  start — but  I  have 
had  over  30  years’  experience  in  farm¬ 
ing,  while  the  young  man  would  have 
it  all  to  learn.  There  is  as  much  to 
learn  in  this  fertilizer  farming  as  there 
is  in  any  trade  or  profession — more  in 
fact,  because  the  farmer  has  to  work 
without  any  exactly  settled  rules  to  guide 
him.  Every  crop  and  every  operation 
is  more  or  less  an  experiment.  Such  a 
young  man  would  come  here  expecting 
that  the  mechanical  works  of  fertilizing 
and  planting  and  cultivating  were  all  that  were  neces¬ 
sary.  He  would  become  discouraged  when  he  found 
that  the  profit  depends  almost  entirely  on  judgment 
and  skill  which  can  come  only  from  experience.  Such 
young  men  are  not  usually  very  economical,  largely 
beqause  they  have  been  in  the  habit  of  drawing  their 
pay  regularly  every  Saturday,  and  in  cash.  On  the 
farm  there  is  no  regularity  about  it,  and  the  amount 
of  cash  depends  upon  the  farmer’s  skill  in  selling.  On 
the  whole,  then,  while  it  is  possible  for  the  city  young 
man  to  succeed  here,  I  think  he  would  find  it  hard 
work  to  pull  through  and  be  contented.”  h.  w.  c. 
HORTICULTURAL  GOSSIP. 
In  an  address  to  the  Western  New  York  Horticul¬ 
tural  Society,  President  W.  C.  Barry  said:  “Ours  is, 
indeed,  a  fascinating  pursuit — one  which  always 
excites  a  refining  influence  on  mankind.”  No 
truer  words  were  ever  spoken,  and  this  tendency  of 
horticulture  is  so  notable  that  I  wonder  it  has  not 
attracted  more  notice  from  the  pens  of  horticultural 
writers.  I  believe  I  could  go  into  a  mixed  assemblage 
of  farmers,  and,  after  talking  awhile  with  them,  ignor¬ 
ing  horticulture,  could  pick  out  all  the  horticulturists 
without  serious  trouble.  The  study  and  practice  of 
horticulture  broaden  and  refine  all  who  practice  it — 
that  much  is  sure.  F. 
A  Comparison  between  the  Niagara  and  the 
Concord. — The  skin  of  the  Niagara  is  a  trifle  firmer  ; 
more  papery,  so  to  speak,  than  that  of  the  Concord. 
The  seeds  vary  from  one  to  six  in  the  Niagara  ;  from 
one  to  four  in  the  Concord,  the  size  being  about  the 
same.  The  pulp  of  the  Concord  is  tougher  than  that  of 
the  Niagara  ;  the  seeds  do  not  separate  so  readily,  and 
there  is  more  acidity  in  the  pulp  around  them. 
The  flesh — “fat,”  as  it  is  often  called — attached  to  the 
skin  of  the  Concord  is  rather  sweeter  than  that  at¬ 
tached  to  the  skin  of  the  Niagara.  If,  however,  the 
seeds  of  each  are  rejected,  the  Niagara  is  the  sweeter 
grape,  because,  as  above  stated,  the  acidity  of  the 
pulp  next  the  seeds  of  the  Concord  is  more  pronounced 
than  in  the  Niagara.  If  the  seeds  are  not  rejected,  the 
Niagara  is  somewhat  more  sprightly  than  the  Concord. 
The  muskiness  or  foxiness  of  the  Niagara  is  more  em¬ 
phatic  than  that  of  the  Concord,  both  as  to  taste  and 
odor.  The  berries  of  the  Niagara  are  more  liable  to 
rot  than  those  of  the  Concord.  Both  vines  are  strong 
growers ;  the  Concord  is  the  hardier.  e.  s.  c. 
A  Typical  Shropshire  Sheep.  Fig.  308. 
