1891 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
523 
Poultry Yard. 
Ducks Fattening on Potato Bugs. 
It has frequently been asserted t hat ducks 
and geese will eat potato beetles. We have 
never been able to get them to do so, but 
It seems that others have been smarter. E. 
H. Kern, Mankato, Kansas, writes to In¬ 
sect Life as follows : “ Several seasons ago 
my potato field was almost ruined because 
I could not use Paris-green, as my stock 
was in danger from it. A large pond of 
water attracted about 20 of my neighbor’s 
ducks to its shore. I never did fancy ducks 
very much, and I told him so. He said he 
would give them to me if I could care for 
them, as he could not keep them at home. 
The next morning I went down to the pond 
at sunrise to try and drive said ducks into a 
pen. I saw a very curious sight. Htaled 
by an old drake, the 20 ducks were waddling 
off in a bee line for my potato field. I 
crawled into some bushes and awaited de¬ 
velopments. As they came to the end of 
the rows they seemed to deploy right and 
left, and such a shoveling in of bugs I never 
beheld. They meant business, and for fully 
one-half hour did they continue, until every 
duck was filled up to its bill with bugs. 
Then they went for that pond, and I went 
for their owner and paid him ?1 for the en¬ 
tire bunch—this being all he would accept. 
When I returned, every duck seemed to be 
trying to outdo its fellow in noise. This 
expedition was repeated about 4 p. M. and 
kept up until every bug went under. I have 
tried these ducks and others since, and 
find they all like them and seem to get fat 
on potato bugs.” 
About Capons.— It may be well for 
breeders and keepers of poultry to have pens 
of capons at our poultry exhibitions at 
fairs and elsewhere. All kinds could be 
shown together, as capons do not fight, so 
that much room would be saved. J. F. 
Owego, N. Y. 
SHALL WE “GO INTO ” POULTRY? 
ARTHUR D. WARNER. 
The outlook; manage your own hens; stick, 
to the business; artificial hatching; 
coops and yards; small fruits uith 
poultry; when to sell eggs; pickled eggs. 
Just at the present time when the outlook 
for poultry farming seems favorable be¬ 
cause a betttr quality is causing a better 
demand and owing to the paitial exclusion 
of the foreign product, more people than 
ever are turning their attention toward 
poultry farming as a business. The ques¬ 
tion with many is, “ how to begin ? ” In 
connection with this question the pro¬ 
spective poultry farm is worthy of first 
consideration. Poultry raising is not a 
business to be handled with kid gloves. It 
is not a business for invalids, and cannot 
well be taken up in connection with other 
business, if the operator has had no previ¬ 
ous experience. One who delegates the 
care of his establishment to hirelings and 
gets his experience out of the papers will 
soon tire of the pursuit. The poultry 
farmer should give his whole time to the 
work, spending much of it among his 
fowls studying their habits and the treat¬ 
ment of diseases, and discovering methods 
of his own not only in feeding but carrying 
on all branches of his calling, for every 
business man has methods peculiar to 
himself by which aione he can succeed, and 
nothing but a steadfast and intelligent pur¬ 
suit of a calling can determine which 
method is the beat for any individual. 
The successful poultryman must go to 
the bottom of things. There is a great deal 
to be learned about poultry. It cannot all 
be learned In a year. The management of 
poultry for profit on a large scale is a 
science worthy of an equal place with that 
of the best stock breeding. Nine tenths of 
the failurts in poultry farming are in cases 
like the following: A person having pe¬ 
rused more or less thoroughly some model 
work upon the subject, concludes to try 
poultry farming. He puts up his houses 
and yards, stocks them, begins to feed, and 
congratulates himself that he is on the 
high road to fortune. Hut profits do not 
roll in as rapidly as expected. He finds 
that his path is not one of roses, and as the 
inevitable setbacks come in, his faith be¬ 
gins to waver, and in less than two years 
he has probably ceased to belong to the 
fraternity of poultrymen, denouncing their 
schemes as visionary. Yet the exercise of 
more patience would soon have brought 
profits, though not perhaps in the manner 
or to the extent laid down in the books. Of 
course, no one can start a poultry farm 
without some capital, but the best capital 
a man can have is a good piece of land, paid 
for, even if he has not a dollar left for poul¬ 
try buildings. The land properly tilled 
will yield him perennial crops for the feed¬ 
ing of his stock. The buildings will come 
when he needs them. He will be gratified 
to find his barn and cellar filled with poul¬ 
try food of his own raising in years when 
the price of grain doubles. 
Any one who remains long in the poul¬ 
try business will probably try the artificial 
method of hatching. In selecting an incu¬ 
bator the question is between hot-air and 
hot water machines. I think that in the 
near future the latter class will be largely 
superseded by the former. In either case 
about the same amount of damage is done 
if the lamp goes out, or the heat runs up 
too high. It takes longer to get a hot wat¬ 
er machine right if it does go wrong ; the 
tank is liable to leak at any time, and the 
regulating apparatus is more complicated. 
The regulator of the best hot air incuba¬ 
tors is very sensitive and can seldom get 
out of order on account of its simplicity; 
and the ventilation and distribution of 
moisture are probably as near perfection 
as we can hope to see attained in an incu¬ 
bator in our days. A little attention 
morning and night is all that a good incu¬ 
bator requires, while a poor one is dear at 
any price, and a never-failing source of 
trouble. 
In starting an incubator for the first 
time, set it up and run it for from six t» 
ten days, so that it will become thoroughly 
heated through and the temperature be 
kept at the right degree. After the eggs 
are put in, do not keep opening and closing 
the doors to see if everything is right. If 
not skilled in testing eggs, find two that 
are fertile, mark them, and keep the ther¬ 
mometer bulb upon them, and wait 10 or 12 
days until the chicks have darkened the 
eggs, before testing. Always follow the 
directions that come with the machine. In 
managing an Incubator, the greatest diffi 
culty is in supplying the proper degree of 
moisture. The moisture given regulates 
the size of the chick in the shell. If too 
little is given the chicks will be small, atd 
often too weak to get out, and if too much 
is allowed, the chicks will be large and 
wedged in too tight to move. By examin¬ 
ing the eggs by means of an egg tester 
while a hen is incubating, something can 
bo learned about the sizes of the air spaces. 
Not having arranged for brooders as yet, 
I set a number of hens at the time of start¬ 
ing the incubator. At hatching time 
enough chicks are put in with each hen to 
make a brood of 15. In the early part of 
the season a number of coops are put into 
a large, tight, dry building, and carefully 
fed until the next hatch, when they have a 
good start and are ready to go out into the 
weather. They are then cooped in tight 
yards which are safe from four-legged 
marauders. As the statements as to profits 
given in some works upon poultry are mis¬ 
leading, I will not attempt to go into fig¬ 
ures. The Income from poultry can be sup 
plemented by the sale of small and orchard 
fruits, and possibly garden truck. The 
poultryman, however, should learn thor¬ 
oughly the art of raising chickens, and pro¬ 
duce all the youDg fowls possible. The 
cockerels sold should about pay the cost of 
raising both themselves and the pullets. 
Do not sell eggs when the price is low. 
Pack them In lime pickle, and take all the 
cash you can spare and buy good fresh eggs 
of the neighbors to be also packed. New- 
laid eggs put down in this way can scarcely 
be told from fresh ones when taken up. 
Hotels and boarding houses are glad to get 
such eggs at au advance of one or two cents 
over ruling prices for limed eggs. For 
liming small quantities of eggs, casks with 
wooden hoops are best. The following is 
the proportion for pickle: Stone lime, two 
pounds; salt one pint; water four gallons. 
Slake the lime and when cold, put it and 
the salt with the water into some recep¬ 
tacle, stir and let settle twice ; the clear li¬ 
quid is what you want. Have just enough 
pickle, when through packing, to cover the 
eggs, then place a cloth over them and 
spread some of the lime sediment on it. 
The above cannot be Improved on by the 
addition of any ingredient, and will prove 
more satisfactory than nine tenths of the 
recipes that are sold at a high price. In 
conclusion, poultry farming pays because 
it yields a larger percentage of profit for 
the outlay than any other class of farming. 
There is always a ready cash market for 
the product, and something to be sold 
almost every week in the year, instead of 
sales at long intervals. There is no uncer¬ 
tainty about the future price, it rises and 
falls regularly as the years roll around. 
(To be continued.) 
The watches we sent to our subscribers 
on our previous offers have surprised us 
greatly. 1, As to the high-grade demanded 
in most cases; cheap watches were not 
wanted. 2, On account of the great num¬ 
ber called for. Only one or two complaints 
have reached us, and many have expressed 
great satisfaction with the watches re¬ 
ceived. 
The watches will be sent in connection 
with subscriptions on the following terms: 
In each case either a renewal or new sub¬ 
scription may be included. If you have 
already paid for 1891, the paper may be 
sent to the address of a new subscriber. 
Any watch in the list will be sent in con¬ 
nection with a subscription (on the same 
| order) for $1.25 in addition to the amounts 
above named for the watches. 
We send the watches pre paid by regis¬ 
tered mail to any part of the United States. 
Watches sent to Canada are subject, of 
course, to Custom House restrictions. 
Just Published. 
New York 8tandardWatch. Nos. 3-4. 
IVA TCHES 
FOR OUR SUBSCRIBERS. 
The Rural New-Yorker, gratified by 
the flattering responses to its offers of 
watches to its subscribers, has made a thor¬ 
ough revision of its watch offer, and pro¬ 
poses to supply its subscribers with the best 
watches in the world at prices from 25 to 
50 per cent less than those usually charged 
by retail jewelers. The Rural New- 
Yorker wishes to have it thoroughly un¬ 
derstood that, since the watch companies 
have come to their senses and are no longer 
trying to boycott the newspapers, it is no 
longer making war upon them, but, on the 
contrary, by new arrangements it can offer 
watches to its subscribers at rates fully as 
favorable as those formerly adv ertised. 
Our object in making these offers is to 
give our subscribers good watches at low 
prices, to advertise The Rural New- 
Yorker, and to get new subscribers as per 
special offers at the foot of this column. 
Urgr* We believe that there is not a 
poor watch in the list. .{frl 
SPECIAL OFFERS : MEN’S SIZES. 
No. 1. A genuine New York Standard move 
meat; 7 Jewels, safety pinion, com¬ 
pensation balance, stem wind and set; 
in a solid nickel silver case, open face; 
a really excellent watch and far su¬ 
perior to any other cheap watch 
we have seen.$ 6.50 
No. 2.—Same movement as No. 1, in gold-filled 
case, 15-year guarantee, open face.... 12 00 
No 6.—Same as No. 2, hunting case (see cut 
above). 15.00 
No 4.— Same movement as No. 1, in a solid gold 
Ilk. hunting ease, weighing -10 dwt.... 37.50 
RURAL SPECIAL BARGAINS. 
No. 5.—A genulneWaltham movement; 7 Jewels, 
compensation balance, safety pinion, 
stem wind and set; in a solid nlcael- 
sllver ease, open face. 7.25 
No. 6.—Same movement as No. 5, In gold filled 
case, guaranteed to wear 15 years, 
open face. 11.00 
No. 7.—Same movement as No. 5, in hunting case 
same as No. 6. 16.00 
No. 8.-Same movement as No. 5, In solid Ilk. 
gold hunting case, weighing 40 dwt... 38.00 
No 9. -A genuine Waltham full Jewel move¬ 
ment. compensation balance, safety 
pinion, stem wind and set, patent reg¬ 
ulator, Breguet hair spring, hardened 
and tempered in form, In open face, 
nickel-silver case. 11.00 
No. 10. -Same movement as No. 9, In gold filled 
case, guaranteed for 15 years, open 
face.16.25 
No 11—Same as No. 10, hunting case. 19.25 
No. 12.—Same movement as No. 9, in solid ilk 
gold hunting case weighing 40 dwt. 
A very handsome watch. 41.00 
LADIES’ SIZE. 
HOW TO RID 
Buildings and Farms 
OF 
RATS, 
Mice, Gophers, Ground Squirrels, 
Prairie Dogs, Rabbits, Moles, 
Minks, Weasels and other Pests 
quickly and safely. How to snare 
Hawks and Owls. 
Valuable Hints to Housekeep¬ 
ers, Farmers and Pou lt r y 
Keepers. 
By “ PICKETT.” 
PRICE, 20 CENTS. 
How* to Multiply Plants. 
How to Graft. 
How to Bud. 
How to Seed. 
How to Inarch. 
How to Increase by Cuttings. 
How to Increase by Layers. 
Howto Increase by Separation. 
How to Hybridize. 
Howto Produce New Varieties. 
How to Propagate over 2,000 
varieties of shrubs, trees and her¬ 
baceous or soft-stemmed plants: the 
process for each being fully described. 
All this and much more is 
fully told in 
The Nursery Book. 
A new book, by L. H. Bailey, 
assisted by several of the most 
skillful propagators in the 
world. In fact, it is a careful 
compendium of the best prac¬ 
tice in all countries. It con¬ 
tains 107 illustrations, 
showing methods, processes 
and appliances. 
Over 300 pages. 16mo. Price, library 
style, cloth, wide margins, $1.00; Pocket 
style, paper, narrow margins, 50 cents. 
SCRIBNER’S 
LUMBER 
AND 
LOG BOOK 
Over One Million Sold.— Most complete book of 
Its kind ever published. Gives measurement of all 
kinds of lumber, logs, planks, timber ; hints to lum¬ 
ber dealers; wood measure, speed of circular saws, 
cord-wood tables, felling trees, growth of trees, land- 
measure, wages, rent, board, Interest, stave and head¬ 
ing bolts, etc. Standard book In the United States 
and Canada. Illustrated edition of 1862. 35 cents. 
THE RURAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
Times Building. New York. 
-A genuine Waltham ladies’ watch with 
Jewels, compensation balance and 
safety pinion, stem wind and set; In a 
solid coin silver case. 11 50 
No. 14.—Same luove- 
§ ment as No. 13, lu 
a 15 year guaran¬ 
teed gold-ailed 
hunting case $15.25 
No. 15.—A beautiful 
11 Jewel move¬ 
ment, full nickel, 
lu a handsomely 
engraved hunting 
case made of iu. 
price from ^$50 to 
for a lady that we 
have ever seen. 
The Illustration 
shows the case in 
exact size and 
Style.$25.00 
Ladles’Watch. No. 15. 
