1893 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
i9 
Development of a Hen Business. 
In conclusion I wish to make a few statements to 
show what the hen will clo for the farmer, if given 
half a chance. Twelve years ago, when I moved upon 
the farm I now occupy, there was not a farmer in this 
section—the eastern half of Tompkins County—who 
kept as many as 1(30 hens, and scarcely one could be 
found who believed it possible to keep hens at a profit, 
and although fresh eggs sold in the market of a neigh¬ 
boring town as high as 60 cents a dozen that winter, 
no one seemed to make any effort to supply them, so 
firm was the belief that hens could not profitably be 
made to lay in winter. What eggs were laid during 
the year—mostly in spring and summer—were taken 
to the nearest stores and traded for groceries or other 
goods, as there was no other market for them. Now 
many are keeping from 100 to 400 hens, and I have about 
700. Many new buildings have been put up for their 
accommodation, and many more are seen going up 
on every hand, and while the storekeepers claim to be 
taking in more eggs than ever, 
most of the farmers who are tak¬ 
ing an interest in their flocks sell 
their eggs right at the door to 
buyers who make regular trips 
once or twice a week and pay cash 
for them, at prices somewhat above 
the highest quotations in the city 
markets where they are sent. The 
only explanation needed for this, 
is that these buyers receive an 
extra price above those in the gen¬ 
eral market on account of the su¬ 
perior qualities of their goods. Of 
course they are particular as to 
those from whom they buy, and 
must know that they are getting fresh eggs, and 
from hens well fed and cared for, and those who still 
persist in keeping their hens in the old way, and who 
gather their eggs at irregular times, are always passed 
by. From three to four cents per dozen more are paid 
for White Leghorn eggs than for colored or mixed 
lots, as they are in greater demand, and command a 
higher price in market. As buyers of other farm 
crops here are mostly content to stay at home and let 
the farmers hunt them up when they have crops or 
stock to sell, and.when, as it often happens, the farmer 
has to do considerable running from one to another in 
order to find one who will buy his goods at all, it is 
no wonder that the remark is commonly made that 
“fresh eggs are about the only thing wanted.” Surely 
the outlook is bright for “ The Business Hen.” 
FIRST RUN OF AN INCUBATOR. 
After trying two years to raise chickens under hens 
without success, we concluded to try an incubator, 
and it worked so well that we want no more hatching 
under hens. The incubator was ordered in March, but 
did not arrive until April; then it was three weeks 
more before we could get it to work properly. After 
getting it thoroughly heated, the eggs were put in. 
As I had never had any experience with a machine 
before—in fact, this was the first I had ever seen—I was 
doubtful as to results of the first hatch, but made up 
my mind to give it all the care and attention I possibly 
could. I watched it pretty closely night and day, and 
did not get a good night’s rest for the three weeks the 
eggs were hatching. The result was that I took 250 
chicks out of the incubator from 320 eggs. I put them 
in the brooder and succeeded in raising most of them. 
Although it was late, I concluded that I would try it 
again, putting in 300 eggs. 
This time, as I knew more about running the ma¬ 
chine, I did not attend to it or watch it so closely. I 
regulated it night and morning when filling the lamp 
and turning the eggs. I did not lose a wink of sleep 
this time; still I got 225 chicks from 250 fertile eggs. I 
did not have such good luck raising this lot as the 
first, for something went wrong with the brooder 
lamps when the chicks were only a few days old, and 
when I went to look at them in the morning, the 
lamps were both out and most of the chicks chilled so 
that they did not get over it. In the first batch there 
were probably between 40 and 50 eggs holding birds 
ready to come out but all dead. I wrote the maker of 
the incubator as to the probable cause, and he replied 
that it was for want of moisture, although there were 
two pans of water above the eggs. At the last hatch 
I put a shallow pan of water under each egg tray, on 
the 18th day, and there were fewer dead birds. 
The chicks were fed first on the infertile eggs boiled 
and chopped up fine ; then we mixed up corn meal 
and bran with milk, baked the mixture and crumbled 
it up and fed it dry. After the first week they had 
small wheat and cracked corn ; in fact, anything they 
would eat. Finely ground bone is a valuable addition 
to the bill-of-fare. james bufton. 
Manager Homestead Poultry Farm. 
THE SQUASH-BORER, MELITTIA CET0. 
This insect is the pest of the growers of quashes, 
whether they raise them by the acre or have only a 
few plants in the garden: indeed in the latter case 
the pests are apt to be much more injurious'and usually 
destroy the vines completely. 
The life history of the insect is briefly as follows : 
the moths issue in early summer from the cocoons that 
have remained in the ground during the winter, the 
date varyingifrom the middle of June to the beginning 
of August or even later. They fly rapidly in the 
brightest sunshine, flitting from plant to plant, and 
after the first day the females combine business with 
pleasure, and on every plant they visit they leave one 
or more eggs. Dissection has shown that they contain 
each over 200 eggs, and it can be readily understood 
that it needs only a few of them to thoroughly “ seed 
down” quite a large field. The eggs are laid preferably 
on the main stalk, usually at the base, or even a little 
below the surface of the ground. This is not universal, 
Work of the Borer in Squash Stat.k. Fig. 7. 
however, and I have found them on all parts of the 
plant from the bud and tip of the growing shoot to 
the more general points along the stem. They are 
chestnut brown in color, nearly round, disc-like, about 
1-25 of an inch in diameter, and have a rather thick 
though very brittle shell. 
From the egg hatches a little white grub or cater¬ 
pillar with a deep-black head; the creature eats into 
the stem or leaf stalk at once and begins to burrow 
horizontally. It grows rapidly and becomes a fat, 
lazy larva that lies in a great cavity made by it and 
seems to subsist principally on the juices of the plant. 
In the accompanying cut—see Fig. 7—is shown a 
small piece of a squash stem just below the surface of 
the ground, on which are three of the larvae full 
grown, as they lie in the burrow made by them. As 
many as from 15 to 30 of them are not uncommonly 
found in a single vine, and it follows that it never ma¬ 
tures fruit, even if it is not killed outright. The moth, 
shown at Fig. 8, with opened and closed wings, is of 
a handsome velvety bronze-black color, with a green¬ 
ish or reddish sheen, and the great tufted hind legs 
Different Form of Squash Borer. Fig. 8. 
are of a contrasting orange, making it easily recog¬ 
nizable. Active as these moths are during the day, 
they become sluggish late in the afternoon, and as 
the sun gets near the horizon they settle themselves 
on the upper sides of the leaves, at the base where they 
join the leaf stalk, and there remain quiet during the 
night. As the twilight sets in they become torpid and 
may be picked off readily, making no attempt to fly. 
The larvae when full grown, which happens anywhere 
from the beginningof August to the end of September, 
leave the vine, burrow underground a short distance 
and make tough, silken cocoons, covered with adhering 
grains of earth. In these they usually remain un¬ 
changed during the winter, change to pupae in 
spring, and in due time cut little caps from the ends 
of the cocoons and wriggle to the surface of the ground. 
The appearance of a cocoon with the pupa wriggling 
out, is well shown in Fig. 8, at the lower left corner. 
Remedies. —The life cycle of an insect is always in¬ 
teresting ; but, after all, what the farmer needs most 
is a method of preventing injury. With a complete 
knowledge of the insect’s habits and preferences, this 
can be given. Experience has shown that the females 
will select the largest vines for oviposition, and that 
Summer Crook-Necks, Hubbards and Marrows are 
almost equal favorites. To the grower of the Hub¬ 
bards, then, the advice is to plant at intervals in the 
field rows of early summer squash—Crook-Necks. 
Plant late squashes as late as you dare, without risk¬ 
ing frosts before maturity. The moths will invariably 
select the summer squashes for oviposition, and these 
will become crowded with larvae and yet mature a 
crop of fruit. About the middle of August or before— 
not later certainly—takeout all the summer squash 
vines and destroy them by burying deep, burning with 
quick-lime, in the manure pit, or in any way you 
choose—only be certain that they are destroyed at 
once, for with them will be destroyed hundreds of the 
larvae of this pest. 
Another remedy, supplementing the last, is that first 
pointed out by Mr. J. V. D. Walker, of Jamaica, L. I. 
It is simply to collect the moths during the twilight, 
when they are torpid, and arc sitting fully exposed to 
view. This requires no skill except 
a little training of the eye. One 
can walk between the rows at an 
even gait, looking over every leaf 
in the rows on each side, and very 
few moths will be missed. This 
was done during the past season 
by a number of large growers at 
Jamaica, Long Island, with the 
most gratifying results. These 
remedies, alone or in combination, 
will usually serve as a protection, 
but they should be further supple¬ 
mented by rooting the vines at the 
joints. As soon as they have well 
started running, the patch should 
be gone over with a hoe, and every third or fourth 
joint to the very tip should be covered. Roots 
will be sent down from each of these points, and they 
will serve to sustain the plant even if the main stem 
should be cut at the base. An advantage of this pro¬ 
ceeding is that it requires no outlay for insecticide 
materials, no machinery, very little time, and only a 
moderate amount of intelligence—even the average 
farm hand can soon be taught to recognize the insects 
and destroy them, and he certainly can do the hoeing. 
New Brunswick, N. J. john b. smith. 
ANOTHER MILLIONAIRE FARMER. 
THIS ONE RUNS A FARM FOR REVENUE AND GETS IT TOO. 
[EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.] 
PART III. 
I think I forgot to mention in my other articles that 
the milch cows on this farm are always stabled ; the 
dry cows and young stock only are pastured. 
How the Hens Live and Work. 
The poultry houses and yards are somewhat scattered 
and vary as to manner of construction. The main 
range of houses is divided into compartments, with a 
yard to each upon one side. The yards are planted to 
plum trees ; the latter are not yet old enough to fully 
demonstrate the possibilities of this combination here, 
but they have done so well as to encourage the ex¬ 
pectation of profitable results. Some of the houses 
have yards on both sides, two yards for each compart¬ 
ment, and while the hens are running in one yard, the 
other is sown to oats or other grain, which is allowed 
to make quite a large growth, when the hens are turned 
in and the other yard given the same treatment. 
Some of the houses are constructed without any alley, 
and each compartment consists of two rooms. One 
of these might be called the dining and sitting room, 
and into this the door admitting the attendant opens 
on the side opposite the yards. Into the latter, large 
doors containing windows, open, so that there is no 
lack of fresh air. These large doors can be closed in 
stormy or cold weather, or when it is desirable to keep 
the hens indoors. Here they are fed. The floor is 
covered with earth, and, in snowy weather, litter from 
the horse stable is thrown in for the hens to scratch in. 
A small opening admits the hens into the other room, 
which is their work and bed room. The attendant 
enters this from the other through a small door. This 
room is snug, close, and of course is much warmer 
than the other. The nests are located in this room 
which is rather dark. The droppings are cleaned out 
daily. All the houses are built of lumber and tarred 
paper. 
One range of houses has an alley extending through 
the center, with pens on each side, and an attic over¬ 
head for storage, etc. 
The Breeds and Their Habits. 
“ When do you start your incubators ?” I inquired. 
“ Not until March. We get such high prices for 
eggs, and there are always so many infertile ones in 
winter, that it doesn’t pay us to try to hatch earlier. 
We put the newly hatched chicks in brooders on the 
upper floor, where they remain until the weather is 
