3l2 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
May 4 
more time to cut and shock an acre of drilled, than of 
hilled corn ; hat when we remember that there is 20 
per cent, or one-fifth more corn, can’t we well afford 
the extra labor ? I have often noticed, and last year 
especially, that in a bad storm of wind and rain, the 
hilled corn went down much worse than the drilled. 
In fact, last year our men could cut and shock con¬ 
siderably more drilled corn than of that adjoining 
planted in hills. J. s. woodward. 
"RAISING CHICKS BY HAND." 
keep the old iien on eggs. 
A Jug of Water for a Dry Nurse. 
A large proportion of my hens are Leghorns, and 
they are always late about sitting, if they sit at all, so 
that a broody hen seemed “worth her weight in gold.” 
When the first lot of chicks was hatched, I did not 
feel like sparing the hens for brooders, preferring to 
give each a second clutch of eggs. Just in time to 
assist me in solving the problem of what to do with 
my motherless chicks, some one related in The R. N.- 
Y., her experience in rearing chicks by the aid of a 
jug of hot water, and I became a ready convert to her 
theory. A box was littered with the seeds and 
broken leaves from the hay mow, a jug of hot water 
securely wrapped in an old shawl was put near one 
end, and nearly half the box was covered with soft, 
woolen cloths. The wee chicks, 41 in all, were put 
near the jug, and they huddled around it as closely 
as they would around a hen. 
After the first 24 hours, it became necessary to 
begin the education of these small orphans. Granu¬ 
lated oatmeal was strewn on shallow pans, and the 
chicks picked at it a little, but soon drew their 
feathers tightly around them, and became very 
tall, slim cliickies, showing as plain as plain could be 
that they were cold. They were helped to find their 
“ jug mother,” and two hours later they were given 
another trial, and each little beak was touched with 
water. At the end of the third trial, nearly all ate a 
little, and all drank. On the third day, they scratched 
in the hay seed and staid longer out in the air. After 
the first week, they were fed five times a day, and 
water was given them frequently, sometimes milk. 
Cracked wheat, granulated oatmeal, cracked corn, 
bread soaked in milk, and scraps from the table, 
which included bones, meat rinds, and scraps of meat 
cut very small, formed their diet for the first week ; 
then whole wheat, either raw or boiled, was added to 
this ration, with buckwheat now and then for variety. 
Of course they were supplied with fine gravel from 
the first. 
A motherly old hen had been given one room in 
the henhouse, with a brood of 26 chickens. When 
the oi-plians were two weeks old, I fixed a box for 
them to run in, removing top and bottom, and re¬ 
placing the top with poulti-y wire. A small hole was 
cut in one end so the chicks could run into the box in 
which the hot-water jug was placed, and the whole 
was put into the room with the hen and chickens. 
As the hen showed no resentment, I soon allowed the 
chicks their liberty in the house, and that kind old 
hen actually mothered the whole flock as soon as the 
little orphans would permit her to do so. 
The Ills That Chicks Are Heir Too. 
My great trouble with these chicks was lice. I 
greased their heads when they came from the nest 
and sifted Persian insect powder through their feath. 
ers. This was repeated every time one drooped. 
They were kept so tame by constant handling that 
there was no difficulty in catching them. The greater 
part of these chicks were Brown Leghoims, and many 
of them developed feathers so fast that their wings 
seemed too heavy for their strength. In this case, 
the wing featliei’s were clipped quite short with the 
scissoi’s, and in most cases they recovered. Only four 
of the 41 orphans died before they went out of the 
hoxxse—one was smothered, and one killed by accident, 
while two died from lice, having been neglected. 
After they went to the henhouse, they were subject 
to more or less dampness, as there was an earth floor, 
and nearly every chick contracted gapes. I resorted 
to the old remedy, carbolic acid fumes, and had very 
good success. A box about 2% feet long by 1>£ foot 
wide, and a foot deep, was secured and one corner 
was partitioned off with sand screen. The chicks, 
about 20 at a time, were put in the larger division, 
and a board was placed over the top. A cup-shaped 
piece of iron was heated very hot, then set in a basin 
of ashes in the smaller division. A teaspoonful of 
pare carbolic acid was poured into the hot iron (a brick 
hollowed to hold the acid would answer the purpose), 
and the whole box was covered with a piece of carpet. 
The chicks were wild with the discomfort of the 
fumes, and in one minute I examined them and find¬ 
ing none overcome left them a few seconds longer. 
They mast be examined at least every 10 seconds after 
the first minute and if one has dropped to the floor, 
they must be taken from the box at once. Even when 
quite badly overcome, they will usually recover when 
taken to the air, but it does not answer to be careless 
with them, and a minute is usually long enough to 
leave them in the box. It is sometimes necessary to 
give some birds another treatment the next day, but 
many will recover with but one treatment. The best 
treatment for gapes, however, is prevention. Warm, 
dry quarters with plenty of light and sunshine, make 
happy, healthy chicks, and though it may be some¬ 
what difficult to secure these, it pays to prepare them 
if any number of chicks are to be raised. 
Lice can be kept in check only by eternal vigilance. 
Good, fresh insect powder and sweet oil or soft lard 
for their heads, are safe and effectual. Kerosene is 
too severe for a young chick, and if used at all, should 
be mixed with water and applied very carefully so 
that it may not touch their tender flesh. 
Hand-Raised Chicks Are Best. 
For many reasons, chicks raised by hand are more 
satisfactory than those left with the hen. A fussy old 
hen will often upset all one’s best laid plans. If she 
has her liberty, she will take her small charges into 
all kinds of dangers, and often from sheer fright, she 
will kill one or more of them. It is far more difficult 
to fight lice when the chicks run with the hen. True, 
the hand-raised chicks need quite a bit of teaching, 
and it requires patience and watchfulness to rear 
them ; but you may count on raising at least 1)0 per 
cent of all the chicks hatched if you keep them dry, 
clean and warm, and make them work for a part of 
their food. A supply of grit and plenty of clean water, 
so arranged that they cannot get their feet in it, 
is necessary. For the rest, remove any soft food 
which they do not eat clean, and give them a little 
run on the grass on warm, dry days, seeing that they 
are warmly housed before there is dew or cool air. 
Accustom them to natural conditions gradually. A 
run twelve feet by six, covered with wire, with a warm 
house at one end, is safe for them when they are a 
month old, if the weather is not too cold. Take no 
chances with vermin. Rats ate enough chicks for me 
one year nearly to pay for a tight wall under the hen¬ 
house, and a mink feasted on full-grown fowls enough 
to finish paying the bill. I had the satisfaction of 
seeing the beautiful wretch after he had expiated his 
crime, but that did not bring back my poultry. 
Don’t Forget Good Roosts. 
One thing which is often neglected for yoixng 
chickens, is a i*oosting place. A six-weeks-old Leg¬ 
horn enjoys a roost as well as does a mature hen. 
These roosts should be about eight inches from the 
ground ; smooth, round poles are best, and they must 
be small enough so that the little feet can clasp them 
and large enough to give a well-balanced perch. The 
roosts should be movable so that they may be easily 
cleaned, and in warm weather, the houses should 
have no floor, so that they may be moved from place 
to place, thus saving much time in cleaning. Dry- 
goods boxes turned bottomside up and raised high 
enough on the south side to allow the birds to go 
under, answer very well. The roosts may easily be 
arranged so that the box will set over them easily. If 
the chicks are taught to go on these i-oosts as soon as 
they can be induced to use them, the danger of death 
from crowding is lessened, and the breastbones are 
less likely to be flattened, as they are almost sure to 
be when chicks roost on the ground until well grown. 
Last year, my birds had flat roosts, 2x2 pieces laid flat, 
and their breastbones were very perfect ; possibly 
such roosts are better than poles. 
Of course a well-constructed brooder is far better 
than the hot-water jug, with its accompanying box 
and necessity of filling and emptying the jug at least 
twice a day ; but the principle of the jug in the center 
and the chicks clustering around, is good, and the 
brooder which comes nearest to it is the one which I 
want when I invest in the real article, s. A. little. 
THE VALUATION OF FARM MANURE. 
Among the farmers who keep any considerable 
number of animals of one sort or another, are prob¬ 
ably a good many who go to work to estimate the 
value of the manure their animals produce, on the basis 
of the feed fed out and the products of the animals, 
whether meat, wool or milk. In a general way, such 
valuations are undoubtedly a help in showing the 
feeder how his accounts with his stock stand ; but in 
many cases, such calculations are sure to give to the 
manure altogether too high a value. Some figuring of 
this nature which I once saw, gave the manure so 
high a value as to be absurd on the very face of it. 
The figures I have in mind, were published last year 
in the Practical Farmer. In commenting on these 
calculations, Prof. Massey observed that with a 
money-value of commercial fertilizers equal to the 
calculated value of the manure, he could raise far 
better crops than he possibly could with the manure. 
And I think he was right. 
There are two reasons why most calculations of 
manure values, based on food, etc., are far higher 
than the actual value. Curiously enough, the books 
on feeding animals seem to neglect these points. As 
regards the calculations of the amounts of potash and 
phosphoric acid, the tables in the books cannot be far 
from wrong. The trouble comes when we try to cal¬ 
culate the nitrogen. The first, and possibly the least 
important error in calculating nitrogen, comes from 
the fact that it is impossible by any known method, 
to say what the nitrogen is worth on the average ; 
for barnyard manure contains not only a certain 
amount of extremely good nitrogen, but also a quan¬ 
tity of nitrogen in all sorts of conditions, some of 
which may be as valueless as the nitrogen in wool or 
leather, as far as the chemist knows. The second 
error that is likely to spoil our calculations, comes 
from neglecting to consider the fact that the urine in 
the manure, though excellent as a source of nitrogen 
when fresh, must inevitably lose a great deal of its 
worth by harmful fermentations which it is difficult, 
if not impossible, to control. Even under the best 
conditions of keeping manure economically, we are 
certain to lose much of our good nitrogen. 
It may, of course, be said that the mechanical value 
of manure, will probably more than pay for the loss 
of nitrogen, and perhaps it will. But against the 
mechanical value, we have to place the labor involved 
in handling the vast bulk of the dung, and the urine 
and straw. The object of this note is merely to sug¬ 
gest to each particular farmer, the danger of being 
misled by valuations of manure that may not prove 
true in practice. f. g. hendkrson. 
WHAT SAY? 
Nipping Tomatoes. —Have any of the readers of 
The R. N.-Y. ever tried snipping or cutting back 
tomato plants when 1^ to 2 inches in height, and 
having the first pair of leaves ? I take a sharp pair 
of scissors, and cut the plants off close to the surface 
of the ground, setting the tops back ; they soon make 
new and abundant roots, and on an average not more 
than three out of 25 plants will die. They will stand 
transplanting better, come into bearing earlier, with 
more and perfect fruit. The practice was told me by 
a Denver (Col.) market gardener, and I have tried it 
with the best of success. s. c. J. 
Laceyville, Pa. 
Summer Ensilage.— I am anticipating partially 
filling my silo with green rye and clover for August 
and September feeding. Can it be done successfully? 
I have seen notes somewhere to the contrary. What 
has been the experience of others ? J. s. G. 
Apalachin, N. Y. 
R. N.-Y.—Mr. E. II. Bancroft, of Delaware, fills his 
silo with Crimson clover in May, and feeds it out 
during the summer, with excellent results. We have 
heard of some failures with this summer ensilage. 
What do others say ? 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name and address of 
the writer to insure attention. Before asking a question please 
see whether it is not answered in our advertising columns. Ask 
only a few questions at one time. Put questions on a separate 
piece of paper.l 
Budding an Orange Tree. 
E. G. B., Chichester, N. T .—I have an orange tree six years old. 
Can I, by having it grafted, cause it to bloom ? If so, where can 
I procure scions for grafting, and which would be the best 
method ? What fertilizer shall I use to give the strongest growth ? 
Ans. —You would better bud the stock. It is easier 
and more satisfactory than grafting. Use bone and 
potash. 
A List of Plums. 
C. G. H., New Berlin , N. F—What plums shall I set for family 
use ? The soil is gravelly, and the winters quite cold, often 20 de¬ 
grees below zero. 
Ans. —We recommend Bradshaw, Reine Claude 
Bavay, Smith’s Orleans, Shropshire Damson, Peter’s 
Yellow Gage, Lombard, Yellow Egg, Grand Duke, 
McLaughlin. 
Catch Crops in Strawberries. 
A. M. M., Boston Station, Ky .—Do strawberry growers ever raise 
a catch crop between the plants the first year ? Would early cab¬ 
bages injure the plants ? 
Ans. —Yes, sometimes they do, but the practice is 
not considei’ed wise by the best growers who desire a 
heavy crop of berries. 
Some Fruit Questions. 
T., Oakfleld, N. Y.—l. How many quarts of black raspberries 
make one pound of dried fruit? 2. What two varieties of plums 
and cherries are most profitable for home market in Genesee 
County, N. Y.? 3. Should the standard varieties of raspberries be 
given winter protection in western New York? 
Ans. —1. It depends upon the variety and the sea¬ 
son. The amount varies widely, so it is impossible to 
say definitely. 2. Plums: Grand Duke. Fellenberg 
