s® 
ROCHESTER. N. Y..-FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 1861 
WHOLE NO. 598. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
AN ORIGINAL WEEKLY 
AGRICULTURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY JOURNAL. 
the nests not close to the wall, tout at such a distance 
from it as to leave a passage Detween them and the 
wall. The side of the nest next the passage Is then 
formed of lattice-work, or wire-netting, made to open 
like a door. This arrangement, besides tending to 
keep the nests sweet, and admitting of their being 
easier cleansed, allows the fowls to be sot, and the 
eggs to be withdrawn, withont going into the house— 
not always an agreeable duty for one whose clothes 
can be spoiled. The passage above the nests should 
be separated from the poultry house by a lattice or 
wire-net. partition extending to the roof. 
The floor of the poultry house should bo formed of 
smooth (lags or slates, with perfectly close joints. It 
should either ho dished out with an eye in the center, 
communicating with the drain, or it should rise from 
all sides to the center, forming n very obtuse, pyra¬ 
mid, round the base of which, that is to say, round 
the walls in front, of the nests, but at about a foot in 
width from them, there should bo ,a smoothly cut 
water channel; this last form admits of readier 
cleansing. It has been observed, that the bottom 
nests should lie raised about six inches above the 
floor; the step which this causes should bo fronted 
with the same smooth (lag which form? the floor, and 
should not be vertical, but Inclined. The skirting 
round the walls, where there are no nests, should bo 
a continuation of this stone fronting, and inclined 
also; the walls should be smoothly plastered Hush 
with the skirting. Where tlio construction admits of 
it, the coiling should be formed by lathing and plas¬ 
tering the under aide of the rafters; and the best 
form for the roof is the hopper shape, with a ventila 
tor at the apex. 
I’roper roosts must, bo provided either by building 
in rounded battens between wall and wall, or by 
erecting vertical posts or pillars in '■« c. •u. r of the 
aparmieni, and fixing to them frames, for the roosts, 
a« iu inc- figure. V 
live in a house without a roof. The hay crop is one 
of the most important that farmers raise, and every 
means should be taken not only to secure it in the 
best condition, but to add to its bulk. This crop 
keeps starvation from the barns and cattle-yards, and 
such exertions should be put forth as shall prevent, 
waste either by unpropitious weather or the careless¬ 
ness of those engaged in makiug and gathering. 
dations, no eggs may be expected from the Black 
Spanish fowls during tho severe winter mouths. 
Martin says:— “This breed is clad in glossy, sable 
plumage, the comb is remarkably large, single, and 
often pendent on one side; the wattles are extremely 
developed, and the skir* below tbe car on each cheek 
is white, contrastingly strongly with the scarlet of the 
comb arid wattles, and the 
glossy black of the plum¬ 
age. The cock is a noble 
and stately bird, remarkable 
for size and height; it is in 
fact, superior in stature to all 
our domestic races, if we ex¬ 
cept the Malay fowl, and at the 
same time it possesses excel- 
lent, symmetry. The hen 1s also 
of good size and good figure. //' 
Brought originally, as it is be- U\;J f 
lieved, from Spain, this breed jjfa'jf 
is nevertheless v 
tian fawls with the common birds, as the cocks are 
exceedingly pugnacious and troublesome, even worse 
than the Game, and will riot only attack each other, 
but even the largest fowls in the yard, and in tlio 
absence of a better match will assnjl the turkey. 
We give, according to request, a description of the 
Black Bantam, which is one of the prettiest of the 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOOBE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors, 
Thk Sural New-Yorker is designed to be unsurpassed in 
Yalue, Parity, Usefulness and Variety of Contents, and unique 
and beautiful in Appearance Its Conductor devotes his per¬ 
sonal attention to the supervision of its various departments, 
and earnestly labors to render the Rcral an eminently 
Reliable Guide on all the important Practical, Scientific and 
other Subjects intimately connected with tho business of 
those whore -nterests it roalously advocates. As a Family 
Journal it is eminently Instructive and Entertaining— being 
so conducted that it can be safely taken to the Be a its and 
Homes of people of intelligence, taste and discrimination. It 
embraces more Agricultural, Horticultural, Scientific, Educa¬ 
tional. literary and News Matter, Interspersed with appropriate 
and beautiful Engravings, than any other journal,—rendering 
it the most complete Agricultural, Literary axt> Family 
NEWSPAPER in America. 
According to promise made two weeks since, we 
continue the subject, in response to various inquiries, 
all of which, we think, are answered fully, and we 
hope satisfactorily. 
POULTRY nOUSE. 
The arrangement of a Poultry House may be very 
simple, and yet meet all the requirements of tho tene¬ 
ments. The roost should ho so arranged that the 
droppings may he conveniently gathered lift every 
day or two, and be entirely apart from the place 
designed for feeding and laying. Where house room 
is circumscribed, the food and water may be kept in 
the yard, hut should be protected from the wither. 
The nests may be very -simple, a box containing 
straw, and yet those should be so arranged as to 
secure the hen the privacy which she desires. The 
want of attention to this often induces fowls to for¬ 
sake tlio nests designed for them and seek a place, for 
laying more retired. 
Where poultry have a wide range and can thus pro¬ 
cure the food they require, and deposit their eggs in 
the hay mow or any other place that suits thtflr fancy, 
they will seldom be troubled with disease or vermin, 
but when confined in a small house and yard, care 
must be exercised in feedihg and in securing proper 
cleanliness. Grain alone will not sullice for food, 
and the refuse from the Fitchen will be found ° —•*>• 
obi» aid. A run in the garden lor an hour in the 
evening will be of great assistance, and a little watch¬ 
ing will prevent mischief, Limo or chalk, and occa¬ 
sionally a little fresh meat, should be given. Neats 
should frequently bo changed and the old straw 
burned. A few tobacco stems in the bottom of the 
nest or mixed with the straw, is a great protection 
against vermin, and all the wood work of the house 
should be white-washed two or three times during 
the year. A good pile of dry ashes and sand should 
be kept at all times under cover where the fowls can 
dust tliemselves. If this is done there will be little 
trouble, but where bens are setting, or from any 
other cause, the vermin Dave become numerous, mix 
a little sulphur with the ashes and sand, and all will 
soon be destroyed. 
We cannot answer the query as to the profits of a 
thousand hens, or any large number kept in one 
yard and house, as we have not had experience. 
With proper precautions to secure the health of tho 
fowls, we know not why they may not be kept profit¬ 
ably on a large scale, but neglect will make a total 
failure, and furnish plenty of dead bodies for the 
manure pile Not having any plan of a large Poultry 
House built in this country, we give one from Mor¬ 
ton’s Cyclopedia 
“If poultry are to be kept at all, they should he kept 
so as to turn them to tbe best account. They should 
have a lofty, spacious house, with a yard and shed 
attached. The house should be moderately warm, 
well lighted, nud perfectly dry. There are, In com¬ 
mon practice, two ways of fitting up the interior of 
the poultry house. The one Is, to form boxes along 
the walls, to serve as nests for tbe fowls; the other is 
to have shelves along the walls merely, on which 
baskets, to form the nests, may be put. These boxes 
and the shelves may be formed of wood; but they are 
better when constructed of smoothly polished llag- 
stonea or slates. The usual arrangement is to have, 
for the liwger fowls, a row of boxes two feet high, 
two feet deep, and two feet wide, next to the floor, 
but raised above it by a step of six inches high; and 
on the top of theae large boxes, to have one, two, or 
three tiers of smaller boxes, generally fifteen inches 
in width, height, and depth, The top of tho lowest 
boxes, projecting nine inches beyond the tier above, 
forms a gangway in front of tbe second row of neats; 
and gangways are formed for the others, either by 
making the horizontal divisions wider, or by adding 
a board carried by brackets. In these box nests, the 
straw is liable to be drawn out. To prevent this, a 
•y hftrdy, and ;|l.l M/fffw, 
is reared as canny as any of WpjJfSk 
inferior importance. To those i|w ''a 
who breed fowls for the sake of 
tho flesh and eggs, this fine Ms gjt 
variety cannot he too strongly mm 
recommended. The flesh is de- \b 
licately white?, tender, and juicy, -•— . • — 
and the hens are free layers.” 
Tho thorough-bred Spanish 
fowl should he entirely black, 
as far as feathers are concerned, ~ 
and when in high condition dis- / ‘ 
play a greenish metallic lustre. 
An erect, brilliant scarlet comb, 
serrated; with a clear milk- 
white faco mid «°* >i,*.iv 
blue leu 0 ' l< *fty carriage. Wattles of the hen small, 
hot. largoqjid very cmiKpicuousiuthe cor.).-, and, lilra 
the comb, of ft light scarlet. This marked eotihrast or 
black, bright-red, and white, makes the head of tho 
Spanish cock ns handsome as that of any other 
variety; and in the genuine breed the whole form iB 
equally good. The cock-bird should be strong and 
short in the logs as possible; his hack from tail to 
neck short, tail largo and ample. He should weigh 
not less than six pounds; the head is rather large, 
the spurs long and sharp, and the bearing and car¬ 
riage proud and high. Tbe face should commence 
from where the Comb joins on the head, and must 
extend downward over and around the eye till it 
meets the white ear lobes. 
Spanish liens are also of good size and good figure, 
and are celebrated as good layers, producing very 
large, white eggs. The head of the hen should bo 
neat, and of moderate size; eyes bright; comb single, 
very large, and pendulous; face entirely white, the 
white extending round tbe eye; neck of moderate 
length, neatly sot on; body broad; wings of middle 
size; logs a bluish-white; tail long and well squared; 
plumage of a glossy black, with brilliant tints of 
green and purple, as in the cock, but less brilliant. 
Her weight, should not, he less than live pounds.” 
Our engraving shows the form of both fowls quite 
correctly. 
BANTAM FOWLS. 
The Bantams are pretty, well-formed little birds, 
and their flesh is delicate, serving very well in the 
place of chickens. Although they lay more eggs than 
any other variety, they are very small, and Bantams 
are not usually kept for their eggs, hut for curiosity. 
They are not much more troublesome in the garden 
than small chickens of the larger breeds, and destroy 
a great number of injurious insects. In our earlier 
days the White Feather Legged variety was our 
favorite. They have the legs ho completely covered 
with feathers that they can do tout little'mlKohief in 
the garden, but we have not seen a brood for a long 
time. This was probably the variety spoken of by 
Boswell, who Hays:—“One of the prettiest Bantam 
patriarchs we have ever seen, was when on a visit to 
one of the finest landscape painters of the day, in the 
yard of our friend Air. Brown. He marched majestic¬ 
ally at the head of his tiny tribe, and was of a very 
fine breed from Ayrshire. They had the full scope of 
Entered nceorflinir to act of Convre.=s, in the year 1H61, by 
n. I). T. Moore, in the Office of t.li:• Cleric of the District 
Court tor tbe Northern District of New York, 
Vj7~ Our only object In copyrighting this paper Is to secure 
what every honorable journal -t will freely grant,— proper 
credit for articles selected from its pages. Any and every 
journal it; at liberty, and invited, to copy freely, by crediting 
each Original article or illustration to Rural Few- Yorker. 
HAY - MAKING. 
Although the spring has not been the best that 
could he desired for planting, or the germination 
of the apring grains, and has proved quite destruc¬ 
tive to our fruit and fruit trees, it has latterly been 
ciuiLs fa vo i tide for winter wheat, and we notice many 
fields that in May appeared tiardjy worm Ba« i., k , «.u 
now giving fair promises of a tolerable crop. The 
grass and clover are also looking exceedingly well, 
as far ns we have observed, and from what we can 
Jearn, with fine weather for curing, tho hay crop of 
the country will be exceedingly large. This is our 
first summer erop, as well as a very important one, 
and with this well Bavcd, we liavo made a very good 
beginning. 
It iB important that everything should he out of the 
way before haying commences, as this absorbs the 
entire attention for ft- time, and it is very unpleasant 
while hard at work securing the hay, to have the 
feeling ever present that something is neglected, 
some crop suffering. It depresses the spirits, and 
unless a man has tho patience of Job, makes him a 
little irritable. Ho get everything out of the way, 
and be sure that, all implements required in the work 
are in the very best condition. The almost universal 
complaint among farmers during haying and harvest 
is scarcity of laborers, and this will be more serious 
the present year than ever before. A little fore¬ 
thought and calculation is absolutely necessary, 
therefore, on this point. 
The condition at which grass should lie cut to 
make the best and most nutritious hay is a very im¬ 
portant question, and one which has received a good 
deal of attention from the agricultural press, chem¬ 
ists, and practical farmers. The great object sought 
is the preservation Of the grass in its most perfect 
state,— in that stage in which it contains the most 
nutriment,— and with as little change as possible. 
Just when this time arrives is a matter of some dis¬ 
pute, aud it varies no doubt in the different varieties 
of grasg. As a general rule, perhaps, the heat time 
to cut grass is when iu full flower, and there ure some 
who will say that to this rule there is no exception. 
Others contend as confidently that Timothy should 
be cut when the Beed is well formed and about ripe 
enough to germinate. John Johnston, of Geneva, 
once, ufter discussing tho question with a neighbor, 
agreed to leave the subject with a flock of lambs, 
and they soon decided it by eating up clean that 
which was cut in (lower, while of that cut later a 
great part was left. 
At the West it is found that if Timothy is cut in 
flower, the roots are injured and the meadow about 
destroyed. This fact caused Prof. Kiktland, of 
Ohio, to make the subject one of careful investiga¬ 
tion, and he found the best time to eut to be when 
the stalk becomes dry at a point above the first or 
second joint of the stem. If cut earlier than this, 
the roots send up new stalks and thereby become 
weakened and die out during tbe winter. Of course 
the effect upon the future must be considered; but for 
makiug i sweet, fragrant, nutritious bay, it strikes 
us, the season of full flower, or just when the bloom 
is dropping from the earliest heads, is the happy 
moment. 
I he process of curing should, if possible, lie 
effected in the cock. Hay thus made retains more of 
the Juices, and much more of the color of the grass, 
than when spread Out thinly, exposed to the scorch- 
ing rays of the 6un, which burns rather than cures. 
The chief point after cutting is to preserve from the 
lain and dew, as these sadly deteriorate the quality 
of hay. In very bad weather it is almost impossible 
to make good hay, hut a good many contrive to 
make a pretty bad sample even in the best of weather. 
Hay-caps aro coining each year into more general 
use, particularly at the East, and so far as we can 
learn, with the most satisfactory results. Last sea¬ 
son a large grass-grower informed us he would no 
sooner try to make hay without caps than he would 
BLACK SPANISH FOWLS. 
class. The out gives a very faithful delineation of 
these birds. Where they are tq be obtained wo can¬ 
not say, out no (lout)t 0 f our poultry breeders 
have them to dispose of. We are indebted to 
Bf.mknt’r Poultry ltook for the following: 
"The cock has a full crimson rose-comb, similar 
to that of tho Hamburg fowl, with wattles and a face 
of the same hue, and the ear lobes, like tho Spanish, 
perfectly whito; his plumage is glossy black, reflect¬ 
ing purple tints with brass-colored spots on his back, 
which, however, is not common; tail ample, flowing, 
and Sickled; short, sinewy, clean legs of a dark 
color, lie has a waggish, impudent eye, self-satisfied 
air and gait. The ben is dusky black, with her comb 
and wattles small, and of a dull, leaden bue. The 
Black Bantams vary greatly in size, though occa¬ 
sionally we have found some Of the smallest Speci¬ 
mens of the whole family, sonic of which, even the 
cock, we should judge, would not reach one pound 
in their feathers. Divest them of their siefrie-feathers 
and they would pass for fan-tail pigeons. In respect 
to determined courage, the African Bantam will yield 
none — no matter the foe, even a turkey cock, to 
whom they arc opposed, or the cause of contention, 
they fight to'the last, and fowls treble their weight 
arc often forced to yield. Hence, unless restricted 
by secure inclosures, they arc unwelcome neighbors 
to other poultry; and consequently by no means so 
generally kept as, from the beauty of their plumage 
and their bold carriage —a very caricature of Bantam 
arroganqe would otherwise have happened. 
Figure 2. 
There should toe sparred ladders to the nests and to 
the roosts, as fowls often injure themselves, in their 
attempts to fly, by striking against the reosta or other 
obstacles. 
The house should he well lighted by one or more 
sliding windows, like tho one described for the barn, 
or by roof-lights; in which case it is necessary to 
provide the moans of admitting air near tho floor of 
the apartment. Besides the door for the attendant, 
it. is usual to make a small opening for the fowls, 
closed by a sliding shutter; this opening ia generally 
made at the height of about three feet above tho 
floor, and is reached by inclined gangways or ladders 
outside and inside. The yard for the poultry has 
only tliiB peculiarity, that it is surrounded by a low 
wall surmounted by a paling or lattice fence of wood 
or iron wire. When web-footed fowls arc kept, a 
small basin may be formed in the center of the yard. 
It should be very carefully constructed, with smooth, 
closely-jointed stones, aud should he provided with a 
supply pipe, an overflow, and a waste pipe, the latter 
to admit of its being emptied and cleansed. 
The shed requires no particular description; it 
should have proper roosts fixed all along its interior. 
Fig. 1 shows the plan of a portion of a poultry 
house, constructed as described, and Fig. 2, a trans- 
verso section of the same. The letters indicate the 
same parts in both figures; a, a, walls; b, />, rafters of 
the roof; c, ventilators; d, d, roof lights; e, e, e, 
largenosts; e', e 'i smaller nests;/, passage; g, g' t g, 
floor rising to an apex in tho center of the apartment; 
g, g, gutters; h, /», skirting; k, k, ladder to nests; l, l, 
frame carrying roosts, m, /«; n, n, lattice partition 
betwixt the passage and the poultry house.” 
BLACK SPANISH FOWLS. 
The Black Spanish is one of the most beautiful and 
useful breeds of our domestic fowl- They are not 
exceeded by any as layers, end do not frequently 
want to sit. We know of but one or two objections 
to them. The Spanish Fowls have large, erect, scar¬ 
let, serrated combs, very thin, and if exposed but for 
a short time during our cold winter days, the comb 
becomes frozen, and the appearance of tlie fowl 
injured. Indeed, mortification is said sometimes to 
take place. They often continue to lay until quite 
late in the season before commencing to moult, and 
when our cold autumn weather sets in are nearly des¬ 
titute of feathers. A good, warm house ia therefore 
necessary for their comfort and safety, and with this 
convenience, we know of no fowls we would prefer 
before them. Without such comfortable accommo- 
HOW TO FEED CALVES, 
“A little more grape” is now tho popular 
doctrine. Speaking of calves, a little more milk and 
meal is also in the line of profits and patriotism! 
How can a patriot light unless ho is fed, and how can 
he be led without food? Bread and meat are the; 
main articles of consumption by the multitudes 
whom the exigencies of the country have called to 
the conflict. 
It is a question of weighty importance, how can 
the farmers of our country supply all the actual and 
possible demands for grain and meat? 
Thorough tillage for the grain;—keep the hoes 
and harrows, and cultivators mov-: 
irig briskly all summer. Give no 1 
96* quarter to the weeds; they arei 
- secessionists. Keep tbe ground 
loose and light. Have every thing 
at the right time and in the right 
' Respecting meat, extra feed and 
mj %^ care w '*l make the beeves better 
Pjffi at two years old, than they ordi- 
j ^jj- - r narilyaro at three.; in faqt, ve may 
ft? yJfcy - add one-third to the quantity of 
r?ASg04- J beef, pork and mutton, which wo 
shall have yearly at our disposal, 
and at the same time increase our 
..-jv#-,-/ — profits in producing it; by feeding 
the ri gLt quantity, at the right? 
time, in the right way. 
ST'/ In this connection I take great 
pleasure in furnishing a statement 
made by John Johnston, of Ge¬ 
neva, concerning the feeding and 
sale of some cattle belonging t<> Mr. Hwan, which 
statement Mr. Johnston has been so kind as to for¬ 
ward to me: 
Importance and Profit op Good Feeding.— On the 1st 
flay of last month, my neighbor, Mr. Swan, sold ten two 
year old cattle at a little over sixty dollars each. None of them 
BLACK BANTAM FOWLS. 
the garden, and did little injury—the door step was 
their feeding place, and still did no discredit to the 
tidiness of good old Bernie, so that two or three 
Bantams may be kept without much molestation in 
any rural situation.” 
We would not advise the keeping of these liliipu- 
batten, three inches high and two inches thick, 
rounded on the upper edge, is laid along the front, to 
form a step. It is not fixed permanently, as it has to 
be removed, to adroit of the nests being washed out. 
When shelves merely are adopted, they are placed 
from eighteen inches to two feet apart. 
It is a decided improvement on' this plan to place 
II Lansmjr 
