Wry ^mslwtiirrg. 
DAIRYMENS’ CONVENTION. 
Sixili Anininl J\1 »>i-i inu: of the American 
Dairymen*’ Annoclation. 
FIRST DAY'S SESSION. 
[Continued from patre 78, Inst No.J 
Coni Fodder Approved. 
The position taken liy Mr. Lewis in re¬ 
gard to the low value of corn as a soiling 
crop, was not sustained l*y a single member 
of Hie Convention, On die other hand, 
quite u ntimber gave their experience in the 
use of this plant, showing its groat value. 
Mr. Farrington of Canada, when a resi¬ 
dent of the Moliuwk Valley, had used sowed 
corn as a soiling crop, and with the best 
results. The stalks were small, and were 
eaten eagerly by slock. 
Dr. Wight of Oneida was in the habit of 
sowing corn broadcast, and very lliick. lie 
cut early, when the plant was succulent, and 
his cows would always cat it up clean. If 
cows aro over led u iih corn fodder, the llavor 
will puss into the milk, and this was the 
only objection be had found. 
Gov. Seymour rclerred to a letter recently 
received from Commissioner Cauron of 
Washington, asking information as to tlie 
value ol corn as a forage crop. He bud de¬ 
layed answer for the purpose of gelling the 
opinion of practical dairymen at this Con¬ 
vention. lie (Seymour) hud used com lor 
the summer soiling of cows during many 
years, and he had never doubted llmt lie 
bad been well repaid. He sows broadcast 
from three to three and a half bushels of 
Dent coru to the acre. The cows Improved 
and were invigorated on this food. The 
amoinii of manure required for growing the 
crop and the large percentage of water were 
no serious objections to its cultivation. He 
very much doubled whether there is any 
plant that can take the place of corn as a 
soiling plant. He did not doubt Hint hicern 
is a valuable crop, but the difficulty would 
be found that our climate and soil were not 
so well adapted to it. lie thought the at¬ 
tempt to make a soiling crop of timothy or 
common meadow grass would fail, because 
they would not endure more than one or 
two croppings in a season. lie said one 
should he cautious in condemning any plant, 
because it does not happen to succeed well 
upon a single farm. There was no crop so 
well adapted to lUe whole country as corn, 
and its great value arose from its being easily 
produced at those seasons of the year w hen 
other crops fail. The crop was of immense 
value to the dairy interest ol the Western 
States. Dairying could not be successfully 
prosecuted there without the use of corn as 
a Image crop. 
Mr. L. Soiikrmkriiorn of Oneida had 
soiled cows with corn fodder, and found it 
profitable. 
Mr. IIoooi.es of New Jersey agreed with 
Gov. Seymour. He said the people of 
Northern New Jersey would lie unwilling 
to give up the cultivation of corn as a forage 
plant. It. is regarded as a very valuable 
crop for soiling, in connection with pastur¬ 
age. The kind used is the eight-rowed yel¬ 
low corn. 
Mr. Chapman of Madison Co. had used 
fodder corn for the past thirty years, lie 
was much pleased with its results. Had 
grown four or five consecutive crops on the 
same piece of ground, without manuring. 
If ii is not allowed to ear, it does not ex* 
limit I he soil very much ; and lie would not 
allow it to ear when the crop was to be used 
lbr soiling. He had made careful experi¬ 
ments in feeding this crop, and he found 
that when he left, off feeding the corn his 
cow'8 shrunk in their milk, wlido the same 
quantity ol milk would not make so much 
cnocse as when the cows wore getting t.lie 
corn fo bier. 
Mr. I)]( K of Erie said he could get more 
mihi from green oat loddel* titan from com, 
biit them Ik produced from corn fodder was 
richer and yielded more cheese than the 
sum>! q uniity of milk obtained from feed¬ 
ing oats and clover. 
Mr. Ft ATT ol Clinton was satisfied that it 
was profitable to feed his cows fodder corn, 
lie manured the ground specially for the 
crop. Sowed corn, when taken olf, leaves 
the ground free of weeds, and he was in the 
liahit ol following the crop with wheat or 
barley, and seeding down to grass. He re¬ 
ferred to dairymen in his vicinity, having 
tlie same number of cows, whose bills for 
delivery of milk on August 1st showed a 
dilf.-rence of 8,500 pounds. One of them fed 
s aved corn to his cows after that period, 
and the oilier did not. The man who fed 
tin: corn, although his bill of milk was 
smaller than the other on Aug. 1st, not only 
made up the 3,500 pounds, but was 500 
pounds ahead in quantity over Hie other 
dairy on 8epl, 10th. The experiment lie 
thought, a practical and definite one, show¬ 
ing the value of corn ns a forage plant. 
Mr. Moon of Herkimer was confident that 
corn fodder not only increased the quantity 
but improved the quality of milk. 
Considerable other discussion was had 
upon this question — the experience of all 
going in favor of corn as a forage plant; 
w hen, in order to get the sense of the Con¬ 
vention, Mr. Arnold of Tompkins offered 
the following: 
Resolved,* Tlmt this Convention is of the opin¬ 
ion that corn is a valuable product for the dairy 
farm, and Halt we commend it an a forage crop. 
The resolution was adopted almost unan¬ 
imously. 
Hon. Geo. Geddes of Onondaga now 
moved that the answer to the question of 
Commissioner Capuon be referred to a 
Committee of live, to be appointed by the 
Chair, the Committee to report at next Con¬ 
vention, and the report to cover the follow¬ 
ing points: 
1st. The adaptability of cultivating corn 
as a soiling crop. 
2d. 'fbe best manner of culture. 
fid. At wliat Lime in its growth should it 
be fed. 
The Chair appointed as such Committee: 
X. A. Willard of Herkimer; Wise of 
Ohio; Jerome of Michigan ; Farrington 
of Cunada and Nicuols of New Jersey. 
ICvciiiiiu Moaalon. 
The Evening Session was almost wholly 
taken up in the elaborate address of Prof. 
Caldwell of Cornell University on the 
production of cheese in foreign countries. 
This was a very interesting and well digest 
ed paper, giving a very full description of 
the famous cheeses of Holland, France, 
Switzerland and Italy, and detailing their 
processes of manufacture. We. have no 
space to give a synopsis of this lecture, but 
may refer hereafter to some of the cheeses 
and their manufacture in a separate article. 
We may remark, however, in this connec¬ 
tion, that none of the processes of manufac¬ 
ture are adapted to our system Of cheese 
making, except, perhaps, the Sw iss cheese, 
and with the exception also of the latter 
there is no demand for such cheese in this 
country, or for export. The details of 
manufacture and curing of cheese upon the 
continent, of Europe are in some respects 
suggestive, and on this account the paper 
was listened to with attention, and was well 
received by the large audience of cheese 
makers and dairymen in attendance. 
(•I’lll'l'lll IliNI-'UMNfoil. 
At, the close of Prof. Caldwell’s address, 
there was a general discussion upon various 
topics relating to the dairy. 
Mr. Hawley of Onondaga affirmed that 
cows fed upon the natural grasses produce 
milk of the best quality. He did not think 
that the feeding of grain would give so good 
flavor fo the milk as the natural grasses, 
/uit that grain is much better than corn 
stalks. 
Mr. Chapman of Madison said that his 
cows were very fond of (lie sweet vernal 
grass, which had a fragrant aroma which 
was imparted in a measure to the milk. On 
this account lie thought this variety of grass 
valuable. In England the pastures and 
meadows abound in fragrant herbs, but we 
have few herbs here of the kind io improve 
the flavor of milk. 
Mr. Arnold of Tompkins said there is a 
peculiar llavor to every kind of herbage 
upon which cows feed, and that flavor is 
secreted ill their milk. By close observa- 
lioii/ve might learn what grasses were best 
to feed cows, in order to get cheese ol most 
desirable flavor. June grass gives a good 
flavor. Timothy, red top and white clover, 
each and all have a pleasant aroma, and 
make good milk. The alsike clover gives 
a much better flavor than red clover, the 
latter of Which he thought made, an inferior 
milk when led green or used as a pasture 
forage. 
Mr. Hawi/ey spoke at length in regard to 
the advantage of cooling milk at the farm. 
It was a very important consideration in 
good dairy management. 
Gen. Bruce of Madison made nn eloquent 
address, enumerating the advantages that 
had grown out of this Association, which 
WHS now a power iu the land. He said he 
had never attended a convention where 
there was more intelligence and earnest en¬ 
deavor to get at practical results than at this 
convention. He made nn eloquent appeal 
for the establishment, of an experimental 
dairy farm by the Stale, He thought an 
appropriation should be made for that pur¬ 
pose, and it would save millions to Hie farm¬ 
ers of the Slate. It the Legislature would 
cutoff its expenditures in the printing of 
public documents which were worthless to 
the people, a sufficient amount would he 
saved for the purchase of nn experimental 
farm. This would be of real benefit to all, 
and an honor to (he Stale. He hoped the 
Convention would not adjourn without tlie 
proper measures were taken to inaugurate 
this movement, and lie would pledge his 
earnest support in securing the requisite 
appropriation from the Slate, 
After a lew remarks from other speakers, 
the Convention closed its first day’s session. 
—[To he continued. 
-- 
\V<- have nn interesting letter concerning tlie 
dairy business in Erie Co., N. Y., from Hon. 
Lewis F. Allen, for which wo hope to flml 
space soon. 
c=> 
it jJmiltrg-Uarb. 
FEEDING THE CHICKENS. 
Wlmt should be Done lo iniike Ileus Lay fu 
rlie Winter? 
nr a. zalia. 
A nouSE-wiKK Is busy preparing a meat, 
For her chickens who wait round the door; 
A little white pullet, more bold than the rest, 
I (ms mounted the steps, mid in doing tier best 
A sl.v observation to steal, 
Otincernlug t he delicate meal. 
“O, those chickens! they arc such a bore 
Says the house-wife, and closes the door. 
What Is It she’s stirring so fust with her spoon? 
Let us peep in the kettle and see. 
Ah ! here are potato skins, Juicy and sweet, 
And some small bits of gristle, cut from tlie meat, 
That is cooking for dinner this noon ; 
The chickens will Npy It out soon. 
Red peppers; and what may these particles be? 
Oh,egg shells, all broken In pieces, 1 see ! 
And over the whole she has scattered some bran, 
And the breakfast Is boilingut lust; 
Now, slie dtp* the steaming mass from the pot, 
Take care ! O, ye chicks? ’Ms exceedingly hot; 
’T won't answer 10 be very fast; 
But what longing glances they cast, 
As they Jostle and crowd round the smoking pan: 
It looks good, but you’d better wutt If you can ! 
the posts. From the bottomof this square 
the tapering part of t he grain box reaches to 
within one inch of the floor, which should 
he raised on feet about, nix inches from the 
ground; the grain box tapers to cue foot 
square, and to bring the grain within reach 
of tlie fowls, a cone, as shown at A, is placed 
in tlie center of the floor, und should he so 
much smaller than the funnel part of the hop¬ 
per as to leave at least one inch space all 
around the cone, which forces the grain to the 
edge, where, as tlie fowls pick the grain away, 
more will fall and keep a constant supply 
within reach of the fowls, as long as any is 
left in tlie hopper. The slats on the sides 
are intended to prevent the fowls from get¬ 
ting into the trough or crowding one another. 
This hopper will hold about two bushels of 
YY TRIO OIF SILVKR-LAOKD JfANTAMH 
That Received the Ifirat Premium at tlie Now Yoik State Poultry iSliow. 
If they can—but, they cannot.; und who In to blame, 
It they blister their tonguea with the ntmv? 
•'Nmv. look out! don't you know it will scald you, 
chick ? 
But, no! Unit white pullet forever must pick 
For the very tlrrt morsel Whew ! 
I reckon you're moulded now, you 
Greedy y um, ! you've nu one to blame 
But yourself; I told you 'twoulcl burn," says the 
ilauiu. 
The feast nt. longili Itnlshed, she pounds on a stone 
Borne bones; the small bits tty around, 
" Imagine 1 can't," says I,lie good dame at last, 
'* Llow you manage to swallow these bones so fast! 
Have a cure! well, now, UP be bound ! 
If 1 didn't pretty near pound 
Your dear little head t got aw ay from this stone, 
While 1 pound up the rest, and I'll leave you alone ; 
There, you’ve had a good breakfast, now hasten und 
lay 
Some nleo eggs, that shall pay for your faro;" 
The dame lakes her pan, and goes in with a smile, 
And congratulatory speeches, the while 
She makes to herself “ Well, well I there 
Are no hen* that have better earn; 
A nd, of course, 1 he dear creatures ean’i help bu I lay; 
They shall have u warm breakfast, and bones every 
day 
Tlie moral, my friends, you will readily see; 
If your ehieken* In winter do well. 
You must give them, at least, one warm meal a day, 
A comfortable Iwi; sis, where from cold they may 
slay. 
Tills plan you wit I find to work well; 
TllO care you bestow will soon tell, 
In plenty of freshly laid eggs; ywii’ll agree 
If you trj but one winter my recipe. 
-- 
SELF-FEEDING HOPPERS. 
Having given, in former numbers of the 
Rural New-Yorker, several styles of feed¬ 
ing troughs and hoppers, we give herewith 
engravings and description of a simple feed¬ 
ing hopper, which we transfer Lo our columns 
from the American Poulterer's Companion. 
We think it. as desirable a plan as any yet 
given. If any of onr readers have bet¬ 
ter plans for feeding hoppers or poultry ap- 
■Qt 
. ‘ —-— ■ 
I-- 7 : Yr 
pliances of any kind, we trust they will for¬ 
ward us designs of them, and if of practical 
value we will print them. Of the hopper 
in question the Companion says;—“This 
feeding hopper is two feet square, the posts 
eighteen inches high, three inches square; 
the upper section of the box is six inches 
deep, the ends are mortised into or nailed to 
grain, and if the roof projected one foot all 
round it, it would protect it completely from 
rain. It occupies but little space, and from 
twelve to sixteen fowls can feed ut the same 
time.” 
- 
POULTRY NOTES AND QUERIES. 
The New York Mato Poultry Hoclely’a Pre¬ 
mium I.til. 
Wf, have received several communications 
from exhibitors at the late poultry show in 
New York city, who insist that they re¬ 
ceived premiums which are not recorded in 
the premium list, as published in the Rural 
New Yorker, and ask us to make correc¬ 
tions. If corrections are to lie made, tlie 
Secretary of the Society should make them, 
over liis signature; for the list we published 
was received from that official as a correct 
one. We cannot go over the records of the 
Society, to find whether these corrections 
should lie made or not. It is not our duty. 
But. it is the Secretary’s duty to do so, and 
lie will <lo bo if lie is worthy his position ; if 
lie does not do it, lie is not worthy of it. 
Aggrieved parlies, therefore, should apply to 
him for justice; and a certified correction 
from him will find place in our columns. 
Carrier Pigeon* in ihi* Country. 
A Vermont correspondent asks: — “Are 
Carrier Pigeons bred in this country ? If so, 
are there any for sale V It seems to me that 
if they could he introduced here it would be 
at least an interesting pastime to train, und 
correspond by them. Who has any ? Your 
suggestions as to their uses on board ocean 
steamers, are important, and humane. I hope 
you will continue to agitate the subject.” 
Fowl* Too IHnuy Varieties. 
It is getting practically demonstrated by 
the experience of many of our poultry fan¬ 
ciers that, as a rule, it. is a bad practice to 
keep a number of varieties, and does not 
pay. As the National Live Stock Journal 
says, two or three kinds of fowls are the 
most any one ought to try to keep ; and, in 
fact, there is not one amateur breeder in 
twenty who should try to raise more than 
one variety. Many persons, in inlying eggs 
for hatching, order a half-dozen of as many 
different breeds, and the result is almost 
anything but, satisfactory. Hatching some¬ 
times one or two chicks of a kind, and sel¬ 
dom mated, which necessitates buying more 
eggs, or other fowls to make a pair or trio, 
and thus requiring six times tlie care and 
labor to look alter three varieties that it 
does one. The result is, that as each kind 
must he confined—seldom, it ever, having a 
run in the grass—they become sickly, the 
eggs do not hatch, and a sort of miserable, 
convalescent feeling comes over you as you 
find yourself recovering from the henfever. 
But where the keeping of one variety only 
is attempted, you will not be asked why 
your fancy fowls do not lay and breed as 
well as the common “ dunghill.” This is 
our own experience, and we doubt very 
much if others who have endeavored to 
breed more than one variety of fowls at the 
same time cannot substantiate wliat we have 
here said. Our advice to amateurs is not to 
keep too many varieties of fowls. 
Wlmt Ail* my Bint? 
I have a very nice game cock that acts 
very strange, and i don’t know what ails 
him, or wliat to do for him. He sits and 
droops around, and when lie moves his legs 
und head will twitch and jerk so that lie 
can hardly walk ; Ins bill is part way open 
all of the time, and a thick slimu comes out 
ot it, about the color of cream, and lie will 
throw his head around sometimes, and 
throw out about a teaspoonful at once; lie 
will eat nearly as well as ever; there is a 
soft bunch in his crop, hut, I think the crop 
is all right, lie has been eating pumpkins 
and pumpkin seed, and I would like to know 
if that is what ails him; and if not, wliat 
does, and what will cure him V Perhaps 
some of the Rural readers will come to my 
relief. Ah lie is a very fine bird, 1 should 
not like to lose him.-—C iiab. E. Anderson, 
Providence, Luzerne Co., ! l a. 
Tlie Vital Spin'll in Kara*. 
I am not quite so far advanced in eggology 
ns to have discovered the vital spark in new- 
laid eggs, as referred to in a late number of 
the Poultry Bulletin, but I have a question 
to ask, which may lead the writer of said 
article to look at his eggs again. In every 
egg there is a small space filled with air, 
which is usually termed an air bubble. 
Now, why is this bubble on the side of 
some eggs, and in the end of others ¥ Has 
this anything to do with sex ? Will your 
scientific poultry breeders answer through 
the Rural New-Yorker? and oblige— 
(Querist, Baltimore, Mil. 
Foil I try on a large Henle. 
I should like to inquire, through the 
Rural New-Yorker, whether there is any 
one in the United States that is engaged in 
poultry, raising extensively. If there is, 
what lias been their success? Can three 
or four thousand hens he put together nnd 
keep healthy, and he made profitable with 
the view of producing eggs for market? Any 
information on the subject will he thank¬ 
fully received hv one who would like to 
engage iu the business.—J. II. II., Keokuk, 
Iowa. _ 
query lor Poultry Hlen, 
Why do penciled feathered fowls some¬ 
times throw ben-featbered cocks V or, in 
oilier words, why do the cocks of these 
breeds sometimes have feathers like the 
liens, nnd at the same time more than usu¬ 
ally perfectly penciled ?—B. D., llocheeter, 
N.‘ Y 
fi. 
icrbswan. 
NOTES FOE HERDSMEN. 
Tlio Fool unit .11 on ill Dlnetmc. 
This disease is among the cattle of New 
York, and in several parts of New England. 
It is very contagious, and animals affected 
with it should he promptly isolated from all 
other animals. Wo have heretofore des¬ 
cribed and illustrated the disease, and it will 
be well for our readers to review the articles 
already published. 
Cuttle Di*eii»e not from Canada. 
It lias been published, generally on tlie 
authority of the Secretary of the New York 
State Agricultural Society, that the “ Foot 
and mouth disease ” prevailing in New York 
and oilier States, came to us from Canada. 
The Toronto Globe of the Olh inst., says:— 
“ There is no foot and mouth disease in 
Canada—not one case—nor has there ever 
been an authenticated case of it known in 
tlie Province,” which statement is corrobo¬ 
rated by a letter from Dr. Smith, head of the 
Veterinary College of Ontario. 
Lice ou Calve*. 
Say to your inquirer, Henry B. Wei.les, 
that gypsum—or, as some call it, plaster— 
will kill the lice and not injure Ids calves. 
Commence at the top of the head and put it 
on along the neck and hack well down on 
the sides and Hips. It may require two or 
three applications to effect a cure. A good 
way to apply it is to take an old tin pun 
and punch the bottom full of holes and sift 
the plaster on with this.— Farmer, Cortland 
Co., N. Y. 
Mix a little lard and sulphur together and 
rub it on the hack of the calf—a strip four 
or six inches wide down the backbone from 
the head to the tail. This is sure and safe. 
—A Woman Farmer. 
I would say use lard, or one pound of 
lard and one-lialf ounce blue ointment, well 
mixed, rubbed along tlie spine once a week 
lbr two or three weeks. —J. L. Geyer. 
