weeks since ; at first, quivering of the head, 
then, in feeding, she would twitch it quickly, 
then throw her head on her back to swallow, 
then gaze about, os if she were looking for 
hawks to steal her away. She now seems 
somewhat better, but does uot eat much. 
As I am not experienced in giving remedies 
to sick fowls, I give the statement, thinking, 
perhaps, there might be something done to 
cure her. As yet I have not given anything, 
pulverized quicklime, 4 parts; powdered 
camphor, 1 port. Dissolve the arsenic and 
potash in water boiling, and add the soap ; 
allow to cool, and rub the camphor and lime 
in, in a mortal - . • , 
How to Sturt a Minkery is what a ( lafcs- 
kauy, Oregon, subscriber wants to know— 
the necessary steps und how to proceed. Can 
any ol' our renders give information additional 
to that published in the Rural New-Yorker 
of May 37, 1871, page 001 ? 
CANARY BIRD CAGES 
HAIR SNAKES 
Having read what M. W, said in the Ru¬ 
ral New-Yorker, Feb. 1, I would like to 
give my experience in the matter :—First, 
there is no such thing as a Hair Snake. 
Those long, white, thread-like “ tilings” that 
Where birds are affected with lice the 
following advice is most sensible :—Give your 
cages a thorough cleansing. If you have 
only one or two small ones, and they are 
infested with insects, scald them—put them 
in the kitchen copper. If you have large 
stacks of cages pull them down and have 
them out into the yard and turn on the tap. 
Give them pail after pail of water, and after¬ 
wards thoroughly whitewash the interior 
with whiting mixed with thin flour-and- 
water paste, to the consistency of thick 
cream. Fill up every crack, and especially 
the small ones. The larger cracks, such as 
the spaces which sometimes occur from the 
wood warping, are not of so much conse¬ 
quence. They are not such comfortable 
tenements as the minute interstices into 
which you can hardly insert the blade of a 
tableknife. Use a medium sized paint-brush, 
and work the stuff well in. and finish off 
smoothly. Clean your perches, see that all 
old wire holes at the back or elsewhere are 
filled up, examine seed hoppers, and scald 
them if need be, tear down all cornices and 
ornamental carving, and leave no hole or 
corner uncleansed. Keep a sharp look-out 
for stragglers during the season, and with 
ordinary care and strict attention to cleanli¬ 
ness you need not be troubled. 
ROSES—PRUNING, ETC 
Some time last fall you published a list of 
twelve roses which you culled from the choice 
of a number of nurserymen. I sent for all on 
the list I did not have ; could not obtain 
“Anna do Diwsbouh” at all, and lost “Man - 
dial Neil” for the fourth time ; the other ten 
are truly splendid, and I wish hereby to rec¬ 
ommend said list of twelve roses to such 
Rural New-Yorker readers who stand in 
need of it, us 1 did. 
Could you not give us an explicit article on 
pruning roses ? The Rural Gentleman had 
some good advice last week, but it was not 
explicit enough. I have several books on 
(lowers, but nothing satisfactory about prim¬ 
ing roses. To illustrate my meaning ; I ,ast. 
fall, a year ago, 1 cut down a rose bush to 
about ten inches of the ground ; the same 
bloomed very late, and had the (lowers In 
such heavy clusters that after cutting out 
half of the lmtls the blooms were crowded, 
small, and all of them on the cud of each 
branch. The same bush was not pruned at 
all last fall, and I now have, and have had 
for some time, more flowers on the same, 
and they were at least twice a* large as ( hose 
of last year. This rose does not slicker; now. 
when am I to prune for bearing branches to 
bloom next year 1 Must I go over the same 
ground again t Some rOfios ought to be cut 
down every uUtUtnu ; they need the knife ; 
but there are others that need to be pruned 
iu a different fashion—the how is what J uni 
after. 
I have three catalogues before me, two of 
them by well-known horticulturists. In one 
I find “Victor Verdier” described as “rose, 
shaded carmine;” in the second, “bright 
pink in the third, “beautiful deep car¬ 
mine.” Now, is it “ My dear, you pays your 
money and you takes your choice ?” or am l 
to undemtand that the different descriptions 
are due to difference in soil, lat it ude, etc, ! 
A lady friend to whom 1 gave your list 
showed me the flower from u “ Victor Vpr- 
dier” she had sent for, which bloom was al¬ 
most, pure white ; she consoled herself that 
it might bear roses of the tree color when the 
plant is older. Hoping I do not trespass on 
your space, I remain—G. C. TO., Jackson, 
Miss. 
It would be next to an impossibility to tell 
exactly just how every variety of rose should 
he pruned—in fact, specimens of the same 
variety require different treatment in prun¬ 
ing, as one may grow very vigorously while 
another, standing by its side, would be the 
exact reverse ; consequently, only general 
rules can be given in regard to pruning the 
different, species and varieties of the rose. 
The practiced gardener prunes according to 
the habits of each variety, remembering tl. > 
general characteristics of the species in hand. 
As a rule, monthly sorts should have their 
blooming stems pruned after the flowers 
have fallen, this operation having a tendency 
to hasten the growth of another set of bloom¬ 
ing shoots. 
MONOGRAM. 
some call snakes, are hair worms ; they are 
not snakes any more than angle worms are 
snakes. They are not called “hair worms” 
because they grow from hair, but from re¬ 
semblance to a hair, Hair from the human 
head or from cattle, nil I not torn Into snttWs 
or worms of any description) M. IV, and 
“ Friend” “to the contrary notwitlistand 
mg.” Will they please consult, Webster's 
Unabridged Dictionary about the matter ; 
and while they are looking in the Dictionary 
they can look at the representation of the 
Furies, and see how the “human face di¬ 
vine” won hi look with snakes for hair. The 
idea that, a hair will t urn into anything hav¬ 
ing life is too absurd to lie entertained on© 
moment by a person of sense. 
Cortland Co., N. Y. Student. 
monogram. 
except vegetables in feed, and water to drink, 
with white oak bark soaked in it.—A. S. V. 
C., Hartford City, Inti. 
COLORED LIGHT AND RESPIRATION 
PAIRING CANARIES 
The animal to be experimented upon was 
placed in an airtight box into which no light 
could i lenetrute except such as passed through 
glass of a given color. Air freed of carbonic 
acid was constantly admitted into the box, 
and escaped by a second opening, where it 
passed through a vessel which contained 
some absorbent of carbonic acid, so that its 
amount could be accurately determined. 
Representing the quantity of carbonic acid 
respired bjr a dog iu a given time, under 
white glass, by 100, the amount given off 
under black glass was 82.7 ; under violet, 
87.78 ; under red, 03; under blue, 103.77 ; 
under green, 100.08 ; and under yellow, 120.83. 
The difference was still greater when the 
experiment was tried on a pigeon and on a 
hen. The authors came to the conclusion 
that green and yellow rays, which are the 
most important to the vegetable kingdom, in 
taking up carbonic acid, are also most favor¬ 
able to the respiration of animals—that is, 
enable them to give off the most carbonic 
acid. 
W. A. Blakston says It Is usual to pair 
a Golden-spangled cock with a Silver-spangled 
hen, for the same reason that it is usual to 
pair Yellow and Buff, or Ruff and Yellow in 
other varieties. The Buff bird, to which 
class the Silver-spangled Lizard belongs, is 
the more compact-feathered heu of the two ; 
and the pairing of Yellow with Buff, and 
vice versa, is with a view to secure close, 
tight, hard plumage, which to a great extent 
is lost when two Yellows are paired. The 
result of pairing two Buffs is increased close¬ 
ness of feather with the loss of color, while 
the pairing of two Yellows results in Increase 
of color at the expense of feather. Each is 
necessary sometimes, and on judicious pairing 
much of the success depends. A somewhat 
similar result occurs on pairing two Crests. 
NOTES FOR NATURALISTS, 
Lcaptt of the G russhopper and Flea.— Dr. 
Martin Barry, in his renewed inquiries con¬ 
cerning the Spiral Structure of Muscle says : 
“ Muscle from the Hugh of the grasshopper 
having uniformly presented a relaxed stal e, 
it appeared t o the author probable that such 
a state was not. unconnected with the sudden 
muscular contractions required by this crea¬ 
ture for its leaps. A sudden change from 
such a state of relaxation to that of ext reme 
contraction must here take place with the 
greatest facility, and he combined with the 
manifestation of great power. This opinion 
having been mentioned to Professor Purk- 
inje, t he latter recommended the author to 
examine the corresponding muscle from the 
(tea, In which, from it.s enormous leaps, some¬ 
thing similar would, tie thought, tie found. 
The author accordingly examined some of 
these, and had the satisfaction to find in them 
a degree of mnspidar relaxation even higher 
than that he had observed in the grasshopper. 
Similar conditions, no doubt, exist in other 
animals, but perhaps nowhere are they more 
remarkable and constant than in those just 
mentioned. 
Foxe x Among Landis, Pigs and Poultry 
having been complained of by a correspond¬ 
ent of the Country Gentleman, another cor¬ 
respondent says “ Let him saturate strings 
in melted sulphur and tie around the lambs’ 
necks, and they will be safe. Then saturate 
a number of old rags and drop them promis¬ 
cuously on three or four acres around the 
TOES OF LIGHT BRAHMAS, 
I should like to know whether thorough¬ 
bred Light Brahmas have two or three full 
length toes in froul or not. I have what are 
said to lie pure-bred. Some have two and 
others three toes in front, with warts on. I 
should have said the outside toe is minus both 
toe and nail. 
1 should like, also, to know of Rural read¬ 
ers if they ever knew of a Light Brahma lay¬ 
ing two eggs at one sitting. One of my 
neighbors says he has a hen that played that 
trick all through a litter.— Henry B. HorNjcr, 
Jefferson Co., Pa. 
So far as we have observed, Light Brahmas 
have three, full length toes, with nails, iu 
front, There may be exceptions, but we 
never saw any. 
HYGIENIC NOTES 
Chronic Costiveness .—Will some one give 
a remedy for chronic costiveness, and oblige 
many who are greatly afflicted in that way, 
myself included. 1 have made use of Gx - a- 
lmin flour and cracked wheat for several 
years, and for a t ime they did seem to have 
the desired effect; but of late they seem to 
have lost their purgative qualities, and l have 
to resort to pills and kindred medicines, which 
if too frequently used, have an injurious ef¬ 
fect upon the system.—M. A. 8., Bridgtlon, 
Cun of Small Pax and Scarlet Fever .— 
E. C., in Hi kal New- Yorker, April 30, says : 
“ One grain sulphate zinc, one grab i fox glove 
( digitalis). 1 * The Inquiry fs as to t he digitalis 
—whether it is the powdered, leaf or root, or 
the fluid extract, or solid extract, of it; each 
is claimed to be of diff erent strength ; and it 
being poison, requires to be used with care. 
I wish you to say to E. C. to please explain, 
POULTRY NOTES 
Wants to Knote Ilow to Tell Pure and 
Genuine Eggs. — Ple.ose inform a beginner 
how a person is to know when eggs of fowls 
are pure and genuine and will hatch true to 
breed, after separation <if cock. In reading 
your paper and others. 1 see that one recom¬ 
mends to sit after third egg ; the other four ; 
and one the whole clutch. Now, 1 have 
separated a hen from the cock, this season, 
which laid eleven eggs, sat on them, and 
hatched nine out of tlie eleven ; the other 
two were good, but for some cause or other 
did not hatch. 1 am anxious to raise thor¬ 
oughbreds this season ; and from my experi¬ 
ence and what 1 have read, it ia impossible 
for m3 to decide, unless someone better post¬ 
ed can advise me.— a. f. 
We know of no way in which you can tell 
whether an egg will hatch a thoroughbred 
chicken, unless you know the pedigree of the 
parents. 
Raising Turkeys .—In answer to W. M, D., 
in Rural New-Yorker, April 2fi, allow me 
to say that I have done well in turkey rais¬ 
ing, by causing each one to swallow a berry 
of pepper, and by greasing their ears and un¬ 
der their wings. This should be done when 
one day old. I feed them with sour milk 
curd until three or four weeks old ; then mix 
the curd with corn meal. They should be 
kept from the wet until three or four weeks 
old.—c, e. w. 
A Sick Brahma Hen .—Will some of the 
readers of the Rural New-Yorker be kind 
enough to tell what ails a Braluna hen we 
Lave. She commenced ailing about two 
CANNOT MAKE VERBENA SEED GROW, 
Can any c.f the Rural readers tell me 
how to make verbena seed vegetate < 1 buy 
mine of Mr. Vick, and they are said to be 
fresh ; but do what I will not one will sprout, 
although I have good success with other seed 
obtained from the same sou roe.— m. w. 
We have never experienced any difficulty 
in getting verbena seed to germinate, but we 
will add that we ulways save our own seen ; 
our practice is to sow in shallow boxes in the 
house, and then transplant the seedlings to 
the garden when of proper size. When 
sown in the open ground there is danger of 
heavy rains washing out the Seed ; or If t he 
weather is dry at. the time the seedlings first 
appear they are likely to be burnt off 1 > v the 
sun. If you sow In pots or boxes, covering 
not more than a quarter of an inch deep, 
giving plenty of water, and then you do uot 
aucueed, rest assured that the seed is uot 
good, 
MONOGRAM. 
so as to prevent harm in using it ; is the dose 
one tea or tablespoonful? — C. Warford, 
Tioga Co., N. V. 
Bitter Apple. —One of our correspondents 
recommended in a prescription, some time 
since, ‘‘ Bitter Apple.’’ Another correspond¬ 
ent writes that he cannot find ' ‘ Bitter Apple” 
at the chemists, and asks where it can be 
got, and if it has any other name. We do 
not know any plant by that name. 
MONOGRAM. 
house, and his pigs and poultry will be safe. 
Foxes always make a retrograde movement 
when they smell sulphur.” 
Arsenical Soup for Preserving Bird and 
other Skins .—Tills is the formula of the 
French Codex :—Take of arsenious acid, 32 
parts ; dried carbonate of potash, 12 parts ; 
water, 33 parts ; white eastile soap, 32 parts : 
