four inches deep. To prevent the chicks 
getting into the trough and scratching the 
food out, a loose curved cover, made ot tin, 
zinc, or wood, in form as seen in Fig. 2, will 
answer the purpose. The wires which sup¬ 
port the cover should ho perpendicular, ton 
to twelve inches high, and set two and a-half 
inches apart. One end of the wire may be 
driven into tl»e ground, if desired, for a sta¬ 
tionary feed box, instead of having the top 
and bottom of the cover soldered to the 
wire. This trough can he made very 
cheaply by any tinsmith, and will economize 
food enough during one season to pay for 
more than a dozen such troughs. 
of examining them, and found the adipose 
tissue was alarmingly in excess, a d I felt 
fearful that the owner might lose them by 
apoplexy, or that they would never breed 
well; and, in order to test my opinion,' I 
offered twenty-five dollars for a dozen of 
their eggs. I heard last May that they had 
not yet laid an egg. 
Premium birds do not always produce 
the best chickens. Good results may often 
be obtained from moderate stock, provided 
that they be so selected that the defects of 
the cock may be counteracted by those of 
the Lens. Size in the Brahma is not of so 
much importance as most, people give to it. 
Fine, large chickens may be reared from 
small parents by proper care and attention, 
and good, regular and judicious feeding. 
The cock lias the most influence upon the 
fancy points, while the hen lues most upon 
I he form and size. If more attention were 
paid to the Rlmpe and straightness of the 
comb of the cock, we should see less of 
those grave defects which so frequently mar 
whole pens. I have seen magnificent birds 
with such crooked and fungus-likc combs as 
would almost disqualify them in my opinion. 
Judges have been too liberal with these de¬ 
fects. It is quite time it was stopped. Crooked 
combs should be bred out, and should not 
he tolerated. It is one of the most promi¬ 
nent characteristics of the bird, and almost 
the first object which the eye meets. The 
first object of beauty that meets the eye in 
looking at a cock or hen is its head and 
comb. It touches our sense of the beautiful 
immediately to see a small hetui and straight 
comb, and docile look. And I lie head of 
a Brahma fowl should possess these quali¬ 
fications. i. v. w. 
Greenville, N. J. 
the third and fourth year before “coming in 
milk.” If, then, we study economy in the 
raising of dairy stock, it will he necessary to 
pay some attention to the care and manage¬ 
ment of the animals front which we breed. 
If we exhaust the vitality of the cow by 
poor feed and laic milking, overtaxed nature 
will have its compensation somewhere; and 
the scraggy, ill-conditioned calf—the puny 
heifer, long in coming to maturity — results 
as a consequence. 
Of late years we see less disposition on 
the part of dairymen to have their cows 
come in milk so early as February and 
March. Many now hold that the best re¬ 
sults in profit are obtained when the cows 
“ come in ” during the month of April. This, 
doubtless, is the belter course, and if more 
attention were paid to lute milking and early 
winter feeding, we should obtain better 
profits, with a less number of farrow, dis¬ 
eased and broken down cows. 
usbanimi 
air n 
A POULTRY YARD 
DAIRY STOCK: 
liaising ic IVom IjU.teOIHL.cd Cows. 
Tnn practice among dairymen of rearing 
stock for the dairy—wo are glad to see—is 
gaining ground. A few years ago the impres¬ 
sion prevailed quite largely in the principal 
dairying districts of New York that it did 
not pay to raise stock on dairy farms, and 
hence the herds were annually filled up by 
importation from other localities. The high 
price of st ock of late years, and the difficulty 
of obtaining good milkers, have operated to 
change the views of many; and so the rais¬ 
ing of stock upon dairy farms begins to be 
more in favor. 
There are some points in regard to raising 
stock that claim attention at this season. 
The health and condition of a cow before 
calving have a greater influence on subse¬ 
quent results than many people imagine. A 
late-milked, lean, and badly-cared for beast, 
may often have an easier parturition than 
one better treated in this respect. But her 
neglect will show itself sadly in her milk 
during the subsequent season, and the poor, 
runty condition of her calf throughout its 
after course may he largely attributed to 
tliis cause. Cows, then, from which it is 
intended to raise stock, should be dried of 
their milk for some time previous to calving, 
and should have generous feed through the 
winter. There is a wide difference of opinion 
in regard to what is the proper time that a 
cow should go dry before calving. We have 
had some experience in this direction, and we 
should always prefer at least six weeks or two 
months as not too long a period to go dry, 
in order that the cow may recuperate her 
wasted energies and bring forth a healthy, 
vigorous offspring. Tliis course, it would 
seem, would be dictated by a common sense 
view of the matter, and yeL a large number 
of dairymen have no settled opinion in re¬ 
gard to the time a cow should go dry, but 
continue to draw the milk so long as the 
animal will yield it, even up to within a 
week or two of calving. 
It is true some cows are difficult to bo 
dried of their milk, and will yield a fair mess 
all the year round. In such cases, where 
the flow cannot be checked without injury 
to the udder, the milking must doubtless go 
on; but the feeding then should be conduct¬ 
ed with a liberal hand, and something better 
than hay, however well cured, will be re¬ 
quired. 
Every stock keeper should make a list of 
the names and ages of his animals, and a 
memorandum of the date of calving. One 
column should he set apart for remarks, and 
it will bo found very useful to make a 
minute in Ibis column of anything unusual 
that may occur during the year regarding 
the different, members of his herd. There 
are many tilings occurring from time to time 
in respect to stock which, with any consid¬ 
erable herd, it will he difficult, to remember, 
unless a note is made of it in writing. A 
book of tliis kind, properly kept, makes a 
reliable history of the different animals from 
their birth or purchase until they leave the 
farm, and it becomes a valuable aid often 
cither in treating disease or in the manage¬ 
ment and disposal of animals, and which 
cannot so well result when memory alone is 
relied upon for conducting operations. The 
practice at one time prevailed pretty gen¬ 
erally of having the herds come in milk 
during the early part of March. In order 
that ail should “bo in” by the last of March, 
a part of the cows were allowed to drop 
their calves in February. It is very hard 
upon cows “coming in” at tliis early season, 
for it is difficult to avoid more or less ex¬ 
posure to cold and bleak weather. With the 
late-milking and low tone of vitality in the 
fall and early winter, cows coming again in 
milk during February and March will not 
be likely to boar offspring of good sound 
constitution, and hence such stock often 
show weakness and disease, which often 
renders it of liLtle or no profit, Especially 
is this the easo when the heifer is allowed to 
come in milk at two years of age. But, on 
the other hand, a good healthy, thrifty 
heifer, when two years old, may have her 
first call, and if properly fed and cared for 
will increase in size and value before her 
second calf. 
To the dairyman who raises stock for 
milk it is an important consideration that the 
heifer begins to come in milk when two 
years of age, because then she begins to pay 
the cost of keep. If he is to wait until the 
animal is three or four years of age before 
“ coming in,” it will make a very expensive 
beast, and it is quite doubtful whether any 
better results will be obtained as a milker 
over a good, sound, thrifty heifer which lias 
her calf when two rears old 
We don’t know when we have spent an 
afternoon as pleasantly and profitably as we 
did on the I2di iust., while visiting, by in¬ 
vitation, the Poultry Yard of Isaac Van 
Winkle, Esq., Greenville, N. J. From 
all we saw and heard, we are inclined to be¬ 
lieve that lie is one of the most enthusiastic 
and careful breeders of poultry in America. 
He has not spared pains nor expense in fit¬ 
ting up bis henneries in fine style and with 
clue regard to the most perfect ventilation 
and scrupulous cleanliness. There seems to 
be a studied and systematic effort on bis 
part to make his hennery perfect in every 
respect, leaving but little room for any im¬ 
provement upon the. style, build, ventilation, 
&c., of cither his breeding coops, runs, or 
hospital room. There seems to have been 
selected a “ place for everything, and every¬ 
thing placed” just In its proper position. 
He exhibited to us some fine specimens of 
Dark and Light Brahmas; a trio of Buff 
Cochins, whose markings and plumage were 
perfect; Ins White and Black GHolders were 
a novelty to us, and were, indeed, good speci¬ 
mens of that French breed of fowls. They 
were more closely and compactly built than 
the long logged, long-hodiod sort shown in 
our engraving of the Oth hist., which was 
copied from Wright's Practical Poultry 
Keeper. Ml Van Winkle has just import¬ 
ed from England some Dark Brahmas from 
F. W it AGO, keeper of Lady Gwydkr, who 
has taken twelve cups during the present 
season at shows in that country. 
We here saw some fine specimens of the 
Houdan fowl, but from what we can gather 
of the La Fteche and Creve-Coeurs, we are 
more than ever impressed with the idea that 
they arc not, nor can they be, adapted to our 
changeable Northern climate; still we deem 
them a valuable breed, in many respects, 
and arc of the opinion they will prove in¬ 
valuable in more Southern and genial climes. 
Breeders might as "well make up their 
minds, that the Brahma and Cochins are the 
fowls to breed in the North—t. <5., with less 
trouble, care, and expense, than any other 
birds yet experimented with. 
We also saw in tliis yard one of the finest 
Seflon Brown-red Game fowls, we have seen 
for many a day. reminding us of the Earl 
Derby birds of thirty years ago. This bird 
was most perfectly marked, and stood and 
looked, as the breed must be conceded to be, 
the king of the games. 
Mr. Van Winki.k lias some good looking 
Red Pile Game fowls- one cock in particu¬ 
lar took our fancy, as being what maybe 
termed a perfect bird of that breed. His 
game liens were trim, neat looking fowls 
and show good breeding qualities. Some 
good White Leghorns are to be seen in this 
yard. 
We here saw also beautiful specimens of 
Aylesbury ducks, which have lately arrived 
from England. In fact to tell our readers 
all we saw in tliis magnificent poultry yard 
would take more space and time than wc 
now have; but we shall, in future numbers 
of the Rural New-Yorker, refer to tliis 
yard and its contents more at length, and 
shall give engravings of Mr. Van Winkle’s 
i u! plus ultra henneries and breeding coops, 
which are not patented, and from which our 
thousands of poultry readers and breeders 
can get some new and valuable ideas in the 
way of breeding, rearing and keeping of 
poultry. 
JlglftUC 
CANCER REMEDY. 
I nAVTT'discovered, in an old scrap hook 
which my wife keeps, and adds everything 
of interest there, a cure for a cancer, which 
every person ought to know. It has been 
tried in our family, and proved a success. 
I will give you the whole story, and you can 
use it as you see fit; it is this: 
“Not long since an article appeared in 
the Milwaukee Free Democrat, which the 
Providence Post thinks of sufficient import¬ 
ance to receive general notice. The state¬ 
ment of the Democrat is that some eight 
months ago Mr. T. B. Mason, who keeps a 
music store on Wisconsin street, ascertained 
that lie had a cancer on his face the size of a 
pen. It was cut out by Dr. Wolcott and 
the wound partially healed ; subsequently, 
it grew again, and while he was at Cincin¬ 
nati on business, it attained the size of a 
hickory nut. He lias remained there since 
Christmas, under treatment, and is now per¬ 
fectly cured. The process is tliis : 
“ A piece of sticking plaster was put over 
the cancer (a little larger than the cancer,) 
so that the cancer and a small circular rim 
of healthy skin next to it was exposed; 
then a plaster made of chloride of zinc, 
blood root, and wheat flour and water, was 
spread on a piece of muslin the size of tliis 
circular opening, and applied to the cancer 
fur twenty-four hours. On removing it, the 
cancer will be found to he burned into, and 
appear of the color and hardness of an old 
shoe sole, and the circular rim outside of it 
will look white and parboiled, ns it scalded 
by hot steam; the wound is now dressed, 
and the outside rim soon separates, and the 
cancer comes out in a hard lump, and the 
place heals up. The plaster kills the can¬ 
cer, and it sloughs out like dead flesh, and 
never grows again. - 
“ The remedy was discovered by Dr. Fell 
of London, and has been used by him for 
six or eight years with unfailing success, 
and not a case has been known of the reap¬ 
pearance of the cancer when this remedy 
has been applied.” 
The above remedy has been used on a 
sore in our family which had every appear¬ 
ance of a cancer. It had attained the size 
of a large chestnut, and it came out exactly 
as represented above, in about ten days, and 
healed up in ten days more. 
Saratoga Springs, N. Y. S. S. Webcott. 
CARROTS 
For Winter nml Spring Itnttcr Making. 
A ‘writer in a recent number of the 
Country Gentleman, speaking of the value 
of carrots as a feed for milch cows, is of the 
opinion that in certain cases, as for instance 
for butter making in winter, there is no kind 
of roots equal to the Orange carrots, since 
by feeding no other root can you moke such 
good, sweet, yellow butter. He says“ Cows 
are also more healthy when well fed on car¬ 
rots. It has been asked in Agricultural 
journals and Farmers’ Clubs if any cow that 
was well fed on carrots was ever known to 
gel sick or fail to do well when site came iu ; 
and I cannot now recall a single instance 
when either the one or other was the case. 
Tliis tendency of carrots to preserve and 
promote health and thrift also makes them 
an excellent feed for calves the first winter. 
With good hay, a very little grain, and 
plenty of carrots, calves will grow finely all 
winter." 
Wc agree with the writer that there is no 
root superior to carrots as a feed for milch 
cows in winter, when a nice, yellow, well- 
flavored butler is the object. Cows in spring 
that are supplied with plenty of early cut 
hay, well cured, and liberally fed with oar- 
rots and a little grain, will make butter al¬ 
most equal in color and flavor to that made 
w’lien the cows are at grass. It is well 
know’ll that certain makers of “ fancy but¬ 
ter” are careful to give their cows no oilier 
root but carrots; and they should be grown 
at least to some extent on all dairy farms, as 
a feed for cows when in milk during winter 
and spring. 
It is true carrots arc the most expensive 
root crop that, is grown ; and wc should not 
advise that they be made the main root crop; 
but, to a limited extent, and in connection 
with other roots, they arc certainly to be re¬ 
commended, notwithstanding their compara¬ 
tively high cost. They are, no doubt, excel¬ 
lent for calves. Still, considering their cost, 
we should quite as soon feed the sugar beet 
and yellow globe mangel; and with good 
liny and a little grain there should he no 
trouble about calves wintering well and 
coming out in spring vigorous and thrifty. 
POULTRY NOTES 
Drinking Fountains. 
We give herewith engravings of a couple 
of drinking fountains, which may be of some 
service to those of our readers desiring them. 
Fig. 1 shows a barrel fountain; it lias a 
Fio. h—B arrel-Fountain. 
small tube extending from the cask to a 
shallow dish or pan, which should be small, 
so that the fowls cannot get into it and soil 
the water. Fig. 2 shows a bottle fountain, 
which may be made by taking a two or three 
SCALE BOARDS. 
Pressing Kettle Hoards upon Green CIimiii*. 
In the last Report of the American Dairy¬ 
men’s Association, we find a communication 
from Wm. Beattie in regard to pressing 
scale hoards on to green cheese. lie says; 
“ During the past season l have made 2,100 
cheeses, and have scale boarded nearly all 
of them. In 1808 I also practiced this plan 
to some extent. I am convinced, after fifteeri 
years’ experience in the business, that it is a 
decided advantage to press the scale board 
on the cheese when new.” 
Among the advantages claimed by Mr. 
Beattie, are the following: 
1 . It effectually prevents the depredations 
of flics. 
2. The surface of the cheeses will not 
check and crack when dry, iu cold or windy 
weather. 
3. The surface of the cheeses is smoother 
and requires far less grease. 
4. The cheeses will not so readily mold on 
the surface; and if they do mold, it is more 
easily rubbed off. 
5. Cheese, when cut, has a much cleaner 
and thinner rind. 
In conclusion lie remarks:—“It is true 
that the wood, when oiled, takes on a dark 
grained appearance, which is at first objec¬ 
tionable ; but one soon becomes accustomed 
to this, and buyers find no fault with it, for 
the board offers no Resistance to the trier." 
We do not learn that this plan has been 
practiced to any extent among the factories, 
and wc fancy cheese treated in this way 
would not sell so well for export. We pre¬ 
sume additional scale boards must be used in 
boxing the cheese, and if that should be the 
ease, there would be some additional expense 
iu scale boarding the cheese. 
PROTECT YOUR EYESIGHT, 
Milton’s blindness was the result of over¬ 
work ancl dyspepsia. One of the most emi¬ 
nent divines, liaviug for some time been 
compelled to forego the pleasure of reading, 
spent thousands of dollars in value, and lost 
years of time in consequence of getting up 
several hours before sunrise and studying by 
an artificial light. His eyes never got well. 
Multitudes of men and women have made 
their eyes weak for life by the too free use of 
the eyesight, reading small print and doing 
fine sewing. In view of these tilings, it is 
well to observe the following rules in the use 
of the eyes: 
Avoid all sudden changes between light 
and darkness. 
Never read by twilight on a veiy cloudy 
day. 
Never sleep so that, on waking, the eyes 
shall open on the light of the window. 
Do not use the eyesight by light so scant 
that it requires an effort to discriminate. 
Never read or sew directly in front of tho 
light of the window or door. 
It is best to have light fall from above, 
obliquely over the left shoulder. 
Too much light creates a glare, and pains 
and confuses the sight. The moment you 
are sensible of an effort to distinguish, that 
moment stop and talk, walk or ride. 
As the sky is blue and the earth green it 
would seem that the ceiling should be a 
blueish tinge, the carpet green, and the walls 
of some mellow tint. ^ 
The moment you are instinctively prompt- A 
ed to rub the eyes, that moment cease using | 
them. g 
If the eyelids are glued together on waking j 
POULTRY PROPAGATION—No. I 
The General Principle* ot' Breeding nnd 
Mn tin ff. 
Thinking it may be beneficial to some of 
your readers, especially to amateurs, as well 
as those who are unable to devote much 
time to tlie subject, also to those who have 
not the facilities of examining the best au¬ 
thors or studying the matter practically, 
which, without some guide, would take years 
to find out, I will devote myself to two or 
three articles on the General Principles of 
Breeding and Mating Fowls. 
Prize birds are not always the most de¬ 
sirable to breed from. Many persons have 
imported prize birds at very extravagant 
prices, and have been disappointed and given 
up in disgust. At most of the shows, size 
has had loo much estimation in the eyes of 
the judges, and more especially in tliis coun¬ 
try than in England ; and in order to gratify 
that taste and to carry off the first honors, 
breeders have been too much in the habit of 
stuffing their birds to such an extent as to 
make them ever after useless for breeding 
purposes, I saw last December, at the New 
York State Poultry Show, a pair of Partridge 
Cochins that had come from a breeder in 
Ireland, who is too much in the habit of 
stuffing his fowls for this market, that were 
imported at a very extravagant price. They most breeders. It can be made of zinc, tin, 
were finely marked and beautifully mated or earthenware, in an oblong form, to any de¬ 
birds of enormous size. I took the liberty sired length—width four inches, and two to 
Feeding Tron mIi*. 
It has been frequently suggested that in 
feeding fowls soft food, instead of throwing 
it upon the ground, thereby wasting the 
Fiq. 1. 
larger portion of it, a dish or trough of some 
sort should be placed in the hennery or coop 
to contain the food. In Fig. 1 we give an 
engraving of a trough that may he procured 
at little cost, which will meet the wants of 
Indeed, the 
general experience is that, the latter will make 
lyo* tlie liesL cow. But in many instances where 
calves have been raised from late-milked, 
* iV lean and exhausted beasts, they pass over to 
up, do not forcibly open them, but apply tlie Y0 
saliva with the finger, and then wash your J 
eyes and free with warm water.— Selected, Va 
We "linti be Rind to receive any facts or lessons 
which ttwj experience of dairymen tlie past sea¬ 
son has furnished them. We want exchange In 
this Department. 
^41 
_ 
I 
\ J ! 1 
Si 
iniu 
II 
