I have attempted the raising of too many, 
according to the room, and tried to avoid 
the penalty for over-crowding, having given 
meat, milk, lime and extra vegetable food, 
with varieties of grain and corn in different 
forms, scalded, <fec,; but it was all of no use, 
and the only way is to spread them out with 
comfortable sheltered resorts, so that if 10 
or 20,000 are kept, every family will be sep¬ 
arate and have range unmolested by neigh¬ 
boring colonies, then there is no limit to the 
numbers which may be kept. Tbe best fowls 
I ever possessed were a cross between the 
speckled Dorking and Buff Cochin. Almost 
as well might bee-keepers expect bees to pay 
by covering over n yard and bringing flow¬ 
ers for them to sack honey from, as for thou¬ 
sands of fowls to pay in a yard. 
A Working Farmer. 
sweat, as they do not cure down as fast as 
the leaves. Especially is this true of the 
suckers left at the base of the plant. If the 
plants are late, the tobacco should be 
suckered oftener than if more forward ; this 
will cause tbe plants to ripen rapidly, and at 
the same time obtain large leaves. It is im¬ 
portant that the suckers bo broken off as 
close to the stalk as possible, as the sharp 
ends sometimes tear the leaves, making 
holes as fatal to the value of the crop as 
those made by worms or the elements. In 
a word, this part of tobacco culture should 
be as thorough as any. 
simple way of treating concrete. The plinth, 
strings, window-arches, and chimneys, are 
of red brick ; the window-sills are of stone. 
A stop-chamfered wood barge-board, by 
9 , is put to each gable, projecting about. 10 
inches ; the rafter feet also project about 4 
or 5 inches; and both are stained and var¬ 
nished. Fig. 190, 1, 2, 3, are details of strings 
to a half-inch scale. Figs. 4 and 5, are details 
of plinths ; and fig. 0 shows a window with 
stone head and chamfered red brick jambs. 
WILL P0ULTEY PAY 1 
EOLLING A CUEE FOE POTATO DISEASE 
TOPPING AND SUCKEEING TOBACCO 
The following clipping from some unnamed 
journal has been sent to us by a practical 
tobacco culturist with tbe remarks, “ Sensi¬ 
ble and worthy a place in the Rural New- 
Yorker.” We accept our correspondent’s 
judgment and publish it as timely: 
TOPPING. 
If the tobacco field is carefully hoed and 
cultivated, in a few weeks the plants will do 
to “top.” This part of the labor is neces¬ 
sary in order to bring the leaves to perfec¬ 
tion or ripeness, tbe condition and ‘color of 
which is greatly benefited by breaking off 
the leading stem and retarding the growth 
in this direction, and turning or directing it 
towards the leaves. The proper time to top 
the plant s has caused much discussion among 
tobacco planters. Some afllrm that the 
plants should be topped just as soon as the 
buds appear, while others assert that, the 
plants should not be topped until the flowers 
appear or until tbe plant is in full blossom, 
while others advocate that the blossoms 
Bhoukl fall before the plants should be top;ted. 
These three stages of topping which arc ad¬ 
vocated by tobacco growers can be tried by 
those just, commencing its cultivation and 
satisfy themselves. The time of harvesting 
will depend very much upon which of these 
methods the grower pursues. The order of 
ripening is as follows : When the first method 
is followed it will take about three weeks 
for tbe plants to ripen; second method, 
nearly or quite two weeks ; and third, about 
a week or ten days. Doubtless t he second 
method of topping is the one. generally pur¬ 
sued by most of our growers, and is, perhaps, 
as satisfactory as any. The best way to top 
the plants is to cut them off with a knife ; 
this gives the field a more even appearance, 
and in this way the plants may be cut just, 
where it is required. There are other theo¬ 
ries connected with topping, one of which is 
the hight. to top the plants. The higher the 
plants are topped the smaller will be the 
leaves. Therefore it is best to top low. On 
good soil the top leaves should be from two 
and one half to three feet in length, so that 
when cured they will be of the right length. 
Where the plants have been set late the to¬ 
bacco must be topped early in order to secure 
it before an early frost. TllC number of 
leaves left upon the stalk after topping, will, 
of course, depend upon the size of the plants— 
generally from eight to twelve leaves is 
enough. The better way for the grower is 
to look for large leaves rather than the num¬ 
ber, and the result will be more satis¬ 
factory. 
SUCKERING. 
The result of topping is quickly seen by the 
appearance of shoots or “suckers” around 
the base of the leaves and at the root of the 
plauts, caused, no doubt, by the sudden 
change effected by topping the plant. As 
soon as the suckers are about four or five 
inches in length they should be broken off, 
the leaves of the plant should be lifted care¬ 
fully so us not to break them, while due re¬ 
gard should be bad to those growing around 
the root so as to throw all of the strength of 
the plant into the leaves. The plants should 
be suckered twice unless they were well 
ripened or advanced when topped. 
If the suckers are allowed to remain upon 
the plants too long they become hard and 
tough and break off with much difficulty, 
and oftentimes the leaves are broken off with 
the suckers, causing much damage. The 
best time to break them off is in tbe morning, 
when Die plants are strong or recovered 
from the heat of the day. While they may 
be suckered at any time, they will generally 
bx-eak off much better early in the morning. 
Some growers do not sucker the last time 
until harvesting, cutting the plants first and 
then suckering them. But, as a general rule, 
the better way is to sucker in the morning 
before cutting and then follow on with the 
tobacco-cutter. The suckers should not be 
allowed to remain during the curing of the 
plants, as they oftentimes cause pole-rot and 
POULTEY NOTES 
Chickens in Trouble, —W. J. T. F., Pater¬ 
son, N. J., says many chickens are dying in 
his neighborhood. Symptoms :—Fowl is very 
droopy, its head becomes a dark blood hue, 
and the crop becomes very much swollen, 
when it dies. We cannot tell what the trouble 
is unless the chickens are crop-bound. Dis¬ 
section ought, to show. If this is the trouble, 
make an incision with a sharp knife through 
the skin and upper part of the crop and 
loosen the contents of the crop and remove 
it with some blunt-pointed instrument; then 
take a Btitch or two to close the incision and 
feed warm, soft food—mush, potatoes, &c.,— 
and give them free range. 
Lice in a lien House .—Please inform me 
how I can rid my hen house of “ mites” or 
small lice ; they are numerous, and the house 
is new. They came with my hens.— Sub¬ 
scriber. 
Clear the house of all litter ; sweep and 
brush it thoroughly ; close it tightly and 
fumigate it by burning brimstone in it ; then 
wash it (by using a paint brush) with kero¬ 
sene oil; or whitewash it thoroughly. We 
think this will clear the house. 
Diarrhea in Young Pigs .— M. D. Mulfokd 
says in American Swine Journal :—Many of 
our swine breeders in the West sustain con¬ 
siderable loss annually by their pigs dying 
from the effects of what is commonly called 
scours, caused by the bad quality of the 
sow’s milk. The disease is more apt to make 
its appearance when the sow has been fed 
upon dry corn or musty food. It generally 
attacks them within one or two days after 
their birth, and seldom after eight or ten 
days. I have never failed to cure this dis¬ 
ease, by giving the sow as much sulphur of 
the third decimal trituration as will stand on 
a nickel five cent, piece, once a day. It may 
be given in a little sweet milk, or upon a 
small piece of bread, und should be given 
one hour before feeding. The medicine can 
be procured of auy Homoeopathic physician. 
I have cured many cases with common 
sulphur, but prefer tbe above. 
Kidney Worms in Swine .—A recent writer 
says“ We sometimes see bogs dragging 
their hind legs. This is caused by w orms in 
giving a teaspooniui or rurpentin * every 
morning for three or four days, mixed with 
corn. Hogs which have been feeding on 
acorns are most subject to this disease, and 
should have turpentine at least once or twice 
a week while feeding on this mast. Every 
hog feeder should keep a bottle of the spirits 
of turpentine, and give it occasionally 
through the year ; he will find it of great 
benefit to his hog's. It seems to be a specific 
for all hog diseases.” 
Pig Snoring. — What ails my pig ? It 
makes a noise like snoring all the time- 
worse while lying down. It commenced 
about two months ago and has been growing 
worse ever since, it feeds and grows as well 
as the rest, but makes a noise loud enough 
to be heard fifty yards or more. If you, or 
some of the readers of your valuable paper, 
will give me a i-emedy it will greatly oblige 
—A Subscriber. 
Cough in Pigs.—A correspondent of the 
Country Gentleman gives the following rem¬ 
edy for a cough in pigs “ Give a teaspoon- 
f ui to a tablespoonful (according to the age 
of the hog) of spirits of turpentine. A little 
milk is a good thing to give it in. Pour it 
down the animal if it will not drink it other¬ 
wise. 
