A 
the American Farm Journal, which we have 
condensed somewhat:—Take an egg out of a 
nest on which tbe hen has set near her full 
time, carefully holding it to the ear ; turning 
it around, you will find the exact spot on 
which the little fellow is picking on the in¬ 
side of the shell; this he will do until the 
inside skin is perforated, and then the shell 
is forced outward as a small scale, leaving a 
hole. Ndw, if you will take one of the eggs 
in this condition from under the hen, removo 
It to the house or other suitable place, put it 
:in a box or nest, keeping it warm and moist, 
well enough, but common geese have neither. 
If any man can go into a flock of full-sized 
goslings, gray or white, and pick out the 
ganders, he will do more than the writer 
can, and he has bred geese for years. After 
one knows, it is easy to tell at sight, but he 
can’t tell anybody else how to do it, except 
by the voice. 
The gander’s cry is keyed higher, and is 
harsher and more discordant than that of 
the goose ; but young ganders make use of 
these male tones but little. If the old gander 
be taken away out of hearing, masculine 
left, it becomes necessary, when a cutter is 
used, that it be moved from right to left and 
vice versa , as the plow is changed, so that it 
shall be as nearly as possible on a level with 
the landsidc of the share. This is provided 
for by a moveable cutter worked by a lever 
which may be quickly shifted as the plow is 
reversed. Thus this Swivel Plow possesses a 
combination of advant ages which ought to 
recommend it. to universal adoption. 
Hitherto the Swivel Plow bus been chiefly 
used on side-hill land, not being adapted to a 
level surface, owing to the defects above 
alluded to. But as this plow all'ects the 
complete Inversion and pulverization of the 
soil on level as well as uneveu surfaces, it 
will bo a relief to the eye, tired of the un¬ 
sightly oblong “lands” and dead furrows 
made in ordinary plowing, to sec the uni¬ 
form pulverulent seedbed left by this plow 
as it turns to the right and left in its progress 
over the field. It possesses symmetry, dura¬ 
bility and simplicity, giving a full width fur¬ 
row, completely inverted and pulverized, 
and porous as any implement can leave the 
soil. It works equally well in rocky and 
smooth as well as wet clay laud, the peculiar 
form of the mold-board preventing it from 
clogging or holding on to the soil. 
THE POULTRY-KEEPEE.-No, 8 
THE CREVE-COEUR HEN. 
Body. —Well formed, of rough appear¬ 
ance, having some resemblance to the Co¬ 
chin-China. Of considerable size, although 
set low on its feet. Head strong ; orest va¬ 
rying in size, black while a chicken, but 
white behind after the second moulting. 
Whiskered and muffed; ears small and hid¬ 
den ; combs and gills short ; feathers on the 
abdomen long and diffuse. 
Gait.— Quiet and slow. 
WEIGHT, SUE AMD CHARACTERISTICS. 
Weight. —Twelve hens should weigh nearly 
80 lbs.—that is to say, about 6 lbs. 10 ozs., 
some weighing more and somo less. Some 
at two yearn old weigh as much as S% lbs. 
Size.—From the upper part of the head to 
under the feot, 17% inches. From the back 
to under the feet, 13% inches. 
Body. —Larger than that of the Houdan 
hen. 
Head.— Strong and entirely feathered. 
Crest. —The size is variable, composed 
sometimes of feathers somewhat short and 
drooping a little, leaving the eyes uncov¬ 
ered ; sometimes so well feathered that the 
head is entirely unseen, and the eyes can 
only be seen from the ground. The crest is 
sometimes formed of feathers more or less 
pointed, sometimes of feathers long, regu¬ 
lar and rounded at the ends, which make It 
very iarge and nearly spherical. 
Wh inkers. —Thick. 
Cravat.—Long, hanging, thick, larger at 
the end than at the top. 
Gilts.—Very small. 
Ears.— Small, whitish, hidden under the 
crest and whiskers. 
Nostrils. —Like those of the cock. 
Beak. -Like that of the cock. 
Iris and Pupil of Eye.— Like that of the 
cock. 
Foot. —Short, strong ; color, black and 
dark, silvery blue. 
Laying.— Pretty good ; eggs very large and 
white. 
Incubation. —Non-sitters. 
Plumage.—Entirely black, with the ex¬ 
ception of the ore3t, which is black the first 
year, whitens a little the first molting, and 
more and more in the successive makings. 
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 
This admirable variety certainly produces 
the most excellent fowls that appear in the 
French'markets. Its bones are even lighter 
than those of the Hoiuluu. Its flesh is finer, 
more tender and whiter, and it fattens more 
easily. The chickens are unusually forward, 
for they are fit to be fatted when they are 
two and a half or three months old, and 
ready for table a fortnight later. At five 
months a fowl of this kind is nearly fully 
formed in shape, weight aud quality. The 
fat chicken at from five to six months at¬ 
tains the weight of 0 lbs. 10 ozs. The chickens 
of six months fattening attain to 1% lbs., 
and even 9% lbs. The Creve-Coeurs produce 
all the early fat pullets and fine chickens 
which are sold in the French markets. 
Those of the Houdan, though of superior 
quality, do not come till later. The Creve- 
Cceur is the finest variety in Fiance for deli¬ 
cacy of flesh, easiness to fatten, and, per¬ 
haps, the first in the world in these points. 
Mr. Baker, however, brought from Loudon 
for a sale he was having in Paris a dozen 
Dorkings, killed, trussed and ready to put on 
the spit, and it must, be acknowledged that 
they produced the most Wonderful effect on 
the assembly of amateurs. 
ALLIED VARIETIES. 
The variety of Merlereaux has very little 
or no cravat, and no frill. This variety gen¬ 
erally furnishes chickens of very inferior 
size in abundance in the markets of Nor¬ 
mandy, but it is in other respects like the 
Creve-Coeurs, and produces as large fowls 
when well managed, 
The Caux variety very much resembles 
these last, if it were not that it is higher, 
and its characteristics much less developed. 
The varieties of Caumont, Houdan and 
Gournay. and the Norman fowls in general, 
are crosses of the Crcve-Ccenr. It is, per¬ 
haps, the variety most tested by crossing, 
and all the experiments have made it certain 
that a cross with a pure Cochin-China, or 
with the produce of pure Creve-Cosur cocks 
with Cochin-China hens, yield in farm-yards 
birds of good size and of very delicate flavor. 
IIA.KTCS 
«is near the temperature of the hen as pos¬ 
sible (which may be done by laying it be¬ 
tween two bottles of warm water upon some 
cotton or wool), and lay a glass over the box 
or net. Then you cau sit or stand, as 
is most convenient, and witness the true 
modus operandt. Now watch the little 
fellow work its way into the world, and 
you will be amused and instructed, as I have 
often been. After it has got its opening, it 
commences a nibbling motion with the point 
of the upper bill ou the outside of the shell, 
always working to the right (if you have the 
large end of the egg from you and tbe hole 
upward), until it has worked its way almost 
around, say within one half an inch, in a per¬ 
fect circle ; it then forces the cap or butt end 
of the shell off, and then it has a chance to 
straighten its neck, thereby loosening its legs 
somewhat, and so, by their help, forcing the 
body from the shell. 
Now note ; The chick must never be libe¬ 
rated until it and nature does the perfect 
work, unless you find the chick has got dried 
in the shell and cannot work itself round ; 
then it will die if not helped. You may ask, 
Why not help it out in the first place? I 
will tell you: the chick is not perfect, nor 
will it be for several boars. If you break 
open an egg- when it is first picked you will 
find that the yelk of the egg has not been 
absorbed (being the last process of nature) 
into the body of the chick, and if exposed to 
the air it will dry and the chick will soon 
die. In fact, I have seen a small portion of 
tho yelk on the outside, even after they came 
out of tbe shell safely, but by my using a 
little grease to soften the parts they were all 
right. Perhaps sometimes you find an egg 
all broken and the chick dead, because the 
egg being out of shape, and the air coming 
in contact with the skin, it dries to the chick 
and It cannot move itself. Again, you will 
find in the nests eggs that are picked, tut 
the chick is dead ; this is from two causes, 
viz.: either weakness of the chick, or, what 
is more probable, the egg being an outside 
one and in a full nest, the hole that is picked 
in the egg gets turned to the outside and is 
exposed to the air, and consequently the 
down of the chick adheres to the shell and 
it cannot move. 
SWIVEL PLOW. 
peculiarities soon show themselves. One of 
the young ones, perhaps all the ganders, set 
out to lead and defend the flock, taking the 
post of danger, either in the van if on the 
march, or in the rear if the flock be driven. 
They siss more and show more fight, and 
half split your cars with their cries, while 
the geese are content to do a little less blus¬ 
tering and view discretion as “ the better 
part of valor.” Tho best way to tell which 
is which, however, is to separate one at a 
time from the rest of the flock. The isolated 
one will call and tho ganders will answer; 
thus their voices may be compared. 
THE KANDALL HARROW 
In answer to inquiry of J. R. D., Niagara 
Co., for a good Pulverizing Harrow, we can 
say that at the recent New York State Fair, 
held at Rochester, the Randall Harrow, man¬ 
ufactured by the Warrior Mower Co. of 
Little Falls, N. Y., attracted marked atten¬ 
tion. It was taken from the show and put 
to its test on the track to break and stir the 
hardened surface. It evinced groat power 
in cutting, breaking aud crumbling this 
hardened surface, and was at once pur¬ 
chased for that special utility. Another 
equally novel but successful application of 
its use is said to be in cutting down and 
leveling the hardened ridges of over-worn 
Bnow roadsj where constant use by horses 
has scooped the stepping paths of iron-shod 
hoofs into lengthened concave-bottomed 
troughs of snow and ice, wrenching at every 
step the hoJ’ses’ ankles. 
IMPROVED FARMING IMPLEMENTS. 
Among the various improved implements 
we notice the Sessions and Knox’s Plows, 
which embrace sizes and forms adapted to 
every kind of soil and to the peculiarities of 
a widely varied agriculture. The Improved 
Deep Tillers are constructed by a new scale 
of proportions invented by their artist, Mr. 
Samuel A. Knox, who obtained the Letters 
Patent, llis mode of construction is the re¬ 
sult of much study and experiment, and ad¬ 
mits of all the variations necessary to pro¬ 
duce long or short moldboards, with 
STRAWBERRIES - PLANTING, VARIE 
TIES, ETC. 
It is a good time now to look over old 
strawberry beds, and also to plant out new 
ones. Make the ground deep, say spade or 
plow it at least eighteen inches, aud at the 
bottom of each spade or V’low depth put in 
two to four inches of coarse straw manure. 
If you have the young plants upon your own 
place they can be readily transplanted, and 
the work is best done after 4 o’clock p. m. of 
the day. If the plants are sent you from a 
distance, as soon us received wet the bundle 
or package, and lay it in a cool place, the 
cellar say, for a day. Then at night, or near 
night, dig freshly a piece of ground, open 
the package of plants, see that the plants 
are all young, use no old last year’s plants; 
see, also, that all the full-grown leaves are, 
or have been clipped, leaving upon each root 
about two small two-third grown leaves; 
then lay these in by the bed, as gardener’s 
term it, i. e. each separate plant with its 
roots spread out, and laying upon a bank of 
fresh earth at an angle about like that of a 
common country house roof. Cover quickly 
so us to just leave the crown of the plants 
level witli the earth. Cover the whole with 
a mulch two inches thick of straw, rushes, 
etc,, and then give one good watering. 
Leave two days; then proceed in the after 
part of the day to plant out, and as you 
plant, set each plant eighteen inches one 
from tho other, and when setting make, with 
your hand or trowel, a little mound in the 
earth like a bowl, bottom upward; set the 
base of the crown ou this center point, 
spread cue a root out singly and cover with 
the good soil; press the earth with your 
lingers outspread, so that only their points 
will reach the roots and mingle or cause 
the earth and roots to adhere. Don’t tread 
on the ground around the plants, or pack the 
surface with fist or mallot. Spread upon 
the whole surface and over the plants two 
inches deep of straw, bog hay, rushes, etc., 
and you may be sure of having a good crop 
of tout next season. 
Of varieties, so great is the number and so 
varied the tastes or our people that it would 
be egotistic in us to select. Some thirty out 
of seven hundred sorts known and described 
are yet counted good, aud each year brings 
what the grower calls the purest and best 
white Crow. With us the Ida and Wilson 
are the hardiest sure croppers, but Hooker, 
Triumph do Gand, Charles Downing and 
Wilder are larger, and of extra good quality 
when well and carefully cultivated. 
TELLING A GOO SE FR OM A GANDER. 
Every now and then some wiseacre starts 
up and writes a “yarn” about this subject 
SESSION'S Ac KNOX’S 
and gives infallible rules, as though it was 
about as easy to tell a goose from a gander 
as a cock from a hen. Now, it is not so. 
ihe- “feminine appearance” of the common 
goose is a myth, or if she has it, the gander 
has it too. It he is talking about African or 
Brown China geese, with knobs on their 
foreheads and streaks on their necks, it is 
HARD STEEL PLOW. 
plows are kept on hand by the manufactur¬ 
ers to supply the place of those worn out, and 
will be supplied to order. 
We also notice the Hakes Improved Swiv¬ 
el Plow, another implement well worthy of 
attention. The landside or cutting edge of 
the share being thrown past the center cf 
beam as the plow is turned to the right or 
HOW EGGS ARE HATCHED 
The manner in which the chick leaves the 
shell we have never seen better described 
than in the following by a correspondent of 
