MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
34-0 
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THE POULTRY-KEEPER.—NO. 22. 
COCHIN-CHINA OR SHANOHAI.-PANTRIOQE VARIETY-HEN 
The hen of the Partridge variety is regu¬ 
larly marked with dashes of dark black, or 
mixed with gray, and on a buff grouudmore 
or less dark. Each feather has marks which, 
though different, are very analogous on each 
part. 
The general appearance is a mixture of 
colors not separable at first sight, but tire 
markings can be distinguished by examining 
each feather. The hackle feathers (fig. 94) 
are nearly covered with black, occupying 
the middle part from one end to the other, 
and to which the borders of the feather 
form a buff edging. The back feathers— 
those forming the tail coverts, those of the 
thighs and the breast, and those which sur¬ 
round the stern, are nearly similar (fig. 96.) 
They have three dark-gray demi-elliptic 
bands on a buff ground. They only’ vary 
slightly in the details or in the proportions, 
and the bands fade towards the fluffy part 
and towards the under parts of the body. 
The front feathers of the neck are buff and 
nearly whole-colored : those of the abdomen, 
the sides, the inside of the thighs, and those 
of the feet are yellow, mingled with light 
gray. The covert feathers of the wings (fig. 
95) have peculiar markings—two semi-ellipti¬ 
cal bands nearly black on a buff ground. 
The large wing feathers (fig. 97), especially of 
its lower part, tiro not visible when the wing 
is closed ; they are blackish brown, and in 
the visible half marked like the rest of the 
plumage. The large tail feathers (fig. 98), 
though very dark, have the same character¬ 
istic marks. 
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SITTING HENS. 
Years ago, when I commenced raising 
chickens, my neighbors complained of their 
hens all wanting to sit on oue nest; and the 
consequence was broken eggs, loss of time 
and labor in washing eggs, changing nests, 
and blit few chickens hatching. I resolved 
mine should not have the opportunity to 
do so. 
Having no chicken-house, my hens often 
wanted to sitin the manger, on the haystack, 
in the fence corners, or other inconvenient 
places. I always made good nests for them 
wherever they wanted them (provided their 
preference did not encroach upon the hog 
lot), put in 15 eggs, then turned a box over 
only one of the hens desiring to sit, leaving 
one side of the box raised a little so ns to 
admit fresh air, and placing a weight on top 
to guard against accident. At 1 o’clock 
every day I opened all the nests so arranged, 
took the hens off that they might cat, drink 
and refresh themselves in dust and ashes, 
being myself at the nest when they went on, 
to see that only one took possession, also to 
place the box in position again. At the ex¬ 
piration of three weeks I was well reim¬ 
bursed for my extra care. I am particular 
in this description, thinking it may be of 
benefit to some of those in new homes, situa 
ted as 1 once was. 
Now, since T have a chicken-house with 
tiers of boxes at the sides, they do not re¬ 
quire so much care. I sit enough hens at 
one time to hatch all the chickens I want; 
then a long board propped up before each 
tier closes every box. As soon as they begin 
to hatch I examine the nests three or four 
times a day, every' time putting all the chicks 
in an old basket, covering them with flannel 
and placing the basket near the tire. If they 
are disturbed a few times they will refuse to 
obey their intended mother. At sunset I 
put one of the sitting hens in a box as large 
as a tub of ordiuary size, aud give her all 
the chicks, unless they number over 40, in 
which case I put two liens in. I have two 
now to which 1 gave 70 chicks. They can¬ 
not, of course, cover them all ; but I shall 
put them in an old tub every evening until 
they are a week old. The tub or box must 
not be covered. I should like to hear from 
others on this subject. Ann Hopkins. 
-- 
HELPING TO HATCH. 
Ihe Poultry Bulletin has the following 
seasonable article on this subject: 
Can you render the chicken advantageous 
assistance during its hatching? Yes, most 
assuredly. The eggs of some varieties, par¬ 
ticularly the Asiasties, are sometimes ex¬ 
ceedingly thick shelled, the shell “ pipps,” 
and here the little bird breathes its last if 
help is not given. The fine membrane be¬ 
comes glued to him and contracts, and it, 
■with its downy covering, becomes, as it 
were, a coat of mail to crush out its life. 
Notice, and if the hatching is slow have an 
eye to your nest until the business is through 
with; for sometimes it appears as if epi¬ 
demic. Many chicks go by the board in this 
way. Help should be rendered. So take a 
small-sized bodkin, and carefully thrusting 
its point a short distance under the mem¬ 
brane and shell, gently tear the first and 
MlWiii, I 
Flo. 04.—Hackle Feather, 
crack the latter as you proceed around the 
circumference of the egg. If the shell is 
very dry, drop a few drops of tepid water at 
the point of pressure. Having taken off the 
shell, drop a few drops of warm water 
around the body of the chick, and put the 
egg, as it now' stands, under the hen, the 
opeu side uppermost. Behind or under the 
fluff is the best situation. This done, the 
chick is, nine times out of ten, safe, and will 
hatch vigorously. 
■ ■ ♦ -- 
FLAVOR OF EGGS. 
There is a vast difference in the flavor of 
eggs. Hens fed on clean, sound grain and 
kept on a clean grass run give much finer 
flavored eggs than hens that have access to 
stable and manure heaps and eat all kinds of 
filthy food. Hens feeding on fish and onions 
$mepnt. 
EFFECTS OF VINE-BLEEDING OVER¬ 
RATED. 
Mr. J. W. Pearson writes to The Gardener 
(London) on this subject as follows There 
Fix. 35.—Wine Covert Feather, 
are few things which a gardener dislikes 
more to see than his vines bleeding freely. 
Yet it has always struck me that the injury 
done in this way is often over-estimated. 
When young, T had a lot of well-grown vines 
which I intended to fruit in pots. These 
were cut down to a convenient length, and 
at once placed in heat. As might have been 
expected, had I had more experience, they 
began to bleed ; and in spite of all I could 
do, they went on bleeding, I burnt the cut 
ends with red hot irons, and then covered 
them with melting wax ; but this treatment 
had no effect. Paint would not touch the 
wet surface, uor anything else stop the sap 
from running. At last, some one told me to 
try a potato stuck on the end of the vine ; 
aud this did in a great measure stop the How 
of sup, which had continued many days, but 
only a short time before it; would have 
stopped of itself, as the vines were soon in 
Fig. 97.—Large Wing Feather. 
T 
Fig. 98,-Large Tail Feather. Fig. 90.—Thigh Feather. Fig. 97.-Large Wing Feather, 
flavor their eggs accordingly, the same as leaf. In spite of all this loss of sap, I never 
cows eating onions or cabbage, or drinking had vines which bore a greater crop of 
offensive water, imparts a bad taste to the grapes than these did. Then, again, I once 
milk and butter. The richer the food the had a Muscat Hamburg which was a great 
higher the color of the eggs. Wheat and puzzle to me. It grew at the coldest end of 
corn give eggs the best color, while feeding a 60 feet vinery ; and though it was always 
on buckwheat makes them colorless, ren- pruned early—in fuct, almost as soon as the 
dering them unlit for some confectionery leaves were off—and the house was only 
purposes. kept at greenhouse temperature during 
winter and spriug, yet this particular vine 
always bled badly at every place where it 
had been pruned. I never had any other 
vine which acted in this manner, either in 
this or any other house. Nevertheless, this 
vine, when in fruit, was never considered 
inferior to the others, and it always carried 
a full crop. Those cases have left an Impres¬ 
sion upon my mind that, however undesir¬ 
able it may be to have bleeding vines, it is 
not quite so dangerous a thing as is often 
imagined. Can any one say if this sap has 
ever been analysed t We know that a vino 
will store up sap in itself sufficient to put 
out shoots and leaves before the roots have 
had time to grow in spring ; and Unit when 
this s to red-up sap is expended, growth is 
suspended till the roots get into action. 
Now, if by bleeding, vines lose this stored- 
up sap, ft must be injurious to them ; but 
when vines continue to bleed, I think it can 
be little else than water passing through 
them. I do not know how a leaflless vine 
can make sap ; yet we are quite sure that 
vines lose, by bleeding, far more moisture 
than they ever Contained at one time. It is 
not probable that a bleeding vine would 
sustain most injury soon after it begun to 
bleed J Any loss of sap, we would think, 
must take place at that time ; afterwards, I 
should expeet to find the liquid little more 
than water, just as absorbed by the roots. 
What is the opinion of grape-growers on 
this subject. 
Scientific mitt Useful. 
FORCING WATER FROM A SPRING. 
What would bo the best way to convey 
water from a spring three hundred yards 
distant to a house elevated seventy-five feet 
above said spring !—and what would be the 
probable cost ? If you or any of your readers 
will answer through the Rural, they will 
oblige—S everal Subscribers. 
If there is an abundance of water flowing 
from the spring, with a few feet of fall there¬ 
from, a hydraulic ram will be the cheapest 
method of raising water to the hight named. 
The ram works upon the principle of the 
pressure of u large body of water at one foot 
head elevating a small portion ten feet; con¬ 
sequently to lift une-lialf or less which flows 
from your spring seventy feet, will require 
a fall to t)ie ram of seven feet, or if a greater 
head can be obtained so much the better. 
Water has been raised in France to the hight 
of 187 feet with the hydraulic rani, and 
where the circumstances will admit of its 
application, it is the most economical method 
of raising ft moderate quantity of water to 
elevations not exceeding a hundred feet or 
thereabout. You can obtain these rams of 
any dealer in hydro-mechanic mucline , ’y. 
Full directions accompany them for set ting 
up and working, 
The size of ram you require can only be 
determined by a measurement of the flow of 
water from the spring and the number of 
feet fall which is available without being 
likely to be lessened by a back-flow in times 
of heavy rains. All this information ought 
to be obtained from any ordinary mechanic 
who lias a spirit level and a pocket rule for 
measuring distances. The rams are not ex¬ 
pensive, and when once set up require very 
little attention ; for, unless the valves get 
clogged with filth in the water, they will 
work on steadily and unceasingly for years 
without further care. 
-*-*-♦- 
SCIENTIFIC AND USEFUL NOTES. 
Tanning Skinn .—The following method is 
recommended for private use in skin-tan¬ 
ning :—Take equal parts of salt, alum and 
Glauber’s salt, and half a part saltpeter ; 
pulverize and mix. Handle the skins and 
rub the mixture well in three or four times a 
day ; the ofteuer the better. If there is not 
moisture enough in the skin to dissolve the 
salts, put a little water into the latter. We 
are assured that no moth will attack furs 
the felts of which have been thus prepared. 
Flowing Water .—Water flowing iu abody, 
sueh as a river, will run suilieiently swift 
with a fall of one foot per mile. A smaller 
river will require a fall of two feet per mile. 
A brook will not keep an open course under 
four feet per mile, while the water in a 
. small covered drain will require at least a 
fall of ten feet per mile to set the water in 
, motion. 
To Extract Ink, from cotton, silk and 
woolen goods, saturate the spots with spirits 
; of turpentine, and let it remain several 
hours ; then rub it between the hands. It 
will crumble away without injuring either 
the color or texture of the article. 
