cliilled  by  the  evening  air  when  left  out  too  late. 
They  learn  to  eat  fresh  grass  which,  with  the 
abundant  supply  of  milk,  causes  scours,  and 
oftentimes  the  eaU  receives  a  severe  check  in  its 
growth  by  such  treatment.  In  winter  they  may 
be  kept  in  warm  stables  with  jicrfect  comfort. 
Tlio  fanner  has  more  time  to  feed  and  core  for 
them,  and  they  soon  learn  to  eat  hay,  which  is 
really  better  food  for  a  calf  that  drinks  milk  than 
the  best  of  green  grass. 
By  the  time  spring  opens,  they  will  have  be¬ 
come  strong  and  hardy,  and  may  then  be  weaned 
feeding  16  yearlings  and  2-yeai-olds  and  17  cows 
on  steamed  food : 
160  lbs.  com  fodSer  and  straw,  at  $10  a  ton . $0  76 
06  l)js.  uob  tucal  and  nUorts . .  1  S6 
45  lbs.  sborU  fed  in  buy  tea .  50 
lao  lbs.  dry  bay .  1  20 
Value  of  coal  to  steam .  36 
$4  16 
01  a  fraction  more  than  12<.'.  a  bead  per  day. 
Mr.  8.  descriljea  his  method  of  iireparing  steam¬ 
ed  food  as  follows ; — Cut  corn  fodder,  straw  and 
hay,  and  put  it  into  a  box  10  feet  long,  2  feet 
wide  at  the  bottom  and  3  feet  wide  at  the  top, 
which  holds  fifty  pounds  of  cut  hay,  Add  seven 
POULTRY  ON  THE  FARM 
CROSSING  DISTINCT  BREEDS, 
A  FAiiM  of  40  acres  is  large  enough  for  200 
fowls,  though  a  dozen  could  not  be  profitably 
kept  on  it  uncared  for.  The  Spanish  class  is  ad¬ 
mitted  to  be  the  most  profitable  where  eggs  are 
wanted.  They  lay  the  most  eggs  and  their  disin¬ 
clination  to  sit  recommend  them  as  being  very 
valuable,  but  then  they  are  somewhat  tender, 
and  of  course  rank  among  the  jioorest  breed 
that  the  caroloss  brooder  could  have.  Minus  of 
their  largo  red  combs,  and  liith  their  f<!et  badly 
frozen,  Uicy  look  mean  and  ordinary,  and  if  you 
will  not  go  to  the  pains  to  erect  them  comfortable 
quarters,  you  might  am  well  bite  their  heads  off, 
as  to  let  -Tuck  Frost  do  it.  -4^6  for  me,  I  will  keep 
the  SpanLtli  a  while  longer.  I  only  wish  tliat  I 
had  two  himdrcd  of  them.  IIow  would  you 
manage  so  many  ?  For  the  informati(m  of  the 
many  ren<lers  of  the  RniiAb,  I  will  tell  you. 
I  would  erect  for  their  winter  quarters  a  large, 
though  economical  poultry-shed,  say  100x16. 
To  save  lumber,  I  would  make  it  but  3  feet  from 
the  ground  to  the  eaves.  I  would  have  tlie  shod 
fronting  the  South,  with  at  least  12  windows  3x3 
in  front.  These  would  admit  an  abundance  of 
sun  light,  so  essential  to  the  licalth  and  comfort 
of  fowls.  1  would  have  ventilatoi's  at  the  East 
and  West  ends,  two  feet  above  the  eaves,  and  five 
feet  from  the  ground — high  enough  Ui  prevent 
cuiTents  of  air  from  striking  the  fowls.  To  tlio 
eaves  on  the  North  and  West,  I  would  have 
earth  banked,  first  filling  in  atonea  and  rubbish 
to  prevent  the  boards  from  decaying.  1  would 
have  a  cheap,  but  comfortable  roof  put  on  this 
large  shod,  which  bImmI  I  would  not  allow  my 
fowls  to  use  as  a  roosUug  place  at  all — would 
not  allow  a  single  porch  in  it.  Their  roosting 
apartment  should  be  even  warmer,  but  not  larger 
than  necessary  for  roosting  pmq)<)sea.  This  lat¬ 
ter  apaidment  I  would  attach  to  this  huge  shed 
on  the  South. 
Combining  those  two  apartments,  certainly 
wold  bo  far  more  paying,  tlian  to  leave  fowls  out¬ 
doors  to  freeze.  Exercise  too,  is  admitted  to  be 
of  great  benefit  to  fowls,  and  hence  I  would  have 
aomo  litter  strewn  over  about  one-half  of  the 
ground  of  lliis  shed,  among  wliich  I  would  throw 
enough  wheat  screenings  to  keep  my  hens  busy 
at  least  half  of  their  time,  scniUibiiig.  The  re¬ 
maining  part,  50x10  feet,  would  ho  large  enough 
for  their  ucsts,  and  dust  boxes,  and  their  feed, 
trouglu?,  and  drinking  vessels.  In  tbis  way,  and 
with  such  winter  quarters,  I  would  exi)ect  to 
make  my  fowls  well  repay  their  keeping,  if  prop¬ 
erly  fed,  and  enjoy  tlie  care  of  them  besides. 
Any  breed  cared  for,  thus,  would  well  repay 
their  keeping  and  building  expenses. 
F.  M.  Sntdek. 
RAISING  CALVES  IN  WINTER 
Incheabed  attention  is  being  paid  to  the  rais¬ 
ing  of  calves  and  it  is  ju’obable  that  fewer  will  be 
“  deaconed,”  i,  e.  killed  immediately  after  bh-th, 
this  year  than  has  formerly  been  the  case.  The 
New  England  Farmer  gives  some  interesting  and 
sensible  observatiojis  on  the  best  time  and  mode 
of  growing  calves : 
Milltmeu  living  near  a  good  market  often  find 
it  better  to  kill  their  calves  immediately  than  to 
fat  them,  even  in  the  spring,  when  veal  sells 
readily,  for  the  milk  the  calf  takes  will  bring 
more  before  being  made  into  veal  thmi  after- 
wards.  As  a  ride,  it  does  nid  pay  rnilkmen 
raise  or  fat  then’  calves,  or  would  not.  if  good 
cows  could  be  easily  found  and  pm’chus<'d.  Witli 
butter-makers  tlie  ease  is  diiroreut.  They  have 
plenty  of  skimniod  milli  to  he  disposed  of  in 
some  way,  and  if  they  ai'C  breeding  a  good-ati'ain 
of  dairy  stock  they  may  generally  do  well  by 
raising  their  calves  either  for  their  own  dairies 
or  to  sell  to  those  less  favorably  situated  for 
rai.sing  their  stock.  Nor  is  it  essential  Oiat 
calves  to  he  raised  should  all  he  dropped  in  the 
spring.  From  our  own  experience,  we  are  satis- 
IMPROVED  PLOWS, 
Tn.vT  improvements  should  be  made  in  articles 
so  well  known  as  plows,  will  surprise  many  old 
fashioned  farmers  who  cannot  imagine  that  since 
the  days  when  u‘on  superseded  wood  as  a  mold- 
board,  any  improvement  was  possible.  The  Ses- 
Bioss  &  Knox  JIard-stoel  Plow— an  engraving  of 
w'hich  we  give  on  tbis  page — represents  a  plow 
with  mold-hoard,  hardened  to  steel,  on  the  out¬ 
side,  clearing  well  on  all  soils,  while  (he  center 
is  tough  and  Uexihle,  avoiding  all  liahilitv  to  ,  ,  . 
breakage— u  union  of  very  desirable  qualities.  The  1  favorable  to  young 
beam  and  handle  of  tin's  plow  are  of  the  best 
white  oak.  strong  and  tough  enough  for  durabil¬ 
ity  but  not  HO  heavy  as  to  he  a  hurden  either  to 
beam  or  plow,  Dupheate  parts  of  tliia  plow  are 
kept  constantly  on  hand  by  the  makers,  tho 
GROWING  TURKEYS  IN  CALIEOENIA 
It  has  often  occurred  to  us,  that  tho  far 
Western  States  where  gi'ain  and  land  are  cheap, 
could  heat  Eastern  poulterers  out  of  sight  in 
making  cheap  poultry.  In  California  this  busi¬ 
ness  has  especial  advantages  hi  tlie  fact,  that  for 
six  months  in  tho  year  there  are  no  storms,  and 
the  perfect  dryness  of  soil  and  air  is  parlicu- 
‘  ‘  '  ■  ■  ;  turkeys  and  other  f  om  Is. 
One-half  the  young  turkeys  hatched  in  Eastern 
States,  peri.slj  from  cold,  wet  rains  or  from  being 
liedraggled  in  hcaiw  cold  dews.  The  Sacriimeuto 
Valley,  Cal.  Agrieultnrist  relates  the  following 
successful  experience  of  a  gentleman  in  in  grow¬ 
ing  turkoys  for  the  San  rnuieisco  market : 
Last  year,  while  traveling  in  tho  Visalia 
country,  we  met  a  fiock  of  three  hundred  turkeys, 
which  were  being  diiven  to  San  Francisco,  to 
niaiket,  by  a  ili*.  Johnson.  Thinking  that  he 
must  he  a  very  successful  poultry  raiser,  we 
questioned  him  as  to  his  melhod  of  raising  and 
feeding  them,  and  as  we  camped  together  that 
night,  we  learned  the  following  facts: 
“  I  own  half  of  this  fiock,"  said  Mr.  Johnson, 
and  I  raise  from  150  to  200  turkeys  every  year. 
I  have  about  ten  acres  of  alfalfa,  over  which  I 
run  the  water.  I  have  it  fenced  ofi'  hi  two  fields, 
turkey  tight,  and  then  I  clip  their  wings.  I  have 
good  waiTii  houses  and  attractive  jilaces  for  tho 
hens  to  lay,  and  when  they  begin  to  hatch,  I  shut 
up  the  brood  for  a  week  or  two.  At  first  I  feed 
tlicm  coarse  corn  meal,  corn  being  very  plenty  iu 
my  locality,  and  mix  it  up  witli  scalding  water  or 
sour  milk.  I  commence  from  the  very  first  to 
mix  a  little  blade  jiepper  in  their  feed,  and  I  am 
careful  not  to  over-feed,  nor  let  them  have  any- 
tliing  to  eat  later  than  four  o'clock  in  the  after¬ 
noon. 
“  When  the  young  are  about  two  months  old, 
I  allow  the  hens  to  take  them  into  out*  of  the  al¬ 
falfa  fields,  and  after  that  they  require  very 
little  feeding,  though  a  little  scalded  meal  and 
black  poppei',  and  occasionally  a  little  sulphur,  is 
very  good.  All  tho  thick  milk  I  put  in  troughs 
where  they  can  get  all  they  want  of  it.” 
He  informed  us  that  his  present  number  of 
turkeys  would  bring  in  San  rVancisco  over  four 
hundred  dollars.  It  was  his  calculation  to  ketm 
them  somewhat  near  Oakland,  in  a  suitablo  field, 
until  they  had  recruited  from  the  trip,  before 
offering  for  sale, 
COST  OF  STEAMED  FOOD  FOR  STOCK 
B.  J.  Stone  of  Westboro,  Mass.,  writes  in  the 
Boston  Cultivator ; — I  have  tried  for  26  years  the 
feeding  of  dry  hay  and  grain,  and  for  the  last 
5  years  I  have  thoroughly  tried  steaming  my 
coarse  fixlder  and  roots,  wtli  most  satisfactory 
results,  I  cannot  afford  to  take  my  stock  from 
steamed  food  and  f  eed  them  on  dry  hay  and  grain, 
as  I  am  satisfied  vrith  my  past  exporienco  what 
the  result  would  bo.  I  will  give  you  tlio  cost  of 
keeping  my  stock  on  steamed  food,  and  would 
hke  to  have  some  other  gentleman  favor  you  with 
tho  cost  of  feeding  on  diy  food  and  compare 
results.  I  will  give  you  at  this  time  tho  cost  of 
