Olt 
VOL.  XXXITT.  No.  ‘2i. 
WIIOLK  No.  1370. 
NEW  YORK  CITY,  JUNJ!:  Ill,  1876. 
CKntcrod  according  to  Act  of  CounrosjA,  In  ihe  yenr  187i!,  by  tlio  lliinil  I'ubli.^hlnn  Conipimy,  In  t,ho  ortlno  nf  ilio  Librarian  of  OoriKross  ni  WuHhlntrioti, i 
(IMtICK  SX3C  nCNTN. 
(  Si.O.V  1*KR  VICAH. 
ABOUT  GEESE  AND  DUCKS. 
The  various  cLoico  broods  of  water  fowls  are 
neglected  by  many  f armors  who  pos¬ 
sess  every  facility  for  brooding  them 
extensively,  as  well  as  j)  r  u  II I  a  b  1  y . 
While  the  goose  and  duck  llirlve  ^ 
without  having  access  to  ponds  of 
water,  still  this  is  their  natural  elo-  - 
ment,  and  those  who  have  these  °  " 
necessary  uiils  sliould  Ixi  Gio  llrst  to 
introduejo  soine  od'  those  biids  upon  ^ 
their  promises. 
Wo  know  of  no  more  ornamental 
adjunct  to  a  pbnsi  sni»plied  with  an 
artificial  or  natural  pond  and  a  rim- 
ning  streani  of  water  than  a  hand- 
some  tlo<-k  of  water  fowl,  even  if  the 
profits  derived  therefrom  are  not  very 
large.  But  tho  exporienees  of  a  ma- 
Jority  of  breeders  go  to  .show  that  our 
web-footed  fowls  are,  as  a  imle,  folly 
as  protitablo  as  any  other,  under  fa- 
vorahlc  circumstances. 
Among  Ml'-  iiawt  tK'>pniar  breads"  of 
geese,  tho  Tiinilcn,  or  Bremen,  white 
gc^HO  are  great  favorites  abroad,  as 
well  as  in  tliis  countiy.  They  grow 
to  a  large  si'/e,  matui'o  early,  and 
theu-  flosb  is  excellent.  Idlcu  most 
other  large  breeds  of  fowls,  they  are 
docile  aiid  not  given  to  wandering  far 
for  food  or  to  bide  away  their  nests. 
Tlie  same  recommendations  might  be 
caiTied  ov<*r  to  the  ore<Ut  of  tho 
AfLtSBURY  DUCKS, 
wliich  rank  among  tlm  largest  of  our 
domesthr  breeds  of  this  fowl.  They  - - 
are  also  white,  as  shown  in  the  accom¬ 
panying  illustration,  and  tlioir  llcsh  is  highly 
prized  on  account  of  its  posse.ssing  a  smack  of 
the  wild  duck  llavu/.  lliey  mateh  rveU  with  the 
Emden  geese  in  appearance  ;  hut  if  a  contrast  iu 
color  is  desired,  then  the  breeder  should  select  the 
ROUEN  DUCK, 
which  has  a  dark,  rich  plumage,  resembling  that 
of  some  of  the  wild  species,  perhaps 
coming  closer  to  tlie  Yfallaj-d  than  tmy 
other.  These  ducks  fatten  readily,  and  !s 
their  legs  are  so  short  that  when  , 
walldng  they  seem  hi  drag  tho  body 
along  the  ground ;  but  even  with  this 
awhwai'dnesa  iu  tlieir  gait,  they  are 
really  a  handsome  and  graceful  biid 
when  seen  upon  the  water. 
Oiu-  readers  who  have  available 
jKinds  or  streams  of  water  should  eii-  _ 
deavor  to  use  thorn  by  keeping  such 
fowls  as  we  have  named,  or  some  other  " 
of  the  notable  breeds. 
- - 
TREATMENT  OF  SICK  FOWLS. 
_ 
Mu.  Editor: — As  I  am,  to  some  ex¬ 
tent,  In  the  poultry  business,  iKrhaps 
mj'  experience  muy  bo  of  some  use  to 
those  situated  as  I  bavo  been  recently. 
My  hens  got  sii:k.  and,  without  making 
any  investigatiou  as  to  tlie  disease,  I 
took  them  to  the  wood  pile  and  cured 
them  “  a  la  guillotine.”  I  was  losing 
them  much  faster  than  I  could  af¬ 
ford.  I  nientioncd  tho  matter  to  a 
friend,  and  he  suggested  that  I  had 
better  liud  out  the  disease  and  possi¬ 
bly  a  remedy  might  be  diseuvored. 
So  I  began  to  examine  the  sick  ones, 
aud  I  found  that  tlieir  mouths  and  ^ 
throats  were  filled  with  a  cheesy  fer- 
mation  and  their  breaths  extremely  ‘  ^ 
offonsiva.  My  friend  was  better  acquainted  with  j  case,  visited  mo  and  went  into  iny  hospital,  ox- 
tho  diseases  of  (Kinllry  than  I  was,  and  ho  at  once  S  aminod  the  inmatoH  and  recommondodtho  use  of 
pn)nouncoditcaril(orordi[)hthoria,  andsuggasted  j  salt,  after  tho  stick  lunl  boon  applied,  and  raw 
treating  them  as  follows ;  j  ninat  aud  onions  chojipetl  very  lino  to  eraiii  them 
Itemove  with  a  liard  wood  sharp  stick  tho  mat-  i  with,  for  they  require  stiiunlating  wldle  they  are 
ter  wliich  forms  in  tho  month  and  throat,  and  )  sick.  It  struck  mo  at  once  that  this  was  a  sim- 
tlien  wash  with  steorig  alum  water,  using  a  small  '  plo  aud  cheap  remedy,  and  so  I  treated  them  in 
salt  and  water,  giving  them,  however,  tlio  doses 
of  salt.  They  may  lose  tho  eye  ;  hut,  if  tho  hen 
is  valuable,  that  may  bo  endured. 
1  hold,  however,  that  as  a  nile,  it  is  much  bet¬ 
ter,  or  perliaps  I  should  say  safer,  to  cut  thoir 
heads  olT  at  once.  Of  course  (be  wksitom  of 
this  every  one  must  judge  for  hiiuHelf. 
.  -  J  liopo  that  my  friends  will  not  ac- 
enso  mo  of  using  their  thunder  to 
their  injury.  They  did  not  appear  to 
willing  to  communicate  the  above 
limls  to  yon,  so  I  have  done  it,  and  if 
they  think  that  I  ought  to  publish 
^  thoir  names,  1  hold  inysclf  m  roadi- 
ness  to  do  so. 
I  do  not  know  that  you  will  think 
this  of  Huilicient  importance  to  pnb- 
Ill'll ;  luit  yon  are  at  liberty  to  throw  it 
iiitu  tliu  waste  hasket,  if  that  is  tho 
^  proper  pliici:  for  it.  1  have  no  doubt 
hut  that  it  could  he  jint  together  iu  a 
much  better  shape  by  those  who  are 
.  in  the  habit  of  oontrihuling  to  news- 
pipei'n;  I'lil'i  il’  it  Is  not  artistically 
ilono,  I  hope  thal.  it  will  !«•  easily  un- 
^  dorstood,  at  loast.  B.  Z. 
WiL  Hlilgewooil,  N.  .1. 
^  [Wo  arc  inucf/  ohliged  to  B.  Z.  for 
the  ahovo,  and  hope  to  hoar  from  liirii 
-  again,  aud  from  all  of  our  readers  who 
can  give  us  the  results  of  practical  ox. 
periericu  iu  anyUiiug  pertaining  to  ru- 
ral  affairs.-  Ej).  UuuAL.] 
THE  HEN’S  NEST. 
TO.M  II  I>  I  :7V 
itit  i:nijb7V  wiii'i'iu  KjI  lOiCHiio. 
that  way,  although  T  had  always  hoard  that  salt 
woulil  kill  hens  I  did  not  hesitate  to  give  them  a 
good  liberal  pineli.  They  inqiroved  rapidly  under 
this  treatment.  At  this  writing,  or  ratlier  time, 
I  have  only  three  fowls  on  the  sick  list. 
Sometimes  it  aff  eets  the  eye  aud  not  tlie  mouth 
or  throat.  I  u  which  ease,  f  wash  the  eye  with 
syringe  to  inject  it  into  the  tliroat,  and  in  some 
cases  use  borax  alter  removing  tho  olYensivo 
matter.  It  is  necessary  to  cram  them  while  they 
are  laboring  tinder  the  disease,  as  they  cannot  eat 
while  their  mouths  and  throats  arc  so  tilled  up? 
After  trying  his  remedies  for  some  days  with 
partial  success,  another  friend,  hearing  of  the 
rnjCKS. 
ROXJEIV  I>XJCItS. 
Wunui  thoro  may  bo  good  reasons 
for  treating  fowls  somewhat  diiYeronlly 
in  different  climates,  still  tho  general 
^  principles  of  food  and  care  aro  tho 
sanio  all  over  tho  world,  consequently 
wo  think  Iho  following  from  tho  En¬ 
glish  Agricultural  OazeUo  may  contain  some  val¬ 
uable  hints  to  our  poultry  breeders  : 
There  is  mneb  to  bo  said  on  this  subject,  an<l 
there  may  be  a  iliversity  or  opinion,  but  011  one 
point  poultry  keepers  aro  well  agreed,  viz., 
that  “stolen'’  nc.^ts  generally  answer  tho  best, 
as  far  as  a  good  hiitch  is  concerned,  and  with  the 
fact  Vieforo  us,  it  is  evident  that  many 
of  the  ideas,  and  much  of  the  practice 
wo  hear  of  and  see,  must  hoaltogcGifr 
wrong.  Occ.asioually  a  hen  will  choose 
to  make  lier  nost  high  np  in  the  roof 
of  an  old  barn,  sometimes  tlie  spot  ae* 
Iccted  may  Vio  even  rmt.side.  oil  some 
hollow  of  tho  thatch,  with  very  little 
ovoi’hanging  shelter,  and  there,  iu  due 
time,  she  biiugs  forth  a  largo  and 
healthy  brood;  or  the  favored  positiru 
maybe  low  and  damp,  under  the  seem¬ 
ing  jirotectiou  of  a  little  oveihiuiging 
grass,  which,  however  much  it  may 
tend  to  scroiii  tho  nost  from  curious 
eyes,  can  nfford  no  real  protection  to 
thositUng  bird  from  heavy  storms  aud 
winds.  Yet  tlicre  sho  sits,  and  tlieueo 
she  emerges  with  a  chick  for  every  egg 
she  has  been  covering. 
It  is  clear,  then,  that  there  are  feath¬ 
ered  bipeds,  as  well  as  others,  with  higli 
and  low  prorlivUies,  and  it  is  also  clear 
that  believers  iu  box< »  placed  many 
feet  from  the  grouiul,  as  well  as  be¬ 
lievers  ill  nests  iipiiii  the  cold  earth 
may  found  some  argument  on  the  iu- 
stiuut  and  uatural  habits  of  the  bird 
iu  support  of  their  prefercuco.  Wo 
like  to  aff  ord  oui-  hens  an  o[)portunity 
aud  tho  liberty  enjoyed  by  young  wo- 
,  men,  and  allow  them  to  choose  for 
themselves.  We  have  neat  boxes,  and 
^  also  couvouieiit  nests  on  tho  floor.  For 
people  who  are  careless  aud  forgetful, 
