JAN. 22 
THE 
MEW-YOBKEB. 
orous and severe in its sudden and extreme 
changes and not suitable £or the growth of 
perennial, succulent pastures. 
The Merino will not thrive in England. It 
is the sheep of hot climates, and Central Eu¬ 
rope with a climate similar to ours is pecu¬ 
liarly adapted for it. It originated in Africa 
and was brought to perfection m Spain. It 
thiives to perfection in America and the 
American Merino is at the very head of its 
race over the whole world. Where the Me¬ 
rino will thrive, the large, long-wool English 
sheep wilt and deteriorate. The wool loses 
the softness and silkiness which are encour¬ 
aged by a cool, moist climate, and becomes 
dry aud harsh ; and the sudden change of 
weather is fatal to the constitution of the 
imported sheep, enfeebled by-high breeding 
and feeding. Where, then, can we find simi¬ 
lar locations and conditions to reproduce 
these sheep? We cannot do it, and may as 
well stop trying to force nature into artificial 
methods. Min (pan do a good deal, but he 
cannot change natural laws. 
■■ — - -»♦ » - - — 
THE COMING SHEEP. 
Under this head, the English Agricultural 
Gazette of December 13, takes the same 
ground that I did in the Rural many months 
ago, and that is that the large, long-wool sheep 
are now rapidly being neglected for mutton 
sheep, because they produce coarse tallow 
in place of ldau, tender, juicy meat, aud the 
various Down sheep are rapidly supplying 
their place. "Take, torex&mple.” it save " the 
Leicester. Fifty years ago this breed might 
appropriately have been said to rule the 
roast. Njw. except in a vtry few counties, 
aud among a small minority of farmers, the 
Leicester has been superseded, The Gotswold 
sheep is said to be goiug out, even upon his 
own hills, aud does not seem to be bpreading 
rapidly in any other locality.” 
Tne Giz-tie then goes on to speak highly 
of the South Dawns, adding—"Scarcely a 
breed was not improved by bis touch, and for 
this reason alone, ihe Soulh-Downs will always 
hold a high position in the history of British 
flocks." 
Bit now comes the point which I have re¬ 
peatedly told our American 11 ick masters. If 
they wuh to take precedence in the British mar¬ 
ket with a mutton sheep, they must breed a 
Still larger varieLy of the Dow n clasp, and I 
pointed out the Oxford Down as the first to 
be sought after, aud the Hampshire Down as 
second. The reason of this preference is that 
the generality of the English butchers prefer 
a large to a small animal, provided it is 
about as fine in all its points, and that the flesh 
is nearly equal. This is the case with Lhe 
Oxford aud Hampshire contrasted with the 
South Dowd, and for that reason the two 
former will prove the most popular and profit¬ 
able sorts of mutton sheep for our dock- 
masters to breed, not only for the foreign, but 
also for the home market. But at the same 
time they should keep up aud extend the 
South Down considerably, as the butchers 
have a class of customers who invariably pre¬ 
fer its mutton, and they arc always willing to 
pay an extra price for it. This is also the 
saute iu England, and will probably ever be 
the case. Thus there is no danger of multi¬ 
plying them too rapidly. A. B. Allen. 
&j}t Jllimit-ijetii. 
SALT FOR PIGS. 
Preventives of Disease. Natural Ins tincts, 
bauilury Laws. 
COL. F. I). CURTiS. 
It is not a general practice with farmers to 
give salt to pigs, or to mix it iu their food. 
Salt is no more inj urious to a pig than to a 
person. The stomach of a pig and its digestive 
functions are more like those of a human be¬ 
ing than are those of almost any other animal. 
A hungry pig would probably eat enough to 
injure itself if its food was strongly mixed 
with salt, just as a hungry man would be like¬ 
ly to eat loo much of salted fish or meat. 
Salt is used to make human food more pal¬ 
atable aud setniB necessary to supply ihe 
wastes to the system caused by the animal se¬ 
cretions. The instincts of horses and ruinitiat¬ 
ing animals lead them to desire salt: hence iu 
a wild state they seek for salt springs or 
"licks,” where they may satisfy this natural 
craving, aud in a domesticated condition 
should always be accessible to them, and 
then they never will injure themselves by eat¬ 
ing too much of it. Pigs do not seem to have 
this natural craving tor salt to the bauie ex. 
tent as other animals; but I have known 
them to eat it when given to them while 
in pasture, and also while confined in pens; 
and I have made it a practice to put salt 
where pigs could help themselves to it. 
When pigs are fed cooked food of any kind, 
«uad especially vegetables, the food can be im¬ 
proved and made more palatable so that the 
appetite may not flag, by moderately salting 
it. The proportions of salt should be the same 
as for human food. Too little attention is 
U6uallv given by farmers to the stomachs of 
pigs. They are expected to eat anything and 
everything, or perhaps to live a long time on 
only one kind of food. This want of attention 
is the cause of frequent diseases among pigs f 
chief of wbtcb are diarrhea and con6tipaliou. 
Regular feeding of salt in moderate quantity, 
and of sulphur, with an occasional feeding of 
charcoal (once a week) will serve to make a 
good appetite, promote digestion, and prevent 
disturbance of the bowels, which is more like¬ 
ly to oceur without these precautions. The 
health and digestion of pigs would undoubt¬ 
edly be promoted if ibey Lad access to 
prepared chalk, or if a small amount of mag¬ 
nesia was given them in their food. 
Pigs suffer much from indigesliou caused by 
over eating, and if they had the remedies ac¬ 
cessible, their instincts would teach them to 
make use of them, and thus prevent the fre¬ 
quent result — diarrhea. In Summer-time, 
v> hen pigs have access to the ground, they cure 
themselves, or, iu other words, prevent die. 
eases of the stomach by eating grass *bich is 
laxative, or earth, rotton wood, or bits of 
charcoal which seem to check this condition, 
or to prevent extremes The best medicine 
for any animal Is preventive, hence their lood 
and surrouudings should be such as to promote 
health. The opposite is too frequently the 
case, as they are often kept in fllib, and their 
food is prepared for them regardless of sani¬ 
tary laws, their physical wants or natural in. 
stincts. This inconsistency is all the more re¬ 
markable when we consider that pigs areal. 
way r reared only for human food, and are the 
most liable of almost all animals to possess 
parasites in their bodies, and are susceptible of 
a gieat variety of diseases, aud among them 
those of a scrofulous nature, which may be 
transmitted to the human family when the 
pork is eaten. I never eat random pork, as I 
am afraid of it. When carefully raised and 
properly fattened, however, pig meat is health- 
inl food. Theouinivoroas nature of pigs mikes 
them more daugerous iood than beef or mut¬ 
ton, as neat cattle or sheep will not naturally 
eat anything butgraiu or vegetables, while pigs 
are kept sometimes on puirid fo< d, or the 
refuse of slaughter-houses. Cattle may be 
taught to subsist on fish, aud be made to con¬ 
sume swill, but the number of such animals 
which are turned into beef in this country is 
extremely limited, while "swill” hogs are 
much more plentiful. A butcher, or any per¬ 
son who cuts up such animals, can readily 
distinguish them, as the flesh is soft aud flabby. 
It should be made a misdemeanor to sell sueh 
meat, as it is not healthful food. Pi^s from 
the country are almost always fattened on 
grain, and the firmer the flesh 1'ie nearer it is 
to perfection aud health. 
|oultrg garb. 
WINIER FEED FOE FOWLS. 
It is well known that fowls are omnivorous 
and require, to keep in good condition, that 
they be fed a variety of provender. The three 
distinct articles needed are vegetables, meat 
aud grain. In Summer, if allowed a reason¬ 
able range, insect life furnishes them wdth the 
meat class of food. Birds that do not migrate 
to climes where insects propagate themselves 
the year round, but remain where the weather 
becomes cold enough to destroy all active in¬ 
sect life, conlrive to find the larvte of the in¬ 
sects that remain in this form during the Win¬ 
ter. Fowls in confinement are debarred from 
this resouice and must be furnished a flesh diet 
in some other form. A not very neat but still 
a successful method is to hang up the offal of 
hegs or beeves for them to peek at. If the 
weather is warm, this is apt to decay and pro¬ 
duce a not very pleasant odor, and should it be¬ 
come too rank such food will injure the edible 
quality ot the eggs laid by the hens fed on it or 
the flesh of fowls intended for market. The 
haslets of hogs—the heart, liver and lungs join¬ 
ed together—may be procured Id most mar¬ 
kets fur a mere trifle. These, chopped up flue 
and about five of them fed during the week to 
a flock of 100 fowls, will answer admirably. I 
have tried chopping them with a hatchet and 
with a cleaver, but find the best and most ex¬ 
peditious way is to use a sharp butcher’s 
kuife, with which the stuff should be cut near¬ 
ly as fine as grains of corn. 
Another good meat diet is what in these 
parts is known as "scraps" aud at the West 
and South as "cracklings.” It is the refuse 
ot lard-rendering establishments, and is press¬ 
ed iDto cakes of the shape of flat cheeses, 
weighing &i pounds. It is sold at three cents a 
pound aud forms a very rich, egg-producing 
food. It is so firmly pressed together and it re¬ 
quires so much labor on the pan of a chicken to 
get off a piece that it is a good plau to place the 
cake within reach of the flock and allow them 
to help themselves, as there is but little danger 
of their eating too much. If, however, it is 
thought better to feed it. then it should be fed 
mixed with bran—a pound and a half a day to 
100 hens. 
The meat Bcraps from the table should, as far 
as possible, be utilized, the bones constituting 
the best part if properly prepared. To do this 
take a hatchet or ax and mash them fine 
enough for the hens to swallow. The bones of 
all fowls are hollow and therefore easily 
mashed, while hens are exceedingly fond of 
them, as they are of fish bODes and fins, and 
one need not fear their becoming choked on 
them. What a hen cannot swallow she can 
easily scratch out of her mouth, while every 
one knows what sharp pieces of stone and 
even glass Bhe will take down without wincing. 
A certain amount of fresh vegetable food 
should be giveu every day, and it matters very 
little what variety is chosen. Some they re¬ 
fuse iu the raw state, as potatoes, while they 
will eat them ravenously if cooked and slightly 
salted. Others, as cabbage and turnips, are 
probably best fed raw, oeing hung up where 
llie hens cau peck at them. The exercise 
while in confinement is good for them and 
seems to amuse them. A hundred hens should 
have two latr-sizad beads of cabbage a day, or 
their equivalent iu other vegetables. If roots 
are fed, there is no need of catling them very 
fine, as a little work for the hens at this sea¬ 
son is go.d for them. As lOWlo are not very 
choice in their selection of vegetables, it is 
best to feed those kinds of which the greatest 
bulk c vn be procured tor the least money, aud 
here I would saggest pumpkins as probably 
the cheapest hen diet that can be procured, in 
the Fall small pumpkins, only fit for stock 
feed ug, Cc»u be had ior little more than the 
cost of hauling, while chickens are very fond 
of them. The only drawback is the necessity 
of storing them where they will remain in an 
atmosphere constantly above the freezing 
poiut aud not too dry, or they will shiivtl up. 
It tnighi, be here remarked tbat when the en¬ 
silage Tever is over, the silos can be used for 
this purpose. Ensilage itself may make good 
chicken food. Has any one tried it ? 
The choice of grain food may alBO range 
over a large number of varieties. Among 
those kinds that are most popular for feeding, 
are wheat, bailey, oats aud com, with buck¬ 
wheat a high favorite wbtn it can be procured. 
But here, again, the largest bulk for the least 
amount of money should lie held in view, aud 
this rule is almost certain to point the choice 
to corn. 1 am not altogether certain that this 
is not decidedly the best feed for Winter, as it 
is rich In oil and is a heat-producing tood. 1 
am not an advocate of cooking gram of any 
kind in Winter, believing it to do better iu the 
hard state. A flock of 100 hens will consume 
about 20 quarts ol corn a day, besides the reg¬ 
ular warm feed in the morning, in very cold 
weather when their whole attention is given to 
tLe feed box. Along with the corn should be 
given a supply of broken oyster shells. These 
answer a double purpose—they grind the food 
so long as the edges are sharp enough, aud the 
parts that wear away are utilized iu making 
bone and egg-shell. Restaurants at this time are 
only too glad to furnish these shells to anyone 
who will cart them away. 
The books all tell us that the first feed in 
the morning should be a warm mash. How let 
us see. Iu order to have „his feed ready and 
warm when day-light first appears—when the 
fowls leave the roosts—one must either stay 
up all night, or, what is worse, get up an 
hour or two before day light. Neither of these 
plans will be followed by one in a hundred of 
those who breed fowls. I flud the most prac¬ 
tical plan to be to leave some corn within their 
reach when the hens first leave the roost; and 
after breakfast, or about eleven o’clock, 1 mix 
the warm feed consisting of bran, potato peel¬ 
ings, and other scraps, or if these are not to be 
had, then whole vegetables of some kind boil¬ 
ed until soft enough to squeeze with the bran 
between the fingers, and with this 1 put all the 
pot liquors I cau get; also a good supply of 
red pepper water and sufficient salt to give the 
whole a relish. I keep constantly on hand for 
this purpose a large 6tone jar filled with 
water and red pepipers. When this warm feed 
is prepared I roust out all the hens, whether 
in nests or sunning themselves or otherwise 
engaged; put them all together and see that 
one gets as nearly as possible as notch as an¬ 
other. This is necessary; for this feed is 
never fedlu such an abundance that any will 
be left. It is a sort of " constitutional ” and 
should go rouud evenly. The main feed is 
corn, and the most successful managers 1 have 
seen keep this before the fowls all the time. I 
have no doubt it would be better to feed 
only just enough so that all of it should be 
eaten up clean ; but. like many other good 
theories, this will not work iu practice. No 
man has hens enough to pay him for standing 
and feeding them all day, and if he does not 
do this, or keep a supply within their reach, 
they are Bure to suffer at 6otnc time from 
neglect, for the simple teason thut often more 
important interests will command the owner’s 
time and attention. The above system of feed¬ 
ing is with a view to making the hens lay eggs 
in Winter when extra care is necessary if they 
are expeetqd to do any thing more than barely 
exist until warm weather comes again, l. s. ix. 
■ « ♦♦- 
FANCY FOWLS. 
It seems very strange that the occupation 
of raising fancy fowls should be of sufficient 
importance to support numerous weekly and 
monthly journalsdevoted exclusively to that in- 
dustry, and yet so few cau make the raising 
of common poultry pay. Is it that the fancy 
breeds are so much better in every way ? Or 
Is this a little private enjoyment that men in¬ 
dulge in, like driving fast horses or sailing 
yachts, without the least, regard to the cost of 
the matter ? So far as mere feather is con¬ 
cerned I am sure this is the ease. In relation 
to flesh and eggs, there la something of an 
open question. But even here, I have great 
faith in feed aud proper management with the 
common fowl to bring about, the best results. 
While it is true that the French have pro¬ 
duced excellent breeds of fowls for the table, 
it is equally true tbat no man ever ate a per¬ 
fect broiler outside of Paris, and the chickens 
of France from which the large stock that 
supplies the common market is drawu, are no 
better or more specially bred than are onr 
American fowls. The foreign breeds have 
beeu in this country so long that it is now 
hard to find the old harnyurd fowl in his sim¬ 
plicity. He iitvariably struts abont with some 
kind of foreign toggery about him—a droop- 
iug comb (hat he borrows from bis half bred 
Leghorn mother, or feathers on bis legs 
a l' Asiatic. Perhaps he has a Polish crest upon 
his head, but certain it is he has enough for 
eigu blood iu his veius to turn him to a good 
account for the table if he is properly fed. 
So it is with the hens—they have inherited 
more or less of the everlasting laying quali¬ 
ties of the Mediterranean breeds, and if properly 
housed and cared for will give a remunerative 
return in excellent eggs Poultrtman. 
fatrp insbattiirji. 
THE DAIRY C0W-N0. 22. 
HENRY STEWA.RT. 
Working ami Packing Butler. 
It used to be considered that butter required 
to be worked over, cut, squetEjd, and pressed; 
worked even with the hands at one time, al¬ 
most in the tuauner in which a briekmaker 
works his clay to fit it for the mold and make 
it tough aud plastic; or. more recently, with 
butter workers which have almost the same 
effect. Working butter, it it is at all neces¬ 
sary, is a necessary evil; because it is an in¬ 
jurious operation required to avoid the more 
injurious presence of easily decomposed im¬ 
purity (milk) in the butter. But there is no 
necessity for working butter at all. When it 
is made so as to come out of the churn in small 
grains, it may be washed perfectly free from 
the buttermilk with the greatest ease, and the 
salt may be mixed in with it in the most even 
and intimate manner, without disturbing the 
texture in the least by the slightest degree of 
working. At figure 30, is a representation of 
a small quantity of butter lifted out of the 
churn at the moment when the buttermilk had 
been drawn off. The mass is composed of 
small granules, most of which are no larger 
than cabbage seed ; and the remainder of the 
size of grains of wheat. Some of this butter 
washed in three waters was packed in brine in 
glass jars for customers who wished it in this 
condition. The briue is perfectly clean and 
the butter taken from it is pat upon the table 
in an elegant and convenient form for use, and 
as sweet and fresh as when taken from the 
churn. In domestic dairies there can be no 
more delicious butter—to some tastes—than 
when it is so made, if salt Is required, that 
can be added to suit the taste, when it is con¬ 
sumed. When packed iu this manner, butter 
will keep for years. 
It is a mistake to suppose that washing but¬ 
ter injures the flavor. U cau not. Butter is ail 
oil or fat, totally insoluble in water, and all ils 
flavors are component parts of the fat, which 
cannot possibly be separated from it by con¬ 
tact with water. In washing granular butter 
it is necessury to use cold water which sets or 
hardens the granular atoms and prevents 
them from comblaiog In a mass. When but¬ 
ter is taken from the churn in masses, the 
water should not be so cold as to harden these, 
otherwise the milk cannot be removed easily, 
aud then the butter will not keep for any 
length of time, iu spite of all precautions. In 
such a case the batter placed in the bowl is to 
be worked down with the ladle iu thin slices, 
so as to provide outlets for the buttermilk to 
escape. The milk which escapes and flows to 
the bot'om of the bowl should be poured off, 
and the butter washed with clear, pure water; 
the butter is then turned in the bowl and sliced 
in the opposite direction and again washed, 
and if the work has been skillfully done, this 
